FTC Warns Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe, Visa About Debanking

By Jon Hill

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday warned major payment companies that denying services to consumers based on their politics or religion could lead to an enforcement action, the latest move in the Trump administration's broader crackdown on so-called debanking.

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Crypto Developer Loses Bid To Block Potential DOJ Action

By Sarah Jarvis

A Texas federal court tossed a crypto software developer's suit against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi seeking protection over his forthcoming software from an enforcement action under federal money transmitting laws, finding the developer failed to show a substantial threat of prosecution.

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BlockFills Gets Ch. 11 Stay Of Crypto Suit Targeting 3 Execs

By Alex Wittenberg

Cryptocurrency firm BlockFills secured a Delaware bankruptcy judge's permission Thursday to temporarily block a lawsuit from creditors alleging the company and three current and former executives failed to properly manage customer assets.

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SEC Urges Justices To Keep Disgorgement Powers Intact

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Supreme Court should continue allowing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to collect ill-gotten profits from fraudsters without having to identify any particular victims of said scheme, the agency told the high court in a case that could limit its disgorgement powers.

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Fintech Firm Beats Investor Suit Over Noncompliance Risks

By Sydney Price

China-based online brokerage firm operator UP Fintech Holding Ltd. has escaped a proposed class action accusing it of misleading investors by concealing risks associated with its noncompliance with New Zealand and Chinese securities laws after a New York federal judge found the company's statements to be full and justified.

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Core Scientific Can't Move Crypto Patent Case Across Texas

By Elliot Weld

A judge in the Eastern District of Texas denied a bid by cryptocurrency mining company Core Scientific Inc. to move a case accusing it of infringing cryptography patents to the Western District of Texas, saying Core had not shown that it was clearly a more convenient venue.

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Steptoe Adds Barnes & Thornburg Financial Regulatory Leader

By Jack Rodgers

Steptoe LLP has hired a Barnes & Thornburg LLP leader in Chicago who helped found two practice groups at his old firm that are focused on financial regulatory matters.

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NY Bill Elevates Criminal Risk For 'Shadow' Crypto Firms

New York's proposed CRYPTO Act would expose unlicensed digital asset operators to criminal penalties ranging from state misdemeanor charges to felony convictions, potentially marking a significant shift in how New York — already among the most aggressive crypto regulators — oversees virtual currency businesses, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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Opinion

AI Doc Ruling Got Privilege Analysis Wrong

Broad reasoning used by a New York federal judge in U.S. v. Heppner — to determine the criminal defendant's interactions with a generative artificial intelligence platform were not protected — mistakenly treats AI use as dispositive disclosure to a third party and adopts an unduly narrow conception of work product, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.

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White & Case Staffer Sues Firm Over Nude Photo Ridicule

By Dorothy Atkins

A White & Case LLP staffer sued the law firm in New York state court Wednesday, alleging the firm's purported "hostile work environment" shielded his colleagues after they allegedly shared nude photos of him, which he claims were taken by his supervisor while he was unconscious at a firm-sponsored party.

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Akin Must Explain Client's 'Self-Indulgent' 9th Circ. Appeal

By Lauren Berg

Upholding a foreign arbitration award against a wine importer, the Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered its attorneys at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to explain why they and their client shouldn't pay their opponent's attorney fees for bringing a "frivolous" and "self-indulgent" appeal.

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Troutman, Former Associate Fight Over Scope Of Bias Trial

By Emily Sawicki

Weeks ahead of an anticipated May trial over discrimination and retaliation claims brought by a former Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP associate, the firm and its onetime employee are sparring over the scope of evidence that may be presented at trial.

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Maduro Judge Hints US Should Reconsider Legal Fee Refusal

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge suggested Thursday that the Trump administration should revisit its refusal to allow former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to access his country's funds to pay for his defense against narco-terrorism and trafficking charges.

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Antitrust Leaders Say Lobbyists Don't Impact Outcomes

By Matthew Perlman

The leaders of the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division said Thursday that companies can lobby the agencies all they want, but enforcers will still make merger and conduct decisions based on the facts and the law.

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Bill To Give Admin More Control Over US Attys Advances

By Courtney Bublé

A Republican-led bill that would give the executive branch more authority over the installation of U.S. attorneys was advanced out of a House committee Thursday.

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