Mass., Idaho Voters Defeat Anti-Cannabis Ballot Measures

By Sam Reisman

Voters in Massachusetts and Idaho on Tuesday rejected efforts to repeal or restrict marijuana legalization, dealing a blow to anti-cannabis activists and lawmakers who sought to turn Election Day into a referendum on voter-led efforts to reform drug laws.

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Mass. Judge Nixes Feds' Bid To Stay Grant Termination Ruling

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's request to stay her judgment that it cannot terminate already-awarded federal grants based solely on the president's current priorities, and chided the government for intentionally slow-walking the case.

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1st Circ. Won't Revive Sex Bias Suit Against Benefits Co.

By Patrick Hoff

The First Circuit refused to reinstate a lawsuit from a data architect who said a health benefits company fired her because she's a woman, saying she hadn't alleged that colleagues responsible for "stray" sexist comments played a role in her termination.

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AI Co. Suno Seeks Toss Of Musicians' Claims It Copies Styles

By Ben Adlin

Artificial intelligence music service Suno Inc. urged a Massachusetts federal judge to throw out a proposed class action accusing the company of copying musicians' identifying attributes, arguing that U.S. copyright law does not protect a musician's artistic style.

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Feds Dropping Charges Against Harvard Researcher

By Julie Manganis

The government is dropping charges against a Harvard researcher and Russian national who was found with preserved clawed frog embryo samples at Boston's Logan International Airport last year, according to a filing Tuesday evening.

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Brief

Patriots Owner In Talks To Settle Stadium License Dispute

By Carolyn Muyskens

The owner of the New England Patriots and the town of Foxborough have told a Massachusetts state judge they are entering talks to potentially resolve a lawsuit over seven-figure fees associated with the National Football League team's home stadium.

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Ingredient Co. Says Insurer Must Cover Salmonella Claims

By Hope Patti

A pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredient supplier said it is entitled to coverage for underlying suits concerning nutritional supplement powder that was recalled due to potential salmonella contamination, telling a Massachusetts federal court Tuesday that its insurer wrongly denied coverage based on a communicable or infectious disease exclusion.

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Mass. Board Matches Condo's Tax Value To Nearby Home's

By Sanjay Talwani

A ranch-style condo unit with an unobstructed water view was overvalued, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said, lowering its valuation to that of a similar home on a slightly larger property farther from the water.

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Mass. Board Drops Tax Value Of Development Facing Delays

By Sanjay Talwani

A cluster of unimproved properties with plans for development but facing permitting delays that hindered their marketability was overvalued by a local assessor, the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board said.

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Approach The Bench: Judge Wilson On Trial By Zoom

By Cara Bayles and Kelley Marcano

Before she became a state court judge in Washington, Judge Coreen Wilson worked as a trial attorney litigating hundreds of cases, including the country's first binding virtual civil jury trial during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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DOJ Says Trump Adviser Needn't Answer ABA Subpoenas Yet

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Department of Justice is arguing that Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn shouldn't have to respond to subpoenas from the American Bar Association in its challenge to the Trump administration's campaign against law firms until the presiding judge rules on the administration's preexisting motion to quash them.

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Judge Questions Federal Role In Ed Martin Ethics Case

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge struggled Tuesday to see how he could preside over a state attorney ethics proceeding if U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin gets his way and keeps the case in federal court, as the city's ethics board fought to have it sent back to state court.

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Brownstein Hyatt Faces Suit Over Flawed Cannabis Co. Deal

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado real estate developer and his company alleged that Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP negligently drafted their settlement agreement in a dispute with members of cannabis dispensary chain Native Roots over a sale of the chain's entities, resulting in a roughly $100 million arbitration award against the developer's company.

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Texas Atty Seeks Release In Cyberstalking Case

By Lynn LaRowe

A Texas lawyer who is expected to plead guilty in a cyberstalking case involving BigLaw firm attorneys is asking a federal court to free her, saying circumstances are "materially different" because of mental health treatment she has received while behind bars.

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Adult Daycare Pushes To Revive Suit Against Fox Rothschild

By Rose Krebs

An adult daycare company is asking a New Jersey state court to undo the toss of its suit against Fox Rothschild LLP and one of its attorneys, saying the dismissal was in error because the business had sought more time to respond to a dismissal motion.

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Volunteer Exits Malicious Prosecution Suit Naming DLA Piper

By Craig Clough

A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday tossed a malicious prosecution claim against a former volunteer for Breaking Code Silence on free speech grounds, even as he called the broader case against DLA Piper and the nonprofit "stronger than most."

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Ashurst Perkins ICap Suit Stayed Amid Bankruptcy Fight

By Ben Adlin

A Washington state judge has agreed to freeze a lawsuit accusing law firm Ashurst Perkins Coie of aiding and abetting a nearly $230 million Ponzi scheme, ordering the King County Superior Court litigation be put on hold pending an outcome in a related bankruptcy dispute.

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Roundup

The Top In-House Hires Of October

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Fox, Dell and LinkedIn. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from October.

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