How They Won It

How A Cigar Box And An Expert On Lying Cost Meta $25B

By Cara Salvatore

Two lawyers who won $25 billion at a closely watched corporate deception trial against Meta said they followed three simple rules: Take extreme care with your jury questionnaire, devise your trial themes during discovery and don't be afraid of a lead witness who specializes in abstract theory.

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Split 9th Circ. Won't Let Feds Set Aside 20K Calif. Ballots

By Bonnie Eslinger

A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday denied the Trump administration's request for an order requiring California to set aside some 20,000 mail-in ballots it claims were sent to suspected noncitizens, saying the government hadn't shown that "such extraordinary relief, during an ongoing election, is clearly required by law."

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Analysis

3 Ways Burgeoning AI Use Can Trip Up Benefits Providers

By Kellie Mejdrich

As the use of artificial intelligence in the employee benefits space grows, experts warn that companies need to be vigilant to guard against mishaps caused by the emerging technology. Here, Law360 looks at three areas where benefits attorneys say AI can cause legal headaches.

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Up Next At High Court: Religious Liberty & Unpled Defenses

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court will begin its November sitting by hearing oral arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of Colorado's universal preschool program and a dispute asking the justices to settle a circuit split over whether defendants in civil lawsuits can seek summary judgment based on unpled affirmative defenses.

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Feature

What To Know About The North Carolina Supreme Court Race

By Hayley Fowler

The race for one seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court pits a Democratic incumbent looking to safeguard the party's dwindling faction on the court against a former Republican state representative who could increase the GOP's stronghold on the Tar Heel State's often contentious highest bench.

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DOJ Can't Block Alaska Senate Vote Certification, Judge Says

By Courtney Bublé

A federal judge Sunday dismissed the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit seeking to block the certification of the Senate election results in Alaska if the incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, R-Alaska, does not win — a decision the DOJ said it would appeal.

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Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 89 Firms

The lawyers chosen as Law360's 2026 MVPs stand out from their peers by notching significant achievements in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-setting transactions.

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Custodia Urges High Court To Curb Fed 'Tyranny'

By Katryna Perera

Custodia Bank again urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Tenth Circuit ruling allowing regional Federal Reserve banks to deny eligible banks master accounts, saying only the high court can "put an end to the Fed's tyranny over financial innovation."

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OCC Has 'Serious' Concerns On Calif. Climate-Disclosure Law

By Jon Hill

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is lobbying California environmental regulators for a national bank carveout from their anticipated state climate-related disclosure rules, signaling it could otherwise seek to shield banks with its federal preemption powers.

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Ohio Judge Strikes Down Remainder Of 6-Week Abortion Ban

By Gianna Ferrarin

An Ohio state judge permanently blocked provisions of the state's "heartbeat law" that were previously under review after the court found that the bill's main feature — its prohibition on abortion after around six weeks of pregnancy — violated the state's constitution.

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DEA Begins Registering Hundreds Of Marijuana Dispensaries

By Jonathan Capriel

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began registration of more than 900 state-licensed medical marijuana dispensaries across seven states, according to an announcement on Friday by the U.S. Department of Justice, which said applications for manufacturers and distributors would likely require additional review.

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Botox Exempt From Medicare Price Talks, Judge Rules

By Gianna Ferrarin

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services can't subject AbbVie's Botox to Medicare price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act, a D.C. federal judge held, finding CMS misinterpreted an IRA exclusion concerning biological products derived from human plasma.

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Mich. AG Challenges Google Data Center Power Deal Approval

By Tom Lotshaw

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel asked a state utility regulator Friday to reconsider its recent approval of DTE Electric Co.'s application to service a 1-gigawatt Google data center near Detroit, asserting that it should impose stronger ratepayer protections or vote the deal down.

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Underdog Seeks To Halt Wash. Prediction Market Enforcement

By Ben Adlin

Prediction market Underdog urged a Washington federal judge Thursday to stop state authorities from enforcing gambling laws against the company until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether prediction markets are subject to state regulation or fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

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EU, Canada Seal Digital Trade Deal Amid Closer Partnership

By Dylan Moroses

EU and Canadian officials signed a document Friday concluding negotiations on a digital trade agreement between the two economies following a summit in Montreal where Canadian and European leaders shared new details about efforts to strengthen their economic and diplomatic ties.

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Squires Says AI Advances Will 'Reinvigorate' The IP System

By Ryan Davis

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires said at a conference Friday that the advent of artificial intelligence has the office "questioning everything," and he believes the technology "completely reinvigorates and allows for renewed confidence" in the patent system.

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CFTC Seeks To Block Utah Prediction Market Actions

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is asking a Utah federal judge to temporarily block the state from pursuing enforcement actions against prediction market platforms, including Utah's active civil and criminal cases against Kalshi.

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Kalshi Taps Clement For High Court Sports Contracts Fight

By Elaine Briseño

Kalshi has hired appellate heavyweight Paul D. Clement of Clement & Murphy PLLC to represent the company in its potential U.S. Supreme Court battle over whether the prediction markets platform's sports wagering is subject to state or federal oversight.

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Pa. Justices Nix Damages For CEO Who Was Paid Late

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled an employee can't sue an employer for liquidated damages stemming from unpaid wages if those wages were paid before the lawsuit was filed, even if the payday came late.

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AGs Seek Final OK For $29.6M Glenmark Price-Fixing Deal

By Brian Steele

A coalition of 48 states and territories is asking a Connecticut federal judge to give his final approval to a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. that would end claims that the drugmaker conspired with competitors to inflate prices and allocate markets for generic drugs.

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Google Search Judge 'Increasingly Concerned' By Fix Delays

By Bryan Koenig

Nearly a year after issuing his final mandates ordering Google to prop up search engine rivals with data and syndicated search results, a D.C. federal judge expressed concern during a hearing Friday that the process of readying the monopolization fixes won by the U.S. Department of Justice continues to drag on.

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Brief

EU Places Antidumping Duties On Chinese Polyester Fabrics

By Dylan Moroses

The European Commission on Friday imposed final antidumping duties on Chinese imports of polyester fabric.

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Analysis

Binance's $6.3B Crypto Hack Puts Customer Trust To The Test

By Allison Grande

The record $6.3 billion hack of Binance is likely to test customers' faith in the cryptocurrency giant, with its ability to repay losses and willingness to take steps to strengthen its cyber defenses poised to shape whether investors stick with the platform.

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6th Circ. Backs Gun Ban For Mentally Incompetent People

By Parker Quinlan

A man who law enforcement believes was planning an attack on Fort Knox, Kentucky, can be disarmed without violating his Second Amendment rights, because there is a historical tradition of not allowing people with a mental illness to own firearms, the Sixth Circuit has ruled.

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Mich. High Court OKs Counting Ballots With Stub Errors

By Susan Smiley

With Election Day less than a week away, the Michigan Supreme Court denied a bid by the Republican National Committee to review a state appellate court opinion signing off on the state's procedure for counting absentee ballots with missing tabs or with numbers that do not match the number on their secrecy sleeves.

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3rd Circ. Judge Notes 'Privilege' Of Voting In Pa. Ballot Fight

By Matthew Santoni

A Third Circuit judge said Thursday that he believed there was "no indefeasible individual right to vote," splitting from his colleagues in an appeal over fee awards in an election case to opine on collective rights, who can enforce them and who benefits from litigation over election rules.

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Judge Opens Ethics Inquiry Into DOJ's Golf Course Candor

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge opened an inquiry Friday into whether Trump administration attorneys and officials violated their ethical obligations to the court when they repeatedly told her that there were no plans to close East Potomac Golf Course for an overhaul at President Donald Trump's behest.

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3 Pro-Trump Ads Blocked Online At Taxpayer Group's Request

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge on Friday expanded her order blocking the Trump administration from displaying taxpayer-funded advertisements featuring the president, blocking three ads attacking Democrats that were posted online after the judge earlier banned a set of about a dozen ads from television.

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States Say Trump Can't Limit Funding Freeze Injunction

By Ganesh Setty

A coalition of 23 states and the District of Columbia urged a Rhode Island federal court Friday to let them continue challenging a now-rescinded Trump administration directive to "temporarily" withhold their federal funding, arguing a permanent injunction should still be on the table.

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Massachusetts And Idaho To Vote On Restricting Cannabis

By Sam Reisman

On Tuesday, voters in Massachusetts and Idaho will consider ballot measures that would roll back or restrict marijuana legalization, marking the first time that all statewide ballot questions on the issue of cannabis are geared toward fighting reform.

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NY Pot Business Program Not Preempted By CSA, Court Says

By Jonathan Capriel

A New York state appeals court ended a lawsuit by a group of anti-cannabis activists that challenged state funding for recreational marijuana dispensary buildouts, ruling the funding doesn't conflict with federal drug law.

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Cruz Counsel Returns To FCC As Space Bureau Chief

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission has named a former employee with experience in both the public and private sectors to head the agency's Space Bureau, after a stint as chief telecommunications counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee.

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FCC To Look At Clearing Airwaves For Moving Earth Stations

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission will in November consider an order that would make it easier under agency rules to deploy earth stations in motion that are mounted on ships, planes, vehicles and drones.

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CIT OKs Chinese Solar Glass Valuation On 4th Try

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. Department of Commerce properly followed U.S. Court of International Trade directions to reconsider using Romanian figures to value a specific input in a Chinese solar cell antidumping administrative review while otherwise relying on Malaysian surrogate data, the trade court said.

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Colo. Justices Keep Graduated Income Tax Measure On Ballot

By Zach Dupont

The Colorado Supreme Court Friday affirmed the dismissal of a man's complaint seeking to have an initiative to raise taxes on the state's wealthiest residents removed from the ballot due to some petition entities not registering their circulators properly with the state.

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Brief

2nd Circ. To Hear CFTC At Kalshi, Conn. Oral Arguments

By Aislinn Keely

The Second Circuit on Friday said it would permit the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to share its views on prediction market regulation at upcoming oral arguments between Kalshi and Connecticut regulators.

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1st Circ. Affirms Toss Of Challenge To DHS Records Rule

By Julie Manganis

Counsel for asylum-seekers and immigrants facing removal lack standing to challenge a U.S. Department of Homeland Security policy requiring them to obtain their clients' immigration and visa records via the Freedom of Information Act rather than discovery, the First Circuit has found.

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Groups Urge High Court To Maintain Halt Of Big Bend Wall

By Elaine Briseño

A group of environmental advocates urged the U.S. Supreme Court to keep in place an order that blocked construction of barriers along the Big Bend border, arguing immigration officials exceeded their authority when they circumvented certain environmental laws.

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Chicago DOJ Faces Rare, Tough Moment In Misconduct Probe

By Lauraann Wood

A federal judge's probe of misrepresentations surrounding the failed conspiracy prosecution of six protestors marks a rare, disappointing moment for Chicago's U.S. attorney's office, which reflects the office's politicization and a tough path to chart forward, experts told Law360.

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Feds Want 5 Years For John Bolton In Classified Info Case

By Hailey Konnath

Federal prosecutors say former National Security Adviser John Bolton should be sentenced to five years in prison after he pled guilty to charges he illegally retained classified national defense information, while Bolton says he should only be sentenced to probation, according to dueling memos filed Friday in Maryland federal court.

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Conn. Seeks $1.46M From Ex-Inmate Under Pay-To-Stay Law

By Brandon Lowrey and Brian Steele

The State of Connecticut has sued a man who spent 18 years in prison, seeking $1.46 million under the state's "pay-to-stay" law.

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Brief

Hong Kong Telecom Ends US Services In FCC Deal

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

The Federal Communications Commission said Friday it has reached a consent decree resolving its investigation of Hong Kong telecom company HKT over its ties to Chinese Communist Party.

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FCC Mulls Order Overriding Calif. Carrier Rules

By Nadia Dreid

The Federal Communications Commission is thinking about preempting California's carrier of last resort regulations to allow AT&T to continue with its copper landline retirement in the Golden State, something California regulators have refused to sign off on.

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Raoul, Fioretti Offer Contrasting Priorities For Ill. AG's Office

By Celeste Bott

After spending much of his second term challenging the Trump administration in court, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is asking voters for another four years in office, facing Republican Bob Fioretti, who says that as the state's top lawyer he would devote more attention to violent crime and public corruption.

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Risk Management Tips For Cos. Deploying Open-Weight AI

While many enterprises building out their artificial intelligence strategies are considering open-weight models, the Open-Source AI Leadership Act and accompanying congressional oversight letters to prominent tech and consumer companies signal that opportunity and legal risk are being discovered and evaluated on the same timeline, say attorneys at Cooley.

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State Of Insurance: Q3 Notes From Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania courts issued several noteworthy insurance decisions last quarter, offering practical guidance for insurers evaluating public policy coverage disputes, drafting umbrella policy language and defending litigation involving claim file discoverability, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.

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Assessing Hidden Risk Of Administrative Agency Settlements

Though administrative resolutions of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations may seem preferable to settled federal court actions, the possibility that private plaintiffs may use commission orders in follow-on litigation poses an extra risk, increasing the importance of negotiating the settlement's form and language, say attorneys at Debevoise.

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How AI Could Help Judges Spot Their Own Biases

In close cases where there’s room for discretion, artificial intelligence could challenge judges’ implicit biases by running counterfactual tests at scale — but any judicial use of such tools would need guardrails, say Arnold Peter at Peter Law and Nancy Rapoport at University of Nevada.

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FinCEN Scam Alerts Push Banks To Rethink AML Monitoring

Recent Financial Crimes Enforcement Network guidance on digital asset scams suggests that future anti-money laundering examinations may focus less on whether institutions detect the movement of criminal proceeds and more on whether they can identify fraud schemes before victims suffer catastrophic losses, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

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Are You Happy With Your In-House Role? Take Our Survey

Is your company giving you everything you need to succeed? What are some misconceptions about working in-house? Help Law360 Pulse answer these questions and more in this year's In-House Satisfaction Survey.

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Ramona Nee, Tapped To Lead Weil, Now In Talks With Kirkland

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Ramona Nee, the co-leader of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP's U.S. private equity practice who had been poised to become its leader, is engaged in talks to join Kirkland & Ellis LLP, a source with knowledge of the situation told Law360 Pulse on Friday.

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K&L Gates DQ'd In Trust's Mortgage Loan Agreement Dispute

By Isaac Monterose

A Washington federal judge disqualified K&L Gates LLP from a trust's dispute over a residential mortgage loan sale agreement, ruling that the law firm must leave the suit because it drafted the form agreement used in the transaction.

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Jackson Walker Inks $500K Deal In EXCO's Ch. 11 Fee Fight

By Clara Geoghegan

Jackson Walker has agreed to pay EXCO Resources Inc. $500,000 to end litigation over fees paid to the firm while one of its partners was in an undisclosed relationship with the former bankruptcy judge who mediated in the reorganized oil and gas driller's Texas Chapter 11.

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Fed. Judge A No-Show Amid Inquiry Into Her Mental Health

By Craig Clough

U.S. District Judge Ada Brown of the Northern District of Texas failed to appear Friday before a judicial investigative committee examining allegations that she abandoned her post and concerns that a mental condition may be interfering with her ability to perform her duties.

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Cyberattack Class Action Against Fox Rothschild Dropped

By Madison Arnold

Three data breach victims have dismissed their proposed class action against Fox Rothschild LLP after ransomware group Silent Ransom Group targeted the firm.

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DOJ Backs Ex-Wisconsin Judge's ICE Obstruction Conviction

By Andrea Keckley

The U.S. Department of Justice told the Seventh Circuit that the high-profile conviction of a former Wisconsin state court judge for interfering with an ICE arrest was not compromised by her position on the bench or by jury instructions.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Meta reached a settlement during jury selection in the second Los Angeles bellwether trial over claims its Instagram platform harms the mental health of children, leaving Snap as the lone defendant facing trial. In the meantime, current and former in-house lawyers for Google and Meta said that the ability of AI to write patent applications is rapidly improving, and that in blind tests, experienced attorneys often deem AI-drafted patents to be superior to those from humans. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Consovoy McCarthy PLLC and Smith Porsborg Schweigert Armstrong Moldenhauer & Smith lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Eighth Circuit struck down the Federal Reserve's regulatory cap on the swipe fees that larger banks may collect on debit card transactions.

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Roundup

Hub Hires: WilmerHale, Womble Bond, Kirkland

By Chris Villani

Falling temperatures didn't bring a cooldown in the Boston legal lateral market as WilmerHale and Robinson & Cole LLP both welcomed former assistant attorneys general, Honigman LLP established its first office in the market, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP snagged a partner from Ropes & Gray LLP.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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