Trump To Drop Scottish Whiskey Tariffs After UK Royal Visit

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. will grant imported whiskey from the United Kingdom preferential tariff treatment following the visit to the U.S. by King Charles and Queen Camilla, President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Steakhouse Chain Servers Get Initial OK For $7M Wage Deal

By Benjamin Morse

A steakhouse chain will pay $7 million to end servers' claims that its tip-pool practices left them underpaid, a Colorado federal judge said Thursday, granting the deal preliminary approval.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Kroger's Health Plan Tobacco Fee Shirks ERISA, Suit Says

By Grace Elletson

Supermarket giant Kroger violated federal benefits law by requiring workers to pay an extra fee through their health plan if they used tobacco while failing to give them a fair opportunity to avoid the charge, according to a proposed class action filed in Ohio federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EU-South American Provisional Trade Deal Takes Effect Friday

By Dylan Moroses

The European Union's interim trade agreement with four countries in the South American regional bloc known as Mercosur will begin to apply on a provisional basis Friday, according to news releases issued by the European Commission and members of European Parliament on Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Supplement Industry Says FDA Wrongly Muzzled Label Claims

By Jared Foretek

A coalition of dietary supplement companies and an alternative medicine advocacy group filed suit Wednesday against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, claiming that the agency violated First Amendment commercial speech protections when it blocked product label claims connecting certain nutrients or ingredients to health outcomes.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ADW Pursues $3B Takeover Of Meineke Owner, More Rumors

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Hedge fund ADW Capital is trying to scoop up Meineke owner Driven Brands in a $3 billion deal, SpaceX told investors that only Elon Musk has the power to remove himself as the leader of the space exploration giant, and technology services firm Virtusa Corp. is looking to raise $1 billion in an India initial public offering.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

By Matthew Perlman

A pair of door manufacturers ended a landmark private merger challenge, state enforcers are gearing up for a potential Live Nation breakup bid following a crucial jury win, and a separate group of states and DirecTV are challenging Nexstar's $6.2 billion deal for rival broadcaster Tegna.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Playing Magic: The Gathering Makes Me A Better Lawyer

The competitive card game Magic: The Gathering offers me a training ground for the strategic thinking skills crucial to litigation, challenging me to adapt to oft-updated rules, analyze text as complicated as any statute and anticipate my opponent’s next moves, says Christopher Smith at Lash Goldberg.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How They Won It

How Sullivan & Cromwell Won An $18B 'Bet The Country' Case

By Chris Villani

It is not often that a Second Circuit ruling is hailed as "the greatest legal achievement in national history" by a country's president, but that's what happened after a team from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP persuaded the appellate panel to nix an $18 billion judgment against Argentina.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Jones Day Beats Sanctions Bid In $2M Fee Dispute

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois state judge has ruled that Jones Day can pursue punitive damages on several of its claims in a lawsuit alleging a former client made a series of unlawful transactions to avoid paying over $2 million in legal fees, and also denied sanctions sought by the ex-client against the firm.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Google $700M Deal Nears Approval As Judge Questions Fees

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge said Thursday he would likely give final approval to Google's $700 million antitrust deal with states and consumers, but criticized the accompanying request for $85 million in attorney fees, calling the 100,000 hours the consumers' counsel said they spent on the case "grotesquely bloated."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Christian Witch' Says Jenner & Block Must Face Vax Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

A former Jenner & Block LLP employee told an Illinois federal judge that she didn't need to disclose that she's a "Christian witch" in order to seek an exemption to the law firm's COVID-19 vaccine requirement, urging the court to reject her ex-employer's bid to toss the case.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Advances Mont. Judge Pick Rated Unqualified By ABA

By Courtney Bublé

A judicial nominee for the District of Montana who was the only nominee of the second Trump administration so far to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association advanced out of committee on Thursday.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Denies Push To Stop Closed Immigration Hearings

By Tom Lotshaw

A D.C. federal judge denied a Minnesota human rights organization's request to block immigration judges from restricting public and press access to proceedings, ruling that it failed to show an immediate threat of future harm from unlawful hearing closures.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

J&J Says Ill. Ruling Backs Beasley Allen's DQ From Talc Suits

By George Woolston

Johnson & Johnson told a New Jersey federal court that a recent ruling in Illinois backs the Beasley Allen Law Firm's disqualification from multidistrict litigation over its talcum powder.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LSC Decries House Subcommittee's Proposed Budget Cut

By Marco Poggio

The nation's largest funder of civil legal aid condemned a House appropriations proposal to slash its budget for fiscal year 2027 by more than half, warning Thursday the reduction could leave nearly 3 million Americans without help for critical civil legal problems.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Husch Blackwell Partner Urges Discovery In ERISA Dispute

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

A former Husch Blackwell LLP partner has urged a Missouri federal court to ignore the firm's request for summary judgment in a dispute over employee retirement benefits, arguing discovery should proceed in the proposed class action.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Hub Hires: Weil Gotshal, Reed Smith, Morgan Lewis

By Chris Villani

April showers bring legal hires in Boston, with several attorneys on the move. Weil Gotshal snagged an international trade lawyer from Kirkland & Ellis, Morgan Lewis added an attorney from Hunton, and Reed Smith continued to expand its new Boston office.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »