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Environmental
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October 11, 2024
Conn. Judge OKs $5M Deal To Resolve AG's Vision Solar Case
A Connecticut state judge approved a $5 million judgment to resolve an unfair trade practices suit Attorney General William Tong brought against Vision Solar LLC.
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October 11, 2024
Fed. Circ. Says USMCA Review Bars Importer's Duty Suit
The Federal Circuit has backed the U.S. Court of International Trade's dismissal of a Canadian lumber company's challenge to increased tariffs, saying the U.S. court couldn't take the case once a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement panel began reviewing the duties.
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October 11, 2024
Hurricane Effects Prompt More NC Court Deadline Extensions
Chief North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby on Friday gave litigants in the state's western counties another two-week extension on their court deadlines as they deal with Hurricane Helene, writing in his order that the region is still plagued by "catastrophic conditions" due to the severe weather and flooding.
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October 11, 2024
More Ga. PFAS Suits Are Coming. Here's How Attys Prepare
Leading attorneys in PFAS litigation say new regulations and ever-increasing lawsuits require attorneys to think carefully about proactive measures clients can take to limit PFAS use, and about the latest scientific research into how the so-called forever chemicals impact humans and the environment.
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October 11, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen billionaire Lakshmi Mittal sue steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta in a long-running clash to claw back €140 million ($153 million) of debt, a high-profile AI researcher take action against the Intellectual Property Office to register his software as a listed patent inventor and troubled housing trust Home Reit face a claim by a real estate developer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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October 11, 2024
Nippon To Sell JV Stake For $1 In Push To Close US Steel Deal
Japan's Nippon Steel said Friday it has agreed to sell its stake in a 50-50 joint venture with ArcelorMittal to the European steelmaker for just $1, as Nippon seeks to address any antitrust concerns over its planned $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel.
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October 10, 2024
Trade Group, Enviros Clash Over EPA Methylene Chloride Rule
American Chemistry Council and the Sierra Club are taking aim at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methylene chloride rule, with the industry group telling the Fifth Circuit the agency overstepped when it outright banned most applications of the chemical for no valid reason and the conservation organization arguing it didn't go far enough.
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October 10, 2024
Wash. Judge Condemns Monsanto's Bid To Delay PCB Trial
A Washington state judge grew frustrated on Thursday with Monsanto's eleventh-hour attempt to shelve a PCB poisoning tort headed to trial next week until the state Supreme Court weighs in on a similar case, calling out the chemical giant for taking stances on "both sides of the fence" about the stakes on appeal.
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October 10, 2024
Colo. Wolf Release Challenge Loses Some Of Its Bite
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed most claims in a lawsuit challenging Colorado environmental agencies' plan to reintroduce gray wolves from Oregon, concluding that the state's plan wasn't a major federal action, so the Colorado federal court couldn't hear the claims against the state.
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October 10, 2024
SpaceX Urges Trim To Enviro Orgs'. FAA Launch Approval Suit
SpaceX is pushing a D.C. federal judge to scrap claims that an environmental assessment for its rocket launch program in South Texas must be supplemented after launches allegedly harmed sensitive surrounding areas and migratory birds, and as it faces new litigation over a system installed to prevent launch pad failures.
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October 10, 2024
Oregon Gas Customers Sue Over 'Greenwashing' Program
Northwest Natural Gas Co. has been accused by customers of engaging in "greenwashing" by advertising its Smart Energy program as a way for them to offset their natural gas emissions, while directing the program's funds to methane-generating industrial dairy farms.
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October 10, 2024
Boulder Says Exxon Can't Twist Law To Avoid Climate Fight
Boulder, Colorado, accused Exxon on Wednesday of twisting preemption standards to avoid a suit over the impacts of climate change, telling the Colorado Supreme Court that it doesn't need explicit permission from the Clean Air Act to bring its state law claims.
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October 10, 2024
Ga. Legislators Urge EPA To Better Regulate BioLab Chems
Six high-ranking Georgia legislators called on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan to enhance federal oversight of facilities like the BioLab Inc. factory that caught fire and spewed chemical fumes across the metro Atlanta area in late September.
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October 10, 2024
Norfolk Southern Says Tank Car Cos. Should Help Pay $600M Deal
Norfolk Southern and tank car companies sparred in Ohio federal court over key questions of liability related to the February 2023 East Palestine derailment and toxic chemical spill, as the rail giant seeks to offload at least some damages, including a recent $600 million settlement to affected residents and businesses.
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October 10, 2024
3M Can't Put Pause On Connecticut Firefighters' PFAS Suit
A Connecticut federal judge on Thursday declined to let 3M Co. and other companies put a stay on a proposed class action by firefighters alleging their turnout gear contains so-called forever chemicals while the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation decides whether to roll it into a South Carolina MDL.
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October 10, 2024
Ohio Seeks To Halt Depositions In FirstEnergy Investor Suit
The state of Ohio wants to halt certain depositions and other discovery in a securities suit stemming from the FirstEnergy bribery scandal, saying it could interfere with criminal charges against two of the utility company's former executives, according to an intervenor motion filed Thursday.
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October 10, 2024
3M, Other Cos. Hit With PFAS Contamination Class Action
Nantucket, Massachusetts, residents seek to hold the 3M Co., The Chemours Co. and other companies liable for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances that allegedly contaminated their properties, their drinking water and the residents themselves.
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October 10, 2024
8th Circ. Won't Block EPA Power Plant Effluent Rule
The Eighth Circuit rejected on Thursday efforts by nearly two dozen states, utility companies and trade groups to block the implementation of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule setting new wastewater limitations for coal-fired power plants.
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October 10, 2024
Too Early To Decide Indemnification In Flood Row, BNSF Says
Railway giant BNSF told a California federal court that it's too early for the court to decide whether two Travelers units have a duty to indemnify BNSF in a lawsuit alleging that a track relocation project BNSF undertook caused significant flooding, noting the case is still pending.
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October 10, 2024
Partnership Challenges Denial Of $42M Easement Deduction
The Internal Revenue Service failed to justify rejecting a Florida partnership's charitable contribution deduction for donating a $42 million conservation easement to a land conservancy, the partnership told the U.S. Tax Court.
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October 10, 2024
Georgia Judge Rejects Extension Of Voter Registration Again
A Georgia federal judge has shut the door on a last-ditch bid to extend Georgia's voter registration deadline thanks to disruptions from Hurricane Helene, saying Thursday that the civil rights groups pushing for the change couldn't show their members or voters had faced significant disenfranchisement.
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October 10, 2024
$273M Hurricane Relief Bill Is 'First Step,' NC Gov. Says
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday signed a $273 million measure to fund relief and recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene tore through the state in September, causing devastating floods and widespread power outages and killing at least 91 people in 20 counties.
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October 10, 2024
Housing Nonprofit Hits NY Town With Disability Bias Suit
A housing nonprofit has claimed in New York federal court that local officials stopped the construction of an affordable housing project in the Hamptons because a lot of the units would go to people with mental health disabilities and military veterans, who would receive supportive services.
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October 09, 2024
Alaskan Tribes Ask Court To Reconsider Gold Mine Ruling
A group of Alaskan tribes is urging a federal district court to reconsider its ruling that two U.S. government agencies did not take a realistic look at the potential spill risks associated with a large open-pit gold mine, arguing that it erred in its determination concerning the project's barge traffic.
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October 09, 2024
Ga. Judge Won't Extend Voter Registration After Helene
Would-be voters in the Peach State won't get an extra week to register for the November 2024 election — at least not yet — after a Georgia federal judge said Wednesday she hadn't seen sufficient support for the claim that registrations were significantly hampered by the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
Expert Analysis
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Nuclear Power Can Help Industrial Plants Get To Net-Zero
In the race to fight climate change and achieve net-zero emissions, the industrial sector currently faces immense challenges — but the integration of nuclear energy is a promising solution, so companies should consider the financial and regulatory issues, opportunities, and risk-mitigating factors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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6 Factors That Can Make For A 'Nuclear' Juror
Drawing from recent research that examines the rise in nuclear verdicts, Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies identifies a few juror characteristics most likely to matter in assessing case risk and preparing for jury selection — some of which are long-known, and others that are emerging post-pandemic.
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Series
Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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Class Action Law Makes An LLC A 'Jurisdictional Platypus'
The applicability of Section 1332(d)(10) of the Class Action Fairness Act is still widely misunderstood — and given the ambiguous nature of limited liability companies, the law will likely continue to confound courts and litigants — so parties should be prepared for a range of outcomes, says Andrew Gunem at Strauss Borrelli.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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Rebuttal
Cancer Research Org. Is Right To Avoid Corporate Influence
While a previous Law360 guest article criticizes the International Agency for Research on Cancer's processes, its reliance on peer-reviewed literature is proper and its refusal to allow corporate influence is sound science, say Lance Oliver and Ridge Mazingo at Motley Rice.
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Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases
Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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How Courts' Differing Views On Standing Affect PFAS Claims
Two recent opinions from New York federal courts — in Lurenz v. Coca-Cola, and Winans v. Ornua Foods North America — illustrate how pivotal the differing views on standing held by different courts will be for product liability litigation involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, particularly consumer claims, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.
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New State Carbon Capture Laws: Key Points For Developers
Multiple states have introduced or expanded legal frameworks for carbon capture and sequestration this year, and while there are some common themes, many of these state laws include unique approaches and requirements — which developers and investors should be aware of when considering potential projects and investment risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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New NHTSA Fuel Economy Rule Adds Compliance Complexity
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recently announced final rule on new corporate average fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks will create challenges for manufacturers, which must also comply with the EPA's multipollutant rule and California's zero-emission vehicle programs, say Joanne Rotondi and Hannah Graae at Hogan Lovells.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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Series
After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects
While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.