EPA 'Defying' Order Reviving $2.8B Grant Program, Judge Says

By Bonnie Eslinger

A South Carolina federal judge Wednesday told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency it must comply with the court's prior order and continue administering a $2.8 billion environmental and climate justice grant funding program that was authorized by Congress in 2022.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LG Energy Says Bosch, Others Infringe Battery Patents

By Gina Kim

LG Energy accused Robert Bosch GmbH, a Chinese battery manufacturer and several others of ripping off its secondary cylindrical battery patented technology that can be used to charge consumer electronics, electric vehicles and power tools, according to a patent infringement action filed in Texas federal court Tuesday.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Texas Judge OKs Deal Cutting Lizard's Endangered Listing

By Tom Lotshaw

A Texas federal judge approved a settlement in which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to scrap a Biden-era rule Texas challenged that listed the dunes sagebrush lizard as endangered, sparking an outcry from the group that sought the listing.

Settlement attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

States Seek Win Over Trump Admin In DEI Contracts Dispute

By Madeline Lyskawa

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia are urging a Maryland federal judge to vacate federal agencies' implementation of President Donald Trump's executive order requiring government contractors to agree that they won't engage in "racially discriminatory" diversity, equity and inclusion activities.

Summary Judgment attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Blocks Exxon's Due Process Claims In Records Suit

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts state court judge on Wednesday rejected Exxon Mobil's bid to revive constitutional claims in what he called an already "over-litigated" public records lawsuit against state environmental regulators.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Exxon Convinces 5th Circ. To Scrap OSHA Mental Illness Reg

By Patrick Hoff

The Fifth Circuit nixed an Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule requiring employers to keep track of employees' work-related mental illnesses, concluding that Congress didn't give the agency authority to regulate mental health in the workplace.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Maduro Gets 2027 Trial Date, Plans To Challenge Indictment

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday scheduled a 2027 trial date for deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, after hearing that Maduro plans in the coming weeks to claim immunity as a sovereign leader from charges of narco-terrorism.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Colo. Energy Co., Meter Maker Settle $750K Equipment Suit

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado energy and gas company reached a settlement with the Canadian company it accused in state court of selling it nearly $750,000 worth of faulty multiphase flow meters and ignoring requests for a refund, according to a notice of settlement. 

Settlement attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Canadian Solar Sued Over NC Plant's Development Hiccups

By Keith Goldberg

Solar developer Canadian Solar Inc. has been sued by a buyer of one of its projects who claims the company reneged on a pledge to secure a project site approval and stuck it with millions of dollars in remediation costs.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Pink Energy CEO Offers $575K To Exit Solar Fraud Case

By Susan Smiley

Plaintiffs in a fraud class action against a now-defunct solar energy company asked a Michigan federal judge on Wednesday to approve a settlement between the class and just one of the 10 defendants accused of ripping off home solar customers.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EV Battery Co. Misled Investors On Expansion, Suit Says

By Sydney Price

Electric vehicle-battery manufacturer Microvast Holdings Inc. has been accused of misleading investors about production delays at its China facility and concealing the reasons why several of its chief financial officers departed the company over a three-year period.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Latham, Hughes Hubbard Lead Nth Cycle's $585M SPAC Deal

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Critical mineral refiner Nth Cycle Inc., led by Latham & Watkins LLP, on Wednesday revealed plans to go public by merging with Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP-led special purpose acquisition company Kensington Capital Acquisition Corp. VI in a $585 million deal.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Thompson Hine Opens Energy Practice With 4-Atty Team

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Thompson Hine LLP on Wednesday announced the opening of an energy practice with a four-lawyer team split between the East and West coasts.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

McGuireWoods Adds Kirkland Energy Finance Pro In Houston

By Lynn LaRowe

McGuireWoods LLP has added depth to its energy sector finance offerings with a Houston-based partner who came aboard from Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices' Review Of Atty Fees Could Reshape Pipeline Takings

With the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review Hoffmann v. WBI Energy Transmission, property owners' right to recover attorney fees for appropriations under the Natural Gas Act is at stake, potentially leading to a choice between a depressed land valuation or court costs that could exceed any rewards, says attorney Sophia Holley.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Holland & Knight Hit With $1.2B Malpractice Suit

By Madison Arnold

A real estate firm is accusing Holland & Knight LLP and three attorneys of malpractice in a new complaint filed in Florida state court and is seeking up to $1.2 billion in damages after more than 30 states opened investigations into the company's practices.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Co. Turned Away Simpson Thacher's Deal Meeting, Jury Told

By Cara Salvatore

A retired Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP partner who handled the fundraising round alleged to have destroyed Patriot National Inc. testified in a Florida state malpractice trial Wednesday that the insurance services company waved off his attempt to present details to the board.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Pillsbury Data Breach Suit Voluntarily Dismissed

By Matt Perez

A proposed class action against Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP over a data breach last year has been voluntarily dismissed by the named plaintiffs, following a granted motion to stay in April to discuss mediation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DLA Piper Says Deception, Not Bias, Cost Palestinian Atty Job

By Grace Elletson

DLA Piper urged an Illinois federal judge to toss a Palestinian attorney's suit claiming the firm revoked a job offer out of discrimination, arguing it rescinded the offer because she concealed allegations that she assaulted someone at a protest.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DC Bar Leaders Say DOJ Ethics Suit Encourages Misconduct

By Emily Sawicki

Washington, D.C., attorney regulators continue to garner support in their effort to toss a Justice Department lawsuit over alleged "weaponizing" of executive branch lawyer discipline, with D.C. bar organizations, scores of legal scholars and more than 500 former DOJ attorneys backing the disciplinary authorities.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. Gets Judge With Blue Slips In 1st For Trump Admin

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate voted 62-36 on Wednesday to confirm Michael Martin, a longtime federal prosecutor, to the Eastern District of Michigan and Benjamin Flowers, former solicitor general of Ohio, to the Sixth Circuit.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOL IG Says Info-Sharing Pacts Lacked Safeguards

By Irene Spezzamonte

U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D'Esposito testified Wednesday before a U.S. House subcommittee that during the Biden administration, the department shared confidential information with plaintiffs' attorneys without notifying the Wage and Hour Division or the Employee Benefits Security Administration.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Gov't Attys May Face Broader Duty To Report Misconduct

By Alison Knezevich

Attorneys representing the government could face "more demanding" obligations to disclose misconduct by people within their client organizations than attorneys representing private entities, according to an ethics opinion issued Wednesday by the American Bar Association.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Retired Judges Rip Bid To Ban Foreign-Born Federal Judges

By Courtney Bublé

A group of 58 retired federal judges, appointed by presidents of both parties, on Wednesday came out strongly against recent proposals from Republican lawmakers that would require federal judges to be natural-born U.S. citizens and relinquish any citizenship that is not of the United States.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

US Marshals Can't Make Immigration Arrests In DC Court

By Rae Ann Varona

A D.C. federal judge Wednesday refused to toss a lawsuit from a certified class of immigrants challenging immigration arrests by U.S. marshals in D.C. Superior Court, declaring that the marshals lack authority and necessary training for the arrests.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Securities Class Action Deals On Target To Hit 6-Year High

By Katryna Perera

The value of class action settlements is on track to reach a six-year high of $4.4 billion, fueled in part by a handful of "mega settlements" and other high-dollar deals, a Cornerstone Research report released Wednesday said. 

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »