Analysis

Spirit Airlines' Demise To Reshape Low-Cost Competition

By Linda Chiem

Rival airlines have scrambled to boost routes, plug service gaps and snatch up Spirit Airlines customers in the two days since the budget carrier's demise, raising alarms about what other casualties might be in store for an airline industry reeling from skyrocketing jet fuel costs.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Spirit Airlines Seeks Court Approval To Wind Down Business

By Rick Archer

Spirit Airlines asked a New York bankruptcy judge Monday to sign off on the wind-down of its operations, including either selling the company's remaining 28 aircraft or leaving them on the tarmac for creditors to repossess.

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

Justices Rebuff BNSF Bid To Curb Post-Mallory Forum Shopping

By Linda Chiem

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear BNSF Railway Co.'s challenge to a Minnesota business-registration law that the rail giant contends was improperly invoked to haul it into state court by an out-of-state plaintiff over alleged out-of-state harms.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Greg Biffle Estate Rejects $40M In Plane Crash Death Claims

By Hayley Fowler

The estate of the late NASCAR driver Greg Biffle has rejected three wrongful death claims totaling more than $40 million stemming from a fatal plane crash that killed seven people in North Carolina, including the driver and his family.

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

Pilots' Union Seeks FCC Focus On Safety In Drone Boost

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission must ensure that its drive to spur the drone industry's growth does not jeopardize air travel safety, the country's largest airline pilots' union has told the agency.

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

Subaru Hit With Class Suit Over Alleged Battery Failures

By Jonathan Capriel

Subaru has sold hundreds of thousands of vehicles with a defect that drains their batteries, which forces owners to buy replacements and, in some cases, leaves drivers stranded, alleges a lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court that seeks to force a recall or vehicle buyback.

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

Greer Doubles Down On Threat To Hike Tariffs On EU Vehicles

By Jack McLoone

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Monday reasserted President Donald Trump's plan to increase tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union as the bloc continues to delay implementing a trade deal reached last July.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Aptiv Trims Automotive USB Patent Claims In Delaware Suit

By Adam Lidgett

Automotive technology supplier Aptiv Technologies has agreed to trim its suit in Delaware federal court accusing Microchip Technologies of infringing its patents on connecting mobile devices using USB routing.

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

Roush NASCAR Team Seeks Final OK For Data Breach Deal

By Abigail Harrison

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing LLC, a professional stock car racing team, asked a North Carolina federal court Friday for final approval of a settlement in a data breach class action that will offer protection for fraud and identity theft.

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

2nd Circ. Bars Out-Of-State Drivers In Bimbo Bakeries OT Suit

By Benjamin Morse

Out-of-state delivery drivers can't pursue their wage claims against Bimbo Bakeries in a Vermont federal court, the Second Circuit ruled Monday, finding their claims aren't tied closely enough to the company's activities in the state.

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

1st Circ. Skeptical Of Challenge To CDC Puppy Import Ban

By Chris Villani

A panel of First Circuit judges on Monday seemed dubious of a challenge to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ban on the import of dogs younger than 6 months old, saying the agency seems to have multiple bases for the new rule.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Oil Giants Say Mich. AG's Climate Antitrust Suit Is DOA

By Keith Goldberg

Global oil giants and an industry group have said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has no basis to allege they conspired to restrict renewable energy and delay the transition away from fossil fuels in violation of federal antitrust laws.

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

Ex-IRS Agent Accused Of Stealing $12M From Fuel Co.

By Asha Glover

A former Internal Revenue Service agent was arrested for allegations that he embezzled more than $12 million in his role as a chief financial officer of a New Jersey fuel company, the New Jersey U.S. Attorney's Office said.

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

Ruling Shows How Texas Law Altered Derivative Suit Outlook

In the first test of S.B. 29's new ownership threshold requirement for shareholder actions, a Texas federal court recently dismissed Gusinsky v. Reynolds, a derivative action brought by a minority Southwest Airlines shareholder, offering key guidance for navigating the new Texas corporate litigation landscape, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

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

2 AI Snafus Show Why Attys Can't Outsource Judgment

The recent incident involving Sullivan & Cromwell where citations in a filed motion were fabricated by artificial intelligence, as well as a punitive ruling from the Sixth Circuit in U.S. v. Farris, demonstrate that the obligation to supervise AI has belonged and always will belong to lawyers, says John Powell at the Kentucky School Boards Association.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bondi Spurs Ethics Doubts By Using DOJ Official As Counsel

By Courtney Bublé

Harmeet Dhillon, an official with the U.S. Department of Justice, is representing former Attorney General Pam Bondi in proceedings before the House oversight committee, which Democrats on the panel say raises ethical quandaries.

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

Attys Defend $85M Fee Bid Blasted By Judge In Google Deal

By Bonnie Eslinger

Consumers who pursued an antitrust class action against Google urged the California federal judge who criticized their 98,000 hours billed as "grotesquely bloated" to approve their $85 million fee request, emphasizing Friday that they filed suit a year before state attorneys general joined the case and maintained a leading role in the litigation.

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

Military Atty Can Prosecute Minn. Civilian Despite Regulations

By Jack Karp

A Minnesota federal judge won't stop a military attorney from being appointed to prosecute a civilian accused of assaulting federal immigration officers, despite finding that the appointment violates binding U.S. Department of Defense regulations.

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

DOJ Apology For Hidden Warrant Not Satisfying For Judge

By Tom Lotshaw

A Rhode Island federal judge, whom the U.S. Department of Homeland Security criticized for releasing a noncitizen with an alleged overseas warrant for homicide, was dissatisfied with an assistant U.S. attorney's apology for not disclosing the warrant to the court beforehand.

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

Wash. Bar Task Force Spotlights Atty Mental Health Issues

By Rachel Riley

A Washington State Bar Association wellness survey of roughly 900 members found that nearly 10% said they experienced suicidal thoughts or self-harm in the past year, and about 20% expressed concerns about their alcohol consumption, a task force reported to bar leadership on Saturday.

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

Lewis Brisbois Gets Ex-Paralegal's Claims Sent To Arbitration

By Adrian Cruz

A Florida state judge determined that a former Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP paralegal has to arbitrate her claims accusing the firm of defamation and costing her a job at another firm.

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

Sinema Pans 'Gross Distortion' By Ex-Guard's Wife In Tryst Suit

By Abigail Harrison

Former Arizona U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Friday doubled down on her contention that a North Carolina federal court lacks jurisdiction over a lawsuit alleging she destroyed a marriage by sending lascivious texts to her ex-security guard.

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

Analysis

DOJ's In-House Detention Legal Aid Plan Is MIA

By Courtney Bublé

A year ago, U.S. Department of Justice officials said the government would be taking over a program historically run by nonprofits to provide legal orientations and referrals for pro bono representation for adults in immigration detention facilities. But those involved in the program say the Trump administration hasn't taken any steps to run the program.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

2nd Circ. Raises Concern Over Challenge To NY US Atty's DQ

By Stewart Bishop

A Second Circuit panel on Monday voiced concern over the U.S. Department of Justice's argument that a now-former acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York was serving lawfully when he subpoenaed the New York Attorney General's office over a pair of cases disfavored by President Donald Trump.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Maduro Gets June Court Date After US Relents On Atty Fees

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge on Monday directed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to return to court in June, after he and his wife, Cilia Flores, reached an apparent agreement with the Trump administration to access Venezuela government funds for their legal fees.

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

Mass. Justices Uneasy Over Judge's Handling Of ICE Incident

By Julie Manganis

Massachusetts' top court on Monday appeared concerned that a state district court judge in 2018 offered to detain a defendant sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, as the justices considered a public reprimand.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Atty Seeks Docs To Back Ogletree DQ Bid In Bias Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A Georgia attorney on Monday asked a federal judge to allow discovery related to her bid to have Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC disqualified from defending ADT LLC against discrimination claims while concurrently defending Microsoft Corp. in the attorney's own pregnancy bias suit.

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

Longtime South Fla. Federal Judge James King Dies At 98

By Carolina Bolado

U.S. District Judge James Lawrence King, a Nixon appointee who spent more than half a century on the federal bench and helped shape the Southern District of Florida, died Saturday at the age of 98.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Calif. District OKs Civil Court Audio Feeds Including Musk Trial

By Dorothy Atkins

The Northern District of California modified local court rules late Friday to allow judges to stream audio for civil jury trials in the district, accompanying its announcement with a separate notice that the high-profile Elon Musk v. Sam Altman trial over OpenAI's for-profit conversion is available to access via audio stream.

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