Chamber Urges 1st Circ. To Affirm Toss Of Tobacco Fee Suit

By Julie Manganis

A Rhode Island federal judge got it right when she tossed a proposed class action alleging that workers who completed a smoking cessation program are entitled to refunds of surcharges to their health insurance premiums, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce told the First Circuit.

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Air Force Wins Disability Bias Suit Over Pandemic Leave

By Benjamin Morse

The U.S. Air Force won an early victory in a former assistant lodging manager's lawsuit alleging he was denied paid safety leave during the COVID-19 pandemic because of his disability, after an Arizona federal judge found he failed to show discrimination and did not exhaust administrative remedies.

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Brief

Musk, X Settle Former Twitter Workers' Severance Suit

By Katryna Perera

X Corp. and Elon Musk have agreed to settle claims by a group of six former Twitter employees that they were falsely promised severance benefits in connection with Musk's acquisition of the social media company.

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Brief

Teva $35M Delayed Generic Inhalers Deal Gets Initial OK

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Massachusetts federal judge Thursday granted initial approval to a $35 million deal that Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay to resolve claims from a coalition of union healthcare funds that say the company schemed to delay generic competition for its QVAR asthma inhalers.

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Brief

Pepsi Worker Seeks 2nd Circ. Tobacco Fee Suit Revival

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Pepsi worker said Thursday she'll seek Second Circuit review of a New York federal judge's decision to toss her proposed class action alleging the snack and beverage multinational violated federal benefits law when it charged employees who used tobacco more for health insurance.

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UNITE HERE Healthcare Fund Beats SoCal Workers' Rate Suit

By Emily Brill

A union healthcare fund has beaten back a class action accusing it of wrongfully charging Southern California workers higher rates than Las Vegas workers, with an Illinois federal judge holding that the class hasn't shown the fund violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

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Brief

Clifford Chance Brings On NY Tax Partner From White & Case

By Tracey Read

Clifford Chance LLP has hired a former White & Case LLP attorney as a partner in its tax, pensions and employment group in New York.

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Pension Case Offers Entertainment Work Exception Insights

A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarified that any amount of entertainment work can satisfy the entertainment industry exception under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act, reinforcing that statutory language, rather than evolving business models, dictates withdrawal liability outcomes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

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Series

Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

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Bondi Out As Attorney General After Contentious Time At DOJ

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday Attorney General Pam Bondi will be leaving her post. 

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Goldstein Allowed To Move Out After Marriage Falls Apart

By Jared Foretek

A Maryland federal judge on Thursday allowed SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein to relocate for the duration of his home confinement, after Goldstein's attorneys said his marriage had fallen apart and it no longer "makes sense" for Goldstein and his wife to share a residence.

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Raskin Blasts DOJ Bid To Shield Attys From State Bar Probes

By Courtney Bublé

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said Thursday the U.S. Department of Justice's endeavor to preempt state bar investigations of department attorneys is a "get out of jail free" card.

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DLA Piper, Vax Refuser Reach Deal To End Religious Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

DLA Piper has struck a deal to wrap up a Christian former employee's lawsuit claiming he was fired for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine because of his religious beliefs, an Illinois federal judge said Thursday.

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Feds Say Habeas Ruling Could Spur More 'Illegal Orders'

By Jared Foretek

The Trump administration has asked the Fourth Circuit to reverse a district ruling that upheld a standing order from Maryland federal judges barring immediate removal or transfer of immigrant detainees, arguing the ruling sets a dangerous precedent for district court standing orders.

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Schneider Wallace Fights Uphill For Bigger Cut Of $75M Fees

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal magistrate judge appeared skeptical Thursday about Schneider Wallace Cottrell Kim LLP's bid to increase its cut of a $75.4 million fee award for representing plaintiffs in a $228.5 million Sutter Health antitrust deal, saying lead counsel Constantine Cannon LLP's allocation of $1.4 million to Schneider Wallace seems fair.

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Puerto Rico Bankruptcy Stymies Paul Weiss, ACLU Fee Bids

By Carolyn Muyskens

American Civil Liberties Union and Paul Weiss attorneys who successfully eased restrictions on voting by mail in Puerto Rico during the COVID-19 pandemic cannot collect fees for their work because they were discharged in Puerto Rico's bankruptcy proceeding, the First Circuit has ruled.

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Process Server ABC Legal Inks $2.5M Deal Over Cyber Breach

By Ben Adlin

Seattle-based ABC Legal Services LLC, which bills itself as the nation's largest network of legal process servers, would pay $2.5 million under a tentative deal to settle workers' putative class action claiming a 2024 cyberattack exposed their personal information, the plaintiffs told a Washington federal court Wednesday.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen data giant Sportrader face action from software company Altenar over alleged market abuse, Mexican billionaire Ricardo Pliego sue a man who allegedly defrauded him out of $415 million, and Warner Bros. bring a copyright claim against a YouTuber who leaked set footage of the upcoming Harry Potter series. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K. 

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