Mother Of Musk's Kids Defends Role As OpenAI Liaison

By Dorothy Atkins

Ex-OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis, who has four children with Elon Musk, took the stand in a California federal jury trial Wednesday over Musk's challenge to OpenAI's for-profit conversion, defending her role as an intermediary between Musk and other OpenAI founders and testifying she twice raised concerns over Sam Altman's leadership.

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Ye Testifies In IP Suit That People 'Take Advantage' Of Him

By Rae Ann Varona

Ye took the stand on Wednesday to defend himself in a California copyright trial over whether early versions of his Grammy-winning hit "Hurricane" contained an unauthorized sound recording, saying that people try to "take advantage" of him despite him being "very generous" when it comes to giving artists their due.

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Meta's Exploitation Reporting Needs Work, NM Judge Told

By Cara Salvatore

An executive for a child protection organization told a New Mexico judge Wednesday that "ongoing quality issues" with Meta's reporting and the use of message encryption have made it harder to deliver actionable reports to law enforcement, as the state seeks $3.7 billion in reforms at the social media company.

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Boeing Crash 'Terror' Warrants Substantial Award, Jury Hears

By Lauraann Wood

The estate of an emerging global health advocate who died in the Boeing jet crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 should receive substantial damages for her experience in the six minutes before impact and how her death has affected her family, Illinois federal jurors heard Wednesday.

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'Do Not Use This Report': J&J Hid Asbestos Test, Jury Told

By Craig Clough

Johnson & Johnson and a consultant it hired in the 1970s altered the conclusions of tests that found alarming levels of asbestos in the company's talc products before giving different results to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a former FDA commissioner told a Los Angeles jury Wednesday.

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EDTX Urged To Deny Samsung New Trial After $78.5M Verdict

By Adam Lidgett

A patent owner that won a $78.5 million infringement verdict in the Eastern District of Texas against Samsung urged the court to reject the electronics giant's bid for a new trial, saying the South Korean company wants to turn the law "on its head."

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OpenSky Appeal In VLSI Dispute Postponed At Fed. Circ.

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit has rescheduled arguments in OpenSky's challenge to an attorney fee award that was part of a wide-ranging patent dispute with VLSI Technology after OpenSky's attorney asked for a delay because of the sudden onset of an illness and the death of a family member.

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'Varsity Blues' Coach 'Not Close' In New Trial Bid, Judge Says

By Chris Villani

A former University of Southern California water polo coach convicted in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case missed the goal by a wide margin in his bid to secure a new trial, a Massachusetts federal judge said.

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Feds Say 4th Circ. ICE Ruling Doesn't Help Ex-Wis. Judge

By Ryan Boysen

Former Wisconsin state judge Hannah C. Dugan can't use a recent Fourth Circuit ruling to overturn her conviction for obstructing ICE officers, the federal government said Wednesday, calling that ruling "merely relevant" and not at all binding.

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4th Circ. Appears Unpersuaded By $22M Tax Fraud Appeal

By Hayley Fowler

Two attorneys and an insurance agent faced a Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday that seemed hard-pressed to overturn their convictions for orchestrating a $22 million tax avoidance scheme, with the judges casting doubt on their venue objections and claims that the false tax returns contained truthful information.

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3M, Small Businesses Make Final Case In Texas Explosion Suit

By José Luis Martínez

A group of businesses affected by a Houston factory explosion told a jury Wednesday during closing arguments that 3M Co. should bear most of the responsibility for the disaster, while the manufacturing giant contends that the now-defunct owner of the factory is to blame.

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Lindberg Says He Owes 'Zero' Despite $1.6B Restitution Report

By Abigail Harrison

Beleaguered insurance mogul Greg Lindberg asked a North Carolina federal court to reject a special master's report recommending he pay $1.6 billion in restitution to companies he's accused of defrauding, arguing he should instead pay zilch.

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AIG Says Homeowners Waived Bid For New Damages Trial

By Carolina Bolado

An AIG unit fought against a new trial this week in a dispute over the claims process for damage from Hurricane Irma to a $95 million oceanfront mansion, arguing that the homeowners failed to prove compensable damages at trial and waived their right to a new trial.

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Conn. Asks If AI May Have Altered Slain Baby's Earnings

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut Department of Children and Families attorney on Wednesday challenged an economist's estimate that a baby tossed to his death in a river would have earned $2 million to $3 million over the course of a normal life, questioning whether artificial intelligence could have diminished the slain 7-month-old's earning capacity.

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Trump Wants Time For Justices To Review Carroll Verdict

By Hailey Konnath

President Donald Trump has asked the Second Circuit to delay enforcement of the $83.3 million verdict against him for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll while he appeals the appellate court's en banc refusal to rehear his appeal, noting that Carroll does not oppose the delay as long as he pays interest if it's upheld.

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Curiam Capital Atty Launches New IP Litigation Funding Firm

By Rachel Rippetoe

A former managing director at litigation funder Curiam Capital has launched his own boutique, focused on funding and underwriting for intellectual property litigation, he announced this week.

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Miller & Chevalier Hires DOJ Nat'l Security Atty In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Miller & Chevalier Chtd. has hired an attorney who spent the past nine years working in the federal government, most recently with the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division in a section focused on export controls and counterintelligence issues.

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Why White Collar Juries Resist 'Honest Mistake' Defenses

Cases like the bribery conviction of a Cincinnati City Council member recently vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court show juries often reject “I made an honest mistake” as a white collar defense, but attorneys who understand why jurors convict defendants who made reasonable but flawed decisions can strategize around this, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

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High Court's Cox Ruling Leaves ISP Copyright Rules Intact

Though some commentators predicted a cataclysmic impact from the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cox v. Sony, in actuality the decision correctly maintains the status quo for internet providers' copyright infringement liability, says Courtney Sarnow at CM Law.

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Womble Bond Atty's 'Draconian' Penalty Gives 4th Circ. Pause

By Hayley Fowler

A Fourth Circuit panel seemed to struggle Thursday with what one judge described as a "draconian" contempt order against a Womble Bond Dickinson partner, with the panel nudging counsel for both sides toward a simpler solution that wouldn't force the court's involvement.

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Ex-Jackson Walker Atty Seeks Breakup With Romance Suit

By Adrian Cruz

A former Jackson Walker LLP partner said Thursday that she should be dropped from a suit accusing her, a former Texas bankruptcy judge she had a secret relationship with and multiple law firms of fomenting "mass corruption" in Houston's bankruptcy court.

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SEC Fines Ex-BigLaw Atty For Insider Trades On Apollo Deal

By Hailey Konnath

A former Buchalter PC shareholder has agreed to pay $71,625 to settle the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's allegations he purchased stock ahead of Apollo Global Management's $1.5 billion acquisition of Bridge Investment, which the commission said he was representing in an unrelated matter at the time.

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Comey Retains NC Criminal Defense Pro For 2nd Indictment

By Rachel Rippetoe

Former FBI Director James Comey has added a North Carolina white collar defense pro to his legal team fighting an indictment by the Trump administration over a social media post last year that prosecutors characterized as a threat of violence against the president, according to a court filing on Thursday.

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Toss Of Ex-Shkreli Atty's Deal May Be Error, 2nd Circ. Hints

By Pete Brush

A Second Circuit judge hinted Thursday that a trial judge may have erred in rejecting a retirement-fund garnishment deal that would have protected Martin Shkreli's convicted former lawyer from a potential $1 million "punitive tax event."

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Analysis

How Litigation Funding Disclosure Could Affect ITC Cases

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. International Trade Commission's proposed rule to require disclosure of litigation funding in intellectual property cases could bring more transparency to disputes and promote settlements, but it could also discourage some suits if it's not carefully tailored, attorneys say.

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NC Judge Tosses Atty's Suit Against State Bar Panel Member

By Andrea Keckley

A North Carolina federal judge dismissed a suspended attorney's lawsuit against a State Bar Disciplinary Hearing Commission member he accused of bias and due process violations, finding Thursday that the defendant is entitled to absolute quasi-judicial immunity.

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Analysis

Why Compliance Is Getting Complicated In Latin America

By Phillip Bantz

White collar compliance is getting trickier for companies that do business in Latin America, according to experts, who say they are seeing big shifts in the region connected to cartel crackdowns and efforts to strengthen corporate regulations, including relatively recent pushes for voluntary self-disclosure.

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