Jury Awards $76M To Pipefitter Burned In Kroger Explosion

By Carolyn Muyskens

A pipefitter and HVAC technician has been awarded $76.7 million by a Michigan jury after a chemical accident at a Kroger store caused him to lose several fingers.

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Brief

Pilgrims Pride Investors Get Final OK To $41.5M Deal

By Emilie Ruscoe

Investors of poultry giant Pilgrim's Pride Corp. received the final nod for a $41.5 million deal to settle claims that trading prices for the company's shares were artificially inflated amid its participation in a broiler chicken price-fixing scheme.

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9th Circ. Backs Papa John's Win Against Wiretapping Suit

By Gina Kim

The Ninth Circuit refused to reinstate a customer's proposed class action accusing Papa John's of recording website visitors' activities in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, ruling Wednesday the pizza chain, as a party to the communications, can't be liable for spying on its own conversation. 

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Opt-Out 'Oversight' May Not Excuse Burford In Price-Fix Deal

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge considering a $32 million price-fixing settlement between turkey producer Cargill and a group of direct purchasers seemed skeptical Wednesday of two Burford Capitol subsidiaries' assertion that they should be considered excluded from the deal despite submitting their opt-out request a day late.

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Psychedelics And The Law In Focus At Colo. Conference

By Sam Reisman

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced a pardon for all state-level convictions for psilocybin and psilocin possession at a psychedelics conference this week, in recognition that these substances are now legal in the state and in another indication that their relationship with the law is in flux.

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Applebee's Franchise Settles NY Pay Disparity Claims

By Irene Spezzamonte

The operator of New York City-area Applebee's restaurants entered into a National Labor Relations Board settlement after a former server claimed he was fired after complaining about Black workers getting paid less than white employees, advocacy group One Fair Wage announced Wednesday.

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FDA Says Vape Co.'s Suit Doesn't Merit Jury Trial

By Spencer Brewer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration told a Texas federal court a company that allegedly sold illegal vapes does not have the right to a jury trial, saying that Congress expressly created administrative proceedings for infractions such as the one the company allegedly committed.

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Wash. Panel Sides With Insurer In Café Fire Damage Suit

By Ganesh Setty

A couple's commercial property insurer has no duty to cover damage from a kitchen fire at their café, a Washington state appeals court affirmed, finding the couple lacked certain protective safeguards that were required as part of their fire suppression system.

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Mushroom Farm Faces $6M Tax Liens Tied To Fraud Case

By Kat Lucero

A defunct Pennsylvania mushroom farm failed to pay the outstanding balance in a payroll tax fraud case that sent its owner to jail last year and owes more than $6 million worth of tax liens, the U.S. Department of Justice told a federal court.

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NY Tribe Looks To Block Long Island Town Code Enforcement

By Crystal Owens

A Long Island tribe is asking a New York federal court to block the Town of Southampton from imposing its municipal codes on 84 acres of their lands, saying its officials are attempting to prevent them from using the site for economic gain.

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When Rule 12 Motions Against Class Allegations Succeed

Companies facing class actions often attempt early motions to strike class allegations, and while some district courts have been reluctant to decide certification issues at the pleading stage, several recent decisions have shown that Rule 12 motions to dismiss or strike class allegations can be effective, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

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Prepare For Increased FDA Inspections Of Foreign Facilities

In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently announced plans to expand use of unannounced inspections of foreign drug manufacturing factories, foreign firms should implement best practices in anticipation of an imminent increase in enforcement activity, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

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Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

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'Absolutely Disgusting': Litigant's Stashed Gum Irks Judge

By Hailey Konnath

A Florida federal judge admonished a plaintiff for sticking her chewed gum to a courtroom table, leading to a federal prosecutor getting the gum stuck to her skirt later, calling it "absolutely disgusting" and saying he "never dreamed" he would have to "write an order like this."

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9th Circ. Backs 'Legitimate' Bar Membership Admission Rules

By Lauren Berg

The Ninth Circuit on Friday tossed a challenge to local rules in district courts in the circuit requiring lawyers to be bar members in the state where the court is located in order to seek general admission, saying admission rules aren't unconstitutional and there are several "legitimate reasons" for the rule.

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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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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton and Andrea Keckley

WilmerHale leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Federal Circuit vacated a $300 million patent infringement jury verdict against Apple, based on instructions by a Texas federal judge that the appellate court panel determined to be erroneous.

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Feature

Current And Former GCs Urge Law Grads To 'Rise Up'

By Michele Gorman

From sharing details about being part of the first class of female graduates at Washington and Lee University School of Law to explaining how a middle-school teaching job led to obtaining a law degree, five commencement speakers — all current or former general counsel — recently shared their wisdom for the next generation of attorneys.

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Trump Taps Atty Dropped By Biden For Eastern Ky. Fed. Court

By Ali Sullivan

President Donald Trump has announced plans to nominate former Kentucky Solicitor General Chad Meredith to serve as a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

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NJ Court Greenlights Beasley Allen Attys In Talc Litigation

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state judge will allow two Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys to represent a California couple in their suit accusing Johnson & Johnson of selling carcinogenic talc-based baby powder and appear pro hac vice despite the company's vehement opposition.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

A new report showed a dip in the average size of corporate legal teams over the last year, and an attorney focused on special purpose acquisition companies is predicting the Trump administration's friendly stance on cryptocurrency will spawn a wave of new cryptocurrency-related ventures going public in the coming months. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Attys Face Sanctions For 'Sweeping' Copying Of Firm's Motion

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has ordered The Neil Jones Food Co.'s defense counsel to explain why she shouldn't sanction them for filing a dismissal motion that appears to plagiarize a losing motion filed by another firm in another case in the district, slamming the "sweeping copy and paste" conduct as "patently unacceptable."

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen Pogust Goodhead face legal action from mining giant BHP Group, Trainline bring a procurement claim against the Department for Transport, Sworders auction house sue Conservative peer Patricia Rawlings, and Nokia hit with a patents claim by Hisense. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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