A Georgia federal magistrate judge has recommended that a jury hear a whistleblower suit against the city of East Point, finding that neither the former municipal court administrator nor the city should be handed an early win.
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THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

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Ga. Judge Says Jury Must Hear Court Admin Retaliation Row

By Emily Johnson

A Georgia federal magistrate judge has recommended that a jury hear a whistleblower suit against the city of East Point, finding that neither the former municipal court administrator nor the city should be handed an early win.

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Saltz Mongeluzzi Escapes Most Of Ex-Employee's Bias Claims

By P.J. D'Annunzio

Philadelphia injury firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky escaped most of the claims in an ex-employee's discrimination suit alleging her former colleagues made inappropriate racial and sexual comments, with a Pennsylvania federal judge ruling that all but one of her claims lacked a common link.

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1st Circ. Won't Revive Ex-Dartmouth Prof's Muslim Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

The First Circuit upheld Dartmouth College's defeat of a former associate professor's lawsuit alleging he was denied tenure because he's Muslim and Arab, ruling he hadn't provided evidence demonstrating the Ivy League school manipulated its policies to his disadvantage.

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Bronx Defenders Union OKs Strike 1 Year After Last Walkout

By Andrea Keckley

The Bronx Defenders has become the third New York City-based legal aid organization to authorize a strike this month, which comes just one year after the group's most recent walkout.

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Writers Guild Joins Fray Against Paramount-Warner Merger

By Bryan Koenig

The Writers Guild of America's East and West branches piled Tuesday against Paramount Skydance's proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in a California federal court complaint adding buy-side claims of harming screenwriters to state attorneys general allegations focused on film distribution and basic cable.

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Feature

Trial, Appellate Judges Duel For Wash. Supreme Court Seat

By Rachel Riley

In one of the most-watched races for the five Washington State Supreme Court seats on the ballot this election season, a state appellate judge and a Seattle-area superior court judge are competing to succeed the high court's longest-sitting justice.

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DISCRIMINATION

Mercedes-Benz Denies New Dad's Wrongful Firing Claims

By Kelcey Caulder

Mercedes-Benz told a Georgia federal court that it did not fire a Vietnamese American employee for taking parental leave and complaining about what the employee alleged was a manager's racial bias, saying the company decided to terminate the worker for performance issues before he applied for time off.

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Brief

IBM Nets Deal To End Ex-Sales Specialist's Age Bias Suit

By Hayley Fowler

IBM has settled a 63-year-old's lawsuit accusing the global technology company of systemic age bias, North Carolina federal court records show.

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Security Worker Urges Court To Keep Harassment Suit Intact

By Patrick Hoff

An event security officer at State Farm Arena in Atlanta urged a Georgia federal court to reject the facility's bid to trim her lawsuit alleging it did nothing to address a co-worker's sexual harassment, arguing that a state law requiring employers to provide a safe workplace applied to her situation.

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Northwestern Prof Alleges Pro-Palestinian Stand Cost Tenure

By Grace Elletson

Northwestern University denied tenure for a journalism professor and set him up for termination because he spoke openly about his support for Palestinians and blocked police from clearing a student encampment protesting the institution's ties to Israel, according to a suit filed in Illinois federal court.

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Nespresso Can't Ditch Most Bias Claims By Ex-Employee

By Celeste Bott

A former Nespresso employee has plausibly alleged that race was a motivating factor in decisions denying her promotions and pay raises that were instead granted to less-qualified white employees, an Illinois federal judge ruled Monday, denying most of the company's motion to dismiss while also tossing claims against individual defendants.

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DOJ Asks 9th Circ. Undo Trans Health Ruling Against Premera

By Kellie Mejdrich

The federal government has backed Premera Blue Cross in its bid at the Ninth Circuit to overturn a Washington federal court's judgment that held the insurance company's coverage policy for gender dysphoria surgery is discriminatory, arguing the decision is out of line with U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

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WAGE & HOUR

NC City Moves To Break Up Police Officers' OT Collective

By MJ Koo

A North Carolina city asked a federal court to dismantle a collective action brought by police officers alleging they were not properly compensated for preshift and postshift work, arguing the officers' claims are too individualized to proceed as a group.

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Auto Parts Co., Workers Seek Wins In Shaved-Time Suits

By Benjamin Morse

An auto parts maker and factory workers filed competing bids for early wins in parallel federal wage suits, with the workers alleging willful pay-shaving practices and the manufacturer arguing that the disputed minutes were too trivial to compensate, according to filings in North Carolina federal court.

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PetSmart Hit With Wage Suit By Colo. Pet Care Workers

By MJ Koo

Four former pet care employees have sued PetSmart in Colorado state court alleging the company denied them meal breaks and rest periods, failed to pay them for off-the-clock work and improperly calculated their overtime pay.

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LABOR

Machinists Seek Arbitration Over Contractor Firing

By Corey Rothauser

International Association of Machinists affiliates have asked a Florida federal judge to order an Air Force contractor to arbitrate a grievance over the firing of a union-represented employee, arguing the company is refusing to follow the dispute resolution process required by the parties' collective bargaining agreement.

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USPTO Decries Arbitrator's 'Extreme' Mgmt Rights Threat

By Dani Kass

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has pushed back on an arbitrator holding that the agency violated union agreements when ending telework arrangements, saying the arbitrator ignored management rights provisions and added her own terms to the contract.

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Iowa Lacks Ties To Starbucks IP Fight, Workers United Says

By Katherine Smith

Starbucks Workers United has asked an Iowa federal judge to dismiss claims accusing the union of infringing the coffee chain's trademarks through its name and logo, arguing the dispute does not belong in Iowa federal court.

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BENEFITS

5th Circ. Undoes BP Retirees' Pension Info Suit Win

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Fifth Circuit unraveled a Texas court's judgment against BP that held the oil giant was liable to company retirees for miscommunicating their pension benefits' value following a plan conversion, holding on Tuesday that the lower court didn't perform a rigorous enough standing analysis.

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Kroger Says Flimsy Claims Doom Tobacco Fee Suit

By Grace Elletson

Grocery giant Kroger urged an Ohio federal judge to toss a suit challenging the legality of an extra health plan fee it charged tobacco users, stating it complied with federal benefits law by giving workers a 90-day window each year to dodge the fee by enrolling in a wellness program.

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TRADE SECRETS

DOJ Drops Trade Secrets Case Against DuPont Rival Mid-Trial

By Lauren Berg

Just a few days into the start of a monthlong trial, the U.S. Department of Justice has dropped its 15-year-old criminal espionage case alleging a group of related Chinese steel companies stole DuPont Co. trade secrets for creating titanium dioxide.

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WRONGFUL TERMINATION

Denver Worker Says Her Firing Was Tied To Mayoral Support

By Zach Dupont

A Denver employee alleging she was retaliated against and laid off for supporting a different mayoral candidate went back and forth with her superiors Tuesday at a preliminary injunction hearing where she urged a Colorado federal court to continue forbidding the city from finalizing her termination.

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Meta Employees Say AI-Tainted Layoffs Should Be Blocked

By Vin Gurrieri

Over two dozen Meta employees accused the tech giant of unlawfully picking them to be laid off using artificial intelligence tools that penalized people who took protected leave or received workplace accommodations, and they urged a California federal court to suspend their terminations until their legal claims are resolved.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

How Justices' TPS Ruling Affects Workforce Planning

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent holding in Mullin v. Doe that courts lack jurisdiction to review temporary protected status determinations greenlights the end of TPS for thousands of Syrian and Haitian nationals, and means employers must reevaluate TPS-designees' employability while avoiding discriminatory document practices, says attorney Richard Herman.

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Del. Dispatch: The New 'Director Independence' Definition

The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Ayers v. Foley, its first interpretation and application of "director independence" as outlined in Section 144 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, suggests that the court will not limit the new section's reach, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Take The 2026 Law Firm Compensation Survey

Is your compensation keeping pace with the rate of inflation? Do you know what your colleagues made last year? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's Law Firm Compensation Survey.

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Analysis

Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To The US Supreme Court's Term

By Jeff Overley

Federal appeals courts had wide-ranging successes and struggles during the U.S. Supreme Court's recently completed term: One had its best showing in years following its worst showing in years; one felt déjà vu after recently starting to find favor with the justices; and one saw its reputation for independence occupy a rare role in the Supreme Court spotlight.

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Simpson Thacher Put Co. Out Of Business, Fla. Jury Told

By Cara Salvatore

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP put an insurance services company out of business with a poorly constructed private securities offering, the company's founder told a Florida state jury Wednesday in opening arguments for trial in his suit alleging the law firm owes him more than $100 million.

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New Conn. High Court Rules Put Filers On Hook For AI Errors

By Aaron Keller

The Connecticut Appellate and Supreme Courts have published new generative artificial intelligence rules which took immediate effect this week, outlining additional paths for sanctions as the justices weigh the fate of a landlord's attorney who admitted his filings contained ChatGPT-induced errors.

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Cornyn, Tillis Still Waver On Blanche AG Bid After Hearing

By Courtney Bublé

Todd Blanche had his nomination hearing to be attorney general on Wednesday and two key Republican senators still have yet to say if they will support him.

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Senate Confirms Fla. Judge Pick Tied To Trump Pulitzer Case

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 51-46, along party lines, Wednesday to confirm state Chief Judge Jeffrey T. Kuntz for the Southern District of Florida.

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Apple Allowed To Question Withdrawing Hagens ICloud Client

By Bryan Koenig

A California federal judge has allowed Apple to impose conditions on the withdrawal of a Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP client as a named plaintiff from an iCloud antitrust case, concluding that the consumer's information could be "relevant to spoliation sanctions" or Hagens Berman's adequacy as class counsel.

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Polsinelli, Doctor Seek Toss Of 'Bad Faith' Patent Claims

By Elliot Weld

Polsinelli PC and a doctor who has been a client of the law firm have asked Mississippi and Tennessee federal courts to throw out Zavation Medical Products LLC and Choice Spine LLC's allegations that the firm and its client violated respective state laws by bringing "bad faith" patent infringement claims, saying the statutes the medical device makers rely on can't be brought by distributors or manufacturers.

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Trump Swiftly Fires Court-Appointed Seattle US Atty

By Lauren Berg

Almost immediately after being sworn in as Seattle's new U.S. attorney Wednesday morning, former King County Superior Court judge and federal prosecutor Roger Rogoff was fired by President Donald Trump.

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Dems Probe Clayton's Independence, 2020 Election Views

By Tom Lotshaw

During a Wednesday confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump's pick for national intelligence director, Democratic lawmakers pressed Jay Clayton to explain whether predecessor Tulsi Gabbard should have traveled to Georgia to oversee a search warrant executed at a Fulton County election facility, which she testified the president asked for.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Arnold & Porter

Barnes & Thornburg

Burns Charest

Chestnut Cambronne

Conrad & Scherer

Constangy Brooks

Cuneo Gilbert

Devine Millimet

Egerton McAfee

Epstein Becker

Farmer Brownstein

FordHarrison

Fried Frank

HKM Employment Attorneys

Hagens Berman

Hall Booth

Hedberg & Boulton

James & Hoffman

James Vernon & Weeks

Kapitan Gomaa

Keller Rohrback

Kilpatrick Townsend

Kirkland & Ellis

Latham & Watkins

Law Offices of Gilda A. Hernandez

Lee Segui

Lumen Law Center

Mayer Brown

McAfee & Taft

Merrick Hofstedt

Morgan Lewis

Murray Law LLC

Nyemaster Goode

Ogletree Deakins

Phelps Dunbar

Phillips & Associates Attorneys at Law

Pierson Ferdinand LLP

Polsinelli PC

Quinn Connor Weaver

Quinn Emanuel

Roberts Accident Law Denver Injury & Accident Attorney

Saltz Mongeluzzi

Scott & Corley

Seyfarth Shaw

Shanberg Stafford

Shinder Cantor

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett

Siri & Glimstad

Sirianni Youtz

Stearns Weaver

Sullivan & Cromwell

Troutman

Watstein Terepka

Wheeler Trigg

Williams & Connolly

Williams Mullen

Wilshire Law Firm

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Affordable Care LLC

Air Force One

American Arbitration Association

American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations

Apple Inc.

Atlanta Hawks

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois

Brooklyn Defender Services

Center for Family Representation Inc.

Chevron Corp.

Delaware Resource Group of Oklahoma LLC

DuPont de Nemours Inc.

Fidelity National Financial Inc.

Fox Corp.

GKN PLC

Gerson Lehrman Group Inc.

Global Logistic Properties Ltd.

Google LLC

International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers

International Business Machines Corp.

Lambda Legal Defense & Educational Fund

LinkedIn Corp.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mercedes-Benz USA LLC

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Natural Resources Defense Council

Nespresso USA Inc.

Nestle SA

News Corp.

Nexstar Media Group Inc.

Paramount Pictures Corp.

Patriot National Inc.

Penguin Random House LLC

PetSmart Inc.

Premera Blue Cross

Seattle University

Service Employees International Union

Simon & Schuster LLC

Skydance Media LLC

Starbucks Corp.

Tegna Inc.

The Bronx Defenders

The Kroger Co.

The New York Times Co.

The Seattle Times

TransUnion LLC

United Food & Commercial Workers International Union

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Washington Legal Foundation

Washington State Bar Association

Writers Guild of America East

Zillow Group Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Committee on Education and the Workforce

Congressional Research Service

Delaware Court of Chancery

Delaware General Assembly

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Executive Office of the President

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Housing Finance Agency

Federal Labor Relations Authority

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Internal Revenue Service

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

Stillaguamish Tribe

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Colorado

United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio