Corporate

  • September 25, 2024

    Feds Say 'Wall Of Evidence' Supports Petrobras Bribery Case

    A Connecticut oil trader violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by sending millions in bribes to officials at Brazilian state oil giant Petrobras through a shady intermediary, federal prosecutors told a jury during closing arguments Wednesday, arguing that a "wall of evidence" points to the defendant's intent.

  • September 25, 2024

    Google Files EC Complaint Against Microsoft Cloud Business

    Google has lodged an antitrust complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission Wednesday, claiming that Microsoft's dominant software products illegally lock customers into its cloud computing platform Azure, allowing it to drive up costs and stifle innovation.

  • September 25, 2024

    US Steel Clears One Hurdle In $14B Nippon Steel Deal

    An arbitration board has sided with U.S. Steel amid its union's challenge to a planned $14.9 billion acquisition by Nippon Steel, clearing one hurdle while Nippon continues fighting on another front for approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.  

  • September 25, 2024

    Blank Rome Faces DQ Bid Over Alleged Tampering

    An attorney suing three lawyers from Blank Rome LLP wants the firm's other attorneys disqualified from representing their colleagues, accusing them of improperly contacting a plaintiff's expert witness to intimidate him into no longer participating in the case.

  • September 25, 2024

    Penalized Apple Atty Says He Was 'Demoralized' By Co. Culture

    Apple Inc.'s former senior director of corporate law, who pled guilty to insider trading in 2022 and was later penalized $1.1 million in a civil case, had mental health disorders and was "demoralized" by the company's culture and executives' misconduct, he said in temporarily unsealed records in New Jersey federal court.

  • September 25, 2024

    Bloggers In EBay Stalking Case Can't Pinpoint Lost Sources

    A Massachusetts couple suing eBay after their blog's critical coverage of the e-commerce giant made them the target of a corporate harassment scheme told a federal judge on Wednesday they aren't able to specifically identify potential sources who were allegedly chilled into silence by the scheme.

  • September 25, 2024

    US Antitrust Holds Fast: No 'Environmental Justice' Goals

    A top Federal Trade Commission official in her latest address to antitrust lawyers offered little comfort to U.S. companies seeking to collaborate on environmental initiatives.

  • September 25, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Names New CLO After Ouster Of Execs

    Norfolk Southern Corp. has promoted an employee who has worked in its legal department since 2010 to serve as its chief legal officer following the firing of the woman who previously held the post over her relationship with the transportation giant's ousted CEO.

  • September 24, 2024

    Dentons Accused Of Hacking Laptop, Aiding Vape Co. Usurper

    Dentons helped the founder of vape distributor Next Level sabotage and usurp manufacturer Avid Holdings' brand, including breaking into its founder's laptop to access confidential information, Avid alleged in a sprawling lawsuit filed Tuesday in California federal court.

  • September 24, 2024

    Google Can't Ditch Privacy Suit Over Period App Data Sharing

    A California federal judge has refused to release Google from a proposed class action alleging the company used a data analytics tool to wrongfully retrieve data from menstruation tracking app Flo, rejecting the tech giant's arguments that the plaintiffs lacked standing and had consented to the disclosures. 

  • September 24, 2024

    Full 9th Circ. Vaporizes First-To-File Precedent For FCA Suits

    The full Ninth Circuit on Tuesday overruled circuit precedent and held that the so-called first-to-file rule governing False Claims Act cases is not jurisdictional, meaning that courts can't toss a whistleblower action on jurisdictional grounds rooted in the first-to-file provision.

  • September 24, 2024

    'Be Careful What You Wish For' Post-Jarkesy, SEC Atty Says

    A trial lawyer for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told the defense bar Tuesday to "be careful what you wish for" after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the agency's in-house court system, saying cases against gatekeepers "are not going away."

  • September 24, 2024

    Amazon Scolded Over Improper Privilege In Alexa Privacy Suit

    Amazon.com Inc. must re-produce documents it clawed back during discovery from unregistered Alexa users who allege they were illegally recorded, a Washington federal judge ruled Monday, scolding the e-commerce giant for "improperly" trying to conceal its business and strategic documents behind attorney-client privilege.

  • September 24, 2024

    Fox Exec Must Show Cell Data In Smartmatic Defamation Suit

    A Florida state court judge has ordered a Fox News board member to turn over cellphone data in connection to a New York defamation lawsuit over unfounded reports that Smartmatic USA Corp.'s voting systems helped rig the 2020 election, finding the phone may contain relevant information to the case.

  • September 24, 2024

    Chance Cognizant Didn't Discriminate Is '1 In A Billion,' Jury Told

    An attorney for a class of former Cognizant Technology employees alleging the company discriminated against non-South Asian and non-Indian employees told a jury during opening statements of a retrial Tuesday that the probability Cognizant's behavior wasn't racially biased is about one in a billion.

  • September 24, 2024

    Cathode Ray Class Attys Fight Over Fees At 9th Circ.

    Plaintiffs firm Cooper & Kirkham urged the Ninth Circuit Tuesday to reverse a ruling slashing its $3.452 million fee award in since-settled cathode ray tube price-fixing multidistrict litigation, arguing the firm was being unfairly punished for representing a subclass, while lead class counsel slammed the firm's tactics as "extreme mischief."

  • September 24, 2024

    Google Investors' Atty Defends Fees For $350M Privacy Deal

    Counsel for Google LLC shareholders who reached a $350 million settlement with Alphabet Inc. over claims they were deceived about a 2018 data breach urged a California federal judge Tuesday to approve the deal, including about $66.5 million for attorneys, calling the fees more than reasonable.

  • September 24, 2024

    Invitation Homes Agrees To $48M Settlement With FTC

    The Federal Trade Commission said it has struck a $48 million agreement with Invitation Homes Inc. to settle claims against the nation's largest single-family home landlord, including that it deceived people about leasing costs and junk fees, failed to inspect and repair homes as promised, and unfairly held on to security deposits.

  • September 24, 2024

    Feds Say BitMEX Should Owe $428M For Flouting AML Rules

    Federal prosecutors urged a Manhattan federal judge to impose a $428 million penalty for offshore crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX after the firm admitted to lax anti-money laundering procedures, arguing the more than $100 million the firm and founders have already paid to regulators is not enough to deter other crypto firms from Bank Secrecy Act violations.

  • September 24, 2024

    Ex-Foot Locker Exec To Pay $236K For Insider Trading

    A laid-off Foot Locker executive agreed to pay nearly $236,000 to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims that he engaged in insider trading during and after his time with the sportswear company, the agency announced Tuesday.

  • September 24, 2024

    DC Circ. Open To Industry Challenge To TSCA Reporting Rule

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday seemed receptive to two trade associations' challenge to new federal regulations aimed at increasing Toxic Substances Control Act transparency, pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on a facet of the rule that opponents say would lead confidential chemical information to be divulged.

  • September 24, 2024

    DuPont Employee Defends Mass Email In ERISA Trial

    A DuPont employee was scrutinized on the witness stand Tuesday for the way a worker learned about how the chemical company's merger with Dow would impact their benefits, with a judge calling a heavily redacted trial exhibit useless and a plaintiffs' attorney quizzing her on basic email functions.

  • September 24, 2024

    NLRB Office Signs Off On Near $450K Deal With Musk Brother

    A Colorado nonprofit co-founded by Elon Musk's brother settled a union's unfair labor practice claims for close to $450,000, according to a National Labor Relations Board announcement Tuesday, with the organization agreeing to pay thousands to laid-off workers and make supervisors undergo federal labor law training.

  • September 24, 2024

    4th Circ. Reluctant To Let NFL Fans Pass On Arbitration

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday seemed likely to make National Football League fans arbitrate their claims against the Washington Commanders over injuries sustained in the team's stadium, with one judge calling it "weird" to think attendees could dodge contract terms just because someone else bought their tickets.

  • September 24, 2024

    Microsoft Fights Mich. Tax Treatment Of Cost Share Payments

    Microsoft urged the Michigan Tax Tribunal to find that cost sharing agreement receipts from affiliates constituted licenses of intellectual property that should be included in its apportionment formula, arguing that the state's tax agency incorrectly followed federal transfer pricing rules in excluding the payments from its tax calculations.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • Behind The Delay Of Final HSR Premerger Filing Rules

    Author Photo

    Erin Toomey at Epiq discusses the wait for the final version of the revised Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger filing requirements that were first introduced in June 2023, the factors that might be behind the delay, and how to plan for the potential data-focused rule change

  • How Calif. Ruling Alters Worker Arb. Agreement Enforcement

    Author Photo

    The California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ramirez v. Charter Communications should caution employers that while workers’ arbitration agreements will no longer be deemed unenforceable based on their number of unconscionable provisions, they must still be fair and balanced, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor.

  • Opinion

    After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.

  • Congress Quietly Amends FEPA: What Cos. Should Do Now

    Author Photo

    Last week, Congress revised the Foreign Extortion Prevention Act — passed last year to criminalize demand-side foreign bribery — to address inconsistencies and better harmonize the law with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and companies should review their compliance programs accordingly, say Mark Mendelsohn and Benjamin Klein at Paul Weiss.

  • Why FDIC Banks May Want To Consider Fed Membership

    Author Photo

    With the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. recently ratcheting up bank supervision and proposing idiosyncratic new policies, state-chartered nonmember banks may want to explore the benefits of becoming Federal Reserve members and consider practical steps to make the switch, say Max Bonici and Connor Webb at Venable.

  • Del. 3M Ruling Risks Upending Corporate Insurance Programs

    Author Photo

    A Delaware court's findings last week in the 3M earplug insurance litigation that a parent company's defense fee payments don't count toward a subsidiary's self-insured retention and that an insurer's duty to pay defense costs doesn't attach to multidistrict litigation merit closer scrutiny in light of the modern corporate form and the fundamental objectives of MDLs, say Julie Hammerman and Gary Thompson at Thompson HD.

  • NYSE Delisting May Be The Cost Of FCPA Compliance

    Author Photo

    ABB’s recent decision to delist its U.S. depository receipts from the New York Stock Exchange, coupled with having settled three Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement actions, begs the question of whether the cost of FCPA compliance should factor into a company's decision to remain listed in the U.S., says John Joy at FTI Law.

  • Opinion

    The FTC Needs To Challenge The Novo-Catalent Deal

    Author Photo

    Novo's acquisition of Catalent threatens to substantially lessen competition in the manufacturing and marketing of GLP-1 diabetes and obesity drugs, and the Federal Trade Commission should challenge it under a vertical theory of harm, as it aligns with last year's merger guidelines and the Fifth Circuit decision in Illumina, says attorney David Balto.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Slowing Down AI In Medical Research

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning the Chevron doctrine may inhibit agencies' regulatory efforts, potentially slowing down the approval and implementation of artificial intelligence-driven methodologies in medical research, as well as regulators' responses to public health emergencies, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.

  • What High Court TM Rulings Tell Us About Free Speech

    Author Photo

    Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings show tension between free speech and trademark law, highlighting that while political mockery is protected, established brands may be forced to adapt to evolving cultural values, says William Scott Goldman at Goldman Law Group.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uncertainty In Scope Of ITC Oversight

    Author Photo

    The U.S. International Trade Commission's long-standing jurisprudence on some of the most disputed and controversial issues is likely to be reshaped by the Federal Circuit, which is no longer bound by Chevron deference in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, say Kecia Reynolds and Madeleine Moss at Paul Hastings.

  • Half-Truths Vs. Omissions: Slicing Justices' Macquarie Cake

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Macquarie v. Moab provides a road map for determining whether corporate reports that omit information should be considered misleading — and the court baked it into a dessert analogy that is key to understanding the guidelines, say Daniel Levy and Pavithra Kumar at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

    Author Photo

    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Corporate archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!