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Public Policy
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October 31, 2024
X Corp. Plays Discovery 'Games' To Shield Musk, Judge Told
Left-leaning watchdog Media Matters for America fired another broadside at X Corp. Wednesday in an ongoing discovery battle between the parties, telling a Texas federal judge that the social media company continues to "play games about discovery" to shield Elon Musk and keep unfavorable evidence from the defendants.
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October 31, 2024
Warren Says DOJ's 'Legal Gymnastics' Let TD Bank Off Easy
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday over what she characterized as a lax settlement agreement for TD Bank earlier this month and the Justice Department's "legal gymnastics" that left top bank executives off the hook.
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October 31, 2024
Ga. Justices Kill Free Speech Challenge To Strip Club Tax
A Georgia tax on strip clubs that's used to fund child trafficking prevention efforts has been upheld by the state's highest court, which said in a split decision that a First Amendment challenge to the tax by club owners failed to show the levy limited their speech.
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October 31, 2024
6th Circ. Wrestles With Reach Of FCC's Net Neutrality Powers
Sixth Circuit judges on Thursday sought to clear up what one described as a "close call" over how much authority Congress gave the Federal Communications Commission to regulate internet traffic when lawmakers overhauled telecommunications law in 1996.
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October 31, 2024
Masimo Sues Ex-CEO Over 'Unprecedented' $450M Demand
Masimo Corp. has sued its founder in Delaware Chancery Court, seeking a declaration that a $450 million payout triggered in part by the founder's loss of control or his ouster as CEO and chairman is unenforceable, saying the amount is "unprecedented" and shouldn't be paid by shareholders who were simply exercising their voting rights.
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October 31, 2024
Ex-Conn. Utility Execs Must Report To Prison, Judge Orders
The former CEO of the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative and two ex-board members must report to prison by Dec. 4, a federal judge has ordered, after the Second Circuit upheld their convictions over their roles in the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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October 31, 2024
Madigan Ally Set Up Work For Speaker's Fired Aide, Jury Told
An ex-lobbyist on trial alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan made arrangements for a political operative that Madigan fired to receive monthly payments while he was unemployed, suggesting he enter into contracts with loyal lobbyists and write up reports on legislators "in case the IRS checks this out," a federal jury heard Thursday.
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October 31, 2024
Beverly Hills Agrees To Abortion-Rights Training In Settlement
The city of Beverly Hills will develop training materials and take other steps to comply with California's reproductive health laws, as part of a stipulated judgment resolving the state's allegations that it illegally pressured an abortion clinic to stay out of the city, the parties announced Thursday.
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October 31, 2024
Judge Says White Worker's Seattle DEI Suit Lacks 'Specifics'
A Washington federal judge hinted Thursday a former municipal employee's suit claiming Seattle's workplace diversity training discriminated against him as a white man might not have enough detail to survive, as the city's attorneys accused the plaintiff of trying to dismantle its racial justice initiative.
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October 31, 2024
Erie County Grappling With Missing, Mismatched Mail Ballots
Election officials in Erie County, Pennsylvania, may open satellite offices and offer extended hours in the final days before the election to deal with an anticipated influx of voters who never got the mail-in ballots they requested or got someone else's ballot, a problem the county blamed on an Ohio-based vendor and the vendor pinned on the post office.
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October 31, 2024
Chicago Cubs To Boost Wheelchair Access To End DOJ Probe
The Chicago Cubs and the U.S. government told an Illinois federal judge Thursday they have entered into a consent decree that will bring more accessible seating to Wrigley Field, ending litigation over claims that the ball field's $575 million renovation gave the worst seats to wheelchair users.
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October 31, 2024
Valero To Pay 'Historic' $82M Fine For Bay Area Air Pollution
Valero Refining Co. will pay a record $82 million penalty to settle claims that it failed to report cancer-causing emissions from its Northern California petroleum refinery for nearly two decades, state and Bay Area air pollution regulators announced Thursday, saying nearly all of the fine will fund local community projects.
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October 31, 2024
Copyright Office Says Rest Of AI Report To Come By Year End
The U.S. Copyright Office plans to submit the remainder of a report on the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law by the end of the year, the office told House lawmakers who expressed concern over what they said were late submissions.
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October 31, 2024
FCC's Senior Republican Blasts Bulk-Billing Restrictions
One-half of the Federal Communicatiions Commission's Republican minority is coming out strong against the majority's plans to restrict bulk billing for broadband services, saying that the commission was under pressure by the Biden administration to "raise the price of Internet service for Americans living in apartments by as much as 50%."
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October 31, 2024
Enviros Call On EPA To Address Petcoke Plant Water Pollution
A dozen environmental groups filed a petition Thursday demanding the EPA implement national water pollution standards for petroleum coke processing plants, which they said have slipped through the Clean Water Act's protections.
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October 31, 2024
Judge Trims Retaliation Suit Against Miami After Settlement
A Florida federal judge on Thursday trimmed a suit brought by two businessmen accusing top-level Miami officials of weaponizing city resources against them after the city agreed to settle related claims in a similar lawsuit.
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October 31, 2024
Texas Says It Has Right To Stop Drivers Transporting Migrants
The state of Texas told an El Paso federal judge that an executive order allowing officers to pull over drivers suspected of transporting unauthorized migrants is within the state's authority and doesn't conflict with federal law.
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October 31, 2024
Exxon Entitled To Interest Deduction On Qatar Deal
Exxon Mobil is entitled to an interest expense deduction on payments to Qatar under a natural gas deal, a Texas federal judge ruled, rejecting the U.S. government's classification of an underlying transaction as a royalty rather than a loan.
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October 31, 2024
Philly DA's Suit Over Musk's $1M Voter 'Lottery' Goes Federal
A Pennsylvania federal judge is set to decide whether Elon Musk's $1 million daily giveaway to battleground state voters who sign a pledge from his PAC is an illegal lottery, as Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner claimed in a suit transferred to federal court on Thursday.
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October 31, 2024
Oversight GOP Reps. Take Big Swing At FTC Chair
House Republicans on Thursday accused Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan of becoming a "political tool" of the Biden administration, which they say has undermined the independent nature of the agency.
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October 31, 2024
FERC Unlawfully Rewrote Grid Hookup Policy, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's revised policy on hooking up new power projects to the grid unlawfully imposes a punitive, one-size-fits-all system on transmission owners, regional grid operators and transmission companies told the D.C. Circuit Wednesday.
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October 31, 2024
Airbnb Insurance Providers Sued Over Undisclosed Fees
A proposed class of Airbnb users sued two insurers for the rental platform in Washington federal court, alleging the providers violate state law by charging consumers who buy their travel insurance with an unavoidable "assistance fee."
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October 31, 2024
Ga. Election Worker Ties Firing To Accessible Voting Concerns
White County, Georgia, was sued Thursday in federal court by a former elections supervisor, who alleged he was fired for repeatedly raising concerns that local polling locations weren't compliant with state and federal disability accessibility laws and regulations.
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October 31, 2024
Suit Against Indicted NJ Power Broker Sent To Biz Court
A New Jersey state court on Wednesday granted indicted Garden State power broker George E. Norcross III's request to transfer the civil racketeering suit brought against him and his attorney brother by a Philadelphia developer to the state's complex business litigation program.
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October 31, 2024
Pro Services Contract Nixes NJ Public Defender's Pension
A New Jersey appellate court backed the Public Employees' Retirement System board's finding that a former municipal public defender is ineligible to receive pension benefits from 2008 onward, ruling that there was enough evidence to show the attorney's services were procured through a professional services contract.
Expert Analysis
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Applying High Court's Domestic Corruption Rulings To FCPA
After the U.S. Supreme Court narrowed the domestic corruption statutes in three decisions over the past year and a half, it’s worth evaluating whether these rulings may have an impact on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, and if attorneys can use the court’s reasoning in international bribery cases, says James Koukios at MoFo.
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Proposed Mortgage Assistance Rule: Tips For Servicers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent proposal to alter Regulation X mortgage servicing procedures to broadly construe requests for assistance, and stay foreclosure proceedings during loss mitigation review, will, if finalized, require mortgage servicers to make notable procedural changes to comply, says Louis Manetti at Locke Lord.
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How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future
As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.
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New Law May Move Calif. Toward Fashion Sustainability
California’s recently signed Responsible Textile Recovery Act seeks to increase sustainability innovation in the fashion industry, but it could also create compliance hurdles for brands, especially smaller fashion houses that do not have ample resources, say Warren Koshofer and Maggie Franz at Michelman & Robinson.
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Antitrust In Retail: Why FTC Is Studying 'Surveillance Pricing'
The Federal Trade Commission's decision to study targeted "surveillance pricing" should provide greater clarity into the nature of the data aggregation industry, but also raises several issues, including whether these practices are in fact illegal under any established interpretations of U.S. antitrust law, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys
Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.
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Licensing And Protections For Voice Actors In The Age Of AI
While two recently enacted California laws and other recent state and federal legislation largely focus on protecting actors and musicians from the unauthorized use of their digital likenesses by generative artificial intelligence systems, the lesser-known community of professional voice actors also stands to benefit, says attorney Scott Mortman.
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Series
Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In the third quarter of the year, California continued to be at the forefront of banking regulation as it enacted legislation on unfair banking practices and junk fees, and the state Department of Financial Protection and Innovation notably initiated enforcement actions focused on crypto-assets and student loan debt relief, say Stuart Richter and Eric Hail at Katten.
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Opinion
FTC's Report Criticizing Drug Middlemen Is Flawed
The Federal Trade Commission's July report, which claims that pharmacy benefit managers are inflating drug costs, does not offer a credible analysis of PBMs, and its methodology lacks rigor, says Jay Ezrielev at Elevecon.
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Revisiting The Crime-Fraud Exception After Key Trump Cases
Evidence issues in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and classified documents cases involving former President Donald Trump offer an opportunity to restudy elements and implications of the crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege and the work product doctrine, noting the courts' careful scrutiny of these matters, say Robert Hoff and Paul Tuchmann at Wiggin and Dana.
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Enviro Policy Trends That Will Continue Beyond The Election
Come October in a presidential election year, the policy world feels like a winner-take-all scenario, with the outcome of the vote determining how or even whether we are regulated — but there are several key ongoing trends that will continue to drive environmental regulation regardless of the election results, say J. Michael Showalter and Samuel Rasche at ArentFox Schiff.
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Series
NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q3
In a relatively light few months for banking legal updates in New York, the state Department of Financial Services previewed its views on banking sector artificial intelligence use via insurer guidance, and an anti-money laundering enforcement action underscored the importance of international monitoring processes, say Eric McLaughlin and Dana Bayersdorfer at Davis Polk.
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Series
Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.
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Plan Sponsors Must Prep For New Mental Health, Drug Rules
To comply with newly published health insurance rules requiring parity between access to mental health and substance use services compared to medical and surgical services, employers with self-insured plans will need to update third-party administrator agreements and collect data, among other compliance steps, say attorneys at Kilpatrick.
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The Trade And Tax Issues Behind US-Canada Digital Tax Clash
The new Canadian digital services tax recently went into effect despite objections from the U.S., a controversy that represents an unusual mix of trade and tax policy, and many companies have been pondering how it will affect their e-commerce businesses, says Damon Pike at BDO.