Musk's SpaceX, Tesla Emails Fair Game For Apple, OpenAI

By Bryan Koenig

A Texas federal judge said X Corp. must produce Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla emails as part of its lawsuit accusing Apple Inc. and OpenAI of anticompetitively edging out rival artificial intelligence chatbots through a deal integrating ChatGPT into iPhones.

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Brembo Beats NASCAR Supplier's NC Extortion Claims

By Tom Lotshaw

A North Carolina federal judge has tossed a NASCAR parts distributor's lawsuit alleging Brembo NV improperly interfered with its contractual negotiations with a longstanding business partner, ruling Tuesday that the company failed to plausibly allege the Italian parts manufacturer acted with malice.

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Texas Judge Remands Broker Liability Suit After Montgomery

By Linda Chiem

A Texas federal judge said Tuesday that, following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Montgomery ruling, a lawsuit alleging freight broker and logistics giant C.H. Robinson is vicariously liable for a fatal 2022 accident involving an "unlawfully double-brokered" truck load belongs back in state court.

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Analysis

The Plaintiffs Atty Now 5-0 At High Court With No Dissents

By Jeff Overley

It's true that Jennifer Bennett is undefeated at the U.S. Supreme Court, but it's also an understatement. Bennett's five wins, including two recent ones, were all unanimous decisions. They showed that the plaintiffs bar can still persuade a conservative supermajority. And they turned the tide after a spree of decisions keeping workers and consumers out of court.

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Lithia Motors Can't Ship 401(k) Forfeiture Suit To Ore.

By Kellie Mejdrich

A California federal judge turned down an auto dealership company's bid for an Oregon transfer of an ex-worker's proposed class action alleging the company misallocated forfeitures from an employee 401(k) plan, and also rejected the company's bid to stay pleading deadlines in the case.

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NY Says Santander Unit Will Pay $675K Over Extension Fees

By Jon Hill

New York's top banking regulator said Wednesday that the U.S. vehicle financing arm of Spanish banking giant Santander will pay a fine and consumer refunds totaling more than $675,000 to settle findings from an investigation into its auto loan fee practices.

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Ex-Pitcher, Philanthropist Owe $176M For Fatal Crash

By Cara Salvatore

A California jury said Wednesday a philanthropist and a former Major League Baseball pitcher should pay a total of $176 million over a car crash that killed two children as they crossed the road, after hearing allegations the defendants had been drinking and speeding.

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Brief

Germany's Rheinmetall Selling Auto Biz To Aequita For $406M

By Al Barbarino

German defense contractor Rheinmetall said Wednesday it has agreed to sell its civilian Power Systems business to Munich-based industrial holding company Aequita for €350 million, or roughly $406 million.

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Derailment Litigants Say Flawed Tests Should Undo EPA Deal

By Matthew Santoni

A pair of Ohio residents want a federal court to reject or significantly revise a proposed $350 million settlement between Norfolk Southern and the federal government over the 2023 East Palestine derailment, contending the deal was built on the flawed premise that the fiery train wreck and chemical spill did not leave behind significant contamination.

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Fed. Circ. Affirms PTAB Invalidation Of Railcar Patent Claims

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday refused to revive claims across a pair of Amsted Rail Co. Inc. patents covering a way of monitoring the performance of railcars, backing Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions that the claims were invalid.

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Conrail Freed From Bridge Work Order Vexed By Missing Comma

By Carla Baranauckas

A Pennsylvania appellate court on Wednesday vacated a state agency order that assigned responsibility for inspecting and maintaining the drainage system on a Philadelphia railroad bridge to Consolidated Rail Corp., rejecting an interpretation that relied on the omission of a comma in a 60-year-old regulatory directive.

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Schneider Fights $47M Verdict In Ga. Crash Death Appeal

By Kelcey Caulder

A Georgia appeals court considered Wednesday whether a freight company and one of its drivers' inability to cross-examine a former defendant turned key witness justified overturning the $47 million verdict against them in a case brought by a woman whose husband was killed in a 2017 crash.

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Brief

USTR Seeks Input On China Preferential Trade Mechanism

By Jack McLoone

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced what it is calling a government-to-government mechanism that will manage bilateral trade between the U.S. and China, including by considering tariff cuts, and asked for public comments on the program's development.

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High Seas Vessel Forfeitures Face Constitutional Headwinds

The owner of an oil tanker the government seized over ties to Iran recently asked a D.C. federal court to dismiss the forfeiture action for lack of jurisdiction, raising constitutional questions about U.S. forfeiture law and the seizure of ships without a foreign government's cooperation, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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Private Lender Verification Lessons From Recent Fraud Cases

Recent fraud allegations involving private credit borrowers raise compliance red flags for lenders, who must recognize that financial and collateral verification is an essential safeguard as failures in underwriting and monitoring infect the broader market, say Michael Bresnick at Venable and Brian Mich at Control Risks Group.

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5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

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IOLTA Problems Topped Ethics Issues For Conn. Attys In 2025

By Christine DeRosa

Connecticut attorneys who caught the attention of state disciplinary authorities over the last year were most often accused of violating a rule governing the safekeeping of property, including interest on lawyers' trust accounts, or IOLTA, according to a panel of ethics lawyers at the Connecticut Legal Conference.

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NY AG Must Preserve Cohen Docs In Trump's Civil Fraud Case

By Frank G. Runyeon

The New York state trial court judge overseeing President Donald Trump's civil fraud case granted his request to preserve notes from private meetings between state litigators and Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen after the key witness said he felt "pressured" to testify.

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Atlantic City Mayor Sues County Prosecutor After Acquittal

By George Woolston

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small has sued Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds for malicious prosecution and violation of his civil rights, alleging Reynolds' prosecution of Small on child abuse charges was a politically motivated attempt to remove him from office.

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Quinn Emanuel, Texas Boutique Match Milbank Associate Pay

By Kevin Penton

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and a Texas-based litigation boutique are the latest firms to match Milbank LLP's pay hikes for associates, with annual increases of $10,000 to $20,000 that top off at $455,000.

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Fla. Bar Insurance Co. Taps Ex-Ops Leader As Interim CEO

By Madison Arnold

Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Co. has turned to its former operations manager to serve as its interim president and CEO.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Robbins Geller's David Knotts

By Sydney Price

Right after graduating from Cornell University Law School, David Knotts, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, landed at one of the world's largest corporate defense firms.

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'Kentucky Hammer' Tries To Control Attys, PI Market, Suit Says

By James Boyle

The principal attorney of personal injury firm Isaacs & Isaacs PCS, who advertises as the "Kentucky Hammer," has been accused by a former attorney at the firm of bullying his employees into signing unfavorable contracts and attempting to monopolize the local personal injury market.

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Blanche's AG Bid Could Face Rocky Path In Senate

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will be tapped for the permanent role, but he might not have a smooth path to confirmation.

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Norton Rose Adds Eversheds Sanctions Group Lead

By Jack Rodgers

Norton Rose Fulbright has hired Eversheds Sutherland's leader of domestic and global sanctions practice, who brings more than 20 years of experience counseling clients on export controls, foreign investment and more.

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NC Justices Launch Commission To Tackle Legal Deserts

By Elizabeth Daley

Forty-eight of North Carolina's 100 counties are classified as legal deserts, and a commission established by the state's supreme court will aim to address this dearth of attorneys at a meeting Friday, the North Carolina Judicial Branch said.

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