Lyft Can't Ditch Riders' Suit Over 'Priority Pickup' Promise

By Hailey Konnath

A California federal judge refused Tuesday to throw out a trio of Lyft passengers' proposed class action claiming the ride-hailing company's Priority Pickup option costs extra but often fails to pick up passengers faster, finding that the passengers had standing to bring their claims.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

11th Circ. Affirms Ga. Concrete Bid-Rigging Conviction

By Matthew Perlman

The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a manager's conviction for conspiring to rig bids and fix prices for tens of millions of dollars in ready-mix concrete contracts in Georgia, after finding enough evidence of his participation in the scheme.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. Fights Federal Moves To Nix Its Truck Emissions Regs

By Ganesh Setty

California's air pollution regulator has told a federal judge that Congress and the Trump administration violated separation of powers and federalism principles by passing unlawful resolutions blocking state emissions regulations for heavy-duty trucks, arguing the regulations should still take effect.

Brief attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Trump Rescinds 50-Year Off-Road Rules For Public Lands

By Crystal Owens

Environmental groups are decrying the Trump administration's decision to rescind orders that limited off-road vehicle use on national public lands, arguing the safeguards provided a common-sense framework for reducing conflicts among land users while protecting clean water, wildlife habitat and fragile landscapes.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Won't Recharge Kids' Suit Over Trump's Energy EOs

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit panel refused Tuesday to revive a group of youths' legal challenge of President Donald Trump's executive orders spurring the use of fossil fuels to meet the country's energy needs, concluding the plaintiffs "can only speculate" that the orders will trigger agency decisions that ultimately intensify climate change.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Boeing Says Wash. Law Bars Punitives In Door-Plug Suit

By Linda Chiem

The Boeing Co. has told a federal judge that Washington state law bars punitive damages in a lawsuit from a mother and her teenage son who were seated next to the door plug that blew off the 737 Max 9 jet midflight in January 2024.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

GM Rear Windows Leak From Defect, Suit Alleges

By Mike Curley

A proposed class of California vehicle owners is suing General Motors LLC in federal court, alleging that several model year 2019 and 2020 vehicles have a defect in their rear windows that lets water leak into the cabin.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

10th Circ. Backs Toyota's Win In RAV4 Defect Suit

By Benjamin Morse

The Tenth Circuit affirmed Toyota Motor Corp.'s trial win in a Colorado product liability suit over a RAV4 crash that left a passenger with a severe brain injury, saying the passenger could not challenge the jury's verdict because he failed to make the required trial and posttrial motions.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

WARN Act Plaintiffs Vie For Control In First Brands Ch. 11

By Vince Sullivan

Attorneys representing two groups of employees terminated by bankrupt auto parts maker First Brands Group asked to be put in control of mass termination litigation against the company, each saying on Tuesday that they have the necessary experience to guide the cases toward class certification.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4th Circ. Says Worker Can't Revive Wage Classes After Deal

By Benjamin Morse

The Fourth Circuit dismissed a former auto parts worker's appeal of an order decertifying wage and hour classes and a collective action, finding Tuesday he lost standing when he voluntarily settled his individual claims.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EV Co. Hit With Investor Suit Over Sales And Deliveries

By Sydney Price

Electric vehicle maker Lucid Group Inc. was hit with a proposed investor class action alleging that the company made misleading statements about its production and sales before revealing an issue with a supplier was affecting vehicle deliveries, adding to the list of shareholder litigation it faces over production.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Revives Duty To Defend Claims In Wash. Crash Suit

By Ben Adlin

A Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday partially revived a Washington couple's claims accusing Integon Preferred Insurance Co. of flouting its duty to defend them from a lawsuit over a 2017 pedestrian collision, reversing a lower court's ruling that the policyholders failed to promptly notify the insurer of the suit.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dentons Brings On K&L Gates Litigation Duo In Miami

By Madison Arnold

Dentons US LLP has expanded its commercial litigation capabilities in Miami with a duo from K&L Gates LLP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DLA Piper Brings On A&O Shearman M&A Partner In SF

By Bonnie Eslinger

DLA Piper has announced it is pushing forward with its "strategic expansion" in Northern California with the addition of "a market-leading dealmaker" from Allen Overy Shearman Sterling.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FinCEN World Cup Warning Raises Trafficking Risks For Cos.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's recent warning of human trafficking risks during the World Cup games signals heightened scrutiny ahead of the upcoming tournament, and suggests regulators increasingly expect businesses beyond financial institutions to maintain effective trafficking-risk controls, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Milbank Raises Associate Pay Scale, Topping Out At $455K

By Kevin Penton

Milbank LLP is increasing associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000 annually, with new salary floors of $235,000 and pay reaching as high as $455,000 for more experienced attorneys, according to the firm.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

BigLaw Could Tap PE Money For Advantage In Talent Wars

By Ryan Boysen

BigLaw firms may soon partner with private equity to gain an edge in the talent wars, potentially reshaping the U.S. legal industry despite fears that the shift could corrode firms' cultures.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fox Rothschild Atty Censured Over $2.7M In Unapproved Fees

By Adrian Cruz

A New Jersey-based bankruptcy partner at Fox Rothschild LLP has been censured by the Supreme Court of New Jersey after she was found to have wrongfully disbursed over $2.7 million in fees to her former firms without approval.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Chicago US Atty Report Denies Grand Jury Misconduct Claim

By Lauraann Wood

The Northern District of Illinois' top prosecutor sought to offer clarity Tuesday surrounding accusations of his possible interference with grand jury proceedings that preceded a criminal conspiracy indictment against six protesters, releasing a special report one defendant's attorney says raises more questions than it answers.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Fines Deported Migrant's Atty For ChatGPT Misuse

By Emily Sawicki

The Seventh Circuit has rejected a Mexican citizen's petition challenging an immigration court's removal order on the merits, while sanctioning his attorney $5,000 for filing two legal briefs "riddled with" fabricated quotes and case citations hallucinated by ChatGPT.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Exclusive

Cooley Launches Global Hearings Practice As Scrutiny Rises

By Daniel Moritz-Rabson

Cooley LLP has established a global hearings and inquiries practice to help companies prepare comprehensive strategies as they face increased regulatory scrutiny across multiple jurisdictions, the firm exclusively told Law360 on Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-McDermott, Venable Attys Sued Over Estate's $40M Tax Bill

By Dorothy Atkins

The estate of a successful dentist who died in 2017 sued McDermott Will & Schulte LLP, Venable LLP and two attorneys in California state court Monday, alleging they gave negligent legal advice in planning the dentist's estate causing it to owe the IRS $40 million in taxes and penalties.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dem AGs Slam Climate Science Removal From Judicial Guide

By Jack Karp

The federal judiciary's decision to strike a chapter on climate change from its guide to scientific evidence is misguided, partisan and "will impede the judiciary's ability to pursue truth," according to a Tuesday letter from nearly two dozen Democratic state attorneys general.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bipartisan Bill Would Modernize Court Records Systems

By Matt Perez

U.S. Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., on Tuesday jointly introduced the Open Courts Act, which they said would modernize the court records systems PACER and CM/ECF.

Bill attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feature

AI Software Contracts Need Careful Review, Attys Are Warned

By Aaron Keller

Attorneys considering adopting artificial intelligence tools must ensure software contracts comply with data privacy laws, and firms should not be afraid to quiz software sales representatives, including by asking how long the software retains data, representatives from two law firms told Connecticut lawyers Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Attys Worried Where ICE Will Draw Line In Asylum Crackdown

By Britain Eakin

Immigration attorneys are bracing for heightened scrutiny after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it would crack down on attorneys filing fraudulent asylum claims, expressing fears that the agency could blur the line between fraud and legitimate advocacy.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DOJ Won't Move Forward With $1.8B Fund, Blanche Confirms

By Courtney Bublé

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday, "we're not moving forward" with the controversial $1.8 billion settlement fund.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Confirms Montana, Kansas Judges

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate confirmed judges Tuesday for Montana and Kansas, one of whom was the first judicial nominee of the second Trump administration to receive a "not qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Arias Sanguinetti's Mike Arias

By Joyce Hanson

When she was team captain with a track and field scholarship at the University of Southern California in the 1990s, Nicole Haynes was in good health and rarely had to see a doctor. So when she got a bad stomachache and her friends encouraged her to visit the USC health center, Haynes said she didn't have the right words to explain why her experience with Dr. George Tyndall had felt so invasive and wrong.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »