DC Circ. Fast-Tracks DOT Immigrant Truck Driver Rule Review

By Linda Chiem

The D.C. Circuit will expedite its review of challenges to the U.S. Department of Transportation's new restrictions on commercial licenses for foreign truck drivers, but has already expressed skepticism about the petitioners' claims that the restrictions are pretext for an anti-immigrant agenda of the Trump administration.

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Pa. Panel Greenlights NJ Transit Injury Suit, Citing Galette

By Y. Peter Kang

A Pennsylvania appellate panel on Tuesday affirmed the denial of New Jersey Transit Corp.'s bid to exit a passenger injury lawsuit, holding that the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Galette retroactively invalidates the agency's sovereign immunity defense.

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Judge Blocks Southwest From Some Employee Investigations

By Spencer Brewer

A Texas federal judge delayed the deposition of multiple pilots after Southwest's union alleged the airline threatened witnesses with discipline right before they sat for depositions, saying the company could not bring new disciplinary actions against union-related witnesses for actions from over two years ago without prior court approval.

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Boeing Crash 'Terror' Warrants Substantial Award, Jury Hears

By Lauraann Wood

The estate of an emerging global health advocate who died in the Boeing jet crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 should receive substantial damages for her experience in the six minutes before impact and how her death has affected her family, Illinois federal jurors heard Wednesday.

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Judge Tosses 'Futile' Leaf EV Fire Risk, Charging Defect Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

Nissan has defeated a proposed class action brought by Leaf owners who claimed the electric vehicle's battery contains a defect that makes fast charging a fire risk, with a California federal judge ruling that the drivers failed to show the cars were unsafe and that amending at this point would be "futile."

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Boeing Says Fund's Revised 737 Max Fraud Suit Still Doomed

By Katryna Perera

Boeing has urged an Illinois federal judge to permanently toss a securities fraud suit accusing the company of misrepresenting the safety of its 737 Max 8 jets after two deadly crashes overseas, reiterating that the Massachusetts-based investment fund cannot pursue claims purportedly assigned to it by a defunct assignor.

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Security Co. Can't Garnish Assets In $15M Afghan Award Fight

By Caroline Simson

A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday denied an Emirati private security company's bid to garnish assets held by the International Air Transport Association to enforce part of a confirmed $15.2 million arbitral award against the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority, saying she lacks jurisdiction.

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Goodyear Wants Waiver For Smart Tire Sensor Tech

By Nadia Dreid

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. has some new tire sensors in the works that would provide safety and performance but require special permission from the Federal Communications Commission for the devices to work properly without breaking agency rules.

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CSX Beats Supervisor's Safety Injury Claims

By Chart Riggall

A Georgia federal judge has freed CSX from a lawsuit filed by a maintenance worker who said he was injured while trying to lift dangerously unsecured equipment, ruling the company can't be liable for a task that clearly fell within the worker's job description.

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Fed. Circ. Backs Atty Fees In Bicycle Design Patent Case

By Elliot Weld

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday agreed with a Massachusetts federal judge that a case related to a set of design patents for a bicycle warranted attorney fees being awarded to Hyper Bicycles Inc., saying the judge's finding that the case was weak and unnecessarily dragged out was supported by the evidence.

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First Brands Lender Slams Creditors' 'Baseless' Investigation

By Alex Wittenberg

First Brands Group lender Aequum Capital has urged a Texas bankruptcy judge to reject unsecured creditors' bid to extend a deadline for their investigation into liens that Aequum asserted, saying the creditors are pursuing a "baseless fishing expedition."

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Sony Reaped 'Windfall' From Illegal Tariffs, Gamers Say

By Dylan Moroses

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC retained a "substantial windfall" generated by illegal tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, two Sony PlayStation console owners said Wednesday in a proposed class action in California federal court.

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Judge Questions OMB Justification For Voiding Grants

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday pushed back on arguments by the Trump administration that federal agency grants are subject to termination at any time based solely on a change in priorities — a situation, she suggested, that would essentially render any contracts with the government "illusory."

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NC Insurance Dept. Properly Revoked Appraiser's License

By Hope Patti

A North Carolina state appeals court on Wednesday affirmed the state Department of Insurance's revocation of the license of a motor vehicle damage appraiser, finding he violated ethical standards by disparaging other appraisers.

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Womble Bond Atty's 'Draconian' Penalty Gives 4th Circ. Pause

By Hayley Fowler

A Fourth Circuit panel seemed to struggle Thursday with what one judge described as a "draconian" contempt order against a Womble Bond Dickinson partner, with the panel nudging counsel for both sides toward a simpler solution that wouldn't force the court's involvement.

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Ex-Jackson Walker Atty Seeks Breakup With Romance Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A former Jackson Walker LLP partner said Thursday that she should be dropped from a suit accusing her, a former Texas bankruptcy judge she had a secret relationship with and multiple law firms of fomenting "mass corruption" in Houston's bankruptcy court.

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SEC Fines Ex-BigLaw Atty For Insider Trades On Apollo Deal

By Hailey Konnath

A former Buchalter PC shareholder has agreed to pay $71,625 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's allegations he purchased stock ahead of Apollo Global Management's $1.5 billion acquisition of Bridge Investment, which the commission said he was representing in an unrelated matter at the time.

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Comey Retains NC Criminal Defense Pro For 2nd Indictment

By Rachel Rippetoe

Former FBI Director James Comey has added a North Carolina white collar defense pro to his legal team fighting an indictment by the Trump administration over a social media post last year that prosecutors characterized as a threat of violence against the president, according to a court filing on Thursday.

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Judiciary Panel Punts AI Rules, Mulls Judges' Survey Results

By Jeff Overley

Buckle up: Efforts to modernize evidentiary rules amid artificial intelligence fears are getting bumpy, as judiciary advisers Thursday agreed to dramatically delay action while digesting an AI survey of nearly 1,000 judges and organizing a symposium of litigators and tech pros.

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Toss Of Ex-Shkreli Atty's Deal May Be Error, 2nd Circ. Hints

By Pete Brush

A Second Circuit judge hinted Thursday that a trial judge may have erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from a potential $1 million "punitive tax event."

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Analysis

How Litigation Funding Disclosure Could Affect ITC Cases

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. International Trade Commission's proposed rule to require disclosure of litigation funding in intellectual property cases could bring more transparency to disputes and promote settlements, but it could also discourage some suits if it's not carefully tailored, attorneys say.

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NC Judge Tosses Atty's Suit Against State Bar Panel Member

By Andrea Keckley

A North Carolina federal judge dismissed a suspended attorney's lawsuit against a State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Commission member he accused of bias and due process violations, finding Thursday that the defendant is entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity.

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Analysis

Why Compliance Is Getting Complicated In Latin America

By Phillip Bantz

White collar compliance is getting trickier for companies that do business in Latin America, according to experts, who say they are seeing big shifts in the region connected to cartel crackdowns and efforts to strengthen corporate regulations, including relatively recent pushes for voluntary self-disclosure.

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