8th Circ. Rejects Seed Price-Fix Claims Against Bayer, Others

By Bryan Koenig

An Eighth Circuit panel refused Monday to revive antitrust claims accusing Bayer, Cargill, BASF and other seed and crop input giants of boycotting e-commerce platforms to hide price-fixing, agreeing with the district court that the farmer plaintiffs failed to specify what any particular defendant did.

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

Google, YouTube Want Out Of Disney Kids Data Privacy Suit

By Craig Clough

Google and YouTube moved Friday to exit a consolidated class action against them and Disney alleging they allowed advertisers to illegally collect minors' personal information, saying the entire case is based on the Federal Trade Commission's action against Disney that "made no accusations" against their companies "and for good reason."

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

Chewy Investor Settles Suit Against BC Partners For $29.5M

By Rae Ann Varona

A Chewy Inc. investor has brokered a $29.5 million deal with BC Partners that, if finalized, would settle the investor's derivative suit that alleged BC Partners saddled Chewy investors with potential tax liabilities following a financially unfair downstream merger involving PetSmart Inc., the parties told the Delaware Chancery Court on Monday.

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

State Farm Auto Insureds Seek To Triple $38M Win At Trial

By Rachel Riley

Two certified classes of State Farm auto insurance policyholders kicked off a bench trial Monday on the question of damages owed after a Washington federal judge found the insurer had shortchanged policyholders on payouts for totaled vehicles, arguing the $38.3 million previously awarded for State Farm's consumer protection violation should be tripled.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

1st Circ. Suggests It May Resurrect AdTech Wiretap Case

By Carolyn Muyskens

A panel of the First Circuit appeared receptive Monday to reinstating federal wiretap claims leveled against a Massachusetts healthcare system over its use of online tracking tools, despite arguments that such a ruling could cripple the industry amid an influx of similar cases nationwide.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tool Co. Can't Arbitrate Workers' Misclassification Suit

By MJ Koo

A California federal judge has blocked an Ohio-based tool company from pursuing arbitration in a suit alleging it misclassified its dealers as independent contractors, finding the franchise agreement's arbitration clause likely unenforceable.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

M&T Beats Investor Suit Over Delayed $3.7B Hudson Merger

By Sarah Jarvis

M&T Bank Corp. has beaten investor claims that it hid regulatory problems that led to delays in its $3.7 billion merger with Hudson City Bancorp Inc., with a federal judge in Delaware finding that investors failed to show M&T made material misrepresentations or omissions.

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

Musk Slams 'Premature' Judgment After Twitter Stock Verdict

By Dorothy Atkins

Elon Musk objected Friday to a California federal judge entering judgment against him following a securities fraud verdict over tweets about his $44 billion Twitter acquisition, arguing there are still numerous unresolved issues and entering a final judgment on a classwide basis at this stage is "premature and improper."

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

Dick's Sporting Goods Gets Investor Suit Trimmed Further

By Katryna Perera

A Pennsylvania federal judge has further narrowed a shareholder class action accusing Dick's Sporting Goods of misleading investors about inventory levels and losses because of theft after the COVID-19 pandemic, disagreeing with a magistrate judge on the actionability of some of the suit's challenged statements.

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

VNET Investors Ink $6M Deal Over Post-Default Downturn

By Sydney Price

Investors of China-based internet and data center service provider VNET have asked a New York federal judge to preliminarily approve a $5.9 million deal to end claims that the company concealed its founder's default on a loan agreement he entered into with another company using his personal shares of VNET.

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

Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court's docket this past week featured a mix of high-profile corporate disputes, insider trading allegations, contract fights and significant rulings shaping fiduciary duty and deal litigation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fertilizer-Makers Face More Price-Fixing Accusations

By Lauraann Wood

The nation's leading fertilizer producers have been hit with more federal antitrust claims targeting an allegedly "secret" conspiracy to inflate prices for their nitrogen, phosphate and potassium products.

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

Stanley Bottle Maker Beats Renewed Class Action Over Lead

By Ben Adlin

A Seattle federal judge dismissed a consumer lawsuit accusing the maker of Stanley tumblers of concealing its use of lead in drinkware products, ruling Friday that shoppers failed to show "a specific and plausible risk of harm" from lead-containing pellets used to seal the insulated containers.

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

Justices Remand State Secrets Dispute In FBI Spying Case

By Allison Grande

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday sent back to the lower court a long-running putative class action over the FBI's alleged surveillance of Muslims in Southern California, a dispute the federal government has argued threatens to undermine vital protections for state secrets. 

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

Ore. Clinic Stuck With Privacy Suit Over LinkedIn Data Sharing

By Allison Grande

An Oregon federal judge has refused to throw out a putative class action accusing a fertility clinic of deploying tracking technology that illegally transmitted its website visitors' protected health information to LinkedIn for advertising purposes, finding that the plaintiff had adequately alleged that these disclosures violated federal health privacy law.

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

NJ Pharmacy Co. Sued Over Nursing Home Data Exposure

By Carla Baranauckas

A New Jersey pharmacy for long-term care facilities is facing a proposed nationwide class action alleging it failed to safeguard highly sensitive patient information later accessed by cybercriminals, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

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

Activewear Co. Fabletics Sued Again For Tariff Refunds

By Craig Clough

Fabletics, the activewear company cofounded by actress Kate Hudson, was hit with a proposed class action in California federal court Friday alleging it is improperly pocketing tariff surcharges from customers and is refusing to commit to refunds, weeks after a similar suit was filed in Illinois state court.

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

Udio Urges Illinois Court To Ax AI Music Copyright Suit

By Ivan Moreno

Artificial intelligence music platform Udio has asked a Chicago federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action from a group of songwriters who accuse it of copyright infringement, arguing that simply operating a website that is accessible nationally does not give the Illinois court authority to hear claims over how Udio's technology was developed.

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

REIT Investor Attys Get Fee Award In $7.1M Settlement

By Emilie Ruscoe

Attorneys at Rolnick Kramer Sadighi LLP and Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black PLC will receive a fee of nearly $2 million after brokering the $7.1 million settlement of claims that a real estate investment trust's insiders left the company's common stock diluted by "disastrous" stock redemption decisions.

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

Denver Property Managers Sued Over Eviction Fee Collection

By Zach Dupont

Two property management companies are using eviction proceedings to siphon illegal attorney fees and costs from former tenants according to two proposed class actions filed in Colorado state court Friday.

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

Colo. Justices OK Copied Claims If Lawyers Check Facts

By Zach Dupont

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that copying allegations from other litigation isn't alone a violation of the Colorado Rules of Civil Procedure, so long as attorneys conduct a "sufficient investigation" into the allegations prior to filing a complaint.

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

Why MDLs Slow Down — And How To Speed Them Up

Multidistrict litigation has become central to mass tort practice, but as MDLs grow in size and complexity, so do delays and costs — so tools like the new federal rule governing MDLs, targeted use of special masters and strategically deployed Lone Pine orders are more essential than ever, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How Justices' GEO Ruling Resets Gov't Contractor Litigation

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent GEO Group v. Menocal decision, holding that government contractors cannot immediately exit cases via interlocutory appeals, may increase litigation costs, strengthen plaintiffs' leverage in settlement negotiations and dampen the government's ability to attract bids on high-risk or sensitive projects, say attorneys at Wiley.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pregnant DLA Piper Atty Fired For 'Sloppy' Work, Jury Told

By Pete Brush

A former trademark associate told a Manhattan federal jury Monday that DLA Piper "blindsided" her with termination after she announced she was pregnant, but the BigLaw firm countered that she was fired for "repeated mistakes" and other on-the-job shortcomings.

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

Files Of 10 Jones Day Clients Breached In Cyberattack

By Aebra Coe

Jones Day is the latest law firm to be hit by a cyberattack, the firm confirmed Monday, revealing that an unauthorized party accessed files of 10 clients.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Troutman, Ex-Associate Reach Deal In Discrimination Suit

By Emily Sawicki

A former Troutman Pepper Locke LLP associate asked a D.C. federal court Monday to pause a suit as the two sides have reported they had reached a settlement agreement over her discrimination claims against the firm, sidestepping a trial set to begin next month.

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

Ex-EEOC Leaders Back BigLaw Firms In Trump EO Appeal

By Patrick Hoff

A group of former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission officials are backing four BigLaw firms in the Trump administration's consolidated D.C. Circuit appeal seeking to revive executive orders targeting the firms, arguing the president's directives contradict how Congress meant for the EEOC to operate.

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

Jackson Walker, Sorrento CEO Hit With RICO Suit Over Ch. 11

By Emlyn Cameron

More than a dozen Sorrento Therapeutics shareholders sued law firm Jackson Walker LLP and the defunct biopharmaceutical company's ex-CEO for over $100 million, accusing them of conspiring to launch an unnecessary bankruptcy in an irrelevant jurisdiction.

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

Analysis

Can State Courts Tame The 'Wild West' Of Judicial Security?

By Cara Bayles

As threats against local judges continue to ramp up, protection and incident tracking varies not only from state to state but county to county, making it difficult to draw the national judicial security landscape. Now, lawmakers are looking to use federal resources to even out disparities.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LSC Seeks $2.14B As White House Pushes To Slash Funding

By Marco Poggio

The Legal Services Corp. is asking Congress for $2.14 billion in fiscal year 2027 to fund civil legal services for low-income Americans who cannot afford an attorney.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Atty Convicted Of Staging Truck Crashes Seeks New Trial

By Parker Quinlan

A disbarred New Orleans attorney has asked a federal judge in Louisiana for a new insurance fraud trial, arguing a suite of issues from her federal trial last month caused her to receive what she described in a filing as a "miscarriage of justice."

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Orders Could Chill US Arbitration, Group Warns

By Caroline Simson

The College of Commercial Arbitrators has urged the D.C. Circuit to reject the Trump administration's consolidated D.C. Circuit appeal seeking to revive executive orders yanking the security clearances of four BigLaw firms, arguing a contrary ruling would "imperil" arbitration in the U.S.

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

Ex-Wis. Judge Loses Bid To Shake ICE Obstruction Conviction

By Lauren Berg

A federal judge Monday refused to overturn a former Wisconsin state judge's conviction for helping shield a defendant in her courtroom from arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, rejecting her contention that, because ICE had no authority to make the arrest in the courthouse, there was no obstruction.

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

Ill. Justices Want MAGA Op-Ed Author Judge's Claims Axed

By Emily Sawicki

Illinois Supreme Court justices have asked a Chicago federal judge to throw out constitutional claims filed by a retired Illinois state trial court judge alleging he was wrongfully terminated over protected speech in a political opinion column, with the justices arguing the federal court should not interfere with a state court matter.

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

Justices Clear Path For DOJ To Dismiss Bannon's Conviction

By Cara Salvatore

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday vacated an appeals court's order upholding Steve Bannon's conviction over his nonresponse to a congressional subpoena investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, clearing the way for the Justice Department to dismiss his indictment.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »