10th Circ. Revives Aviation Workers' Arbitration Fight

By MJ Koo

The Tenth Circuit reversed a district court ruling exempting aviation customer service workers from arbitration, finding Tuesday that the lower court misread the Supreme Court's framework for determining when workers fall outside the Federal Arbitration Act by focusing on individuals rather than their job class as a whole.

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Lumen Beats $1.4B Pension Swap Suit

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

A Colorado federal judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of Lumen Technologies in a class action regarding $1.4 billion in pension obligations transferred to a risky insurance company, saying that plan participants could not show they suffered a current cognizable harm of loss of protections and the threat of impending injury was unconvincing.

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Colo. Panel Mulls Enviro Groups' Challenge To Emission Rule

By Rachel Konieczny

Environmental advocacy groups urged a Colorado appellate court to revive their challenge to a state agency's rule on emissions monitoring, arguing Tuesday that the rule allows most polluters to escape certain monitoring requirements by paying a fee, while the judges focused counsel on questions of statutory interpretation.

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Colo. Judge Tosses DirecTV Bid To Void Union Award

By Zach Dupont

A Colorado federal judge Tuesday following oral arguments dismissed a complaint from DirecTV seeking to vacate an arbitration award over layoffs of union technicians after the court found that its "narrow" ability to review arbitration decisions bars the litigation.

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Teachers Union Wants In On CDL Data Fight

By Katherine Smith

The American Federation of Teachers is seeking to enter a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's bid to obtain a database containing information on 17 million commercial driver's license holders, telling a Virginia federal court Tuesday that the 24 states bringing the suit don't adequately represent the interests of the union.

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GEO Seeks Split Trial In Colo. Detainee Labor Suit

By Benjamin Morse

Private prison operator The GEO Group Inc. urged a Colorado federal judge to split an upcoming trial over allegations that it unlawfully profited from detainee labor, saying financial evidence should either stay out of the case entirely or be reserved for a later phase on the amount of punitive damages.

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Thomson Reuters Cyberattack Hits North American Courts

By Bonnie Eslinger

A recent cyberattack on Thomson Reuters' court management software affected files associated with court systems in 11 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, and may have exposed sealed documents and individuals' personal information, according to a Wednesday announcement from the technology and information services company.

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Calif. Bill Regulating Atty AI Use Heads To Newsom's Desk

By Emily Sawicki

A bill regulating attorneys' and arbitrators' use of generative artificial intelligence has unanimously passed the California State Legislature and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

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'Astonished' Homebuyer Says Atty Email Lapse Caused Hack

By Pete Brush

A New York City law firm has been ordered to provide internet security and login information to a homebuyer who claims she was left in "shock" when an impostor with access to her lawyer's email tricked her into wiring away over $730,000.

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House Rejects Amendment To Fix Court At 9 Justices

By Courtney Bublé

The House failed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment on Wednesday that would keep the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices at nine.

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Dems Call Subpoenas' Secrecy Request 'Abuse Of Authority'

By Aneeta Mathur-Ashton

Democratic lawmakers Sen. Ron Wyden, Ore., and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Wash., have called for an investigation into subpoenas issued from federal law enforcement to private companies that contain nondisclosure provisions and carry threats of legal consequences for noncompliance.

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Tyson's Price-Fixing Deal Merits $27.5M Atty Fees, Buyers Say

By Dorothy Atkins

Beef direct purchasers asked a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to award class counsel $27.5 million in fees, or one-third of Tyson's $82.5 million price-fixing settlement, arguing that the deal was reached after six years of hard-fought antitrust litigation and adds to another settlement, bringing the total recovery to $135 million.

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JPMorgan Seeks Stay Of $20M Javice, Amar Fee Order

By Jarek Rutz

JPMorgan Chase & Co. urged the Delaware Chancery Court on Wednesday to pause enforcement of an order requiring it to advance more than $20 million in disputed legal fees to convicted Frank founder Charlie Javice and former executive Olivier Amar, arguing the bank could permanently lose the money before it gets a chance to challenge the ruling.

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ABA Outlines Attys' Duties To Clients With Intellectual Limits

By Jack Karp

Attorneys have the same obligations to clients with decision-making limitations, should abide by those clients' decisions regarding their representation and must work to maintain an ordinary client-lawyer relationship as much as possible, the American Bar Association said in an opinion released Wednesday.

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