5th Circ. Backs Ax Of $125M Judgment Over Judge Friendship

By Mike Curley

A split Fifth Circuit panel Tuesday affirmed the vacatur of a trial by a magistrate judge that resulted in a $125 million judgment against Port of Lake Charles, finding the district court correctly found that the magistrate judge didn't fully disclose her 40-year, "close, multifaceted, and personal friendship" with IFG Port Holdings LLC's attorney.

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Freight Broker, Steel Cos. Exit Colo. Fatal Truck Crash Suit

By Linda Chiem

A Colorado federal judge on Tuesday slashed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit seeking to hold freight broker Total Quality Logistics liable for a fatal 2024 trucking collision, along with the steel suppliers whose shipment was being transported at the time.

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FAA Told Courts Have Spoken On Flight Attendants' Breaks

By Max Kutner

The Federal Aviation Administration received pushback on a proposal to preempt state and local meal and rest break requirements for flight attendants, including an International Brotherhood of Teamsters argument that preemption is up to the courts, though Republican attorneys general backed the proposal.

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Colo. County Repeating Illegal Valuation, Airport Lessee Says

By Sanjay Talwani

Tax valuations of improvements to property at a Colorado airport possessed through a leasehold interest were wrongly imposed despite substantial legal precedent, the leaseholder told a state court, urging it to reject the county's determinations.

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Auto Tools Trade Org. Says Antitrust Claims Are Baseless

By Spencer Brewer

An automotive lift trade association and several lift manufacturers asked a Texas federal court to toss antitrust claims brought by a Texas manufacturer, saying that the manufacturer failed to state a viable claim under the Sherman Act.

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Auto Industry Group Gets DOL Green Light For Health Plan

By Patrick Hoff

The U.S. Department of Labor's employee benefits arm said Tuesday that a group of retailers and repair centers associated with Napa Auto Parts is clear to establish a group health plan for its member employers, concluding the arrangement would be covered by federal benefits law.

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Amazon Nearly Controls Full Delivery Driver Market, Suit Says

By Gina Kim

Amazon rigged its delivery service partner program to abuse its monopsony power, suppressing wages and imposing working conditions so atrocious that drivers resort to relieving themselves in water bottles to meet inhuman delivery requirements, according to a proposed antitrust class action filed in California federal court.

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Amazon Says No Need For Early Discovery In NJ AG's Case

By Matthew Perlman

Amazon has told a New Jersey federal court there's no need to expedite discovery in the state's case accusing the e-commerce giant of using its market power to stifle competition for delivery drivers, saying the case belongs in front of the National Labor Relations Board.

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Ex-Geico Agents Can't Get More Discovery In Benefits Dispute

By MJ Koo

An Ohio federal court has blocked former Geico insurance agents from expanding the scope of discovery in their lawsuit claiming the insurer misclassified them as independent contractors and denied them employee benefits, finding their requests fell outside the boundaries set by an earlier court order.

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ConocoPhillips Exits Wash. Tribes' Suits Over Climate Harm

By Rachel Riley

A Washington state judge has granted ConocoPhillips' bid to exit two Native American tribes' revised lawsuits accusing the oil corporation of downplaying the risks of burning fossil fuels, concluding that the tribes haven't pointed to deception that was aimed at Washington state.

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DOJ Says Berkeley Law Is Racially Biased In Admissions

By Craig Clough

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday that the University of California, Berkeley School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its 2024 and 2025 admissions cycles by preferring Black applicants because of their race, violating federal civil rights law and recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

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Murdaugh Murder Retrial Venue Shift Fueled By Bias Concern

By Emily Sawicki

A South Carolina trial court has approved a request to move Alex Murdaugh's murder retrial to a different county, finding the disgraced attorney could not expect a fair trial in Colleton County, where his wife and son were killed and where he was previously convicted for the crimes.

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Virginia Law Prof Says He'll Take USPTO General Counsel Job

By Jack Rodgers

A University of Virginia School of Law professor who has taught tort, administrative, patent and international intellectual property law there for more than 15 years recently said he plans to become the new general counsel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

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Hogan Lovells Partner Tapped For Mass. Judgeship

By Julie Manganis

A Hogan Lovells Cadwalader senior partner has been nominated to a seat as an associate justice on the Massachusetts Superior Court, the governor's office announced Wednesday.

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Kilpatrick Atty Tapped For Yakima County Bench In Wash.

By Ben Adlin

Washington's governor appointed Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP litigator Bree R. Black Horse to the Yakima County Superior Court bench on Wednesday, filling the first new position added to that court in nearly three decades.

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