Law Firm Beats Ex-OneTaste Staffer's Malpractice Suit

By Rose Krebs

A Pennsylvania federal judge has tossed a malpractice lawsuit against Kohn Swift & Graf PC from a former OneTaste Inc. employee over its legal representation of her in connection with a federal subpoena related to an investigation of the sexual wellness company, saying her malpractice claim "is palpably lacking in merit."

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Temple Cancer Center Can't Escape Worker's OT Math Suit

By Irene Spezzamonte

A higher multiplier for overtime calculations for an orderly who earned both hourly pay and a flat bonus is necessary to meet the public policy requirements of Pennsylvania's minimum wage law, a federal judge ruled Thursday, rejecting a dismissal bid from the Temple University Health System's cancer center.

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Buchanan Ingersoll Atty Wants Out Of Widow's Insurance Row

By Matthew Santoni

A Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney attorney wants a Pennsylvania state court to dismiss him from a lawsuit filed by the widow of a Pittsburgh wig-maker, arguing he was acting solely as the attorney for the family partnership she is fighting for millions of dollars from her husband's life insurance policy.

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Doc Defends Suit Over Bills From Brother's Former Law Firm

By P.J. D'Annunzio

An Ohio physician asked a Pennsylvania county judge to keep her brother's former law firm in her lawsuit over an alleged broken promise to represent her pro bono, urging the court to reject the firm's argument that she missed her chance to bring the claims earlier in a separate Ohio case, according to a filing made public Thursday.

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Judge Nixes Hagens Berman's Recusal Bid After DOJ Referral

By Emma Cueto

Two days after referring powerhouse plaintiffs firm Hagens Berman to the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged misconduct, a Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday dismissed the firm's request that he recuse himself from the long-running product liability suit, calling the firm's arguments "absurd."

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Pharma Cos. Denied Early Win In States' Price-Fixing Suit

By Aaron Keller

Twenty-six pharmaceutical companies failed to secure a quick win on overarching conspiracy claims in an antitrust case by the attorneys general of Connecticut and most other states, with a federal judge finding the "substantial bulk of evidence" points toward a broad industry scheme to fix 98 dermatology drug prices.

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Analysis

Appeal Of US Atty Invalidations May Be 'Devastating' To DOJ

By Phillip Bantz

As the list of interim and acting U.S. attorneys found to be unlawfully appointed under President Donald Trump grows, so too does the pressure on his administration to make the next move, which could force a risky strategic decision on whether to push the issue up to the U.S. Supreme Court, experts said.

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Suspension Over For Pa. Judge Accused Of COVID Fraud

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday ended a suspension without pay for a county judge who was accused of COVID-19 employment relief fraud following his entrance into a diversion agreement with federal prosecutors that ended with the indictment being dismissed. 

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Pond Lehocky Plans 8th Pa. Office, Adds Workers' Comp Atty

By James Boyle

Workers' compensation firm Pond Lehocky Giordano is preparing to expand its Pennsylvania footprint with the launch of an office in York, with the addition of an attorney who moved her practice from defense firm Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele.

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Series

Preaching Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a Gospel preacher has enhanced my success as a trial lawyer by teaching me the importance of credibility, relatability, persuasiveness and thorough preparation for my congregants, the same skills needed with judges and juries in the courtroom, says Reginald Harris at Stinson.

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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: December Lessons

In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses recent rulings and identifies practice tips from cases involving securities, takings, automobile insurance, and wage and hour claims.

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Bonus Spotlight

Katten Exceeds Market Bonus Scale, Orrick Matches

By Tracey Read

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has joined a select few law firms that have gone beyond the BigLaw norm for year-end and special bonuses.

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Immigration Lawyers Battle Burnout Amid Deportation Surge

By Daniel Connolly

As the Trump administration carries out a mass deportation campaign across the country, immigration attorneys faced with heavy demand and changing norms are feeling the impact of burnout and stress on their practices and emotions, they told Law360.

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Judges Beat Ethics Suits For Dropping Retirement Post-Trump

By Jake Maher

A Fourth Circuit judge and two district court judges have defeated ethics complaints from a conservative legal organization alleging they improperly reversed their decisions to take senior status after President Donald Trump was elected.

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Rosen Law Firm Sanctioned Over 'Frivolous' Investor Suit

By Lynn LaRowe

A Wisconsin federal judge has sanctioned The Rosen Law Firm PA for failing to conduct an adequate investigation before filing a "frivolous" securities complaint against an airline holding company.

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Utah Atty Avoids Monetary Sanction For 'Hallucinated' Cases

By Matt Perez

A Utah federal judge handling a trademark infringement matter has sanctioned an attorney for filing court documents with "hallucinated" cases, but instead of issuing a fine, the lawyer was ordered to read all the cases and authorities cited in the opinion and file a summary statement within 30 days.

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Supreme Court Halts Immigration Judges' Free Speech Suit

By Britain Eakin

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday stayed a Fourth Circuit decision reviving a free speech suit from an immigration judges union challenging a policy barring them from speaking publicly about immigration without approval.

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Feature

For NY Inmate, Jamaica's Violence Waits Outside Prison Walls

By Rachel Rippetoe

Jamaican-born Eric Tolliver is nearing the end of his 33-year prison sentence in New York, but what waits for him on the other side might be worse: deportation to his home country, where many want him dead.

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Fla. Court Upholds Atty Disqualification In $1M Estate Dispute

By David Minsky

A Florida state appellate court on Friday affirmed the disqualification of an attorney who abandoned his client and began representing his client's adversaries in a $1 million probate case, finding that he likely violated ethics rules regarding conflicts of interest.

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Fla. Judge OKs Release Of Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts

By Rae Ann Varona

A Florida federal judge on Friday ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from an investigation of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing a newly enacted law that the government said overrides a prohibition on disclosing the documents to the public.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

An SEC panel has asked the agency to adopt regulations that could standardize the way publicly traded companies report details about AI use. Meanwhile, the FCC approved AT&T's $1 billion UScellular deal after AT&T became the latest of the big three mobile carriers to agree to do away with diversity, equity and inclusion policies. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Gupta Wessler LLP and Block & Leviton LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Eleventh Circuit revived a proposed class action against NextEra Energy Inc. that seeks to hold the energy company liable for a share price drop that followed political interference allegations involving a subsidiary.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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