NY Panel Skeptical Of TikTok Bid To Ax AG's Addiction Suit

By Frank G. Runyeon

A five-judge appellate panel Wednesday voiced doubts about TikTok's bid to dismiss the New York attorney general's claims that the social media platform is an addictive product that targets and harms children, pushing back on the company's free speech defense.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

OpenAI Witness Was Unprepared In IP MDL Depo, Judge Finds

By Rae Ann Varona

A New York federal judge has given news organizations and authors additional time to depose an OpenAI employee in litigation accusing the artificial intelligence company of using copyrighted material to train ChatGPT, saying the employee's lack of preparation and OpenAI counsel's "pattern of repeated objections" impeded his earlier deposition.

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

Google Search Judge Mulls If Mandates Will Need More Fixes

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. federal judge wondered aloud Wednesday if the continuously evolving technological landscape will necessitate even more changes down the line to his order in a U.S. Department of Justice monopolization case requiring Google to prop up its rivals with syndicated search results and data.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Ketamine Queen' Gets 15 Years In Matthew Perry Death Case

By Craig Clough

The woman known as the "Ketamine Queen" of North Hollywood was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a California federal judge Wednesday for several drug dealing-related crimes, including her role in providing the ketamine that led to the 2023 death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

AEG, BigLaw Atty In Hot Seat As Live Nation Trial Nears End

By Stewart Bishop

Live Nation on Wednesday concluded its defense case with glowing testimony about it from the manager for rap star Drake, while the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the case said rival company AEG Worldwide and a Hogan Lovells lawyer may face sanctions for revealing confidential information about a witness.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ's Lead Google Attys Both Leave Agency Same Day

By Bryan Koenig

The lead attorneys on both of the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's monopolization cases against Google left the agency Wednesday or said they would be doing so.

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

Elizabeth Warren Says FCC Must Tackle Sports 'Streamflation'

By Christopher Cole

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told the Federal Communications Commission that Disney's acquisition of Fubo and other deals in the last year showed why the FCC must use its authority over competition to protect consumers from an increasingly pricey sports streaming market.

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

3rd Time's The Charm For $7.85M PlayStation Antitrust Deal

By Matthew Perlman

A California federal court gave its initial approval for a $7.85 million settlement resolving antitrust claims from gamers over Sony's restriction of retail codes for PlayStation games, after rejecting two previous requests for approval.

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

Morgan Lewis Leads Ex-Blackstone Team's $400M Debut Fund

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP-advised private equity firm 154 Partners on Wednesday said it closed an inaugural fund at a $400 million hard cap, with plans to target investments in residential, business, and sports and live event services.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Erotic Influencer's Pot Co. Sued For Infringing Lil Baby's IP

By Jonathan Capriel

An erotic content influencer, her entrepreneur boyfriend and their Miami-based cannabis company are accused of tarnishing rapper Lil Baby's brand and trademarks by using them to push contaminated marijuana products while tying them to "explicit" adult content, according to a California federal lawsuit.

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

Vegas Performer Wants To Block Taylor Swift's 'Showgirl' Use

By Lauren Berg

A Las Vegas performer who has accused Taylor Swift of infringing her long-held "Confessions of a Showgirl" trademark asked a California federal judge to block the pop powerhouse from using "The Life of a Showgirl" on merchandise and for performances while the suit plays out in court.

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

Samsung Wants New Trial After $78.5M Patent Verdict

By Adam Lidgett

Samsung is seeking a new trial after an Eastern District of Texas jury said it owed $78.5 million for infringing patents covering automatic content recognition technology for commercial advertising, calling the first trial "fundamentally unfair."

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

Shutterstock, Photographer Clash Over DMCA Safe Harbor

By Ivan Moreno

A landscape photographer and Shutterstock have filed dueling bids for summary judgment in a copyright lawsuit in Manhattan federal court over whether the stock photo company can be held liable for allegedly infringing images uploaded by its users, or whether the claims are barred by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor protections.

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

StubHub Customer's Eras Tour Tickets Suit Sent To Arbitration

By Rachel Riley

A StubHub customer must arbitrate her claims that the ticket reseller botched her order for $14,000 in tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, a Washington federal judge has said, agreeing with the company that the patron agreed to a mandatory arbitration pact when she logged onto the website and made her purchase.

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

Roblox, Fortnite Hook Kids On Gaming, Mom's Suit Claims

By Emily Field

An Alabama mother on Tuesday sued Roblox and Fortnite developer Epic Games in California federal court alleging that they design their platforms and games to be addictive with random reward tactics, especially for minors, and that her young son has become hooked on gaming to his detriment.

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

Va. Hospital Patient Seeks Final Nod For $3.1M Privacy Deal

By Allison Grande

An Inova Health Care Services patient is urging a Virginia federal judge to grant final approval to a $3.1 million deal to resolve claims the healthcare system unlawfully shared private health information with Meta and Google through online tracking tools, arguing the resolution has received "overwhelming support" from the settlement class.

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

DOJ Backs Patent Rights In Samsung Case Against Netlist

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice told a Delaware federal court that having a patent included in a standard does not necessarily give the patentholder market power, while weighing in on Samsung's case accusing Netlist of exploiting the standard-setting process.

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

District Granted Pause On Discovery In Ex-Dean's Firing Suit

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday granted a Colorado school district's request to stay discovery in a former dean's lawsuit that alleged the district fired her for criticizing a book ban that a court has since deemed unconstitutional.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Gambling Machine Owners Shutter, Forfeit $5M In Pa. Plea Deal

By David Steele

Two companies pled guilty to operating hundreds of illegal video gaming machines throughout Pennsylvania and forfeited $5 million in assets in a deal announced Wednesday by the state's attorney general's office.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

$37M Award For Whistleblowers Nixed In Medicaid Fraud Row

By Gianna Ferrarin

A Texas state appeals court did away with an order awarding three whistleblowers a $37 million share of the state's settlement resolving Medicaid fraud allegations against Xerox, finding their respective cases over the alleged scheme were based on publicly available information.

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

FCC Looks To Beef Up 'Know Your Customer' Robocall Regs

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission this month will consider establishing rules requiring telecom providers to "know your customer" when sending robocall traffic, while weighing national security proposals and updates to satellite spectrum sharing rules.

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

Qualcomm Wants To Be Let Into 2 Closed-Off Spectrum Bands

By Nadia Dreid

Qualcomm is asking for the Federal Communications Commission's permission to start operating in two bands that are currently not open to commercial users so that it can launch its 5G sidelink service, which allows devices to connect to each other without cellular towers.

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

Fla. County Board To Discuss MLB Team's Ballpark Plan

By Isaac Monterose

The Board of County Commissioners in Hillsborough County, Florida, plans to hold an April 16 workshop meeting to talk about a proposal from Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays for a 31,000-seat ballpark project, according to the board's chair.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ropes & Gray Adds Cybersecurity Atty From Justice Dept.

By Jack Rodgers

Ropes & Gray LLP has hired a new data, privacy and cybersecurity practice partner, who has joined the team in Washington after spending more than a decade working for the Justice Department, the firm announced Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices' Geofence Ruling May Test 4th Amendment's Future

When the U.S. Supreme Court decides in Chatrie v. U.S. whether law enforcement may use geofence warrants to compel Google to disclose location history data, the ruling is likely to become an important statement about the future of Fourth Amendment law in data-driven investigations, says Duncan Levin at Levin & Associates.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NY Tax Talk: Calculating Tiered Partnership Income

Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland discuss how the potential impact recent New York City Tax Appeals Tribunal decision in Matter of Cantor Fitzgerald holding that the entity approach should be used by tiered partnerships to compute unincorporated business tax liability, why the issue of the proper approach remains unsettled and the broader implications for federal conformity and administrative agency deference.

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

DLA Piper Offered Pregnant Atty 'Dignified' Exit, Jury Told

By Pete Brush

A former DLA Piper associate who claims she was unlawfully fired after announcing her pregnancy was offered a chance to transition out of the firm "without anyone knowing that her work was subpar," a partner told a Manhattan federal jury Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Spencer Fane Adds 75 Attys Through Tie-Up With Okla. Firm

By Tracey Read

Missouri-headquartered Spencer Fane LLP announced Wednesday that it plans to combine with Southwest firm Conner & Winters LLP on July 1 in its largest tie-up to date and its third already in 2026.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. Federal Judge Pleads No Contest In Drunk-Driving Case

By Gina Kim

A Michigan federal judge pled no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor drunken-driving charge in Emmet County court in connection with an incident where he crashed his Cadillac and registered a 0.27% blood alcohol level, apologizing and saying he "looks forward" to continuing his judicial service.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ABA, State Bars Blast DOJ Proposal To Block Bar Probes

By Emily Sawicki

The American Bar Association and a chorus of state and local bar groups have come out against a proposed rule that would allow the U.S. Department of Justice to pause and review state-level ethics complaints against its attorneys, calling the proposal "unlawful and unconstitutional."

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ABA Rates Montana Judicial Pick 'Not Qualified'

By Courtney Bublé

Katie Lane, senior legal counsel at the Republican National Committee who has been tapped for a federal judgeship in Montana, is the first nominee to receive a majority "not qualified" rating by the American Bar Association in the second Trump administration.

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

NY Panel Backs DLA Piper's $482K Fee Win In Malpractice Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

A New York appellate court affirmed Tuesday the dismissal of a Chinese software company's legal malpractice suit against DLA Piper, along with a $482,000 sanctions order against the company and its counsel, noting that the company's frivolous claims also drew a $635,000 sanctions ruling in "mirror" federal court litigation.

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

Bondi To Skip Epstein Deposition After DOJ Cites AG Exit

By Courtney Bublé

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will not sit for her scheduled deposition next week on the Epstein files now that she has left the role, and the Justice Department has asked the House Oversight Committee to withdraw its subpoena.

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

Trump Asks NY's Top Court To Toss AG's 'Flawed' Fraud Case

By Lauren Berg

President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked New York's highest court to throw out New York Attorney General Letitia James' "deeply flawed" civil fraud judgment entirely after a lower appellate court tossed what it called an "excessive" $489 million penalty against the president, his sons and his real estate companies.

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