FCC Lifts 39% Broadcast Ownership Cap In Controversial Vote

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission voted 2-1 to eliminate the 39% national cap on broadcast TV audience share Thursday, with Republicans saying the change will help local stations survive and dismissing claims that the agency was exceeding its legal powers.

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Meta Owes Another $567M To Address Harm To NM Kids

By Lauren Berg and Cara Salvatore

Meta Platforms is on the hook for an additional $567 million after a New Mexico judge on Thursday determined that the Facebook and Instagram parent must take measures to protect its youngest users, following a jury's $375 million verdict that Meta hid the full scope of mental health harms its apps caused.

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Paramount Gets Private Warner Deal Challenge Tossed

By Matthew Perlman

A California federal court has dismissed a case from consumers looking to undo Paramount's completed merger with Skydance and block its planned purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, finding they failed to show any concrete harm from the deals.

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Nexstar Execs Can't Be On Tegna Board, Judge Clarifies

By Rae Ann Varona

A California federal judge clarified Thursday that Nexstar executives and other affiliated personnel cannot serve as Tegna directors under a temporary injunction blocking the broadcast giants' $6.2 billion merger, while admonishing the companies for not disclosing the appointment of three Nexstar officials to Tegna's board.

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Google, Meta, Tiktok Still Subject To Calif. Feed Algorithm Law

By Mike Curley

A California federal judge has declined to block enforcement of a new California law that restricts personalized social media algorithm feeds, finding that Google, TikTok and Meta have failed to show the law infringes on their First Amendment rights.

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Analysis

The Dramatic Moments Set To Shape Tom Goldstein's Appeal

By Jeff Overley and Jared Foretek

Prurient revelations, brash recriminations and purportedly glaring judicial errors in Tom Goldstein's criminal case have captivated the appellate bar for nearly 19 months, and many of those moments will be center stage in the star attorney's imminent appeal.

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Deals Rumor Mill

Shein Eyes $40B Valuation Via Hong Kong IPO, More Rumors

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Fast-fashion company Shein is seeking a $40 billion valuation through its Hong Kong initial public offering, betting platform Polymarket is eyeing a new funding round that could value it at $20 billion and Cencora's MWI Animal Health merger with Covetrus faces regulatory scrutiny.

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Judge Certifies Disney 'Toy Story 3' TM Fight For Appeal

By Ivan Moreno

A California federal judge has certified for interlocutory appeal a ruling refusing to dismiss trademark claims over the "Toy Story 3" character Lotso, saying the long-running case raises an unresolved question about whether corporate affiliates' merchandising can deprive movie distributors of First Amendment protection for a character name used onscreen.

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NYT, Daily News Blocked From Recasting Some AI Claims

By Adam Lidgett

A New York federal judge shot down bids from the New York Times and New York Daily News to amend their contributory infringement claims against Microsoft Corp. in a suit alleging that copyrighted content was used to train artificial intelligence.

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Ohio Judge Tosses DSW Suit Against Sony In Copyright Fight

By Adam Lidgett

An Ohio federal judge has tossed shoe retailer DSW's suit seeking an order that it doesn't infringe Sony Music Entertainment's copyrights, finding it was an anticipatory filing that has to yield to Sony's own infringement suit in California.

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Dotdash, Marketing Partner Zeta Shake Pixel Tracking Suit

By Allison Grande

A New York federal judge has tossed a putative class action accusing magazine publisher DotDash Meredith Inc. and its artificial intelligence-powered marketing partner of illegally deploying digital tracking tools that intercepted consumers' personal data, finding that the plaintiffs hadn't alleged a sufficiently concrete injury. 

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Financial Discovery Halted In Trump's Fla. Suit Against BBC

By David Minsky

A Florida federal judge on Thursday paused an order requiring The Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust to produce financial documents justifying $10 billion the president seeks in his defamation lawsuit over BBC's documentary about the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, citing the representation that Donald Trump's counsel will file a new complaint.

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X Corp. Asks 5th Circ. To Revive Advertiser Boycott Suit

By Bryan Koenig

X Corp. has asked the Fifth Circuit to revive its antitrust lawsuit accusing Mars, CVS, Nestle, Lego, Tyson Foods and other advertisers of agreeing to boycott the social media platform after Elon Musk's purchase, arguing a Texas federal judge "asked the wrong questions and gave the wrong answers."

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7th Circ. Backs Outcome Health Execs' $1B Fraud Convictions

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit on Thursday upheld the convictions of two Outcome Health executives for lying about the company's capabilities and value in a $1 billion fraud, rejecting their argument that an overzealous pretrial freeze on millions in assets violated their constitutional right to hire the defense attorneys of their choice.

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Disbarred Atty And Son Must Face $17M SEC Fraud Suit

By Katryna Perera

A disbarred attorney and his son must face a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission suit alleging they defrauded investors out of more than $17 million by running a Ponzi-like scheme disguised as an investment company for a start-up content streaming app, with a California federal judge finding the SEC brought specific examples of the duo's "alleged misuse."

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Brief

Man Gets 6 Years For Part In Alleged NFL Impersonation Scam

By Kelcey Caulder

A man accused of working with a former University of Alabama football player to obtain nearly $20 million in bogus loans by using wigs, makeup and forged documents to impersonate several National Football League players has been sentenced to six years in prison.

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FCC Floats Plan To Clear 200 MHz For Direct-To-Device Use

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission proposed Thursday to open up more than 200 megahertz of the airwaves used by unlicensed devices for direct-to-device service from low Earth orbit satellites.

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FCC Orders Denver Billboards To Cease Operations

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Federal Communications Commission has said two electronic billboards in Denver are interfering with T-Mobile signals and has ordered them to stop or face daily fines of more than $25,000.

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$219 Million TV Azteca Debt Arbitration Against Mexico Tossed

By Nadia Dreid

Mexico has come out on top of a $219 million dispute with two U.S.-based investment funds after the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes tossed their claims concerning a debt that a Mexican broadcaster defaulted on during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Mayweather Clashes With Media Co. Over Injunction Bid Drop

By Ganesh Setty

Floyd Mayweather Jr. told a New York federal court that a broadcaster shouldn't get away with an "eleventh hour" withdrawal of its preliminary injunction motion after alleging he violated contractual obligations by scheduling a fight before ones with Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao.

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Updated 'Slush Fund' Suit Challenges Trump's Audit Immunity

By Dorothy Atkins

The IRS workers' union Thursday joined litigation in Virginia federal court challenging what the plaintiffs call President Donald Trump's proposed $1.8 billion "slush fund," adding claims that a side-order granting Trump, his family and businesses immunity from federal audits could expose IRS workers to criminal liability.

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China Announces Trade Countermeasures After US Actions

By Dylan Moroses

China's government will strengthen export controls on drones and their components as well as suspend coordinated inspections with U.S. officials and start new investigations into American businesses as countermeasures in response to recent U.S. actions implicating Chinese companies.

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QVC Ch. 11 Confirmation Shows Independent Directors' Value

QVC's recently confirmed Chapter 11 plan joins a growing body of restructuring precedent demonstrating that well-functioning independent director frameworks can create the evidentiary and governance foundation necessary to resolve complex intercompany disputes, preserve value and secure judicial approval of contested transactions, say attorneys at Choate.

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Series

Being A Sommelier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Being a sommelier has quietly shaped how I practice law by changing the way I think, communicate and connect with people, and offers a constant reminder that expertise is about making your knowledge useful and accessible to others, says Kara Du at Sheppard.

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How Does In-House Pay Compare? Take The Law360 Survey

How do in-house salaries vary across industries, roles, and organizational revenue? What compensation tools are companies using to lure top talent? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Compensation Survey.

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No Simpson Thacher Malpractice In PIPE Case, Jury Finds

By Madison Arnold

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP escaped a malpractice lawsuit late Thursday over its representation of Patriot National Inc. in a private investment in public equity transaction in the years before the company's downfall.

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Dems Slam Skadden's 'Nothing To See Here' Trump Deal Reply

By Hailey Konnath

Three Democratic lawmakers on Thursday criticized Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's response to their request that the firm disclose details of its pro bono arrangement with the Trump administration, saying the firm's "three sentence letter essentially saying 'nothing to see here'" is "not going to cut it."

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New ABA Chief Seeks To 'Streamline' Org., Defend Democracy

By Emily Sawicki

The American Bar Association's new president, Barbara J. Howard, will focus on twin goals of defending democracy against expected unprecedented attacks associated with this year's midterm elections, while also reorganizing the association to run more efficiently, as she kicks off her one-year term this month.

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Richards Layton Under Fire Amid Bid To Avoid AI Sanctions

By Rose Krebs

A firm has asked a Delaware vice chancellor to allow it to submit more "factual information" regarding what it says are inconsistencies in Richards Layton & Finger PA's attempt to avoid sanctions for submitting a filing with errors generated by artificial intelligence.

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2nd Circ. Says Pillsbury Must Surrender $3.6M Retainer

By Jessica Corso

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP was ordered on Thursday to hand over a $3.6 million retainer it was paid to defend a client against criminal and civil fraud charges, with the Second Circuit upholding a ruling that the funds were part of an asset freeze order issued in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission case.

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Ex-GC Hijacked Accounts And Posted Klan Imagery, Suit Says

By Ben Adlin

A Washington state court granted a temporary restraining order Wednesday in a school fundraising company's lawsuit accusing its former general counsel of taking control of its social media accounts and allegedly replacing its LinkedIn photo with a manipulated image of its president in a Ku Klux Klan robe.

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Ex-Girardi Atty Gets Probation For Keeping Silent On Theft

By Lauraann Wood

A former Girardi Keese attorney was sentenced to one day time-served and two years of probation Thursday for staying quiet and failing to report disgraced plaintiff's attorney Tom Girardi's theft of millions of settlement dollars owed to Lion Air Flight 620 plane crash victims.

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Wash. Justices Offer Bar Waiver After July Exam Tech Failure

By Rachel Riley

The Washington State Supreme Court said Thursday it's offering to waive the bar exam requirement for first-time applicants who were unable to take the test last week due to an abrupt cancellation driven by technical issues at the Yakima Convention Center where it was scheduled to be administered.   

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Justices' FTC Ruling Weakens Qui Tam's Constitutional Base

The U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Trump v. Slaughter, expanding presidential control over those exercising executive power, suggests that courts may be receptive to arguments challenging the constitutional foundations of the False Claims Act’s qui tam mechanism, says Daniel Passeser at Wiggin.

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