Meta Owes $375M In NM Trial Over Harm To Teens

By Cara Salvatore

A New Mexico jury said Tuesday that Meta must pay $375 million over the state attorney general's bellwether claims that the social media giant hid the full scope of mental health harm its apps were causing to underage users.

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AI Tools May 'Disrobe' Meta Of Section 230 Shield, Judge Says

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge trimmed Tuesday a proposed class action alleging Meta Platforms Inc. knowingly participated in a Chinese pump-and-dump scheme advertised on social media, but found there's a factual dispute over whether Meta's AI tools materially contributed to the "facially ridiculous" ads.

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SDNY Reaches $318M Deal For Victims Of Iran-Linked Terror

By Ganesh Setty

Hundreds of terror attack victims with judgments against Iran will now receive $318 million as part of a settlement stemming from the federal government's forfeiture action against a 36-story Midtown Manhattan office tower linked to the Iranian government.

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Beasley Allen Says NJ Justices Review Of Talc DQ 'Essential'

By George Woolston

Beasley Allen urged the New Jersey Supreme Court to hear its appeal of a lower court's decision to disqualify it from representing plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder, arguing that the court's immediate review of the interlocutory order is "essential."

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Calif. Oil Co. To Pay $9M To End Standby Shift Dispute

By Irene Spezzamonte

An oil company agreed to pay $9 million to settle 750 workers' claims alleging they were not compensated for their 12-hour standby shifts, the employees told a California federal court, seeking the final approval for the deal.

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$5.7M Cigna Ghost Network Deal Receives Final Go-Ahead

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge gave his final sign-off Tuesday to a $5.7 million settlement in what he called an "interesting" case accusing Cigna of improperly advertising out-of-network providers as though they're in-network for certain benefit plans it administered.

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Mass General Accused Of Shaving Time From Workers' Pay

By Benjamin Morse

Boston-based healthcare system Mass General Brigham shaved as much as 14 minutes a day from employees' pay by rounding their clock-in and clock-out times, according to a proposed class and collective action filed in federal court.

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Brief

Apple Flouting Mass. Law With Late Pay, Suit Says

By Carolyn Muyskens

A former Apple Store manager says the tech giant consistently paid her and hundreds of other Massachusetts workers later than permitted by state law, according to a proposed class action filed in state court.

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Health Co. Escapes Workers' 401(k) Forfeiture Suit In La.

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Louisiana federal judge agreed to toss a federal benefits lawsuit against a health company from workers who alleged the company misspent forfeitures from their employee 401(k) plan, rejecting the workers' argument that funds should have gone toward defraying expenses instead of lowering employer-side contribution obligations.

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Union Fails To Shut Down Suit Over Retirement Plan Roster

By Patrick Hoff

A carpenters union and its retirement plan manager failed in an early bid to defeat a class action claiming they violated federal benefits law by investing retirement plan assets in risky funds that lost more than $250 million, with a Washington federal judge saying the Ninth Circuit already determined that the workers have a viable claim.

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Biz Services Co. Faces ERISA Suit Over 'Tobacco Surcharge'

By Zak Kostro

Business services company Conduent unlawfully imposes health insurance surcharges on employees who use tobacco products, forcing them to pay more for coverage the company provides, a former employee and plan participant said in a proposed class action in New Jersey federal court.

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Chicago Cannabis Co. Inks $250K Tip Theft Settlement

By Jonathan Capriel

Chicago-area budtenders are asking a federal judge to approve a $250,000 deal that would end a proposed class action accusing their employer of unlawfully taking tips meant for them and giving the money to managers and supervisors.

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Lowe's Says Ex-Worker's Moonlighting Class Action Falls Flat

By Ben Adlin

Lowe's urged a Seattle federal judge to reject a putative class action accusing it of wrongfully barring low-wage workers from taking extra jobs elsewhere, arguing in a filing Monday that the named plaintiff in the suit made too much money and admitted never seeing the retailer's policy documents she said prohibited outside work.

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2nd Circ. Won't Recharge Solar Panel Co. Investor Suit

By Emilie Ruscoe

The Second Circuit won't revive a proposed investor class action alleging solar panel infrastructure company Array Technologies failed to convey the impact of certain heightened costs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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2nd Circ. Says Barclays Noteholders' Appeal Fails 'Slack' Test

By Jessica Corso

The Second Circuit on Tuesday upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing Barclays PLC of selling unregistered securities following its loss of well-known seasoned issuer status, saying in a case of first impression that investors couldn't meet a test set out by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023's Slack decision.

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Agenus Escapes Investor Fraud Suit Over Cancer Drug

By Carolyn Muyskens

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday tossed securities fraud claims against Agenus Inc., saying the biotech company did not conceal the risk that a colorectal cancer therapy it was developing might face roadblocks.

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AI Biz Brass, Accounting Firm Shake 'Fake Revenue' Suit

By Emilie Ruscoe

The leaders of a now-bankrupt artificial intelligence company and its former accounting firm have escaped a lawsuit brought by investors alleging the AI company used so-called round-trip transactions with a business partner to generate false revenue, after a Maryland federal judge found the shareholders have not shown the transactions or the business relationship were improper.

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Drug Co. Atara Hit With Investor Suit Over FDA Denial

By Sydney Price

Drug company Atara Biotherapeutics Inc. has been hit with a proposed class action accusing it of harming investors by not disclosing certain manufacturing problems and research study deficiencies that made it unlikely the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would approve its new drug application.

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Iowa Asks 5th Circ. To Ax 'Uncertain' Schwab Antitrust Deal

By Hailey Konnath

Iowa's attorney general Monday pressed the Fifth Circuit to reject investors' deal with The Charles Schwab Corp. in an antitrust suit over its merger with TD Ameritrade, arguing it offers only uncertain and hypothetical relief to class members while giving named plaintiffs and class counsel a "windfall."

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Fanatics Escapes Suit Over Trading Card Prices, For Now

By Matthew Perlman

A New York federal court tossed an antitrust case accusing Fanatics, the NFL, NBA and MLB of restraining competition for trading cards through exclusive licensing deals, after finding the consumers failed to show they purchased any cards at inflated prices.

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Zillow Wants Out Of Proposed Monopoly Class Action

By Grace Dixon

Zillow Group Inc. urged a Washington federal court to dismiss a proposed class action alleging real estate agents were forced to promote its loan business in exchange for client referrals, arguing the agents failed to name which market was impacted by the alleged conduct.

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Justices Won't Review Class Cert. In Diabetes Drug Risk Case

By Mark Payne

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review whether a federal court can certify a class of third-party payors who claim drugmakers hid the cancer risks of an anti-diabetes drug.

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Heritage Bank Client Alleges 'Unsecure' Servers Led To Breach

By Ben Adlin

A Heritage Bank customer claimed in a putative class action Tuesday that the Washington-based financial institution failed to properly guard users' personal data that was stolen in a March 1 cyberattack, alleging the company used substandard security practices and failed to update its systems on a timely basis.

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BofA Wants Customer Suit Over Post-Jan. 6 Data Sharing Axed

By Katryna Perera

Bank of America has asked a Florida federal judge to toss a proposed class action accusing it of financial privacy violations tied to the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, arguing the U.S. Supreme Court has held that bank customers do not have ownership or expectations of privacy over their bank account records.

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Wayfair's 30-Day Return Policy Is Misleading, Shopper Says

By Gina Kim

Wayfair deploys a misleading 30-day return policy for merchandise sold on its website without conspicuously disclosing at the checkout page that some items are not returnable, leading shoppers to make their purchasing decisions under false impressions, according to a false advertising suit filed Monday in a California state court.

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Court Rules Insurers Not Liable For Nitrous Oxide Injuries

By Sam Reisman

A Louisiana federal judge has released two insurance companies from having to defend a nitrous oxide seller in a personal injury suit after the court found that injuries stemming from the use of psychotropic substances were excluded from coverage.

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Brief

Citibank Wins Order To Arbitrate Military Lending Case

By Elaine Briseño

A North Carolina federal judge paused a military consumer lawsuit against Citibank NA over misleading information about interest and fees after the Fourth Circuit determined that the arbitration agreements were enforceable.

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Judge Clears Notice For Screening Program Suit Settlement

By Tom Lotshaw

A Washington federal judge signed off on a notice for a class action settlement that would have U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services repeal a program used to review naturalization and green card applications for people deemed to raise national security concerns.

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Immigrant Minors Seek End To Repeat Sponsor Checks

By Jared Foretek

A youth advocacy attorney nearly came to tears as she told a D.C. federal judge of immigrant children being torn from their parents Tuesday, urging the judge to block a Trump administration policy requiring that previously approved custodians reapply to sponsor "unaccompanied" children while the minors are held in government facilities.

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Skadden Adds Mayer Brown Class Action Trio In DC, Palo Alto

By Rose Krebs

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP announced Tuesday that it has added three partners from Mayer Brown LLP to strengthen its capacity to handle class actions, multidistrict litigation, appellate and other matters.

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And Now A Word From The Panel: New Rules For The JPML

On the heels of a new federal rule of civil procedure governing multidistrict litigation, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has adopted amendments to its own rules on subjects ranging from motions to seal to oral arguments — and it behooves panel practitioners to familiarize themselves with these changes, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

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DOJ Says Gov't Attys Can't Be Punished Over ICE's Actions

By Ryan Boysen

The Trump administration says a Minnesota federal judge erred by holding a government attorney in contempt after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement flouted a court order, claiming the lawyer was "wrongfully held captive to induce ICE's compliance."

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Judicial Conference Backs Latest Judge Newman Suspension

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary on Tuesday upheld the latest extension of Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's suspension and the decision not to transfer her case to another circuit, finding neither to be unconstitutional.

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Goldstein Seeks New Trial, Citing 'A Series Of Legal Errors'

By Emily Sawicki

SCOTUSblog founder and appellate icon Thomas Goldstein has filed a lengthy motion for a new trial or acquittal after his conviction on a dozen criminal charges related to tax evasion, alleging his trial was marred by improper jury instructions, improper exclusion of evidence and inadequate evidence, among other things.

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Analysis

Fraud Task Force May Boost White Collar Defense Work

By Phillip Bantz

A new federal anti-fraud task force involving at least a dozen federal agencies could soon expose more state and local governments, contractors, companies and others to compliance risks, particularly in healthcare fraud and False Claims Act cases, experts say.

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Fla. Judge Faces Discipline For Remark About Shooting Attys

By David Minsky

A Florida state judge is facing a public reprimand after admitting to becoming frustrated with attorneys in an estate dispute and saying that he "would like to tell the deputy to pull his gun and shoot all three of you," according to records filed Tuesday in the state's high court.

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Senate Confirms Chief Of New DOJ Fraud Division

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate voted 52-47, along party lines, on Tuesday to confirm Colin McDonald to the newly created assistant attorney general for fraud role.

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Reed Smith's Silence On Depo 'Speaks Volumes,' Ex-Atty Says

By Jake Maher

A former Reed Smith LLP attorney suing the firm for underpaying her based on her gender criticized the firm for its "inexcusable delay and attempted meandering" in seeking to resume deposing her years after her last deposition date.

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