Cybersecurity & Privacy

  • February 11, 2025

    2 Russians Arrested In $16M Phobos Ransomware Scheme

    Two Russian nationals were arrested on charges of operating a cybercrime cell that extorted about $16 million from victims around the world by stealing data and demanding a ransom for its return, Maryland federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts X Plaintiff Can Revive Phone Data Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday questioned whether a lawsuit targeting social platform X could be revived and remanded to state court, with one judge suggesting circuit precedent established a privacy right that keeps the case in federal court, and another saying the lower court had "broad discretion" in deciding to dismiss the case.

  • February 11, 2025

    Ex-Employee Sues Fla. News Database Co. Over Data Breach

    An Oklahoma resident has brought a proposed federal class action over a data breach against a Florida-based news database company, alleging that she was an employee and that her former employer didn't do enough to adequately protect her personal information from being stolen.

  • February 11, 2025

    No Prison For Firm Manager Who Aided Feds' No-Fault Bust

    A Manhattan federal judge allowed a wealthy law firm manager to avoid prison Tuesday for his role in paying bribes that fueled a $70 million no-fault automobile insurance fraud racket, citing his decision to cooperate with prosecutors and willingness to testify.

  • February 11, 2025

    Factual Dispute Keeps Walmart BIPA Suit In Court, For Now

    An Illinois jury will determine whether a driver for Walmart's grocery delivery platform Spark signed an arbitration agreement during his onboarding before a federal judge can decide whether his underlying biometric privacy claims should be redirected away from court, the judge said Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    FTC Bureau Heads Include DOJ Alum With Big Tech Mandate

    The Federal Trade Commission named its new competition and consumer protection bureau chiefs Monday, tapping for its top competition enforcer the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's civil conduct head, praised specifically for his "experience taking on Big Tech."

  • February 11, 2025

    Fla. Judge OKs $7M Deal In Health Data Breach Class Action

    A Florida federal judge Tuesday granted final approval of a $7 million class action settlement as part of multidistrict litigation over the theft of personal information from millions of U.S. citizens in a health data breach linked to a Russian ransomware group.

  • February 11, 2025

    DC Circ. Won't Pause Google Search Case For Apple Appeal

    The D.C. Circuit refused to pause the government's search monopolization case against Google while Apple appeals a ruling that denied its bid to participate in a coming April trial meant to determine what remedies to impose on Google for violating antitrust law.

  • February 11, 2025

    Crowell & Moring Adds Two Former In-House Counsel

    Crowell & Moring LLP has hired two attorneys who most recently worked in-house in leadership roles with the International Association of Privacy Professionals and the global technology investor Naspers, now joining the firm's privacy and cybersecurity group as senior counsel, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • February 11, 2025

    Wiley Brings On Longtime FTC Atty As Counsel

    Washington, D.C., firm Wiley Rein LLP has added a former Federal Trade Commission official as counsel, the firm said in a Tuesday announcement.

  • February 11, 2025

    Commerce Powers Key In Battle Over Corp. Transparency Law

    The question of whether Congress exceeded its powers to regulate commerce by enacting the Corporate Transparency Act is likely to feature in a potential U.S. Supreme Court resolution to around a dozen challenges to the law that are percolating through the courts.

  • February 11, 2025

    Automakers Lose Fight To Block Mass. 'Right To Repair' Law

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday tossed what was left of a long-running suit filed by major automakers seeking to block a Bay State law requiring vehicle manufacturers to provide open access to telematics systems.

  • February 10, 2025

    Feds Nab Plea In Bitcoin-Boosting Hack Of SEC X Account

    An Alabama man on Monday pled guilty to being involved with the hack of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's X account last year, admitting to a single conspiracy charge and agreeing to forfeit $50,000 he made from the scheme that briefly bumped the price of bitcoin.

  • February 10, 2025

    GOP Sens. Restart Effort To Get Lawmaker OK For Major Regs

    It could become tougher for the Federal Communications Commission to adopt new rules for the telecom industry under a bill Republicans have reintroduced that would require a congressional green light for major new regulations.

  • February 10, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Officers' Immunity For Getting Phone Contents

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld a summary judgment win for a sheriff and county prosecutor accused of illegally obtaining the contents of a drug arrestee's phone, ruling that they unlawfully got copies of the phone's contents but that the prosecutor who requested them was entitled to qualified immunity.

  • February 10, 2025

    Amazon Used App Toolkit To Harvest User Data, Suit Says

    Amazon has used Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers and other mobile apps as a "Trojan Horse" to ingrain secret tracking mechanisms in hundreds of millions of consumers' smartphones through a software development kit for developers, according to a new proposed class action in Seattle federal court.

  • February 10, 2025

    Sandy Hook Families Accuse Alex Jones Of 'Ambush' Appeal

    Connecticut's highest court should swat down Infowars host Alex Jones' attempt to appeal a record-smashing Sandy Hook defamation verdict because he abandoned the very defenses he now seeks to present under a special type of review for unpreserved constitutional arguments, the victims of the 2012 mass shooting have said.

  • February 10, 2025

    5th Circ. Urged To Reject Crypto Exec's Privacy Law Claim

    The IRS complied with a financial privacy law to summon third-party bank records belonging to a cryptocurrency executive under investigation, the U.S. government told the Fifth Circuit on Monday in the businessman's appeal to overturn a lower court decision that rejected his bid to quash the summonses.

  • February 10, 2025

    Apple Says Child Porn Detection Suit Can't Stand

    Victims of child sexual abuse materials can't bring a proposed class action accusing Apple of spreading the videos and images, the tech giant has told a California federal court, arguing the company is protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

  • February 10, 2025

    Apple Pushes DC Circ. To Pause Google Search Case

    Apple told the D.C. Circuit on Monday it did not become clear that it needs to intervene in the government's search monopolization case against Google until enforcers proposed remedies that affected Apple's conduct too.

  • February 10, 2025

    Megan Thee Stallion's Trial Lies Suit Survives Dismissal Bid

    A Florida federal judge has largely kept alive Megan Thee Stallion's lawsuit accusing a social media personality of acting as a paid surrogate of her convicted shooter, fellow rapper Tory Lanez, to spread lies about the trial and for promoting an AI-generated pornographic video that appears to depict her.

  • February 10, 2025

    Boston Man Not Guilty In Chinese 'Agent' Case

    A Boston man was acquitted Monday of federal charges that he acted as an unregistered agent for China by allegedly spying on pro-democracy activities and organizing a group to advocate for the interests of the Chinese government.

  • February 10, 2025

    Trump Buyout Plan Still On Hold As Unions Cite 'Confusion'

    A Boston federal judge on Monday extended his hold on President Donald Trump's federal worker buyout program as he weighs a request from unions to block the so-called Fork Directive, which promises months of pay to government employees who resign their posts.

  • February 10, 2025

    Bird Shelter Settles 2nd Nuisance Calls Suit With UnitedHealth

    UnitedHealth Group Inc. has settled a proposed class action brought by a North Carolina bird refuge over nuisance calls the health insurer allegedly made to consumers even after it demanded the calls stop, according to a court order pausing the case.

  • February 10, 2025

    Cybersecurity & Privacy Group Of The Year: Keller Rohrback

    Keller Rohrback won final approval of a $725 million settlement in a case accusing Facebook of harvesting millions of users' data, and a year later, sought preliminary approval of a $30 million settlement in security breach litigation against 23andMe, placing the firm among the 2024 Law360 Cybersecurity & Privacy Groups of the Year.

Expert Analysis

  • A Halftime Analysis Of DOJ's Compensation Pilot Program

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    The U.S. Department of Justice appears to consider the first half of its three-year pilot program on compensation incentives and clawbacks to be proceeding successfully, so companies should expect prosecutors to emphasize the program and other compliance-related considerations early in investigations, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • A Look At Shifting Legal Landscape For Data Brokers

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    An increasingly complex legal landscape at both the federal and state levels has expanded the types of businesses classified as data brokers, so consumer-facing businesses should consider their designations under these new regulations and any consequences for compliance and business operations, say attorneys at Morrison Foerster.

  • Top Considerations For Insurance Companies In 2025

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    As insurance industry participants look to plan for the year, regulatory changes, climate-related challenges, the ongoing effects of social inflation and the potential for significant mergers and acquisitions will be among the key items for insurer boards and management to have on their radar, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.

  • How Cos. Can Respond To CFPB Digital Asset Safeguard Plan

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    Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposal to regulate online payment platforms via existing federal laws would create new challenges, digital payment companies that engage with the rulemaking process could help shape a win-win regulatory framework that protects consumer data and ensures the sector’s growth, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • EEOC Wearable Tech Guidance Highlights Monitoring Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent fact sheet on wearable technologies cautions against potential issues with federal anti-discrimination laws and demonstrates growing concern from regulators and legislators about intrusive technologies in the workplace, say attorneys at Littler.

  • The 5 Most Important Bid Protest Decisions Of 2024

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    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Court of Federal Claims and the Government Accountability Office issued five noteworthy bid protest decisions in 2024 that will likely have a continuing impact on questions concerning standing, timeliness, corporate transactions and more, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • High Court Could Further Limit Deference With TCPA Fax Case

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    The Supreme Court's decision to hear McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson, a case involving alleged junk faxes that centers whether district courts are bound by Federal Communications Commission rules, offers the court a chance to possibly further limit the judicial deference afforded to federal agency interpretations of statutes, says Samantha Duke at Rumberger Kirk.

  • 5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates

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    In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: How MDLs Fared In 2024

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    A significant highlight of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's practice during 2024 was the increase in the percentage of new MDL petitions granted by the panel, with 25 granted and only eight denied — one of the highest grant rates in years, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • Overseas Investment Rule Calls For Compliance Caution

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    Investors should be leery of who and what they are investing in now that the federal outbound investment regime, effective Jan. 2, has extended the governement's regulatory reach to businesses and parties not previously subject to trade restrictions, says Thaddeus McBride at Bass Berry.

  • 7 Steps To Sell Corporate Leadership On Privacy Compliance

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    In celebration of the 17th annual Data Privacy Day, compliance professionals shouldn't take no for an answer when they request funding and other support for their privacy initiatives — instead, consider new ways to get leaders on board, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

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