Yellow Corp. Layoff Notices Had Too Little Info, Judge Says

By Rick Archer

A Delaware bankruptcy judge has shot down some of trucking company Yellow Corp.'s defenses against claims it failed to give proper notice of more than 25,000 layoffs just before it entered Chapter 11, saying the notices it sent weren't informative enough.

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Analysis

A Look Back At 2024's Major Securities Litigation Moments

By Katryna Perera

The private securities litigation bar experienced a busy 2024, with meaningful and significant rulings in almost all of the nation's leading courts, and corporations, investors, government agencies and executives fighting over pay packages, disclosures, class certifications and mergers.

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Honeywell Escapes Ex-Employee's 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

By Patrick Hoff

Honeywell International defeated a proposed class action alleging it violated federal benefits law when it used ex-employees' forfeited 401(k) funds to offset its retirement plan contributions rather than cover administrative expenses, with a New Jersey federal judge finding the company's actions complied with the plan's terms.

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Gunster $8.5M Data Breach Deal Needs More Info, Judge Says

By Matt Perez

A Florida federal judge this week denied preliminary approval of an $8.5 million settlement in a data breach class action against Gunster and demanded more information on payouts, the plaintiffs' standing in the case and a historical breakdown of settlement rates.

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Prudential Freed From 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

By Grace Elletson

A New Jersey federal judge tossed a class action claiming Prudential bogged down its retirement plan with underperforming funds while also funneling money into a proprietary investing tool that benefited the company over employees, ruling the case lacks proof that mismanagement occurred.

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Sutter Health Settles Retirement Plan Mismanagement Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

A health care company has agreed to settle a federal benefits class action from employee retirement plan participants alleging mismanagement, the parties told a California federal court Friday.

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Feature

Top Pa. Cases Of 2024: Elon Musk, Johnny Doc, Uber Drivers

By P.J. D'Annunzio

This year was a standout for high-profile legal battles in Pennsylvania, from a blockbuster verdict against Monsanto over its Roundup weedkiller to the Philadelphia district attorney's fight with Elon Musk over allegations that he tried to influence the 2024 presidential election with his million-dollar giveaway.

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Analysis

Biggest Colorado Decisions Of 2024

By Thy Vo and Rachel Riley

The Colorado Supreme Court shocked legal experts in 2024 when it walked back a landmark tenants rights ruling based on a technicality. In another case, three justices called for the elimination of peremptory challenges in order to address racial bias in jury selection. Here's a look at some of the biggest Colorado decisions of the year.

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6th Circ. To Group FedEx, Kellogg Pension Data Appeals

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Sixth Circuit on Thursday rejected a request to stay a case alleging FedEx Corp. uses outdated actuarial assumptions in calculating certain retirees' annuities, pending a similar appeal from Kellogg Co. retirees, saying it would instead group the cases together.

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TikTok Sales Reps Say OT Suit Deserves Collective Cert.

By Irene Spezzamonte

Several TikTok sales representatives said they shared the same job duties and that the social media company applied the same unlawful policy of misclassifying them as overtime-exempt, urging a California federal court to grant them collective certification.

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Bally's Hit With Suit Over Casino Dealer Tip Withholding

By Jeff Montgomery

Gaming table operators at Bally's Corp. and its Dover Casino have accused the businesses of violating Delaware's wage and hour law, alleging that their pay was improperly calculated based on tipped worker rates for both regular and overtime pay.

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Binance Investors Seek To Update Suit After Federal Charges

By Sydney Price

A proposed class of Binance investors has asked a Florida federal judge to allow them to file a new complaint that drops some defendants and hones in on the crypto exchange and its former CEO in the wake of their historic settlement with U.S. authorities over alleged compliance failures.

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Amazon Touted Efforts To Curb Price-Gouging, Shoppers Say

By Greg Lamm

A group of online shoppers said Thursday that Amazon can't dodge litigation alleging price-gouging during the pandemic, arguing that the retail giant's efforts to toss the case are contradicted by earlier public statements "trumpeting" the company's work with Washington's attorney general to enforce the state's consumer protection law against price-gougers.

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Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Litigants Cite EPA's Chemical Ban

By Jonathan Capriel

Veterans and family members who claim they were injured due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune will use the Biden administration's final rule banning certain chemicals to prosecute their case over toxic water at the Marine base, according to a notice they filed in North Carolina federal court.

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Beasley Allen Fights Bid To Recuse Judge In Talc Fee Suit

By Emily Sawicki

Beasley Allen Law Firm on Friday fired back at The Smith Law Firm PLLC's motion to recuse an Alabama federal judge from Beasley Allen's breach of contract suit because the jurist previously represented the firm, arguing that the request is incompatible with Seventh Circuit precedent.

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9th Circ. Orders Closer Security Review In Muslim Spying Suit

By Rachel Scharf

The Ninth Circuit on Friday partially revived a long-running putative class action over the FBI's alleged surveillance of Muslims in Southern California, saying more work needs to be done before determining whether the case is so tied to state secrets that it puts national security at risk.

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Girardi's Mental Health To Be Evaluated At NC Federal Prison

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge said Friday she will order Tom Girardi to receive a psychiatric evaluation at a North Carolina federal correctional facility after she recently delayed his wire fraud sentencing to determine if he should be committed to a medical facility instead of prison due to his dementia diagnosis.

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Feature

Watershed NCAA, UFC Settlements Highlight 2024's 2nd Half

By Elaine Briseño

The second half of 2024 saw the sunset of several yearslong lawsuits that will significantly impact the world of sports, including the settlement of the NCAA's name, image and likeness antitrust litigation and the closing of the UFC's legal battle with current and former fighters. Here, Law360 explores the top sports and betting moments from the second half of 2024.

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Roundup

Off The Bench: Jordan's NASCAR Dunk, NIL Attys' Payday

By Alex Lawson

In this week's Off The Bench, Michael Jordan's racing team scores an early-stage win in its antitrust battle with NASCAR, attorneys engineering a historic settlement with the NCAA seek more than half a billion dollars in fees, and the fracas over college sports realignment makes headaches for the Mountain West Conference.

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The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.

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Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

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MoFo, Irell Latest Firms To Unveil Competitive Bonuses

By Aebra Coe & Hailey Konnath

Morrison Foerster LLP and litigation boutique Irell & Manella LLP have joined a chorus of firms announcing associate bonuses that meet or exceed the BigLaw standard for associate bonuses this year, with MoFo offering up to $218,200 and Irell handing its lawyers as much as $175,000.

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Approach The Bench: What Judges Had To Say This Year

By Cara Bayles

Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.

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NJ Bar's Diversity Plan Isn't Biased, Panel Says

By Tracey Read

A New Jersey state appeals court reversed and remanded on Friday a lower court's ruling that found the state bar association's diversity practices to be an unlawful, discriminatory quota system.

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Analysis

How Lawyers May Sue The Trump Administration … Again

By Cara Bayles

During the last Trump administration, BigLaw firms challenged White House policies, focusing on immigration, environmental regulations and healthcare. This time around, attorneys could rely on old tools, and some new tactics, to stall the executive branch.

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Biden Exceeds Trump's Record On Judges By One

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate confirmed on Friday the last two judicial nominations from President Joe Biden, making his total of lifetime judicial appointments 235, just one over President Donald Trump's 234.

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High Court Bar's Future: Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris

By Katie Buehler

Sarah M. Harris of Williams & Connolly LLP never planned on being a U.S. Supreme Court advocate, or even an appellate one. She stumbled upon that career path after realizing her initial goal of becoming a national security or government lawyer wasn't the right fit.

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Legislators Key To Court Fee Relief, Chief Justices Say

By Cara Salvatore

Two state high court chief justices and a top judicial administrator have told the National Center for State Courts that while they've been able to make significant progress in abolishing unfair court fines and fees, lawmakers have been vital in enacting these changes.

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No, Microsoft Isn't Driving DOJ's Google Antitrust Suit: Judge

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. federal judge pushed back Friday on Google's efforts to paint Microsoft as the true plaintiff in the Justice Department's search monopolization lawsuit, casting doubt during a hearing that Google should get even more information about Microsoft's relationship with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

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Feature

Litigator On The Roof: The Acting, Singing Mass. Solicitor

By Chris Villani

The top appellate lawyer in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General will be ringing in the new year by performing a comical cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, the latest show in a lengthy side career in music.

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Another Texas Judge Exits X's Advertising Boycott Suit

By Lauren Berg

The second Texas judge to oversee litigation filed by Elon Musk's X Corp. accusing the World Federation of Advertisers and others of conspiring to withhold advertising revenue from the company has recused himself from the case.

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Hagens Berman Settles Suit Over Effexor Deal Atty Fees

By Bryan Koenig

A pharmaceutical reseller's in-house counsel and founder moved Friday to drop a Mississippi federal court breach of contract suit accusing Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP of stiffing him on his share of a $13 million attorney fees award from an antitrust class settlement, citing a resolution to the dispute.

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Q&A

A Judge Reflects: West Wing Call, 'Alford Plea?' Early Exit

By Hayley Fowler

When Chief Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III of the North Carolina Business Court hangs up his robes for the last time on Dec. 31, he'll leave behind a white-hot docket of high-profile cases and a profusion of opinions that helped mold the court into a tribunal fit to rival Delaware's Court of Chancery.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Andrea Keckley

This week's Legal Lions leader comes from the public sector, as federal prosecutors secured a $650 million settlement from McKinsey & Co. to resolve a lawsuit over the consulting giant's role in Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin.

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UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Max Austin

This past week in London has seen the University of Southampton sue a drone-maker over the rights to an uncrewed aircraft patent, Importers Service Corp. and its subsidiary ISC Europe take action against a former director who allegedly owes the company over £1.1 million ($1.4 million), and DAC Beachcroft face a fraud claim by a "prolific litigant." 

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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