Justin Baldoni, the "It Ends With Us" lead and director facing sexual harassment claims from co-star Blake Lively, asked a New York federal court to dismiss an insurer's lawsuit seeking to avoid coverage, noting that he and other insureds have already filed a similar coverage action in California state court.
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Baldoni Says Insurer Must Join Calif. Lively Coverage Dispute

By Ganesh Setty

Justin Baldoni, the "It Ends With Us" lead and director facing sexual harassment claims from co-star Blake Lively, asked a New York federal court to dismiss an insurer's lawsuit seeking to avoid coverage, noting that he and other insureds have already filed a similar coverage action in California state court.

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Title Insurer Avoids Coverage For Road Ownership Dispute

By Ganesh Setty

A property owner's title insurer owes no coverage for an underlying quiet title action over ownership of a private road between two separate properties, a New York federal court ruled, finding coverage exceptions in two policies relating to the rights of parties "in possession" were applicable.

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LA Property Owner Can't Get Extra $2.1M For Fire Claim

By Hope Patti

An insurer needn't pay an additional $2.1 million in coverage to the owner of a Los Angeles property that was damaged in a fire, a California federal court ruled Monday, finding the insurer already paid all benefits due under the policy.

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Insurer Says Hotel's $4M Trafficking Judgment Not Covered

By Hope Patti

A Chubb unit told a Pennsylvania federal court that it has no duty to defend or indemnify a former Ramada Inn franchise operator that was ordered to pay the hotel chain's parent company over $4 million after it settled claims that the hotel profited from human trafficking.

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LITIGATION

Insurer, Roofer Settle $4.7M Poultry Farm Storm Damage Suit

By Mike Curley

An Arkansas federal judge on Monday dismissed with prejudice Norfolk & Dedham Mutual Fire Insurance Co.'s suit against Rogers Manufacturing Corp. over $4.7 million in damage from roof collapses after the parties told the court that they'd satisfied all the terms of a settlement reached earlier this month.

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Brief

Chubb Units Pull Water Main Break Suit Against Conn. City

By Brian Steele

Two Chubb insurance units have dropped their lawsuit alleging that the city of New Britain, Connecticut, owes them more than $1.8 million in coverage reimbursements because it was slow to respond to a water main break that caused severe flood damage.

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Amazon Sued By Conn. Family After Toy Battery Caught Fire

By Jack McLoone

A Connecticut family says they were forced to vacate their home for 75 days and get rid of most of their possessions after a battery for model cars and trains purchased from Amazon exploded, setting the home on fire and releasing toxic fumes.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Insights From Recent Cases On Navigating Snap Removal

Snap removal, which allows defendants to transfer state court cases to federal court before a forum defendant is properly joined and served, is viewed differently across federal circuits — but keys to making it work can be drawn from recent decisions critiquing the practice, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

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Opinion

It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

DC Bar Flags Ethics Risks For Law Firm Deals With Gov't

By Rae Ann Varona

A District of Columbia Bar committee said in a new opinion that law firms and attorneys must consider conflicts of interest and other possible ethics issues before entering into agreements with the government that may "limit or shape their law practices."

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LA's Acting US Atty Essayli 'Not Lawfully Serving,' Judge Says

By Lauren Berg

Bill Essayli "is not lawfully serving" as the acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, a federal judge ruled Tuesday evening, disqualifying President Donald Trump's pick from serving in that role while declining to outright toss indictments in three criminal cases under his supervision.

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Jackson Walker Atty Romance Deal Blasted As 'Collusion'

By Lynn LaRowe

A proposed settlement between Jackson Walker LLP and defunct life insurance bond seller GWG Holdings Inc. over a former Jackson Walker partner's secret romance with an ex-bankruptcy judge should be rejected because the deal "smacks of collusion," according to a recent objection.

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Grassley Calls On Judiciary To Formally Regulate AI Use

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is calling on the federal judiciary to set formal policies regarding artificial intelligence after he exposed two mishaps involving federal judges in New Jersey and Mississippi.

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Calif. Atty Seeks $25K As Fee Sanction For AI Error

By Emily Sawicki

A California attorney representing a mobile app platform in a small-time copyright and contract suit playing out in Oakland federal court has asked for $25,000 as reimbursement for work he said went into responding to an error-ridden motion and subsequent time spent on the matter.

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Mass. Bar Reprimands Ex-US Atty Rollins Over Leak, Texts

By Julie Manganis

A divided panel of state bar regulators voted to publicly reprimand former Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins for leaking confidential material about an investigation to a reporter and then trying to deflect suspicion in a deceptive message to subordinates, a lawyer for Rollins confirmed Tuesday.

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Atty In Katt Williams Assault Case Sanctioned For Bogus Cites

By Chart Riggall

An attorney for four women suing comedian Katt Williams must notify a federal district court for the next five years that she was sanctioned for using suspected artificial intelligence-generated fake citations as part of a punishment handed down Tuesday by a Georgia federal judge.

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3 Judge Picks Sent To Senate Despite No Public Notice

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee has received pre-hearing paperwork for anticipated judicial nominees for Texas, Alaska and Arkansas, despite no formal announcement yet from President Donald Trump.

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Senate Confirms Florida State Judge To Federal Seat

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted on Tuesday 52-47, along party lines, to confirm Florida state appellate Judge Jordan Emery Pratt to the Middle District of Florida.

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Akin Beats Malpractice Claim Over Alleged IP Theft Plot

By Rose Krebs

A Third Circuit panel on Tuesday refused to revive a malpractice claim against Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP lodged in a lawsuit that accused attorneys of manipulating patent litigation to steal a former Cornell University graduate student's DNA sequencing intellectual property.

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Comey Gets Backing Of Ex-DOJ Officials, Lawmakers, Judges

By Jack Karp

More than 100 former U.S. Department of Justice officials, a group of former federal judges and U.S. attorneys, current and former members of Congress, and a nonprofit focused on defending democracy are all backing former FBI Director James Comey's effort to nix his criminal prosecution.

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Trump Appeals 'Unprecedented' NY Criminal Conviction

By Frank G. Runyeon

President Donald Trump appealed his New York criminal conviction for falsifying business records, arguing the charges were defective, the jury was improperly instructed, the judge was biased and that he was immune from prosecution.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&O Shearman

Akin Gump

Bandas Law Firm

Banks Weaver

Beins Axelrod

Carmichael Ellis

Computerlaw Group

Cooley LLP

Cozen O'Connor

Engstrom Lipscomb

Free and Fair Litigation

Goldberg Segalla

Holtzman Vogel

Howd & Ludorf

Jackson Walker LLP

Jenner & Block

Kirkland & Ellis

Kolman Law

Latham & Watkins

Levy Firestone

Lorium Law

McGuireWoods

Norton Rose

Pashman Stein

Paul Weiss

Perkins Coie

Quattlebaum Grooms

Reid Collins

Rogers Joseph O'Donnell

Rusty Hardin

Saul Ewing

SedlikGroup

Selman Leichenger

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Skadden Arps

Skarzynski Marick

Sullivan & Cromwell

Todd & Weld

Victor M. Glasberg & Associates

Williams & Connolly

WilmerHale

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Amazon.com Inc.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Co.

CorMedix Inc.

Cornell University

Federated Mutual Insurance Co.

First American Financial Corp.

First Liberty Institute

George Washington University

HackerOne Inc.

Illumina Inc.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Johnson & Johnson

Life Technologies Corporation

LinkedIn Corp.

National Women's Law Center

Pacific Specialty Insurance Co.

Protect Democracy Project Inc.

QBE Insurance Group Ltd.

State Bar of California

The District of Columbia Bar

The New York Times Co.

Tyson Foods Inc.

University of Arkansas

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alaska Attorney General

Alaska Department of Law

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Executive Office of the President

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Florida Supreme Court

Food and Drug Administration

Manhattan District Attorney's Office

National Institute of Standards and Technology

New York Attorney General's Office

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Riverside County District Attorney's Office

Small Business Administration

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

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

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

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

US Office of Management and Budget