9th Circ. Renews Coverage Suit Under Ariz. 'Fortuity' Test

By Danielle Ferguson

The Ninth Circuit has revived a landlord's suit seeking coverage for $2.7 million in water damage after the Arizona Supreme Court for the first time defined a "fortuitous loss" in an insurance policy in response to a certified question.

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Insurers Want Unadmitted Report Axed From McCarter Brief

By Danielle Ferguson

A pair of insurers urged a Connecticut state judge Monday to order McCarter & English LLP to file a substituted post-trial brief in a more than $20 million malpractice case over commercial loan transactions, arguing the firm improperly quoted a report never admitted into evidence at trial this summer.

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Mass. Court Affirms Doctor's Partial Win Over Insurer

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts doctor whose career was cut short after losing the use of his feet is entitled to damages from Paul Revere Life Insurance Co. for breach of contract and unfair settlement practices under state law, but cannot revive other claims tossed by a judge or extend the statute of limitations, an intermediate appellate court said Monday.

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Brief

Accused In $91M Health Plan Scam Asks To Halt FTC Suit

By David Minsky

A woman accused of running a $91 million fraudulent health benefits scheme with her brother urged a Florida federal court on Monday to pause the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against her if related criminal charges proceed in court. 

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Bond Co.'s Insurers Must Defend Trafficking Suit, Court Told

By Hope Patti

Insurers for a Florida bail bonds business accused of forcing four women to engage in sexual acts in exchange for reduced bonds must defend the company against the underlying claims, the women told a Florida federal court, saying an occurrence did cause their alleged bodily injuries.

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Food Service Co. Faulted For Improper Tobacco Surcharge

By Grace Elletson

A Missouri federal judge handed a win to a class of workers who claimed food service company Compass Group USA hit them with an illegal extra health plan fee if they used tobacco, finding the company didn't properly refund the surcharge as required under federal benefits law.

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Brief

Puerto Rico Workers Ink $3M In Deals To End Pension Fight

By Grace Elletson

A federal judge approved $3 million in settlements that a group of workers reached with Puerto Rico's largest bank among other companies to resolve claims that they were stiffed on benefits after their retirement plan shuttered.

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When Indemnity, Purchase Price Adjustment Claims Overlap

The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in WSP v. Versar highlights that courts are willing to enable a buyer to select either indemnity or purchase price adjustment mechanisms, even if the parties did not envision that when negotiating the purchase agreement, says Claire Frost at Arnold & Porter.

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Reel Justice: 'The Odyssey' And Making Tough Trial Choices

In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus succeeds because he abandons the search for a perfect answer, highlighting for litigators why successful advocacy is about making thoughtful choices that circumvent cognitive biases and mental shortcuts, says Veronica Finkelstein at Widener-Delaware Law.

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DOJ Or Trump: Judge Asks Who Is Deciding Golf Course Plan

By Jared Foretek

Trump administration lawyers continued to insist at a hearing Monday there is no final plan to remake East Potomac Golf Course, and they changed their tune about whether one would require environmental review, despite new social media posts from the president announcing that work on the overhaul would begin "immediately."

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Wood Smith, Charlesbank Capital Ink Pioneering MSO Deal

By Emma Cueto

Insurance defense firm Wood Smith Henning & Berman has inked a deal to take investment from middle market investment firm Charlesbank Capital Partners via a managed services organization, according to an announcement Monday, the largest U.S. firm to announce such a move.

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Brief

Arizona Court Approves State's First Non-ABA Law School

By Emma Cueto

The Arizona Supreme Court has approved the state's first law school not accredited by the American Bar Association, citing the need to increase the number of lawyers per capita in the state and provide more affordable options for legal education.

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Court Denies Gov't Bid To DQ Susman Godfrey In ABA's Suit

By Andrea Keckley

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has denied the U.S. Department of Justice's bid to disqualify Susman Godfrey LLP from representing the American Bar Association in its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's executive orders against multiple major law firms. 

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Trump Taps DOJ Official, Federal Prosecutor For Judgeships

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated a senior U.S. Department of Justice attorney for a Nebraska federal judgeship and an assistant U.S. attorney for a seat on the Northern District of Indiana bench.

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Rogoff Tells 9th Circ. His Firing Furthers Trump's 'Evil' Plan

By Ben Adlin

Roger Rogoff urged the Ninth Circuit to affirm a lower judge's order reinstating him as Seattle's top federal prosecutor, asserting in a filing Friday that he's entitled to keep the court-appointed U.S. attorney position until President Donald Trump fills the role with a Senate-confirmed nominee.

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Proskauer Says It Didn't Drop Reddit To Defend Perplexity

By Lauren Berg

Proskauer Rose LLP and Perplexity AI are urging a New York federal judge to allow the law firm to represent the artificial intelligence company in Reddit's suit over alleged data scraping, balking at the social media platform's argument that its one-time law firm can't represent its current opponent.

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What The Justices Won't Hear: A Roundup Of Cert Denials

By Taylor Bowie

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up cases from Google, a U.S. Navy contractor, and other appellate hopefuls on Monday, according to an order list.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week blocked Cloudflare Inc. from completing a restructuring meant to preserve its founders' voting control, while Tower Semiconductor Ltd. accused Intel Corp. of backing out of a semiconductor manufacturing agreement and social media company Triller Group Inc. challenged its removal from Nasdaq.

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