Widow Sues Amazon Over Miami Cargo Plane Runway Crash

By Linda Chiem

The widow of a man killed when an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport and plowed into vehicles accused the company and its cargo airline partners of knowingly operating a plane that was "unfit for service," according to a state court lawsuit filed Wednesday.

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Ex-Nikola CEO's Pardon Doesn't Let Him Beat Investor Suit

By Katryna Perera

The presidential pardon Nikola founder Trevor Milton received for his criminal conviction on securities fraud charges does not bar him from facing similar civil claims alleging he and the electric-vehicle startup exaggerated the viability of the company's prospects, an Arizona federal judge ruled.

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FCA, Cummins Win Ram Diesel Suit Over EPA Preemption

By Susan Smiley

A class action alleging FCA and Cummins Inc. falsely marketed Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 diesel pickup trucks as being more environmentally friendly and fuel-efficient than other diesel trucks ended on Wednesday after a Michigan federal judge held the claims are preempted by the Clean Air Act.

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Chevron, Insurers Settle $52M Iran Oil Seizure Dispute

By Elaine Briseño

Three insurers have reached a settlement with Chevron over whether their separate marine cargo and war risk policies covered nearly $52 million worth of crude oil the Iranian military seized in retaliation for U.S. economic sanctions.

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Ga. Panel Upholds $8.5M Verdict Over Diabetic Driver Crash

By Y. Peter Kang

A Georgia appeals court on Wednesday affirmed an $8.5 million verdict against a trucking company that employed a driver with a history of failing to manage his diabetes who negligently ran another big rig off the road during a medical emergency, saying certain evidence was not improperly admitted.

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US Bans Canadian Alcohol, Motorcycles After Tariff Retaliation

By Jack McLoone

President Donald Trump continued the U.S. trade offensive against Canada after its northern neighbor's retaliatory tariffs went into effect, announcing a ban on Canadian imports of certain alcohol, dairy products and motorcycles starting this month.

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Airline Group Asks Justices To Review United Vax Bias Class

By Patrick Hoff

An airline industry urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to hear United Airlines' challenge to a Fifth Circuit ruling that preserved class status in a religious bias suit over United's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, arguing the appeals court ignored the myriad individualized issues at play.

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Sens. Urge Delta To Sit Out Flight Attendants' Union Fight

By David Aaro

A pair of Democratic senators asked Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on Wednesday to remain neutral amid efforts from its flight attendants to unionize with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

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2nd Circ. Says Ford Firing Dispute Needs Fresh Arbitration

By Emily Brill

Ford Motor Co. does not have to rehire a worker the company fired twice in the early 2020s, the Second Circuit ruled, ordering a new arbitration to decide whether the worker deserves reinstatement after he was fired in 2020 for harassment and again in 2023 for lying.

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Ford Says DOT Concern Over China Tech 'Wrongheaded'

By Jack McLoone

Ford Motor Co. pushed back on U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's "profound concern" over what he said was too close of a relationship between it and a Chinese battery manufacturer, saying the claims are unfounded and don't mesh with other administration stances.

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States Say DOT's Driver Data Demand Is Immigration Pretext

By Jared Foretek

The Democratic-led states asking a Virginia federal judge to stop the Trump administration from accessing the Social Security numbers of commercial drivers nationwide for immigration enforcement backed up their request for an injunction Wednesday, saying the federal government is using post hoc rationalizations to defend its data demands.

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Insurer Seeks Exit From Fatal Drunk-Driving Trucker Suits

By Danielle Ferguson

An insurer told an Alabama federal court it has no duty to defend or indemnify a tractor-trailer driver against several lawsuits alleging he was drunk while driving his wife's tractor when he crashed into multiple vehicles, arguing he was not operating as a motor carrier at the time.

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Mackinac Island Says Ferry Operators Created Discovery Fight

By Melanie Dorsey

A northern Michigan island resort community has urged a federal court to reject ferry operators' bid to compel testimony from a city representative, arguing that the companies created the discovery dispute by refusing to narrow sweeping deposition topics covering as much as 16 years.

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3rd Circ. Vacates Approval For NJ Pipeline Project

By Carla Baranauckas

The Third Circuit has vacated New Jersey's approval of a water quality certification for Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. LLC's proposed Northeast Supply Enhancement project, ruling that the state unlawfully deferred requirements for monitoring and corrective action and failed to explain how the project would meet water quality standards.

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Womble Bond Adds 15 Lewis Brisbois Auto Defense Attys

By Kevin Penton

Womble Bond Dickinson has added a 29-person consumer warranty and product liability litigation group from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP that specializes in defending automobile manufacturers, the firm announced Wednesday.

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ABA Study Shows 20% Of Attys Under Severe Mental Distress

By Tracey Read

About one-fifth of attorneys across the country meet moderate-to-extremely severe symptom thresholds for depression, anxiety and stress, according to the largest-ever study of mental health and well-being in the legal profession.

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Mass. Judge Sanctioned Over Handling Of ICE At Courthouse

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday sanctioned a judge over her handling of a case involving a defendant wanted by immigration agents in 2018, an incident that led to federal charges that were dismissed after the judge agreed to a disciplinary process.

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Akerman Brings On Troutman Debt Finance Pro In LA

By Christine DeRosa

Akerman LLP announced Thursday it has added an experienced debt finance attorney from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP to its corporate practice group in Los Angeles.

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Legal Network TerraLex Names Norton Rose Exec As CEO

By James Boyle

Florida-based legal network TerraLex has tapped a former executive at Norton Rose Fulbright to serve as the company's CEO.

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AI-Native Approach Offers Chance To Rethink In-House Depts.

By Jake Maher

Artificial intelligence is giving corporate legal departments the opportunity to rethink how work is divided between outside counsel and in-house attorneys, but the pace of change in technology and demands to adapt from corporate heads remain challenges, in-house leaders said this week at an industry event.

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Analysis

Executive Privilege Questions Cloud Congressional Probe Prep

By Phillip Bantz

As corporate leaders brace for the possibility of Democrats retaking control of Congress and launching aggressive investigations into the Trump administration's dealings with a vast array of companies, attorneys say a U.S. Justice Department opinion on executive privilege could complicate the probes.

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2 At DOJ Sued Over Conn. Immigration Court Record Access

By Christine DeRosa

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Connecticut has filed suit in Connecticut federal court challenging the Hartford Immigration Court's refusal to provide access to immigration court records.

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DOJ Urges High Court To Revisit 9th Circ. Bar Of Nevada US Atty

By Madison Arnold

The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a recent Ninth Circuit ruling disqualifying the Trump administration's top federal prosecutor in Nevada, calling it a decision that imposes "ongoing confusion" in the executive branch.

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Ed Martin Reprimanded Over Unauthorized FBI Contacts

By Courtney Bublé

Last summer, when Ed Martin was still head of the weaponization working group at the U.S. Department of Justice, he was reprimanded after his team communicated with the FBI without authorization, according to recently released emails.

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