'Conjecture' Frees Duke Energy From Climate Change Suit

By Abigail Harrison

Duke Energy Corporation was freed from a North Carolina town's novel lawsuit seeking to hold the utility accountable for climate change-related damages after a North Carolina Business Court judge ruled it presented questions that would force a jury into "utter conjecture."

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NC High Court Snapshot: County Tax Tiff, Earth Fare Pay Fight

By Hayley Fowler

North Carolina's highest court kicks off its first week of arguments in 2026 with a look at how a coastal county is spending its occupancy tax dollars on public safety, and whether those allocations flout a state law mandating the funds be put toward tourism.

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Ex-Sysco Technician's Religious Bias, OT Suit Trimmed

By Irene Spezzamonte

A former Sysco diesel technician and Christian preacher failed to support constructive discharge and overtime time claims in his suit alleging he was treated differently because of his religion and denied overtime, a North Carolina federal judge ruled, trimming those claims while also cutting certain claims for retaliation.

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Old Dominion's $1.9M 401(k) Fee Suit Deal Gets Final OK

By Abigail Harrison

A North Carolina federal judge gave final approval Friday to a $1.9 million deal that ends a class action accusing Old Dominion Freight Line of failing to keep fees low on its 401(k) plan, with class counsel securing $633,333.

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States' Generic Drugs Antitrust Case Headed Toward Trial

By Hailey Konnath

A Connecticut federal judge has mostly refused to side with pharmaceutical companies facing states' generic drug price-fixing litigation against them, ruling that there are genuine disputes of material fact as to drug distribution chains and the states' antitrust standing and teeing up the case for trial.

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Full 4th Circ. Asked To Rethink Visa Fraud Conviction

By Parker Quinlan

An immigration consultant who was found guilty of visa fraud based on optional documents he submitted as part of an immigration application has asked the full Fourth Circuit for a review of its panel's decision upholding a jury's conviction.

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4th Circ. Gives Models 2nd Shot At Suit Over Stolen Photos

By Elliot Weld

Several models who said a nightclub used their photos without permission will have another chance at pursuing their trademark infringement claims after the Fourth Circuit on Friday found that the models' failure to respond to the club's motion to dismiss within 14 days was no reason to toss the suit.

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Roundup

Real Estate Recap: Office Conversions, Multifamily Oversupply

By Real Estate Authority Staff

Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into the office conversion puzzle and a look at multifamily oversupply heading into 2026.

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Notable Q4 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

Last quarter featured a novel class action theory about car rental reimbursement coverage, another win for insurers in total loss valuations, a potentially broad-reaching Idaho Supreme Court ruling about illusory underinsured motorist coverage, and homeowners blaming rising premiums on the fossil fuel industry, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

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Series

Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers

U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.

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Law Professors Sue EEOC For Firm DEI Letter Records

By Craig Clough

Two professors at law schools in Michigan and Florida have sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in D.C. federal court, seeking documents related to 20 letters the agency sent to law firms over their purported diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

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Goldstein Tax Trial Heads To Closing Args As Defense Rests

By Jared Foretek

Jurors in SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein's tax fraud trial will hear closing arguments Wednesday, after the final two witnesses in the monthlong proceeding took the stand, and new emails regarding Goldstein's efforts to conceal poker debts came to light Tuesday.

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Flat Fee Or Contingency? Firm, Ex-Client Fight Over IP Spoils

By Ben Adlin

A 3D printing technology company has urged a Washington federal court to toss a breach of contract lawsuit brought by its former law firm, Lee & Hayes PC, arguing it agreed to a flat fee ahead of a patent settlement, while Lee & Hayes says it only waived a contingency fee because of its onetime client's "underhanded misrepresentations."

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J&J Fights Beasley Allen's Bid To Pause Talc DQ Ruling

By Emily Sawicki

A New Jersey state court lacks standing to block an appellate panel's removal of Beasley Allen from representing hundreds of women with ovarian cancer pursuing claims against Johnson & Johnson over talcum powder, the pharmaceutical company has argued in an opposition brief.

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Valve Jury Says Rothschild, Atty Broke Anti-Patent Troll Law

By Rachel Riley

Inventor Leigh Rothschild, his companies and his former attorney broke Washington state's anti-patent trolling law by making a bad faith assertion of patent infringement against video game developer Valve Corp., and Rothschild and his companies breached an intellectual property licensing deal in the process, a Seattle federal jury found on Tuesday. 

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Supreme Court Adopts Rule To Suss Out Stock Conflicts

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court announced Tuesday that litigants will soon be required to include companies' stock ticker symbols in court documents as part of new rules aimed at helping the justices identify potential conflicts of interest.

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Sens. Concerned About Live Nation Case After DOJ 'Ousting'

By Matthew Perlman

A group of Senate Democrats is raising concerns about potential political influence at the U.S. Department of Justice, following the abrupt departure of the agency's top antitrust enforcer weeks before Live Nation is set to face trial in the government's monopolization case.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence disputes continued their slow weave into Delaware Court of Chancery and state Supreme Court dockets last week, with jurists and litigants grappling over how — or if — the courts' old-school equity jurisdiction and fiduciary duty hooks apply to new kinds of deals.

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