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Compliance
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August 15, 2024
Interior Department Grants $775M To Plug Oil And Gas Wells
The U.S. Department of the Interior said it's making up to $775 million available for 21 eligible states to plug orphaned oil and gas wells to curb harmful methane leaks and reduce risks to the environment and public health.
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August 15, 2024
Connecticut Watchdog Calls For Action On Utility 'Rate Shock'
A Connecticut consumer rights watchdog agency has asked the state's utility regulator to reverse rate hikes that it recently approved for major energy companies or to take other actions to prevent future "rate shock" for state residents.
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August 15, 2024
Gemini Suit Raises Novel Question On Crypto Law, Court Told
A suit from a consumer advocacy organization claimed Gemini Trust Co.'s user agreement unfairly put the onus on consumers to protect themselves from scams, but the Winklevoss-led crypto exchange said the litigation raises a larger question of whether the federal statute at the heart of the claims applies to cryptocurrencies.
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August 15, 2024
No Harm In SEC Releasing More Info On Breach, Judge Told
A conservative civil liberties group questioned the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's claims that releasing additional materials related to its handling of an internal firewall breach would harm the public interest Thursday, telling a D.C. federal judge in court that so much was already out, more sunlight couldn't hurt.
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August 15, 2024
Prof Rips DOJ, VW's 9th Circ. Bid To Shield Jones Day Docs
A Loyola Marymount University professor has urged the Ninth Circuit to shut down the U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen AG's relentless "obfuscation" in a long-running dispute over access to confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.
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August 15, 2024
White Collar Partner Duo Joins Duane Morris In NY
Duane Morris has hired two new trial partners in New York who've spent the last 15 years working together as white collar attorneys at Peckar & Abramson.
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August 15, 2024
Colorado, Suncor Back EPA In Denver Refinery Permit Fight
Colorado and Suncor Energy USA Inc. told the Tenth Circuit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was right to refuse to object to a series of permit changes state regulators approved for the company's Denver-area oil refinery, as fights over the facility's emissions are heating up.
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August 15, 2024
Trump Seeks To Delay NY Sentencing Until After Election
Donald Trump asked to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case until after the 2024 presidential election, arguing he needs time to potentially appeal if he loses an attempt to erase the felony conviction on the basis of presidential immunity.
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August 15, 2024
Asphalt Co. To Pay $6.5M For Criminal Bid-Rigging Scheme
A Detroit-area asphalt paving company was sentenced Thursday to pay $6.5 million after it pled guilty to participating in a sprawling bid-rigging scheme in Michigan, with federal prosecutors alleging the company's leaders worked with competitors to drive up the price of paving contracts.
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August 15, 2024
Banking Groups Sue To Thwart New Ill. Swipe Fee Restrictions
The nation's largest bank trade association and other industry groups sued Thursday to block Illinois from implementing a new state law that prohibits financial intermediaries from charging so-called swipe fees on the sales tax and tip portions of payment card transactions, arguing it conflicts with federal law and risks broader "chaos."
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August 14, 2024
T-Mobile Hit With $60M Fine Over National Security Risks
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. fined T-Mobile US Inc. $60 million for alleged national security failures, including failing to prevent the unauthorized access of "certain sensitive data" and to promptly report such incidents, according to news reports Wednesday and the agency's website.
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August 14, 2024
SEC, CFTC To Collect $474M In Latest Texting Probe Fines
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Wednesday announced settlements totaling nearly $474 million with several broker-dealers, investment advisers and other registered firms over failures to maintain and preserve text messages and other electronic communications as required under federal law.
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August 14, 2024
CFPB Faces Call To Treat Housing Rental Leases As 'Credit'
A major consumer advocacy group has formally petitioned the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to write new rules that would require landlords to provide "adverse action" explanations when rejecting prospective renters who have applied for an apartment or other housing lease.
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August 14, 2024
New York Sues Lease-To-Own Fintech For 'Cheating' Users
New York state sued lease-to-own fintech company Acima on Wednesday, accusing the firm of taking advantage of consumers with deceptive practices around its lease agreements and interest rates that go far beyond the state's standard for usury.
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August 14, 2024
ICE Faces Trimmed Suit Over Detainee's COVID-19 Death
A California federal court on Tuesday again allowed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to trim a lawsuit alleging it failed to protect a man who died in detention but kept claims alleging ICE failed to oversee its facilities or protect the man from COVID-19.
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August 14, 2024
FINRA Fines Morgan Stanley $400K Over Transaction Records
A Morgan Stanley wealth management unit will pay the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority $400,000 to settle claims it left required information off of approximately 550,000 trade confirmations for certain municipal securities.
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August 14, 2024
Temu Parent Faces Investor Suit Over Security, Labor Claims
Chinese retail company PDD Holdings Inc., the owner of online merchandiser Temu, was hit with a proposed securities class action in New York federal court alleging it concealed from investors that it actively sought to put malware on its users' phones and sold goods that were likely made by forced labor.
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August 14, 2024
Tuna Price-Fixing Deal Comes With A Catch: $26M In Fish
Two groups of buyers accusing major canned tuna producers of price-fixing have asked a California federal judge to give the first seal of approval to settlements totaling more than $168 million in cash, plus $26 million in packaged tuna products.
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August 14, 2024
Google-Epic Antitrust Judge Vows To 'Tear The Barriers Down'
A California federal judge appeared impatient Wednesday with Google's arguments against Epic Games' proposed changes to the Google Play Store in the wake of Epic's antitrust jury win, saying the world created by its "monopolist conduct" is changing, and vowing "to tear the barriers down."
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August 14, 2024
DOJ Defends Boeing Plea Deal Over Families' Objections
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday that Boeing's plea agreement is the best possible criminal resolution that holds the company accountable for defrauding regulators about the 737 Max 8's development, rejecting claims from crash victims' families that the "morally reprehensible" deal lets Boeing skirt culpability.
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August 14, 2024
CFPB Probe Draws Bead On Sporting Goods BNPL Firm
Credova, a fintech firm that specializes in buy-now, pay-later loans and other financing options for firearms and outdoor recreational goods purchases, is facing scrutiny from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a potential enforcement action, its parent company said Wednesday.
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August 14, 2024
4 States Oppose FTC Bid To Block Kroger-Albertsons Deal
Four Republican-led states defended Kroger's proposed $25 billion acquisition of Albertsons in an amicus brief Wednesday, telling the Oregon federal judge overseeing the Federal Trade Commission's challenge to the deal that blocking it would actually "weaken, not protect, competition."
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August 14, 2024
HHS Eyes 2025 For New Medicare Appeal Rule
In response to a Connecticut federal judge's stern demand for quicker progress, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has said in a court filing that it should be able to implement a new rule creating an avenue for Medicare beneficiaries to appeal their hospitalization status by Jan. 1.
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August 14, 2024
House Republican Files Bill To Fix 'Rip And Replace' Shortfall
A Texas Republican has introduced U.S. House legislation to fill the shortfall in the "rip and replace" program to reimburse telecoms for ridding their networks of Chinese-made components, to the tune of $3.08 billion.
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August 14, 2024
Texas AG Threatens Suit Over Dallas State Fair's Firearms Ban
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to sue the city of Dallas if it doesn't reverse a policy prohibiting state fair patrons from bringing firearms into the fairgrounds.
Expert Analysis
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Criminal Enforcement Considerations For Gov't Contractors
Government contractors increasingly exposed to criminal liability risks should establish programs that enable detection and remediation of employee misconduct, consider voluntary disclosure, and be aware of the potentially disastrous consequences of failing to make a mandatory disclosure where the government concludes it was required, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.
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Opinion
States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions
Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.
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Navigating The Extent Of SEC Cybersecurity Breach Authority
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's broad reading of its authority under Section 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act in the R.R. Donnelley and SolarWinds actions has ramifications for companies dealing with cybersecurity breaches, but it remains to be seen whether the commission's use of the provision will withstand judicial scrutiny, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.
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50 Years Later, ERISA Remains A Work In Progress
A look at the 50 years since the Employee Retirement Income Security Act’s passage shows that while the law safeguards benefits through vesting rules, fiduciary responsibilities and anti-discrimination provisions, the act falls short in three key areas, says Carol Buckmann at Cohen & Buckmann.
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FERC Rule Is A Big Step Forward For Transmission Planning
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent electric transmission system overhaul marks significant progress to ensure the grid can deliver electricity at reasonable prices, with a 20-year planning requirement and other criteria going further than prior attempted reforms, say Tom Millar and Gwendolyn Hicks at Winston & Strawn.
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Navigating FDA Supply Rule Leeway For Small Dispensers
As the November compliance deadline for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new pharmaceutical distribution supply chain rules draws closer, small dispensers should understand the narrow flexibilities that are available, and the questions to consider before taking advantage of them, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Best Text Practices In Light Of Terraform's $4.5B Fraud Deal
Text messages were extremely important in a recent civil trial against Terraform Labs, leading to a $4.5 billion settlement, so litigants in securities fraud cases need to have robust mobile data policies that address the content and retention of messages, and the obligations of employees to allow for collection, say Josh Sohn and Alicia Clausen at Crowell & Moring.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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CFPB's New Registration Rule Will Intensify Nonbank Scrutiny
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recently finalized nonbank registration rule aimed at cracking down on repeat offenders poses significant compliance challenges and enforcement risks for nonbank financial firms, and may be particularly onerous for smaller firms, say Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu at Cozen O'Connor.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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Why High Court Social Media Ruling Will Be Hotly Debated
In deciding the NetChoice cases that challenged Florida and Texas content moderation laws, what the U.S. Supreme Court justices said about social media platforms — and the First Amendment — will have implications and raise questions for nearly all online operators, say Jacob Canter and Joanna Rosen Forster at Crowell & Moring.
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6 Lessons From DOJ's 1st Controlled Drug Case In Telehealth
Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s first-ever criminal prosecution over telehealth-prescribed controlled substances in U.S. v. Ruthia He, healthcare providers should be mindful of the risks associated with restricting the physician-patient relationship when crafting new business models, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Realtor Settlement May Create New Antitrust Pitfalls
Following a recent antitrust settlement between the National Association of Realtors and home sellers, practices are set to change and the increased competition may benefit both brokers and homebuyers, but the loss of the customary method of buyer broker compensation could lead to new antitrust concerns, says Colin Ahler at Snell & Wilmer.
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Electrifying Transportation With Public-Private Partnerships
Many clean energy goals remain public policy abstractions that face a challenging road to realization — but public-private partnership models could be a valuable tool to electrify the transportation sector, says Michael Blackwell at Husch Blackwell.
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Navigating The New Rise Of Greenwashing Litigation
As greenwashing lawsuits continue to gain momentum with a shift in focus to carbon-neutrality claims, businesses must exercise caution and ensure transparency in their environmental marketing practices, taking cues from recent legal challenges in the airline industry, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.