AutoNation Beats Wiretap Suit Over AI Customer Service Calls

By Gina Kim

AutoNation permanently beat a proposed class action on Thursday, alleging it used third-party software to illegally record and transcribe customer service phone calls, after a California federal judge found he lacked personal jurisdiction over the automotive retailer, since its activities were not directed to California customers or tailored to the California market.

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Geico Beats Receiver's Suit Over $2.8M Crash Judgment

By Abigail Harrison

Geico broke free of a bad faith and breach of contract suit that accused it of failing to settle a catastrophic-injury claim against an insured that resulted in a $2.8 million judgment, after a North Carolina federal judge backed a magistrate judge's finding that the suit failed to state a claim.

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Trucker, Broker Sued Over Fatal Fla. Turnpike U-Turn Crash

By Linda Chiem

The estate of one of three people killed in the August Florida Turnpike collision that became a flash point for the Trump administration's crackdown on foreign commercial truckers has sued the driver, the trucking company that employed him and the freight broker that arranged the shipment.

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Supplier Says Sikorsky Owes $14M For Helicopter Job

By Brian Steele

Lockheed Martin unit Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. paid a subcontractor only $8 million for $22 million worth of work on a multibillion-dollar military helicopter program after causing the project to "balloon in time and cost," according to a federal contract suit.

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Motorola Sued Again Over Vehicle-Tracking Camera Data

By Celeste Bott

A putative class action filed Thursday in Illinois federal court claims that Motorola Solutions operates a nationwide network of license plate recognition cameras and surveillance software that allows law enforcement agencies to track drivers' movements without their consent and in violation of their privacy rights.

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Wash. Justices Uphold Repeat DUI Offender Gun Ban

By Elizabeth Daley

A 5-4 Washington State Supreme Court majority has found that two men who were prevented from owning firearms after being repeatedly convicted of driving under the influence did not have their Second Amendment rights violated by the restriction.

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Chinese E-Bike Seller Agrees To Stop Using UL Seal

By Elliot Weld

A Chinese company that sells electric scooters and e-bikes via Amazon has agreed to a permanent injunction against it using the logo of product safety organization UL to falsely promote its products as having been UL-certified.

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Auto Parts Co. First Brands Spared Ch. 7 Conversion

By Emily Lever

A Texas bankruptcy judge on Friday allowed auto parts maker First Brands to send the fifth version of its Chapter 11 plan out for a vote, denying a U.S. trustee motion to scuttle the plan and dismiss or convert the case to a Chapter 7.

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'Snap Removal' Can't Save Harley-Davidson From State Court

By Abigail Harrison

Harley-Davidson Motor Company Inc. cannot invoke "snap removal" to hoist a negligence lawsuit over alleged brake malfunction into North Carolina federal court, after a judge said the novel legal theory was doomed by a lack of complete diversity of citizenship.

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Enterprise Rent-A-Car Sued Over Wage, Break Claims

By Gina Kim

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is accused of consistently shorting overtime pay and denying breaks to hourly employees, whose claims likely exceed $17 million, according to a notice filed by the company Thursday removing the case to the Western District of Washington. 

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Brief

Chinese Vans Facing Possible 130% Antidumping Duty

By Jack McLoone

Van-type trailers and their assemblies imported from China could be hit with an over 130% antidumping duty after the U.S. Department of Commerce preliminarily found on Friday that they are being sold at unfair prices.

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Brief

Insurer, Turo Drop Suit Over Geico Renter Claim Denials

By Danielle Ferguson

Car-sharing company Turo and a surplus insurer have agreed to drop a lawsuit alleging Geico illegally denied coverage to policyholders involved in accidents while renting vehicles, leading to $6 million in unnecessary payments. 

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DOT Says Fla. Foreign Driver's License Row In Wrong Court

By Britain Eakin

The U.S. Department of Transportation moved Friday to dismiss a lawsuit from 19 foreign truck and bus drivers who challenged a Florida agency's decision to stop issuing commercial driver's licenses to some noncitizens, arguing the matter belongs in a federal appeals court.

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OceanGate Claims Explorer's Estate Withholding Critical Docs

By Ben Adlin

OceanGate Inc., the company behind the failed Titan submersible, told a Washington state court Thursday it's been nearly a year since the company sought discovery around the $50 million in alleged damages sought by the estate of a French explorer who died in the incident — so far to no avail.

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Wis. Tribe Seeks Quick Win In Pipeline Relocation Dispute

By Joyce Hanson

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has asked a D.C. federal judge to vacate a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit letting an energy company reroute 41 miles of a crude oil pipeline around the tribe's reservation.

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Brief

Chinese Fiberglass Panels Facing Triple-Digit Duties

By Jack McLoone

Fiberglass door panels from China face steep antidumping and countervailing duties after the U.S. Department of Commerce made final determinations Friday that they are being sold at unfair prices.

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How Hantavirus May Expand Cruise Ship Liability Concerns

In an incident like the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship, application of maritime negligence principles may expand beyond environmental exposure considerations to encompass how operators identify, respond to and manage emerging infectious disease risks in real time, says Eric Shane at Leesfield & Partners.

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More BigLaw Raises Predicted Despite Silence After Milbank

By Alison Knezevich

While boutiques make up many of the law firms that have quickly matched Milbank LLP's recently announced associate raises, recruiters told Law360 Pulse this week that they predict more BigLaw firms will eventually reveal their own salary hikes.

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Analysis

Insider Trading Defense May Draw On 'Varsity Blues' Playbook

By Chris Villani

After enlisting a crew of experienced attorneys, defendants charged in an insider trading case allegedly involving deal information stolen from huge law firms are preparing to use a strategy that could take some cues from the "Varsity Blues" case in the same Boston courthouse.

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Q&A

JAMS Chief Executive Says Mass Arbitrations On The Rise

By Kellie Mejdrich

Mediation giant JAMS says it has seen a major upswing in mass arbitrations in employment and other contexts, as plaintiff-side firms develop new ways of responding to language requiring out-of-court dispute resolution by companies. CEO Kimberly Taylor and veteran JAMS mediator Robert Meyer spoke to Law360 about mediation trends, with a specific focus on employee benefits disputes.

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Atty Faces Sanctions Over Fake Quotes In Taco TM Fight

By Brian Steele

A Connecticut attorney could be sanctioned for including fake case quotes and misrepresentations of the law in court filings that seek dismissal of a trademark case against a taco restaurant, a federal judge said Friday in questioning whether the documents were sullied by artificial intelligence.

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Analysis

3 Things To Know As Judge Stares Down Impeachment Push

By Kelcey Caulder

The scandal that could cost U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross her job also threatens to cause courthouse chaos in the form of recusal motions, bids to reopen suits and uncertainty for clerks. Here, Law360 looks at three things to know about the calls to impeach the judge and their potential fallout.

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Texas Court Urged To Keep Judge Romance Suit Alive

By Adrian Cruz

In multiple filings, EJS Investment Holdings LLC has asked a Texas federal judge to reject attempts by former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones and other parties to dismiss its proposed class action over his secret romance with a former Jackson Walker LLP partner.

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'Poor Lawyering': Walmart Flub Haunts Class Attys At 9th Circ.

By Jeff Overley

Amid warnings of a chilling effect on plaintiffs counsel, a Ninth Circuit panel Friday scrutinized six-figure sanctions against attorneys whose false advertising suit targeting Walmart Inc. collapsed because of crucial fine print in an avocado oil receipt.

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No Amici In Comey Seashell Threat Case, Judge Says

By Craig Clough

A North Carolina federal judge on Friday said she will not allow any amici to weigh in on former FBI Director James Comey's criminal charges alleging he threatened President Donald Trump with a social media post, finding the parties are "ably represented" by counsel and public input is not needed.

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Ill. Judge Decries Grand Jury 'Turmoil,' Tosses Fraud Charges

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge agreed Friday to dismiss fraud charges against two men ahead of an evidentiary hearing probing recent grand jury misconduct claims, but cautioned that "getting rid" of the case may not have prosecutors' desired effect, as such allegations continue causing "turmoil" throughout the district court.

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Deluge Of Video Evidence Overwhelms Criminal Cases

By Brandon Lowrey

Surveillance cameras and police body cameras are creating a flood of video evidence that can help prosecutors and defense attorneys build strong cases. But many have been struggling with the technical and logistical challenges that come with the sheer volume of footage.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

The past week in London has seen the FCA bring a claim against a fund manager it accused of providing investment services despite having been banned, an Ardmore unit sue a contractor two days before the construction group's collapse, and shipping and cruise giant MSC hit back at an entertainment company following separate intellectual property litigation in the U.S. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

Elon Musk and SpaceX's legal team blasted off with the largest IPO in history, with shares priced at $150 each at opening before briefly topping $176. And a new study shows investors have approved 11 of 17 companies' requests to move their incorporation from Delaware to Texas so far this proxy season.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Kirkland & Ellis LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Los Angeles jury in a bellwether trial cleared Johnson & Johnson of any liability in the deaths of three women from ovarian cancer.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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