Roundup

Transpo Tracker: Congestion Pricing Survives, EV Rule At Risk

By Linda Chiem

In our inaugural Law360 Transportation Tracker, a New York district court walloped the Trump administration's effort to cancel Manhattan's congestion pricing, the federal government continued its assault on California's vehicle emissions regulations, and Boeing investors scored class certification in 737 Max-related securities fraud litigation.

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5th Circ. Backs Dismissal Of Boeing 737 Max Criminal Case

By Linda Chiem

The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday declined to compel the U.S. Department of Justice to criminally prosecute Boeing for defrauding safety regulators, saying it lacks jurisdiction to upend the government's $1.1 billion nonprosecution agreement with Boeing, and that prosecutors adequately consulted the 737 Max crash victims' families.

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UK Co. Must Pay Sikorsky $15.1M In Helicopter Sale Feud

By Brian Steele

A British company must pay Lockheed Martin-owned helicopter manufacturer Sikorsky more than $15.1 million to cover lost profits from the delayed sale of two helicopters, a Connecticut federal judge has ordered, nearly four years after a bench trial over a botched sale agreement.

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Fed. Circ. Partly Revives Tesla Challenge To Charging Patent

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Tuesday partially reinstated Tesla's challenge to a Charge Fusion Technologies vehicle charging patent, throwing out part of a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that found the automobile company failed to show some of the claims were invalid.

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Ford Says Suit Against Solar Battery Maker Is Valid

By Susan Smiley

Ford asked a Michigan federal court Monday to proceed with a breach of contract suit it brought against solar battery maker Sol-Ark over confidential technology Sol-Ark allegedly revealed in patent applications, arguing it is "demonstrably incorrect" that Sol-Ark came up with the technology on its own.

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Auto Platform Carvix To Go Public Via $1B SPAC Merger

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Technology-driven automotive platform Carvix Inc. on Tuesday unveiled plans to go public by merging with special purpose acquisition company Crown Reserve Acquisition Corp. I in a deal that values it at an implied enterprise value of $1 billion and was built by three law firms.

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Injured BNSF Worker Can't Get Full $3M Verdict, Court Says

By Y. Peter Kang

A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday upheld a jury's decision to sharply reduce a $3 million verdict awarded to a former BNSF truck driver injured in a rail yard collision, ruling that the trial court properly allowed jurors to consider whether the driver himself was also at fault.

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DC Circ. Clears Maritime Commission's Refusal-To-Deal Rule

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. Circuit panel sided Tuesday with the Federal Maritime Commission as it defended a regulation governing how it will consider whether an ocean shipping company unreasonably refused to deal with would-be shippers, rejecting a trade group challenge and concluding the agency rightly baked rate analysis into its considerations.

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Cruise Ship Cuke Made Passenger Puke, According To Suit

By Ben Adlin

A Washington woman accused produce supplier Sun Commodities Inc. of providing contaminated cucumbers to her Celebrity Summit cruise ship, alleging that she was hospitalized with a salmonella infection due to eating them in salad during a 2024 voyage.

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Fire Shutter Maker Beats Rival's False Ad Suit Over Certification

By Jonathan Capriel

A New York federal judge ended a false advertising lawsuit brought by a manufacturer of commercial grade fire shutters that accused a rival of misrepresenting its products as meeting flame and heat testing standards, saying the competitor's marketing was "literally true."

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State Farm Drivers Denied Class Cert. In Car Value Suit

By Hope Patti

An Illinois federal court refused to certify a class of State Farm policyholders who accused the insurer of systematically undervaluing claims for totaled vehicles by applying a so-called typical negotiation adjustment, saying individualized issues predominated.

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Chartwell Law Adds 14 Attorneys With Dallas Trial Firm Tie-Up

By Lynn LaRowe

Insurance defense firm Chartwell Law Offices LLP announced Tuesday that it has combined with the Bassett Firm in Dallas, bringing on the firm's entire 41-member staff, including the firm's founder and 13 other attorneys.

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6th Circ. Can Extend Insurance Valuation Clarity Beyond Auto

In rehearing Clippinger v. State Farm, the Sixth Circuit can align itself with the recent drumbeat of other circuits rejecting class certification of auto total loss claims and set standards that apply to similar claims brought under homeowners and other types of insurance policies, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.

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9th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Doc Protection Limits In Gov't Probes

The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalbers v. U.S. Department of Justice confirms that Rule 6(e) provides robust protections when documents are in the government's possession only through a grand jury subpoena, emphasizing for companies the importance of careful labeling from the outset of an investigation, say attorneys at Cooley.

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Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

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Feature

Rats, Vapes And Vodka: Strange But True Cases For April Fool's

By Emily Field

A dead rodent in a burrito bowl delivery, a mix-up with vodka seltzer in the wrong cans and the Toys R Us brand taking on a Connecticut vape shop are among Law360's list of strange cases suitable for April Fool's Day.

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Analysis

'Best Judicial System In The World': Alsup Reflects On Career

By Bonnie Eslinger

Before taking inactive status late last year, U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup presided over historic litigation in California's Northern District for 26 years, arriving at his San Francisco chambers every weekday before dawn to prepare for the day's work.

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FTC Backs Florida's Move To Kill ABA's Accreditation Monopoly

By Hailey Konnath

The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that it supports the Florida Supreme Court's recent decision to end the American Bar Association's longstanding accreditation monopoly, agreeing with the finding that it is "not in Floridians' best interest for the ABA to be the sole gatekeeper" in deciding who sits for the bar exam.

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NC Attys Oppose DOJ Interference In State Ethics Complaints

By Hayley Fowler

A group of North Carolina lawyers is opposing the U.S. Department of Justice's proposed rule allowing the attorney general to review state-level ethics complaints against the department's attorneys, saying such a change would undercut the Tar Heel State's ability to regulate government lawyers.

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Blumenthal Presses DHS Chief To Scrap ICE Warrant Memo

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, is looking for assurances from the newly installed secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, that he will honor his apparent pledge to rescind a policy that allows immigration agents to enter private property without a judicial warrant.

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Habba, Ex-Firm Get Defense Redo In Suit Over Divorce Advice

By Jake Maher

A New Jersey appeals court gave former acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba another chance to pursue an anti-abusive litigation motion against an attorney suing her for malicious prosecution on Tuesday.

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7th Circ. Scolds Ex-Judge For Citing Fake Cases In Brief

By Celeste Bott

A Seventh Circuit panel admonished an attorney and former chief federal immigration judge for submitting a brief citing two nonexistent cases and a false quotation, saying while such errors can be "tell-tale signs" of AI hallucinations, her denial she used AI is "plausible" and the court won't consider further sanctions.

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'Construction Has To Stop!': Judge Blocks Trump's Ballroom

By Dorothy Atkins

A Washington, D.C., federal judge Tuesday granted a historical preservation nonprofit's request for a preliminary injunction halting President Donald Trump's plans to turn the White House's East Wing into an "enormous" 89,000-square-foot ballroom, saying "unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!"

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Beasley Allen Seeks Stay Of DQ In Federal J&J Talc MDL

By Jake Maher

The Beasley Allen Law Firm asked a New Jersey federal court on Monday to hold off on disqualifying it from talc litigation against Johnson & Johnson while it appeals the disqualification order which it called "unprecedented and incorrect."

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Senate Dems Probe Musk's Alleged Role In CTA Retreat

By Sarah Jarvis

Three Democratic senators have asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide information on Elon Musk's possible involvement in the rollback of the Corporate Transparency Act, saying the department's moves allow entities tied to the billionaire to operate in obscurity.

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Analysis

Defamation Litigation Roundup: Unilever, Afroman, Musk

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights a new suit against Unilever by an ousted member of a Ben & Jerry's board, as well as Afroman's defeat of a case by Ohio police officers after a raid of the comedic rapper's home.

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FBI Fired Agents Over Trump 2020 Election Inquiry, Suit Says

By Bonnie Eslinger

Former FBI agents who say they were illegally fired for working on the investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss filed a proposed class action in D.C. federal court Tuesday accusing the government of unconstitutional "political retribution."

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Brief

Moye White, Ex-Landlord Settle $4M Denver Lease Dispute

By Zach Dupont

Days before the start of a bench trial between a Denver landlord and defunct law firm Moye White LLP in state court, the two parties reached a settlement, ending the litigation where the landlord accused the firm of owing almost $4 million.

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