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Compliance
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November 21, 2024
DOJ Fights High Court Review Of Kickback Law, Jury's Role
The U.S. Supreme Court need not review a Fifth Circuit decision upholding the convictions of three healthcare professionals accused of taking part in a $40 million kickback scheme, the federal government has told the justices in a brief.
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November 21, 2024
Vt. Telecom Hints DOJ Protected Biden Ally In Dish FCA Suit
A Vermont telecom all but accused the Department of Justice of undercutting the company's False Claims Act suit alleging fraudulent Dish Network spectrum bidding in order to protect a major donor to President Joe Biden, arguing Thursday that its suit should go forth even without the government's blessing.
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November 21, 2024
SEC Denied Civil Penalties Over Pot Pill Exec's 'Inexperience'
The SEC will score $86,000 in disgorgement and interest from a former executive of C3 International Inc. for falsely claiming the company's cannabis pill was projected to generate millions of dollars in revenue, but the court found the defendant's conduct did not warrant the civil penalty the agency requested.
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November 21, 2024
Social Media MDL Judge Rips State Attys Defying Orders
A California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive designs on Thursday ordered states to provide the names and state bar numbers of agency counsel who have refused to comply with discovery orders, threatening sanctions and asking, "What happened to the rule of law?"
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November 21, 2024
Wash. Justices Unsure CARES Act Protects Violent Tenants
Two Washington Supreme Court justices on Thursday seemed to doubt whether the CARES Act blocked landlords from quickly evicting violent tenants, as opposed to just those behind on rent, a question that resulted in opposing opinions from two lower appellate panels.
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November 21, 2024
FERC Heeds States' Worries With Grid Planning Policy Rewrite
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday approved changes to its sweeping revision of its regional transmission planning policies, and a heftier role for states in the planning process was enough to assuage the concerns of a commissioner who dissented from the original rule.
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November 21, 2024
FCC To Hit Video Doorbell Maker For Skirting Security Rules
The Federal Communications Commission wants to slap Chinese smart home device maker Eken with a more than $700,000 fine for breaking agency rules that require foreign companies to have an agent located in the U.S.
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November 21, 2024
Fed's Bowman Sees The Bright Side In Chevron's Demise
Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman, a Republican seen as a potential Trump administration contender for the central bank's top supervision job, chided the regulatory response to last year's regional bank failures and said the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision could "transform agency rulemakings positively."
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November 21, 2024
Fuel Economy Regs Are Unlawful Path To EVs, 6th Circ. Told
Republican-led states and fuel industry groups have told the Sixth Circuit that the U.S. Department of Transportation overstepped with new vehicle fuel-economy standards that amount to an unlawful electric vehicles mandate, while environmental groups say the standards don't go far enough to meaningfully combat climate change.
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November 21, 2024
DC Circ. Judges Disagree On Standing In Drilling Permit Suit
The judges of the D.C. Circuit stepped on each other's toes Thursday during oral arguments over a challenge to the approvals of thousands of drilling permits in New Mexico and Wyoming, appearing to be at odds over whether the environmental groups' stance on standing had legs.
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November 21, 2024
SEC Seeks More Data On Nasdaq Plan To Speed Up Delistings
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has postponed deciding on a Nasdaq proposal that would accelerate delistings of companies with low-priced stocks that take extended time to regain compliance or rely on reverse-stock splits to elevate their share prices, saying more data is needed before it takes action.
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November 21, 2024
Key Informant Who Recorded Madigan Takes The Stand
A former Chicago alderman who prosecutors have deemed one of their "most significant cooperators in the last several decades" took the stand Thursday afternoon and began what is expected to be multiple days of testimony in the racketeering trial of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whom he secretly recorded while working with the government.
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November 21, 2024
Tempur Gave UK Co. 'Total Autonomy' Post-Merger, CEO Says
The CEO of a United Kingdom-based mattress company acquired by Tempur Sealy in 2021 told a Houston federal judge Thursday that his new parent company has provided him "total autonomy" since the acquisition.
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November 21, 2024
Ariz. AG Offers $6M To Aid Victims Of Sober Living Scam
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says the state is offering $6 million in grant funding to tribal nations impacted by a sober home living scam that's estimated to have racked up an estimated $2 billion in fraudulent billing and potentially victimized thousands of Native Americans.
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November 21, 2024
FCC Targets Spoofing Scams With Third-Party Caller ID Regs
In hopes of better combating spoofed robocalls, the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday required telecoms to meet certain legal obligations when hiring third parties to verify caller ID data using a widely accepted technical standard.
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November 21, 2024
EPA Beats Calif. Suit Over Pesticide-Coated Seed Exemption
A California federal judge threw out public safety groups' lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provided pesticide-coated crop seeds an illegal loophole from regulation, finding the agency made a fair and considered judgment when it said the seeds are exempted from registration.
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November 21, 2024
DOJ Search Fixes Would Remake Google, Break Off Chrome
To give rival search engines a fighting chance against Google's illegal monopoly and its massive data and structural advantages, the Justice Department asked a D.C. federal judge Wednesday for sweeping changes that would divest the Chrome browser, open up Android devices and guarantee access to underlying search data.
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November 21, 2024
Trump Selects Ex-Fla. AG Pam Bondi As New AG Pick
President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for U.S. attorney general, just hours after former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration amid allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
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November 21, 2024
EPA Floats New Draft Framework On Cumulative Impacts
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday further fleshed out exactly what it means when it tells its employees to consider the "cumulative impacts" of pollution on particular communities.
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November 21, 2024
DOL Issues Guidance To Curb Harassment In Construction
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday that it has released a new guide to help federal contractors in the construction industry tamp down on harassment, becoming the latest federal anti-discrimination agency during President Joe Biden's administration to draw attention to the issue.
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November 21, 2024
Unions, ACLU Throw Weight Behind EEOC Bostock Guidance
The AFL-CIO, SEIU, American Civil Liberties Union, and several business groups and nonprofits have urged a Texas federal court not to scrap U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance interpreting the U.S. Supreme Court's Bostock decision, arguing the guidelines provide critical advice on preventing workplace harassment.
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November 21, 2024
Ex-Yale Student Can Submit Acquittal Files To DHS, Judge Says
A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday allowed an expelled Yale student to send his sexual assault accuser's name to immigration officials, approving the submission of a mostly unredacted state criminal trial transcript under a narrow exception to a magistrate judge's ban on naming the woman.
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November 21, 2024
Texas Sues Dallas For Marijuana Amnesty Measure
The Texas Office of the Attorney General sued the city of Dallas for adopting a ballot measure barring police from arresting people for misdemeanor marijuana possession, telling a state court Thursday the measure runs afoul of state law and is unconstitutional.
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November 21, 2024
Howmet Accuses Wash. DOL Of Muscling Into Worker's Suit
Howmet Aerospace slammed the Washington state labor department on Thursday for "interjecting" into a dispute with a former smelter employee who claims he developed cancer from asbestos exposure, urging the state's highest court not to relax the standard for workers to sue over job-related illnesses.
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November 21, 2024
Nurse Staffing Exec Can't Trim Fraud Charge In Antitrust Case
A Nevada federal court has refused to dismiss fraud charges against a home healthcare staffing executive accused of fixing nurses' wages and hiding a probe of the scheme when selling the business, and also refused to exclude statements the executive made during an FBI interview.
Expert Analysis
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Making Sure Your Co. Isn't In The Next Section 13(f) Sweep
Enforcement actions taken against 11 institutional investment managers for alleged failures to file forms required by Section 13(f) of the Securities Exchange Act serve as a reminder that firms should carefully monitor their obligations to avoid becoming the target of the next enforcement sweep, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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11th Circ. Kickback Ruling May Widen Hearsay Exception
In a $400 million fraud case, U.S. v. Holland, the Eleventh Circuit recently held that a conspiracy need not have an unlawful object to introduce co-conspirator statements under federal evidence rules, potentially broadening the application of the so-called co-conspirator hearsay exception, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney
A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.
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Navigating Complex Regulatory Terrain Amid State AG Races
This year's 10 attorney general elections could usher in a wave of new enforcement priorities and regulatory uncertainty, but companies can stay ahead of the shifts by building strong relationships with AG offices, participating in industry coalitions and more, say Ketan Bhirud and Dustin McDaniel at Cozen O’Connor.
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How A Trump Win Might Affect The H-1B Program
A review of the Trump administration's attempted overhaul of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program suggests policies Donald Trump might try to implement if he is reelected, and specific steps employers should consider to prepare for that possibility, says Eileen Lohmann at BAL.
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Challenge To Ill. Card Fee Law Explores Compliance Hurdles
A recent federal lawsuit challenging an Illinois law that will soon forbid electronic payment networks from charging fees for processing the tax and tip portions of card transactions, fleshes out the glaring compliance challenges and exposure risks financial institutions must be ready to face next summer, says Martin Kiernan at Amundsen Davis.
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Compliance Considerations For Calif. Child Labor Audit Law
California employers will need to conduct a fact-intensive analysis to determine whether a new state law that imposes transparency rules for child labor audits applies to their operations, and should look out for regulatory guidance that answers open questions about deadlines and penalties, says Sylvia St. Clair at Faegre Drinker.
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Recent Securities Cases Highlight Risks In AI Disclosures
Increasing public disclosure about the use and risks of artificial intelligence, and related litigation asserting that such disclosures are false or misleading, suggest that issuers need to exercise great care with respect to how they describe the benefits of AI, say Richard Zelichov and Danny Tobey at DLA Piper.
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Harris Unlikely To Shelve Biden Admin's Food Antitrust Stance
A look at Vice President Kamala Harris' past record, including her actions as California attorney general, shows why practitioners should prepare for continued aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly in the food and grocery industries, if Harris wins the presidential election, says Steve Vieux at Bartko.
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Opinion
This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process
In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Navigating HHS' New Reproductive Healthcare Privacy Rule
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' new final rule regarding protections for the privacy of reproductive health information will require regulated entities to grapple with difficult questions about whether to comply with state law requirements or federal privacy prohibitions, says Christine Chasse at Spencer Fane.
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Illinois May Be Gearing Up To Ban E-Verify
Recently passed amendments to the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act appear to effectively ban the use of E-Verify in the state, but ambiguity means employers will have to weigh the risks of continued use while also taking note of other work authorization requirements imposed by the updates, say Julie Ratliff and Elizabeth Wellhausen at Taft.
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Breaking Down CFTC's Novel Theory Driving Uniswap Action
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement action against Uniswap concerning digital asset liquidity appears to be a unilateral attempt to expand its regulatory authority in the absence of official congressional approval, putting forth a novel theory of liability that will likely be tested through litigation, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Mental Health Parity Rules: Tips For Plans And Issuers
Following federal agencies' release of final mental health parity rules, plan sponsors and health insurance issuers should develop protocols for preparing compliant nonquantitative treatment limitation comparative analyses, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Series
Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers
Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.