Judge Warns Rocket Cos. Investor: Seek Cert. At 'Own Peril'

By Katryna Perera

A Michigan federal judge on Thursday said a pension fund trying to take over as lead plaintiff in a suit against mortgage business Rocket Companies Inc. does not need the court's permission to file a renewed class certification motion, but it "does so at its own peril."

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mich. Defenders Seek $2.3M After Life Sentence Ruling

By Danielle Ferguson

Michigan's appellate defender office told lawmakers Thursday that it would need to hire additional staff to represent more than 300 people whose sentences will need to be reviewed after the state's top court declared that automatic life-without-parole sentences for 19- and 20-year-olds are unconstitutional.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

6th Circ. Says Michigan AG Can Pursue 'False Elector' Case

By Danielle Ferguson

The Sixth Circuit on Thursday affirmed a federal district court's refusal to interfere with a state court case in which Michigan's attorney general accused a former Republican presidential elector candidate of plotting to submit false electoral votes in the wake of the 2020 election.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ford Says Free Repairs Doom Explorer Axle Bolt Class Action

By Carolyn Muyskens

Ford has asked a federal judge to dismiss a proposed class's claims that the automaker sold Explorers designed with a rear axle bolt that's prone to cracking, saying vehicle owners aren't out any money because they can get damaged bolts replaced free of charge.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Sets Arguments Over Birthright Pause

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ordered special oral arguments over President Donald Trump's bid to pause or limit three nationwide court orders prohibiting implementation of his executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, keeping the president's mandate on hold until at least mid-May.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

RI Judge Wants To Know Who's Behind $11B Health Grant Cuts

By Yeji Jesse Lee

A Rhode Island federal judge on Thursday pressed the Trump administration for details about the decision-makers behind the cancellation of billions in grants supporting state public health programs.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Pot Cos. Can't Get Block On Mich. City Licensing Fees

By Mike Curley

A Michigan federal judge won't block the enforcement of cannabis licensing fees by the city of Grand Rapids, finding the companies objecting to the fees haven't shown they face irreparable harm without an injunction.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

6th Circ. Revives Fight For Docs In Prison Co. Investors' Suit

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Sixth Circuit ordered a do-over of a judge's decision to shield court records in a securities lawsuit against private prison operator CoreCivic on Thursday, saying it isn't enough to invoke unspecified "confidentiality" interests. 

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

6th Circ. Says No Naturalization When Removal Pending

By Joyce Hanson

The Sixth Circuit in a split decision has held that a lower court rightfully dismissed a lawful permanent resident's request for naturalization while he was concurrently in removal proceedings, ruling that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services correctly delayed his application to become a citizen.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Series

Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PTAB Judge Heads To Boutique, Citing Return-To-Office Order

By Andrew Karpan

An outgoing Patent Trial and Appeal Board judge based in Austin, Texas, tells Law360 that President Donald Trump's return-to-office order was a "significant factor" in her decision to return to private practice, joining boutique patent firm Smith Baluch LLP as a partner.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-DOJ Atty Convicted In 1MDB Case Ordered Disbarred In NY

By Craig Clough

A New York appellate court ordered Wednesday that a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney be disbarred due to his felony conviction as part of a sprawling, billion-dollar fraud scandal connected to 1Malaysia Development Berhad and Fugees founder Pras Michél.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Sunoco Accused Of Age Bias By Ex-Chief Counsel

By Gina Kim

A former chief counsel for Sunoco LP sued her ex-employer in Texas state court Wednesday, alleging she was denied promotional opportunities and later terminated due to her age, while also accusing the company of replacing attorneys older than 50 with significantly younger attorneys with less experience.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PI Firm Sues Its Own Expert For Being 'Out Of Touch' At Depo

By Rae Ann Varona

A New Jersey personal injury law firm filed suit in state court against an expert witness it alleges had threatened to withdraw if he didn't receive an advance payment for preparing and attending his deposition, and then turned up to the deposition "confused, disoriented and out of touch."

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Venezuelans Ask High Court And 5th Circ. To Pause Removals

By Katie Buehler

A group of Venezuelans detained in northern Texas launched a multipronged effort Friday to prevent the Trump administration from removing them to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act before they can have their day in court, asking the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit and two district courts for emergency relief.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

Google and its chief legal officer have now lost two major antitrust cases to DOJ prosecutors after a federal judge ruled Thursday the search engine monopolized markets and servers related to display advertising. Meanwhile, a new study shows companies are disclosing their business risks, and how they are trying to mitigate those risks, amid changing tariffs and the uncertainty of the U.S.-China trade war. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Schlichter Bogard LLC and the University of Virginia School of Law Supreme Court Litigation Clinic lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court revived a class action from Cornell University workers who said their retirement plans were saddled with excessive fees.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judiciary Faces Security Risks Amid Spending Freeze

By Courtney Bublé

The federal judiciary is warning congressional appropriators that funding shortfalls could threaten courthouse security.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Nixes Feds' DQ Bid In Migrant Kids Legal Funding Case

By Ryan Boysen

A California federal judge has denied the Trump administration's bid to remove her from a lawsuit challenging funding cuts that prevent attorneys from representing child migrants, ruling her employment at one of the plaintiffs nearly seven years ago doesn't undermine her impartiality.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Joel Katz, Music Law's Longtime Power Broker, Dies At 80

By Chart Riggall

Joel Katz, the powerful music industry lawyer who co-founded Greenberg Traurig LLP's media and entertainment practice and helped bring the firm to the Atlanta market, has died at the age of 80, Law360 confirmed Friday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

WilmerHale, Feds Dispute Reach Of Trump Order Against Firm

By Jack Karp

WilmerHale and the U.S. Department of Justice traded salvos in the BigLaw firm's challenge to President Donald Trump's executive order targeting it, with the firm and the government offering "starkly different" versions of what's at stake in the dispute.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Wis. Sens. Renew Bipartisan Judicial Nomination Commission

By Courtney Bublé

The Republican and Democratic senators from Wisconsin announced Friday they are renewing their bipartisan commission to recommend U.S. attorney and judicial nominees to the president.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »