Domino's Must Face Investor Suit Over Overseas Growth

By Hailey Konnath

A Michigan federal judge Thursday refused to throw out a proposed securities class action against Domino's Pizza Inc., finding that the investor plaintiff has adequately alleged that the pizza chain knew a major franchisee would underperform when the company made positive, forward-looking statements to shareholders.

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Syngenta's Pesticide Rebates To Face FTC Antitrust Trial

By Lauren Berg

Syngenta cannot escape the Federal Trade Commission's allegations it uses a loyalty rebate program to block competition from rival generic pesticides, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Thursday, saying it will be up to a jury to iron out whether the rebates are unlawful exclusive dealing.

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Starbucks Seeks To Exit Supply Chain Forced Labor Suit

By Rachel Riley

Starbucks has called on a Washington federal judge to throw out a proposed class action accusing the java giant of relying on Brazilian coffee farms that forced workers to endure inhumane conditions, arguing Wednesday that the plaintiffs haven't shown the plantations that employed them supplied its beans.  

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Brief

See's Candies Settles California Watchdog's Pay Data Claims

By Grace Elletson

See's Candies Inc. has agreed to pay about $143,000 to the California Civil Rights Department to resolve allegations that it filed pay data about its workforce with the state too late past mandatory deadlines, according to the agency.

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6th Circ. Weighs Implications Of Ohio Pivot On Hemp

By Sam Reisman

A Sixth Circuit panel on Thursday appeared uncertain whether Ohio's recent policy shift to reclassify federally legal hemp products as marijuana discriminates against out-of-state operators.

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Mushroom Farm Arbitration Stance Perplexes Wash. Justices

By Rachel Riley

Washington Supreme Court justices struggled Thursday with a mushroom grower's argument that a lower court correctly forced workers to arbitrate claims that they were wrongfully terminated for organizing, questioning whether the farm's change in ownership just before the firings had any bearing on the disputed arbitration clause.

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Republic National Scores Creditor Deal On Ch. 11 Plan

By Rick Archer

Counsel for alcohol distributor Republic National told a Texas bankruptcy judge Thursday it has resolved creditor objections to its Chapter 11 liquidation plan and will be seeking the court's approval for the proposal next week.

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Southern Glazer's Deal Tests FTC's Robinson-Patman Push

A California federal court's recent decision in Federal Trade Commission v. Southern Glazer's secures a rare Robinson-Patman Act pricing limitations agreement, but conditions attached to the decision indicate that practitioners may only see a handful of new private RPA cases a year, says Steven Cernak at Bona Law.

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Series

Being In The Peace Corps Made Me A Better Lawyer

When I served in the Peace Corps, the people of the West African village where I was stationed helped me acclimate to my new surroundings and enabled me to develop problem-solving, teamwork and empathy skills that have bolstered my legal practice far beyond the ability to offer technical advice, says Brian Bewley at McGuireWoods.

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New Weil-Willkie Domains Add To Merger Speculation

By Marialuisa Taddia

Two domain names that combine the names of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP have been registered, fueling speculation about a potential merger between the two prominent Wall Street law firms.

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Bonus Spotlight

Hueston Hennigan Bumps Clerkship Bonus To $205K

By Lynn LaRowe

Trial boutique Hueston Hennigan is offering a $205,000 bonus to lawyers who have completed one or more federal clerkships, the firm confirmed Thursday.

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'Grave Errors': 5th Circ. Boots Judge After AI 'Botch Job'

By Jeff Overley

A Mississippi federal judge's careless use of artificial intelligence tools led to "sloppy edicts" riddled with "falsehoods and fabrications," the Fifth Circuit held in a Thursday night opinion removing the judge from litigation over an anti-DEI law in the Magnolia State because of his "extraordinarily grave errors."

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Texas Judge Probe Shows Lack Of Mental Impairment Process

By Jack Karp

Fifth Circuit officials have done a reasonable job of handling a rare situation involving a Texas federal judge who appears to be undergoing a mental health crisis, but the episode highlights that a more standardized way of dealing with federal judges experiencing mental impairment needs to be established, experts and scholars say.

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Jackson Walker Hits Back At Fee Clawback Sanction Move

By Vince Sullivan

Law firm Jackson Walker said Wednesday that it should not be sanctioned for failing to bring to a Texas federal judge's attention additional cases involving an undisclosed romantic relationship between a bankruptcy judge and one of its attorneys because the U.S. Trustee already investigated those cases and didn't take action.

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GOP Reps. Seek Probe Of Fla. Judge's Sanctions Order

By Courtney Bublé

Top Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee asked the Judicial Conference Thursday to investigate a Florida federal judge for potential misconduct with an order she issued in the case involving the leak of President Donald Trump's tax returns.

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JPMorgan, Ex-Frank Execs Clash Over $2.1M In Legal Fees

By Jarek Rutz

JPMorgan Chase & Co. faced renewed demands in the Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday to pay about $2.1 million in withheld legal fees for convicted Frank founder Charlie Javice and former executive Olivier Amar, as their lawyers accused the bank of using repeated billing objections to delay funding for their criminal defenses.

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Roundup MDL Atty Fund 'Cries Out' For Review, 9th Circ. Told

By Dorothy Atkins

Plaintiffs' firms urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse a ruling Thursday requiring them to contribute 8% of their recovery fees to a common benefit fund in multidistrict litigation over Monsanto's Roundup weed killer, arguing the judge ignored a special master's recommendation and the issue "cries out for some appellate supervision."

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