Analysis

Meta May Not Scroll Past 'Clever' Instagram Addiction Suit

By Chris Villani

Meta Platforms Inc. may struggle to convince Massachusetts' top court to dismiss a suit claiming it illegally hooks kids on Instagram, according to experts, who credit the state's attorney general for a creative legal strategy to thwart web platforms' usual defenses.

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Lively Seeks To Ax PR Rep's 'It Ends With Us' Defamation Suit

By Bonnie Eslinger

Blake Lively urged a Texas federal court Monday to toss an Austin-based public relations consultant's defamation suit alleging Lively falsely roped the consultant into her sexual harassment and retaliation claims against her "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni, saying the case lacks merit and shouldn't be adjudicated in Texas.

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Coinbase Accused Of Scam Prevention Shortfalls

By Corey Rothauser

A California man has filed a proposed class action seeking to hold cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase liable for failing to implement safeguards against fraudsters who run "pig-butchering" scams.

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Insurers Lose Subrogation Suits Over Blackbaud Data Breach

By Ganesh Setty

Several insurers cannot recoup investigation and credit monitoring expenses they covered for their insureds following a 2020 ransomware attack against Blackbaud, a Delaware state court ruled, saying two suits by the carriers failed to allege insured-specific facts in order to adequately plead breach of contract claims against the software company.

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FCC Agrees To Bankers' Request To Delay Call Consent Rule

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission agreed Monday to delay for a year a new rule expanding the scope of call consent revocation, after banking groups said they need more time to comply.

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OMB Issues Guidance On Agency Use, Purchasing Of AI

By Madeline Lyskawa

The Office of Management and Budget issued a pair of memorandums last week that replaced the Biden administration's safeguards on the federal acquisition of artificial intelligence with a policy aimed at accelerating federal agencies' use and procurement of artificial intelligence.

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Fla. Man Pleads Guilty In $8.4M Medicare ID Fraud Case

By Joyce Hanson

A Fort Lauderdale man has pled guilty in Florida federal court to criminal charges accusing him of illegally buying Medicare identification numbers and using those numbers to help submit $8.4 million in false Medicare claims.

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Autotrader Website 'Tester' Can't Carry Privacy Suit

By Allison Grande

A California federal judge has tossed a proposed class action accusing Autotrader of unlawfully sharing website visitors' search queries with third parties, finding that the plaintiff didn't suffer an actionable injury because her expectations were met when she visited the website to "test" for privacy violations.

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Fintech Customers Sue Banks Over Synapse Collapse

By Sydney Price

Evolve Bank & Trust and Lineage Bank were hit with a consumer's proposed class action in Tennessee federal court accusing them of mismanaging their relationships with Synapse Financial, a now-bankrupt middleware fintech service that the suit says caused customers to lose $85 million.

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Roundup

Conn. High Court Snapshot: Atty's 'Double' ID Theft Damages

By Brian Steele

When it convenes for its next term, Connecticut's highest court will weigh whether an attorney whose identity was stolen can skirt a panel's ruling that he is not entitled to a "double recovery" of damages, and it will consider an insurance agent's responsibilities when a policyholder's coverage is canceled.

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Opinion

GENIUS Act Can Bring Harmony To Crypto-Banking Discord

​​​​​​​By embracing crypto innovation while establishing appropriate guardrails, the so-called GENIUS Act charts a path forward that promotes financial inclusion and technological advancement without compromising stability or constitutional rights, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School.

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Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

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Trump Wants To Use Firms That Cut Deals For Coal Leases

By Keith Goldberg

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wants to help coal companies with their leasing matters by proffering the services of BigLaw firms that signed agreements to avoid getting shut out of government work.

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Clifford Chance Lands Gibson Dunn Restructuring Co-Chair

By Tracey Read

Clifford Chance LLP announced Tuesday that it has hired the former co-chair of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's corporate restructuring practice to co-lead its global restructuring and insolvency practice.

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DOJ Shuts Crypto Unit, Shifts Focus From Intermediaries

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Department of Justice is disbanding its crypto unit and directing prosecutors to focus on cases against individuals who harm crypto investors or use digital assets to further other illegal activity, instead of bringing cases against platforms that enable the conduct, according to a memo circulated to all department employees.

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Atty Says Debevoise Fired Him Over Medical Leave

By Emmy Freedman

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP fired an attorney in its international dispute resolution practice group because he had taken medical leave, abruptly dismissing him two days after he returned, and refused to give him a chance to increase his billable hours, he told a New York federal court.

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In Trump Order Against Perkins Coie, GCs See Harm For Cos.

By Jake Maher

Nearly 70 current and former general counsel for companies including Apple Inc. and Starbucks filed an amicus brief Tuesday supporting Perkins Coie LLP in its suit against an executive order from President Donald Trump targeting the firm, saying the order "tramples on corporate independence, the right to counsel, and First Amendment rights."

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Ballard Spahr Fired Atty For Taking Medical Leave, Suit Says

By Patrick Hoff

A former attorney for Ballard Spahr LLP filed suit against the firm and the head of its employee benefits group Tuesday in New York federal court, claiming she was fired for taking medical leave and seeking a more flexible work schedule to deal with her epilepsy and a gastrointestinal condition. 

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Cravath Private Equity Co-Leader Joins Sidley In New York

By Andrea Keckley

Sidley Austin LLP announced Tuesday that the former co-head of Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP's private equity group is the latest addition to its growing mergers and acquisitions and private equity bench.

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Jay-Z 'Trying To Punish' Buzbee For Advocacy, Judge Told

By Rachel Scharf

Counsel for personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee urged a California state judge on Tuesday to shut down Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's extortion and defamation suit over now-dismissed rape claims, saying the rapper is "a well-funded, powerful figure who's trying to punish lawyers who do what lawyers do."

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