A Connecticut federal judge has capped an insurer's potential liability in an injury suit filed by a former Yale Law dean of students who was struck by a driver, saying she cannot pursue damages exceeding policy limits on claims alleging the insurer was negligent while denying coverage.
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Injury Damages Capped For Ex-Yale Law Assistant Dean​​​​​​​

By Mark Payne

A Connecticut federal judge has capped an insurer's potential liability in an injury suit filed by a former Yale Law dean of students who was struck by a driver, saying she cannot pursue damages exceeding policy limits on claims alleging the insurer was negligent while denying coverage.

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McCarter & English Can't Tank $22M Suit, Insurer Says

By Aaron Keller

Two insurance companies have urged a Connecticut Superior Court judge to maintain a $22.3 million professional negligence lawsuit against McCarter & English LLP, saying document production delays don't warrant killing the case less than a month before trial.

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Calif. Insurance Chief Backs Smoke Standards Bill

By Hope Patti

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced his support Wednesday for a bill that would establish the nation's first public health and insurance claims standard for homes damaged by smoke contamination.

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Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2026 Editorial Boards

Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2026 editorial advisory boards.

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ENFORCEMENT

Texas AG To Investigate Conduent, BCBS For Data Breach

By Spencer Brewer

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday that he's investigating Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and Conduent Business Services LLC over a sprawling data breach that left sensitive data for upward of four million Texans exposed.

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LITIGATION

Symetra Settles AME Church Retirees' Mismanagement Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

Symetra Life Insurance Co. has agreed to settle claims in a multidistrict litigation from a class of African Methodist Episcopal Church workers who alleged that mismanagement of their annuity retirement plan allowed a rogue employee to embezzle $90 million, although the agreement doesn't resolve the insurers' cross-claims against the church.

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Brief

Attys Win $626K In Fees In Mich. City Retiree Benefits Suit

By Melanie Dorsey

A Michigan federal judge awarded $626,777.80 in attorney fees and costs to class counsel who secured expanded pension and healthcare benefits for retired Pontiac city employees, trimming $100,000 from the request for unsupported billing entries.

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Split 5th Circ. Backs State Farm After 'Fecal Catastrophe'

By Rae Ann Varona

A split Fifth Circuit on Thursday agreed with a lower court's finding for State Farm that the source of sewage that flooded a Mississippi family's home absolved the insurer of coverage, while one circuit judge said Mississippi law favored the homeowners in the "disgusting tragedy."

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Series

Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Goldman Sachs' CLO Resigns After Epstein Email Revelations

By Michele Gorman and Hailey Konnath

Kathryn Ruemmler, the chief legal officer for Goldman Sachs, announced plans Thursday to step down, after the U.S. Department of Justice released emails showcasing her relationship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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Analysis

IP Firms Are Navigating AI Era With Range Of Guardrails

By Elliot Weld

Intellectual property law firms are taking various approaches to implementing artificial intelligence into their professional routines, with some developing their own tools, others limiting what external AI platforms that lawyers can access and one firm saying it has banned attorneys from using AI to draft legal briefs.

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Judiciary Issues 'Rule Of Law' Ethics Guidance For Judges

By Jeff Overley

Federal judiciary advisers Thursday sought to clarify ethical boundaries for judges wading into politically charged legal waters, saying jurists can rebut "illegitimate criticism" and urge stronger security amid fears of violence while also eschewing "demeaning" or "acerbic" rhetoric.

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DOJ Antitrust Chief Slater Stepping Down

By Matthew Perlman

Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater, head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, said on Thursday she will be leaving her post just shy of a year after being confirmed by the Senate.

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Affairs, Spending Come Out In Goldstein Cross-Examination

By Jared Foretek

SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein was confronted Thursday with allegations of extramarital affairs, lavish spending and lies on asset disclosures, all in front of the jury in his ongoing tax fraud trial.

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9th Circ. Judges Doubt AG-Picked Nevada US Atty Can Serve

By Dorothy Atkins

Two judges on a Ninth Circuit panel doubted Thursday the government's argument that a lower court erred by finding the U.S. Attorney General wrongly appointed Nevada's top federal prosecutor, with both judges repeatedly noting that the government's legal theory suggests that U.S. attorneys could circumvent the nomination process indefinitely.

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Fulton DA Willis Fights $17M Fee Bid In Trump Case

By Kelcey Caulder

The Georgia district attorney who charged President Donald Trump and his allies with election interference and was later disqualified from the case protested the nearly $17 million in legal fees they recently requested, taking aim at a new state law that allows them to seek the costs.

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Watchdog Defends Ex-Alex Jones Atty's Conn. Suspension

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut judge did not abuse her discretion when she suspended an attorney who formerly represented conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones in a $1.4 billion defamation case, the state's professional misconduct watchdog has told the Connecticut Supreme Court in asking the justices to skip Norman A. Pattis' appeal.

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Former NJ AG Matthew Platkin Launches Litigation Boutique

By Jake Maher

Former New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin on Thursday announced the launch of Platkin LLP, a litigation boutique made up of former state prosecutors looking to take on cases touching on consumer protection, the rule of law and other public interest causes.

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Interview

12 Questions For FCC Chair Brendan Carr

By Christopher Cole

It's been a "banger" of a year at the Federal Communications Commission, says agency chief Brendan Carr, who took over at the outset of President Donald Trump's second term with the goal of cutting regulations and quickly turning over more spectrum to the private sector.

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NY Senators Criticize DOJ Over US Attorney Firing

By Courtney Bublé

New York's senators blasted the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday for abruptly firing the newly appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York.

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State Antitrust Enforcement On The Upswing, Panelists Agree

By Bonnie Eslinger

Speaking at a Silicon Valley antitrust conference hosted Thursday by Baker McKenzie LLP, a senior California antitrust enforcer, an in-house Intel attorney, a University of Southern California law professor, and others agreed that the country is headed into a period of increased activity by state antitrust enforcers.

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Mass. US Atty Calls ICE Criticism 'Hyperbole,' Praises Agents

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said Thursday that criticism of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by state and local officials and a lack of cooperation with federal agents is to blame for "chaos in the streets," as she forcefully defended the Trump administration's policies.

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Trump Nominates Judges For SC, Mont., Virgin Islands

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced district court nominees for South Carolina, Montana and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as one nominee for the International Trade Court.

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Promo that reads 2025 Practice Groups of the Year

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Baker Donelson

Baker McKenzie

Blackmon & Blackmon PLLC

Blue LLP

Bradley Arant

Buether Joe

Butler Snow LLP

Caldwell Carlson

Carlton Fields

Consovoy McCarthy

Dawda Mann

Finnegan

Garland Samuel & Loeb

Giarmarco Mullins

Griffin Durham

Groom Law Group

Hanna & Jarbo

Harding Law Firm LLC

Hinshaw & Culbertson

Jones Day

Kantor & Kantor

Kilpatrick Townsend

Knobbe Martens

Lando & Anastasi

Latham & Watkins

Leach & Walker

Lieff Cabraser

Maloy Jenkins

McCarter & English

Miller Canfield

Munger Tolles

Napoli Shkolnik

Nelson Mullins

Oles Law Group

Pierson Law LLC

Scott&Scott

Silver Golub

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Smith Gambrell

Sterne Kessler

Stranch Jennings

Taft Stettinius

Todd & Weld

Whiteman Osterman

Wiggin & Dana

Wright & Schulte

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AARP Inc.

American Bar Association

American Constitution Society

Amicus

Apple Inc.

Ascensus Inc.

Audemars Piguet Holding SA

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

BlueCross BlueShield of Texas

Chevron Corp.

Comcast Corp.

Conduent Inc.

Federalist Society

Four Seasons Holdings Inc.

Google LLC

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

Juniper Networks Inc.

Lazard Ltd.

LinkedIn Corp.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

National Rifle Association of America

Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice

New York University

State Bar of California

Symetra Life Insurance Co.

Tegna Inc.

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

University of Iowa

University of Southern California

Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts

Walmart Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

California Attorney General's Office

California Department of Insurance

Connecticut Insurance Department

Executive Office of the President

Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Internal Revenue Service

Judicial Conference of the United States

National Economic Council

New Jersey Attorney General's Office

New York Attorney General's Office

Superior Court of Fulton County

Texas Attorney General's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee

U.S. General Services Administration

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the District of Montana

United States District Court for the District of Nevada

United States District Court for the District of the Virgin Islands