A New York federal judge Thursday tossed Drake's defamation suit against Universal Music Group over the hip-hop artist's rival Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," saying the diss track's lyrics accusing Drake of being a "certified pedophile" are opinion and trash talk, not factual statements that are actionable.
Law360
Commercial Contracts
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

UMG Beats Drake's 'Not Like Us' Diss Track Defamation Suit

By Lauren Berg

A New York federal judge Thursday tossed Drake's defamation suit against Universal Music Group over the hip-hop artist's rival Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," saying the diss track's lyrics accusing Drake of being a "certified pedophile" are opinion and trash talk, not factual statements that are actionable.

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

Musk's X Posts Trigger Disclosure In NYT Suit, Judge Rules

By Lauren Berg

The government must produce a list of any security clearances granted to Elon Musk in response to The New York Times' Freedom of Information Act request, a Manhattan federal judge ruled, saying the billionaire waived his privacy interest by posting about his top secret clearance, drug use and foreign contacts.

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

Baldoni Atty Faces LA Malpractice Suit Over Client 'Betrayal'

By Emily Sawicki

Entertainment attorney Bryan Freedman has been accused in Los Angeles County Superior Court of turning his back on a former client, allegedly convincing him to sign an unfavorable settlement on trademark claims against "It Ends With Us" star Justin Baldoni, only to later begin representing the actor and director.

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

Judge Narrows Evidence Ahead Of Boeing 737 Max Trial

By Ben Adlin

A Washington federal judge on Thursday ruled on which evidence will be allowed in a Nov. 3 trial in LOT Polish Airlines' lawsuit against Boeing, in which LOT accuses the aerospace giant of tricking it into leasing defective 737 Max jets that were later grounded after two fatal crashes.

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

Fintech Exec May Claim Double Jeopardy Amid Judge Shuffle

By Julie Manganis

A former executive of payment processor Allied Wallet has filed a double jeopardy motion after the initial Massachusetts federal judge overseeing the fraud case recused himself, a second declared a mistrial and exited due to a family emergency, and a third flagged a potential conflict with a prosecutor.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL ETHICS & MALPRACTICE

Judge Rejects Sanctions Bid In Ace Fire Loss Suit

By Ganesh Setty

A Georgia federal court has rejected a Chubb unit's sanctions bid in a fire loss coverage dispute, finding that although its insureds failed to adequately join two individual defendants in a broader attempt to defeat the court's diversity jurisdiction, such conduct wasn't frivolous nor amounted to bad faith.

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

Ga. Panel Revives Broad & Cassel Malpractice Claims

By Chart Riggall

The Georgia Court of Appeals has partially revived a legal malpractice suit filed against Broad & Cassel LLP over allegations that one of its partners blew an auto dealership's lawsuit in the midst of a mental health crisis, ruling that the claims may not have been filed too late after all.

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

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL

Texas Justices Weigh $26M Fracking Water Pipeline Verdict

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Supreme Court pushed Equinor Energy LP on Thursday to explain how language in a contract gave it the right to seek water for fracking from other sources, asking why the company should get out of a $26 million verdict.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Honeywell Defends $46M Award Over LNG Plant As Valid

By Joyce Hanson

Industrial conglomerate Honeywell has defended its $46 million arbitral award that a Mexican construction company derided as a "sloppy mess" in a dispute related to a liquefied natural gas plant, saying the company's petition to vacate the award is itself "rife with disingenuous legal arguments."

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

US Wind Fights For Countersuit Against Offshore Project Foes

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

US Wind Inc. is asking a Maryland federal court to allow it to proceed with claims against local governments and community, business and environmental groups that are challenging the approval of a wind energy project off the state's coastline.

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

INSURANCE

NJ Justices Probe Insurer's Role In $12M Settlement Fight

By Carla Baranauckas

The New Jersey Supreme Court zeroed in Thursday on how far insurers can go in reserving their rights without taking a definitive position on coverage, as Mist Pharmaceuticals LLC accused Berkley Insurance Co. of stonewalling a $12 million settlement by hiding behind ambiguity in its "capacity exclusion" clause.

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

AIG Says Dock Builder Can't Avoid $1.8M Yacht Fire Lawsuit

By Ganesh Setty

An AIG unit urged a Florida federal court Thursday to reject a contractor's claims it can't be held liable for more than $1.8 million in coverage payments over a yacht fire caused by dock wiring that lacked ground fault protection, arguing the state building code required such protection.

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

PRODUCT LIABILITY

7th Circ. Denies Rehearing In Harley-Davidson Warranty Case

By Matthew Perlman

The Seventh Circuit again affirmed the dismissal of customers' challenge to terms and conditions in Harley-Davidson's motorcycle warranties that limit coverage when third-party parts are used.

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

EMPLOYMENT

Biotech Wins $367K From Ex-CEO In Conn. Conversion Suit

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut jury has ordered the fired CEO of a flavoring and aroma firm, who is also a tax attorney, to pay the company more than $367,000 plus punitive damages after agreeing that he improperly sent himself money around the time of his termination and breached his fiduciary duties.

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

COMPETITION

Pet Owner Keeps State, But Not Fed., Elanco Tick Meds Suit

By Bryan Koenig

Advantix flea-and-tick medication maker Elanco Animal Health Inc. partially ducked a consumer proposed class action by convincing an Indiana federal judge to cut federal antitrust claims, but still must face state law allegations accusing it of paying off PetSmart, Petco and Chewy not to carry generic versions.

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

BeFrugal Marketing Firm Says Exec Steered Clients To Rival

By Julie Manganis

Affiliate marketing firm BeFrugal said in a lawsuit this week in Massachusetts state court that a senior vice president secretly co-founded a competing company, then steered major clients, including DirecTV and Samsung, to the new business.

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

LIFE SCIENCES

Pharma Co. Looks To Nix 'Absurd' Award Over Acne Drug

By Caroline Simson

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries is urging a New York federal court to partially undo an arbitral award issued in a dispute over intellectual property for an acne drug, saying the award, if allowed to stand, could interfere with a medication that's been available in Canada for years.

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

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Breaking Down The Intersection Of Right-Of-Publicity Law, AI

Jillian Taylor at Blank Rome examines how existing right-of-publicity law governs artificial intelligence-generated voice-overs, deepfakes and deadbots; highlights a recent New York federal court ruling involving AI-generated voice clones; and offers practical guardrails for using AI without violating the right of publicity.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Sullivan & Cromwell Impersonators Hit With NY Fraud Claims

By Emily Sawicki

New York Attorney General Letitia James is attempting to take down a slew of businesses whose names are variants of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, accusing them of attempting a scheme to fraudulently redirect checks meant for the global corporate law firm.

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

Analysis

False-Statement Case Puts Comey In Rare Company

By Phillip Bantz

Former FBI director James Comey is the latest addition to the relatively short list of government officials who have been criminally charged over the past several decades with making false statements to Congress.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NY Atty General Indicted Following Pressure From Trump

By Lauren Berg

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted in Virginia federal court Thursday on charges related to mortgage fraud, three weeks after President Donald Trump wrote a social media post encouraging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action because James and two other political opponents were "guilty as hell."

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

Tort Report: Nuked 'Nuclear Verdict' Stays, Texas Justices Say

By Y. Peter Kang

The fate of a "nuclear verdict" that was used to jump-start tort reform campaigns across the country and a settlement of a suit over a Kiss guitar technician's death lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

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

Jenn Mascott Of WH Counsel's Office Confirmed To 3rd Circ.

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 50-47 on Thursday to confirm Jenn Mascott, currently serving in the White House Counsel's Office, to the Delaware seat on the Third Circuit.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Nominee Taibleson Advances To Full Senate

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced on party lines the nomination of Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin, to serve on the Seventh Circuit, as well as four district judicial nominees and five U.S. attorney nominees.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Supreme Court Justice Martin Jenkins To Retire

By James Mills

California Supreme Court Justice Martin J. Jenkins, the first openly gay man and the third African American man to sit on the bench, will retire at the end of October, the court announced Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Weinstein Says Jurors Traded Threats, Tainting Verdict

By Cara Salvatore

Harvey Weinstein's legal team said his June sexual assault convictions were tainted by juror misconduct, including physical threats and an unfounded bribery claim, arguing in a motion for a new trial that a judge refused to properly investigate.

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

Promo that reads Law360 Pulse Summer Associates Survey: Part 2 Promo that reads 2025 Regional Powerhouses

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Aidala Bertuna

Alexander & Vann

Andrews Myers

Arnold & Porter

Ayres Jenkins

Beck Redden

Blank Rome

Bursor & Fisher

CohenMalad

Cole Scott & Kissane

Condon & Forsyth

Cooley LLP

Coughlin Midlige

Cozen O'Connor

Crowell & Moring

Dickinson & Gibbons

DuBois Bryant

Dykema

Fox Rothschild

Gouchev Law

Haynes Boone

Hogan Lovells

Hoover Hull

Jones Walker

Kelly Hart

King Blackwell

Liner Freedman

Lowell & Associates

Lowenstein Sandler

Marzulla Law

Mejer Law

MoloLamken

Morse Barnes-Brown

Nelson Mullins

Perkins Coie

Sidley Austin

Sullivan & Cromwell

Torys

Troutman

Williams Dirks

Willkie Farr

Wolf Haldenstein

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Akrimax Pharmaceuticals LLC

Allianz SE

Amazon.com Inc.

American Express Co.

American Family Association

American International Group Inc.

American Tort Reform Association

Bayer AG

Becton Dickinson & Co.

Cargill Inc.

Chewy Inc.

Citigroup Inc.

Deere & Co.

Delphi Automotive PLC

Democracy Forward Foundation

Democratic National Committee

Elanco Animal Health Inc.

Equinor ASA

Ethiopian Airlines Enterprise

Federalist Society

Fluor Corp.

Harley-Davidson Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Major League Baseball Inc.

Marriott International Inc.

MasterCard Inc.

New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Co.

Pacific Bells LLC

PetMed Express Inc.

PetSmart Inc.

Petco Animal Supplies Inc.

Public Citizen Inc.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Seattle Seahawks

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

The Boeing Co.

The Catholic University of America

The DIRECTV Group Inc.

The New York Times Co.

UOP LLC

Universal Music Group NV

Venture Global LNG

Werner Enterprises Inc.

WikiLeaks

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

California Supreme Court

Central Intelligence Agency

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Delaware Court of Chancery

Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Housing Finance Agency

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Georgia Court of Appeals

International Chamber of Commerce

Manhattan District Attorney's Office

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

New Jersey Supreme Court

New York Attorney General's Office

New York County District Attorney's Office

New York State Department of State

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Texas Supreme Court

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United Nations

United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana