Rent-To-Own Fintech Inks $183.5M Deal With AGs

By Brian Steele

The rent-to-own financing company Acima has reached a $183.5 million deal with 43 states to resolve claims that it misled consumers about the terms of its rental-purchase agreements and deceptively marked up prices, the Connecticut attorney general said Thursday.

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11th Circ. Upholds $2.75M Award In Gag Clause Breach

By Carolina Bolado

The Eleventh Circuit has affirmed a $2.75 million judgment against a woman for breaching a confidential agreement with a former intimate partner she claims sexually assaulted her, rejecting her arguments that the agreement was invalid and violated her First Amendment rights.

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3rd Circ. Backs Union In Utility Co. Doctor's Note Dispute

By Katherine Smith

An electric utility must reimburse a lineman for a doctor's note he was asked to provide after calling out sick, the Third Circuit has ruled, finding that a lower court erred by rejecting an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local's bid to enforce an award ordering the reimbursement.

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NY Contractor Gets Final OK For $162M Caregiver Wage Deal

By Katherine Smith

A New York federal magistrate judge has signed off on final approval of a $162 million settlement in a proposed class and collective action against a contractor that helps administer a state Medicaid program, ending claims that the company failed to pay personal care assistants accurately or on time.

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Ex-Wine Co. Exec Had 'Unusual' Distributions Deal, Jury Told

By Aaron Keller

The former president of a company that controls Josh Cellars wines was warned his employment and operating agreements could require a "very long" wait for possible distributions from a trademark holding entity, the executive's personal lawyer testified Thursday during a breach of contract trial in Connecticut state court.

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Quinn Emanuel, Atty Get Reduced Fee Awards In Buzbee Suits

By Lynn LaRowe

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and a Mississippi lawyer can get a small fraction of the roughly $1.72 million in combined attorney fees they sought from prominent Houston plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee after defeating claims that they conspired with rapper Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter to retaliate against Buzbee and two of his former clients, a Texas state judge has ruled.

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NYC, LA, Other Cities Seek To Halt Latest HUD Grant Terms

By Rachel Riley

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and dozens of other cities across the country that have challenged the Trump administration's grant restrictions are asking a Washington federal judge to block a new round of funding conditions from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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Harvard, Boston Hospitals Block Power Plant's Fee Hike

By Chris Villani

A Massachusetts judge ruled that Harvard University and a group of major Boston-area hospitals do not have to pay higher fees that a power plant imposed unilaterally, but he rejected their request for treble damages under the state's consumer protection laws.

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Insurance CEO Asks Jurors To Uphold $8M Promise

By George Woolston

The CEO of Cure Auto Insurance asked a New Jersey federal jury Thursday to hold two businessmen to their promise that he would receive 15% of the proceeds if a venture the three men started ever sold.

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Coldwell Banker's Trade Secrets Win In Calif. Reversed

By Craig Clough

A split California state appeals court panel has reversed a directed verdict win for Coldwell Banker and some employees accused of stealing trade secrets from a rival real estate company, finding a lower court judge imposed an unreasonable trial time limit and forced the rival to rest before it could finish presenting its case.

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Real Estate Broker Howard Hanna Accused Of 'Junk Fees'

By Matthew Santoni

Major real estate broker Howard Hanna has joined the firms being accused of charging homebuyers "junk fees," according to a proposed class action filed in Pennsylvania state court.

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FEMA Subcontractor Defends No-Poach, Wage-Fixing Suit

By Matthew Perlman

A disaster response worker is defending a proposed class action accusing Fluor Federal Services Inc. and several subcontractors of fixing wages and agreeing not to hire each other's workers, arguing that one of the companies identified members of the conspiracy in writing.

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Krispy Kreme CEO Sued Again Over Holes In McDonald's Deal

By Matthew Santoni

Another shareholder has sued on behalf of Krispy Kreme over its executives' alleged overselling of a donut distribution deal with McDonald's, this time in Delaware federal court.

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Eurofinsa Seeks $18M Award Via Gabon's US Bank Accounts

By Taylor Bowie

Eurofinsa SA asked a New York federal judge to block the Gabonese Republic from transferring any assets held by the Bank of New York Mellon as the now-defunct Spanish construction company looks to enforce a nearly $18 million arbitration award against the African nation.

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Mich. AG Targets Ferry Operator Over Ferry, Parking Monopoly

By Melanie Dorsey

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel sued the Hoffmann Family of Cos. on Thursday, accusing the private equity firm of illegally monopolizing passenger ferry service to Mackinac Island and nearby parking facilities through acquisitions that eliminated competition, drove up prices and left residents and visitors dependent on a single operator.

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AI Firm's $170M Merger Built On False Promises, Suit Says

By Jarek Rutz

The founders of technology company Constellation Network Inc. have accused artificial intelligence holding company AIAI Holdings Corp. and its chairman of fraudulently enticing them into a $170 million merger, then withholding promised funding that left their business on the brink of collapse.

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Are You Happy With Your In-House Role? Take Our Survey

Is your company giving you everything you need to succeed? What are some misconceptions about working in-house? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Satisfaction Survey.

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Crowell & Moring Finance Litigation Head Joins Norton Rose

By Andrea Keckley

Norton Rose Fulbright has welcomed the New York-based head of financial services litigation at Crowell & Moring LLP as a partner, saying his hire will bolster its services to corporations, financial institutions and private capital clients.

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Roundup

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

By Megan Norcott

The past week in London has seen Olympic gold medalist Daley Thompson target gym chain Hybrid Fitness for an alleged breach of contract, investor claims continue to mount against building materials giant Kingspan, and real estate magnate Mike Kohan be sued by property lender Decama Finance.

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Longtime DC Steptoe Partner Joins Potomac Law Group

By Jack Rodgers

An attorney who spent more than 28 years as of counsel for Steptoe LLP's complex commercial litigation team has moved to Potomac Law Group's office in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Friday.

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Memories Of Weil: From Childbirth To The Lehman Bankruptcy

By Aebra Coe

Those who worked within the walls of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP over its 95-year history have built up countless personal and professional memories. Here, six former attorneys and staff share some of their top memories.

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Analysis

How AI Became The 'Backseat Driver' In Settlement Talks

By Chris Villani

Attorneys say the ubiquitous use of artificial intelligence by clients has put up barriers to resolving cases by giving litigants unrealistic expectations about their claims, introducing inaccurate or irrelevant case law, and making them second-guess their hired legal counsel more often.

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Hall Booth Beats Appeal Over Failed DQ Bid In Med Mal Suit

By George Woolston

A New Jersey appellate panel rejected a bid to disqualify Hall Booth Smith PC from representing a hospital and healthcare company in a medical malpractice suit, finding that the firm's prior representation of another defendant in the case is not materially adverse to the interests of its current clients.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

DLA Piper and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Massachusetts federal judge said she would reduce an $88 million verdict awarded to an Alabama couple in the first bellwether hernia mesh trial against Medtronic subsidiary Covidien LP.

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Kasowitz Denies Columbia Students' Deal Overcharge Claims

By Adrian Cruz

Kasowitz LLP asked a New York state judge Friday to dismiss a suit by a group of Columbia University students accusing it of wrongfully taking more than $6 million from a 2025 settlement in a suit over alleged antisemitism on campus, calling the complaint a "publicity stunt" that fails to prove the firm engaged in malpractice.

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Beltway Moves: Weil, Dechert, WilmerHale

By Alison Knezevich

Washington, D.C., attorneys from Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP continued to land new roles in some of the most recent legal industry hiring developments in the nation's capital.

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Judge Says Email, Not Bias, Cost Public Defender His Job

By Kelcey Caulder

A federal magistrate judge recommended that the Georgia Public Defender Council be freed from an attorney's suit alleging he was fired for complaining about racial bias and then hit with a retaliatory bar complaint, finding that an email he sent to his colleagues was what actually led to his termination.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

The top story of the week – the spy and romance thriller at AI chipmaker Nvidia – continues to unfold in layers, as the company hired Wachtell Lipton to probe its involvement in possible national security violations, saw its CEO resign in disgrace, tried to defend its general counsel's intervening in a related China inquiry, was pulled into congressional investigations, and faced an investor's lawsuit over the mess.

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Western Va.'s Top Federal Prosecutor Latest To Face DQ Bid

By Jack Karp

The lawyer leading the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia is the latest top federal prosecutor to have the legality of their appointment challenged in court, as a defendant in a gun case claims the office's leader was placed through a series of "machinations," "games" and "cynical measures."

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ABA Council Backs Law School Course, Faculty Rule Changes

By Emma Cueto

The American Bar Association council that handles law school accreditation voted Friday to relax standards related to online course credits and courses taught by full-time faculty, requirements that critics have claimed contributed to higher tuition rates.

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Fox Rothschild Fights Revival Of Malicious Prosecution Suit

By Rose Krebs

Fox Rothschild LLP is urging a New Jersey state court to deny an adult daycare company's bid to undo the toss of its malicious prosecution suit against the firm and one of its attorneys, saying the court didn't err in dismissing the complaint.

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Mich. State Police Chief Can't Shake Ex-Aide's Distress Claim

By Melanie Dorsey

A Michigan State Police director must face an emotional distress claim brought by his former executive assistant, a state Court of Claims judge has determined, finding that she sufficiently alleged Col. James Grady threatened her with a baseless internal investigation unless she accepted a demotion reducing her hourly pay by $8.

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How Nonprofits Are Adjusting To A New Pro Bono Landscape

By Alison Knezevich

Legal advocacy groups face a changed pro bono landscape during Trump's second administration. With some large firms avoiding cases against the federal government, nonprofit leaders say they are developing volunteer networks, relying on smaller shops and solo practitioners, and leaning more on their own staff attorneys to carry the pro bono load. 

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Mich. Tribal, State Courts Both Aim To Tackle Legal Deserts

By Susan Smiley

The newly named co-chairs of the Michigan Tribal State Federal Judicial Forum, Judge Carol Montavon Bealor and Judge Hannah Bobee, agree their respective court systems share one crisis: a lack of attorneys in rural areas.

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Balancing The Scales: Trans Prisoner Care, Immunity In Mich.

By Orlando Lorenzo

The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed gender transition medical services to continue to be offered in federal prisons and the Sixth Circuit ruled that prison officials in Michigan can't claim immunity from allegations that they knew of mold contamination that led to seizures and respiratory issues among incarcerated women.

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Arizona Law Clinic Takes Legal Aid For Veterans On The Road

By Marco Poggio

Law students and their supervising attorneys drive hours from Tucson to bring free legal help to veterans in rural Arizona. On the Hopi Reservation, the University of Arizona's Veterans' Advocacy Law Clinic works with tribal partners to help veterans file disability claims and seek discharge upgrades that could open the door to benefits.

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Raskin Seeks Judiciary Gavel, High Court Ethics Curbs

By Courtney Bublé

In making his bid to be elected House Judiciary chair, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., on Friday said ethics reforms for the U.S. Supreme Court are among his top priorities.

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Goodwin Taps Simpson Thacher For Inside Trading Docs Fight

By Chris Villani

Goodwin Procter LLP has hired Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP to represent it as an alleged victim of an insider trading scheme that Massachusetts federal prosecutors say was orchestrated by a former Goodwin associate, according to a Friday filing seeking to oppose the attorney's request for records in redacted filings.

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