J&J Opposes Beasley Allen Reinstatement Bid In NJ Talc Fight

By Emily Sawicki

Johnson & Johnson is urging the New Jersey Supreme Court to not take the "extraordinary step" of intervening in an appellate panel ruling that disqualified Beasley Allen from representing hundreds of women in product liability litigation against the pharmaceutical giant after the Georgia-based firm "knowingly collaborated" with a former Johnson & Johnson outside counsel.

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J&J Unit Wins Sanction In Talc Libel Case

By Emily Field

A Virginia federal judge on Tuesday issued sanctions against a doctor being sued by a Johnson & Johnson unit over an article linking mesothelioma with talc products, saying that a jury will be told that he deleted emails about the article when he was legally obligated to keep them.

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FDA To Consider Coffee, 'Spice' E-Cig Flavors

By Emily Field

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday indicated that it would be willing to consider e-cigarette flavors shown to be less attractive to youth, like coffee or spices, a move that's come under fire from public health advocates.

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Fla. Defends Social Media Teen Ban As Content-Neutral

By Carolina Bolado

Florida defended its restrictions on social media for children before the Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday, arguing that the law is content-neutral and does not violate the First Amendment, and urged the appeals court to undo an injunction blocking its enforcement.

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Calif. Woman Sues Pet Food Co. Over Synthetic Preservatives

By Mike Curley

A San Diego woman is suing the makers of Instinct Pet Foods in California federal court, alleging its products are falsely advertised as having no artificial preservatives because they contain synthetic citric acid and tocopherols.

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Grill Co. Failed To Warn Of Brush Risk, Class Action Says

By Zak Kostro

Grill maker Weber failed to warn U.S. consumers that metal bristles could detach from its grill brushes and cause internal injuries, according to a proposed class action in Illinois federal court that follows a recall of more than 3 million brushes.

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Chinese Vape Maker The Focus In Exploding Battery Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

A man who alleged he suffered second- and third-degree burns after a battery for his vape exploded while in his pocket has agreed to drop his claims against the vape's domestic distributor, but will pursue his claims against the Chinese manufacturer of the e-cigarette, according to a notice filed in North Carolina federal court.

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Uber Says $8.5M Bellwether Sex Assault Verdict Can't Stand

By Y. Peter Kang

Uber has urged a California federal judge to wipe out an $8.5 million bellwether verdict putting it on the hook for a Phoenix driver's alleged sexual assault of a passenger, arguing that Arizona law bars a finding that the company can be liable for an ostensible employee's actions.

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Apple AirTag Plaintiffs Can't Get Class Cert. In Tracking Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge refused to certify a class of stalking victims suing Apple for designing AirTags that were susceptible to abuse by stalkers, after comparing the case during a hearing last week to mass tort litigation against Uber Technologies Inc. over driver sexual assaults.

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Social Media Jury Told Of Plaintiff's 'Embarrassing Sexual Act'

By Craig Clough

A psychiatrist who assessed a bellwether plaintiff alleging a harmful addiction to Instagram and YouTube told a California jury Tuesday that the plaintiff's turbulent home life, genetic factors and even an alleged "embarrassing sexual act" that got her suspended from school supports a conclusion the plaintiff does not have a social media addiction.

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Instagram's Advertisers Influence Safety Focus, Head Testifies

By Cara Salvatore

Instagram's head took the stand in New Mexico on Tuesday in Meta's defense case against the state attorney general's claims that its social media platforms harm mental health, telling a jury that one of the biggest economic reasons for the company's safety focus is pressure exerted by its advertisers.

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Feds Ask DC Circ. Not To Halt Immigrant Truck Driver Rule

By Linda Chiem

The Trump administration urged the D.C. Circuit to reject an attempt by unions and workers to block the U.S. Department of Transportation from implementing new restrictions next week on so-called nondomiciled commercial driver's licenses for immigrants, saying the crucial regulation addresses known public safety risks.

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Lessons From Justices' Split On Major Questions Doctrine

The justices' varied opinions in Learning Resources v. Trump, which held the International Emergency Economy Powers Act did not confer the power to impose tariffs, offer a meaningful window into the U.S. Supreme Court's perspective on the major questions doctrine that will likely shape lower courts' approach to executive action challenges, say attorneys at Venable.

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Military Attys In DOJ 'Erodes Democratic Norms,' Ex-JAGs Say

By Lauren Berg

Nearly a dozen former military lawyers raised the alarm about the Trump administration appointing judge advocate officers to U.S. attorneys' offices, urging a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to bar an Army lawyer from prosecuting a case that accuses a civilian of assaulting federal immigration enforcement agents.

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DOJ Official Faces Ethics Case Over Georgetown DEI Letters

By Alison Knezevich

U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin has been hit with disciplinary charges in the nation's capital over threatening letters he sent to Georgetown University Law Center last year while he was interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.

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Dems Confront Roberts At Wide-Ranging Judiciary Gathering

By Jeff Overley

The federal judiciary's top administrator voiced "serious and urgent concerns" Tuesday regarding threats of retribution against judges, a warning that coincided with a judicial gathering where Democrats discussed security fears and controversial U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

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Prosecutor Resigns, Judge Shows Slide Deck On AI Errors

By Abigail Harrison

A federal prosecutor told a North Carolina federal court Tuesday that he was separating from the office after admitting in open court to using artificial intelligence to help draft a response brief, which he called "the worst decision I've ever made in my 30-year career."

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Calif. Atty Gets Over 11 Years For Solar $1B Ponzi Scheme

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has sentenced a corporate attorney to 11 years and five months behind bars after he pled guilty to nearly two dozen charges for his role in DC Solar's $912 million Ponzi scheme, which duped major investors including Berkshire Hathaway, Progressive and SunTrust Equipment Finance & Leasing.

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Ex-Moses & Singer Partner Admits Tax Crimes, Will Pay $2.8M

By Aaron Keller

A former Moses & Singer LLP partner admitted to practice in New York and North Carolina courts has pled guilty to three counts of failing to file personal income tax returns and will pay $2.8 million in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut announced Monday.

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Judiciary Approves Supreme Court Public Defender Office

By Katie Buehler

The federal judiciary approved a new office Tuesday aimed at improving the quality of representation for indigent defendants with cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. 

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Judge Fumes As Live Nation Antitrust Trial Remains In Limbo

By Stewart Bishop

The status of Live Nation Entertainment's antitrust trial and proposed settlement over federal and state government claims of anticompetitive conduct remained up in the air Tuesday amid pushback by several states, while the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the case upbraided the parties for keeping him out of the loop about negotiations.

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DOJ Unveils Superseding Policy For Corporate Criminal Cases

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday released its first-ever, department-wide, corporate enforcement policy for criminal matters, outlining how it will decline to prosecute companies that voluntarily disclose misconduct, cooperate with investigators and remediate wrongdoing.

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DLA Piper Can't Rep Itself At Bias Trial, Fired Atty Says

By Pete Brush

DLA Piper should not be permitted to represent itself at trial in a pregnancy discrimination case brought by a senior associate who was fired in 2022, lawyers for the plaintiff told a Manhattan federal judge.

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Judge Nixed Over MAGA Op-Ed Seeks Reinstatement

By Emily Sawicki

A retired Illinois state trial court judge pursuing First Amendment claims against the state Supreme Court after his right-wing opinion column resulted in his removal from a temporary judgeship has moved for immediate reinstatement to the Cook County Circuit Court.

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Wisconsin Judges Decline To Extend Interim US Atty's Term

By Courtney Bublé

A majority of judges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin have declined to extend the tenure of interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel, according to an announcement Tuesday.

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