Mitsubishi Chemical Settles Ex-Workers' 401(k) Fund Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

A New York federal judge agreed Tuesday to stay deadlines in a proposed class action from Mitsubishi Chemical America ex-workers who alleged their 401(k) savings were dragged down by lackluster fund offerings, after the parties told the court Monday that they had settled their dispute.

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Plumbing Co. ESOP Trial Averted By Settlement Deal

By Kellie Mejdrich

A California federal judge stayed deadlines Tuesday in a federal benefits class action against a plumbing company and the caretakers of its defunct employee stock ownership plan that was set for trial in September, after the parties said they'd settled their dispute Monday following mediation.

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Analysis

Defamation Litigation Roundup: Tyra Banks, Carroll, ERISA

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights Tyra Banks' suit over a Netflix docuseries about her long-running modeling competition show, as well as a late-night television host's defeat of a case taking issue with a segment on Medicaid coverage in Iowa.

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Cigna, Others Fight Ohio AG's Drug Price-Fixing Suit

By Carla Baranauckas

Ohio pharmacy benefit managers and their corporate parents urged a federal judge to toss the state's drug price-fixing lawsuit, saying in a series of briefs that the state is trying to skirt federal pleading standards, collapse corporate separateness and stretch Ohio's antitrust law beyond its limits.

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AIDS Group Says Cigna-Owned Express Scripts Hurts Patients

By Nadia Dreid

AIDS Healthcare Foundation says its nonprofit wellness centers are going to be run out of business if Cigna-owned pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts isn't stopped from using its muscle in the market to steer pharmacy patients toward specialty pharmacies it's affiliated with.

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Eversheds, K&L Gates Guide Empower's $340M Milliman Buy

By Al Barbarino

Empower announced Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire the retirement administration business of consulting and actuarial firm Milliman for $340 million, expanding its presence in the defined benefit pension market through a deal steered by Eversheds Sutherland and K&L Gates LLP, respectively.

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Series

Power To The Paralegals: Burnout As A Structural Problem

Law firm leadership can best retain their paralegals not by encouraging self-care, but by seeking top-down structural solutions for the quiet proliferation of responsibilities and the vicarious exposure to client trauma that particularly drive burnout in this vital role, says Erika Sneeringer at Brockstedt Mandalas.

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Law Firm Mergers Level Off As Risks Tick Up

By Aebra Coe

Despite two large law firm combinations closing this week, deal announcements flatlined to a near-decade-low in the first half of the year as law firms face a patchwork of risks including geopolitical volatility, private equity interest and uncertainty around artificial intelligence in law. However, activity is expected to pick up by year-end.

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Brief

Texas Federal Judge Requires Confirmation Of AI Checks

By Emily Sawicki

Attorneys and self-represented parties appearing before U.S. District Judge Ernest Gonzalez of the Western District of Texas are now required to certify that they have independently verified the contents of any filings created or edited using artificial intelligence.

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Hogan Lovells Cadwalader Sees 'Opportunity' In Boston

By Chris Villani

With the official launch of Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, Boston attorneys at Hogan Lovells are expecting the firm to be able to leverage Cadwalader's strengths and some of the Hub's unique traits in what they call a truly "additive" merger.

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5 NYC Legal Service Provider Union Contracts Have Expired

By Andrea Keckley

The collective bargaining agreements for five New York City-based indigent defense and civil legal aid providers expired at the end of the day Tuesday as multiple unions reported outstanding points of contention in their negotiations.

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Withers Promotes 12 Partners In US, UK, Singapore

By Christine DeRosa

International law firm Withers has appointed a dozen new partners across three countries, nearly half of whom are based in the United States.

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Roundup

The Top In-House Hires Of June

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Bayer, Harley-Davidson and PBS. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from June.

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Littler Adds Ex-Morgan Lewis Labor Litigator In California

By Matt Perez

Littler Mendelson PC, which primarily deals in employment and labor law practice representing management, announced on Tuesday the hiring of a former Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP attorney as a shareholder in its Walnut Creek, California, office.

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PCAOB Names Ex-Venable Partner As GC

By Jessica Corso

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has named a former Venable LLP partner as its new general counsel, where he will be tasked with providing legal advice to an agency that is currently undergoing leadership changes.

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Wash. Atty Loses Bid For Jury In Dispute Over Bar Sanctions

By Emily Sawicki

A Washington lawyer sanctioned and disciplined for bringing a "frivolous" election suit in 2021 against then-Gov. Jay Inslee has lost her bid to have her ethics charges heard by a jury, with a state appeals panel finding no error in a trial court's ruling that it lacked jurisdiction to take on the disciplinary matter.

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Judiciary Dems Seek DOJ Replies Before Blanche Hearing

By Courtney Bublé

Ahead of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing for the permanent position, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are demanding he provide answers to their outstanding oversight inquiries.

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4 Mass. Rulings You May Have Missed In June

By Julie Manganis

An advisory firm's failure to register as a broker before diving into work on a $2.1 billion take-private deal last year has cost it, while emails and text messages took center stage in several other disputes pending in Massachusetts state court in June.

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Watchdog Says DOL Needs Better Info Sharing Controls

By Kellie Mejdrich

The U.S. Department of Labor's lack of controls over information sharing between subagencies and nongovernmental entities, including law firms and legal advocacy organizations, may have unfairly advantaged those parties with privileged investigative information, an agency watchdog reported, though use of the practice has dropped off. 

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U Of Ky. Appoints Controversial Dean Pick For Law School

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove of the Eastern District of Kentucky will retire from the bench later this month to become dean of the University of Kentucky's J. David Rosenberg College of Law, a move that sparked controversy in the state.

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