Duke Beats 401(k) Suit Over Use Of Forfeited Funds

By Grace Elletson

A North Carolina federal judge tossed a worker's suit claiming Duke University illegally used forfeited cash in its retirement plan to pay for future contributions rather than plan fees, finding the university's actions were allowed under the plan's terms.

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SEC Won't Reconsider Upholding Ex-Broker's FINRA Fines

By Emilie Ruscoe

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission won't revisit its earlier holding partially sustaining certain Financial Industry Regulatory Authority findings and sanctions against a former stockbroker who's challenged the constitutionality of the self-regulatory organization, stating that the stockbroker's reconsideration bid hadn't asserted the regulator erred in its earlier decision.

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Chancery Tosses Weapons Co. Suit, Says Claims Belong In NC

By Jarek Rutz

A Delaware Chancery Court judge on Tuesday dismissed a weapons analytics company's suit seeking to force one of its founders to litigate a stock valuation dispute in Delaware, ruling that the claims belong in a parallel North Carolina action and stem from a different contract than the company asserted.

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4th Circ. Skeptical Of IRS Stance In Spousal Relief Case

By Kat Lucero

A Fourth Circuit panel expressed skepticism Tuesday over the IRS' pursuit of a decades-old debt from a Maryland woman whose late husband's fraudulent activities triggered the liability, with one judge calling the government's interpretation of an eligible liability for spousal relief "really tricky."

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4th Circ. Seems Split On Habeas In Speech Detention Case

By Britain Eakin

A Fourth Circuit panel wrestled Tuesday with whether a federal court had authority to hear a Georgetown scholar's claim that he was detained for protected speech, with one judge insisting that federal immigration law forces challenges to immigration detention through the petition-for-review process.

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4th Circ. Cautious About Ripple Effects In Trans Bias Suit

By Anne Cullen

A Fourth Circuit panel expressed consternation Tuesday about the ramifications of giving a Christian university the legal green light to turn away transgender job applicants, with one judge wondering if a win for the school would let religious entities reject candidates in interracial marriages.

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4th Circ. Seems Leery Of Plant Closure Suit Against PE Firm

By Kellie Mejdrich

The Fourth Circuit was skeptical Tuesday of ex-workers' bid to revive a proposed class action accusing a private equity firm of violating federal laws when it abruptly shut down a manufacturing plant, hinting that dropping the firm from a prior suit over the closure may preclude their case.

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Book Distributor Baker & Taylor Hits Ch. 11 To Wind Down

By Clara Geoghegan

Baker & Taylor, a 198-year-old book distributor, sought bankruptcy protection in New Jersey with at least $100 million in liabilities after the COVID-19 pandemic, litigation and a loan default forced it to shut down operations last year.

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Brief

Cipla To Hold Off On Pediatric Cancer Drug Generic Until 2033

By Elliot Weld

Specialty drugmaker Fennec Pharmaceuticals has jointly announced with Indian multinational pharmaceutical company Cipla Ltd. that they had reached an agreement to settle patent infringement litigation in exchange for Cipla delaying the manufacture of a generic pediatric cancer drug until 2033.

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Chief Justice Says Personal Attacks On Judges 'Got To Stop'

By Katie Buehler

Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday condemned the personal attacks on federal judges that have become increasingly common during President Donald Trump's second term in office — and that are often launched by the president himself — and defended the daily work of the judiciary. 

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Deals In Jackson Walker-Judge Affair A 'Dilemma,' Judge Says

By José Luis Martínez

A Texas federal judge ordered three of Jackson Walker LLP's former bankruptcy clients Tuesday to explain by next month what would happen to money from potential vacaturs or sanctions against the law firm if the estates close after their contested deals get approved.

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NJ Judge Boots Prosecutor, Orders US Atty Trio's Testimony

By Jack Karp

A New Jersey federal judge on Monday questioned whether Alina Habba is still running the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office during a heated hearing where the jurist tossed a supervisory prosecutor from his courtroom and ordered testimony from the trio of attorneys who assumed Habba's responsibilities.

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Reed Smith Launches In Boston With 12 Attys From 7 Firms

By Tracey Read

Reed Smith LLP has launched its first office in Boston with 12 lawyers from White & Case, Goodwin Procter, McDermott Will & Schulte, Morrison Foerster, Kirkland & Ellis, Weil Gotshal & Manges and K&L Gates, the firm announced Tuesday.

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'No Disrespect' But Law Prof Mom Not SBF's Atty, Judge Says

By Lauren Berg

A federal judge in Manhattan cautioned retired Stanford Law School professor Barbara Fried, the mother of convicted FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, that she cannot make filings on behalf of her son in his bid for a new trial, saying she has not filed an appearance with the court.

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Indiana Firm Drops Quintairos Prieto 'Mass Exodus' Suit

By Adrian Cruz

Less than a month after suing Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer PA for allegedly causing a "mass exodus" of attorneys, Indiana-based Kopka Pinkus Dolin PC has chosen to dismiss the matter, according to a recent court filing.

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Comer Subpoenas AG Bondi Over Epstein Investigation

By Courtney Bublé

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, issued a subpoena on Tuesday for Attorney General Pam Bondi over the committee's investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Senate OKs Conservative Think Tank GC As Louisiana Judge

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 51-45 on Tuesday to confirm Anna St. John, president and general counsel of the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, as a U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

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IP Atty Appeals Order Requiring OK To File WDTX Patent Suits

By Lauren Berg

Intellectual property attorney William Ramey is asking the Federal Circuit to overturn a Texas district judge's sanctions order requiring him to seek the court's permission before filing patent suits in the future, saying the judge relied on the wrong evidence in finding the attorney failed to conduct presuit investigations.

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Lawmakers Want More Oversight For Antitrust Settlements

By Matthew Perlman

Democratic lawmakers proposed legislation Tuesday that would give courts more power to review settlements reached in government antitrust cases, after the U.S. Department of Justice recently cut a pair of controversial deals, including with Live Nation last week.

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NJ Justices Create Attorney Readmission Board

By Jake Maher

New Jersey's highest court announced Tuesday it formally established a new body charged with overseeing readmissions of disbarred lawyers through changes to the state's standards for attorney conduct.

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Pot Co. Escapes Potency Suit, Judge Warns Plaintiff Firm

By Jonathan Capriel

MariMed and other cannabis companies beat claims they intentionally mislabeled their products to sidestep Illinois THC potency limits, with a federal judge highlighting the string of consumer-led suit losses and warning counsel to "heed the strong and universal concerns about the plausibility of their legal theories."

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Analysis

Prediction Markets Have Opened Compliance 'Pandora's Box'

By Phillip Bantz

The burgeoning prediction market has exploded the definition of what qualifies as confidential corporate information that employees could misuse for personal gain, leaving companies scrambling to update internal policies and guidelines, compliance experts say.

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