DOJ Can't Get Rethink On Apple Peek Into Fed Phone-Buying

By Bryan Koenig

A special master has refused to reconsider his New Jersey federal court mandate giving Apple a look into how the Pentagon, CIA, State Department and other agencies purchase smartphones, criticizing the Justice Department for trying to "split hairs" in contending the agencies aren't "party" to the monopolization lawsuit.

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

UEFA Eyes Criminal Case Over Abandoned World Cup Sale

By Alex Lawson

European soccer's governing body is asking a Florida federal court for access to documents that may build its criminal case against FIFA's now-abandoned plans to sell off the commercial rights to the World Cup tournament.

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

Binance.US Beats Sherman Claims, Rest Sent To Arbitration

By Nadia Dreid

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance.US and a digital asset market data website have beaten for good antitrust claims in a proposed class action accusing them of working together to suppress a cryptocurrency's value by misstating its ranking, but Binance must face other claims in arbitration.

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

Youth Basketball Tournament Escapes Hotel Antitrust Claims

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Pennsylvania federal judge has dismissed a proposed antitrust class action accusing U.S. Junior Nationals Inc., an organizer of national-level girls basketball tournaments, of requiring its participants to stay in overpriced hotels, ruling that the plaintiff failed to show a market the organization monopolized.

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

5th Circ. Backs FDA, Pharma Cos. In GLP-1 Shortage Fight

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not unlawfully remove blockbuster GLP-1 medications made by Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk from the national drug shortage list, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday, handing a loss to compounding pharmacies that produce copycat doses of the drugs.

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

Dems Want DOJ, FTC To Look At Sysco's $29B Jetro Buy

By Gina Kim

Two Democratic lawmakers called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday to closely inspect Sysco Corp.'s plans to buy competitor Restaurant Depot LLC aka Jetro Restaurant Depot at a total enterprise value of $29.1 billion, warning in a letter the transaction could hurt independent restaurants, farmers and Americans who "are already facing an affordability crisis."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chamber Says FTC's Meta Appeal Trying To 'Rewrite' Law

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other amicus filers urged the D.C. Circuit not to revive the Federal Trade Commission monopolization lawsuit targeting Meta's purchases of WhatsApp and Instagram, taking issue Thursday with how the FTC characterizes social media competition, consumer behavior and the law allowing it to sue.

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

Ugg-Maker Beats Rival Footwear Co.'s Antitrust Suit, For Now

By Gina Kim

A California federal judge on Thursday tossed Quince's antitrust suit alleging Deckers uses sham trade dress litigation to block rivals, ruling Quince didn't sufficiently plead a sham litigation exception to the Noerr-Pennington doctrine, which immunizes businesses from antitrust liability for petitioning activity, but allowed Quince a chance to amend.

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

Womble Bond Asks To Drop Dutch Software Client Over Rift

By Hayley Fowler

Womble Bond Dickinson is looking to pull its representation of a Dutch software company after five years of a bitter trademark battle, citing a "fundamental disagreement" that has allegedly made it impossible for the firm to move forward as counsel of record.

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

Uber Beats Defamation Claims In Philly RICO Fight

By James Boyle

A Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday tossed Philadelphia personal injury firm Simon & Simon PC's counterclaim accusing Uber and FedEx of sham litigation, extortion and abuse of process in response to the companies' ongoing RICO lawsuit against the firm.

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

Ex-USI Manager Denies Enticing Clients To Rival Brokerage

By Brian Steele

A former employee of the insurance brokerage giant USI told a Connecticut federal judge that the restrictive covenants he entered are unenforceable and he cannot be held liable for allegedly violating them when clients followed him to a rival firm.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Sod Co. Seeks Sanctions Over Missing Trade Secrets Files

By Benjamin Morse

A Colorado sod company asked a federal judge for sanctions in its trade secrets suit against former workers and competing businesses, arguing they failed to preserve electronic files that could show whether they possessed, transferred or used the company's confidential information.

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

Full Play Owners To Pay $50M To Exit FIFA Bribery Dragnet

By Stewart Bishop

The father and son owners of Argentine sports marketing agency Full Play Group SA have agreed to pay $50 million as part of a deferred prosecution deal that resolves criminal charges brought by Brooklyn federal prosecutors for paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to Latin American soccer officials.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC IonQ Review Unearths A Divide In Vertical Merger Remedy

The Federal Trade Commission's recent split decision to close its investigation into the merger between IonQ and SkyWater Technology offers a candid window into how enforcers may approach vertical merger concerns after a string of difficult government cases, says Nicholas Cheolas at Wiley.

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

Series

Taekwondo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Taekwondo has taught me to recognize when to fight for a position and when to focus on finding a solution, and that the best outcomes are often achieved by solving problems — all of which has improved my work as a bankruptcy lawyer, mediator and Subchapter V trustee, says Amy Denton Mayer at Berger Singerman.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Exclusive

Inside The $150M Immigration Contract That Wasn't

By Daniel Connolly

The leader of a small Houston-based law firm says she was "blindsided" by an announcement from the federal government that her 24-attorney shop had won a $150 million no-bid contract to represent thousands of immigrant children in deportation proceedings.

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

ABA Faces Uphill Battle To Remain As Law School Accreditor

By Emma Cueto

The American Bar Association council responsible for accrediting law schools is fighting on multiple fronts to retain its status as a nationwide accreditor, fending off challenges at both the federal and state levels.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dems Say DOJ Opinion Aims To Foil Oversight Of White House

By Courtney Bublé

With midterm elections right around the corner, Senate Democrats are worried the new legal opinion from the U.S. Department of Justice could let the Trump Administration obstruct congressional oversight of the White House.

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

Google Users' Atty Fee To Be In 'Realm' Of $147M, Judge Says

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge indicated Thursday that he won't give the full $147 million in fees sought by lawyers who won a $425 million class action verdict against Google for unlawfully collecting user information, but he said their "really excellent lawyering" deserves an amount "within that realm."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »