11th Circ. Challenges Exclusion In Arson Death Dispute

By Abraham Gross

An Eleventh Circuit panel appeared skeptical of a property insurer's argument that an exclusion for a failure to maintain an apartment complex freed it from defending the owner in a wrongful death suit stemming from arson.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Allstate Not Liable For Contractor's Spam Calls, 7th Circ. Says

By Danielle Ferguson

Allstate Insurance Co. can't be held vicariously liable for a subcontractor's spam calls to a man on a do-not-call list because the insurer did not know the company had been hired and could not be directly linked to allowing that extra layer of marketing, the Seventh Circuit said Wednesday.

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

Insurance Mogul Wants Atty Access To Fight $1.6B Restitution

By Abigail Harrison

A recently sentenced insurance magnate is asking a North Carolina federal court to order the federal Bureau of Prisons to grant him daily access to computers and his attorneys as he continues to fight a $1.6 billion restitution order.

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

Clinic Manager Asks 4th Circ. To Upend 6-Year Fraud Sentence

By Asha Glover

A clinic manager who paid patients in gift cards is challenging her six-year prison sentence, telling the Fourth Circuit on Thursday that a federal judge failed to consider other mitigating factors when sentencing her for healthcare fraud and failing to file a tax return.

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

Brokerage Workers Say $1.05B Sale Shortchanged Them

By Jarek Rutz

A proposed class action in Delaware Chancery Court alleges the founders and directors of insurance brokerage startup Newfront Insurance Holdings Inc. breached fiduciary duties by forcing employee shareholders to accept inferior merger consideration and restrictive employment conditions in the company's $1.05 billion sale to Willis Towers Watson PLC.

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

Lack Of Evidence Sinks Insurance Fraud Case, Atty Says

By Emily Sawicki

A Louisiana law firm and lawyer found guilty of criminal conspiracy and wire fraud for staging vehicle crashes as part of a scheme to defraud insurance carriers and trucking companies are seeking acquittal or a new trial, arguing that federal prosecutors failed to support their claims with evidence.

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

Brief

Retail Center, AIG Unit Settle Suit Over Foundation Damage

By Hope Patti

A real estate management company has settled its suit accusing an AIG unit of failing to cover property damage at a retail complex in Calabasas, California, according to a federal court filing.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

McCarter & English Adds Enviro Partner Trio In Indianapolis

By Jake Maher

New Jersey-based McCarter & English LLP expanded its Indianapolis office with a team of three partners from Ice Miller LLP specializing in complex environmental contamination issues, including brownfield redevelopment, the firm announced Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

A Calif. Law May Aid Homeowner Recovery After LA Fires

Reconstruction bottlenecks following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires mean that certain homeowners insurance gaps are only now emerging, and for counsel aiding policyholders in recovery, a regulation regarding insurers' replacement cost estimates may be critical to obtaining coverage, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief Iran Sanctions Pause Will Most Benefit Non-US Cos.

Due to its short duration, the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s recently issued general license easing Iran sanctions will mostly benefit companies with preexisting commercial relationships involving Iranian petroleum, and is unlikely to mitigate overcompliance and de-risking behavior by U.S. and foreign financial institutions, says Michelle Roberts at Berliner Corcoran.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Moshing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Entering a mosh pit is much like entering the practice of law — it is difficult, you have to know both the written and unwritten rules, and conduct yourself according to the expectations of each community, says Christopher Deubert at Constangy Brooks.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Groombridge Wu Tops Milbank Pay Scale For Associates

By Kevin Penton

Groombridge Wu Baughman & Stone LLP is the latest firm to top the pay scale for associates announced earlier this month by Milbank LLP, with attorneys set to earn as much as $470,000.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Confirming Judges Faster Than In Trump's 1st Term

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate has confirmed 45 judges in the second Trump term, outpacing the rate of his first administration, Senate Republicans announced on Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Attys Urged To Challenge Clients Who Demand AI Research

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut federal judge urged attorneys during a Thursday sanctions hearing to push back against clients who demand lawyers use generative artificial intelligence tools to conduct legal research, saying the technology is no substitute for professional judgment and discretion because it "aims to please" and can misstate the law.

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

SCOTUSblog Founder Goldstein Blasts 'Inflated' DOJ Tax Math

By Jared Foretek

Convicted SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein and federal prosecutors are clashing again over their dramatically divergent sentencing recommendations, with the defense accusing the government of presenting a "one-dimensional caricature" of the famed lawyer in seeking an eight-year sentence, and prosecutors accusing him of potentially deleting "secret chats" with his gambling backers.

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

Feds Say Would-Be Kavanaugh Assassin Was Let Off Easy

By Nadia Dreid

Both federal prosecutors and a Stephen Miller-founded public interest group believe that a Maryland federal judge let a woman accused of trying to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh off too easy because of her gender identity and want the Fourth Circuit to order resentencing.

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

Quinn Emanuel Says 3M Fee Proposal Undervalues Its Work

By Carolina Bolado

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has objected to a special master's recommendation on the allocation of common benefit fees in the $6 billion settlement that ended multidistrict litigation against 3M over allegedly faulty combat earplugs, saying the amount doesn't value the "length, extent and impact" of the firm's work.

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