Feds Probe Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' Over Traffic Violations

By Linda Chiem

The U.S. auto safety regulator is investigating Tesla's advanced driver-assistance system known as Full Self-Driving after reports of accidents involving vehicles operating with FSD that have run red lights or crossed into opposing lanes of traffic.

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Tort Report: Nuked 'Nuclear Verdict' Stays, Texas Justices Say

By Y. Peter Kang

The fate of a "nuclear verdict" that was used to jump-start tort reform campaigns across the country and a settlement of a suit over a Kiss guitar technician's death lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

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Nissan, Drivers Reach Deal To End Faulty Brake Claims

By Emily Field

Nissan North America Inc. and drivers on Thursday reached a settlement in principle in Tennessee federal court that would end multistate claims alleging the automatic braking systems in certain Nissan vehicles would sometimes trigger and cause the cars to stop suddenly, creating an unpredictable hazard.

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Judge Narrows Evidence Ahead Of Boeing 737 Max Trial

By Ben Adlin

A Washington federal judge on Thursday ruled on which evidence will be allowed in a Nov. 3 trial in LOT Polish Airlines' lawsuit against Boeing, in which LOT accuses the aerospace giant of tricking it into leasing defective 737 Max jets that were later grounded after two fatal crashes.

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Tire-Maker Takes 13 Revived Asbestos Suits To NC High Court

By Hayley Fowler

Continental Tire is asking North Carolina's top court to review whether more than a dozen workers' compensation cases linked to alleged asbestos exposure at one of its factories should carry on, saying the claimants cannot skirt the results of a bellwether trial.

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Mich. Justices Mull Tort Damages Bar For Nonresident Drivers

By Carolyn Muyskens

Members of Michigan's Supreme Court on Thursday expressed reservations about an intermediate appellate court's decision that nonresidents who fail to carry Michigan insurance for a vehicle they regularly drive in the state can recover tort damages after a car accident.

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7th Circ. Denies Rehearing In Harley-Davidson Warranty Case

By Matthew Perlman

The Seventh Circuit again affirmed the dismissal of customers' challenge to terms and conditions in Harley-Davidson's motorcycle warranties that limit coverage when third-party parts are used.

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First Brands Creditor Wants Examiner After $2.3B 'Vanished'

By Clara Geoghegan

First Brands creditor Raistone Capital urged a Texas bankruptcy judge to appoint an independent examiner in the car parts maker's Chapter 11 case, saying no one has been held accountable for up to $2.3 billion that "simply vanished."

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Roundup

Q3 Notches Biggest Megadeal Quarter In Three Years

By Al Barbarino

The value of global mergers and acquisitions worth $10 billion or more hit $289.5 billion in the third quarter, the highest since the second quarter of 2022, according to a report provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence on Thursday.

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BNSF Must Face Trial Over Mont. Woman's Death On Tracks

By Y. Peter Kang

A Montana federal judge on Thursday refused to toss a suit accusing BNSF of causing the death of a woman hit by a train while walking her dog, saying it should be up to a jury to decide if the railroad failed to provide adequate signage in the area.

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Brief

Ohio Judge OKs Trimmed Norfolk Southern Derailment Suit

By Isaac Monterose

An Ohio federal judge approved on Thursday a joint dismissal motion filed by two kennel owners and Norfolk Southern that will permanently toss the kennel owners' property claims from their derailment suit against the railroad company.

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Air Force Accused Of Mishandling Drone Deal

By Tom Lotshaw

A Virginia company asked the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Wednesday to block an Air Force deal to boost drone-fighting capability, saying that the military branch claimed to have never received its timely and lower-cost proposal despite email records to the contrary.

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AIG Says Dock Builder Can't Avoid $1.8M Yacht Fire Lawsuit

By Ganesh Setty

An AIG unit urged a Florida federal court Thursday to reject a contractor's claims it can't be held liable for more than $1.8 million in coverage payments over a yacht fire caused by dock wiring that lacked ground fault protection, arguing the state building code required such protection.

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FERC Nixes Ban On Pipeline Work During Project Appeals

By Keith Goldberg

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has scrapped a rule barring construction activities on gas infrastructure projects when approvals are being challenged, saying it's no longer necessary and bogs down the development of needed infrastructure.

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Judge Tosses San Juan Climate Suit Against Energy Cos.

By Keith Goldberg

A federal judge has dismissed San Juan, Puerto Rico's lawsuit linking energy giants' alleged concealment of fossil fuels' effects on climate change to a pair of hurricanes, saying it's indistinguishable from a recently dismissed suit brought by other Puerto Rico municipalities.

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USPTO Says Overturned PTAB Invalidation Can't Be Appealed

By Dani Kass

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is urging the Federal Circuit to turn away an appeal from Verizon Connect Inc., whose successful challenge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board was overridden by the acting director.

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Civil Maritime Nuclear Sector Poised For Growth, Challenges

The maritime industry now stands on the verge of a nuclear-powered renaissance, with the need for clean energy, resilient power generation and decarbonized logistics driving demand for commercial maritime nuclear technology — but these developments will raise significant new legal, regulatory and technical questions, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

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What 2 Recent Rulings Mean For Trafficking Liability Coverage

Two recent federal district court decisions add to a growing number of courts concluding that Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act claims may trigger coverage under commercial general liability policies, rejecting insurer arguments regarding public policy and exclusion defenses, says Joe Cole at Shumaker.

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Series

Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Painting trains me to see both the fine detail and the whole composition at once, enabling me to identify friction points while keeping sight of a client's bigger vision, but the most significant lesson I've brought to my legal work has been the value of originality, says Jana Gouchev at Gouchev Law.

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Sullivan & Cromwell Impersonators Hit With NY Fraud Claims

By Emily Sawicki

New York Attorney General Letitia James is attempting to take down a slew of businesses whose names are variants of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, accusing them of attempting a scheme to fraudulently redirect checks meant for the global corporate law firm.

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Analysis

False-Statement Case Puts Comey In Rare Company

By Phillip Bantz

Former FBI director James Comey is the latest addition to the relatively short list of government officials who have been criminally charged over the past several decades with making false statements to Congress.

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NY Atty General Indicted Following Pressure From Trump

By Lauren Berg

New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted in Virginia federal court Thursday on charges related to mortgage fraud, three weeks after President Donald Trump wrote a social media post encouraging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action because James and two other political opponents were "guilty as hell."

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Jenn Mascott Of WH Counsel's Office Confirmed To 3rd Circ.

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate voted 50-47 on Thursday to confirm Jenn Mascott, currently serving in the White House Counsel's Office, to the Delaware seat on the Third Circuit.

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7th Circ. Nominee Taibleson Advances To Full Senate

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced on party lines the nomination of Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin, to serve on the Seventh Circuit, as well as four district judicial nominees and five U.S. attorney nominees.

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Baldoni Atty Faces LA Malpractice Suit Over Client 'Betrayal'

By Emily Sawicki

Entertainment attorney Bryan Freedman has been accused in Los Angeles County Superior Court of turning his back on a former client, allegedly convincing him to sign an unfavorable settlement on trademark claims against "It Ends With Us" star Justin Baldoni, only to later begin representing the actor and director.

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Calif. Supreme Court Justice Martin Jenkins To Retire

By James Mills

California Supreme Court Justice Martin J. Jenkins, the first openly gay man and the third African American man to sit on the bench, will retire at the end of October, the court announced Thursday.

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Weinstein Says Jurors Traded Threats, Tainting Verdict

By Cara Salvatore

Harvey Weinstein's legal team said his June sexual assault convictions were tainted by juror misconduct, including physical threats and an unfounded bribery claim, arguing in a motion for a new trial that a judge refused to properly investigate.

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