Michigan Utilities Sue Over New Political Donation Ban

By Susan Smiley

Michigan utility companies Consumers, DTE and CMS have filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block a new campaign finance law restricting political contributions from utilities and their affiliates that was approved by over 80% of voters, alleging the new law violates their free speech rights.

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Up Next At High Court: Pipeline Takings & H-2A Fines

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will wrap up its November sitting by hearing disputes over whether federal or state law should control how much compensation landowners receive for private condemnations under the Natural Gas Act and if the U.S. Department of Labor can use in-house courts to issue civil penalties for violations of its temporary agricultural worker program. 

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Toshiba Must Post $549M Bond In Mich. Utilities Case

By Melanie Dorsey

Toshiba America Energy Systems Corp. must post a $549.5 million bond to prevent two Michigan utilities from collecting on a nearly $394.4 million judgment while it appeals, a Michigan federal judge ruled Friday, rejecting the company's argument that a state law capping appeal bonds should limit its financial obligation to about $37 million.

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DOD Inks $925M In Loans For US Defense Manufacturing

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Strategic Capital announced a series of "conditional" loan commitments to companies developing critical battery materials, semiconductors, radar and drone technology, totaling $925 million.

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Bessent, Greer Warn China Over Trade Truce Commitments

By Dylan Moroses

Top U.S. officials warned China on Friday over what they viewed as potential shortfalls in commitments made last year as part of the trade truce reached between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to readouts published Friday by the U.S. Treasury Department and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

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Brief

Commerce Probing Indian Alloy Pipes For Possible Duties

By Jack McLoone

Imported Indian and Georgian carbon and steel alloy pipes are under investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce for possibly being sold at unfair prices in the U.S., the department said 

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Brief

Commerce Orders India, Indonesia, Laos Solar Cell Duties

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Department of Commerce on Friday ordered antidumping and countervailing duties on solar cell products imported into the U.S. from India, Indonesia and Laos, some of which stretch into triple digits.

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Don't Miss It: Paul Weiss, Baker McKenzie Steer Hot Deals

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

A lot can happen in the world of mergers and acquisitions and equity fundraising over the course of a couple of weeks, and it's difficult to keep up with all the deals.

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DOE Energy Efficiency Rollbacks Portend Clashes With States

With the U.S. Department of Energy proposing rollbacks of energy efficiency regulations for numerous appliance types, backstop provisions in many states could come into play to preserve existing standards — but disputes over antibacksliding provisions in federal law and the limits of preemption mean court battles are likely, say attorneys at HWG.

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Opinion

Judges Must Turn To Merits Earlier To Fix Civil Justice System

The U.S. justice system is long overdue for a cultural shift that encourages judges to engage with the merits of a case from the outset, which would help to cut through procedural complexities and deliver high-quality justice efficiently and at lower cost, says Steven Kayman at Rottenberg Lipman.

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Are You Happy With Your In-House Role? Take Our Survey

Is your company giving you everything you need to succeed? What are some misconceptions about working in-house? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Satisfaction Survey.

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Squire Patton, Baker McKenzie Hit With Data Breach Suits

By Rae Ann Varona

Squire Patton Boggs LLP and Baker McKenzie failed to protect private personal information stored in the law firms' systems from separate cyberattacks and delayed notifying affected individuals for roughly two months, two proposed class actions filed in Ohio and Illinois federal courts have alleged.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Susman Godfrey LLP, Langer Grogan & Diver PC, Hausfeld LLP and MoloLamken LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Ninth Circuit ruled that a former federal judge erred by scrapping a $4.7 billion jury verdict against the National Football League in a class action over the price of its Sunday Ticket broadcast package.

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Judge Kewalramani Warns Against Taking Sanctions Lightly

By Dani Kass

Retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Shashi Kewalramani on Friday cautioned patent attorneys to be extremely discerning when filing sanctions motions, comparing it to crying "fire" in a crowded room.

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Brief

US Legal Sector Jobs Reached Record High In October

By Tracey Read

The legal industry's hot streak continued last month, adding 2,400 more jobs in October to reach a record high, according to seasonally adjusted data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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US Charges 3 Over $129M AI Scam Using Fake UK Lawyers

By Laura Stewart Liberty

U.S. prosecutors said Thursday they have charged three men, including one facing extradition from London, for allegedly defrauding companies of $129 million through a scheme that used AI to impersonate executives and U.K. lawyers.

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Defeated Texas Justice Being Considered For Federal Bench

By Courtney Bublé

With the clock ticking on Republicans' control of the Senate, President Donald Trump is considering putting a Texas Supreme Court justice who just lost reelection on the federal bench.

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Attys Can Curb AI Error Fallout With Candor, Accountability

By Andrea Keckley

Nearly four years since ChatGPT launched and the legal industry began experimenting at scale with generative artificial intelligence, not a month goes by without another attorney finding a hallucination error in a court filing.

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Top Blanche Adviser Among Latest To Exit DOJ

By Jared Foretek

A top legal adviser to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced his departure from the U.S. Department of Justice Friday, becoming the latest in a slew of high-profile resignations from the department since Republicans' midterm election defeat Tuesday night.

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Ice Miller Sued Over $729K Award After Losing Federal Forum

By Andrea Keckley

A couple who hired Ice Miller LLP to defend their organization against a breach of contract suit have accused the firm in Indiana federal court of exposing them to additional litigation with a settlement that failed to preserve federal jurisdiction over future disputes.

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Law Firm Sues Sierra Leone Over $361K Legal Bill

By Jared Foretek

Law firm Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC claims in a complaint filed in D.C. federal court that Sierra Leone's government stiffed it on more than $300,000 in legal fees and costs after the firm defended it against earlier claims of unpaid fees by Jenner & Block.

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Mich. Supreme Court Chief Next To Lead Chief Justice Group

By Melanie Dorsey

The Michigan Supreme Court's chief justice has been named president-elect of the Conference of Chief Justices, a national organization representing the highest-ranking state judicial officers, and she plans to focus on expanding access to legal services, reforming attorney licensing and strengthening courthouse security.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

The U.S. Department of Justice's new cash rewards program for tips on criminal fraud could backfire in some cases, experts say. Elsewhere, attorneys are weighing new strategies in the wake of Texas' historic blue shift during the midterm elections. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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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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