Jury Picked For Meta Social Media Addiction Trial

By Bonnie Eslinger

A landmark federal trial in California over allegations that Meta social media platforms harm children's mental health is ready to begin after a jury was impaneled Wednesday — a selection process in which no prospective juror would say that Facebook or Instagram are safe for kids.

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Albertsons Judge Hears Testimony On Rx Opioid, Abuse Link

By Ben Adlin

An "undeniable" causal link exists between excess prescription opioids and problem use of drugs such as heroin and fentanyl, an expert witness testified during a bench trial Wednesday in Washington's lawsuit accusing Albertsons of fueling the state's overdose crisis by irresponsibly dispensing opioids.

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Ill. Panel Keeps Toxic Tort Jurisdiction Law Intact

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois appellate panel on Tuesday refused to revive a Republican-led challenge to a sweeping state law expanding the state's jurisdictional reach in toxic tort cases, saying it was barred from reviewing the Legislature's compliance with its own internal procedures but renewing concerns about being required to "turn a blind eye" to lawmakers' potential constitutional violations.

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Del. Judge Slashes Fee Bid For 'Underwhelming' Settlement

By Katryna Perera

The Delaware Court of Chancery has significantly cut attorney fees requested in a derivative lawsuit settlement with The Beauty Health Co., finding the deal "releases weak claims in exchange for minor enhancements."

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Wis. Hits Vape Co. With $630K Fine For Banned Products

By Jonathan Capriel

The Minnesota-based company behind the Loon vape brand is challenging in federal court a $630,000 fine that Wisconsin imposed after state regulators discovered banned e-cigarettes at two smoke shops, with the company arguing the penalty is unfair because it did not distribute the vapes to these retailers.

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No Sanctions For Amazon In Suit Over Fatal Truck Crash

By Mike Curley

A Texas magistrate judge on Wednesday denied a bid to sanction Amazon for allegedly failing to comply with discovery orders in a suit over a fatal truck crash, saying the plaintiffs failed to show that Amazon was withholding any responsive documents.

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Subaru Says Drivers Undercut Own Brake Defect Claims

By Carla Baranauckas

Subaru urged a New Jersey federal judge to dismiss a proposed nationwide class action over alleged precollision braking system defects in several models, arguing that the complaint identifies no actual malfunction and that the named plaintiffs are still using the vehicles despite saying their systems are defective.

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Spotify Urges Permanent Toss Of Rapper's Bot-Streaming Suit

By Taylor Bowie

A rapper alleging that Spotify allows fraudulent bots to manipulate streaming data once again failed to show how his commercial association with the platform ascends to a "special relationship" under California law, Spotify said in a motion to permanently dismiss the amended complaint filed Tuesday.

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Delta, Japan Airlines Sued Over Runway Jet Collision

By Jonathan Capriel

A passenger who claims he was injured when a Japan Airlines flight wing clipped his Delta Air Lines Inc. flight during a ground collision at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is suing the two companies in Washington federal court, where his wife, daughter, and granddaughters are already pursuing claims.

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11th Circ. Backs EPA, Fertilizer Co. In 'Radioactive' Road Case

By Ganesh Setty

The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday rejected an environmental group's challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision allowing the construction of a private road with a radioactive byproduct from fertilizer production, finding EPA regulations don't categorically bar such use.

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Norwegian Air Affiliates Seek Boeing Exec Depo In 737 Case

By Rachel Riley

Norwegian Air subsidiaries that claim Boeing duped them into a 737 Max deal by overstating the jets' safety urged a Washington federal judge Tuesday to order the deposition of a former Boeing executive, contending he has unique insight into information shared with top corporate leaders during the aircraft's development.

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Army Corps OKs Enbridge Tunnel Amid Line 5 Permit Fight

By Crystal Owens

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit Wednesday allowing Enbridge Energy LP to tunnel beneath four miles of the Straits of Mackinac for its Line 5 oil pipeline, and environmental and tribal groups fighting the project say a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision bars the construction.

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1st Circ. Urged Not To Revive Puerto Rico Climate RICO Suit

By Keith Goldberg

Fossil fuel companies have urged the First Circuit to uphold the dismissal of a racketeering and antitrust lawsuit from several Puerto Rico municipalities claiming the companies misrepresented the climate dangers of fossil fuel products in causing a pair of hurricanes.

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How New Counter-Drone Rule Will Reshape Event Security

A new interim final rule on counter-unmanned aircraft systems creates one of the most structured regulatory frameworks yet adopted for mitigating unauthorized drone activity, with implications for law enforcement, airport and stadium operators, drone companies, and public event organizers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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Anti-DEI Group Asks FTC To Probe Law Fellowship Program

By Dorothy Atkins

An advocacy organization against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives filed an antitrust complaint with the Federal Trade Commission Wednesday, accusing Sponsors for Educational Opportunity of engaging in anticompetitive practices by allegedly colluding on DEI metrics and falsely advertising its program.

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Baker Botts Atty Cleared Of Defamation In Inventor's Suit

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida federal judge on Thursday tossed a defamation claim against a Baker Botts LLP patent attorney after agreeing with a magistrate judge's conclusion that an inventor had not shown that the lawyer's comments to a reporter were defamatory.

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NYC Bar Committee Calls For Nationwide AI Rules Framework

By Andrea Keckley

A New York City Bar Association committee concluded in a policy paper published Wednesday that artificial intelligence tools "may assist legal work but cannot substitute for professional legal judgment," calling for a national framework to be built into the Model Rules of Professional Conduct governing its use.

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Trump Picks Ex-Arkansas SG, Walmart Lawyer For 8th Circ.

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump has announced that he's looking to elevate Judge Lee Rudofsky of the Eastern District of Arkansas to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

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State Farm Attys Admit Filing Motions Full Of AI Hallucinations

By Jonathan Capriel

A law firm representing State Farm has admitted that its pretrial motions contained citations to nonexistent cases and legal quotes, errors that were seemingly "hallucinations" generated by AI software designed for lawyers and caught by the plaintiff's attorneys as they prepared for trial in a California state court case about fire damage coverage.

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Brief

DOJ Fraud Division To Reach 500 Staffers This Month

By Courtney Bublé

By the end of the month, there will be about 500 attorneys and staff in the U.S. Department of Justice's new fraud division, with more to come as time goes on.

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JP Ward Attorney Exodus Delays Pa. Labor Trafficking Suit

By Matthew Santoni

A "staffing disruption" at the Pittsburgh law firm J.P. Ward & Associates led the firm to request a stay of a labor-trafficking case against hotels in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, after the firm was reduced to one attorney and two staff members, according to court filings.

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