Trials

  • June 09, 2025

    OneTaste Leaders Convicted Of Forced Labor Conspiracy

    A federal jury in Brooklyn on Monday convicted the co-founder of sexual wellness company OneTaste and her former deputy of forced labor charges in a case alleging they used psychological and sexual abuse to coerce workers into providing labor and services.

  • June 09, 2025

    Feds Flag 'Varsity Blues' Ringleader's College Adviser Job

    Boston federal prosecutors on Monday argued that the mastermind of the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal should look for work outside the college counseling business that served as the springboard for the yearslong, high-profile legal battle.

  • June 09, 2025

    Smithfield Averts Trial In Last-Ditch Deal With NC Hog Supplier

    A defunct hog supplier in North Carolina has settled its contract scuffle with Smithfield Foods Inc. just as the parties were primed to begin trial on Monday, putting to bed claims that Smithfield flouted their production agreement and forced the supplier out of business.

  • June 09, 2025

    Nadine Menendez Says Counsel Shake-Up Erases Conviction

    Former Sen. Robert Menendez's wife, Nadine Menendez, has asked a Manhattan federal judge to vacate the jury's guilty verdict in her bribery case, arguing that her Sixth Amendment rights were violated when she was denied her choice of legal representation.

  • June 06, 2025

    FTC Scoffs At Meta's Accusation Of 'Biased' Econ Expert

    The FTC on Friday urged a Washington, D.C., federal judge to reject Meta's bid to strike testimony the agency's lead economics expert gave during the antitrust trial over Meta's purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp, scoffing at the allegation the New York University School of Law professor is biased.

  • June 06, 2025

    Mich. Farm Labor Contractor Trafficked Workers, Jury Finds

    A Michigan federal jury on Friday ruled that a migrant farmworker contractor engaged in forced labor, finding in favor of five farmworkers who said they were coerced into working long hours without pay.

  • June 06, 2025

    T.I., Tiny Urge Judge To Prevent 4th Trial In $71M Doll Row

    Clifford "T.I." Harris and Tameka "Tiny" Harris have urged a California federal judge to reject MGA Entertainment's motion to reverse a jury's $71.4 million verdict finding the company infringed the trade dress and publicity rights of the OMG Girlz pop group, saying the rehashed arguments fall flat.

  • June 06, 2025

    J&J Unit's $147M Catheter Antitrust Loss Tripled To $442M

    Johnson & Johnson health tech unit Biosense Webster's bill in an antitrust trial was upped from $147 million to $442 million after a California federal jury found it stifled competition by conditioning the provision of cardiac mapping services on purchases of cardiac catheters.

  • June 06, 2025

    Wash. Panel Grills Ambulance Co. On Crash Immunity Defense

    Washington appellate judges expressed skepticism on Friday regarding an ambulance company's stance that qualified immunity shielded it from a patient estate's $2.3 million jury verdict over a mid-transport crash, while also casting doubt on the family's contention that the defendant had forfeited its appeal rights.

  • June 06, 2025

    Texas Justices Ax Multiplaintiff 'Jurisdictional Loophole'

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday closed a "gaping jurisdictional loophole" that allowed defendants to challenge jurisdiction in just about any case involving multiple plaintiffs, saying the mere presence of multiple plaintiffs is not enough to invoke appellate review.

  • June 06, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Boost Interest Rate For Worker's FMLA Win

    The Ninth Circuit declined to upend an order applying the federal rate instead of a higher Washington state rate when calculating prejudgment interest that a federal jury awarded to a worker in his lawsuit accusing a manufacturer of firing him for taking leave, saying his federal claim guided his litigation strategy.

  • June 06, 2025

    Teachers Want $218K In Costs After Pay Bias Trial Win

    Counsel representing two female teachers should receive nearly $218,000 in costs following a jury trial in which the workers were awarded $165,000 over claims that a Pennsylvania school district paid them less than men, the teachers told a federal court.

  • June 06, 2025

    Litigation Funder Can't Stop Attys' Texas Fee Fight Remand

    A divided Texas First Court of Appeals won't disturb a split decision that revived a dispute between an attorney and a former attorney over a fee-sharing agreement in tobacco litigation, rejecting a litigation finance company's en banc request to keep its trial court victory and prevent the case from being remanded.

  • June 06, 2025

    Atty Gets Prison For Conn. Law Firm Parking Lot Shooting

    A onetime Cramer & Anderson LLP partner was sentenced Friday to a seven-year prison term after being convicted of first-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting an attacker in the parking lot of his rural Litchfield, Connecticut, law firm, although his incarceration will be suspended after 2½ years.

  • June 05, 2025

    OneTaste Founder Tells Jury Racy Details Are a Distraction

    Counsel for OneTaste co-founder Nicole Daedone on Thursday told a Brooklyn federal jury that Daedone's provocative teachings involving "orgasmic meditation" don't matter to the forced labor conspiracy charges she and her deputy face, unlike the free will of those who say they were victimized.

  • June 05, 2025

    Judge Boosts $2.7M Window Shade Patent Verdict To $5.3M

    A New York federal judge has refused to throw out a jury's verdict finding that lighting fixture company Lutron Electronics infringed a window shade patent owned by GeigTech, finding that Lutron owes $5.3 million in damages rather than the initial $2.7 million amount awarded by the jury.

  • June 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Probes IGT Claim That Zynga Couldn't Target Patent

    Gambling technology company IGT faced hurdles Thursday as it argued to the Federal Circuit that mobile game maker Zynga should have been stopped from challenging one of its patents due to an earlier dispute, as the judges questioned whether the issue is appealable.

  • June 05, 2025

    Med Mal Juror Misconduct Claim Won't Mean New Trial

    An Indiana state appeals court Thursday upheld a defense win in a medical malpractice trial despite a juror's post-verdict revelation that she had previously heard of a defense expert witness.

  • June 05, 2025

    Starbucks Can't Scotch $50M Verdict For Tea-Scorched Driver

    A California judge has affirmed a jury verdict awarding $50 million to a gig economy driver who suffered a severely burned penis after scalding hot tea spilled in his lap due to a Starbucks worker's negligence, saying the verdict was not excessive given his "horrific injuries."

  • June 05, 2025

    Attorney's FMLA Suit Against Va. City Headed To Trial

    A former Virginia city assistant attorney's Family and Medical Leave Act suit against the chief city prosecutor will head to trial, a federal judge said Thursday, ruling that there is an open question over whether firing the attorney was a pretext to not grant a leave request.

  • June 05, 2025

    Ga. Court Nixes 'Massive' $65M Punitive Award In Fraud Case

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday struck down $65 million in punitive damages awarded to a doctor who was defrauded of his investments in a series of restaurants, ruling that the verdict was "grossly excessive" at more than 100 times the value of the compensatory damages awarded by a state court jury.

  • June 05, 2025

    NJ High Court Will Review Injury Suits Against Walmart, Clinic

    New Jersey justices have agreed to weigh in on personal injury suits against Walmart and a Garden State health clinic involving an overturned $1.3 million verdict in one case and the immunity of medical nonprofits in the other, according to a pair of court orders.

  • June 05, 2025

    Girardi's Son-In-Law Admits Contempt In Illinois Theft Case

    Tom Girardi's son-in-law pled guilty to criminal contempt Thursday in Illinois federal court, admitting he knew the once-celebrated plaintiffs lawyer failed to pay millions of dollars in plane crash settlement funds they had been ordered to distribute to their clients "as soon as practical."

  • June 05, 2025

    Ga. Law Firm, Insurer Settle Over $6.4M Hotel Injury Case

    An insurance company that sued a law firm for malpractice in Georgia federal court after paying more than $6.4 million following a worker injury jury verdict against a construction company it insured, said Thursday that it had settled with the firm in connection with its representation of the company.

  • June 05, 2025

    Ex-Wells Fargo Worker Says 'Herculean' Win Backs Fee Bid

    An ex-Wells Fargo worker awarded $22.1 million in his case claiming he was fired out of disability bias defended his request for $1.5 million in attorney fees, telling a North Carolina federal court his counsel's "superior lawyering" and "herculean effort" justified the proposed award.

Expert Analysis

  • Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example

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    Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

  • Perspectives

    Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines

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    KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Perspectives

    DC Circ. Cellphone Ruling Upends Law Enforcement Protocol

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    The D.C. Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Brown decision, holding that forcibly requiring a defendant to unlock his cellphone with his fingerprint violated the Fifth Amendment, has significant implications for law enforcement, and may provide an opportunity for defense lawyers to suppress electronic evidence, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.

  • AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex

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    Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Engaging With Feds On Threats To Executives, Employees

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    In an increasingly polarized environment, where companies face serious concerns about how to protect executives and employees, counsel should consider working with federal law enforcement soon after the discovery of threats or harassment, says Jordan Estes at Gibson Dunn.

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • Opinion

    Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario

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    Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law.

  • Perspectives

    How High Court May Rule In First Step Act Resentencing Case

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    U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled with verb tenses and statutory intent in recent oral arguments in Hewitt v. U.S., a case involving an anomalous resentencing issue under the First Step Act, and though they may hold that the statute is unambiguous, they could also decide the case on narrow, practical grounds, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • Opinion

    Firing Of Jack Smith's Team Is A Threat To Rule Of Law

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    The acting attorney general’s justifications for firing prosecutors who worked on the criminal cases against President Donald Trump rest on a mischaracterization of legal norms, and this likely illegal move augurs poorly for the rule of law, say Bruce Green at Fordham University and Rebecca Roiphe at New York Law School.

  • Series

    Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.

  • 5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates

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    In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.

  • What Public View Of CEO's Killing Means For Corporate Trials

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    Given the proliferation of anti-corporate sentiments following recent charges against Luigi Mangione in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, attorneys who represent corporate clients and executives will need to adapt their trial strategy to account for juror anger, says Clint Townson at Townson Litigation Consulting.

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