Pa. Judge Accused Of COVID Fraud Seeks Diversion Deal

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Pennsylvania county judge facing criminal charges for allegedly misusing COVID-19 unemployment relief money to pay his former law firm's staff is working with prosecutors to enter into a pretrial diversion agreement, with the federal court agreeing to hold a conference on the matter, according to court filings Monday.

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Philly Cop Not Too Late To Seek Benefits For Mental Health

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Philadelphia police officer who was beaten by a suspect while responding to a robbery call can add post-traumatic stress disorder and depression to his existing workers' compensation claims, with the Commonwealth Court ruling that it was permissible since the symptoms were not identified as compensable until after the original claim was filed.

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Neighbors, Insurers File Suits Over Fatal Pa. Gas Explosion

By Matthew Santoni

The owners or insurers of more than five dozen properties in a Pittsburgh-area housing development have filed lawsuits over a massive natural gas explosion that leveled three houses, killed six people and allegedly caused damage across the neighborhood.

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Soda Makers Sued Over Banned Brominated Soybean Oil

By Mike Curley

A pair of Pennsylvania men are suing the makers of Frostie and Faygo brand sodas in state court, saying the sodas contain brominated soybean oil, which has been banned by federal regulators because it is dangerous to consume.

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Aetna, CVS Want Lab's $21M Payment Suit Tossed For Good

By Matthew Santoni

Aetna and its parent company, CVS Health Corp., said a medical laboratory can't stand in the shoes of patients who were allegedly denied coverage by the insurer for lab tests, and they have asked a Connecticut federal judge to toss the lab's lawsuit for good.

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Pa. AG Probing 'Cyber Incident' That Disrupted Email, Phones

By Matthew Santoni

The website, office email accounts and phone lines for the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office were offline Monday after being disrupted by a "cyber incident," the state's top prosecutor announced.

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Pa. Court Finds Man Who Wasn't Driving Can Still Get DUI

By Elizabeth Daley

A man found intoxicated in the driver's seat of his running truck in a parking lot had his sentence for driving under the influence affirmed by the Pennsylvania Superior Court, which found it was fair to assume the man had driven there.

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Brief

AGs Target Voice Providers In 'Operation Robocall Roundup'

By Brian Steele

A bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general from across the U.S. is sending warning letters to 37 voice service providers to demand action against illegal robocalls, alleging they flouted Federal Communications Commission rules, according to an announcement Monday.

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A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

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Taft, Morris Manning Unveil Merger Plans

By Emma Cueto

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP announced Monday its plans to merge with Atlanta firm Morris Manning & Martin LLP, which would establish the firm's presence in the city, add about 100 attorneys to its headcount and mark its third merger of 2025.

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ABA Policymakers Vote To Oppose Targeting Of Law Firms

By Kevin Penton

The American Bar Association's policymaking body on Monday took a stand against the Trump administration's targeting of law firms and clarified its position on the proper use of artificial intelligence by law students.

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Legal Tech Co. Hits Back At Norton Rose With $15M Fraud Suit

By Celeste Bott

Norton Rose Fulbright is facing a $15 million fraud suit in Illinois state court from a legal tech company claiming the firm made false promises to lure its founders to join its new Chicago office and offer its legal workflow product to clients, weeks after Norton Rose sued the company saying it deceived the firm and kept client files without authorization.

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FTX Customers Aim To Beef Up Case Against Fenwick & West

By Jack Karp

New information that has emerged since customers of the now-collapsed cryptocurrency trading platform FTX Trading Ltd. sued Fenwick & West LLP over the firm's alleged role in that collapse justifies updating the complaint against the firm, those customers told a Florida federal court Monday.

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McDermott, Other Firms Sign Deal To End $4.4M Guo Claims

By Aaron Keller

McDermott Will & Schulte, four other law firms and one consulting firm have agreed to settle, for an undisclosed amount and without formal litigation, clawback claims totaling $4.4 million by the Chapter 11 estate of bankrupt Chinese exile and convicted criminal Miles Guo.

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'Flipping NJ' Developer Fights Charges, Citing Habba's Role

By Lauren Berg

A New Jersey real estate developer and influencer, who is accused of running a Ponzi-like investment fraud scheme and laundering drug money, on Monday became the latest defendant to seek dismissal of his indictment over what he says was the illegal appointment of Alina Habba as acting U.S. attorney for the Garden State.

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Trump's DC Takeover Highlights Local Judicial Vacancies

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's announcement Monday on the federal takeover of D.C. law enforcement and deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., has drawn attention once again to the vacancy crisis plaguing the local D.C. court system.

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Posner Accuser Wants Roberts To Pick Judges For Wage Case

By Emily Sawicki

The pro se plaintiff seeking to revive wage claims against retired Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner has filed an opposed motion asking the circuit's chief judge to request U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts assign out-of-circuit judges to preside over the case, arguing the circuit judges cannot be impartial.

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NY Judge Won't Unseal 'Redundant' Maxwell Grand Jury Docs

By Phillip Bantz

A New York federal judge on Monday denied the Trump administration's bid to unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits in the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is appealing a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking teenage girls for sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, concluding that the materials contain almost nothing new.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Katryna Perera and Jeff Montgomery

Nielsen Holdings Ltd. and consumer intelligence spinoff Nielsen Consumer IQ agreed to end their dispute, a sole investor asked the court to name him lead plaintiff in a suit challenging Endeavor's $13 billion take-private deal, and the Chancery Court announced a new, automated case assignment regime. Here's the latest from the Delaware Chancery Court.

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Brief

FCC Republican Names Senior Legal Adviser

By Christopher Cole

A Republican on the Federal Communications Commission on Monday named an FCC lawyer and Wiley Rein LLP alum as her new senior legal adviser.

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