A Florida federal judge tossed a $10 billion defamation suit President Donald Trump brought against the Wall Street Journal over a published article linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ruling Monday that the newspaper didn't knowingly or recklessly run a false story. 
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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Trump's $10B WSJ Suit Tossed Over Thin Defamation Claims

By David Minsky

A Florida federal judge tossed a $10 billion defamation suit President Donald Trump brought against the Wall Street Journal over a published article linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, ruling Monday that the newspaper didn't knowingly or recklessly run a false story. 

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DC Circ. Digs Into FTC Rationale For Media Matters Probe

By Nadia Dreid

A D.C. Circuit panel tore into a Federal Trade Commission lawyer on Monday as the agency fought to convince the three judges that a lower court had no right to block it from investigating a left-leaning media watchdog, a probe the group claims is retaliation for publishing anti-Nazi content.

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DOD Asks To Keep Escort Requirement For Reporters

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The U.S. Department of Defense has asked a D.C. federal judge to allow it to continue requiring journalists to be escorted while in the Pentagon, arguing that it is essential for preventing national security leaks.

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Disney, WB, Universal's AI Suit Is 'Artificial,' Tech Cos. Say

By Hailey Konnath

Chinese artificial intelligence companies have urged a California federal court to throw out allegations from Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal that their service has been stealing the studios' intellectual property, calling it "ironic" that the case about artificial intelligence is "entirely artificial."

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Cardi B Wants Sanctions Against YouTuber Who Owes $4M

By Emlyn Cameron

Rapper Cardi B has urged a Florida bankruptcy judge to sanction Tasha K, alleging the bankrupt YouTuber has been defying the terms of her own Chapter 11 Subchapter V plan by continuing a pattern of disparaging comments that had led to a nearly $4 million defamation judgment.

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Analysis

State Meta Verdicts May Offer Clues For 1st Federal Bellwether

By Cara Salvatore

Meta's recent state jury losses in suits over social media's harms to mental health provide clues as to what will happen this summer when a school district's suit against social platforms goes to trial in the first federal bellwether — and down the road in appeals some believe will reach the nation's high court.

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LEGAL ETHICS & MALPRACTICE

Lin Wood's Days-Late Bond Appeal Denied In Ex-Partners' Suit

By Madison Arnold

Former attorney L. Lin Wood cannot challenge a lower court ruling ordering him to post a supersedeas bond and pledge property to secure a judgment issued to his former partners, because he filed his notice of appeal a few days late, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Hikma Tells Justices Cox Ruling Boosts 'Skinny Label' Case

By Ryan Davis

Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. told the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that the justices' recent decision clearing an internet company in a copyright case bolsters the drugmaker's challenge to a patent suit over its generic version of an Amarin Pharma Inc. heart drug.

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Calif. High Schools Resume Court Fight Against Athlete NIL

By David Steele

California's high school sports governing body has told a California federal court that the athletes demanding name, image and likeness rights again failed to prove that the state's ban eliminates competition for their talents.

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Genius Wants Copy Of Settlement Between Sports Tech Rivals

By Elaine Briseño

Sports technology company Genius Sports Ltd. is asking a Texas federal court to compel Panda Interactive to follow the court's discovery order by sharing a copy of a settlement agreement Panda reached in a similar patent lawsuit with a different rival.

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PRIVACY & CONSUMER PROTECTION

Some Claims, Plaintiffs Trimmed From AirPod Defect Suit

By Mike Curley

A California federal judge has thrown out breach of implied warranty claims and two plaintiffs' claims from a proposed class action alleging Apple Inc. misled consumers about defects in its AirPods Pro products.

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Meta Pulls Some Attys' Social Media Addiction Ads

By Rachel Rippetoe

After losing a bellwether trial last month in one of a slew of cases from plaintiffs who claim to have been harmed by social media, Meta has begun removing ads from attorneys seeking clients with similar claims.

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NordVPN Hit With Dark Patterns Class Actions In Va., Conn.

By Jared Foretek

Virtual private network provider NordVPN and its parent company are facing a pair of proposed class actions accusing the company of using deceptive "dark pattern" tactics, like automatic renewal, to keep consumers paying for unwanted and expensive internet security subscriptions.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court's docket this past week featured a mix of high-stakes settlements, fast-moving deal litigation, governance disputes and a notable post-trial ruling involving fraud-tainted loans.

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Brief

DC Judge Won't Stay Broadband Grants Suit Against Trump

By Gautama Mehta

A D.C. federal judge on Monday declined to pause a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's termination of broadband infrastructure grants while the D.C. Circuit considers a separate challenge over environmental grant cuts, saying the cases are substantially different.

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COMPETITION

Brief

Startup's Ticketmaster Antitrust Suit May Get 2027 Trial Date

By Ganesh Setty

A California federal court tentatively scheduled an October 2027 trial for a shuttered startup's antitrust suit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, after the startup claimed that Ticketmaster's exclusive agreements with venues thwarted its ability to compete in the ticketing business.

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EMPLOYMENT

Ex-Twitter Executive Ends $20M Suit Against X Corp., Musk

By Kellie Mejdrich

Twitter's former chief marketing officer has agreed to drop her $20 million severance suit, which defendants X Corp. and Elon Musk had appealed to the Ninth Circuit seeking to force arbitration, after parties reported a settlement of their dispute late last month.

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Atlantic City Says Lifeguards Aren't Whistleblowers

By George Woolston

The Atlantic City Beach Patrol has urged a state court to toss a whistleblower suit from two lifeguards alleging they endured retaliation for speaking up about decrepit conditions, arguing that they failed to allege they performed any whistleblowing activity.

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SECURITIES & WHITE COLLAR

Tesla Wins Chancery Suit Dismissal After Move To Texas

By Sarah Jarvis

A consolidated Delaware Chancery Court suit leveling breach of fiduciary duty claims against Elon Musk and Tesla Inc. directors belongs in Texas, a vice chancellor said Monday, finding that a forum selection bylaw applies retroactively even though the conduct at issue occurred before the company reincorporated in the Lone Star State.

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Citron's 'Shadowy Gang' Sued Over Short Selling Campaign

By Katryna Perera

Shareholders of PolarityTE have alleged in a new suit that "members of a shadowy gang of short sellers" conspired to short the biotechnology company's stock through targeted negative media attacks with Citron Research to enrich themselves at the expense of the shareholders, and that they ultimately caused the company's bankruptcy.

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Picks Nonprofit As New Admin For Cyber Trust Mark

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission has selected a nonprofit group focused on security of the Internet of Things as the next entity to run the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, a government-endorsed seal of approval for devices.

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Fed Action Sought Against European Plan To 'Target' Iridium

By Christopher Cole

Iridium wants the Federal Communications Commission to push back against a European proposal that it says would "unfairly target" the satellite phone provider with new restrictions.

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Brief

FCC Plans To Create Portal For E-Rate Bids

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission plans to vote this month to make changes to the E-rate program, which subsidizes internet service for schools and libraries, that it says will simplify the program and make it harder for people to commit fraud.

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Brief

Bay Area Trains To Get Upgrade After FCC Rule Waiver

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission has approved a rule waiver for Hitachi Rail that will let Bay Area Regional Transportation upgrade a half-century-old train control system.

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BANKRUPTCY

Aspiration's Ch. 7 Trustee Sues To Block Calif. Fraud Suit

By Alex Wittenberg

The Chapter 7 trustee for Aspiration Partners Inc. has sued investors who have alleged in California state court that the company's co-founder and others defrauded them, telling a Delaware bankruptcy court the civil case risks depleting estate assets that should be shared among all of Aspiration's creditors.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Opinion

State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

The 2026 Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey

How is your work-life balance? Are you content with your compensation and opportunities for advancement at work? Take the 2026 Law360 Lawyer Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts.

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Grassley Says Cruz And Lee Top His List If Alito Retires

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Tuesday that if U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito were to retire then he would recommend the president nominate either Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, or Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.

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Ginsburg Hack Conviction Upheld For Man Who Blamed Cat

By Craig Clough

The Fourth Circuit affirmed Tuesday a former hospital transplant coordinator's conviction for illegally accessing U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's healthcare records, upholding a ruling that the defendant was not improperly coerced when he told FBI agents a coworker or his cat may have been responsible.

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Judiciary Panel Backs Legal Finance Project, Subpoena Rules

By Jeff Overley

Federal judiciary advisers agreed Tuesday to develop transparency obligations for litigation funders despite "vehement" views in the defense and plaintiffs bars, while also advancing controversial subpoena rules involving remote testimony and process servers.

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Analysis

IBM's FCA Deal Creates Unease Over DEI Enforcement Scope

By Madeline Lyskawa

IBM's agreement to pay the Trump administration $17 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act with policies aimed at increasing the diversity of its workforce continues to raise more questions than answers about what the administration views as illegal diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

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Mintz Can't Halt Texas Malpractice Suit For Fee Fight In Mass.

By Elliot Weld

A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday declined Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC's request to halt a former client's legal malpractice case against the firm in Texas federal court while the two fight over a $2 million "success fee" the law firm claims it is owed.

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DC Circ. Halts Boasberg's 'Unnecessary' Alien Enemies Probe

By Britain Eakin

A split D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday halted for the second time U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's criminal contempt probe of Trump administration officials for willfully violating his order barring removals of Venezuelans under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

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House Dem Threatens Bondi Contempt Over Epstein Files

By Courtney Bublé

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee is looking to hold former Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt if she does not appear before the committee to discuss the U.S. Department of Justice's handling of the Epstein files.

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Grassley Hits 100 Judge Confirmations As 2 Clear Senate

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the 100th district judge under Sen. Chuck Grassley's leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

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Investors Want Sanctions For Fake Citations In LGBCoin Suit

By Carolina Bolado

Investors in the "Let's Go Brandon" meme token urged a Florida federal judge Monday to issue "case-terminating sanctions" against the man behind the coin, saying he and his counsel have lied in discovery, disobeyed court orders and submitted fake legal citations in at least eight filings.

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Calif. Federal Judges Weigh Audio Access For Civil Jury Trials

By Dorothy Atkins

California Northern District federal judges are seeking public comment on modifying local court rules to allow jurists to audio stream civil jury trials in the district, which regularly presides over high-stakes courtroom fights involving tech giants such as Google, Meta, OpenAI and Apple.

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IOLTA Group Owed Notice Of Settlements, Mass. Justices Say

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court said Tuesday that a committee overseeing lawyers' trust accounts should have been given a chance to request potential leftover funds prior to a judge's approval of a class action settlement, but saw no reason to unwind the deal.

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COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American Civil Liberties Union

American Tort Reform Association

Apple Inc.

Aspiration Partners Inc.

BC Partners

Chewy Inc.

Citigroup Inc.

Consumer Technology Association

Cox Communications Inc.

Dow Jones & Co.

Epic Games Inc.

FedEx Corp.

George Washington University

Google LLC

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC

Hitachi Ltd.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing

Instagram Inc.

International Business Machines Corp.

Lawyers for Civil Justice

Lenovo Group Ltd.

LexisNexis Legal & Professional

Lincoln Property Co.

LinkedIn Corp.

Live Nation Entertainment Inc.

Los Angeles Clippers

McAfee Inc.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Motorola Mobility LLC

NASCAR Digital Media LLC

New York University

OpenAI OpCo LLC

Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc.

PetSmart Inc.

PolarityTE Inc.

RELX PLC

Snap Inc.

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Sportradar Group AG

State Bar of California

Tesla Inc.

The Florida Bar

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

The New York Times Co.

The UPS Store

The Walt Disney Co.

TikTok Inc.

Twitter Inc.

Utah State Bar Association

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

X Corp.

YouTube Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

AVA Law Group

Arnold & Porter

Baker & Hostetler

Beal Sutherland

Blank Rome

Brito PLLC

Burnham & Gorokhov

Cahill Gordon

Casey Lundregan

Cherry Johnson Siegmund James

Connell Foley

Cooley LLP

Covington & Burling

Crowell & Moring

DLA Piper

Davis Wright Tremaine

Dechert LLP

Di Pietro Partners

Dworken & Bernstein

Foley Hoag

Freshfields

Gibson Dunn

Grant & Eisenhofer

Gunster Yoakley

Holland & Knight

Jenner & Block

John Exum Law

Kirkland & Ellis

Koutoulas Law

Labaton Keller

Lanier Law Firm

Latham & Watkins

Law Offices of Eric A. Shore

Law Offices of Riley & Riley

Lieff Cabraser

McNicholas & McNicholas

Meland Budwick

Merchant & Gould

Metaxas Brown

Miller Barondess

Mintz Levin

Morgan & Morgan PA

Morgan Lewis

Morrison & Foerster

Ogborn Mihm

Perkins Coie

Prickett Jones

Quinn Emanuel

Renaker Scott

Richards Layton

Robinson Bradshaw

Ross Aronstam

Salahi PC

Saxena White

Schall Law

Scheef & Stone

Scott&Scott

Shepherd & Shepherd

Sheppard Mullin

Sokolove Law

Spinelli Donald

Squitieri & Fearon

Steptoe LLP

Sullivan & Cromwell

Tidrick Law Firm

Tycko & Zavareei

Van Horn Law Group

Wachtell Lipton

Wade Grunberg

Waymaker LLP

Wheeler Trigg

Wiggin & Dana

Winston & Strawn

Wise Law Firm PLC

Withersworldwide

Wittels McInturff

Zigler Law Group

deLeeuw Law

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

City and County of San Francisco, California

Delaware Court of Chancery

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Georgia Court of Appeals

Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission

Illinois Supreme Court

Judicial Conference of the United States

Los Angeles Superior Court

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)

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

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

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

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

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

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 Texas

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

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

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

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court