9th Circ. Says Security Officer's Firing OK For Court Review

By Grace Elletson

The Ninth Circuit found Thursday that it was fair game for a jury to consider whether a nuclear facility manager illegally fired a security officer due to his prescription opioid use, ruling the revocation of his fitness-for-duty certification didn't amount to a security clearance decision blocked from judicial review.

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DOL Benefits Chief Pressed On Labor Secretary's Conduct

By Kellie Mejdrich

The head of the U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm faced tough questions from House Democrats at an oversight hearing Thursday, fielding questions about the labor secretary's on-the-job conduct as well as the DOL's take on mental health parity enforcement. 

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2nd Circ. Weighs Fox News' Liability In Sex Assault Suit

By Anne Cullen

A Second Circuit panel on Thursday closely examined a former Fox News associate producer's claim that the network can be held liable for alleged sexual harassment and rape by a former show anchor, questioning if one novel legal theory being raised was forfeited at the trial level. 

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Feds Can't Stay Trans Healthcare Orders During Appeal

By Mark Payne

The Trump administration won't be able to enforce two executive orders that ban federal funding for gender-affirming care for patients under the age of 19 while the federal government appeals a nationwide injunction blocking the orders, the Fourth Circuit ruled Thursday. 

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Ex-ByteDance Exec Fights Perjury Sanction At 9th Circ.

By Bonnie Eslinger

A former ByteDance executive urged the Ninth Circuit Thursday to revive a suit he filed against the TikTok owner after he was fired, saying the case should've been heard in state court and a federal judge had no jurisdiction to order terminating sanctions after finding he perjured himself.

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Ind. Judge Tells Parties AI Can't Replace Attorney Oversight

By Andrea Keckley

A federal magistrate judge in Indiana told parties in an employment suit against Walmart that artificial intelligence "can be a useful discovery tool" but "is not a substitute for attorneys and litigants exercising independent judgment and oversight in the discovery process."

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Cummins Can't Slip Male Worker's Sex Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

Engine manufacturer Cummins can't escape a former office technician's lawsuit claiming he was denied training and stuck with entry-level tasks for years while female colleagues were given opportunities to advance, with a North Carolina federal judge saying his complaint was detailed enough to stay in court.

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Fla. Panel Upholds Ex-Worker's Postclaim Arbitration Deal

By David Minsky

A Florida state appellate panel on Wednesday barred a woman from pursuing sexual discrimination allegations against her former employer in court, saying she agreed to arbitrate her claims in a settlement that followed her initial U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge. 

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Colo. Judge Upholds $11.5M Award In HR Group Bias Suit

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado federal judge upheld a jury's verdict and $11.5 million award to a former employee of a global human resources association in her discrimination lawsuit against her past employer, rejecting the association's bid for a new trial.

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Ex-Housing Worker Drops Punitive Damages Bid Against Boss

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A former Charlotte public housing authority coordinator awarded $2.34 million for her hostile work environment claims, has opted not to pursue punitive damages against her ex-supervisor, who was found liable for only $1 in compensatory damages.

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Security Co. Fails To Pay For Pre-, Postshift Walks, Suit Says

By MJ Koo

A security and facility services company has been shortchanging workers by failing to pay them for mandatory preshift and postshift walks to their workstations, according to a proposed class action in Pennsylvania state court.

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Agricultural Workers Seek Atty Fees After Co.'s No-Show

By Benjamin Morse

Farmworkers who accused agricultural companies of wage violations asked a Colorado federal judge to award nearly $24,000 in attorney fees and costs after one defendant and its lawyer stopped participating in discovery and ignored court orders.

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Workers Say Folded Boston Pot Shops Owe Them Pay

By Jonathan Capriel

Former employees of two defunct Boston marijuana dispensaries, both called Pure Oasis, are suing the companies behind the shops and their owners in Massachusetts state court, accusing them of failing to pay out final wages and earned vacation time after the leaders decided to close the shops without warning.

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US Bank Shorted Wash. Workers On Meals, Breaks, Suit Says

By MJ Koo

U.S. Bank denied hourly employees meal and rest breaks, and shorted them on overtime and sick leave pay, two former workers alleged in a proposed class action filed in Washington state court.

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Seattle Art Museum Denied Breaks, Full Pay, Suit Says

By Benjamin Morse

The Seattle Art Museum failed to pay nonexempt employees for all hours worked and denied them legally required meal and rest breaks, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in Washington state court.

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2 Sentenced In North Korean Remote IT Worker Scheme

By Julie Manganis

Two New Jersey men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a scheme to aid North Korea in getting around U.S. and United Nations sanctions by using stolen identities to place workers in information technology jobs.

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Feds Can't Hide Records Of FEMA Cuts, Labor Coalition Says

By Braden Campbell

The government has upended discovery rules by blanketly shielding records of cuts at the Federal Emergency Management Agency from public view, a labor-led coalition challenging the cuts told a California federal judge.

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Judge Says Ga. Workers' Comp Precedent Is 'Ridiculous'

By Chart Riggall

The Georgia Court of Appeals appeared open Thursday to revising the intersections of tort law and the state's workers' compensation claims process, and in the process potentially reviving a wrongful death suit from the spouse of a Six Flags worker who was killed on the job.

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Brief

6th Circ. Asks Retirees To Answer Mortality Data Suit Redo Bid

By Patrick Hoff

The Sixth Circuit on Thursday asked participants in Kellogg and FedEx pension plans to respond to the companies' bids for reconsideration of the court's decision to revive their lawsuits alleging benefits were miscalculated because the plans used outdated mortality data.

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Mich. Insurance Co. Says Ex-Brokers Violated Noncompetes

By Melanie Dorsey

A Grand Rapids-based insurance and financial services company has sued two of its former California employees, accusing them of jumping to a direct competitor in violation of noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements tied to multimillion-dollar deals in which they sold their insurance businesses to the company. 

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Michigan City, Police Brass Hit With Retaliation Claims

By Melanie Dorsey

Two decorated former Wyandotte police officers who say they were punished for speaking out about abusive policing practices that include excessive force and falsified reports, are suing the city and its current and prior police chiefs in Michigan federal court, alleging their rights to free speech were violated.

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Ga. Appeals Court Weighs Safety Duty In Lineman's Burn Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

A power lineman told a Georgia appeals court Thursday that an engineering company he says caused him injury by failing to ensure a worksite feeder line was de-energized should face his lawsuit alleging the company had an obligation to keep him safe.

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Wis. Supreme Court Upholds Pabst Asbestos Verdict

By Emily Field

The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld a verdict in favor of the estate of a steamfitter exposed to asbestos through his work at a Pabst Brewing Co. brewery, saying Wednesday that the company still owed a duty of care to employees of independent contractors, but capped punitive damages to about $4.65 million.

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Employer Tips As Calif. Law Rewrites Retention Pay Rules

California's recent enactment of A.B. 692 disrupts how employers structure sign-on bonuses, retention payments and other incentives tied to continued employment, but employers that adjust their compensation strategies can attract and retain talent while managing their compliance risks, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

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Series

Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

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Meta, Uber Verdicts Top Product Liability Trials

By Emily Field

This year has brought major courtroom setbacks for tech platforms and app companies. Juries issued headline-making verdicts against Meta and Google over claims their platforms harm young users, while Uber lost its first federal bellwether trial over driver assaults and now faces a second sexual assault case.

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Analysis

Bondi's Contempt Defenses Are Strong, But Not Without Risk

By Phillip Bantz

Former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi currently has some potentially powerful defenses against Congress' relatively limited abilities to force her to comply with a subpoena to be deposed under oath about the Epstein files, but her exposure to being held in criminal contempt could shift with the political winds, experts said.

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Calif. Lawyer Sues Over State Bar Investigations

By Andrea Keckley

A California trial lawyer claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that he has been unfairly investigated by the state bar since 2019, alleging the office "illegally prioritizes revenue-generation over protection of the public."

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Analysis

AGs' Win Over Live Nation Leaves DOJ Watching From The Side

By Bryan Koenig

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.'s across-the-board trial rout by 34 state attorneys general underscores the ascendancy of state antitrust enforcers looking to fill perceived enforcement gaps left by the U.S. Department of Justice during President Donald Trump's second term.

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NJ US Atty's Office Turmoil Doesn't Nix Conviction, Judge Rules

By Carla Baranauckas

A federal judge on Thursday rejected a New Jersey criminal defendant's attempt to dismiss his conviction and disqualify the state's top federal prosecutor, holding that the appointment of the current U.S. attorney complies with federal law and that any earlier defects in leadership do not warrant dismissal.

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Judiciary Panel Loves Paralegal's Idea To Modernize Briefs

By Jeff Overley

An Arizona paralegal's unsolicited idea for overhauling a procedural rule governing the format of briefs found a surprisingly enthusiastic audience Thursday at a federal judiciary meeting, where prominent officials and attorneys voiced strong interest and agreed to explore the concept in earnest.

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Ramey Says Sanctions Violation Was 'Misunderstanding'

By Elliot Weld

William Ramey, an intellectual property attorney sanctioned in several federal jurisdictions, told a California federal judge Thursday that any violations of a previous sanctions order regarding his ability to practice law in the state were due to "good-faith misunderstanding of the scope of the court's order — not willful disregard."

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Judge Doubts Broad Shift In Immigration Hearing Access

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge appeared unconvinced Thursday by a human rights group's claim that the public is getting less access to immigration court hearings in Minnesota during the second Trump administration.

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Citizens Group Says 27 States Are Eyeing AI Chatbot Laws

By Joyce Hanson

Twenty-seven U.S. states are looking at passing laws to make artificial intelligence companies face liability claims in civil suits if they fail to protect consumers who interact with chatbots, while another three states have already enacted protections, according to a citizens group's new legislative tracker.

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Optimum Defends Antitrust Suit Against Apollo, BlackRock

By Alex Wittenberg

Apollo, Ares, BlackRock and other financial giants are colluding to block Optimum Communications Inc. from negotiating a debt refinancing to avert bankruptcy, acting as a "cartel" and locking Optimum out of credit markets, Optimum said in a brief opposing the investors' bid to dismiss its antitrust suit in New York.

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Sentencing Commission Votes To Enact Modest Reform Agenda

By Stewart Bishop

The U.S. Sentencing Commission on Thursday voted to enact multiple revisions to the federal sentencing guidelines, including the first inflationary adjustment in over a decade for calculating penalties for economic crimes, but declined to take action on a series of more transformational changes that were under consideration.

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