The Seventh Circuit reversed an Indiana federal court's decision holding that certain union retirees of aluminum giant Alcoa and their beneficiaries had a vested right to health benefits for life, finding error with the lower court's judicial estoppel analysis that formed the basis for its judgment on liability.
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

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7th Circ. Reverses Alcoa Union Retirees' Lifetime Benefits Win

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Seventh Circuit reversed an Indiana federal court's decision holding that certain union retirees of aluminum giant Alcoa and their beneficiaries had a vested right to health benefits for life, finding error with the lower court's judicial estoppel analysis that formed the basis for its judgment on liability.

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Suspended Pa. Atty Gets More Scrutiny In Investment Scheme

By Matthew Santoni

A Pennsylvania attorney whose law license was recently suspended skipped a separate disciplinary hearing Monday over claims that he used his bank accounts to pool investors' funds and looked the other way as the money was allegedly being misappropriated.

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Ch. 11 Dismissal Bid Fans Flames In Power Plant Control Fight

By Clara Geoghegan

Omnis Pleasants' parent company formally moved for dismissal of the West Virginia coal plant's Chapter 11 proceeding in Delaware, alleging the case was launched to gain an advantage in pending governance litigation with lenders tied to motivational speaker Tony Robbins.

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OIL AND GAS

Energy Biz Nostrum To Sell Kazakhstan Operations For $305M

By Tom Fish

Nostrum Oil & Gas PLC said Monday that a subsidiary has agreed to sell its operations in Kazakhstan for $304.6 million to investment vehicle Alturion Holding Ltd. as the company seeks to repay its debt.

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UTILITIES AND POWER

3 Firms Steer Madison Air On $5.4B Airflow Tech Biz Deal

By Al Barbarino

Madison Air Solutions Corp. said on Monday it has agreed to acquire German airflow technology maker ebm-papst at an enterprise value of $5.4 billion, with three law firms steering Madison on the planned expansion of its presence in the European ventilation market.

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ComEd Sues Chicago Hospital Over Unpaid $6.2M Electric Bill

By Joyce Hanson

Commonwealth Edison Co. has sued a Chicago hospital in Illinois state court, claiming the medical center located on the city's northwest side is in breach of contract for failure to pay its electric bills totaling more than $6.2 million.

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MINING

Trump Monument Cuts Spur Disputed Utah Mining Claims

By Crystal Owens

Tribal nations and environmental groups are urging the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to reject mining claims on two Utah national monuments, arguing that operations can't begin until 60 days after the president removed federal protections for more than 90% of the monuments' lands.

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PEOPLE

Willkie Adds Jackson Walker Energy Pro In Texas

By Lynn LaRowe

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced Monday that it has deepened its energy and infrastructure bench in Texas with a partner who joined from Jackson Walker LLP.

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O'Melveny Hires Career Pillsbury Environmental Atty In DC

By Jack Rodgers

O'Melveny & Myers LLP has hired an environmental lawyer from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, who spent the entirety of his over 20-year legal career at his previous firm representing clients in related corporate transactions, compliance audits and more, the firm announced Monday.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Law Firms See Revenue, Demand Grow In First Half Of 2026

By Anna Sanders

Despite rising expenses driven by artificial intelligence and return to office mandates, the legal industry is performing well in 2026, with U.S. law firms recording a double-digit jump in revenue and strong growth in demand so far this year, according to new survey results from Citi Global Wealth at Work's Law Firm Group.

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Morgan & Morgan Sues Fla. Bar Over Celebrity Ad Ban

By Carolina Bolado

Personal injury giant Morgan & Morgan PA has sued the Florida Bar, claiming a bar rule that bans any use of a celebrity's voice or image in lawyer advertising violates the First Amendment.

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3 NY Injury Firms Get Uber's RICO Suit Tossed

By Lauren Berg

A New York federal judge threw out Uber Technologies Inc.'s lawsuit accusing three personal injury law firms of conspiring with physicians and exploiting passengers to pursue fake or exaggerated injury claims in order to strongarm settlement payouts from the ride-hailing giant.

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Nussbaum-Linked Firms' Ch. 11s Tossed For Bad Faith

By Ben Zigterman

A New York bankruptcy judge has dismissed the Chapter 11 cases of two commercial real estate law firms headed by Mark J. Nussbaum, finding their petitions were filed in bad faith and that the cases instead belonged in an assignment for the benefit of creditors process in New York state court.

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Chattah Can't Serve As Acting Nevada US Atty, 9th Circ. Says

By Emma Cueto

The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that Nevada's top prosecutor was not put in place lawfully and was barred from overseeing the criminal cases giving rise to the appeal, the latest state where courts have shut down attempts by the Trump administration to fill U.S. attorney vacancies without Senate confirmation.

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Clifford Chance Pushes To Send Clawback Suit To Arbitration

By Ryan Boysen

Clifford Chance LLP wants a high-profile partner pay dispute sent to arbitration, accusing two ex-partners who claim they're facing a $6 million clawback demand of "gamesmanship" by filing suit in New York federal court.

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NYCBA Cautions Against Recording Nonclient Calls

By Emily Sawicki

New York City attorneys who have been granted permission may ethically use artificial intelligence to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with nonclients, according to the latest ethics guidance by the New York City Bar Association Monday, which added that just because they can doesn't mean they should.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alcoa Corp.

American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations

Commonwealth Edison Co.

Earthjustice

Exelon Corp.

FedEx Corp.

LinkedIn Corp.

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

National Parks Conservation Association

New York City Bar Association

Nike Inc.

Presence

Sierra Club

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

The District of Columbia Bar

The Florida Bar

Trex Co. Inc.

Uber Technologies Inc.

UniCredit

United Steelworkers

Wells Fargo & Co.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Anderson Kill

Ashurst Perkins

Cleary Gottlieb

Clifford Chance

DLA Piper

Duane Morris

Feinstein Doyle

Gupta Wessler

HSF Kramer

Hengeler Mueller

Jackson Walker LLP

Jones Day

Kirkland & Ellis

Kobre & Kim

Lavelle Law Firm

Lowenstein Sandler

MoloLamken

Morgan & Morgan PA

Nussbaum Lowinger

O'Melveny & Myers

Paul Hastings

Pillsbury Winthrop

Proskauer Rose

Quinn Emanuel

Selendy Gay

Sidley Austin

Simon & Simon PC

Spencer Fane

Willkie Farr

Wingate Russotti

Young Conaway

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Land Management

Cook County Circuit Court

Florida Supreme Court

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nevada

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

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

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Interior

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

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

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

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

United States District Court for the District of Nevada