Analysis

CH Robinson's $604M Verdict Tests Freight Broker Defenses

By Linda Chiem

A Dallas County jury's $604 million verdict against C.H. Robinson over a fatal 2021 accident marks one of the first major tests of freight brokers' legal strategies since the U.S. Supreme Court reshaped their liability exposure, creating monumental stakes for the trucking industry's middlemen on how to navigate unpredictable duty-of-care standards and volatile verdicts.

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9th Circ. Reverses Hologenix CEO's Tortious Interference Loss

By Craig Clough

A Ninth Circuit panel reversed a $2.5 million judgment Thursday against Hologenix CEO Seth Casden by finding a district court erred in ruling the executive is not immune from a tortious interference claim while also reversing a Lanham Act disgorgement award totaling nearly $3 million.

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Fifth Third Beats $2.1M Wire Fraud Suit Over UCC Pleading

By Susan Smiley

A Michigan federal judge on Thursday tossed a $2.1 million wire fraud suit brought against Fifth Third Bank by nonprofit mental health services provider Hegira Health, ruling the plaintiff failed to state a valid claim under the Uniform Commercial Code.

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Roundup

Pa. Paraquat, Gov. Shapiro's Neighbors: A Midyear Report

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Mass tort and antitrust cases advanced this year in Pennsylvania, where attorneys await Philadelphia's first paraquat trial and more developments in the class action against the Law School Admissions Council over test fees.

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Del. Advancement Dispute Edges Toward Default, Sanctions

By Jarek Rutz

A Delaware Chancery Court chancellor has said she is considering entering a default against two entities tied to a Bahamas medical school and weighing sanctions against their controller, sharply criticizing what she described as years of discovery obstruction and apparent efforts to evade the court's orders.

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Colo. Judge Mulls Denver Firm's $1.3M Fees Bid Against Atty

By Rachel Konieczny

A Denver personal injury firm urged a Colorado state judge Thursday to grant its request for more than $1.3 million total in attorney fees and costs after the firm prevailed in litigation with its former class action department head.

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Niger Loses Bid To Shield NY Townhome In $7.6M Award Feud

By Caroline Simson

A New York federal judge has cleared a path for British aviation services company Menzies to seize a luxury town house on Manhattan's Upper East Side owned by the Nigerien government as it looks to enforce a 13-year-old, $7.6 million arbitral award against the West African country.

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Colo. Energy Firms Sue Over $79.5M Surface Use Dispute

By MJ Koo

Three Colorado energy and real estate companies have sued a Chevron subsidiary in Colorado state court over allegations that it repeatedly drilled oil and gas wells in a Greeley-area acquisition zone without using surface locations they were contractually entitled to provide or paying required compensation, seeking damages exceeding $79.5 million.

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Chubb Seeks Toss Of Costco's Customer Injury Coverage Row

By Hope Patti

A Chubb unit urged a Washington federal court to toss Costco's suit seeking coverage for a personal injury action under a home décor brand's policy, saying the retailer failed to state a claim for additional insured coverage because the underlying injuries are not related to the brand's products.

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Netflix Sued For $105M For 'Mishandling' Stolen Nic Cage Film

By Rae Ann Varona

The producer behind an unreleased World War II spy movie starring Nicolas Cage has sued Netflix for $105 million in California federal court alleging a copy of the film was stolen from Netflix's Hollywood office, while Netflix accused the law firm representing the movie's producer of trying to "extort" $165 million.

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Mets Become 1st MLB Team To Partner With Prediction Market

By Elaine Briseño

Sports trading app Novig announced Thursday that it has become the exclusive, official prediction market partner of the New York Mets, marking the first time a Major League Baseball team has collaborated with such a company.

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Polymarket Says Hidden Sports Bets Suit Must Be Arbitrated

By Hailey Konnath

Polymarket is urging a New York federal court to send to arbitration users' claims that the prediction market company disguises its sports gambling offers as sports event contracts to get around regulations, arguing that its terms of use include an arbitration provision.

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Dem Bill Would End Forced Arbitration In Workplace Disputes

By Anne Cullen

Democratic lawmakers reintroduced a bill Thursday that would eliminate mandatory arbitration agreements in employment contracts and enhance workers' ability to band together to challenge unlawful employment practices.

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9th Circ. Rules 401(k) Plan Arbitration Clause Unenforceable

By Kellie Mejdrich

A split Ninth Circuit panel refused Thursday to force individual arbitration of a former asset management company worker's proposed class action alleging 401(k) self-dealing, ruling that an arbitration provision in retirement plan documents was unenforceable because it sought to nullify rights guaranteed by federal benefits law.

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Ex-CEO Pulls Credit Union Subsidiary Into Firing Suit

By Brian Steele

The former chief executive of Sound Federal Credit Union can draw a management entity that he is accused of shortchanging into a lawsuit stemming from his termination, a Connecticut state judge has ruled, apparently as an alternative to dismissing portions of two counterclaims.

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BofA, Merrill Must Explain Missing $7.5B Transfer, Suit Says

By Kelcey Caulder

An Atlanta investment company asked a Georgia federal court to order Bank of America and Merrill Lynch to explain why they have not credited what the investment company said is a $7.5 billion wire transfer to its account, saying it needs details about where the money is.

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Valve Scores Quick Appeal In Gamer Arbitration Clause Fight

By Rachel Riley

A Seattle federal judge on Thursday granted Valve Corp.'s bid for a quick appeal of an order declining to halt antitrust arbitrations brought by hundreds of individual gamers, pausing the litigation for the video game developer to seek the Ninth Circuit's input on whether the arbitrations can proceed under its subscriber terms.  

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Heirs Seek Avis Avia Records Over $45M Jet Transfer

By Jarek Rutz

The sons of a deceased aviation entrepreneur have asked the Delaware Chancery Court to order Avis Avia Ltd. to open its books and records, alleging they need company documents to investigate whether a Gulfstream G500 worth $44.7 million was improperly transferred to an entity allegedly controlled by their father's longtime adviser.

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Cannabis Retailer Says Electrician Killed LA Store Buildout

By Jonathan Capriel

Cannabis retail chain Velvet Holdings Inc. claims it is out millions of dollars after a contractor abandoned a storefront project, resulting in Los Angeles building officials refusing to certify the location and leading to the loss of its lease and cannabis licenses, according to a California state lawsuit.

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Series

Teaching SEC Investigations Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Instructing a law school course on U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations has made me a more thoughtful, deliberate practitioner because it requires me to continually reassess and challenge what I know about securities law enforcement, how I know it and how best to explain it, says David Chase at Miami Law.

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Advocacy Group Says Law Firm Fellowship Program Biased

By Patrick Hoff

A legal advocacy group said Thursday it had lodged U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges against a nonprofit and law firms including Jones Day, White & Case and Morgan Lewis, claiming Muslim and Middle Eastern students were getting unlawful preference in a fellowship program.

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ABA Eyes Nixing School DEI Standards To Sway Trump Admin

By Emma Cueto

The American Bar Association is poised next week to eliminate the first of multiple diversity-related law school standards, a controversial move that it hopes will allow it to remain an accreditor despite an uncertain outcome in the face of a Trump administration increasingly wary of the association's role in legal education.

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WilmerHale Sued Over Accidental Client Data Disclosure

By Andrea Keckley

A proposed federal class action filed Wednesday accuses WilmerHale of failing to protect clients' personal information after an employee allegedly disclosed sensitive data, including Social Security numbers, to an unauthorized person who misrepresented their identity back in May.

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2 Traders Admit Guilt In Stolen BigLaw Info Scheme

By Chris Villani

Two men pled guilty Thursday in Massachusetts federal court to their roles in a sweeping scheme to trade on inside information stolen from huge corporate law firms about upcoming deals.

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Ill. Atty Sanctioned For AI Slop In Starbucks Bias Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A unanimous Illinois appeals court sanctioned an attorney representing a former Starbucks employee in a workplace discrimination suit after determining that he submitted briefs using false citations and quotations hallucinated by artificial intelligence software.

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Trump May Renominate Blanche If GOP Holdouts Block Vote

By Courtney Bublé

With Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., still on the fence about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation to be attorney general, President Donald Trump said Thursday he might renominate Blanche next year when the two senators are no longer serving in the Senate.

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DA Says Trump's NY Hush Money Conviction Must Stand

By Frank G. Runyeon

New York prosecutors told a state appellate court that President Donald Trump's 34-count felony conviction for falsifying business records is "unaffected" by the U.S. Supreme Court's watershed presidential immunity decision and should be upheld.

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Judiciary's Bid To Control Courthouses Gets Senate Push

By Courtney Bublé

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill on Thursday that would create a pilot program for the federal judiciary to obtain direct authority to maintain its buildings, which the judiciary says is desperately needed.

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Bronx Legal Aid Organization's Union Rejects New Pay Offer

By Andrea Keckley

The Bronx Defenders' executive director said on Thursday that the union representing the organization's over 300 attorneys and staff has rejected an updated offer on wages, with both sides still at odds over the prospect of separate salary scales for lawyers and social workers.

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