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July 24, 2024
Ex-US Army Worker Gets 15 Years For $109M Fraud Scheme
A former U.S. Army civilian employee will spend 15 years in prison for stealing nearly $109 million from a grant program meant for military dependents and their families to buy a fleet of luxury vehicles, jewelry and houses, federal prosecutors announced.
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July 24, 2024
Boulder Wants Suncor Back In Colorado Climate Suit
The city of Boulder, Colorado, and Boulder County have asked a Colorado state judge to certify part of his judgment dismissing Canadian oil and gas company Suncor Energy from the municipalities' climate change lawsuit so they can appeal that decision and bring Suncor back in.
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July 24, 2024
GM Drops 6th Circ. Faulty Fuel Pump Appeal
The Sixth Circuit won't hear an appeal by General Motors, which initially sought to decertify seven state classes of diesel truck drivers who claimed GM sold them faulty fuel pumps, after the automaker voluntarily pulled back its bid as the parties inch closer to a $50 million deal.
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July 24, 2024
Pawnshop Co. Says Military Law Doesn't Back CFPB's Suit
National pawnshop company FirstCash says the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should drop certain claims in a suit accusing it of subjecting military families to predatory lending, arguing that the bureau has admitted it has no authority to bring certain claims under the law undergirding the allegations.
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July 24, 2024
Ex-NFL Player Fights To Revive Disability Benefits Claim
Former NFL fullback Detron Smith is angling to reverse the denial of his bid for disability benefits, telling the Fifth Circuit that the NFL's disability plan is misconstruing its rules in an effort to stymie his continued attempts at gaining full disability benefits.
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July 24, 2024
Firm Says Water District Advice Was 'Black And White' Good
A Houston law firm told a state judge Wednesday that its recommendation that a local water district turn down a more than $1 million deal to get rid of hundreds of acres within its boundaries was "black and white" good advice as it fought off a malpractice suit the district lodged against the firm.
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July 24, 2024
5th Circ. Says Doctor's Corrective Plan Not A Valid Contract
The Fifth Circuit refused to reinstate a $6.6 million jury verdict in a former medical resident's suit alleging he was fired despite assurances he would have 60 days to rectify professional and interpersonal issues, ruling the residency program's director didn't have the power to offer a binding agreement.
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July 24, 2024
5th Circ. Strikes Down FCC's Universal Service Fund
The full Fifth Circuit struck down the Federal Communications Commission's system for subsidizing telecommunications service for rural and low-income users as unconstitutional Wednesday, reversing a panel decision and triggering a circuit split with three other appeals courts that upheld the fee regime.
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July 24, 2024
Hemp Cos. Get Stay Of DEA Subpoenas Seeking Records
A Texas federal judge on Wednesday stayed enforcement of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration subpoenas seeking financial and other records from a group of hemp and vape sellers, who had argued earlier this week that the subpoenas were overbroad and unlinked to any federal investigation.
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July 24, 2024
Retailer Conn's Closing Stores In Bankruptcy, Gets DIP Loan
A Texas bankruptcy judge said on Wednesday that he will approve $25 million of debtor-in-possession financing to help fallen furniture and appliance retailer Conn's Inc. fund its Chapter 11 case, which includes plans to sell its consumer financing arm while holding going-out-of-business sales at its remaining locations.
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July 23, 2024
Knives Out For Another Pro-Agency Landmark After Chevron
Only weeks after U.S. Supreme Court conservatives took a hatchet to the judicial deference shown to federal agencies, right-leaning lawyers are imploring the justices to rock the administrative law realm again by gutting a New Deal-era precedent at the heart of the modern regulatory system.
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July 23, 2024
Lack Of Quorum Dooms EEOC Pregnancy Regs, Co. Says
A Texas industrial sales company sued the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Monday, challenging the constitutionality of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which echoes federal disability law in requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers on the job.
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July 23, 2024
Samsung Loses Bid To Throw Out $303M Patent Verdict
A Texas federal judge shot down Samsung's attempt to throw out a $303 million verdict over infringement of server memory patents, saying the South Korean electronics giant's arguments that Netlist's comments prejudiced it during trial fell short in a July 12 opinion that was unsealed Tuesday.
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July 23, 2024
X's Tesla Ties Could Require Judge's Recusal, Watchdog Says
Elon Musk's X Corp. wants to avoid disclosing its financial links with Tesla in the social media company's defamation lawsuit against Media Matters for America because the Texas federal judge overseeing the case likely holds Tesla stock and would need to recuse himself, the progressive media watchdog said.
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July 23, 2024
Ex-Raytheon Worker Asks High Court To Take Up Firing Suit
A former employee of defense contractor Raytheon asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse his ouster from the company, arguing that the Fifth Circuit's finding that he shouldn't be reinstated set up a circuit split.
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July 23, 2024
EPA Tells 5th Circ. Louisiana Can't Stall Chemical Regulation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the Fifth Circuit cannot decide whether a Louisiana regulator can give a neoprene maker an extra two years to comply with a federal chemical rule because the issue is already before the D.C. Circuit.
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July 23, 2024
Chris Brown Faces Restraining Order After 'Thuggish' Assault
A Harris County, Texas, judge issued a temporary restraining order against rapper Chris Brown on Monday following a lawsuit personal injury attorney Tony Buzbee filed on behalf of four men who were allegedly "brutalized" by the rapper after attending his Fort Worth concert over the weekend.
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July 23, 2024
CFPB Sued Over Its Probe Of Lease-To-Own Fintech Co.
Lease-to-own fintech company Acima has accused the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of trying to overextend its authority with an unconstitutional investigation into the company's transactions that fall outside the bureau's purview.
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July 23, 2024
Labor Dept. ESG Rule May Survive Chevron's Demise
The Fifth Circuit recently overturned a ruling that relied on the now-defunct doctrine of Chevron deference to uphold a U.S. Department of Labor rule covering socially conscious retirement plan investing, but some experts believe the rule has a good chance at surviving — even with the precedent off the books.
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July 23, 2024
Tesla Crash Victim's Parents Urge Fla. Top Court To Allow Depos
The father of a Florida teenager killed in a Tesla Model S crash in 2018 has urged the state's high court to review a lower court's orders quashing depositions of company CEO Elon Musk and another executive, saying the orders directly conflict with Florida case law.
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July 23, 2024
Red States Seek High Court Stay Of EPA Power Plant Rule
Dozens of red states Tuesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to block implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule curbing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, four days after the D.C. Circuit rejected a stay request.
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July 23, 2024
The Biggest Trademark Rulings Of 2024: A Midyear Report
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a California attorney's arguments that registering "Trump Too Small" as a trademark constituted speech protected by the First Amendment, and a split Ninth Circuit concluded district courts have the power to cancel trademark applications during litigation. Here's a look at some of the most notable trademark decisions so far this year.
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July 23, 2024
Tech Firm Mobileum Enters Ch. 11 To Trim Over $500M Debt
Global telecom analytics group Mobileum Inc. sought Chapter 11 protection in Texas on Tuesday, with plans to trim $529 million from its books through a debt-for-equity swap after falsified time records uncovered last year backlogged operations and spurred litigation.
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July 23, 2024
Texas Judge Says SpaceX Will Likely Win NLRB Challenge
A Texas federal judge explained Tuesday why he blocked a case against SpaceX from proceeding before the National Labor Relations Board, saying he thinks the company is likely to win its constitutional challenge to the agency's structure.
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July 23, 2024
Philly Judge Won't Block FTC Noncompete Ban
A Pennsylvania federal judge refused Tuesday to temporarily block the Federal Trade Commission's impending ban on employment noncompete agreements, a victory for commission authority that could be short-lived as the agency awaits a final decision from a Texas federal judge who's already indicated an inclination to stop the regulation.
Expert Analysis
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2 Recent Suits Show Resiliency Of Medicare Drug Price Law
Though pharmaceutical companies continue to file lawsuits challenging the Inflation Reduction Act, which enables the federal government to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices, recent decisions suggest that the reduced drug prices are likely here to stay, says Jose Vela Jr. at Clark Hill.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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A Look At Recent Challenges To SEC's Settlement 'Gag Rule'
Though they have been unsuccessful so far, opponents of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's so-called gag rule, which prevents defendants from denying allegations when settling with the SEC, are becoming increasingly vocal and filing more challenges in recent years, say Mike Blankenship and Regina Maze at Winston & Strawn.
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How 3 Unfolding Cases Could Affect The Energy Industry
Three judicial decisions now in the pipeline — Texas' challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane regulations, Delaware's climate suit against big energy companies, and a case before the Supreme Court of Texas on royalty lease interpretation — could have important implications for the energy industry, say Michelle Scheffler and Rachael Cox at Skadden.
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How American Airlines ESG Case Could Alter ERISA Liability
Spence v. American Airlines, a Texas federal case over the airline's selection of multiple investment funds in its retirement plan, threatens to upend the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's legal framework for fiduciary liability in the name of curtailing environmental, social and governance-related activities, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.
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How Purdue Pharma High Court Case May Change Bankruptcy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Purdue Pharma may be the death of most third-party releases in Chapter 11 cases, and depending on the decision’s breadth, could have much more far-reaching effects on the entire bankruptcy system, say Brian Shaw and David Doyle at Cozen O'Connor.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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A 5th Circ. Lesson On Preserving Indemnification Rights
The Fifth Circuit's recent decision in Raymond James & Associates v. Jalbert offers an important lesson for creditors and parties to indemnification agreements: If a debtor has indemnified a creditor, the creditor should consider participating in the bankruptcy case to avoid being deemed to have forfeited its indemnification rights, say Dania Slim and Alana Lyman at Pillsbury.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Untangling The Legal Complexities Of Trade Secrets And AI
With broad adoption of generative artificial intelligence, some have suggested trade secret law is the best means for protecting innovations, but while this protection may apply to all forms of information, the breadth of coverage may make identifying the information and later misappropriation difficult, say Joshua Lerner and Nora Passamaneck at WilmerHale.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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Judge-Shopping Policy Revisal May Make Issue Worse
The Judicial Conference at its March meeting unveiled a revised policy with the stated goal of limiting litigants’ ability to judge-shop in patent cases, but the policy may actually exacerbate the problem by tying the issue to judge-shopping in polarizing political cases, making reform more difficult, say Robert Niemeier and William Milliken at Sterne Kessler.
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Opinion
5th Circ. NFL Disability Ruling Turns ERISA On Its Head
The Fifth Circuit's March 15 ruling in Cloud v. NFL Player Retirement Plan upheld the plan's finding that an NFL player was not entitled to reclassification because he couldn't show changed circumstances, which is contrary to the goal of accurate Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims processing, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.
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How Fieldwood Ch. 11 Ruling Bolsters Section 363 Confidence
The Fifth Circuit’s recent ruling in Fieldwood Energy’s Chapter 11 cases, which clarified that challenges to integral aspects of a bankruptcy sale are statutorily moot under Section 363(m) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, should bolster the confidence of prospective purchasers in these sales, say attorneys at V&E.