Feds' Crackdown Targets Commercial Trucking Fraud

By Linda Chiem

The Trump administration said Monday it is immediately shutting down 110 commercial driver's license schools for certifying truck drivers who can't read or speak English, and pledged to aggressively prosecute accused "fraudsters" who knowingly put untrained or unskilled truck drivers on American roads.

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Businesses Agree To Drop Norfolk Southern Derailment Suits

By Tom Lotshaw

Ohio federal judges on Monday tossed more than a half dozen lawsuits business owners filed against Norfolk Southern Corp. over the East Palestine train derailment and chemical spill in the state after the plaintiffs and the railroad moved to have them dismissed.

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Tesla, Calif. Family Settle Suit Over Fatal Autopilot Crash

By Y. Peter Kang

Tesla has agreed to settle a suit alleging the automaker's autopilot technology and marketing of its self-driving capabilities contributed to a fatal 2023 crash that killed a driver and seriously injured his passenger, according to documents filed in California federal court.

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Tesla Asks 9th Circ. To Decertify 'Full Self-Driving' Ad Class

By Dorothy Atkins

Tesla urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to decertify classes of Tesla buyers who accuse the company of making false and deceptive promises about the capabilities of their "self-driving" electric vehicles, arguing that there's no proof showing all class members viewed the alleged misstatement at issue on Tesla's webpage.

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General Dynamics Beats Widow's Workers' Comp Bid

By Grace Elletson

A Connecticut appeals court upheld the denial of a widow's claim for workers' compensation after her husband had a cardiac event she said was caused by work stress at General Dynamics, ruling an administrative law judge was fair to attribute his death to his pre-existing heart disease.

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3rd Circ. Frees Ford From Suit Over Unidentified Airbag Defect

By Mike Curley

The Third Circuit on Monday sided with Ford Motor Co. in a suit by a Virgin Islands woman who alleges that she was injured when her airbag spontaneously went off, causing her to crash, finding that she can't rely on the accident as her sole evidence of a defect.

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Brief

Fiat Chrysler Workers Win Final OK Of $3.8M OT Deal

By MJ Koo

A Michigan federal court has granted final approval of a nearly $3.8 million settlement resolving overtime claims brought by current and former hourly production employees at Fiat Chrysler's U.S. facilities, with $1.26 million of that amount going to attorney fees.

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Brief

NASCAR, Racetrack Settle Security Guard's Harassment Suit

By Susan Smiley

A former Michigan International Speedway guard asked a federal court to dismiss her sexual harassment suit against her former supervisor, NASCAR and the racetrack, a request that follows docket entries indicating the remaining claims and counterclaims were successfully mediated. 

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Ford, Bronco Builder Rev Up TM Fight Over Custom Builds

By Ivan Moreno

Ford Motor Co. and a custom Bronco builder are trying to pare down their trademark fight in dueling summary judgment bids, with Ford targeting defenses to its claims over Bronco-inspired SUVs and the defendants accusing the automaker of improperly renewing its Bronco registration while the model was out of production.

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Ramey Wants Full Fed. Circ. To Reconsider $207K Sanctions

By Theresa Schliep

William Ramey of Ramey LLP has urged the full Federal Circuit to review his liability for more than $207,000 in sanctions in a client's patent infringement suit against Volkswagen, arguing that his notices of appeal were faulty but still adequately identified him as a party.

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How Did Litigants Fare In Judge Albright's 55 Patent Trials?

By Dani Kass

U.S. District Judge Alan Albright oversaw more than 50 patent trials between his 2018 arrival on the bench and planned Monday departure, and in a surprise for many attorneys, there was a near-even split between victories for patent owners and accused infringers.

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Erie Bus Dispatchers Aren't Union-Exempt Supervisors

By Matthew Santoni

Seven dispatchers at the Metropolitan Transit Authority for Erie, Pennsylvania, are not "supervisors" exempt from membership in the authority's labor union, since their roles in scheduling overtime or reporting rule infractions were constrained by their contract and only occasionally crossed the line into supervision, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled Monday.

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Citigroup Must Face RICO Suit Over Mexico Fraud Scheme

By Katryna Perera

A Florida magistrate judge said Monday bondholder plaintiffs have standing to pursue racketeering claims in a suit accusing Citigroup of running a massive cash advance fraud scheme, finding that although the "operative locus" of the fraud was in Mexico, a large part of Citigroup's alleged conduct occurred in the United States.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week saw disputes over a $200 million federal grant, a $1.7 billion software take-private deal, the ouster of Better.com founder Vishal Garg and a proposed $4 million settlement stemming from an electric vehicle company's SPAC merger.

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NY's Landmark Climate Change Superfund Law Blocked

By Hailey Konnath

A New York federal judge Monday held that New York's Climate Change Superfund Act is preempted by federal law and cannot be enforced, saying the Clean Air Act does not authorize the Empire State to roll out its own emissions compensation scheme.

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5th Circ. Judges Cast Doubt On Fight Over La. LNG Permit

By Keith Goldberg

A Fifth Circuit panel on Monday expressed skepticism that environmental groups had standing to challenge Louisiana's approval of a preconstruction permit for a major liquefied natural gas export terminal in Cameron Parish.

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Tackling DOL Tips On When Midday Commutes Are Paid Time

Two recent U.S. Department of Labor opinion letters explain when travel between home and work is compensable, providing wage compliance guidance to employers that want to offer flexible work schedules, and establishing clearer rules as litigation over travel time compensability heats up, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

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Ex-Clifford Chance Attys Fight Bid To Toss Clawback Suit

By Ryan Boysen

The two partners facing a $6 million clawback demand by Clifford Chance LLP have again asked a federal judge to decide whether English or New York law should govern the arbitration, claiming the firm's partnership agreement is unclear.

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New Report Rings Alarm On Threats To Judicial Independence

By Jack Karp

Verbal attacks on judges, disinformation about the courts and the defiance of court orders are undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and significantly affecting individual judges' ability to do their jobs, a report out Monday says.

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Roundup

Defamation Litigation Roundup: NYT, J&J, Azerbaijan

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 details a jury verdict against The New York Times in a suit involving its reporting on a shooting in Alabama, and highlights a judge's decision to spare researchers from a suit by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary over their talc research.

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House Passes Bill To Curb Secret Prosecutor Orders

By Courtney Bublé

The House passed a bipartisan bill via voice vote Monday afternoon to add transparency to prosecutors' use of nondisclosure orders for telephone service providers.

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Brief

House Passes Bill Adding Texas, California Court Sites

By Courtney Bublé

The House voted 378-10 on Monday evening to expand access to federal courts in Texas and California, the two most populous states in the nation.

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Roundup

Hub Hires: MassBar, Kirkland, Troutman

By Chris Villani

Massachusetts' legal landscape saw a sizzling summer finish, with several major firms making hires. Kirkland added a veteran white collar defense attorney, Troutman bolstered its real estate team and Day Pitney nabbed an experienced corporate attorney.

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