Analysis

Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

By Christopher Cole

Lobbying at the Federal Communications Commission slowed in September, continuing a late-summer lag, but several groups kept busy on several issues. Here's a look at a few groups that contacted the FCC at least three times during September and a sampling of what they care about.

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Ad Tech Judge Sees 'Tension' In Google's Economist

By Bryan Koenig

A Virginia federal judge told Google's economics expert Thursday that there's "tension" in his assertions that remedies for the company's advertising placement technology monopolies must be narrowly tailored to block the particular anticompetitive findings won by the U.S. Justice Department.

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National Security Vets, App-Devs Back Google In Epic Fight

By Jared Foretek

A group of former national security officials and scholars is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the district court injunction requiring Google to distribute third-party app stores and allow app developers to provide alternate payment links directly to users, saying the order creates serious national and cybersecurity risks.

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Many Cos. Not Ready For National Security Risks, Report Says

By Sarah Jarvis

At least a third of U.S. companies aren't fully prepared to address key national security compliance risks they face, and the C-suite often isn't aligned with its in-house counsel as to who is primarily responsible for those efforts, according to a new survey from Eversheds Sutherland.

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Brief

Disability Group To Pay At Least $1M For Misleading Calls

By Nadia Dreid

A disability advocacy group will pay at least $1 million to the Federal Trade Commission to wash its hands of claims that it made "tens of millions of illegal calls" to people in order to solicit their business and weren't upfront about why they were calling.

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Jury Clears T-Mobile In Tower Builder's $20M Contract Suit

By Ben Adlin

T-Mobile owes nothing to a cell tower company that sought more than $20 million over claims the wireless carrier broke a contract that allegedly guaranteed the company rights to develop 100 tower sites, a Washington state jury said in a verdict Thursday.

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Google Fights Push To Get Reports From Gov't Monopoly Suit

By Rae Ann Varona

Google on Thursday pushed back against a software development company's bid to make the tech giant produce expert reports used in the federal government's lawsuit that resulted in Google being deemed a monopolist in the general search market, saying the reports had no relevance to the present case.

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Biz Org Says DC Circ. Must Rethink T-Mobile's Privacy Fine

By Nadia Dreid

The Chamber of Commerce is throwing its weight behind T-Mobile and Sprint as they ask the full D.C. Circuit to rethink the appellate court's decision not to knock out $92 million in fines the telecoms were slapped with for selling users' sensitive location data even after they knew it was being used inappropriately.

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Feds, Mont. Tribe Dispute $325K Law Enforcement Contract

By Crystal Owens

The Interior Department and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe are both asking for summary judgment wins in a dispute over law enforcement funding after the tribe accused the U.S. government of failing to provide it with adequate services to maintain programs on its 440,000-acre Montana reservation.

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PTAB Axes Amended Claims After Fed. Circ. Ordered Redo

By Elliot Weld

The Patent Trial and Review Board invalidated six claims that were added to a challenge to a University of New Mexico-owned wireless communications patent by network equipment maker Zyxel Communications Corp., finding that they were substantially similar to the already-disallowed claims.

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Del. Chancellor Advances Pruned $75B Activision Merger Suit

By Jeff Montgomery

Delaware's chancellor kept in play late Thursday much of an Activision Blizzard stockholder suit challenging the company's $75.4 billion merger with Microsoft, rejecting multiple dismissal motions, approving others and writing that a "slimmed-down" version of the complaint can go forward — adding, "Game on."

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Deals Rumor Mill: Global Infrastructure, Yahoo, MRI Software

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners is nearing a deal to take over utility company AES in a deal that could exceed $38 billion in value, Yahoo is reportedly ready to sell AOL to an Italian tech company for $1.4 billion, and private equity-backed real estate software company MRI Software is exploring options that could value it at up to $10 billion.

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New Calif. Chatbot Bill May Make AI Assistants Into Liabilities

While a pending California bill aims to regulate emotionally engaging chatbots that target children, its definition of "companion chatbot" may cover more ground — potentially capturing virtual assistants used for customer service or tech support, and creating serious legal exposure for businesses, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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Series

Judging Figure Skating Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Judging figure skating competitions helps me hone the focus, decisiveness and ability to process complex real-time information I need in court, but more importantly, it makes me reengage with a community and my identity outside of law, which, paradoxically, always brings me back to work feeling restored, says Megan Raymond at Groombridge Wu.

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Baker McKenzie Brings New Suit Against Ex-Associate In DC

By Alison Knezevich

A former Baker McKenzie tax attorney who publicly accused the firm's Washington, D.C., managing partner of sexual assault was previously in a relationship with the managing partner's son, the firm has said in a revised defamation complaint.

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Analysis

Comey's 1st Task: Decoding A Cryptic Indictment

By Phillip Bantz

The criminal indictment of James B. Comey is unusually sparse for such a high-profile matter, leaving open questions for the ex-FBI director to probe that could shed more light on how the government intends to prove its case and create potential lines of attack for the defense, experts say.

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Dentons, Boies Schiller Escape $300M Fraud Suit

By Caroline Simson

A New York federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a $300 million fraud and racketeering lawsuit brought against Dentons and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, in which the BigLaw firms were accused of misleading a former client with respect to a deal, and later arbitration, involving Senegal's state-owned energy company.

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Jackson Walker Can't Duck Judge Romance Suit, Court Told

By Hailey Konnath

A group of bondholders Thursday urged a Texas federal judge not to throw out its suit over a former Jackson Walker LLP partner's secret romance with a bankruptcy judge, arguing that the firm "has a problem with telling the truth" and it's "back at it again."

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Legal Aid Attys End Suit Over Palestine Resolution Discipline

By Emily Brill

Three legal aid attorneys have settled a labor lawsuit against their union, wrapping litigation in New York federal court that accused the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys of violating the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act by moving to discipline the members for suing to block a pro-Palestine resolution.

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Gov't Shutdown Halts Fed. Circ. Response In Newman Case

By Emily Sawicki

The Federal Circuit has asked the D.C. Circuit for permission to extend a deadline to respond to U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman's petition for an en banc rehearing to reconsider her suspension, citing the ongoing government shutdown.

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NC Court Rejects McGuireWoods' Immunity In Defamation Suit

By Gina Kim

A North Carolina appellate court dismissed an interlocutory appeal by McGuireWoods and a former partner in a defamation case over statements about an investigation into the onetime CEO of a managed care organization during a press conference, reiterating its opinion that the statements were "too far afield" to be considered part of a judicial proceeding.

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Analysis

Justices To Hear Clash Over State Med Mal Laws In Fed. Court

By Y. Peter Kang

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Monday on whether a Delaware medical malpractice statute can be applied in federal court, in a case that is expected to offer legal guidelines for similar laws in 28 other states.

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Alito Pauses 5th Circ. Order On Child's Return To Venezuela

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily paused a split Fifth Circuit decision that said a Texas asylum seeker's 7-year-old daughter can be returned to Venezuela, which was set to take effect Friday.

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Tenn. 'Gag Order' Ruling Against Atty Axed After Rule Change

By Emily Sawicki

The Sixth Circuit has vacated a decision that a Nashville attorney lacked standing to challenge a since-rescinded Middle District of Tennessee rule restricting lawyers' so-called extrajudicial statements.

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