Analysis

NHTSA Fuel Economy Regs Overhaul Crushes EV Ambitions

By Linda Chiem

The elimination of strict federal mandates for higher fuel efficiency in new cars crushes momentum for the U.S. auto industry to pivot toward alternative-powered vehicles, ensuring that manufacturers will again be caught in litigation limbo as environmental groups prepare challenges to seemingly inconsequential standards with no penalties, experts say.

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Anadarko Investors Ink $114M Deal Over Axed Oilfield Project

By Lauren Berg

A class of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. investors asked a Texas federal judge to greenlight a $114.5 million settlement resolving their long-running claims that the company misrepresented the viability of the Shenandoah deepwater oil field in the Gulf of Mexico before abandoning the project and tanking the company's stock.

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Feds Seek To Throw Out States' Challenge To DEI Contract EO

By Ganesh Setty

The Trump administration told a Maryland federal court that it should toss a lawsuit from states challenging its implementation of an executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the government contracting space, arguing the order falls within well-settled law.

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3rd Circ. Says No Contract Fees After Unripe Dismissal

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The Third Circuit held in a precedential opinion Tuesday that a district judge lacked the authority to decide a fee request stemming from a dispute between an oil and gas company and a landowner over the terms of their lease agreement.

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Brief

Chinese, Indian Electrodes Dumped, Commerce Finds

By Jack McLoone

Imports of electrodes used for smelting from India and China are facing possible antidumping duties, the U.S. Department of Commerce said Tuesday, finding they are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value.

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Walmart, Energizer Battery Buyers Lose Antitrust Cert. Bid

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge denied class certification Monday in three suits alleging Energizer schemed with Walmart to artificially inflate disposable battery prices, finding the buyers' economists' regression models comparing battery prices to lighting products could not reliably show the alleged agreement raised prices.

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DTE Energy Settles Mich. Off-The-Clock Wage Claims

By Melanie Dorsey

A settlement resolving claims that DTE Energy Corporate Services LLC failed to properly pay employees for time spent starting and shutting down computer programs before and after their shifts was approved by a Michigan federal judge Tuesday.

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Suit Accuses USDA Of Unlawfully Gutting Aid For Rural Solar

By Tom Lotshaw

A coalition including farm and renewable energy trade groups has accused the Trump administration of abruptly and unlawfully making most solar projects ineligible for a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and loan program created to advance renewable energy in rural areas.

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Groups Say Calif. Biogas Credits Incentivize More Methane

By Gautama Mehta

Four environmental groups accused California regulators of violating state law by allowing factory farm biogas producers to receive carbon credits — a practice they said is notionally aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions but in reality incentivizes more methane production.

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Ford Hybrid Engine Fire Defect Suit Gets Trimmed

By Susan Smiley

A proposed class action against Ford Motor Co. was trimmed from 11 to two plaintiffs Tuesday after a Michigan federal judge concluded that merely owning a recalled vehicle without an actual defect manifestation is insufficient to establish an injury.

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Brief

Gibson Dunn Hires NY-Based Structured Finance Co-Chair

By Kevin Penton

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has added an attorney previously with Clifford Chance LLP who specializes in the energy and infrastructure sectors as co-chair of its structured finance practice group.

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Species 'Harm' Definition Rollback Brings Risk For Developers

A rule recently adopted by federal agencies rescinds the definition of "harm" in Endangered Species Act regulations to exclude habitat destruction — but while the move is aimed at reducing regulatory burdens, it creates new uncertainty for developers, and may trigger increased environmental protections in California, say attorneys at Cox Castle.

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Roundup

Hub Hires: Mintz, Foley Hoag, Barclay Damon

By Chris Villani

Boston saw several significant moves across its legal landscape as the summer wound down, with Foley Hoag adding an experienced debt finance attorney from Goodwin Procter, a boutique white collar firm snagging a longtime federal prosecutor, and Mintz getting new leadership for the first time in nearly two decades.

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Armstrong Teasdale Builds Chicago M&A Team With 2 Hires

By Tracey Read

Armstrong Teasdale LLP has expanded its corporate services group's Chicago presence with a new partner from Polsinelli PC and a counsel from McDonald Hopkins LLC, the firm announced Wednesday.

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Interim U. Of Fla. Law Dean Named To Permanent Role

By Madison Arnold

The University of Florida has selected its interim dean for the Levin College of Law, a former King & Spalding LLP attorney, to serve in the role on a permanent basis.

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Texas AG Says ABA Stifling Law School Competition

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Attorney General announced an investigation into the American Bar Association relating to alleged anticompetitive conduct in the association's accreditation of law schools, claiming Wednesday that the ABA "weaponized its accreditation authority" to push "unconstitutional racial and gender preference requirements."

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DOJ Atty Picked For Judgeship Probed On Fulton County Raid

By Courtney Bublé

A top U.S. Department of Justice official tapped for a federal judgeship faced questions from Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday about the department's investigation's in Fulton County, Georgia, over Trump's allegations of fraud in the 2020 election.

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DOJ Accuses Judges Of Ethics Violations With Press Remarks

By Jack Karp

Several Minnesota federal judges ran afoul of their ethical obligations when they commented on President Donald Trump's immigration policies in a recent news article, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a judicial misconduct complaint filed Wednesday.

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Leaders Of Smaller Firms Say Talent, Not Tech, Is Top Issue

By Daniel Connolly

Leaders of small to midsized law firms are expressing more concern about a longstanding problem, the cost of hiring and retaining talented attorneys, than they are about a new issue, the cost of AI and other technology, according to a survey released Wednesday.

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Blank Rome Seeks Time To Exit LIV Golf's Fla. Office

By Ben Zigterman

Blank Rome LLP on Wednesday filed a limited objection to LIV Golf's motion to reject its sublease at an office building in West Palm Beach, Florida, saying it didn't receive any advance notice and would like until the end of October to transition to a new office.

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The Law360 Pulse Prestige Leaders: A Look At The Top Firms

Today's most prestigious firms attract top talent and marquee clients while posting record profits. Here's a look at the top 10 firms in this year's Law360 Pulse Prestige Leaders, a ranking of the firms that stand out for their prominence, power and distinction.

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3rd Circ. Calls Westlaw AI Fight 'Ordinary Copyright Case'

By Ivan Moreno

The Third Circuit said the first appellate fight over artificial intelligence training and fair use ultimately came down to an "ordinary copyright case," affirming that Ross Intelligence infringed Thomson Reuters' Westlaw headnotes when it used them to train a competing legal research platform.

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