Attorney Owners Of Pot Co. Accused Of $46M RICO Scheme

By Mike Curley

A Florida-based real estate lender is suing two attorneys with civil rights law firm Loevy & Loevy in New York federal court, alleging they engaged in racketeering in connection with more than $46 million in loans intended to fund cannabis facilities they own in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

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Fla. Federal Judge To Lead Judiciary Research Center

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg of the Southern District of Florida will be the next director of the federal judiciary's research center, Chief Justice John Roberts announced Thursday.

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Investors Claim $43M Fraud By Miami Adviser's Firms

By David Minsky

More than three dozen investors have sued the companies connected to a former financial adviser in Miami state court over claims of fraud, alleging he squandered nearly $43 million to enrich himself and fund a Ponzi-like scheme.

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WWE Fan Ends Suit Over Pyrotechnics Hearing Loss

By David Minsky

A Florida man who sued World Wrestling Entertainment alleging negligence over sustaining hearing loss after pyrotechnics went off next to him during a Friday Night Smackdown event in Orlando has dismissed his federal lawsuit on Friday after reaching a settlement, Connecticut federal court records show.

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Patent Exec Hasn't Yet Proven Defamation In Baker Botts Case

By Hailey Konnath

A Florida federal judge held Friday that it's too early to rule in favor of a patent licensing company executive accusing a Baker Botts LLP attorney of defamation, ruling that there are still "material facts in dispute."

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Roundup

Real Estate Recap: Private Credit, CMBS, Algorithmic Pricing

By Real Estate Authority Staff

Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including fresh takes on the rise in private credit, a surge in commercial mortgage-backed securities, and the wave of algorithmic pricing laws in the rental market.

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Martial Arts Org., CEO Agree To Pay SEC More Than $1M

By Rae Ann Varona

Xtreme Fighting Championships Inc. and its CEO have agreed to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission more than $1 million to resolve allegations that the executive and the martial arts organization raked in millions of dollars through illegal stock sales, according to proposed final judgments.

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Fla. Pharmacy Pleads Guilty To Fraud Over Opioid OD Drug

By Carolina Bolado

A Florida-based pharmacy has agreed to plead guilty to healthcare fraud and to pay more than $1 million to settle civil claims it submitted false authorizations for an expensive opioid overdose treatment to federal insurers.

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Miami Art Dealer Arrested, Accused Of Selling Fake Warhols

By Bonnie Eslinger

A Miami art dealer was charged in Florida federal court for allegedly selling fake Andy Warhol artwork to his gallery clients, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Thursday.

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Permit Suit Can't Sidestep ICE's Immunity, GEO Group Says

By Tom Lotshaw

GEO Group Inc. told a New Jersey federal judge that the city of Newark's lawsuit aiming to block development of an immigration detention facility over permitting and inspections can't proceed without naming U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a defendant.

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5th Circ. Revives Unfair Competition Fight Over Arthritis Drug

By Dorothy Atkins

The Fifth Circuit has revived Zyla Life Sciences LLC's lawsuit seeking to block Texas rival Wells Pharma from selling rheumatoid arthritis drug suppositories that aren't U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved, rejecting Wells Pharma's argument that Zyla's state claims are preempted under federal law and noting that finding otherwise would have "staggering" implications.

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Off The Bench

Off The Bench: A Wait On NIL Settlement, Done Deal In Soccer

By David Steele

In this week's Off The Bench, the big NCAA name, image and likeness settlement still needs more work, a long-awaited settlement between U.S. Soccer and a prominent sports promotion company is completed, and a resolution of the conflict between Northwestern University and its football players is a step closer.

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Carlton Fields Class Action Ace Jumps To Stinson In Tampa

By Madison Arnold

Stinson LLP has expanded its class action capabilities in Tampa, Florida, with a new partner from Carlton Fields.

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Susman Godfrey Asks To Block 'Unconstitutional' Order

By Lauren Berg

Susman Godfrey LLP on Monday asked a D.C. federal judge to immediately restrain the federal government from enforcing President Donald Trump's "unconstitutional" executive order revoking the firm's access to government resources, saying the directive is blatant retaliation for the firm's representation of clients and causes the president doesn't like.

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Quinn Emanuel, King & Spalding Rep Harvard In Trump Letter

By Brian Dowling

Harvard University on Monday turned to a pair of high-powered lawyers from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and King & Spalding LLP as the school pushed back on the Trump administration's policy demands linked to nearly $9 billion in federal funding — a move that prompted the government to freeze more than $2 billion in grants for the school.

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McElroy Deutsch Settles Theft Suit Against Former Execs

By Jake Maher

McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP has reached a settlement with two former executives who the firm accused of stealing millions through fraudulent bonuses and credit card use, capping off nearly two years of hard-fought litigation.

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Earthquake Briefly Interrupts Judge's Retrial In Wife's Killing

By Gina Kim

The retrial for an Orange County judge who is accused of drunkenly shooting his wife to death in their home after an argument took a dramatic turn Monday morning when a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, shaking the courtroom and abruptly interrupting opening statements from the judge's attorney.

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FTC Joins DOJ In Targeting Anticompetitive Regulations

By Lauren Berg

The Federal Trade Commission launched a public inquiry Monday to look into reducing regulations that are hindering competition, following a similar move by the U.S. Department of Justice last month.

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CFPB's Vought Looks To Roll Back 'Weaponized' Guidance

By Jon Hill

Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell Vought has called for a crackdown on so-called regulation through guidance at the agency, launching a sweeping review that could cull bulletins, circulars and other advisory materials dating back years.

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Linking Friends No Longer Meta's Focus, Zuckerberg Says

By Bryan Koenig

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified Monday that the social media giant is no longer solely focused on connecting friends and family, arguing on the first day of the Federal Trade Commission's monopolization trial that the company has broader focus and faces more competition than the FTC claims.

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Conservative Lawyers Seek Ethics Probe Of DC US Attorney

By Ali Sullivan

A group of conservative lawyers and former prosecutors on Monday called for an attorney ethics investigation into President Donald Trump's nominee to be Washington, D.C.'s top federal prosecutor, saying the attorney has shown a "fundamental misunderstanding" of the role.

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NY Judge Chided For Tossing Kid's Friend's Traffic Ticket

By Emily Sawicki

A Westchester County, New York, judge who threw her title around while handling her daughter's traffic ticket in a neighboring town, and later tossed a different traffic ticket for her daughter's friend, has been hit with a public admonishment, the state's judicial watchdog announced Monday.

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Ex-GC's Retaliation Claim Survives Early Exit Bid In ADA Case

By Hayley Fowler

A North Carolina federal judge has ruled that a former associate general counsel at a historically Black college in North Carolina can pursue a retaliation claim, but not a discrimination claim, in her Americans with Disabilities Act suit alleging she was fired after seeking accommodation for her disability.

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Senate Dems Seek Briefing On Threats To Federal Judges

By Courtney Bublé

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee announced Monday that they're asking the U.S. Marshals Service for a briefing on threats against federal judges.

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