RICO Suit Claims CH Robinson, TQL Are Using Illegal Carriers

By Linda Chiem

Family-owned trucking companies have accused two of North America's largest freight brokers, C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. and Total Quality Logistics LLC, of steering long-haul shipments to illegal "fly-by-night" or "chameleon" carriers, muscling out legitimate trucking firms, according to a suit filed in Texas federal court.

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Ill. Justices Say Uber Can't Arbitrate Wrongful Death Suit

By Y. Peter Kang

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Uber can't compel arbitration of wrongful death claims arising from a fatal crash, finding that a widow's separate user agreement with the company did not apply to the estate's wrongful death claims.

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Plaintiffs Bar Says $243M Tesla Verdict Doesn't Hurt Innovation

By Mike Curley

An association of plaintiffs attorneys is urging the Eleventh Circuit to reject Tesla Inc.'s appeal of a $243 million verdict against it in a fatal crash suit, saying products liability law and punitive damages don't hinder or put a "tax" on innovation, but rather encourage it by creating an incentive to create better, safer products.

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Ex-Tricolor CEO Says Feds Botched Warrants In Fraud Case

By Stewart Bishop

The former CEO of Tricolor Holdings on Thursday urged a Manhattan federal judge to bar any evidence seized from searches of his communications from being used to support accusations that he deceived lenders and investors about the subprime auto lender's assets before it crashed into bankruptcy with $1 billion in debt, saying federal agents ran roughshod over the Fourth Amendment.

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Maryland Judge Sends CarMax Investor's Tariff Suit to Virginia

By Katryna Perera

An investor suit accusing CarMax Inc. of mischaracterizing a sales bump prior to the Trump administration's tariffs as a sign of sustainable growth has been transferred to Virginia by a Maryland federal judge.

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GM Accused Of Defective Oil Cooling System In Trucks

By Susan Smiley

Certain models of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles have a defective oil cooling system that can cause complete engine failure, a group of truck owners alleged Thursday in a proposed class action claiming General Motors knew about the problem, never issued a recall and refused to honor warranties when engines failed.

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SEC Says Truck Leasing Co. Owner Ran $127M Ponzi Scheme

By Sydney Price

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday accused two trucking companies and their owner of fraudulently raising $127 million from hundreds of investors, many of which received Ponzi-like payments, with false claims about returns and the companies' fleet.

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Ga. Appeals Court Backs State Ports Authority In Injury Suit

By David Aaro

The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a trial court's order granting judgment to the Georgia Ports Authority in a personal injury lawsuit from a longshoreman struck by a falling object from a crane, saying he abandoned his claims by not including credible evidence or logical reasoning in his appeal brief.

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PSI Marine Settles Boat Mooring TM Case Ahead Of Trial

By Brian Steele

Dueling manufacturers of dock and boat mooring equipment have settled a trademark infringement suit ahead of a planned jury trial in February, Connecticut federal court records show.

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Roundup

ITC Takes On Patents, Trade Secrets In Large Decision Drop

By Dani Kass

The U.S. International Trade Commission issued a flood of decisions this week on investigations in which imports are being evaluated to see if they infringe patents or misappropriate secrets, including three cases where it will reconsider holdings from administrative law judges.

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Kellogg Seeks High Court Review Of 6th Circ. Pension Ruling

By Emily Brill

The U.S. Supreme Court should resolve a circuit split on whether actuaries must use up-to-date life expectancies when converting pension benefits from one form to another, Kellogg argued, asking the justices to scrap the Sixth Circuit's answer to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act query.

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Pipeline Groups Say Enbridge Ruling Weakens Tribal Deals

By Corey Rothauser

Two oil and gas industry groups have urged the Seventh Circuit to reconsider part of its ruling that Enbridge Energy is trespassing on Wisconsin tribal lands, arguing that the decision could make long-term pipeline agreements with tribes less reliable.

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Series

Playing Bid Whist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

As a child, I viewed bid whist as a family tradition and a source of friendly card game competition, but as a lawyer, I see it as a tool that has helped me cultivate skills like communication, teamwork, risk assessment and composure, says Keyonn Pope at Riley Safer.

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Litigation Spending To Keep Climbing While Biz Risks Mount

By Ryan Boysen

Big companies will increase their litigation budgets yet again next year, as navigating legal risk is now an essential element of achieving strategic business goals, according to a new report.

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Seyfarth Failed To Guard Client Data From Hack, Suit Alleges

By Lauren Berg

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on Thursday was hit with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing it of failing to protect its current and former clients' personal information after the Chicago-based law firm this month disclosed a recent data breach.

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PACER Experiences Outages Of Some Court Dockets

By Matt Perez

PACER, the online public repository of federal court documents, experienced technical errors on Wednesday and Thursday preventing some users from accessing certain court dockets.

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New Eastern La. Judge's 5th Circ. Bid Goes To Full Senate

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Anna St. John of the Eastern District of Louisiana, who was confirmed to her current post in March, is one step closer to being elevated to the federal appeals bench.

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Fla. Judge To Get Reprimand For Remark On Shooting Attys

By Madison Arnold

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a public reprimand of a state district court judge for "intemperate and caustic" comments about shooting attorneys during a hearing.

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Congressional Probes Raise Legal, 'Reputational' Risks

By Phillip Bantz

An array of companies and executives may face investigations over their dealings with the Trump administration if Democrats take control of Congress, raising the possibility that some may refuse to comply. But experts say holding out hope for a mass pardon or expecting the Justice Department not to pursue contempt charges is a risky bet.

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Analysis

5 Circuit Splits To Watch At The High Court

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court has been deciding fewer and fewer cases over the past three decades, with its caseload reaching a historic low just last term. While attorneys believe several factors have contributed to that trend, they say one of the most consequential is the court's apparent declining interest in resolving circuit splits. 

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Trump's Antitrust Pick Advances Amid Independence Worries

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's pick to lead the antitrust division at the U.S. Department of Justice advanced to the Senate floor on Thursday, despite Democratic concerns about agency independence.

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Sen. Hyde-Smith's Opponent Seeks Blue-Slip Transparency

By Courtney Bublé

Four years ago, Scott Colom — the son of the first African American elected to the chancery bench in her region of Mississippi — was nominated for a federal judgeship. Now he's running for Senate against the senator who blocked his confirmation.

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Ed. Dept. Committee Sidesteps ABA Accreditation Issue

By Ryan Boysen

A key U.S. Department of Education committee on Thursday declined to weigh in on whether an American Bar Association council should remain a federally recognized accreditor of law schools, a day after the panel deadlocked on different proposals over the hot-button issue.

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