Boeing Beats Investment Fund's 737 Max Fraud Suit For Good

By Sydney Price

An Illinois federal judge on Thursday permanently dismissed an investment fund's suit accusing Boeing of misrepresenting the safety of its 737 Max 8 jets after two deadly crashes overseas, saying the investment fund has again failed to show it can pursue claims despite never purchasing Boeing shares.

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

Toyota Must Face Minivan Defect Warranty Suit, Judge Says

By Gina Kim

A California federal judge has largely allowed Toyota minivan drivers to proceed with their proposed class action alleging Toyota didn't repair defective second-row seat rails for months, ruling they sufficiently pled the warranty's purpose failed since it didn't repair or replace the parts within a reasonable time frame. 

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

Calif. Asks DC Judge To Void EPA's 'Unlawful' Waiver Moves

By Linda Chiem

California has asked a D.C. federal judge to void the Trump administration and congressional Republicans' "manifestly unlawful" use of the Congressional Review Act to make Clean Air Act waivers for the Golden State subject to rescission by lawmakers.

Summary Judgment attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mayflower Can't Escape Punitives In Fatal Crash, Judge Says

By Kelcey Caulder

Moving and relocation company Mayflower Transit LLC may face punitive damages in a lawsuit over a 2022 highway crash that killed a woman and her child, a Georgia federal judge ruled, but any award will be capped at $250,000.

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

11th Circ. Backs Allegiant Win Over Race Bias, Retaliation Suit

By Patrick Hoff

The Eleventh Circuit refused to reopen a Black former Allegiant Airlines employee's suit alleging she was fired for complaining to the CEO that white colleagues were harassing her and making racist jokes, finding she only contacted the executive after she was caught lying about an altercation with a co-worker.

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

Singer's Widow Says Disputed Cause Revives Crash Suit

By George Woolston

The wife of a country singer urged a New Jersey appellate panel Thursday to revive her suit over the helicopter crash that killed her husband, arguing that there is a genuine dispute over whether the manufacturer of the helicopter's engine is responsible for alleged defects in one of the engine components.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Crowell Faces DQ Bid Over AI Tool At Heart Of Client's IP Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

DeviantArt urged a California federal judge Wednesday to disqualify Crowell & Moring LLP from representing Evox Productions in litigation alleging multiple AI companies used Evox's copyrighted car photos to train artificial-intelligence image generators, arguing the firm "unquestionably" represented DeviantArt and has "sued its own client on behalf of another client."

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

4 Firms Guide $16.3B Penske Automotive Take-Private Deal

By Al Barbarino

Penske Automotive Group Inc. said Thursday it has agreed to be taken private by its controlling shareholder, Penske Corp., and Japan's Mitsui & Co. at an enterprise value of approximately $16.3 billion, with four law firms advising on the transaction. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tesla Says Mass. Fiery Death Crash Suit Has Repetitive Claims

By Jonathan Capriel

Tesla is looking to trim a wrongful-death lawsuit filed in Massachusetts federal court by a mother who claims her 20-year-old son burned alive while trapped inside a crashed 2021 Model Y, arguing that half of the claims are duplicative or can't stand independently.

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

Brief

Ex-Railcar Co. CEO Admits $22M Client-Fund Embezzlement

By Celeste Bott

The former CEO of an Illinois railcar management company accused of embezzling $22 million from the business pled guilty to wire fraud in Illinois federal court on Wednesday.

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

Norfolk Southern On The Hook For $1.6M In Age Bias Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

An Alabama federal judge entered final judgment Thursday in favor of a former longtime Norfolk Southern worker who claimed the Atlanta-based company and two subsidiaries violated federal age discrimination law by forcing him out of his job, cementing a jury's $1.6 million verdict for the worker.

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

FedEx Can't Escape Mortality Data Fight 6th Circ. Revived

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Tennessee federal judge Thursday refused to toss a proposed class action alleging that FedEx pensioners' benefits were shortchanged due to outdated mortality assumptions used to convert their single life annuity benefits into joint-and-survivor form, holding claims were sufficiently backed up to reach discovery.

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

Warehouse Workers Win $1.55M Settlement In Wage Suit

By MJ Koo

Thousands of California warehouse workers have reached a $1.55 million settlement with a staffing company over allegations that they were denied proper meal and rest breaks and were not fully paid for their work, according to a court filing.

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

Tesla Says Gov't Brief Shows USPTO Wants 'Absolute Power'

By Elliot Weld

Electric carmaker Tesla told the U.S. Supreme Court that it should take a case over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership's discretionary standards for granting or denying patent review, saying a recent government brief illustrates how the office wants "absolute power" when it comes to restricting such reviews.

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

Gov't Urges Justices To Reject Google, Intel Fight Over Fintiv

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Intel Corp. and Google LLC's challenge to a precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation.

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

FERC Makes Further Moves To Speed Up Gas Project Reviews

By Keith Goldberg

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday issued a pair of proposals aimed at speeding up its approval of gas infrastructure projects by narrowing the scope of the agency's environmental reviews.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Importer Risk Rises As AI Enters Trade Fraud Enforcement

The Trump administration's new data-driven and artificial intelligence-enabled push against tariff evasion raises the stakes for companies with global supply chains, making it crucial that they consider strengthening response protocols, documentation and internal reporting mechanisms, say attorneys at Cooley.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Cyber Incident Halts Bankruptcy Court Noticing Nationwide

By Hilary Russ

The nationwide system for providing notice to creditors in bankruptcy cases has been disrupted by a cybersecurity incident, and it is not currently known when the outage will end.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Missouri AG Alumni Make Their Mark In Trump 2.0

By Courtney Bublé

Missouri is hundreds of miles from Washington, D.C., but the legal community of the Show-Me State has taken a significant hold in the second Trump administration.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Norton Rose Beats $100M Suit Over Withdrawn Patent App

By Celeste Bott

Norton Rose Fulbright has defeated a former client's malpractice suit over a missed patent fee payment, after an Illinois state judge ruled that the deadline to sue began before the firm allegedly acknowledged its mistake and dismissed the company's $100 million lawsuit against the firm with prejudice.

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

Murdaugh Tells 4th Circ. To Revive Jury Tampering Civil Suit

By Cara Salvatore

Disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh asked the Fourth Circuit on Thursday to revive his suit accusing a court clerk of interfering in his murder trial, arguing he has standing because the alleged tampering "destroyed the value" of his $600,000 defense.

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

Judge Who Called For Philly DA Probe Rejects Recusal Bid

By Matthew Santoni

A federal judge who called for an investigation of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office will not reconsider or recuse himself from the underlying habeas corpus case, calling DA Larry Krasner's bid to undo his rulings "frivolous" and "intemperate."

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

Would-Be Kavanaugh Assassin Slams Feds' Skewed Facts

By Lauren Berg

A woman accused of trying to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh told the Fourth Circuit that federal prosecutors have presented a "wildly inaccurate description" of a Maryland federal judge's sentencing decision, rejecting their argument that she got off too easy because of her gender identity.

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

NYC Sanctuary Policies Survive Trump Admin. Lawsuit

By Rae Ann Varona

A New York federal judge on Thursday tossed the Trump administration's lawsuit challenging New York City policies that the administration alleged unconstitutionally obstruct federal immigration enforcement, saying federal law the administration leaned on does not preempt the sanctuary provisions.

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