Judge Digs Into Counsel Over 'Astronomically High' Fee Bid

By Nadia Dreid

Attorneys who represented classes of people who say they received harassing phone calls from real estate agents in violation of federal telemarketing laws are asking for way too much of the $20 million settlement, according to the California federal judge who tore into them Wednesday.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Meta Offers Special Portal For Crime Investigators, Jury Told

By Cara Salvatore

Meta's head of child safety policy told a New Mexico jury Thursday about the dedicated website the company maintains for law enforcement to request records, which, if marked as emergency requests, can get a response from the company in an average of 67 minutes.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Anatomy Of A Citation Hallucination: AI Edit, Associate Review

By Rachel Riley

Counsel for consumers in a supplement labeling lawsuit against Amazon responded Wednesday to a Seattle federal judge's order to explain an AI-hallucinated citation, saying the error was introduced by a generative artificial intelligence tool used to "harmonize" drafts of a brief, then missed by a fifth-year Boies Schiller associate tasked with checking the citations.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Adult Webcam Performers Certified As Conn. Wage Class

By Brian Steele

Performers accusing an adult livestreaming site of misclassifying them as independent contractors and underpaying them can proceed as a class, a federal judge has ruled, and attorneys with McOmber McOmber & Luber PC and Hayber McKenna & Dinsmore LLC will serve as class counsel.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Hit With Gender Bias Action

By Craig Clough

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative LLC run by Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan discriminated against women by routinely paying them less than men and promoting them with less frequency, according to a proposed class and collective action removed Wednesday to California federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Quashes Subpoena Of 5 Firms That Repped Twitter

By Rae Ann Varona

A Delaware federal court ruled Thursday that six former Twitter employees cannot subpoena five law firms that represented the social media company in connection with its acquisition by Elon Musk, rejecting the employees' "conclusory allegations" that the company and Musk used the firms to make false promises of severance benefits.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trucking Co. Can't Get Drivers' Misclassification Suit Tossed

By Mike Curley

An Illinois federal judge on Thursday declined to dismiss a suit from drivers alleging Risinger Bros. Transfer Inc. misclassified them as independent contractors, saying the complaint sufficiently alleges they had an employer-employee relationship.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ill. Justices Say Wage Law Doesn't Bar COVID Screening Pay

By Celeste Bott

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the state's minimum wage law doesn't incorporate the limitations on compensable preshift activities found in federal law, answering the Seventh Circuit's call for help determining whether Amazon must pay workers for time they spent undergoing preliminary COVID-19 screenings.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Workers Ask 11th Circ. To Overturn ERISA Exhaustion Rule

By Kellie Mejdrich

Former workers for a seafood company urged the full Eleventh Circuit to overturn precedent that led a three-judge panel to uphold dismissal of their suit alleging mismanagement of an employee stock ownership plan, arguing the court's strictest-in-the-nation standard on exhausting administrative remedies didn't align with federal benefits law.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ohio Home Health Co. Settles OT Suit For $975K

By Benjamin Morse

A Columbus-area home health services company will pay $975,000 to end a lawsuit accusing it of misclassifying its program managers as exempt from overtime, according to an Ohio federal court filing.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

$30K Wage Settlement Too Vague To Approve, Judge Says

By Emily Brill

An Ohio federal judge rejected a proposed $30,000 settlement to a wage and hour suit against a group of home care staffing agencies Thursday, saying the settlement paperwork isn't clear enough to determine whether the deal is fair.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Certifies Military Reservist Class In Differential Pay Suit

By Madeline Lyskawa

A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge certified a class of military reservists who sued the U.S. government to recover the difference between active duty pay and pay received for their federal civilian jobs, finding there are enough reservists with common claims.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Del. Suit Targets NC Enviro Co. Charter Shielding Directors

By Jarek Rutz

A stockholder of a North Carolina-based environmental technology business has brought a class action in the Delaware Chancery Court seeking to invalidate a provision in the company's corporate charter that he contends unlawfully shields directors and officers from liability for certain misconduct.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4th Circ. Leery Of W.Va. Opioid Towns' Abatement Arguments

By Abigail Harrison

During a heated hourlong oral argument Thursday, two Fourth Circuit judges interrogated an attorney for West Virginia municipalities stricken by the opioid crisis about whether the public nuisance of overly available drugs had already been abated, leaving only redress of resulting harms.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

3M, DuPont Hit With RICO Suit Over PFAS In Firefighter Gear

By Hailey Konnath

San Mateo County has filed a proposed Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act class action against a slew of chemical companies including 3M, Chemours and DuPont de Nemours, claiming that they provided protective gear for firefighters that contained "hazardous levels" of synthetic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Glock Ignored Unsafe Gun Defect, Class Action Claims

By Chart Riggall

Glock Inc.'s ubiquitous handguns contain a dangerous defect in their chamber design that can cause the gun to catastrophically explode on firing, according to a proposed class action lodged against the Georgia-based pistol manufacturing giant.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Target Hit With False Ad Suit Over 'Sustainably Caught' Tuna

By Gina Kim

Target's representations that its Good & Gather tuna products are "sustainably caught" are nothing but empty promises, as its suppliers use dangerous fishing practices that harm the marine ecosystem and kill endangered sea turtles, whales and dolphins, according to a proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Amazon Unlawfully Taxes Exempt Baby Items In Fla., Suit Says

By Ben Adlin

Two Florida shoppers filed a proposed class action Thursday in Washington federal court accusing Amazon.com Inc. of overcharging customers by collecting sales tax on items that are supposed to be tax-free under Florida law, such as cribs, strollers, diapers and other products for toddlers and babies.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CVS, Caremark Pocket Money Meant For Rebates, Suit Claims

By Emily Brill

CVS charges drug manufacturers "exorbitant" fees in exchange for pushing their products, then pockets the money instead of funneling it toward customer rebates as it promises, a federal lawsuit alleges, accusing the company of collecting billions of dollars at customers' expense and violating the anti-racketeering statute.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Apple Gets Class Claims Axed From Storage False Ad Fight

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has tossed putative class claims from litigation accusing Apple of misrepresenting the storage capacity of certain iPhone and iPad products, finding the consumers' state claims are time-barred and weren't tolled by similar litigation filed over a decade ago, but some consumers can pursue their individual claims.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Gemini Investor Sues Over Crypto Co.'s Post-IPO Biz Shift

By Sydney Price

Crypto exchange operator Gemini Space Station Inc. and its founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss were hit with a proposed shareholder class action accusing them of not disclosing before the firm's initial public offering its plans to shift focus to the prediction market, pull back on global operations and replace certain members of its leadership.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

More Discovery Allowed On USPTO Patent Quality Program

By Adam Lidgett

A Washington, D.C., federal magistrate judge has reopened discovery into whether the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covertly revived a now-defunct program for flagging "sensitive" patent applications for extra review.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Families Sue Rady Health Over Move To End Trans Care

By Dan McKay

Four families have asked a state judge to prevent California's largest pediatric health system from cutting off gender-affirming care for minors, alleging the move would violate state antidiscrimination laws and leave them scrambling to find new providers, some more than 100 miles away.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

AMG Bank Denies Duty In Synapse Fintech Collapse Case

By Sydney Price

AMG National Trust Bank on Thursday urged a Colorado federal judge to grant it a win in a suit attempting to hold it liable for monetary losses related to the collapse of fintech middleman Synapse Brokerage, saying it has no obligations to non-customers and it has cooperated with instructions to return nearly all the $110 million Synapse held in AMG accounts.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Backs Claims Of 'Intolerable' ICE Detention Center

By Madeline Lyskawa

The state of California on Thursday threw its support behind a group of immigrants held at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement camp in the Mojave Desert who accuse the Trump administration of subjecting them to "dangerous conditions and pervasive abuses."

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Admin. Hit With Class Action For Ending Yemen TPS

By Rae Ann Varona

Yemeni nationals who received temporary deportation protections in the U.S. due to an ongoing armed conflict in Yemen lodged a putative class action on Thursday in New York federal court to block the Trump administration's termination of their humanitarian relief.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Conn. Class Action Over 'Inflated' Realty Commissions Settles

By Brian Steele

A putative class action claiming antitrust violations against one of the biggest real estate firms in the Northeast has been settled, according to a judge's order on the Connecticut state court case docket.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Court Won't Pause Restoration Of Medicaid Benefits

By David Steele

A Florida federal court has declined to pause an injunction ordering the state to restore family Medicaid to more than a million low-income enrollees, but extended deadlines to reinstate benefits and to send adequate termination notices. 

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Coaching Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Coaching youth soccer for my 7-year-old son's team has sharpened how I communicate with clients, prepare witnesses, work within teams and think about leadership, making me a more thoughtful and effective lawyer in many ways, says Joshua Holt at Smith Currie.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

HSF Kramer Hires Axinn Antitrust Lawyer In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP has hired a former Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP partner, who represented Google in an antitrust investigation into its advertising technology, and who has represented other global companies in competition and related matters.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

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

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen an ex-professional footballer revive a dispute with Charles Russell Speechlys, Virgin Media face a group data protection claim after hundreds of thousands of customers' personal details were exposed online for months, and Mishcon de Reya sued by a real estate private equity firm founded by a former Morgan Stanley executive.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Major shareholder groups sued the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, claiming the agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act. In the meantime, some attorneys think the sanctions that judges are issuing to lawyers over AI-generated errors won't be enough to stop the problem. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Rebuked Over Lack Of Candor For 'Imperious Client'

By Jack Karp

A Florida federal judge has rebuked government attorneys for failing to be up-front about legal authority that contradicts their position in a habeas case, warning them not to let their "imperious client" get between them and their ethical obligations.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Beasley Allen Can't Halt DQ Ruling In J&J Talc Litigation

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state appeals court has refused to pause its decision disqualifying the Beasley Allen Law Firm from representing plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over Johnson & Johnson's talc-based baby powder, according to a court order.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Where Calif. State Courts Landed On Generative AI Use Rules

By Emily Sawicki

The majority of California's 58 superior courts — together making up the country's largest trial court system — have decided to greenlight the use of generative artificial intelligence in their work this year, a Law360 investigation found.

25 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Baron & Budd PC, Walden Macht Haran & Williams LLP and Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Ninth Circuit revived a major hospital chain's False Claims Act suit accusing large pharmaceutical companies of massive overcharges in a prominent drug discount program.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Top SEC Enforcer Signals Continuity After Ryan Departure

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's acting enforcement chief said Friday that the agency will continue to "focus on quality over quantity" when it comes to the cases it brings, projecting continuity with his predecessor's approach after her abrupt departure from the agency earlier this week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

Balancing The Scales: $3M Jury Verdict, GEO Appeal Denial

By Orlando Lorenzo

A Philadelphia federal judge rejected bids to disturb a $3 million jury award and impose sanctions on plaintiff's counsel arising from proceedings he described as "near-daily Festivus celebrations, where everyone got to air their grievances 'for the sake of the record'" and a Detroit man saw his murder conviction vacated after 27 years due to the case's reliance on a coerced confession and a lack of physical evidence, among other access to justice stories you may have missed.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bondi Keeps Ousted Wisconsin US Atty With New Title

By Lauren Berg

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi swapped Brad D. Schimel's title from interim U.S. attorney to first assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in order to keep him in charge of the office after his tenure expired earlier this week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »