Attys Face Sanctions For 'Sweeping' Copying Of Firm's Motion

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has ordered The Neil Jones Food Co.'s defense counsel to explain why she shouldn't sanction them for filing a dismissal motion that appears to plagiarize a losing motion filed by another firm in another case in the district, slamming the "sweeping copy and paste" conduct as "patently unacceptable."

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Boies Schiller Fights DQ Bid In Law Firms' Fee Dispute

By Madison Arnold

Boies Schiller Flexner LLP pushed back on a bid to disqualify the firm in a Florida state court case between pharmaceutical mass tort firms and their former counsel, in which Boies Schiller is both representing itself as a defendant and its co-defendants, arguing there is no conflict because all their defenses are the same.

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Mich. Judge Won't Step Aside In Atty Voting Machine Case

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan state judge on Friday said he would not remove himself from overseeing criminal charges against an attorney who is accused of accessing voting machines after the 2020 presidential election, finding there was no evidence to support her claims that he is biased.

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Brief

Wisconsin Judge Gets Court To Weigh Dismissal Before Trial

By Madeline Lyskawa

A Wisconsin federal judge overseeing the government's prosecution of a state judge for allegedly helping an unauthorized immigrant evade arrest canceled a jury trial scheduled for July, saying he will rule on her motion to dismiss first.

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Florida Judge Barred From Keeping Police Credentials

By David Minsky

Florida's judicial ethics watchdog said a sitting judge who was formerly a police officer in the same county in which the judge presides may not recertify law enforcement credentials, saying it could affect the judge's impartiality.

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Conn. Atty Agrees To Suspension After Court No-Shows

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut estates attorney has agreed to an interim suspension of her law license and will undergo a medical examination after failing to attend scheduled court dates four times in the last 60 days, records in her professional discipline case show.

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Mich. Judge Denies Ethics Charges, Says He Was Spied On

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan state judge accused of disparaging the district court's chief judge during official proceedings as well as secretly recording a conversation with her has responded to formal charges against him, refuting the allegations and additionally claiming the court has spied on him.

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Wash. Municipal Judge Fights State Board's Removal Petition

By Rachel Riley

A suspended Washington municipal court judge has urged the state Supreme Court to reject a judicial board's recommendation that she be removed from the bench for allegedly mistreating staff and attorneys, saying she has been unfairly punished for her former attorney's actions "in a racially charged environment."

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New Trial Ordered Over $25M Fee Split In Verizon Injury Case

By Jake Maher

A New Jersey appellate panel has ordered a new jury trial to decide how to split a $25 million fee award stemming from a $125 million personal injury settlement with Verizon, finding several errors in a previous lower court bench trial.

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Atty Interaction Prompts Recusal In Google AI Suicide Suit

By Y. Peter Kang

A Florida federal judge and former Gunster shareholder has recused himself from a suit accusing Character.AI and Google of causing the suicide of a teen who was addicted to an artificial intelligence chatbot, after a Munger Tolles & Olson LLP attorney said he discussed the case with the then-attorney last year.

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NJ Court Greenlights Beasley Allen Attys In Talc Litigation

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state judge will allow two Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys to represent a California couple in their suit accusing Johnson & Johnson of selling carcinogenic talc-based baby powder and appear pro hac vice despite the company's vehement opposition.

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Veterans Can't Stop Defendant's Outreach To Potential Class

By Hayley Fowler

A group of veterans can't stop a consulting firm from contacting potential class members for help with the firm's defense in a lawsuit alleging it charged millions of dollars in illegal fees, a North Carolina federal magistrate judge has ruled from the bench.

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Brief

Patent Suit Against Alibaba Dropped After Sanctions Bid

By Elliot Weld

Cooperative Entertainment Inc. has ended its patent lawsuit against Alibaba Cloud US LLC after the latter company sought to have the case thrown out earlier this month as a sanction for what it said was "extreme" conduct by opposing counsel.

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Roundup

Off The Bench: Lakers Sale, NASCAR Antitrust, NIL Appeals

By Alex Lawson

In this week's Off The Bench, the Lakers fetch a $10 billion valuation as a new owner takes control of the franchise, a federal judge urges litigants in the NASCAR antitrust brawl to settle, and appeals pile up against the NCAA's landmark $2.78 billion athlete compensation settlement.

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Series

Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.

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Dems Laud Axing Of Budget Bill's Injunction Bond Provison

By Courtney Bublé

A provision meant to up the ante for plaintiffs filing lawsuits against the federal government by increasing the use of injunction bonds has been ruled ineligible for inclusion in the budget reconciliation package.

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NC Court Clerks Say E-Filing System Is Compliant

By Matt Perez

North Carolina court administrators say a 2023 suit filed by Courthouse News Service regarding claims that the state's e-filing system created dayslong delays in obtaining new civil suits is no longer a live dispute, given the courts have allegedly been providing access to filings at a pace exceeding constitutional requirements following a difficult software rollout.

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Dems Demand Info On Emil Bove's Alleged Misconduct

By Courtney Bublé

Ahead of Emil Bove's hearing on Wednesday for his judicial nomination, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are pressing for information on complaints alleging his misconduct while at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and Main Justice earlier this year.

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Assistant DA Says Race Bias Led To Pay, Treatment Disparity

By Abigail Harrison

An assistant district attorney alleged in North Carolina federal court that her boss, District Attorney Michael Waters, discriminated against her and other Black employees by treating them unfairly and paying them less than white colleagues.

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Taft Expands Fla. Footprint With Private Client Duo In Naples

By Madison Arnold

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP announced Monday that it is expanding in Naples, Florida, with a pair of new private client partners, just ahead of a June 30 merger that will grow the firm in West Palm Beach and Stuart.

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Perkins Coie Lays Off 5% Of Staff Amid Strategic Review

By Xiumei Dong

Perkins Coie LLP, which successfully fended off President Donald Trump's executive order targeting the firm, has reportedly laid off roughly 5% of its professional staff this month, and attributed the reductions to the firm's strategic realignments following a yearlong review of its business operations.

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