Georgia

September 26, 2024
Ford Says $1.7B Ga. Verdict No Excuse For Delayed Claims

Lawyers for Ford Motor Co. said Thursday it strains credulity that Super Duty truck drivers didn't learn about their allegedly weak roofs until a billion-dollar jury verdict in Georgia, arguing in Michigan that decades of other suits and government documents could have clued in the plaintiffs sooner.
September 26, 2024
Ala. College Urges 11th Circ. To Grant Immunity In FMLA Suit

The University of Alabama Board of Trustees urged the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to reverse a lower court order allowing a former research associate's Family and Medical Leave Act complaint to proceed, arguing that it's entitled to sovereign immunity under the military caregiver provision of the law.
September 26, 2024
Bakery Wants Out Of $16M Payment To Pension Fund

An Indiana wholesale bakery company asked the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to reverse an order for the bakery to pay a union pension fund $15.6 million, arguing that the pension fund's interpretation of the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act conflicts with the plain text of the statute.
September 26, 2024
Ga. Judge Halts Election Over Sapelo Island Zoning Change

A Georgia state judge pulled the plug on a special election Gullah Geechee residents of Sapelo Island initiated to try to overturn a McIntosh County zoning change that more than doubled the size of dwellings allowed in their Hogg Hummock community.
September 26, 2024
11th Circ. Signals Fired Coach's Claim Can't Ride On Her Team

An 11th Circuit panel signaled Thursday that the disparate funding of men's and women's collegiate athletic programs was likely not enough to sustain a fired Georgia Tech basketball coach's Title VII claim of sex-based discrimination against the program.
September 26, 2024
11th Circ. Wary Of Ineffective-Counsel Claim In Salmonella Case

Peanut Corp. of America's former president and a food broker convicted for their roles in a salmonella outbreak that killed nine people and sickened more than 700 in 2008 and 2009 urged the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to overturn a district court order refusing to vacate their prison sentences.
September 26, 2024
Ex-NBA Star Tells Jury He Was Duped By Ga. Businessman

Former NBA superstar Dwight Howard told a Manhattan federal jury Thursday that an Atlanta businessman tricked him into making a $7 million investment that he thought was for the purchase of a women's basketball franchise, a promise that turned out to be "a slap in the face."
September 25, 2024
8th Circ. Told Student Debt Relief Should Remain Blocked

Seven Republican-led states are asking the Eighth Circuit to finalize its court order blocking the Biden administration from implementing its second attempt at student loan forgiveness, accusing the White House of "hiding the ball" on the true cost of the plan.
September 25, 2024
11th Circ. Reverses DOJ Defeat In $400M Kickback Case

The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday held that a lower court should've admitted prosecutors' evidence of alleged co-conspirators in a $400 million health insurance fraud case, finding that an exclusion to the hearsay rule was misapplied by the district court in the closely watched Anti-Kickback Statute litigation.
September 25, 2024
Power Plant Insurers Take GE Arbitration Fight To 11th Circ.

Insurers for an Algerian power plant that sustained losses from a defective gas turbine told an Eleventh Circuit panel Wednesday that a lower court wrongly forced arbitration, arguing it was not subject to that provision as a third-party beneficiary in a services contract with General Electric.
September 25, 2024
11th Circ. Weighs Sovereignty In Ala. Burial Ground Fight

An Eleventh Circuit judge on Wednesday described a lower court's ruling in a dispute between two tribes over an ancient Alabama burial site as problematic, arguing that it failed to evaluate sovereign immunity status on a claim-by-claim basis and instead lumped it together, against precedent.
September 25, 2024
Ga. Voting Groups Sue Over New State Election Law

The Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and the Georgia Coalition for the People's Agenda slammed Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger with a complaint, seeking an injunction of certain provisions of a new election law sanctioning voter removals based on alleged address changes.
September 25, 2024
Car Dealer Admitted It Won't Hire Women In Sales, Suit Says

A woman who applied to work for a Duluth, Georgia, car dealership is suing the company for discrimination, claiming it hired a less qualified man after a sales manager had told her it stopped hiring women as salespeople after a woman working in that role sued it for sexual harassment.
September 25, 2024
Julie Chrisley Gets No Slack In Resentencing From Ga. Judge

Julie Chrisley, the former real estate mogul and reality TV star who was convicted of running a yearslong bank fraud scheme with her husband, Todd, was resentenced Wednesday by a Georgia federal judge to the same seven-year prison term she first received nearly two years ago.
September 25, 2024
Lin Wood's Former Partners Rip 'Outright Lies' Over Assets

A Georgia federal judge sided with former law partners of retired attorney L. Lin Wood, urging Wood to testify next week after being accused of concealing a $4 million asset and claiming in "outright lies" that he couldn't post a more than $4.7 million bond as he appeals a $3.75 million defamation verdict against him.
September 25, 2024
Production Co. Drops Lil Uzi Vert Manager From Fees Suit

A California-based company suing rapper Lil Uzi Vert for failing to pay more than half a million dollars in concert design and production costs told a Georgia federal judge it is dismissing a breach of contract claim against the rapper's manager, Amina Diop.
September 25, 2024
Ex-NY Congressman Argues He Can Be A Fair Federal Judge

President Joe Biden's nominee for the Northern District of New York told lawmakers on Wednesday that his previous stint as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives won't impact his role as an objective federal judge.
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 25, 2024
State Telecom Roundup: States Pass Their Own 'Mini-TCPAs'

Not content to let the federal government do all the legislating when it comes to telemarketing, states have spent the last couple of years crafting their own "mini-TCPAs" that expand liability beyond the parameters of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act and provide private rights of action for their citizens under state laws.
September 24, 2024
11th Circ. Weighs 'Good Cause' In Franchise Termination Suit

The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday considered whether Hyundai Motor Corp. acted with "good cause" when it terminated a franchise owner's dealership contracts over sexual assault charges against the franchise owner's son, with arguments largely focused on whether the carmaker acted with "good cause."
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
Ex-Employee Sues Ga. Boiler Co., Alleging Retaliation

A Black former employee of Combustion and Controls LLC sued the boiler company in Georgia federal court Tuesday, claiming he was treated worse than white co-workers, racially insulted, threatened with violence and ultimately fired after reporting the hostility.
September 24, 2024
Ala. Can Enforce Own Interstate Clean Air Plan, 11th Circ. Told

Alabama told an Eleventh Circuit panel Tuesday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority when denying the state's plan to implement rules limiting harmful interstate emissions under the Clean Air Act, saying the law gives states the "primary" authority to combat air pollution.
September 24, 2024
11th Circ. Unleashes Swarm Of 'Hypos' In Fla. Pronoun Case

An Eleventh Circuit panel on Tuesday peppered attorneys with hypothetical scenarios as they attempted to hammer out the bounds of public school teachers' free speech protections in the classroom, in a case by transgender and nonbinary Florida educators that could ultimately affect other state employees.
September 24, 2024
Ga. Election Board To Investigate Voter Eligibility Challenges

Georgia's increasingly tendentious State Election Board voted this week to open investigations into a handful of counties over their handling of voter registration challenges, at the urging of conservative activists who told the board that local election officials have ignored their calls for ineligible voters to be stricken from the rolls.

Expert Analysis

Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
What's Ahead For Immigrant Employee Rights Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Justice’s increased enforcement related to immigration-based employment discrimination is coupled with pending constitutional challenges to administrative tribunals, suggesting employers should leverage those headwinds when facing investigations or class action-style litigation, say attorneys at Jones Day.
How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
Top 10 Whistleblowing And Retaliation Events Of 2023

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and federal and state courts made 2023 another groundbreaking year for whistleblower litigation and retaliation developments, including the SEC’s massive whistleblower awards, which are likely to continue into 2024 and further incentivize individuals to submit tips, say attorneys at Proskauer.
Clean Water Act Jurisdiction Still Murky After A Choppy 2023

This year brought several important Clean Water Act jurisdictional developments, including multiple agency rules and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that substantially altered the definition of "waters of the United States," but a new wave of litigation challenges has already begun, with no clear end in sight, say attorneys at Nossaman.
Series

Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
Series

The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape

The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
Series

Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct

The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
Trump NY Fraud Trial Shows Civil, Criminal Case Differences

Former President Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial currently unfolding in New York provides a reminder that civil bench trials can be just as damaging, if not more so, than criminal prosecutions, due to several key elements of civil litigation procedure, says retired attorney David Moskowitz.
Opinion

Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave

To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
Series

Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.