GM Sued Over 'Catastrophic' Failures That Can Cause Fires

By Jonathan Capriel

Newer-model Buick and Chevrolet vehicles equipped with a 1.2-liter turbocharged engine can suffer "catastrophic internal failures," causing loss of power and even fires, according to a proposed class action filed in Delaware federal court accusing General Motors LLC of concealing the problem.

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'Addiction' Became A 'Dirty Word' At Instagram, Jury Hears

By Craig Clough

A former executive and consultant for Meta testified Thursday in bellwether litigation over claims that its subsidiary Instagram is harmful to children, telling a Los Angeles jury that between his two stints with the company, he saw "addiction" go from an openly researched topic to a taboo "dirty word."

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Analysis

A Look At Four States' Tort Reform Legislation Fights

By Y. Peter Kang

There are currently four states debating whether to install business-friendly tort reform legislation or medical malpractice guardrails. The issues include a potentially brutal showdown in California over auto collision litigation and efforts in Florida to expand wrongful death liability for healthcare providers.

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Meta Hid 'Alarming Reality' Of AI Glasses' Privacy, Suit Says

By Lauren Berg

Meta Platforms touts its artificial intelligence "smart" glasses as designed to protect users' privacy, but the tech company surreptitiously routes video captured by the wearable devices to contractors who view the footage to train Meta's AI models, according to a new proposed class action filed in California federal court.

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TRESemmé Hair Loss Suit Tossed By Judge

By Emily Field

A New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday tossed with prejudice a suit alleging that TRESemmé shampoo causes hair loss after the plaintiff's sole expert was barred from testifying as he admitted his opinion was wrong.

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Mom Hit By Tesla-Driving Toddler Can't Undo Trial Loss

By Y. Peter Kang

A California state appellate panel affirmed a midtrial win for Tesla in a suit brought by a mother who was struck by a Tesla driven by her toddler, saying she used the wrong legal standard to characterize her claim that certain features were defectively designed.

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Hyundai Faces $9.8M Sanction For Car Destruction

By Ganesh Setty

A Pennsylvania court has awarded two car dealerships nearly $9.8 million as a sanction against Hyundai Motor America after finding Hyundai "consciously" crushed cars they acquired before alleging, without evidence, that they intentionally damaged them to exploit Hyundai's vehicle repurchases.

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Apple AirTag Judge Compares Fight To Uber Sex Assault MDL

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge indicated Thursday that he likely won't certify a class of stalking victims suing Apple for designing AirTags that were susceptible to abuse by stalkers, comparing the case to litigation against Uber Technologies Inc. over driver sexual assaults, which proceeded as coordinated multidistrict litigation rather than a class action.

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Neb. AG Hits Roblox With Suit Over Kid Safety

By Emily Field

Nebraska on Wednesday became the latest state to hit popular gaming platform Roblox with a suit alleging that it fails to protect children against online predators, saying even new age verification policies are not enough to safeguard minors.

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Meta's Child Sex Abuse Shield Is Top Tier, Safety Expert Says

By Cara Salvatore

Meta began its defense case-in-chief Thursday in New Mexico's bellwether social media mental health trial, calling to the stand a safety specialist who said Meta's detection program for child sexual abuse material is best in class but conceded that it's impossible to know how much material slips through.

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4th Circ. Allows Insurer To Seek Arbitration In Foam Case

By Caroline Simson

The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday overturned an order barring Illinois Union Insurance Co. from seeking to arbitrate in London a dispute within multidistrict litigation over alleged contamination from firefighting foam for failing to obtain consent from co-lead counsel.

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Gold Mine Poses No Certain Threat To Belugas, Gov't Argues

By Jonathan Capriel

The federal government wants to end litigation by environmental groups seeking to stop a mining company from expanding gold extraction efforts within an Alaska national park, telling a federal court that any alleged harm to the endangered beluga whales living in a nearby bay is speculative.

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DC Circ. Urged To Pause DOT Immigrant Truck Driver Rule

By Linda Chiem

Local governments, legal advocates, Teamsters California and others have urged the D.C. Circuit to suspend the U.S. Department of Transportation's new final rule containing sweeping restrictions on nondomiciled commercial driver's licenses for immigrants, saying nearly 200,000 drivers would be culled from the workforce and trigger a supply chain and critical services crisis. 

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PFAS Risks In M&A Amid Litigation, Legislative Developments

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have become a significant M&A concern amid new trends in settlements and state laws, and potential buyers must find ways to evaluate potential related risks, say attorneys at Debevoise.

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Series

Volunteering With Scouts Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Serving as an assistant scoutmaster for my son’s troop reaffirmed several skills and principles crucial to lawyering — from the importance of disconnecting to the value of morality, says Michael Warren at McManis Faulkner.

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OpenAI Practices Law Without A License, Insurer Alleges

By Lauren Berg

OpenAI is practicing law without a license, according to an insurer's lawsuit filed in Illinois federal court that alleges artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT provided faulty legal advice to a woman seeking disability benefits that led to a breached settlement and a flurry of frivolous court filings.

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Analysis

UK Law Sector's Private Equity Boom Offers Lessons For US

By Ryan Boysen

Private equity money is pouring into the U.K. legal sector, fueling a wave of consolidation in consumer-facing practices and offering a glimpse of what it could look like if outside investment in the U.S. legal industry takes off.

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Criminal Contempt Of DOJ Attys Unlikely For Violating Orders

By Jack Karp

Federal judges have been floating the possibility of holding government attorneys in criminal contempt of court for violating immigration-related court orders, a potentially shocking move that scholars say is unlikely and probably less effective than civil contempt orders.

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Lindsey Halligan Faces Fla. Bar Investigation, Watchdog Says

By Lauren Berg

The Florida Bar is investigating Lindsey Halligan, the former interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia who pursued controversial indictments against President Donald Trump's political opponents, according to a letter the Campaign for Accountability made public Thursday.

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Troutman And Former Atty Push To Limit Scope Of Bias Trial

By Jake Maher

Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP and a former associate suing the firm for racial discrimination and retaliation this week fought over the role that charged language and calculations of financial damages should play in an upcoming trial.

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Atty's Scheduling Error Dooms Appeal In AT&T Forfeiture Suit

By Patrick Hoff

An AT&T worker can't ask the Ninth Circuit to review the dismissal of his proposed class action claiming the telecommunications company misused forfeited 401(k) funds, with a California federal judge saying his attorney's busy schedule was "one of the least compelling excuses" for filing a late appeal.

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Ex-Judge In Wis. Says ICE Prosecution Theory Has No Limits

By Britain Eakin

A former Wisconsin judge has said the government's case against her for obstructing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has no limiting principle and wrongly turned her authority to manage her courtroom into a federal felony for impeding ICE.

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Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana Judicial Nominees Advance

By Courtney Bublé

Four judicial nominees advanced out of committee Thursday along party lines, which included two for Texas.

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