Analysis

House GOP Again Pushes Data Privacy Bill To Override States

By Allison Grande

House Republicans on Wednesday took their latest crack at establishing a cohesive nationwide data privacy framework, floating legislation that would give consumers more control over their personal information while preempting a growing patchwork of state laws, although early criticisms indicate that the issues that have long stymied these efforts persist.

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GM Must Face MDL Wiretap Claims Over OnStar Devices

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge Wednesday narrowed the scope of claims filed on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of 16 million drivers whose OnStar driving data was allegedly used to spy on them, while largely preserving the wiretapping allegations at the heart of the suit.

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4th Circ. Won't Rehear Spat Over DOGE's Agency Data Access

By Abigail Harrison

The Fourth Circuit has declined to reconsider a split panel's decision to vacate an injunction that blocked the Department of Government Efficiency's access to personal information held by three federal agencies.

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Health System Says AI Co. Botched $32M Software Project

By Gianna Ferrarin

A San Francisco-based healthcare technology company failed to deliver on promises it would consolidate a Catholic health system's data under a unified platform, breaching a projected $32 million service agreement, the health system alleged in a complaint.

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TD Bank, Airline Data Co. Accused Of Sharing Info With Govt.

By Sydney Price

TD Bank NA and airline-owned financial technology company Airlines Reporting Corp. are facing a proposed class action in Delaware federal court accusing them of funneling airfare transaction data to the government through a "secret pipeline," in violation of consumers' financial privacy rights.

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Google Loses Bid For Yelp R&D Info In Antitrust Defense

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge overseeing Yelp's lawsuit claiming Google monopolizes the local search market said Wednesday that Google's demand for documents regarding Yelp's research and development investments was too broad and that Yelp's "objections on relevance and proportionality are meritorious."

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'Cheap' Judge Tentatively Trims Fees But OKs $65M Snap Deal

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge who previously described himself to the parties as "cheap" may have lived up to the descriptor Wednesday by tentatively granting final approval to Snap's $65 million securities settlement while indicating he'd likely give a 5% "haircut" to the investor plaintiffs' requested attorney fees.

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Anthropic Slams Hegseth's Security Risk Label At DC Circ.

By Lauren Berg

Anthropic Wednesday asked the D.C. Circuit to overturn the U.S. Department of Defense's action branding it a supply chain risk, saying the decision was retaliation for the artificial intelligence company's refusal to provide the Trump administration with technology for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons.

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Federal Agencies Hit With FOIA Suit Over Palantir Records

By Ganesh Setty

A transparency-focused nonprofit has asked a Washington federal court to order federal agencies to respond to its Freedom of Information Act request regarding their involvement with technology company Palantir after President Donald Trump called for maximal interagency information sharing.

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Alabama AG Secures $12.2M Roblox Kid Safety Deal

By Emily Field

The Alabama attorney general has announced a $12.2 million deal with popular gaming platform Roblox that would add age restrictions and more parental controls to protect children from online sexual predators.

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Samba TV Must Face Wiretap, Privacy Claims In Data Suit

By Jared Foretek

A California federal judge allowed invasion of privacy and Federal Wiretap Act claims against smart TV advertising company Samba TV to proceed to discovery Tuesday, ruling that a proposed class's allegations that the company collected viewing data to build viewer profiles that include their political leanings constituted actionable harm.

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Commure Took Health Co.'s Software Trade Secrets, Suit Says

By Elliot Weld

A San Diego-based healthcare technology services company has accused Commure Inc. of stealing trade secrets to launch competing cloud-based software, framing the alleged conduct as an instance of a large company "backed by big money" breaking the rules to obtain a much smaller competitor's information.

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Paint Co. Says Injury Firm Used Stolen Data To Solicit Clients

By Abigail Harrison

A paint company has asked a North Carolina federal court to boot the opposing counsel in a putative data breach class action, accusing them of finding stolen data on the dark web and using it to solicit potential plaintiffs before victims were even notified of the breach.

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Rover App Shares User Info With 3rd Parties, Suit Says

By Gina Kim

Pet care app Rover shares sensitive user information like search queries, booking histories, home addresses and absence schedules with third parties like Google without consent, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in California federal court.   

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Cos. Must Update Protocols To Protect Trade Secrets From AI

A recent data exposure incident at Meta shows how artificial intelligence agents present a novel trade secret threat, which should be addressed by a proactive overhaul of companies' reasonable-measures framework, says Eric Ostroff at Meland Budwick.

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Written Consent Ruling May Signal Change For Telemarketing

The Fifth Circuit's ruling in Bradford v. Sovereign Pest Control is a takedown of the Federal Communications Commission's prior express written consent regulation, and because Loper Bright empowers courts to disregard agency interpretations, Telephone Consumer Protection Act litigants now have an opportunity to challenge previously settled FCC regulations, orders and interpretations, say attorneys at Manatt.

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Shifts At DOJ Alter Corporate Self-Disclosure Calculus

Though the Justice Department's new criminal enforcement policy clarifies the benefits of corporate self-disclosure, recent changes to prosecutorial priorities and resources mean that companies should reassess whether cooperation incentives still outweigh the risks of nondisclosure, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.

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Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Draft Pleadings

Most law school graduates step into their first jobs without ever having drafted a complaint, answer, motion or other type of pleading, but that gap can be closed by understanding the strategy embedded in every filing, writing with clarity and purpose, and seeking feedback at every step, says Eric Yakaitis at Haug Barron.

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Norton Rose Faces $100M Suit Over Withdrawn Patent App

By Celeste Bott

Norton Rose Fulbright was sued in Illinois state court Tuesday by an advertising tech company claiming that the law firm mishandled a patent application and caused it to be deemed withdrawn, but kept the company in the dark about the loss of its valuable patent rights for over a year.

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Lockheed Birth Defect Trial Judge 'Disappointed' By Attys

By Cara Salvatore

A Florida federal judge said Tuesday he's "puzzled and disappointed" in counsel who appear "unprepared" on the eve of trial in a suit by children who blame their birth defects on Lockheed Martin's chemical handling practices at an Orlando defense system manufacturing and research facility.

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Hunter Biden Blasts Winston & Strawn Tactics In Fee Row

By Emily Sawicki

As a discovery dispute between Hunter Biden and Winston & Strawn LLP drags on amid a suit over allegedly unpaid legal bills, the former president's son accused the BigLaw firm, which once represented him in a Delaware criminal case and other matters, of resorting to "what is uncomfortably close to an ad hominem attack" against him.

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Analysis

Bondi's Proposed Rule Change May Shield Her In Ethics Case

By Phillip Bantz

A federal rule change that Pam Bondi proposed before she was fired as U.S. attorney general could stymie an ethics complaint against her in Florida, which is expected to be refiled after the state bar declined to take up the case during her tenure, experts say.

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Messner Reeves Accused Of $8.3M Trust Account Fraud

By Zach Dupont

Colorado law firm Messner Reeves LLP was hit with a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court from five businesses claiming it stole more than $8 million from them in a fraudulent loan scheme involving a now-defunct sports arena and hotel project in Las Vegas.

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Alston & Bird Says Goliath Investors Can't Claim Malpractice

By Carolina Bolado

Alston & Bird LLP urged a Florida federal court on Wednesday to toss a malpractice suit claiming the firm facilitated a $328 million cryptocurrency scam at Goliath Ventures Inc., arguing that the proposed class of Goliath investors who brought the suit were never clients of the firm.

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330+ Groups Urge DOJ To Restore Immigration Aid Staff

By Courtney Bublé

More than 300 legal services providers, faith-based institutions and community groups are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to fully restore a program that allows nonlawyers to assist low-income and indigent persons in immigration proceedings.

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Acting DOJ Inspector General Tapped For Permanent Post

By Jack Karp

President Donald Trump has nominated the U.S. Department of Justice's acting inspector general, who investigated the FBI's probe into Trump's links with Russia, to remain in that role on a permanent basis, according to a White House announcement.

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