Analysis

Social Media Litigation Gains Reveal Potential Regulatory Path

By Allison Grande

Recent suits by a social media user and two state attorneys general in their bids to hold Meta and other tech giants accountable for the allegedly addictive nature of their platforms have brought to the forefront a potentially lucrative strategy for more broadly regulating online harms, as the First Amendment and other roadblocks continue to stymie legislative efforts.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-FDA Chief Says J&J Atty 'Spinning' Asbestos Definition

By Craig Clough

A former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner told an attorney for Johnson & Johnson she was "spinning" the definition of asbestos in an attempt to confuse a jury in a bellwether trial over claims the company's talc products caused three women's deaths from ovarian cancer.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Social Media Harm To Teens Can Be Pinpointed, Judge Told

By Cara Salvatore

Social media's degree of blame for New Mexico teens' mental health challenges can be statistically isolated and quantified, a health computational scientist testified Friday in the state's $3.7 billion bench trial against Meta.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Levin Simes Atty Sidelined For 'Outrageous' Uber Remarks

By Hailey Konnath

A Levin Simes LLP attorney has agreed to take on a more limited role in multidistrict litigation over Uber driver sexual assaults after he made "outrageous" remarks during a meeting with Uber's lawyers, calling one a "pedophile," "rapist" and "scumbag," among other vulgar insults, according to a stipulation.

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

Tort Report: Tesla's Legal Exposure Seen As High As $14.5B

By Y. Peter Kang

A new report stating that Tesla faces billions in legal liabilities and a $140 million football brain injury verdict against the NCAA lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Montana PFAS Defendants Seek 'Forum Shopping' Sanctions

By Brian Steele

The city of Stamford, Connecticut, and a local fire district spent two years litigating a PFAS suit against 3M Co. and others before suddenly transferring their claims more than 2,000 miles away in a clear effort at forum shopping, the corporate defendants said in seeking sanctions.

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

Roundup

Transpo Tracker: Boeing 737 Max, John Deere Deal

By Linda Chiem

In our latest Law360 Transportation Tracker, Boeing is still contending with litigation associated with the 737 Max 8 jets, while a proposed $99 million class settlement could end farmers' right-to-repair claims against agricultural equipment maker John Deere and an appeals court decertified a class of 90,000 State Farm policyholders accusing the insurer of systematically undervaluing totaled vehicles.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Boeing Can Appeal Class Cert. In 737 Max Investor Suit

By Hailey Konnath

The Seventh Circuit is permitting Boeing to immediately challenge an Illinois federal judge's certification of a class of investors accusing it of misrepresenting the 737 Max 8 jets' safety after a pair of deadly crashes, according to an order filed Thursday.

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

Kratom Seller Asks 10th Circ. To Review Utah Ban

By Jonathan Capriel

A kratom drink maker is asking the Tenth Circuit to block a Utah law banning its product after a federal judge refused a preliminary injunction request, which it claimed left it facing more than $10.7 million in lost sales.

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

Texas Justices Say Nicotine Pouches Taxable As Tobacco

By Mike Curley

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday found that oral nicotine pouches are taxable as tobacco products under state law, as they are made from "tobacco substitutes" through a combination of nicotine extracted from tobacco leaves and plant compounds.

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

Regulators Probe Avride Crashes Over Self-Driving Concerns

By Jonathan Capriel

Federal safety regulators have opened an investigation into Avride Inc., an autonomous driving technology developer, after its self-driving vehicles in Texas allegedly crashed into other cars and other nonmoving objects, causing property damage and at least one minor injury.

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

Embezzler's $250M Suit Against FanDuel Sent To Arbitration

By David Steele

A New York federal judge has ruled that an arbitrator will decide a dispute between FanDuel and a former NFL team administrator convicted of embezzlement who accuses the online sports betting platform of taking advantage of his gambling addiction.

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

The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Trading Scheme Is A 'Wake-Up Call' For BigLaw Compliance

By Chris Villani

The breadth of a decade-long insider trading scheme prosecutors say was fueled by stolen BigLaw merger information should jolt firms to reexamine their practices to close gaps in internal security, experts told Law360, even if totally eliminating bad actors is nearly impossible.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Quinn Emanuel Founder Exiting Executive Chair Role

By Tracey Read

Four decades after high-stakes litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan first opened in Los Angeles, founding partner John B. Quinn is stepping down as executive chairman of the firm effective immediately.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NY Ethics Panel Finds US Attorney Committed Misconduct

By Courtney Bublé

The New York Attorney Grievance Committee has found that President Donald Trump's pick leading the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York engaged in "professional misconduct" last summer, according to a letter released on Monday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Taps 6 Judges, Including Picks Needing Blue Slips

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump announced six judicial nominees on Monday, including picks for the Eighth and Tenth Circuits and two district court picks that needed support from Democrats.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ChatGPT Suit Points To Ups And Downs Of Pro Se AI Use

By Cara Bayles

A recent lawsuit against OpenAI highlights many of the hopes and anxieties about pro se litigants using generative artificial intelligence to churn out legal arguments. The technology raises concerns about confidentiality, hallucinations and ethical issues, but some access-to-justice advocates worry the lawsuit may hinder technology that might democratize legal services.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Plaintiffs' Attys Sanctioned In Tylenol MDL, Sparking Appeal

By Gianna Ferrarin

A New York federal court sanctioned a plaintiffs' firm and its co-founder in federal multidistrict litigation by families alleging that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen can cause autism, saying they improperly shared confidential information from the case in related state court actions.

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

Senate Confirms 13 US Attorneys In En Bloc Vote

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 46-45, along party lines, to confirm 13 U.S. attorneys on Monday as part of a larger nominations package.

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

Pa. Law Firm, Doctors Can't Shake Uber, FedEx RICO Suit

By Linda Chiem

A Pennsylvania federal judge said Monday that Uber and FedEx offered extensive and detailed allegations to press ahead with their racketeering lawsuit accusing a Philadelphia personal injury firm and local healthcare providers of scheming to fabricate medical records to inflate accident claims.

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

Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week handled a varied mix of settlement approvals, political office disputes, transaction fights, emergency injunction bids and questions over how far the court can go to preserve records for litigation outside Delaware.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »