Atty Tied To High-Profile Conn. Murder Case Gets Suspended

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut attorney was suspended from practicing law for one year on Monday after formally pleading guilty to interfering with an officer investigating the high-profile disappearance and presumed death of Jennifer Farber Dulos, even though the lawyer maintained his innocence over the alleged conduct.

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Ex-Josh Cellars President Fights Gibson Dunn Withdrawal Bid

By Elliot Weld

The former president of the company behind the Josh Cellars wine brand disputed Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's version of events around his allegedly unpaid legal bills, saying he has questions about the reasonableness of the firm's charges, which must be arbitrated per his contract with the firm.

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Judge Prods Doctor To Disclose Records In WWE Abuse Fight

By Alex Lawson

A Connecticut judge bristled at a celebrity doctor's failure to overturn key records that may bolster a former WWE staffer's abuse claims against the company, saying on Monday that his prior order to unearth the documents "is not being taken seriously."

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Hyundai Unit Seeks Exit From Cannabis Patient Case

By Jonathan Capriel

A subsidiary of Hyundai wants to end a would-be employee's discrimination lawsuit that accuses the company of pulling back a job offer after learning she used marijuana to manage PTSD, telling a federal court that she lied about having a medical cannabis card to treat the condition and about her education.

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Trump's 'Unlawful' Freeze Of Wind Projects Gets Blocked

By Hailey Konnath

A Massachusetts federal judge Monday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order indefinitely pausing permits for wind farm projects, ruling that the order was arbitrary and capricious and contrary to the law.

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1st Circ. Keeps Planned Parenthood Funding Ban In Place

By Dan McKay

The First Circuit on Monday issued an administrative stay that temporarily keeps in place a ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, pausing a lower court's ruling.

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EPA Asks Judge To Let Solar Energy Funding Cuts Stand

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told a Washington federal district court that its decision to freeze funding for a low-income solar energy program should stand while states pursue a lawsuit to free up the money.

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2nd Circ. Doubts Ex-Basketball Players' NIL Claims Are Timely

By David Steele

A Second Circuit panel on Monday persistently pushed the attorney for former college basketball players to explain why the players waited so long to claim the unpaid use of their images by the NCAA, years after their careers had ended.

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'Red Flags' Give 2nd Circ. Pause In NBA Health Fraud Appeal

By Elliot Weld

A Second Circuit panel appeared skeptical Monday of arguments by two former NBA players convicted of defrauding a league healthcare plan that they were tricked into participating by the scheme's leader, saying the trial evidence included "red flags."

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Steps For Cos. To Comply With Colo. Deceptive Pricing Law

Colorado's newly passed law protecting against deceptive pricing practices will take effect on Jan. 1, broadening the consumer protection framework and standardizing total price disclosure requirements across a variety of industries, and there are several steps businesses can take to comply, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

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Opinion

Horizontal Stare Decisis Should Not Be Casually Discarded

Eliminating the so-called law of the circuit doctrine — as recently proposed by a Fifth Circuit judge, echoing Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurrence in Loper Bright — would undermine public confidence in the judiciary’s independence and create costly uncertainty for litigants, says Lawrence Bluestone at Genova Burns.

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Series

The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

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US Lawyer Numbers Surge With Hefty 2024 Graduating Class

By Tracey Read

The number of U.S. lawyers showed marked growth for the first time since 2020, due to a 2024 graduating class that was nearly 12% larger than any other class since 2012, a study from the American Bar Association released Monday showed.

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Habba Resigns As Acting US Atty After DQ Ruling At 3rd Circ.

By Jake Maher

Alina Habba stepped down Monday as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey following a Third Circuit ruling that she was unlawfully appointed to the position, with the U.S. Department of Justice unveiling that a trio of officials will take on her responsibilities.

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Conservative Justices Probe 'Husk' Of FTC Firing Protections

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority pushed back Monday against the 90-year-old precedent permitting the removal only for cause of Federal Trade Commission members, and perhaps those serving other independent agencies, calling those safeguards a "dried husk" and wondering where to draw the line for protected agencies.

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Carlton Fields Steps Aside In 'Irreconcilable' Miss America Case

By Emily Johnson

A Florida federal judge allowed Carlton Fields and its attorneys on Monday to withdraw from representing the plaintiffs in a dispute over the ownership of the Miss America pageant, after the firm said "irreconcilable differences" drew it to ask to step down.

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Jury Expert Sues Atty For 'Pirating' Her Jan. 6 Venue Report

By Matt Perez

A New Hampshire defense attorney representing a defendant charged for crimes related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been sued in D.C. federal court for allegedly stealing a copyrighted study analyzing attitudes in the jury pool of the District of Columbia.

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Litigation Funder Says Attys Hid Deal To Evade $1.5M Payout

By Christine DeRosa

A Florida-based litigation funder has sued two California attorneys and a law firm, alleging they secretly settled a client's civil dispute and steered the money so they wouldn't have to repay over $1.5 million.

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Analysis

What To Do When Jurors Don't 'Trust The Science'

By Chris Villani

The pandemic and initiatives from the second administration of President Donald Trump challenging decades of established scientific norms have made science more politicized, and attorneys say picking a jury and presenting scientific evidence is increasingly challenging.

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Brief

Senators Kelly, Slotkin Set Up Legal Defense Funds

By Courtney Bublé

After appearing in a video encouraging members of the military and intelligence community to not follow illegal orders, Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., have established legal defense funds.

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Defense Bill Includes Protections For Retired Justices

By Courtney Bublé

The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 released Sunday night extends U.S. Supreme Court police protection for retired and former justices and their immediate family members.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court delivered a busy first week of December, featuring commercial disputes, post-closing merger and acquisition battles and renewed scrutiny of fiduciary conduct ranging from oil and gas investments to healthcare acquisitions. 

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