Firm Says Assistant Stole, Passed On Client Communications

By Spencer Brewer

A Houston law firm on Thursday told a Texas state court that an erstwhile legal assistant stole heaps of attorney-client communications that she subsequently misused, including by relaying sensitive emails to a lawyer representing the wife of a firm attorney in the middle of a divorce.

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Joe Gibbs Racing Can Fuel Up Suit Against NASCAR Rival

By Abigail Harrison

NASCAR team Joe Gibbs Racing LLC can augment its trade secrets lawsuit against a former competition director and the rival racing company that hired him, after a North Carolina federal court found that the proposed amendments aren't pointless.

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Valve Seeks Appeal After Judge Lets Steam Arbitrations Roll

By Caroline Simson

Valve will seek interlocutory review of a federal judge's order last month refusing to block hundreds of video game buyers from arbitrating consumer protection claims, the game developer said on Wednesday, citing the Seattle judge's observation during a hearing last month that neither side is "'sitting on comfortable ground.'"

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Texas Biz Court Lets Southwest Pilots Redo Boeing Claims

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas business court judge said the Southwest Airlines pilots union could continue its suit against The Boeing Co. for alleged economic losses resulting from the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft, but told the union it would have to better articulate the harm Boeing caused.

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Analysis

Sorsby Gambling Order Deepens NCAA's Existential Crisis

By Alex Lawson

A state court decision allowing Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby to continue playing despite his confession to sports betting has exposed a vulnerability for the NCAA, with courts outstripping the association in setting rules for college sports.

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Ed. Dept. Tries New Tack To Scrap K-12 Mental Health Grants

By Ben Adlin

The U.S. Department of Education pressed ahead with its plan to end up to a billion dollars in school mental health grants, arguing Wednesday that a Seattle federal judge's December 2025 injunction barring the discontinuation of the grants shouldn't block the government from canceling the contracts outright.

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Panel Tosses NJ Mall's 3rd Bid To Force Parking Garage Build

By Nate Beck

A New Jersey appeals court on Thursday dismissed a shopping center owner's third attempt to force construction of a parking garage imagined in a 2004 plan instead of a nine-story, mixed-use building developers pitched after Newark adopted policies against new parking lots in the area.

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Clothing Biz Says Search Firm Didn't Vet CEO Candidate

By Susan Smiley

A Michigan-based bra and activewear company has claimed in an amended complaint filed in Michigan federal court on Thursday that an executive search firm contracted to help hire a new CEO did not properly vet the candidate who was ultimately hired, costing the clothing company "millions of dollars."

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Workers Hit Chiron Financial With Unpaid Wage Suit

By Emily Brill

Chiron Financial didn't pay 17 of its workers when it was having money trouble, a proposed class action in Texas federal court alleges, seeking to recoup the money that the workers say they're owed.

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FTC Wants Zillow-Redfin Deal Presumed Illegal Ahead Of Trial

By Bryan Koenig

The Federal Trade Commission sought Wednesday to further limit Zillow and Redfin's ability to defend a rental listings syndication deal the agency says was a $100 million payoff for Redfin to exit the market, asking a Virginia federal judge to treat the agreement as a presumptively unlawful transaction.

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Investment Cos. Push To Nix Consumers' Tribal RICO Suit

By Joyce Hanson

A couple of investment firms are asking a North Carolina federal court to toss a proposed consumer class action over a so-called tribal lending scheme that charges annual interest rates as high as 490%, saying the borrowers fail to show they helped manage the short-term loan company.

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Automaker Group Wants Wash. Biz Licensing Regs Shut Down

By Rae Ann Varona

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation has urged a Washington federal court to invalidate a pair of state business licensing rules, including one that expanded the definition of "soliciting," saying the regulations are unconstitutional and beyond the authority of the state's licensing department.

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Auto Parts Biz Says Freight Co. Duped It Into Container Fraud

By Jack McLoone

A Michigan-based importer and seller of aftermarket auto parts that was stuck with added costs from U.S. Customs and Border Protection related to empty shipping containers has sued its freight-forwarding contractor, claiming it was tricked into facilitating a fraud scheme.

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Mexico Beats Bid To Halt Bond Claims In ICSID Dispute

By Joyce Hanson

An international tribunal has declined to grant a request from Texas-based investors that Mexico be ordered to halt the country's alleged wrongful conduct stemming from a dispute over the termination of an oil drilling contract and a related performance bond.

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USTR Forced Labor Tariff Plan Pushes Trade Recourse Limits

Tariffs recently proposed by the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, which determined that 60 countries failed to implement adequate forced labor protections, expand the use of existing trade remedies to address global supply chain labor standards, potentially inviting both practical adjustments by businesses and careful legal scrutiny, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

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Series

Cow Horse Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Moving an unwilling 800-pound cow while riding a horse at high speed is exhilarating, a little unhinged and, at least for me, a surprisingly effective training ground for litigation — both demand focus, preparation over rigid planning and the willingness to act despite fear, says Ashley Zitrin at Glenn Agre.

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More BigLaw Raises Predicted Despite Silence After Milbank

By Alison Knezevich

While boutiques make up many of the law firms that have quickly matched Milbank LLP's recently announced associate raises, recruiters told Law360 Pulse this week that they predict more BigLaw firms will eventually reveal their own salary hikes.

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Analysis

Insider Trading Defense May Draw On 'Varsity Blues' Playbook

By Chris Villani

After enlisting a crew of experienced attorneys, defendants charged in an insider trading case allegedly involving deal information stolen from huge law firms are preparing to use a strategy that could take some cues from the "Varsity Blues" case in the same Boston courthouse.

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Q&A

JAMS Chief Executive Says Mass Arbitrations On The Rise

By Kellie Mejdrich

Mediation giant JAMS says it has seen a major upswing in mass arbitrations in employment and other contexts, as plaintiff-side firms develop new ways of responding to language requiring out-of-court dispute resolution by companies. CEO Kimberly Taylor and veteran JAMS mediator Robert Meyer spoke to Law360 about mediation trends, with a specific focus on employee benefits disputes.

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Atty Faces Sanctions Over Fake Quotes In Taco TM Fight

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut attorney could be sanctioned for including fake case quotes and misrepresentations of the law in court filings that seek dismissal of a trademark case against a taco restaurant, a federal judge said Friday in questioning whether the documents were sullied by artificial intelligence.

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Analysis

3 Things To Know As Judge Stares Down Impeachment Push

By Kelcey Caulder

The scandal that could cost U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross her job also threatens to cause courthouse chaos in the form of recusal motions, bids to reopen suits and uncertainty for clerks. Here, Law360 looks at three things to know about the calls to impeach the judge and their potential fallout.

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Texas Court Urged To Keep Judge Romance Suit Alive

By Adrian Cruz

In multiple filings, EJS Investment Holdings LLC has asked a Texas federal judge to reject attempts by former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones and other parties to dismiss its proposed class action over his secret romance with a former Jackson Walker LLP partner.

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'Poor Lawyering': Walmart Flub Haunts Class Attys At 9th Circ.

By Jeff Overley

Amid warnings of a chilling effect on plaintiffs counsel, a Ninth Circuit panel Friday scrutinized six-figure sanctions against attorneys whose false advertising suit targeting Walmart Inc. collapsed because of crucial fine print in an avocado oil receipt.

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No Amici In Comey Seashell Threat Case, Judge Says

By Craig Clough

A North Carolina federal judge on Friday said she will not allow any amici to weigh in on former FBI Director James Comey's criminal charges alleging he threatened President Donald Trump with a social media post, finding the parties are "ably represented" by counsel and public input is not needed.

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Ill. Judge Decries Grand Jury 'Turmoil,' Tosses Fraud Charges

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge agreed Friday to dismiss fraud charges against two men ahead of an evidentiary hearing probing recent grand jury misconduct claims, but cautioned that "getting rid" of the case may not have prosecutors' desired effect, as such allegations continue causing "turmoil" throughout the district court.

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Deluge Of Video Evidence Overwhelms Criminal Cases

By Brandon Lowrey

Surveillance cameras and police body cameras are creating a flood of video evidence that can help prosecutors and defense attorneys build strong cases. But many have been struggling with the technical and logistical challenges that come with the sheer volume of footage.

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Roundup

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

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen the FCA bring a claim against a fund manager it accused of providing investment services despite having been banned, an Ardmore unit sue a contractor two days before the construction group's collapse, and shipping and cruise giant MSC hit back at an entertainment company following separate intellectual property litigation in the U.S. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

Elon Musk and SpaceX's legal team blasted off today with the largest IPO in history, with shares priced at $150 each at opening before briefly topping $176. And a new study shows investors have approved 11 of 17 companies' requests to move their incorporation from Delaware to Texas so far this proxy season.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Kirkland & Ellis LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Los Angeles jury in a bellwether trial cleared Johnson & Johnson of any liability in the deaths of three women from ovarian cancer.

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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.

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