Northrop To Pay $75M In Midtrial LA Contamination Deal

By Bonnie Eslinger

Residents of a Los Angeles suburb who sued Northrop Grumman over alleged environmental contamination have asked a California federal judge to preliminarily approve a $75 million class deal struck midtrial with the aerospace company that also proposes their attorneys receive up to 40% of the fund — and possibly more.

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3rd Circ. Asks NJ To Define 'Unreasonable' Gunmaker Conduct

By George Woolston

The Third Circuit on Tuesday appeared skeptical of the state of New Jersey's position that The National Shooting Sports Foundation still lacked standing as it tries to renew its challenge of a Garden State law allowing it to sue gunmakers for endangering public safety, questioning what exactly is impermissible under broad statutory language like "unreasonable" conduct.

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Feds Say Lejeune Plaintiffs Seek Billion-Dollar 'Windfall'

By Emily Field

The federal government has told a North Carolina federal court that Camp Lejeune litigants are trying to rewrite the 2022 federal law that allowed them to recover damages from their exposure to toxic water on the base to give them a "windfall" of billions of dollars.

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10th Circ. Backs Toyota's Win In RAV4 Defect Suit

By Benjamin Morse

The Tenth Circuit affirmed Toyota Motor Corp.'s trial win in a Colorado product liability suit over a RAV4 crash that left a passenger with a severe brain injury, saying the passenger could not challenge the jury's verdict because he failed to make the required trial and posttrial motions.

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Talc Tester Says J&J Never Pressured Him To Hide Asbestos

By Craig Clough

A geologist on Tuesday told a California jury considering bellwether claims that Johnson & Johnson's talc products caused their deadly ovarian cancer that he tested the products for years and the company never asked him to lie about any results, even after he discovered asbestos in a World War II-era bottle.

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Texas AG Investigates Bayer, PepsiCo For Glyphosate Residue

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas attorney general on Tuesday announced an investigation into glyphosate residue in food from major pesticide and food companies such as Bayer and PepsiCo, claiming some are sourcing food from foreign countries that may be contaminated with the substance.

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FTC Sues Supplement Co. Over Mental Health, Income Claims

By Mike Curley

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday sued dietary supplement brand Amare Global Holdings Inc. in California federal court, alleging it misleads buyers by falsely claiming its products can treat mental health issues, while also misleading prospective "brand partners" about how much they are likely to make under Amare's program.

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Pharma Co. Inks $7M Deal To End Investor's Cancer Study Suit

By Emilie Ruscoe

A Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. investor has asked a New York federal court to approve a $7 million deal resolving class action claims alleging the drugmaker overstated its regulatory prospects for winning approval for a cancer treatment.

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GM Rear Windows Leak From Defect, Suit Alleges

By Mike Curley

A proposed class of California vehicle owners is suing General Motors LLC in federal court, alleging that several model year 2019 and 2020 vehicles have a defect in their rear windows that lets water leak into the cabin.

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Boeing Says Wash. Law Bars Punitives In Door-Plug Suit

By Linda Chiem

The Boeing Co. has told a federal judge that Washington state law bars punitive damages in a lawsuit from a mother and her teenage son who were seated next to the door plug that blew off the 737 Max 9 jet midflight in January 2024.

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Dentons Brings On K&L Gates Litigation Duo In Miami

By Madison Arnold

Dentons US LLP has expanded its commercial litigation capabilities in Miami with a duo from K&L Gates LLP.

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2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

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Milbank Raises Associate Pay Scale, Topping Out At $455K

By Kevin Penton

Milbank LLP is increasing associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000 annually, with new salary floors of $235,000 and pay reaching as high as $455,000 for more experienced attorneys, according to the firm.

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BigLaw Could Tap PE Money For Advantage In Talent Wars

By Ryan Boysen

BigLaw firms may soon partner with private equity to gain an edge in the talent wars, potentially reshaping the U.S. legal industry despite fears that the shift could corrode firms' cultures.

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Fox Rothschild Atty Censured Over $2.7M In Unapproved Fees

By Adrian Cruz

A New Jersey-based bankruptcy partner at Fox Rothschild LLP has been censured by the Supreme Court of New Jersey after she was found to have wrongfully disbursed over $2.7 million in fees to her former firms without approval.

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Chicago US Atty Report Denies Grand Jury Misconduct Claim

By Lauraann Wood

The Northern District of Illinois' top prosecutor sought to offer clarity Tuesday surrounding accusations of his possible interference with grand jury proceedings that preceded a criminal conspiracy indictment against six protesters, releasing a special report one defendant's attorney says raises more questions than it answers.

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7th Circ. Fines Deported Migrant's Atty For ChatGPT Misuse

By Emily Sawicki

The Seventh Circuit has rejected a Mexican citizen's petition challenging an immigration court's removal order on the merits, while sanctioning his attorney $5,000 for filing two legal briefs "riddled with" fabricated quotes and case citations hallucinated by ChatGPT.

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Exclusive

Cooley Launches Global Hearings Practice As Scrutiny Rises

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Cooley LLP has established a global hearings and inquiries practice to help companies prepare comprehensive strategies as they face increased regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions, the firm exclusively told Law360 on Tuesday.

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Ex-McDermott, Venable Attys Sued Over Estate's $40M Tax Bill

By Dorothy Atkins

The estate of a successful dentist who died in 2017 sued McDermott Will & Schulte LLP, Venable LLP and two attorneys in California state court Monday, alleging they gave negligent legal advice in planning the dentist's estate causing it to owe the IRS $40 million in taxes and penalties.

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Dem AGs Slam Climate Science Removal From Judicial Guide

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary's decision to strike a chapter on climate change from its guide to scientific evidence is misguided, partisan and "will impede the judiciary's ability to pursue truth," according to a Tuesday letter from nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general.

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Bipartisan Bill Would Modernize Court Records Systems

By Matt Perez

U.S. Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Tuesday jointly introduced the Open Courts Act, which they said would modernize the court records systems PACER and CM/ECF.

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Feature

AI Software Contracts Need Careful Review, Attys Are Warned

By Aaron Keller

Attorneys considering adopting artificial intelligence tools must ensure software contracts comply with data privacy laws, and firms should not be afraid to quiz software sales representatives, including by asking how long the software retains data, representatives from two law firms told Connecticut lawyers Tuesday.

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Analysis

Attys Worried Where ICE Will Draw Line In Asylum Crackdown

By Britain Eakin

Immigration attorneys are bracing for heightened scrutiny after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would crack down on attorneys filing fraudulent asylum claims, expressing fears that the agency could blur the line between fraud and legitimate advocacy.

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DOJ Won't Move Forward With $1.8B Fund, Blanche Confirms

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday, "we're not moving forward" with the controversial $1.8 billion settlement fund.

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Senate Confirms Montana, Kansas Judges

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate confirmed judges Tuesday for Montana and Kansas, one of whom was the first judicial nominee of the second Trump administration to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Arias Sanguinetti's Mike Arias

By Joyce Hanson

When she was team captain with a track and field scholarship at the University of Southern California in the 1990s, Nicole Haynes was in good health and rarely had to see a doctor. So when she got a bad stomachache and her friends encouraged her to visit the USC health center, Haynes said she didn't have the right words to explain why her experience with Dr. George Tyndall had felt so invasive and wrong.

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