TikTok Seals Joint Venture Deal For US Operations

By Lauren Berg

TikTok's Beijing-based owner, ByteDance, has sold a majority stake in the video app's U.S. operations to a new U.S.-based joint venture managed by a group of non-Chinese investors in order to comply with a congressional mandate and avoid the app's shutdown, the company announced Thursday.

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Goldstein Prosecutors Unveil Conflicting Cash Source Claims

By Jared Foretek

A former lawyer at SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein's firm said Thursday that Goldstein told coworkers that the more than $960,000 in cash he brought off a flight from Hong Kong — the source of which is integral to the government's case — had come from a client.

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11th Circ. Reopens Telemundo Sexual Harassment Claims

By Chart Riggall

The Eleventh Circuit gave new life Thursday to a sexual harassment suit from a former Telemundo employee who said she faced retribution for reporting what she alleged was her superiors' misconduct, ruling that she "unquestionably" engaged in protected activity amid "humiliating and degrading" treatment.

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Meta Fights Late Data Request In Instagram Addiction Suit

By Julie Manganis

Meta Platforms has told a judge that Massachusetts' attorney general should not be allowed to fill what the company said are holes in the state's Instagram addiction lawsuit with a late subpoena for records from two of its own health agencies.

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Nappy Roots Hit With Infringement Suit Over 'Good Day' Bop

By Rae Ann Varona

Rap group Nappy Roots sampled a 30-second snippet in its hit song "Good Day" despite not having permission from the music sample's co-composers, according to a new lawsuit filed in Atlanta federal court.

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Fed. Circ. Says Livestream Patent In Google Suit Is Abstract

By Theresa Schliep

A Federal Circuit panel on Thursday agreed with a Washington federal court's conclusion that a livestreaming patent asserted against Google covers a patent-ineligible abstract idea, finding the relevant claims were too "result-oriented."

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NFL's Lions Should Face Copyright Suit In Calif., Photog Says

By Rae Ann Varona

A California photographer has pushed back against the Detroit Lions' bid to dismiss his lawsuit accusing the NFL team of using photos he took of quarterback Jared Goff without permission, telling a California federal court that his lawsuit, contrary to the team's contention, belongs in the Golden State.

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Patagonia Claims Activist 'Pattie Gonia' Rips Off TM In $1 Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

Patagonia Inc. has sued an activist who goes by the "Pattie Gonia" persona in California federal court, asking the court to block the drag queen from selling T-shirts and other merchandise and services that allegedly rip off its popular trademarks, while only seeking $1 in nominal damages.

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Google Moves To Toss Privacy Suit Alleging AI Spying

By Craig Clough

Google urged a California federal judge on Wednesday to dismiss a proposed class action claiming it secretly enabled artificial intelligence tools to scan users' Gmail, Chat and Meet communications, arguing the plaintiffs don't allege their data was accessed or if they suffered any harm.

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Brief

Courthouse News Drops Access Suit Against DC Court Clerk

By Emily Sawicki

National litigation news outlet Courthouse News Service has voluntarily and permanently dropped claims against a Washington, D.C., Superior Court clerk and the executive officer of the D.C. courts over filing delays, with both sides agreeing to pay their own costs.

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Google Can't Duck Case Over Paid Search, Privacy Claims

By Matthew Perlman

A California federal court has refused to toss a proposed consumer class action alleging Google's default search agreements block competition from rival search engines that could provide more privacy or even pay users to search.

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FTC Cites 'Serious Concerns' With Epic-Google Play Deal

By Bryan Koenig

A settlement resolving Epic Games' antitrust lawsuit against Google that would replace the injunction Epic won against Google's Play Store controls has drawn pushback from the Federal Trade Commission, which is urging strict scrutiny of the agreement currently under the eye of an already skeptical California federal judge.

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Google, Epic Fight Uphill To Tweak App Antitrust Injunction

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge indicated Thursday that he's unlikely to grant Epic and Google's request to modify a permanent injunction issued after a jury found Google monopolized the distribution of apps on Android devices, saying they have to show changed circumstances, and "I haven't seen anything change, other than a deal" between the companies.

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FTC Defends BOTS Act Case Against Live Nation

By Matthew Perlman

The Federal Trade Commission urged a California federal court not to toss its case accusing Live Nation of deceiving customers and artists, saying the live events and ticketing giant failed to disclose the actual price of tickets and turned a blind eye to scalpers on its platforms.

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Closed Captioners Get Initial OK For Wage Deal With Vitac

By Lauren Berg

A Colorado federal judge Thursday gave his initial blessing to a $500,000 settlement resolving a Vitac Corp. employee's allegations that the transcription and closed captioning company didn't pay workers for preparation tasks necessary to perform their jobs, saying the immediate recovery outweighs potential future relief following expensive litigation.

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Meta Can't Arbitrate Suit Alleging Bias Against White Workers

By Gina Kim

Meta Platforms can't arbitrate a former engineer's suit alleging it fostered a hostile work environment that discriminated against white male employees and job applicants for hiring opportunities, promotions and bonuses, according to a minute order issued by a California state judge.

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Brief

2nd Circ. Stays Nielsen's National-Local Data Tying Block

By Corey Rothauser

The Second Circuit temporarily paused a New York federal judge's order blocking Nielsen from tying access to its nationwide radio ratings data to the purchase of local market data.

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Ill. Judge Dismisses Suit Over Federal Agents' Use Of Force

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge has allowed plaintiffs accusing immigration officials of using excessive force to voluntarily end their case, but first disbanded the class of media and peaceful protesters she'd certified late last year.

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Series

Hosting Exchange Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Opening my home to foreign exchange students makes me a better lawyer not just because prioritizing visiting high schoolers forces me to hone my organization and time management skills but also because sharing the study-abroad experience with newcomers and locals reconnects me to my community, says Alison Lippa at Nicolaides Fink.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Max Austin

This past week in London saw Travelers Insurance hit with a claim from a property buyer over a payout tied to collapsed law firm Axiom Ince, Swedish music group Pophouse Entertainment clash with the production company that helped it create the ABBA Voyage experience, and biotech company Vertex Pharmaceuticals sue rival entity ToolGen for patent infringement.

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Analysis

More Push In The 'Push-Pull' As DOJ Targets 'Gamesmanship'

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Department of Justice continues to build its task force targeting "gamesmanship" that it says BigLaw attorneys for major companies, especially technology platforms, are using to obstruct antitrust investigations — an effort that has been welcomed by some practitioners and questioned by others.

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5 Arrests Made In Shooting Of Indiana Judge, Wife

By Lynn LaRowe

Five people have been charged in connection with the shooting of an Indiana Superior Court Judge and his wife at their home Sunday following an investigation involving state law enforcement in Indiana and Kentucky and federal agencies.

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Shook Hardy Adds 2 E-Discovery-Focused Partners

By Matt Perez

Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP has hired two e-discovery experts as partners for its complex litigation strategic counseling practice in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

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Dems Push For Another Round Of Jack Smith Testimony

By Courtney Bublé

Following former special counsel Jack Smith's congressional appearance, Democrats are looking for him to return once he is able to speak about the second volume of his report on President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents after he left office.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Williams & Connolly LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court held in a unanimous opinion that restitution is a criminal punishment subject to the Constitution's ban on increasing punishment retroactively.

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DOJ Alumni Back Maurene Comey In Effort To Keep Suit Alive

By Rose Krebs

U.S. Department of Justice alumni and a group that includes attorneys, law professors and former judges have filed briefs supporting former Manhattan federal prosecutor Maurene Comey's call for a New York federal court to reject the DOJ's bid to dismiss a suit over her firing.

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How Attorneys Can Balance Careers With Caring For Parents

By Kevin Penton

As baby boomers get older and develop more intense healthcare needs, attorneys in the prime of their careers are increasingly pressed to also provide care to their elderly parents.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

The EEOC voted to retract major harassment and discrimination protections as civil rights advocates protested. And Goldman Sachs denied rumors it was easing out its prominent chief legal officer despite the lingering stigma over her association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Embezzler's Legal Malpractice Claims Too Late, Court Says

By Julie Manganis

A convicted embezzler who accused her attorneys of botching her defenses in criminal and civil cases cannot rely on a longer six-year statute of repose for breach of contract claims to overcome her delay in filing a legal malpractice case, an intermediate Massachusetts appellate court said Friday.

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