Duke University has agreed to pay $2.35 million to settle a proposed class action alleging the school's use of decades-old mortality tables to calculate retirement benefits shorted former employees by millions of dollars, according to a filing in North Carolina federal court.
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Duke Strikes $2.35M Deal To Resolve Mortality Data Suit

By Patrick Hoff

Duke University has agreed to pay $2.35 million to settle a proposed class action alleging the school's use of decades-old mortality tables to calculate retirement benefits shorted former employees by millions of dollars, according to a filing in North Carolina federal court.

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Husch Blackwell Used 401(k) Cash To Pay Bills, Ex-Atty Says

By Grace Elletson

A former Husch Blackwell LLP attorney sued the firm in Missouri federal court Tuesday, claiming it violated federal benefits law by delaying sending employees' 401(k) contributions to their retirement plan so that the cash could be used to pay for the firm's operating expenses.

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Ill. Hospital Nonprofit Must Face Tobacco Fee Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

An Illinois federal judge refused to toss the bulk of a proposed class action from an Illinois hospital worker who claimed a fee on the employee health plans of tobacco users was discriminatory and breached fiduciary duties under benefits law, finding most allegations sufficiently backed up to survive dismissal.

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ENFORCEMENT & COMPLIANCE

Texas AG Probes Glass Lewis, ISS On ESG Advice

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Office of the Attorney General launched an investigation into Glass Lewis & Co. and Institutional Shareholder Services Inc., claiming Tuesday the proxy advisory firms misled public companies and institutional investors to push for left-wing social causes.

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LITIGATION

BlackRock Blames Coal Production Cuts On Falling Demand

By Matthew Perlman

BlackRock Inc. told a Texas federal court that coal production has declined because demand from coal-fired power plants has been falling for years, not because asset managers conspired to pressure the producers.

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Brief

CVS Caremark Takes $290M Overbilling Judgment To 3rd Circ.

By P.J. D'Annunzio

CVS's pharmacy benefits manager will appeal a judgment against the company that was recently increased from $95 million to $290 million in a suit alleging it overbilled Medicare Part D-sponsored drugs, according to a notice of appeal filed in Pennsylvania federal court.

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AT&T Wants Lead-Lined Cables Investor Suit Gone For Good

By Nadia Dreid

AT&T says it's time for a Texas federal court to dismiss an investor suit accusing the mobile behemoth of misleading investors about the removal of lead-covered copper cables from its network, for good.

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BANKRUPTCY

3rd Circ. Says Yellow Has Ch. 11 Pension Liabilities

By Rick Archer

The Third Circuit has rejected Yellow Corp.'s appeal of a bankruptcy court decision on pension liability in its Chapter 11 case, saying Tuesday that the trucking company's pension funds are correct in their calculation of how much it owes as it pulls out of its retirement plans.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

7 Document Review Concepts New Attorneys Need To Know

For new associates joining firms this fall, stepping into the world of e-discovery can feel like learning a new language, but understanding a handful of fundamentals — from coding layouts to metadata — can help attorneys become fluent in document review, says Ann Motl at Bowman and Brooke.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

'It's Confidential': Judiciary Chair Mum On Court System Strife

By Jeff Overley

The federal judiciary's leaders heard sharp criticism at a private meeting Tuesday regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's increasing willingness to block lower court decisions, according to remarks released publicly, and one of those leaders subsequently deflected requests for details during an official briefing.

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Feature

For Cahill Atty, Rare Disease Pro Bono Work Is Personal

By Mark Payne

John MacGregor of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP didn't have any experience in healthcare law before taking on a pro bono client that supports people with a rare form of epilepsy. MacGregor's son is one of them.

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Willkie Taps PE Head To Co-Lead The Firm In 2027

By Andrea Keckley

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced Tuesday that the nearly decade-long head of its private equity practice will step up to co-lead the firm as its joint chairman at the start of 2027.

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Sotomayor Warns Civics Undereducation Leads To Bad Laws

By Kevin Penton

Those looking to change the nation's laws first need to understand how they work and why they are in place, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor told a packed auditorium at New York Law School on Tuesday.

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Analysis

The Patent Workforce Is Attracting Fewer Attys, More Agents

By Theresa Schliep

The pool of patent practitioners registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has undergone a dramatic shift over the past few decades, with the number of attorneys taking the bar exam decreasing at the same time more patent agents are entering the field.

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Acting US Atty Denies Prosecution Of Lawmaker Is 'Selective'

By Parker Quinlan

The U.S. Department of Justice has requested that assault charges not be dismissed against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, pushing back on claims the government is selectively prosecuting her following a confrontation with federal agents in May at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark.

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Former Judge Aims To Escape Suit Over Secret Atty Romance

By Ryan Boysen

Former Bankruptcy Judge David R. Jones wants out of a lawsuit claiming his secret romance scandal infected the restructuring of life insurance bond seller GWG Holdings Inc., arguing that he's clearly protected by judicial immunity.

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GOP Spending Bill Seeks $58M For Supreme Court, Marshals

By Courtney Bublé

The House Republicans unveiled their short-term spending bill Tuesday, and it includes an extra $28 million for security for the U.S. Supreme Court justices.

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Insurer Hits Hall Booth With $10M Suit Over Botched Defense

By Emily Johnson

A former client of Hall Booth Smith PC and its attorney allege the law firm botched its legal representation in an underlying suit related to a death at an indoor shooting range and caused the insurer $10.6 million in financial harm, according to a legal malpractice suit lodged in Georgia state court.

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Trump Taps US Atty Nominees For NC, NH And Louisiana

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump has named U.S. attorney nominees for Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina.

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Ga. Justices Won't Reinstate DA Willis To Trump Election Case

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to review a lower court's ruling disqualifying Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the 2020 Georgia election interference case against President Donald Trump and his co-defendants.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Arnold & Porter

Baker Botts

Bandas Law Firm

Berger Montague

Bowman & Brooke

Buzbee Law Firm

Cahill Gordon

Cooper & Kirk

Covington & Burling

Davis Wright Tremaine

Ellis & Winters

Fell Law PC

Fish & Richardson

Gibson Dunn

Groom Law Group

Hall Booth

Harrity & Harrity

Haynes Boone

Hogan Lovells

Husch Blackwell

Jackson Walker LLP

Kirkland & Ellis

Knott & Boyle

Law Office of Craig Leydecker

Law Offices of Jason L. Oliver

Miller Shah

Morgan Lewis

Norton Rose

Pachulski Stang

Polsinelli PC

Pomerantz LLP

Potter Anderson

Quinn Emanuel

Rusty Hardin

Sanford Heisler

Schwegman Lundberg

Siri & Glimstad

Sterne Kessler

Sullivan Hazeltine

Troutman

Vinson & Elkins

Ward and Smith

Williams & Connolly

Willkie Farr

WilmerHale

Yetter Coleman

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AT&T Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

Arch Resources Inc.

BlackRock Inc.

Blackstone Group

CVS Health Corp.

Central States Funds

Compass Group PLC

Duke University

Glass Lewis & Co. LLC

Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.

LinkedIn Corp.

Match Group LLC

New York Law School

Peabody Energy Corp.

Performance Food Group Co.

State Street Corp.

Stoke Therapeutics

The Carle Foundation

The Hanover Insurance Group Inc.

The Vanguard Group Inc.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Yellow Corp.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

City and County of San Francisco, California

Congressional Research Service

Court of Appeals of New York

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Georgia Court of Appeals

Georgia Supreme Court

Judicial Conference of the United States

New Hampshire Judicial Branch

North Carolina Department of Public Safety

Superior Court of Fulton County

Texas Attorney General's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Department of State

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. District Court of the District of New Hampshire

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Secret Service

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Supreme Court