Hospice Co. Should Face Tobacco Fee Suit, Judge Says

By Kellie Mejdrich

A hospice and home healthcare provider shouldn't escape a proposed class action challenging a tobacco surcharge in its employee health plan, a Pennsylvania federal judge recommended, finding that allegations sufficiently backed up that a wellness program implementing the fee didn't meet all regulatory requirements.

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Paramount Snags Win Over Ex-CBS Manager Bonus Case

By Irene Spezzamonte

A former CBS News station manager failed to show that her bonus was promised as part of her wages, a Maryland federal judge said Wednesday, agreeing with Paramount that the bonuses were discretionary.

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11th Circ. Backs Kaiser In Air Ambulance Arbitration Dispute

By Grace Elletson

The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday declined an air ambulance company's bid to scrap an arbitrator's ruling that Kaiser only owes $24,000 for an emergency helicopter flight, rejecting the emergency medical provider's arguments that the insurer committed fraud by strategically lowballing the arbitrator.

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Brief

Pa. Health Network's $1.15M 401(k) Suit Deal Gets Initial OK

By Patrick Hoff

A healthcare system Wednesday secured initial approval from a Pennsylvania federal court for a $1.15 million settlement agreement that would resolve a proposed class action alleging the company misused forfeited retirement plan funds and allowed the plan's administrative costs to soar.

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MVP: Mayer Brown's Brantley Webb

By Grace Elletson

Brantley Webb, co-chair of Mayer Brown LLP's Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation group, helped Nordstrom defeat a proposed class action claiming the company cost workers over $36 million in retirement savings by allowing excessive account fees and misusing forfeited funds, earning her a spot as one of the 2025 Law360 Benefits MVPs.

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Is 'Red Book' Best For Drug Pricing? Pa. Justices Ask

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court seemed skeptical Wednesday that the state workers' compensation authorities were using the best guide to calculate pharmacy reimbursements for injured workers' prescription drugs, with the justices questioning the fairness of the industry's long-used "red book" method.

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SCANA Investors Get 1st OK For $34M Deal With Deloitte

By Emilie Ruscoe

Consulting giant Deloitte and investors in utility company SCANA Corp. have gotten an initial nod for their $34 million agreement to settle proposed class action claims that Deloitte gave cover to SCANA as it failed to report delays and cost overruns for a $9 billion nuclear energy expansion project it ultimately abandoned.

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Brief

Aetna Gets OK For $3.4M Deal In Cancer Treatment Denial Suit

By Patrick Hoff

A Florida federal judge has signed off on Aetna's $3.4 million settlement agreement resolving a class action that alleged the insurer unlawfully mischaracterized a proton beam cancer radiation treatment as experimental to deny dozens of claims.

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Bonus Spotlight

Law Firms Begin Upping The Ante For Associate Bonuses

By Tracey Read

Trial boutique Wilkinson Stekloff LLP is exceeding the year-end associate bonus scale set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, announcing bonuses late Wednesday that are 150% of market.

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CFPB Will Shift Remaining Lawsuits Over To DOJ

By Jon Hill

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be handing off its enforcement lawsuits and other litigation to the U.S. Department of Justice as the Trump administration prepares for the consumer agency to run out of money, Law360 has learned.

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Analysis

Trump's Epstein Directive Puts SDNY Prosecutor In A 'Pickle'

By Phillip Bantz

Manhattan chief federal prosecutor Jay Clayton appears to have been backed into a "horrible" corner with a "no-win" outcome as a result of a directive from President Donald Trump and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Jeffrey Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats, experts say.

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Comey Says DOJ's Conduct 'Shocks The Conscience'

By Hailey Konnath

James Comey on Thursday reiterated his request that the U.S. Department of Justice be forced to disclose all grand jury materials related to his indictment, noting the government has conceded that the grand jury never saw the operative indictment and saying the purported misconduct "shocks the conscience."

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NJ Panel Expands Scope Of Ex-Reed Smith Atty's Bias Claims

By Rose Krebs

A New Jersey appellate panel on Thursday ruled that a former Reed Smith LLP attorney is entitled to pursue more damages and obtain expanded wage data in her gender discrimination suit against the firm, saying a trial court incorrectly applied certain statutes when it limited the damages and data she could seek.

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X Corp. Ends $90M Fee Suit Against Wachtell

By James Mills

X Corp. has ended its California state lawsuit against Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz over $90 million in legal fees tied to the fight over Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, according to a court filing.

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Analysis

Meta Loss Shows Time Not On Enforcers' Side In Tech Cases

By Bryan Koenig

Meta's triumph over a Federal Trade Commission antitrust case Tuesday hinged on a D.C. federal judge's finding that the company lacks a monopoly in the present day, highlighting some of the challenges of using slow-moving litigation to challenge fast-moving markets.

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Senate Panel OKs Miss. Judge, US Atty Nominees After Delay

By Courtney Bublé

After weeks of holdup, nominees for Mississippi federal courts and U.S. attorneys were voted out of committee on Thursday, following an impasse between Republican senators.

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Brief

Senate Passes Bill To Protect State Judges From Threats

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bipartisan bill to beef up security for state and local judges.

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DOJ Antitrust Chief Says Agriculture A 'Top Priority'

By Matthew Perlman

The U.S. Department of Justice's top antitrust official said enforcers have already opened several investigations in the agriculture sector, including into meatpackers at the direction of President Donald Trump, and called the industry a "top priority" for the agency.

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