Analysis

TCPA Litigants Brace For 'Seismic Shift' After Deference Blow

By Allison Grande

The U.S. Supreme Court's backing of broad judicial review for the crush of regulatory orders interpreting the Telephone Consumer Protection Act is poised to turn the litigation landscape on its head, as key statutory determinations that have long been viewed as settled matters are suddenly ripe for scrutiny. 

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CVS PBM Hit With $95M Judgment For Overbilling Medicare

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Pennsylvania federal judge on Wednesday ruled that CVS's pharmacy benefits manager owes the government $95 million for overbilling Medicare Part D-sponsored drugs, leaving the door open for the amount to be tripled later.

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Analysis

The 5 Big Enforcement Trends White Collar Attys Must Know

By Phillip Bantz

The Trump administration has made clear its intent to prioritize U.S. interests, eliminate transnational cartels and cut government fraud, waste and abuse — but questions remain about the administration’s approach to foreign bribery, crypto, public corruption, self-disclosure and clemency as we head into the second half of the year.

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Fed Rolls Out Plan To Relax Leverage Rule For Biggest Banks

By Jon Hill

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kicked off an effort to ease a key leverage requirement for the biggest U.S. banks, advancing a highly anticipated proposal that officials said could free up bank balance-sheet capacity to bolster the U.S. Treasury market. 

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Senate Panel Narrowly Advances FAA Chief Nominee

By Linda Chiem

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted along party lines Wednesday to advance President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Federal Aviation Administration.

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Fed's Powell Suggests Student Loans Too Hard To Discharge

By Jon Hill

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told senators Wednesday that Congress might want to consider permitting greater dischargeability of student loans, questioning whether it is a "wise national policy" to treat such debt differently under the federal bankruptcy laws.

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Brief

SEC Grants Brokers More Time On Customer-Protection Rule

By Tom Zanki

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission agreed Wednesday to extend until late June 2026 the time broker-dealers have to comply with recent amendments to a regulation protecting customers, saying that firms need more time to upgrade their operations.

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10th Circ. Urged To Revive Post-Jarkesy FDIC Challenge

By Sarah Jarvis

A Kansas bank has urged the Tenth Circuit to revive its suit claiming the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. violated the bank's right to a jury trial through an enforcement proceeding before an agency-appointed judge, arguing federal courts must be able to hear such constitutional claims.

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SEC Wins Jury Verdict In $10M Blood Bank Fraud Suit

By Jessica Corso

A California federal jury has found the former CEO of a blood bank business liable for securities fraud, agreeing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the executive defrauded retirees out of more than $10 million by promising them returns he knew he could not deliver.

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11th Circ. Backs Conviction In Bank Reporting Evasion Case

By Sydney Price

The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a man accused of trying to prevent regulators from learning about his large withdrawals from Wells Fargo accounts, rejecting his claims that prosecutors charged him with one offense but tried him for another.

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Do Kwon Trial Judge Has Eye On Federal Crypto Legislation

By Pete Brush

Federal legislation that could codify stablecoins as payment-related assets — not securities — has the potential to impact the Manhattan U.S. attorney's $40 billion criminal case against Terraform founder Do Kwon, a federal judge said Wednesday.

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Coinme Fined $300K In Landmark Calif. Enforcement Action

By Rae Ann Varona

Crypto kiosk operator Coinme Inc. has agreed to pay a $300,000 fine to resolve findings that it violated California's kiosk transaction limits and failed to include certain disclosures on receipts, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation announced Wednesday.

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SEC Says Banned Investment Adviser Ran Crypto Fund Fraud

By Emilie Ruscoe

A San Diego man and his dissolved company face U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that they improperly raised $413,000 from at least 11 investors on the strength of promises they'd put the money into a pooled investment vehicle for crypto assets.

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Citi Accused Of Complicity In $20M NFT 'Pig Butchering' Scam

By Sydney Price

Citibank NA has been hit with a lawsuit in New York federal court by a Texas man accusing it of ignoring red flags that allowed scammers to use accounts at the bank to siphon nearly $4 million from his family trusts after he fell for a social media romance scam involving non-fungible tokens.

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Hanford Contractor To Pay $6.5M To Settle Fraud Allegations

By Tom Lotshaw

A contractor tapped to manage and operate a tank farm holding millions of gallons of hazardous and radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington will pay $6.5 million to settle claims it overcharged the U.S. Department of Energy for labor hours, according to federal prosecutors.

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Fed. Circ. Backs EPA's Firing Of 'Disruptive' Whistleblower

By Gina Kim

The Federal Circuit upheld a decision finding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would've fired a federal employee even if she wasn't whistleblowing on its failure to submit affirmative employment plans, ruling Wednesday that while there was significant motive to retaliate, there's also evidence the employee was "disrespectful, disruptive and discourteous" toward colleagues.

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Senate Panel Again OKs Bill To Boost Teens' Online Privacy

By Allison Grande

A longstanding legislative proposal that would ban online targeted advertising to minors and expand digital privacy protections to cover teens between the ages of 13 and 16 began its latest trip through Congress on Wednesday, when the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee easily advanced the measure to the full chamber. 

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EU Probing Mars' $36B Deal For Pringles-Maker Kellanova

By Matthew Perlman

European competition enforcers said Wednesday they are investigating snack food and candy giant Mars Inc.'s planned $35.9 billion purchase of Cheez-It and Pringles maker Kellanova over concerns the combined company would have too much negotiating power with retailers.

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Alaska Doesn't Need 5G In Most Remote Reaches, FCC Told

By Nadia Dreid

Alaskan telecoms should not have to bring 5G-level internet to every corner of the state to which they are designated to deploy under the Alaska Connect Fund, a trade group has told the Federal Communications Commission.

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FCC To Consult Tribes On Wireless Cos.' NEPA Petition

By Jared Foretek

The Federal Communications Commission plans to consult with tribal governments on a wireless industry proposal to cut red tape associated with the National Environmental Policy Act for cell towers, following comments from Native American organizations blasting the plan and saying it would threaten sacred lands.

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The CFTC Is Shaking Up Sports Betting's Legal Future

The sports betting industry faces a potential sea change amid recent state and federal actions across the regulatory landscape that have expanded access to sporting event contracts against the backdrop of waning Commodity Futures Trading Commission opposition, says Nick Covek at Foley & Lardner.

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A Guide To Permanent Capital Vehicles As Access Widens

Recent regulatory and legislative actions are making it easier for retail investors to access permanent capital vehicles like closed-end, interval, tender offer and open-end funds, which each offer distinct advantages that are important to review, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

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Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

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Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

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DOJ Sues Md. Federal Judges Over 'Lawless' Habeas Orders

By Ali Sullivan

The Trump administration is suing the Maryland federal district court and all of its judges over a standing order that temporarily staves off the deportation of detained noncitizens who file habeas petitions.

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3rd Circ. Pick Emil Bove Says He's 'Not Anybody's Henchman'

By Courtney Bublé

Emil Bove, nominee for the Third Circuit, who previously served as President Donald Trump's criminal attorney and was a top acting official at the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this year, where he took various controversial actions, made his case on Wednesday for judicial confirmation.

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Watchdog Targets US Atty Over Arrests, Probes Of NJ Officials

By Jake Maher

The legal ethics watchdog Campaign for Accountability on Wednesday accused interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba of an "abuse of power" over her office's recent investigations and arrests of New Jersey officials and called for an ethics investigation.

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2nd Circ. Blocks Reed Smith Doc Turnover Order In Eletson Row

By Emily Sawicki

The Second Circuit on Wednesday granted Reed Smith LLP's emergency motion to stay a Manhattan federal judge's order to turn over client files amid a conflict over the legitimate ownership of international shipping company Eletson, which is in a dispute with competitor Levona.

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Paxton Deputy Accused Of Pressuring Impeachment Witnesses

By Catherine Marfin

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's second-in-command tampered with witnesses during Paxton's impeachment, fabricated sexual harassment allegations and misused state funds, according to a state bar complaint and federal lawsuit filed by two of Paxton's former top deputies.

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Court Halts Trump Order Curbing Federal Union Bargaining

By Beverly Banks

Several federal agencies must stop enforcing a part of President Donald Trump's executive order that would ax labor contracts covering agencies that have "national security" aims, a California federal judge ruled, finding unions showed they would suffer irreparable harm by losing collective bargaining rights.

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Brief

NJ Rep. McIver Pleads Not Guilty In ICE Facility Incident

By Carla Baranauckas

U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver pled not guilty Wednesday in New Jersey federal court to assault and interference charges stemming from an incident at an immigration detention center in Newark on May 9.

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