9th Circ. Rejects Challenge To Wash. Abortion Coverage Law

By Rachel Riley

Revisiting a church's First Amendment challenge to a Washington law mandating that certain health insurance plans include abortion coverage, a divided Ninth Circuit panel Monday concluded that the Cedar Park Assembly of God failed to point to evidence that Washington's Reproductive Parity Act targets religious conduct.

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Leidos Settles Ex-Worker's Tobacco Fee Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

Information technology company Leidos has struck a deal to settle an ex-worker's proposed class action alleging violations of federal benefits law over a roughly $600-a-year health plan surcharge on employees who used tobacco, parties told a Virginia federal court.

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Aetna Tells 5th Circ. DOL Can't Block Aramark Suit Arbitration

By Kellie Mejdrich

Aetna Life Insurance Co. urged the Fifth Circuit on Monday against the U.S. Department of Labor's argument that uniform company Aramark Services Inc.'s health claims dispute with the insurer should remain in court, arguing a Texas judge erred in declining to enforce the parties' binding arbitration agreement.

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National Instruments Reaches $28M Deal Over Hidden Bids

By Katryna Perera

National Instruments Corp., two former executives and a class of investors have reached a $28 million deal to resolve claims that the company repurchased stock while concealing from investors that it was considering being acquired.

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ERISA Smoking Suit Must Be Arbitrated, Dollar General Says

By Emily Brill

The Sixth Circuit should scuttle a proposed Employee Retirement Income Security Act class action against Dollar General by reviving and granting the company's motion to compel individual arbitration, Dollar General argued, saying a Tennessee federal judge didn't follow the right procedure when dispensing with the motion.

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Detroit, Firefighters Union Win Seniority Appeal

By Melanie Dorsey

The city of Detroit and its firefighters union have defeated the remaining claims of two firefighters who challenged their treatment after returning from disability retirement, with a Michigan state appeals court finding their claims either conflicted with seniority rules adopted during the city's bankruptcy or lacked sufficient support.

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Atty Says NFL Parkinson's Claims Ban Lacked Due Process

By Elaine Briseño

An attorney barred from representing claimants seeking NFL concussion settlement funds was denied basic due process during an audit of his work, he has argued in asking the Pennsylvania federal court to vacate his sanctions.

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How States' 'Perry Mason Moment' Led To $17B Meta Deal

By Dorothy Atkins

A recent landmark $17.1 billion settlement with Meta Platforms Inc. may have never happened if it weren't for a quick-thinking trial attorney and his close-knit team of lawyers representing 29 states, who worked together to swiftly shift strategies midtrial.

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Ashurst Perkins Aided $230M ICap Ponzi Scheme, Suit Claims

By Ben Adlin

Ashurst Perkins Coie pocketed millions of dollars in legal fees by providing services to clients it knew were operating a Ponzi scheme that ultimately swindled investors out of nearly $230 million, plaintiffs claimed in a Washington state lawsuit accusing the firm of aiding and abetting fraud.

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Trump Taps Ex-DOL Official To Serve As EEOC Top Cop

By Anne Cullen

The White House nominated a former Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP attorney who previously led the U.S. Department of Labor's contractor compliance arm to serve as the general counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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Washington Sen. Murray Vows To Block Trump US Atty Pick

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington is under fire from one of the home state senators who vowed to use every avenue possible to block him.

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Fla. Judge Won't Pause Trump-IRS Settlement Sanctions

By Jack McLoone

The Florida federal judge who barred President Donald Trump and others from citing a settlement resolving what she characterized as a sham $10 billion case against his own Internal Revenue Service won't pause her sanctions order while the president appeals to the Eleventh Circuit.

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4th Circ. Appears Split On Reviving Comey, James Indictments

By Jared Foretek

Partisan splits were apparent Tuesday on the Fourth Circuit panel hearing the Trump administration's challenge to a federal district judge's dismissal of the indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, with two of the three judges appearing to agree an improper appointment doomed the cases.

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Brief

Calif. Judge Charged Over Fatal Crash With Bicyclist

By Craig Clough

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that his office charged Kings County Superior Court Judge Kendra Weber with a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter, alleging she struck and killed a bicyclist.

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