EEOC, UPenn Resolve Fight Over Jewish Workers' Info

By Grace Elletson

The University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission struck a deal to end their battle over a subpoena seeking contact information of Jewish UPenn employees after the agency agreed to back away from enforcing it, the parties told the Third Circuit on Thursday.

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Harvard Law School Illegally Froze Pay, ULP Claims

By Katherine Smith

Harvard Law School violated federal labor law by failing to give clinical instructors annual raises and bonuses — which they had received previously — after they unionized with a United Auto Workers affiliate, the instructors alleged in an unfair labor practice charge Thursday.

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Nike Owes Ex-Worker $15M For Pay Bias, Jury Says

By Patrick Hoff

Nike should hand over $15 million to a former employee who said she was paid less than male colleagues and passed over for promotions despite exceeding performance expectations, a federal jury in Oregon said.

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USDA Workers Seek Injunction Over Religious Messaging

By Katherine Smith

The National Federation of Federal Employees and a group of federal workers urged a California federal court to halt the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture from sending "proselytizing" religious messages to agency employees by email, arguing the messages are unconstitutional and are causing irreparable harm.

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500-Member NYC Public Defender Union Ends Strike

By Andrea Keckley

The first and so far only New York City public defender union to go on strike this year announced on Wednesday that its approximately 500 members are returning to work after reaching a tentative agreement with their managers.

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2nd Circ. Revives Fired Benefit Fund Worker's ADA Suit

By Grace Elletson

The Second Circuit said Thursday that an ex-employee should get a second shot at his claim that a union benefit fund failed to accommodate his pulmonary embolism complications, stating the lower court needed to weigh disputes about whether his request to change service routes was reasonable.

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Colo. Panel Clarifies Worker Retaliation Claim Requirements

By Rachel Konieczny

The Colorado Court of Appeals held for the first time Thursday that two Colorado statutes meant to close gender pay gaps do not require workers to allege gender discrimination, partially reviving a former human services caseworker's retaliation case against the county department she had worked for.

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Smithfield Should Face Trial In EEOC Bias Suit, Judge Says

By Patrick Hoff

Meat processor Smithfield Foods shouldn't escape a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit claiming it terminated a Georgia-based senior sales employee because she was almost 60, with a federal magistrate judge recommending that jurors decide whether the company included her in layoffs because of her age.

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Domino's Noncompete Rules Illegal In Wash., Ex-Worker Says

By Ben Adlin

Domino's Pizza LLC illegally blocked its Washington workers from moonlighting at certain businesses, a former employee claimed in a proposed class action filed Tuesday, alleging that a company conflict-of-interest policy violated two state laws barring many noncompete agreements.

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Cargill Unit Gets Initial OK For $5M Off-The-Clock Wage Deal

By Benjamin Morse

A Cargill food company subsidiary is expected to pay nearly $5 million under a settlement that has received preliminary approval to resolve production workers' claims that they were stiffed on overtime for preshift COVID-19 screenings and walking before and after shifts at three Pennsylvania meatpacking plants.

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Judge Orders 2 Joint Trials In NC Auto Parts Co. Wage Fight

By Benjamin Morse

Two pairs of auto parts workers will try claims over unpaid off-the-clock work together, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting the manufacturer's bid to force 11 workers to pursue separate trials.

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Asset Management Exec Sues To Void 2008 Noncompete

By Julie Manganis

The former president of Boston-based Weiss Asset Management asked a Massachusetts court on Wednesday to invalidate a three-year noncompete and five-year trading restriction he signed fresh out of college in 2008, as the company seeks to block him from taking a new job with Millennium Management.

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Series

Being A Singer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Before law school, I spent seven years trying to make it as a professional singer in Los Angeles, and nearly everything I learned about preparation, humility, confidence and more has followed me into my legal practice, says Jessica Caterina at Moses & Singer.

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Flashpoints In Focus: Employer Risk After Trans Sports Ruling

Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J. that allowed states to limit trans women's participation in sports, schools must carefully navigate investigations and religious accommodations, as even lawful athletics policies can lead to employment claims, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

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Goldstein Gets 6-Year Sentence, Bond Revoked

By Jared Foretek

Thomas Goldstein, the famed U.S. Supreme Court attorney and founder of SCOTUSblog whose turn into the world of ultra-high-stakes poker ultimately landed him federal tax and mortgage fraud convictions, was sentenced to six years in prison; he was taken into custody and out of court in handcuffs Friday.

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Disciplinary File Opened On Atty Repping Trump In IRS Fight

By James Boyle

A disciplinary file was opened recently on one of the attorneys representing President Donald Trump who helped him reach a deal with the Internal Revenue Service to settle a lawsuit that a Florida federal judge said was meant to "manipulate the judicial process."

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Patriot National CEO Wasn't Simpson Thacher Client, Jury Told

By Madison Arnold

Another Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP attorney took the stand Friday in a Florida malpractice trial brought by the founder of Patriot National Inc. to push back on the idea the founder was actually a client of the firm in the time leading up to his insurance services company declaring bankruptcy.

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Roundup

Balancing The Scales: Geofence Clarity, Post-Hunter Scrutiny

By Orlando Lorenzo

The U.S. Supreme Court deemed geofence warrants as searches under the Fourth Amendment, and the justices’ ruling in Hunter spurs a conversation of what the bar should be for criminal appeal waivers. Here, Law360 highlights access to justice stories arising from litigation, verdicts and judgments you may have missed.

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Feature

The White Collar Boutique 'Renaissance' Is Here

By Phillip Bantz

Unprecedented political pressure on BigLaw, dwindling opportunities at elite firms, powerful legal tech tools and broad slowdowns in white collar enforcement are fueling a remarkable boom in boutique law firm growth, experts say.

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Ex-Immigration Judge Says Firing Is Part Of Biased Anti-DEI Push

By Bonnie Eslinger

A former immigration judge has sued the U.S. Department of Justice in California federal court claiming she was pushed off the bench because she is Black and female, and previously advocated for immigrant clients as an attorney — and saying dozens of similarly situated judges were also fired or denied permanent positions.

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Ala. State Bar Sets Guidance For Atty AI Use, Billing

By Emily Sawicki

The Alabama State Bar has released a formal opinion to guide attorneys on the ethical use of artificial intelligence, cautioning lawyers to be transparent with their clients about their use of AI to avoid unethically inflated billing while encouraging attorneys to utilize the evolving technology.

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'False Innuendo': Sanctioned Davis Wright Atty Rips Fee Bid

By Jeff Overley

A Davis Wright Tremaine LLP partner sanctioned for subpoena tactics is fiercely contesting a plaintiffs firm's six-figure fee bid, telling a California federal court that the request misleadingly cites alleged misconduct in separate litigation, reflecting a "naked attempt to prejudice the court's view of counsel."

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Over 100 Legal Aid Staffers Strike In Harlem And The Bronx

By Andrea Keckley

Over 100 legal aid attorneys, social workers and advocates in Harlem and the Bronx went on strike Friday, with the possibility of more to come in the New York City area.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Megan Norcott

The past week in London has seen financial advice firm Smith Square Partners sue ailing social housing company Home REIT, Pogust Goodhead hit with a contract claim by one of its investors, and Entain faced with its latest claim in expanding litigation linked to alleged bribery at its former Turkish business. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

General counsel are gearing up again to help their companies adapt to the impact of a new round of U.S. tariffs. And the chief legal officer of Alphabet and Google lashed out at the European Commission over search engine changes it is demanding, after the EU imposed a $1 billion fine on Google for violating competition laws.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and McGuireWoods LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Fourth Circuit reversed class certification in an investor lawsuit against Boeing over the company's alleged concealment of safety issues with its 737 Max fleet.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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