Analysis

DOJ Charges Bring More Complications For Key Bridge Ship

By Linda Chiem

Recent federal criminal charges over Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster have created new risks for operators of the cargo ship at the center of the wreck, potentially upending a civil trial that's set to start next month to determine the scope of damages for victims' families and other injured claimants.

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Analysis

Unsafe Carriers Seem Doomed After Freight Broker Ruling

By Y. Peter Kang

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding that freight brokers can be held liable under state law for the negligent hiring of motor carriers that cause auto collisions is a "monumental" win for highway safety, plaintiffs' attorneys said, as dangerous "fly-by-night" trucking companies could be put out of business.

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Boeing Owed Duty To Worker's Future Kid, Wash. Panel Says

By Rachel Riley

Boeing must face claims that a factory worker's on-the-job chemical exposure caused birth defects in his child, a Washington Court of Appeals panel said in a published ruling Monday, finding that an employer "may be liable for negligence towards an employee's not-yet-conceived offspring."

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Volvo Inks $197M Emissions Deal With Calif. Regulators

By Hailey Konnath

Volvo Group North America has agreed to pay roughly $197 million to resolve allegations the automaker violated California's emissions and certification standards, according to an announcement made Monday by the California Air Resources Board.

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Amputee Keeps $55M Verdict Over Freight Cos., Driver's Estate

By George Woolston

A New Jersey appeals court said on Monday it won't disturb a $55 million verdict awarded to a motorist who lost both of her legs in a collision with a tractor-trailer, holding that there was no miscarriage of justice.

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FTC And Deere In 'Advanced' Right-To-Repair Settlement Talks

By Bryan Koenig

The Federal Trade Commission got an Illinois federal judge to hit pause on its right-to-repair antitrust lawsuit against John Deere, citing ongoing settlement talks less than two months after the company struck a $99 million deal with farmers promising to facilitate independent equipment repairs.

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Judge Severs FedEx Wage Suits Affecting 14K Drivers

By Benjamin Morse

A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday severed three wage suits against FedEx affecting more than 14,000 delivery drivers, saying their claims were improperly joined and represented an attempt to sidestep failed collective and class action efforts.

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Supreme Court Won't Revive Car ID Patent Claims

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday shot down a vehicle identification system patent owner's challenge to the Federal Circuit's reversal of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision allowing it to amend claims in two patents challenged by rideshare giant Lyft.

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Train Co.'s Claim Construction Dodge Ended IPRs

By Dani Kass

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp.'s attempt to rely on other parties' claim constructions doomed its challenges to Railware Inc. railway traffic control patents, according to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires.

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Justices Pass On Bakery Distributors' FAA Arbitration Fight

By Benjamin Morse

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to review whether a Federal Arbitration Act exemption applies to agreements between two business entities when neither is a worker, leaving intact a Second Circuit decision that sided with two delivery drivers seeking to pursue their claims in court rather than arbitration.

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Freight Co. Gets Ch. 11 Plan OK After Settling Debt Deal Suit

By Alex Wittenberg

Freight services company STG on Monday secured a New Jersey bankruptcy judge's approval of its Chapter 11 plan, which calls for letting the debtor cut more than $1 billion in liabilities, weeks after the debtor resolved major litigation launched by its lenders.

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11th Circ. Doubts Amazon's Appeal Of Captive Audience Ban

By Braden Campbell

Amazon appeared likely Monday to lose its challenge to the National Labor Relations Board's ban on mandatory anti-union meetings after an Eleventh Circuit panel doubted the company's standing to fight the policy, which the board announced but did not apply in a decision involving the company.

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Minn. Lawmakers OK Federal Conformity, Property Tax Relief

By Sanjay Talwani

Minnesota would conform with several changes to the federal tax code and extend its workaround of the cap on corporate deductions for state and local taxes under an omnibus tax package approved by lawmakers and heading to Gov. Tim Walz.

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Boating Retailer West Marine Files Ch. 11 To Stay Afloat

By Emlyn Cameron

Boating supply retailer West Marine commenced a Chapter 11 case in Delaware to deal with almost $550 million in debt after reaching a deal on a restructuring support agreement with lenders and equity holders.

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Judge Awards $12.9M, Injunction In E-Bike Patent Case

By Adam Lidgett

A Texas federal judge on Monday found that two Chinese electric motorcycle companies owe nearly $13 million for infringing a design patent owned by a rival manufacturer and issued a rare permanent injunction.

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Farmers Secures Retrial On $6.4M Medical Costs Award

By Hope Patti

A California state appeals court ordered a limited retrial of a jury's nearly $6.4 million economic damages award in a drunk driving dispute, saying the trial court erred by allowing a life care planning expert to testify about the costs of the crash victim's past and future medical care.

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Trisura Says Policy Doesn't Cover $25M Wrongful Death Case

By Danielle Ferguson

Trisura Specialty Insurance asked an Illinois federal court to declare it does not have to defend or indemnify a Texas-based trucking company against a $25 million default judgment for its alleged involvement with a crash that killed a 23-year-old man in 2024.

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Aetna Denied A Freeze On Trans Facial Surgery Order

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Connecticut federal judge ordered Aetna to comply with a preliminary injunction requiring it to reconsider coverage denials affecting two transgender health plan participants who sought gender-affirming facial surgery, refusing to stay the insurer's compliance obligations during its pending appeal in the proposed class action.  

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Native, Enviro Groups Challenge Calif. Oil Pipeline Waiver

By Zak Kostro

California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection granted safety regulation waivers without proper review, allowing Sable Offshore Corp. to restart operations of a Santa Barbara oil pipeline system a decade after a catastrophic oil spill, environmental and Native American organizations said in a suit removed to federal court.

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Greenberg Traurig Lands Fla. Litigator From K&L Gates

By Madison Arnold

A former K&L Gates LLP litigator has moved his practice to Greenberg Traurig PA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the firm announced Monday.

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Series

Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

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Murdaugh Sues Ex-Court Clerk Who Tried To Sway The Jury

By Jack Karp

Disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh is suing the court clerk whose attempt to influence the jury in his murder trial led the South Carolina Supreme Court to overturn his murder conviction.

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Morgan & Morgan Atty Barred From Harvard Suit Over AI Error

By Chris Villani

A Massachusetts judge on Monday said a Morgan & Morgan PA attorney may not appear before him in a suit against Harvard University over the theft of body parts donated to its medical school, saying the lawyer did not learn his lesson after signing off on briefs in another case with fake case law generated by artificial intelligence.

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Trump Seeks Circuit Seats For 2 Judges He Appointed

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's recent picks for the Eighth and Tenth Circuits mark the first time in his second administration that he's seeking to elevate judges he appointed in his first term.

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Health Co. Wants Kirkland Off IP Case For 'Cardinal Sin'

By Elliot Weld

A healthcare company suing medical technology company Commure Inc. over alleged trade secret theft has said Kirkland & Ellis LLP should be disqualified from representing Commure because the healthcare company had tried to retain Kirkland prior to filing the suit and shared confidential information before anyone asked who the defendant was going to be.

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Wyoming Prosecutor Confirmed Despite Misconduct Rebuke

By Courtney Bublé

Just a few days ago, federal judges tossed nine criminal indictments after President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. attorney's office of Wyoming was accused of prosecutorial misconduct. On Monday evening, he was confirmed to permanently lead the office.

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Analysis

Half The Nation's Bar Apps Could Remove Rape Questions

By Cara Bayles

By next year, it's possible that about half of U.S. jurisdictions will have amended character and fitness questions to avoid dredging up aspiring lawyers' sexual trauma. But while advocates hail the reforms as progress, concerns linger about the patchwork this could create across the country.

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Ex-Willkie Atty Banned By SEC For Insider Trading

By Emily Sawicki

A former Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP mergers and acquisitions attorney who earlier this month admitted to taking part in a widespread BigLaw insider trading scheme will be barred from representing a client before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a minimum of four years, according to an order the agency issued Monday.

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NY Judge Largely Halts Manhattan Immigration Courts Arrests

By Rae Ann Varona

A New York federal judge Monday largely barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting arrests at three Manhattan immigration courthouses, finding there was no good reason why "unfettered discretion" by ICE officers was better than a policy with arrest limitations.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week handled a broad mix of celebrity estate litigation, merger disputes, investor suits, record demands, sanctions fights and questions over corporate moves away from Delaware.

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