Appeals Court Wipes Out PacifiCorp Wildfire Liability Verdict

By Cara Salvatore

A verdict that made power utility PacifiCorp liable to a class of property owners around Oregon from Labor Day 2020 wildfires must be overturned because of a faulty jury instruction, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.

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NY Panel Skeptical Of TikTok Bid To Ax AG's Addiction Suit

By Frank G. Runyeon

A five-judge appellate panel Wednesday voiced doubts about TikTok's bid to dismiss the New York attorney general's claims that the social media platform is an addictive product that targets and harms children, pushing back on the company's free speech defense.

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Abbott Urges Ill. Jury To Reject Claims Formula Led To NEC

By Celeste Bott

Counsel for Abbott Laboratories told an Illinois jury Wednesday that four infants, whose mothers allege the company's preterm baby formula caused their serious intestinal illness, would have developed the disease "even without a drop of formula" given other risk factors and that the absence of other feeding options at the time of the babies' births dooms their parents' claims.

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Fiat Chrysler Loses 'Absurd' Arb. Bid In Defect Suit At 9th Circ.

By Dorothy Atkins

A Ninth Circuit panel has rejected Fiat Chrysler's request to send a certified class action over allegedly defective Jeep and Dodge headrests to arbitration, finding that FCA's theory would lead to "absurd" results in which third parties with "no connection whatsoever to the underlying arbitration agreement" could force arbitration.

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Boeing, Bell Textron Get Fatal Osprey Crash Suit Tossed

By Mike Curley

A Pennsylvania federal judge has dismissed without prejudice a suit from the families of eight U.S. service members killed in a V-22 Osprey crash in November 2023, saying their claims against The Boeing Co., Bell Textron Inc. and Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc. have to proceed under the Death on the High Seas Act, not through state law.

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VW Beats 'Clean Diesel' NY Shareholder Derivative Suit

By Linda Chiem

A New York state trial court has thrown out a shareholder derivative suit seeking to hold current and former Volkswagen AG supervisory board members and executives in Germany liable for perpetrating the 2015 emissions cheating scandal, saying the dispute doesn't belong in the Empire State.

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Volkswagen Doubted In Bid To Defeat Seat Heater Burns Case

By Rachel Riley

A Washington federal judge hinted on Wednesday that a jury will probably need to weigh in on an Evergreen State resident's product liability claims against Volkswagen over second-degree burns allegedly caused by a vehicle seat heater, saying there's evidence that the subject heater reached "potentially unsafe" temperatures.

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Roblox, Fortnite Hook Kids On Gaming, Mom's Suit Claims

By Emily Field

An Alabama mother on Tuesday sued Roblox and Fortnite developer Epic Games in California federal court alleging that they design their platforms and games to be addictive with random reward tactics, especially for minors, and that her young son has become hooked on gaming to his detriment.

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Fed. Circ. Questions Specificity Needed In Oxy IP Invalidation

By Dani Kass

A Federal Circuit panel expressed frustration with attorneys from both Purdue Pharma LP and generic-drug maker Accord Healthcare Inc. Wednesday as it tried to navigate whether the Delaware district court order invalidating Purdue's abuse-deterrence patent was explicit enough.

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MatchaBar Sold Lower-Grade Tea As 'Ceremonial,' Suit Says

By Corey Rothauser

A matcha powder by MatchaBar Inc. is falsely marketed as "ceremonial grade" worthy of a Japanese tea ceremony despite independent testing by an expert showing the product actually exhibits "bitterness and astringency in taste," making it unlikely for formal ceremonies, according to a proposed class action by two consumers.

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NC Vape Seller Defaults In FDA Suit Over Illegal Imports

By Jonathan Capriel

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration scored a big win in its bid to permanently block a North Carolina vape distributor from importing and selling illicit flavored e-cigarettes from China, with a federal judge giving the government a default win.

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Ind. Panel Finds NCAA Had No Duty To 1960s Football Player

By Mike Curley

An Indiana appeals court won't revive a suit from the estate of a former football player alleging the NCAA failed to protect him from concussions, saying the trial court correctly determined that the NCAA did not owe the player a duty to protect him from the long-term risks of repeated head trauma.

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Baker Botts Hires Int'l Development Finance Corp. Leader

By Jack Rodgers

Baker Botts LLP has hired an attorney who has worked at the center of the U.S. agency responsible for investing in developing countries as its top attorney, who has joined the firm as a senior counsel in Washington, D.C.

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Juul Pricing Case Tossed Following Another Reversal

By Matthew Perlman

An Illinois federal court has again dismissed a price discrimination case against Juul Labs over e-cigarette sales, after finding that a reversal of a previous ruling tossing the lawsuit was based on facts misrepresented by the wholesaler bringing the case.

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The 2026 Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey

How is your work-life balance? Are you content with your compensation and opportunities for advancement at work? Take the 2026 Law360 Lawyer Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts.

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DOJ Calls Immigrant Legal Aid Wasteful In Budget Push

By Courtney Bublé

Tucked into the Trump administration's budget request for fiscal 2027, the U.S. Department of Justice is trying once again to take an ax to a program that provides legal assistance to noncitizens.

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MMA Law Accuses Lawyer, Insurance Co. Of RICO Scheme

By Emily Sawicki

Embattled Texas firm MMA Law has filed nearly a score of complaints amid an ongoing bankruptcy action, including accusing a Louisiana attorney, his wife and an insurer of working together to "target, dismantle and destroy" the Texas law firm in an effort to avoid sharing a cut of legal fees stemming from storm damage claims.

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Report Finds No Evidence Mass. Judge, Prosecutor Had Affair

By Julie Manganis

A former Massachusetts state court judge and a county prosecutor were cleared in a special master's report made public Thursday about anonymous accusations that they were having an affair while he was presiding over her cases.

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Attys, Scholars Can Back Khalil In 3rd Circ. Detention Fight

By Carla Baranauckas

The Third Circuit granted three separate motions from civil rights groups, immigration experts and habeas scholars Thursday to file amicus briefs supporting Mahmoud Khalil's request for en banc review of a precedential decision that cleared the way for the government to continue detaining the Columbia University activist.

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Lewis Brisbois Accused Of Ignoring Racism, Unethical Billing

By Aebra Coe

A former national billing director of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP filed a lawsuit in California state court this week accusing the firm of ignoring racist conduct and sexual harassment by partners, and alleging unethical billing practices and even embezzlement.

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