Corporate

March 17, 2025
Biz Groups Push For High Court Review Of Cisco Spying Case

National business groups are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Ninth Circuit decision reviving a suit from a class of Falun Gong practitioners alleging that Cisco aided in the Chinese government's crackdown on the religious movement, claiming that the circuit's ruling could chill foreign investment and disadvantage American companies.
March 17, 2025
BYD Affiliate Beats Megaclaim Over N95 Mask Deal

A company with corporate ties to Chinese electric vehicle company BYD Co. Ltd. has fended off a megaclaim over a supply contract for personal protective equipment asserted by a Florida medical supply company that sought hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
March 17, 2025
Gogo Says Rival Pivoted From Competing To Suing

In-flight entertainment company Gogo Business Aviation wants out of a $1 billion lawsuit accusing it of wielding its monopoly over air-to-ground broadband tech to keep competitors at bay, telling the court that SmartSky is just trying to convert their intellectual property dispute into an antitrust one.
March 17, 2025
Wells Fargo Says OCC Has Closed Home Loan Consent Order

Wells Fargo & Co. on Monday said the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has closed a consent order related to its home lending business, marking the eleventh consent order against the bank that regulators have closed in recent years and another step forward in its regulatory rehabilitation efforts.
March 17, 2025
Ford Seeks New Trial After $2.5B Ga. Rollover Verdict

Ford Motor Co. has asked a Georgia federal judge for a new trial after being hit with a $2.5 billion punitive damages verdict last month in a fatal Super Duty truck rollover trial, claiming jurors improperly learned about a prior, now-scrapped $1.7 billion verdict against the company over a similar accident.
March 17, 2025
Del. Corporate Law Rework Has Roots In 2 Academic Papers

A proposed overhaul of Delaware's corporations law that has rocked the First State's legal world has its origins in two works published in 2021 and 2001, written by some of the same jurists who helped draft legislation driven by alarm over corporate charter exits and shareholder suits.
March 17, 2025
9th Circ. Says Capital One Cyberattacker Sentence Too Light

A split Ninth Circuit panel Monday said a lower court judge was too lenient in sentencing a former Amazon.com Inc. coder to probation for orchestrating one of the nation's latest data breach crimes, finding that the district court judge erred in finding her actions were not "malicious."
March 17, 2025
Amazon Hit With Greenwashing Suit Over Paper Products

Consumers in four different states have launched a proposed class action against Amazon in Washington federal court, accusing the retail giant of greenwashing its claims about its "Basics" line of paper products and misleading buyers about the sustainability of products whose supply chains are in fact "deeply unsustainable."
March 17, 2025
DJI Says DOD Chinese Military Co. Listing Was Irrational

Drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd. has urged a D.C. federal judge to order the U.S. Department of Defense to take the company off a list of Chinese military companies, saying the listing was based on faulty reasoning and a failure to consider relevant evidence.
March 17, 2025
Exxon Committed 'Straightforward Fraud,' Investors Say

Exxon Mobil Corp. investors told a Texas federal court that the energy giant's antics surrounding its operations in Kearl Lake amount to a "straightforward fraud," and that the court should reject Exxon's bid for judgment as a matter of law.
March 17, 2025
Amazon Beats Investor Suit Over Third-Party Seller Practices

A Washington federal judge on Monday tossed a consolidated proposed securities class action claiming Amazon and its top brass duped investors about the company's fulfillment capacity and third-party seller practices, finding the lawsuit doesn't sufficiently allege the executives were deliberately reckless or motivated to deceive shareholders.
March 17, 2025
Burger King Workers Defend Revived No-Poach Case

Burger King employees are defending their proposed class action over the fast-food chain's past use of no-poach provisions in its franchise agreements, as the restaurant urges a Florida federal court to toss the claims despite an appeals court reviving them in 2022.
March 17, 2025
4 Suits Benefits Attys Should Watch As ESG Pressures Persist

A New York City pension fund recently escaped a proposed class action challenging its decision to divest nearly $4 billion in fossil fuel stocks, but experts say potential liability related to environmental, social and governance investment factors in retirement plan investment decisions is on the rise. Here are four suits involving challenges to employee retirement plan investing and ESG that attorneys say they're watching after New York City escaped a suit from its workers.
March 17, 2025
Wash. AG Backs Tribe's $400M Trespass Win Against BNSF

The state of Washington has said the Ninth Circuit should uphold a trial judge's ruling that BNSF Railway Co. owes nearly $400 million for years of illegally running oil cars across tribal territory, arguing in an amicus brief the railroad must be held accountable for perpetuating "a pattern of disregard for the sovereignty of Native people."
March 17, 2025
Execs Stole $5.4M In Fla. Trucking Co. Investments, SEC Says

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has brought a Florida federal lawsuit against three principal members of a trucking company over securities violations, alleging that they raised at least $5.4 million after falsely promising investors significant profits but returned only a fraction of the money.
March 17, 2025
Ex-Flooring Co. Exec Gets 7½ Years For $1.8M Fraud Scheme

Flooring manufacturer Mohawk Industries Inc.'s former head of information technology has been hit with a 7½-year prison sentence after admitting to masterminding a $1.8 million scheme to rip off the company, taking a guilty plea just days before a trial where his co-conspirators were set to testify against him.
March 17, 2025
Hershey Customer Agrees To End Metals-In-Chocolate Suit

A Hershey customer has agreed to permanently end her suit accusing the confectionery giant of selling dark chocolate products containing dangerous levels of heavy metals, but left open the opportunity for absent proposed class members to pursue claims, according to a notice filed Monday in California federal court.
March 17, 2025
SEC Says Ex-CFO Cooked Pot Co. Acreage's Books

The former chief financial officer of cannabis company Acreage faces U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission allegations that he covered up the company's attempt to inflate its 2019 cash balance with a so-called round-trip transaction involving an affiliate.
March 17, 2025
SEC's Acting Chair Uyeda Promises To Slow Rulemaking

Acting U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mark Uyeda said Monday that he has directed staff to reassess a number of finalized and proposed regulations championed by the Biden administration, including those targeting mutual fund disclosures and the handling of crypto assets, as he championed a "smoother regulatory course" for the agency.
March 17, 2025
$4.4B Alteryx Sale Was Lowball Offer, Investors Tell Del. Court

Former stockholders of cloud-based enterprise analytics platform Alteryx Inc. have challenged the venture's allegedly lowball, $4.4 billion sale in 2024 to two private equity buyers, claiming breaches of fiduciary duty in Delaware Chancery Court that include undisclosed conflicts among directors and key officers.
March 17, 2025
2nd Circ. Sends Amazon Wage Question To Conn. Justices

The Second Circuit asked Connecticut's top court Monday to weigh in on whether employees are owed pay for their time spent undergoing post-shift anti-theft screenings, saying the state's justices have not yet provided guidance on this matter.
March 17, 2025
Rippling Accuses HR Rival Of 'Brazen' Corporate Espionage

Human resources service provider Rippling hit rival Deel Inc. with a trade secret theft lawsuit in California federal court Monday, accusing Deel of placing a spy in Rippling's Dublin office in a "brazen," calculated and illegal corporate espionage scheme to steal its confidential intellectual property.
March 17, 2025
20 Law Firms Face EEOC Demands For DEI Employment Info

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has written to 20 law firms seeking information about their diversity, equity and inclusion-related employment practices, the agency announced Monday.
March 17, 2025
Austrian Biotech BIA Hits Ch. 15, Says Exec Stole $22M

Austrian biotechnology firm BIA has filed for Chapter 15 protection in Delaware to recover assets in the U.S., alleging an executive fraudulently transferred roughly $22 million in company funds and left it insolvent.
March 17, 2025
Activist Investor Calls For Reconstitution Of Parkland's Board

Activist hedge fund Engine Capital on Monday called for a comprehensive reconstitution of Calgary, Alberta-based Parkland Corp.'s board of directors, saying that the current board has overseen "meaningful underperformance" and demonstrated "zero interest" in engaging with its shareholders.

Expert Analysis

An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
The Securities Litigation Trends That Will Matter Most In 2025

2025 is shaping up to be a significant year for securities litigation, as plaintiffs and defendants alike navigate shifting standards for omission theories of liability, class certification, risk disclosure claims and more, say attorneys at Willkie.
Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2025

While companies must monitor for policy shifts under the new administration in 2025, it will also be a year to play it safe and remember the basics, such as the importance of documenting retention policies and conducting swift investigations into workplace complaints, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.
5 Antitrust Issues For In-House Counsel In 2025

Attorneys at Squire Patton evaluate the top areas where U.S. antitrust policy is likely to change in the next 12 months, including major challenges to the Federal Trade Commission's authority that could reshape enforcement.
Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.
How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term

After President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the administration’s emphasis on immigration laws, drug offenses and violent crime will likely reduce the focus on white collar crime overall, but certain areas within the white collar world may see increased activity, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.
New Trump Admin May Bring Financial Oversight Turbulence

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to begin his second term, his top financial market regulatory and securities law enforcement appointees, campaign promises, and regulatory preferences foretell a period of muddy regulatory waters, say attorneys at Kroll.
The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.
2024 Election Results May Prove Fortuitous For Family Offices

Thanks to the decisive Republican victories in the 2024 elections, family offices have a unique opportunity for accelerated growth and influence, particularly through the benefits afforded by patient capital, says Edward Taibi at Olshan Frome.
10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024

In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.
What To Expect From EEOC Next Year After An Active 2024

While highlights this year for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission include its first-ever Pregnant Workers Fairness Act cases and comprehensive workplace harassment guidance, the question for 2025 is whether the commission will sustain its momentum or shift its focus in a new direction, says Shannon Kelly at GrayRobinson.
Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.
2024 Has Been A Momentous Year For ESG

Significant developments in the environmental, social and governance landscape this year include new legislation, evolving global frameworks, continued litigation and enforcement actions, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that has already affected how lower courts have viewed some ESG challenges, say attorneys at Katten.
2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI

In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.
Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.