9th Circ. Decertifies Tesla 'Full Self-Driving' False Ad Classes

By Linda Chiem

The Ninth Circuit on Friday decertified a class action alleging Tesla deceived consumers into believing that its cars could fully drive themselves, saying there's no proof that all class members saw the same purportedly false statement on Tesla's website about its cars' hardware.

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

Temu Inks $3M Settlement To End Data To China Claims

By Spencer Brewer

Online bargain retailer Temu on Friday agreed to pay $3 million to settle claims brought by the Texas Office of the Attorney General accusing the company of secretly stealing customer data and exposing it to the Chinese Communist Party.

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

Florida Says Discord Misled Families On Child Safety

By Emily Field

The Florida attorney general on Thursday sued messaging platform Discord Inc. in state court, accusing it of enabling the sexual abuse of minors with a lack of age-verification measures and safeguards.

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

Wash. AG Office, WSU Rigged $15M Data Contract, Suit Says

By Ben Adlin

A former prosecutor and the police-use-of-force analytics company he now helms sued Washington's attorney general's office and Washington State University over an allegedly rigged $15 million public safety data contract, claiming the defendants privately coordinated and shared nonpublic procurement information ahead of a competitive bidding process.

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

Google Class Attys Get $22.7M Despite Hourly Rate Rebuke

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge has approved Google's $68 million class action settlement to resolve a long-running privacy suit, including class counsel's requested $22.67 million fee award, commending the parties' hard work while also criticizing a plaintiffs attorney's "patently unreasonable" proposed $3,000 hourly rate.

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

Google Users' $85M Fee Ask Stalls Over 'Utterly Lacking' Bill

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge on Thursday rejected an $85 million attorney fee request following a $700 million settlement in a consumer-led case against Google, ruling that counsel's submitted billing records are "utterly lacking in information demonstrating what work was done and for what purpose," while granting leave to amend the request.

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

Justices Told Siemens Chip Patent Win Shows Fed. Circ. Split

By Adam Lidgett

The owner of a set of patents covering computer chip design wants the U.S. Supreme Court to look at an alleged internal split within the Federal Circuit of how it looks at whether patents are eligible under the high court's Alice test.

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

US Inventor Presses Justices To Hear $2.6B Centripetal Case

By Theresa Schliep

US Inventor Inc. has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to revive Centripetal Networks LLC's patent infringement case against Cisco Systems Inc., arguing that a lower court that wiped out a $2.6 billion judgment had wrongly denied Centripetal the chance to respond to new claim construction.

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

Q&A

She Has A Point: Munger Tolles' Carolyn Luedtke

By Dani Kass

Munger Tolles & Olson LLP partner Carolyn Hoecker Luedtke has been great at providing sound judgment during trade secret litigation between top artificial intelligence companies, according to Jessica Kaempf of Fenwick & West LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Eyes 'All Options' As 5th Circ. Orders Subsidy Fee Redo

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission said Friday it was exploring all options for managing the $9 billion Universal Service Fund after a Fifth Circuit panel ruled the FCC lacked authority to create the funds' private oversight company.

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

Trump Waives Russia Sanctions, Tariff Law After Fuel Deal

By Dylan Moroses

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to suspend Russian sanctions and tariff provisions contained in a law passed earlier this year by Congress in response to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

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

Analysis

Expect These Post-Midterm Probes If The Hill Changes Hands

By Phillip Bantz

The top investigative priorities of a potentially Democratic-controlled Congress are coming into sharper focus with the midterms weeks away and could impact an array of companies and individuals in technology, finance and energy, experts say.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Could A Criminal Sentencing Case Upend Loper Bright?

By Katie Buehler

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is concerned that a ruling instructing trial courts to defer to the U.S. Sentencing Commission's interpretation of federal sentencing guidelines could blow a "pretty big hole" in the court's recent rejection of deference doctrines. His colleagues, however, don't appear as perturbed.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

State Telecom Roundup: Clearing The Way For BEAD Funds

By Nadia Dreid

Nearly five years after the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program was signed into law by then-President Joe Biden, states have finally started disbursing funds to subgrantees who will carry out the projects that are supposed to end the digital divide.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Says Five Eyes Allies Share Cybersecurity Info

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission is working with foreign counterparts in the Five Eyes security alliance to share data on cyber risks, the U.S. agency said Friday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

China Tightens Export Controls On AI, Biotech Technologies

By Dylan Moroses

China will add 40 new products spanning across the artificial intelligence, biotechnologies and photovoltaic sectors to a pre-export registration requirements list, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced Friday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Gives Final OK To $360M In RealPage Class Deals

By Isaac Monterose

A Tennessee federal judge has granted final approval for about $360 million worth of class action settlements with renters who accused dozens of corporate landlords of engaging in rent price-fixing by using RealPage Inc.'s rental property revenue management software.

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

DHS Could Scrap IT Contract Under Trump Order, Judge Says

By Ganesh Setty

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims found no evidence that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security canceled a $10 billion IT services procurement because of various bid protests, ruling that DHS' compliance with an executive order provided a sufficient basis for doing so.

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

Extreme Networks Inks $51M Deal In Investors' Sales Dip Suit

By Sydney Price

Software company Extreme Networks said Friday it has reached a $51 million settlement with its shareholders to end their claims that the company misled them about its financial prospects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

Nasdaq Sued Over Delisting Of Social Media Co.

By Jessica Corso

A social media company that has pitched itself as an alternative to TikTok has sued Nasdaq in Delaware Chancery Court, asking the court to relist its shares while it fights what it says was an "arbitrary and capricious" decision to boot the company off the exchange.

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

Del. Blocks Cloudflare Founder Control Recapitalization

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court on Friday barred Cloudflare Inc. from moving forward with a recapitalization designed to preserve co-founders Matthew Prince and Michelle Zatlyn's voting control, finding that stockholders had shown a reasonable chance of proving that a special committee acted to appease the founders rather than advance the company's interests.

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

Fed. Circ. Stands By Double Denials, SpaceTime3D PTAB Loss

By Dani Kass

The Federal Circuit declined Friday to rehear two cases decided in August, one where an e-commerce patent owner was looking for the security to assert its patent in future litigation, and the other where SpaceTime3D was trying to revive patents cut down by Apple and Google.

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

TI, Intel Say Ukrainians Still Show No Link To Russian Strikes

By Mike Curley

Technology companies including Texas Instruments Inc. and Intel Corp. are again urging a Texas federal court to throw out a set of consolidated suits alleging they allowed their components to get into Russian weapons used to target civilians, saying a second amended complaint still fails to link their conduct to injuries.

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

Super Micro Board Sued Over Alleged China Diversions

By Tom Lotshaw

A Super Micro Computer shareholder hit company directors and officers with a derivative suit accusing them of enabling an alleged scheme that sent artificial intelligence tech to Chinese companies in violation of export controls, misleading investors and harming the company.

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

6th Circ. Backs Insurers In $6.3M Crypto Fire Loss Suit

By Katryna Perera

The Sixth Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of two cryptocurrency mining companies' claims that Travelers Insurance Co. and Northfield Insurance Co. exacerbated their building's fire loss through the claim handling process, finding the mining companies failed to allege the insurance companies owed them a duty of care outside contractual obligations.

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

Swedish Defense Co. Sues Verizon For Patent Infringement

By Tom Lotshaw

Swedish company Sectra Communications AB has accused Verizon Communications of infringing a patent it acquired for the advancement of a communication system that offers secure information sharing services to government agencies.

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

Nikola Ex-CEO Says FBI Agent's Tweets Spooked Witness

By Emily Lever

Trevor Milton, the founder and former CEO of Nikola Corp., has sued an FBI agent and a witness who testified against him at his New York federal court trial, accusing them of working together in a coordinated campaign to intimidate a witness in Milton's defense via personal attacks on social media.

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

Ex-Legal Tech Co. Exec Says Pregnancy Got Her Fired

By George Woolston

A legal technology company abruptly fired its director of partnerships after it learned she was pregnant, and has since withheld a nearly $40,000 bonus, according to a lawsuit lodged in New Jersey state court.

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

Sig Sauer's Trade Secret Claims Shot Down In Contract Fight

By Adam Lidgett

A Washington federal judge has thrown out Sig Sauer's trade secret counterclaims in a lawsuit accusing the firearms company of reneging on a contract to buy products a contractor agreed to make.

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

Paul Hastings, Kirkland Guide Proofpoint's $6.3B Varonis Buy

By Al Barbarino

Thoma Bravo portfolio company Proofpoint has agreed to acquire data security software provider Varonis Systems Inc. in an all-cash deal valued at about $6.3 billion, with Paul Hastings LLP advising Varonis and Kirkland & Ellis LLP representing Proofpoint.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Quarterly IPO Volume Fell Short Of Expectations Amid Delays

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Third-quarter capital markets activity in the U.S. proved to be robust with a solid string of initial public offerings, but capital markets attorneys say it did not fully meet expectations due to delays of notable IPOs caused by market uncertainty.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Roundup

Taxation With Representation: Freshfields, Morgan Lewis

By Zak Kostro

In this week's Taxation With Representation, Penske Automotive Group Inc. agrees to be taken private by Motown Acquisition Corp., a GTCR-led group of private investment firms acquires software firm CCC Intelligent Solutions Holdings Inc. and a Steris PLC subsidiary buys specialty surgical products business Xodus Medical Inc.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NY, Conn. Secure $2.7M Deal Over Health Network Data Breach

By Allison Grande

A pediatric health network and its information technology manager have agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve the New York and Connecticut attorneys general's claims that they failed to institute "common" security measures to protect the personal data of patients impacted by a 2024 data breach, the states announced Friday. 

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

CFIUS Annual Report Reveals Enforcement Trends

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' recently published annual report to Congress shows that it is increasingly focused on nonnotified transactions, mandatory filing compliance, critical technologies and postclosing mitigation enforcement across the full life cycle transactions, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Planning For D&O Exclusions As Risks Mount For Banks

Banks should scrutinize directors and officers exclusions for artificial intelligence, disclosure and cybersecurity risks during policy renewal negotiations to preserve coverage amid the current uptick in insurer scrutiny and related shareholder litigation, say attorneys at Jones Walker.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Reckoning With The IP Risks Of Building Vibe-Coded Products

While artificial intelligence can now be prompted into generating potentially valuable software, developers who sell vibe-coded products must account for questions about authorship, copyrightability and their ability to control the resulting code, say attorneys at Lawgorithm Advisors.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Challenges On The Horizon For Illinois Data Center Projects

Illinois has more data centers in operation or under construction than all but five other states — but such projects face growing litigation threats and a range of state and local legislative proposals that could hinder further development of these facilities in the Land of Lincoln, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Protecting Trade Secrets When AI Agents Go Rogue

In light of a recent incident in which artificial intelligence agents compromised parts of Hugging Face's production systems, and the uncertain court guidance surrounding liability in such situations, companies looking to update their trade secret protections should carefully examine agents' permissions and technical limitations, says Matt Nealon at Marshall Gerstein.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Or Trump: Judge Asks Who Is Deciding Golf Course Plan

By Jared Foretek

Trump administration lawyers continued to insist at a hearing Monday there is no final plan to remake East Potomac Golf Course, and they changed their tune about whether one would require environmental review, despite new social media posts from the president announcing that work on the overhaul would begin "immediately."

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

Wood Smith, Charlesbank Capital Ink Pioneering MSO Deal

By Emma Cueto

Insurance defense firm Wood Smith Henning & Berman has inked a deal to take investment from middle market investment firm Charlesbank Capital Partners via a managed services organization, according to an announcement Monday, the largest U.S. firm to announce such a move.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Arizona Court Approves State's First Non-ABA Law School

By Emma Cueto

The Arizona Supreme Court has approved the state's first law school not accredited by the American Bar Association, citing the need to increase the number of lawyers per capita in the state and provide more affordable options for legal education.

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

Court Denies Gov't Bid To DQ Susman Godfrey In ABA's Suit

By Andrea Keckley

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has denied the U.S. Department of Justice's bid to disqualify Susman Godfrey LLP from representing the American Bar Association in its lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's executive orders against multiple major law firms. 

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

Trump Taps DOJ Official, Federal Prosecutor For Judgeships

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump on Monday nominated a senior U.S. Department of Justice attorney for a Nebraska federal judgeship and an assistant U.S. attorney for a seat on the Northern District of Indiana bench.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Rogoff Tells 9th Circ. His Firing Furthers Trump's 'Evil' Plan

By Ben Adlin

Roger Rogoff urged the Ninth Circuit to affirm a lower judge's order reinstating him as Seattle's top federal prosecutor, asserting in a filing Friday that he's entitled to keep the court-appointed U.S. attorney position until President Donald Trump fills the role with a Senate-confirmed nominee.

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

Proskauer Says It Didn't Drop Reddit To Defend Perplexity

By Lauren Berg

Proskauer Rose LLP and Perplexity AI are urging a New York federal judge to allow the law firm to represent the artificial intelligence company in Reddit's suit over alleged data scraping, balking at the social media platform's argument that its one-time law firm can't represent its current opponent.

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

What The Justices Won't Hear: A Roundup Of Cert Denials

By Taylor Bowie

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up cases from Google, a U.S. Navy contractor, and other appellate hopefuls on Monday, according to an order list.

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

Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court last week blocked Cloudflare Inc. from completing a restructuring meant to preserve its founders' voting control, while Tower Semiconductor Ltd. accused Intel Corp. of backing out of a semiconductor manufacturing agreement and social media company Triller Group Inc. challenged its removal from Nasdaq.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »