Agri Stats Reaches Meat Price-Fixing Deal With States, DOJ

By Hailey Konnath

Agri Stats has agreed to stop putting together certain sales reports for broiler chicken processors to resolve the U.S. Department of Justice's allegations that those reports enabled price-fixing by meat processors, according to an announcement made Thursday.

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

Judge Wants States To Outline Live Nation Antitrust Remedies

By Matthew Perlman

A New York federal judge asked state enforcers on Thursday to outline the remedies they intend to seek from Live Nation, along with the discovery they expect to need, before deciding a schedule for the next steps in the antitrust case against the major live entertainment company.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Antitrust Head Tells Merging Firms: No Games

By Bryan Koenig

Combating "gamesmanship" remains top of mind for the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division as it reviews mergers, according to a New York speech Thursday from acting head Omeed A. Assefi warning parties against "altering" merger notification material or trying to "play games with documents and data."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

6th Circ. Tosses Ohio's Out-Of-State Wine Limits

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Sixth Circuit has struck down as unconstitutional Ohio's restrictions on out-of-state retailers' ability to sell wine directly to consumers in the Buckeye State.

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

Zillow, Redfin Can't Escape FTC's Antitrust Suit Over Ad Pact

By Jared Foretek

A Virginia federal judge denied Zillow and Redfin's bid Wednesday to toss the Federal Trade Commission's suit accusing the companies of colluding through a $100 million payment to stop competing on multifamily rental listings, ruling that the "fact-intensive nature" of the commission's complaint justifies it surviving past the pleading stage.

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

ZoomInfo Must Face Apollo Antitrust, False Ad Claims

By Jarek Rutz

A Delaware federal judge has allowed Apollo.io to press ahead with most of its counterclaims against competitor ZoomInfo Technologies LLC, finding that Apollo plausibly alleged that its larger rival used monopoly power, patent litigation and negative customer messaging to suppress competition in the sales-intelligence data market.

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

Apple Can't Trim 'Novel' £3B ICloud Overcharge Class Action

By Eddie Beaver

Apple has failed to strike out part of a consumer group's collective action of approximately £3 billion ($4.1 billion) accusing the tech giant of operating a cloud storage monopoly that overcharges customers, as an appellate tribunal recognized that the case raises novel points of law.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

UK Says Welltower's Senior Home Deals May Hurt Competition

By Isaac Monterose

The United Kingdom's antitrust authority determined Thursday that several of Welltower Inc.'s U.K. senior housing acquisitions create "a realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition."

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

IOC Lifts Olympic Ban On Belarus, But Russia Still Out

By David Steele

The International Olympic Committee lifted its ban on Belarus on Thursday, saying that athletes deserve to compete despite the actions of their countries, but continued the suspension of Russia imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Porsches Designed To Create Repair Monopoly, Suit Says

By Kelcey Caulder

Porsche Cars North America has been hit with a proposed class action in Georgia federal court alleging it unlawfully monopolizes the market for repair services performed on Porsche vehicles sold since 2021 by intentionally designing them so that only authorized dealers can complete the repairs.

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

Firm Sanctioned For Misleading Merchants In Swipe-Fee Case

By Hailey Konnath

A New York federal judge on Thursday sanctioned personal injury firm Betz & Baril PLC and its referral partner ClickFunds for misleading would-be class members in long-running antitrust litigation against Visa and Mastercard, ordering the firm and ClickFunds to notify clients about the misinformation.

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

OpenAI CEO Altman Fueled 'Toxic Culture Of Lying,' Jury Told

By Dorothy Atkins

California federal jurors weighing Elon Musk's challenge to OpenAI's for-profit conversion on Thursday watched prerecorded testimony from a former OpenAI board member who voted to oust CEO Sam Altman in 2023 over concerns his pattern of lies and deception fostered a "toxic culture of lying."  

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Nielsen Tells 2nd Circ. To Upend Cumulus' Data-Tying Order

By Bryan Koenig

An attorney for Nielsen urged a Second Circuit panel Thursday to undo an order, which is currently stayed, effectively blocking it from conditioning media company Cumulus' access to national radio ratings data on buying its local offerings.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Netlist Backs DOJ Stance On Essential IP In Samsung Case

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Department of Justice is correct that having a patent included in a standard does not necessarily give the patentholder market power, Netlist said in defending itself against Samsung's lawsuit accusing it of exploiting a standard-setting process.

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

Womble Bond Atty's 'Draconian' Penalty Gives 4th Circ. Pause

By Hayley Fowler

A Fourth Circuit panel seemed to struggle Thursday with what one judge described as a "draconian" contempt order against a Womble Bond Dickinson partner, with the panel nudging counsel for both sides toward a simpler solution that wouldn't force the court's involvement.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Warren Asks Meta About Reported Stablecoin Payment Plans

By Sarah Jarvis

The top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee has called on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to provide more information about the company's reported plans to introduce stablecoin-based payment features for its users, accusing it of a "deeply troubling" lack of transparency about the project.

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

Bowlers Sue Lucky Strike Over 'Starbucks Of Bowling' Tactics

By Elaine Briseño

Lucky Strike has been engaging in a yearslong anticompetitive scheme to acquire rival bowling alleys across the United States so it can drive up costs and increase its own profits, while diminishing the experience of bowlers, a group of customers has alleged.

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

Non-Nicotine Vape Maker Accuses Rival Of Patent Infringement

By Mike Curley

Ready Mix Naturals LLC is suing a rival vape maker in Nevada federal court, alleging rival Globrands LLC and its subsidiaries are infringing Ready Mix's patents for non-nicotine vape products.

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

Series

Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

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

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen Morrisons sued by a former logistics partner, EDF and Cripps LLP face a claim brought by a family estate near Hinkley Point C and a former BBC broadcaster file a defamation claim against a Welsh news site over articles linking her to Russian state media and conspiracy theories. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Morgan Lewis Hires 2 More Hunton Litigators

By Andrea Keckley

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP announced on Friday that it has hired two more attorneys from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP to build up its litigation bench.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Legal Industry Bounces Back, Gaining 2,400 Jobs In April

By Tracey Read

The legal sector is once again on a positive trajectory, gaining 2,400 jobs last month, according to seasonally adjusted data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Paul Weiss Says Atty Cuts Were Part Of Performance Reviews

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP told Law360 on Friday that the firm has parted ways with some attorneys following an annual review process.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Top Atty In DOJ Appeal Over Law Firm Exec Orders To Depart

By Jake Maher

The lead federal prosecutor on the Trump administration's appeal to reinstate executive orders targeting four law firms is stepping down from his government role at the end of May, he publicly announced this week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

The National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a split Seventh Circuit panel rejected the Trump administration's argument that immigrants unlawfully in the United States have no due process rights.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

The head of the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits section said agency investigations will focus on benefit plan managers' loyalty conflicts, including pursuit of socially conscious goals. Meanwhile, Dell became the latest company to consider Texas as its new legal home. These are among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Prosecutor Faces Probe Into Withheld Immigration Case Info

By Bonnie Eslinger

The lead assistant federal prosecutor for Rhode Island's civil division is under investigation for allegedly withholding information in an immigration case, according to an order from the Ocean State's top federal judge.

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

DLA Piper Accused Of 'Frivolous' Suit To Please Chipotle GC

By Gina Kim

DLA Piper aggressively litigated a "frivolous" computer fraud lawsuit against a nonprofit volunteer in order to appease the then-general counsel of Chipotle, a client, who referred the case to the firm, according to a malicious-prosecution complaint filed Thursday in California state court. 

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

In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

By Adam LoBelia

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »