House, Senate Dems Pitch Plans To Clamp Down On AI Harms

By Allison Grande

A House Democrat floated draft legislation Wednesday aimed at making it easier for those harmed by emerging artificial intelligence systems to sue developers for damages, on the same day that the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee unveiled her own comprehensive framework for addressing "catastrophic" risks posed by AI.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Florida AG Seeks To Force Meta To Curb Addictive Features

By Emily Field

The Florida attorney general Wednesday asked a state court to compel Meta Platforms Inc. to impose age verification measures and curb addictive features, saying that a recent $17.1 billion settlement with other state attorneys general shows that the social media giant can do so.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Alito Explains Recusal But Says It Shouldn't Become Practice

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said this week he "reluctantly" recused himself from a dispute that could decide whether state and local government can sue Big Oil in state courts for damages related to greenhouse gas emissions, while suggesting the high court's members shouldn't make a practice of explaining their reasons for stepping away from cases.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Vape Group, Makers Want In On FDA E-Cig Enforcement Suit

By Mike Curley

A vape industry group and a pair of manufacturers are asking a Maryland federal court to let them intervene on the side of the federal government in a suit by health groups challenging new guidance on enforcement priorities for new tobacco products.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roblox Says Suicide Suit Must Be Arbitrated Or Dismissed

By Mike Curley

Roblox Corp. is asking a Kentucky federal judge to send to arbitration a mother's suit alleging her teenage daughter died by suicide as a result of using the platform, saying both the child and her parents repeatedly agreed to an arbitration clause in its terms of service, and that it is immune from liability for third-party content.

4 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

JPML Consolidates Nevro, Abbott Spinal Cord Device Suits

By Joyce Hanson

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has created separate MDLs over purportedly defective spinal cord stimulators manufactured by Nevro LLC and Abbott Laboratories, rejecting the manufacturers' arguments that the cases' plaintiffs do not share enough common factual questions to warrant consolidation.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ill. Widow Sues Over Fatal 'Projectile' Whipped Cream

By Lauraann Wood

Walmart, Sam's Club and an Illinois container company are facing Illinois state wrongful death claims from a widow who claims they sold whipped cream in a defective cannister that exploded after falling from her fridge and contributed to her husband's premature death.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Zoetis Says Horse Owners Must Abide Deal To End Death Suit

By Mike Curley

Zoetis Inc. on Wednesday asked a Pennsylvania federal court to enforce a confidential settlement with the owners of a 3-year-old racehorse that they alleged died after receiving one of Zoetis' antibiotics, saying the plaintiffs can't ignore the agreement and their own counsel.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

BMW Beats X5 Transmission Defect Suit, For Now

By Gina Kim

BMW has defeated for now a proposed class action alleging it knew about a transmission component defect causing some of its cars to jerk and shudder but refused to cover repair costs, with a New Jersey federal judge saying Wednesday the allegations are insufficient to infer BMW knew about any defect.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Family Tells 5th Circ. Penske Can't Evade Crash Liability

By Linda Chiem

The family of a man killed in a Texas collision said a Fifth Circuit panel faithfully followed federal law when it revived its lawsuit alleging freight broker and trucking giant Penske is vicariously liable for the 2018 accident, and en banc review before the full court is unwarranted.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

5th Circ. Won't Revive Suit Against Dishwasher Water Rule

By Gautama Mehta

The Fifth Circuit agreed with a Texas federal court that the Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires suits challenging federal water efficiency standards for appliances to be filed in circuit court.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

W.Va. Case Could Be An Existential Threat To Citizen Suits

Environmental citizen suits supplement enforcement by federal agencies that can't be in all places at all times — but litigants in a West Virginia federal court are arguing that such suits are unconstitutional, and those arguments could gain ground in the current legal landscape, says David Romine at Langsam Stevens.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Why And How To Build A Neurodiversity-Informed Practice

By better understanding neurodiversity and implementing simple accommodations for clients with autism, ADHD or learning differences, attorneys can build stronger relationships with those who may otherwise struggle to obtain and benefit from legal services, while developing good habits that will benefit everyone they represent, says Ting Cheung at Sanford Heisler.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Split Congress Could Spur Competing Probes, Cleary Finds

By Courtney Bublé

If the new year brings an era of divided Congress, then "dueling investigations" into the same topics should be expected, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP said in a report it released Thursday.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Baker Donelson Elects Department Chair As President, COO

By Tracey Read

Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC has elected a litigator who chairs the financial services department as its next president and chief operating officer, the Memphis, Tennessee-headquartered firm announced Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Morgan Lewis Forms Council To Steer EMEA Strategy

By Kevin Penton

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP is creating a 12-member council for Europe, the Middle East and Africa that it anticipates will work to advance regional priorities, enhance collaboration opportunities and improve services to global clients, the firm announced Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DLA Piper Taps 2 O'Melveny Lawyers For Leadership Roles

By Jack Rodgers

DLA Piper has hired two O'Melveny & Myers LLP lawyers as the new leaders in two D.C.-based intellectual property groups, one of whom was the leader of his prior firm's International Trade Commission litigation group.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Foley & Lardner Adds Ex-DOJ Antitrust Official In DC Office

By James Boyle

A former assistant chief in the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division moved back recently into the private sector and joined Foley & Lardner LLP's Washington, D.C., office.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Sheppard Mullin Hit With Class Action Over Data Breach

By Jake Maher

A former Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP paralegal launched a proposed class action against the firm in California federal court on Wednesday over a cyberattack it had in August, in which she says at least 1,000 people's names and Social Security numbers were stolen.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Buzbee Faces $970K Fee Bid In Dismissed Conspiracy Cases

By Lynn LaRowe

A Mississippi lawyer is asking a Texas state court to award her more than $970,000 in fees after defeating claims that she and her law firm conspired with rapper Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP to retaliate against prominent Houston plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee and two of his former clients.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

New Fraud Division Flexes Might In Latest Enforcement Policy

By Phillip Bantz

The National Fraud Enforcement Division's new corporate enforcement policy emphasizes the quick pursuit of certain types of fraud through data analysis and staff resources, expands the target list beyond traditional healthcare providers and highlights the division's growing dominance within the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

IP Rights Group Urges Against Litigation Funding Disclosure

By Elliot Weld

An inventor rights advocacy group has told a federal courts rules committee that requiring the disclosure of who is funding civil litigation would put independent inventors at a disadvantage when trying to enforce patents against a larger company.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fla. Judge Says Oct. 7 Attack Was 'Inflection Point' For U.S.

By David Minsky

U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman addressed a small group of attorneys in a Florida law office to speak on his book about the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, saying public debate over facts surrounding the event and underlying feud has reached an "inflection point" in America.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wash. Attorney General Names New Tacoma Division Head

By Ben Adlin

Insurance litigator Jason Dickey-North will take over as the new chief of the Washington Attorney General's Office's Tacoma division, succeeding Laura Wulf, who's set to retire at the end of 2026, Attorney General Nick Brown announced Thursday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »