Uber Can't Hold Off Seattle Driver Deactivation Law

By Rachel Riley

A Washington federal judge denied Uber's bid to temporarily bar the city of Seattle from enforcing new app-based worker account deactivation rules against it, finding the day before the challenged ordinance took effect that the company is unlikely to succeed in its claims of a First Amendment violation.

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Amazon Gets Zulily's Antitrust Suit Trimmed, For Now

By Lauren Berg

A Seattle federal judge trimmed a lawsuit brought by now-defunct online retailer Zulily that accuses Amazon of using its monopoly power to shut out competition from other online retailers, tossing conspiracy and state consumer protection law claims, but allowing Zulily to rework its complaint.

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Amazon Says FTC Stalling Discovery In Prime Sign-Up Suit

By Greg Lamm

Amazon said the Federal Trade Commission is stonewalling discovery efforts vital to showing that the agency knew a federal law protecting online shoppers from deceptive billing practices was vague, in an enforcement action accusing the e-commerce giant of duping customers onto signing up for Prime subscriptions.

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3 Things To Know About 9th Circ. Ruling In $56M Beer Battle

By Ivan Moreno

The Ninth Circuit has affirmed a $56 million trial verdict for Stone Brewing Co. in a long-running trademark battle involving Molson Coors, saying the evidence supported the jury's conclusion that the Canadian-American beer company's repackaging of its Keystone Light brand infringed its competitors' "Stone" mark.

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Stanley Cup Maker Sued Over Alleged Lid Hazard

By Rachel Riley

The Seattle-based maker of the trending Stanley-brand tumbler has been hit with a proposed class action in Washington federal court by a New York consumer accusing the manufacturer of failing to adequately compensate customers for a lid defect that led to the recall of 2.6 million travel mugs.

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Amazon Used Forfeited 401(k) Cash For Self Gain, Suit Says

By Grace Elletson

Amazon violated federal benefits law by using millions in abandoned retirement plan funds to its own benefit by offsetting its own contributions instead of using the extra cash to cut down on expenses, according to a worker's proposed class action filed in Washington federal court.

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Epic Tells 9th Circ. Google's Legal 'Reckoning Long Overdue'

By Dorothy Atkins

Epic Games Inc. has slammed Google's Ninth Circuit appeal of an injunction requiring the tech giant to open up its Android Play Store to rival app distributors, defending the ruling and a jury's liability verdict and arguing that Google's appeal is a meritless attempt to avoid a "reckoning long overdue."

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9th Circ. Revives Cos.' Suit Over Unions' SeaWorld Lobbying

By Braden Campbell

The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived part of a hotel operator's suit accusing two unions of thwarting its efforts to develop two San Diego properties, saying the district court prematurely dismissed a claim that the unions abused their protest rights to stop a project at SeaWorld.

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9th Circ. Partly Revives Casino ATM Contract Dispute, Again

By Katryna Perera

A unanimous panel of the Ninth Circuit partially reversed a bench trial verdict Thursday in two merchant service companies' dispute, in which a payment processor alleged a business it partnered with breached their contract by failing to adapt to chip-based credit card technology by a key deadline, reinstating the case for a second time.

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9th Circ. Won't Revive Nonprofit's Union Dues Deduction Fight

By Gina Kim

The Ninth Circuit refused to reinstate a conservative nonprofit's suit accusing Teamsters unions representing Washington state employees of committing constitutional violations by allegedly ignoring the nonprofit's mail containing dues revocation cards, concluding that refusal to accept such mail isn't a state action, and the unions aren't state actors.

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9th Circ. Says Religious Carveout Sinks Kosher Worker's Suit

By Patrick Hoff

A religious exception shielding religious entities from certain claims applies to jobs at an Orthodox Jewish organization ensuring that food is kept kosher, the Ninth Circuit ruled, upholding the dismissal of a worker's lawsuit claiming he missed out on thousands of dollars in overtime pay.

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9th Circ. Revives Pot Fines Suit Against Calif. County

By Sam Reisman

A proposed class of Northern California landowners can pursue a swath of constitutional claims against Humboldt County officials with the Ninth Circuit ruling they plausibly pled the county was overzealous in its efforts to crack down on allegedly illegal cannabis growers.

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Brief

9th Circ. Dismisses LegalForce Trademark Appeal

By Matt Perez

The Lanham Act, the primary federal statute dictating trademark law, does not apply to the advertising and selling of equity, the Ninth Circuit stated in an appeals case between intellectual property firm LegalForce RAPC Worldwide PC and a Japanese company that fundraised off the brand "LegalForce."

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Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

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Bonus Spotlight

Holland & Knight Matches BigLaw Bonuses In Major Markets

By Anna Sanders

Holland & Knight LLP announced associates in major U.S. markets will receive year-end and special bonuses matching those given by other BigLaw firms, with attorneys working in regional offices making smaller figures, according to a report.

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Biden Honors Del. Jurist For Role In Brown V. Board Ruling

By Jeff Montgomery

President Joe Biden issued a top civilian award, posthumously, to former Chancellor Collins J. Seitz of Delaware Chancery Court, father of the state's current chief justice, for his role in decisions woven into the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling.

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Clyde & Co. Merges With Dallas Insurance Boutique

By Emily Sawicki

Clyde & Co. LLP has announced a merger with Dallas boutique Tillman Batchelor LLP, expanding the global law firm's insurance capabilities in Texas amid its ongoing growth in North America.

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Taft Hired BCLP Comms Director Ahead Of Merger

By Andrea Keckley

Once its merger with Sherman & Howard LLC became effective at the start of the new year, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP announced Thursday it had hired Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner's former director of communications.

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AI Chatbots Will Transform Legal Scholarship, AI Chatbot Says

By Matt Perez

Generative artificial intelligence like OpenAI's ChatGPT software will redefine legal scholarship, according to a new paper primarily produced by the chatbot.

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States Debate High Court Solution To Election Map Catch-22

By Katie Buehler

Louisiana has implored the U.S. Supreme Court to decisively resolve litigation over its federal election map in one of three ways, suggesting the justices could toss the case on standing, decide the merits, or, preferably, find that federal courts have no role in refereeing redistricting disputes.

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Ex-GMU Prof.'s Accusers Say He Can't Prove $108M Damages

By Aebra Coe

Former FTC Commissioner Joshua Wright allegedly failed to provide information to back his $108 million defamation damages claim and then walked out of a deposition, according to a Virginia court filing by two former students whom Wright sued over their statements to Law360.

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Atty Wants Free Speech Suit Over Tenn. Court Rule Kept Alive

By Jack Karp

A free speech challenge to a Middle District of Tennessee rule barring attorneys from making "any extrajudicial statements" about cases in the district should be allowed to move forward since the court is not entitled to sovereign immunity, according to the Nashville civil rights lawyer behind the suit.

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Giuliani Says Memory Faulty In Meandering NY Contempt Row

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge mulled a bid to hold Rudy Giuliani in contempt of a $148 million defamation judgment Friday, during a day of sparring in which the former New York City mayor repeatedly told counsel for two defamed Georgia poll workers that he doesn't remember case details.

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Battling Berts: Judge Enjoins Ga. Law Firm In Trademark Row

By Kelcey Caulder

A Georgia federal judge Friday temporarily barred an Atlanta-based law firm from advertising and promoting its personal injury legal services through messaging like "If You're Hurt ... Call Bert!" and "If You're Hurt, Call Bert," ruling that it is too similar to another personal injury firm's trademarked slogan.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

How to deal with diversity, climate change and artificial intelligence are the key issues giving general counsel night terrors at the start of the new year. And in Delaware, the Chancery Court is allowing a stockholder suit to move forward against Fox Corp., related to its false reports of voting fraud in 2020.

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

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen Chris Eubank Jr. hit with a libel claim from a boxing promoter, a perfume boss face proceedings from his businesses following sanctions violations claims, and Israeli broadcasters file intellectual property claims against BT and Sky. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

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