Transportation

October 14, 2025
Delta Urges Court Not To Certify Class In Greenwashing Suit

Delta Air Lines Inc. is asking a California judge to deny a motion to certify a proposed class action accusing it of overstating its emissions progress and falsely touting itself as the "first carbon-neutral" airline.
October 14, 2025
American Airlines Didn't Pay For Preflight Work, Suit Claims

American Airlines fails to pay its flight attendants for work they performed before and after their flights, resulting in unpaid overtime, a flight attendant claimed in a proposed class action in Pennsylvania state court.
October 10, 2025
Some Cases Advance In Latest Stewart Discretionary Rulings

Deputy U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart rejected 37 Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions Friday night, but allowed 17 challenges to proceed.
October 10, 2025
Delta, Aeromexico Say USDOT Erred In Blocking Partnership

Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico have asked the Eleventh Circuit to vacate the U.S. Department of Transportation's order terminating approval of their joint venture and ordering them to dismantle it by January, according to a petition for review posted to the case docket Friday.
October 10, 2025
Judge Dubious Of Amazon Shoppers' Slow Shipping Zone Suit

A Washington federal judge cast doubt Friday on a group of Amazon Prime subscribers' argument that variability in delivery time by ZIP code amounts to an unfair business practice, highlighting data that suggests packages sometimes take longer than two days to arrive regardless of the purchaser's address.
October 10, 2025
Cummins To Settle Investor Suit Over Emissions Scandal

Engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. and an investor have reached an agreement to settle proposed class action claims that the company hurt investors by hiding emissions control devices in certain engines, for which the company has paid a record $2 billion to settle regulators' Clean Air Act claims.
October 10, 2025
Mich. Fights Feds' Support For Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline

Michigan urged a federal judge to reject the U.S. government's contention that its attempt to block an Enbridge Energy oil and gas pipeline segment is illegal, while the company said the government's arguments have merit.
October 10, 2025
Senate Passes $925B Defense Bill, Ends Military Force In Iraq

The U.S. Senate approved a $924.7 billion defense policy and budget bill for 2026 late Thursday evening, which includes an amendment that would formally end Congress' decades-old authorizations for the use of military force in Iraq.
October 10, 2025
Delta Beats Passenger Death Suit Over Jetway Wheelchair Fall

A Georgia federal judge Friday threw out a lawsuit filed against Delta Air Lines Inc. that traced a woman's death to her fall from a wheelchair while being escorted across a jetway, ruling that the suit was preempted by a 1990s-era treaty governing airline liability during international travel.
October 10, 2025
$8B EV Trade Secrets Case Best Left To Israel, 5th Circ. Says

The Fifth Circuit agreed with a district judge Friday that an $8 billion trade secrets case between two electric vehicle companies was better suited to be litigated in Israel, saying the party that wants to keep the dispute stateside had not adequately explained why that would be better.
October 10, 2025
Philly-Area Transit System Rider Files Rate Hike Class Claims

A proposed class action accused the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority of "playing chicken" with the Pennsylvania state Legislature and enacting "doomsday" fare increases to force lawmakers to give the agency a bigger budget, and the suit asked a state court to undo the price hike.
October 10, 2025
6th Circ. Affirms Class Status In Totaled Car Payout Dispute

A panel of Sixth Circuit judges upheld the class certification of a suit alleging State Farm systematically undervalues totaled vehicles, saying that a class of Tennessee insureds were linked by a common alleged harm of breach of contract.
October 10, 2025
Arbitral Panel Sides With BP In LNG Cargoes Fight

An arbitration panel has handed BP PLC a victory in a dispute with U.S. liquefied natural gas developer Venture Global LNG over shipments from its terminal on Louisiana's Gulf Coast, two months after Venture Global prevailed in a similar arbitration fight with Shell PLC.
October 10, 2025
Conn. AG Nets Bid-Rigging Deal With Moving Companies

Two Connecticut moving and storage companies have settled an investigation into allegations that they conspired to rig their bids on a state contract, agreeing to make a collective payment and adopt antitrust compliance programs, according to a Friday announcement from the attorney general's office.
October 10, 2025
Geico Failed To Arbitrate Auto Accident Claim, Suit Says

A North Carolina resident accused Geico of failing to arbitrate her injury claim stemming from an auto accident, telling a federal court that following two years of document production, the insurer only denied coverage after she said she rejected a "lowball" settlement offer.
October 10, 2025
Ohio Panel Says Ford Asbestos Suit Didn't Belong In Court

An Ohio appeals panel won't revive an asbestos death suit from the estate of a former Ford Motor Co. worker, saying the trial court was wrong to dismiss it for lack of an expert report because it should not have exercised jurisdiction over the suit in the first place.
October 10, 2025
Nelson Mullins Adds 3 Constangy Attys Across Offices

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has welcomed three experienced employment attorneys from Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP to its offices in New York, Miami and Atlanta.
October 10, 2025
Colo. Waste Removal Co. Settles Wage Suit

A worker who alleged that a waste removal company failed to compensate a proposed class and collective of drivers for missed meal breaks told a Colorado federal court Friday that the parties had reached a settlement.
October 10, 2025
Biz Groups, GOP Reps Ask Justices To Sink Colo. Climate Suit

Business groups and over 100 Republican lawmakers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a decision by Colorado's top court allowing Boulder's climate change tort against Exxon Mobil Corp. and Suncor Energy Inc. to proceed in state court.
October 10, 2025
'Lambo' Website Acquired In Bad Faith, 9th Circ. Affirms

Italian luxury automaker Lamborghini won at the Ninth Circuit when the appellate court found that a man who registered the online domain name "lambo.com" did so in bad faith.
October 10, 2025
Spirit Airlines Gets OK On $200M DIP, AerCap Lease Deal

A New York bankruptcy judge Friday approved Spirit Airlines' request to borrow $200 million under a Chapter 11 financing deal and enter into a settlement with its largest lessor, letting the budget air carrier fund its case as it works to pare down its fleet of jets.
October 09, 2025
Judge Narrows Evidence Ahead Of Boeing 737 Max Trial

A Washington federal judge on Thursday ruled on which evidence will be allowed in a Nov. 3 trial in LOT Polish Airlines' lawsuit against Boeing, in which LOT accuses the aerospace giant of tricking it into leasing defective 737 Max jets that were later grounded after two fatal crashes.
October 09, 2025
USPTO Says Overturned PTAB Invalidation Can't Be Appealed

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is urging the Federal Circuit to turn away an appeal from Verizon Connect Inc., whose successful challenge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board was overridden by the acting director.
October 09, 2025
AIG Says Dock Builder Can't Avoid $1.8M Yacht Fire Lawsuit

An AIG unit urged a Florida federal court Thursday to reject a contractor's claims it can't be held liable for more than $1.8 million in coverage payments over a yacht fire caused by dock wiring that lacked ground fault protection, arguing the state building code required such protection.
October 09, 2025
BNSF Must Face Trial Over Mont. Woman's Death On Tracks

A Montana federal judge on Thursday refused to toss a suit accusing BNSF of causing the death of a woman hit by a train while walking her dog, saying it should be up to a jury to decide if the railroad failed to provide adequate signage in the area.

Expert Analysis

Trending At The PTAB: Shifts In Parallel Proceedings Strategy

Dynamics are changing between the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and federal courts, with two recent discretionary denials and one Federal Circuit decision offering takeaways for both patent owners and challengers navigating parallel proceedings, say attorneys at Finnegan.
How State AG Consumer Finance Enforcement Is Expanding

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes less active, state attorneys general are increasingly shaping the enforcement landscape for consumer financial services — and several areas of focus have recently emerged, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.
Opinion

Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.
Tips For Litigating Apex Doctrine Disputes Amid Controversy

Litigants once took for granted that deposition requests of high-ranking corporate officers required a greater showing of need than for lower-level witnesses, but the apex doctrine has proven controversial in recent years, and fights over such depositions will be won by creative lawyers adapting their arguments to this particular moment, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.
Series

Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.
9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
Future Of Enviro Crimes Under Trump's Federal Regs Order

President Donald Trump's recent executive order about fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations creates new advocacy opportunities for defense counsel to argue that particular environmental crime investigations and matters ought to be limited or declined based on the policy priorities reflected in the order, say attorneys at Sidley.
Series

Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.
Navigating Potential Sources Of Tariff-Related Contract Risk

As the tariff landscape continues to shift, companies must anticipate potential friction points arising out of certain common contractual provisions, prepare to defend against breach claims, and respond to changing circumstances in contractual and treaty-based relationships, say attorneys at Debevoise.
How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.