US Backs Alaska In High Court Fight Over Plane Forfeiture

By Linda Chiem

The federal government has told the U.S. Supreme Court that Alaska is well within its right to confiscate "instrumentalities of crime" and the state's attempted forfeiture of an 83-year-old bush pilot's $95,000 plane for transporting a six-pack of beer to a dry village wasn't excessive.

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Havana Docks Wants $440M Cruise Cos. Judgment Revived

By Joyce Hanson

The Eleventh Circuit is taking up a case on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court related to a $440 million judgment against four cruise companies for trafficking in property seized by Cuba, with ex-concessionaire Havana Docks Corp. arguing a lower court decision should be reinstated.

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4 Questions After US, China Announce Tariff Shield

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. and China's recent announcement that they will shield a subset of goods from tariff actions and extend a trade truce is welcome by importers and advisers, though those stakeholders recognize more substantive policy outcomes between the world's two largest economies continue to face obstacles. Here, Law360 looks at four questions on the subject.

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Union Seeks Early Exit In Lockheed Guard's Firing Suit

By Katherine Smith

A union urged a Connecticut federal court to toss a former security officer's claims that it improperly declined to arbitrate his grievance over his termination from Sikorsky Aircraft and parent company Lockheed Martin Corp., claiming he failed to show the union breached its duty to fairly represent him.

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EV Charging Co. To Pay Investors $4M In Liquidity Woes Suit

By Sydney Price

Bankrupt electric-vehicle charging infrastructure company Charge Enterprises Inc. has agreed to pay $4 million to resolve an investor's proposed class action alleging the company and its executives concealed a liquidity crisis involving the founder and his investment advisory firm before the company's downfall.

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Auto Parts Shop's Inventory Claim Barred By Other Coverage

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan federal judge said an aftermarket auto parts seller cannot seek coverage for expenses associated with inventory damaged by a rainwater leak because one of the company's policies bars coverage for items covered by another insurer.

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State Farm Says Insureds' $7M Fee Bid Ignores Case Losses

By Ben Adlin

State Farm urged a Seattle federal judge to slash policyholders' bid for attorney fees in two class actions in which the insurer was found liable for shortchanging customers on payouts for totaled vehicles, contending the plaintiffs' nearly $7 million in requested fees should be pared down to $1.9 million.

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Pa. County Urges Appeals Court To Revive Climate Suit

By Keith Goldberg

A Pennsylvania county's lawsuit that accuses oil companies of concealing the impacts of fossil fuels on climate change isn't preempted by federal law and should be revived, a state appellate court heard Wednesday.

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What Lawyers Should Know Before Accepting Crypto Payment

As clients increasingly request to pay legal fees, retainers and escrow funds using cryptocurrency, lawyers should consider how only a handful of state bar authorities have addressed the issue with varying ethics opinions, as well as the related questions that no authority has yet answered, says attorney Felix Shipkevich.

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Watchdog Wants Probe Of Trump Press Secretary's Atty Claim

By Jack Karp

A nonprofit government watchdog on Wednesday asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether the new White House press secretary has claimed to be an attorney without being licensed to practice law.

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Ex-BigLaw Atty Wants Firm Docs For Insider Trading Defense

By Carolyn Muyskens

A former BigLaw associate accused of insider trading is seeking records from ex-employers Sidley Austin LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP and Goodwin Procter LLP to help fight charges that he tipped others about nonpublic deals the firms were working on.

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Quinn Emanuel Seeks Arbitration Of $1.7M Fee Dispute

By Caroline Simson

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP is urging a California federal court to order an entrepreneur to arbitrate malpractice claims stemming from the firm's representation of her in a sexual harassment claim against a technology investor as it seeks to collect more than $1.7 million in unpaid fees.

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Baker Botts Atty Seeks $3.4M In Fees After Defamation Suit

By Madison Arnold

A Baker Botts LLP patent attorney has moved for almost $3.4 million in attorney fees and expenses in a defamation suit an inventor brought against her that was dismissed.

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Fox Rothschild Beats Daycare's Malicious Prosecution Suit

By George Woolston

A New Jersey state court dismissed an adult daycare company's suit against Fox Rothschild LLP and one of its attorneys related to their prosecution of a fraudulent loan lawsuit that led to a $65,000 sanction against the firm, according to a court order.

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DLA Piper Accused Of Malpractice In Investor's Soccer Deals

By Bonnie Eslinger

American businessman John Textor has filed a legal malpractice suit in Florida against DLA Piper over the firm's representation in connection with an investment vehicle he created to acquire soccer clubs in the United Kingdom and other countries, claiming his damages could exceed hundreds of millions of dollars.

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