Delta Pilots Fail To Get Military Bias Suit Off The Ground

By Hailey Konnath

The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's decision tossing former Delta Air Lines Inc. pilots' claims that they were forced out of their jobs for taking military leave, ruling the pilots would have been forced out anyway for abusing their sick leave.

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2nd Circ. Amends Revival Of Mortgage-Backed Securities Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Second Circuit on Wednesday pulled back from a holding that mortgages underlying a union pension fund's mortgage-backed securities investments that tanked during the financial crisis were plan assets under federal benefits law in a proposed class action that the appellate court revived in March against Wells Fargo and Ocwen.

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Goldman Nears Deal With Investors Over 1MDB Scandal

By Hailey Konnath

Goldman Sachs has reached a settlement-in-principle with investors claiming losses from the 1MDB bond bribery scandal, according to a joint letter filed in New York federal court on Wednesday.

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Florida Co. Accused Of $91M Fake Obamacare Scheme

By David Minsky

The Federal Trade Commission accused a Florida company and its executives of operating a nationwide scheme selling fake Obamacare plans, alleging in a federal lawsuit unsealed Wednesday that they made at least $91 million by tricking people into purchasing fraudulent health benefits packages.

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DOL Unveils Joint Employer Rule Proposal

By Max Kutner

The U.S. Department of Labor announced its proposed rule Wednesday for clarifying when multiple employers are jointly liable for wage and hour violations.

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Brief

Va. Lawmakers Enact Updated Family Leave Program

By Grace Elletson

Virginia's Legislature greenlighted a law Wednesday that will allow workers to take paid family and medical leave through a statewide insurance program, approving Gov. Abigail Spanberger's proposed changes.

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Chancery Sends Masimo Ex-CEO Pay Fight To California

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court sided with former Masimo Corp. CEO Joe E. Kiani in his fight with the global medical technology company, dismissing the company's lawsuit over a disputed $450 million severance package and ruling that the case must proceed in California, not Delaware.

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Brief

Workers' Attys Get $940K As $4.7M Tobacco Deal Approved

By Patrick Hoff

A Virginia federal judge on Wednesday awarded $940,000 in attorney fees to class counsel who secured a $4.7 million settlement with food distributor Performance Food Group over claims that it unlawfully charged tobacco users an extra fee for health benefits.

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Fast Food Parent Co. Wants Out Of Workers' Tobacco Fee Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

The parent company of Arby's, Dunkin' and other fast-food chains urged a Georgia federal court to toss the remaining claims in a class action alleging employees in its health plan were unlawfully charged more for using tobacco, pointing to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 Loper Bright ruling.

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SolarEdge Inks $55M Investor Deal Over Europe Sales Claims

By Craig Clough

A group of SolarEdge Technologies Inc. investors have asked a New York federal judge to approve a $55 million preliminary settlement they reached with the company and two of its top executives, saying it would be a "highly favorable resolution" of their claims that the company misrepresented the demand for solar energy products in Europe.

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'Cheap' Judge Tentatively Trims Fees But OKs $65M Snap Deal

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge who previously described himself to the parties as "cheap" may have lived up to the descriptor Wednesday by tentatively granting final approval to Snap's $65 million securities settlement while indicating he'd likely give a 5% "haircut" to the investor plaintiffs' requested attorney fees.

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Consolidation Recommended For NY Hospital Antitrust Cases

By Emily Brill

Two antitrust lawsuits accusing New York-Presbyterian Hospital of using anticompetitive tactics when negotiating with insurers should move forward as one, a New York magistrate judge said Wednesday, encouraging a federal district judge to consolidate the proposed class actions filed by a pair of union benefit funds.

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Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

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Norton Rose Faces $100M Suit Over Withdrawn Patent App

By Celeste Bott

Norton Rose Fulbright was sued in Illinois state court Tuesday by an advertising tech company claiming that the law firm mishandled a patent application and caused it to be deemed withdrawn, but kept the company in the dark about the loss of its valuable patent rights for over a year.

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Lockheed Birth Defect Trial Judge 'Disappointed' By Attys

By Cara Salvatore

A Florida federal judge said Tuesday he's "puzzled and disappointed" in counsel who appear "unprepared" on the eve of trial in a suit by children who blame their birth defects on Lockheed Martin's chemical handling practices at an Orlando defense system manufacturing and research facility.

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Hunter Biden Blasts Winston & Strawn Tactics In Fee Row

By Emily Sawicki

As a discovery dispute between Hunter Biden and Winston & Strawn LLP drags on amid a suit over allegedly unpaid legal bills, the former president's son accused the BigLaw firm, which once represented him in a Delaware criminal case and other matters, of resorting to "what is uncomfortably close to an ad hominem attack" against him.

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Analysis

Bondi's Proposed Rule Change May Shield Her In Ethics Case

By Phillip Bantz

A federal rule change that Pam Bondi proposed before she was fired as U.S. attorney general could stymie an ethics complaint against her in Florida, which is expected to be refiled after the state bar declined to take up the case during her tenure, experts say.

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Messner Reeves Accused Of $8.3M Trust Account Fraud

By Zach Dupont

Colorado law firm Messner Reeves LLP was hit with a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court from five businesses claiming it stole more than $8 million from them in a fraudulent loan scheme involving a now-defunct sports arena and hotel project in Las Vegas.

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Alston & Bird Says Goliath Investors Can't Claim Malpractice

By Carolina Bolado

Alston & Bird LLP urged a Florida federal court on Wednesday to toss a malpractice suit claiming the firm facilitated a $328 million cryptocurrency scam at Goliath Ventures Inc., arguing that the proposed class of Goliath investors who brought the suit were never clients of the firm.

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Analysis

House GOP Again Pushes Data Privacy Bill To Override States

By Allison Grande

House Republicans on Wednesday took their latest crack at establishing a cohesive nationwide data privacy framework, floating legislation that would give consumers more control over their personal information while preempting a growing patchwork of state laws, although early criticisms indicate that the issues that have long stymied these efforts persist.

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330+ Groups Urge DOJ To Restore Immigration Aid Staff

By Courtney Bublé

More than 300 legal services providers, faith-based institutions and community groups are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to fully restore a program that allows nonlawyers to assist low-income and indigent persons in immigration proceedings.

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Acting DOJ Inspector General Tapped For Permanent Post

By Jack Karp

President Donald Trump has nominated the U.S. Department of Justice's acting inspector general, who investigated the FBI's probe into Trump's links with Russia, to remain in that role on a permanent basis, according to a White House announcement.

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Paint Co. Says Injury Firm Used Stolen Data To Solicit Clients

By Abigail Harrison

A paint company has asked a North Carolina federal court to boot the opposing counsel in a putative data breach class action, accusing them of finding stolen data on the dark web and using it to solicit potential plaintiffs before victims were even notified of the breach.

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