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October 11, 2024
Bank Info Fair Game In Crypto Exec's Appeal, Gov't Says
A cryptocurrency executive charged in a 2020 bitcoin fraud investigation can't stop the IRS from using the financial information it gathered through summonses while he appeals the demands in the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. government told a Texas federal court.
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October 11, 2024
TransUnion Agrees To Settle Suit Over Inaccurate Report
A Texas man who claims he lost a job opportunity after a faulty TransUnion background check identified him as a "drug offender" has agreed to end his lawsuit against the company, reaching a tentative settlement.
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October 10, 2024
Paxton Sanctions Attempt Is 'Intimidation Tactic,' Nonprofit Says
A Houston civil rights nonprofit focusing on immigration is calling a sanctions motion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton an "intimidation tactic," telling a state appeals court that it shouldn't have to just accept whatever legal interpretation the state spits out or face sanctions.
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October 10, 2024
Trade Group, Enviros Clash Over EPA Methylene Chloride Rule
American Chemistry Council and the Sierra Club are taking aim at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methylene chloride rule, with the industry group telling the Fifth Circuit the agency overstepped when it outright banned most applications of the chemical for no valid reason and the conservation organization arguing it didn't go far enough.
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October 10, 2024
Contractor Slams Stay Bid In $13M Lake Ontario Awards Fight
Geotechnical contractor Soletanche Bachy Canada Inc. has asked a Texas federal court not to pause its suit looking to enforce arbitral awards of $13 million against an infrastructure construction corporation, saying the construction company misrepresents an appeal proceeding in Ontario.
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October 10, 2024
IP Forecast: 5G Patent Case Spells Deja Vu For EDTX
A patent suit against a Chinese phone company will go before a new federal jury in the Eastern District of Texas after the judge scrapped the original $10.6 million verdict against it as excessive. Here's a spotlight on that case — plus all the other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.
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October 10, 2024
SpaceX Urges Trim To Enviro Orgs'. FAA Launch Approval Suit
SpaceX is pushing a D.C. federal judge to scrap claims that an environmental assessment for its rocket launch program in South Texas must be supplemented after launches allegedly harmed sensitive surrounding areas and migratory birds, and as it faces new litigation over a system installed to prevent launch pad failures.
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October 10, 2024
5th Circ. Judge Hints Justices' 'Sea Change' May Help DACA
A Fifth Circuit judge grilled Texas on Thursday over whether it still has standing to challenge the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, suggesting recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent might spell trouble for the Lone Star State's bid to kill the program.
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October 10, 2024
Owner Of Houston Music Co. Says He Was Pushed Out Of Biz
A Houston hip-hop artist has accused his longtime business partner of engaging in a scheme to steal his music production company's funds before ousting him from the business, according to a complaint filed in Texas federal court on Thursday.
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October 10, 2024
Paxton Prosecutor Fee Fight Ends With High Court Rejection
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday declined to take up a dispute over how much a special prosecutor appointed to oversee the securities fraud case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton should be paid, ending a fee fight that has stretched on almost as long as the criminal case.
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October 10, 2024
5th Circ. Says ISP Liable For Piracy But Orders Damages Redo
The Fifth Circuit has concluded that a Texas federal court correctly upheld a jury verdict finding internet service provider Grande Communications Networks LLC is liable for the willful contributory copyright infringement of 1,403 songs from several record labels but ordered that the nearly $47 million in damages be recalculated.
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October 10, 2024
George Foreman Unlikely To Get '70s Sex Assault Suit Trimmed
A California federal judge was skeptical Thursday of boxing legend George Foreman's bid to trim alleged conduct that occurred in Texas and Florida from a lawsuit claiming he groomed and sexually abused a teenage girl in the 1970s.
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October 10, 2024
Houston Firm Says 'Scurrilous' Ex-Atty Not Entitled To Fees
A Houston law firm is urging a state court to dismiss a lawsuit from a disbarred attorney seeking fees for cases he worked on before going to prison for fraud, arguing that paying him the $3.84 million he is asking for would run afoul of ethics rules and a Texas Supreme Court order.
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October 10, 2024
Investor Connected To Texas AG Seeks To Ax Fraud Case
Nate Paul, a real estate investor at the heart of the failed impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has moved to dismiss federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges against him, arguing that the indictment does not claim that he acted willfully when allegedly ripping off lenders and investors.
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October 10, 2024
IRS Keeping Co. In Dark On Carryback Refund, Court Told
The Internal Revenue Service owes a $686,000 tax refund to a contractor for a carryback operating loss, the company told a Texas federal court, adding that the IRS hasn't responded to questions about a letter the agency claims it sent addressing the issue.
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October 09, 2024
5th Circ. Denies Extension For CFPB In Exam Policy Case
The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday denied the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's unopposed request for a short deadline extension in its appeal over an examination policy that industry groups successfully sued to block last year, prompting the agency to ask for more time again.
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October 09, 2024
Chancery Keeps $5B Md. Data Center Project Fight In Del.
A court battle over control and management of early work on a potential $5 billion data complex in western Maryland will remain in the First State despite a marginally earlier-filed suit in Texas' new business court, a Delaware vice chancellor ruled late Wednesday.
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October 09, 2024
5th Circ. Revives Air Force Bias Case, Citing Broader Standard
The Fifth Circuit revived a former civilian U.S. Air Force employee's lawsuit alleging she was given negative performance reviews after rejecting colleagues' sexual advances, saying a lower court needs to reevaluate her claims under a year-old circuit standard that allows for a wider range of bias allegations.
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October 09, 2024
Cisco Gets PTAB To Wipe Out Most Of Network Patent
An administrative patent board has trimmed most of a patent that was issued to a since bankrupt Tel Aviv telecom supplier and later eventually asserted against Cisco.
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October 09, 2024
5th Circ. Asks If Drag Ban Different From Obscenity Laws
A Fifth Circuit panel wrangled with First Amendment questions surrounding a Texas law banning drag shows in front of children, with a judge asking an LGBTQ nonprofit how Texas' law was different from a law banning "sexual intercourse" or "sodomy" in downtown New Orleans during oral arguments Wednesday.
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October 09, 2024
Patients' Families Say No Expert Needed In Transplant Case
The families of patients who died while on an organ donor waiting list are urging a Texas state court to deny a surgeon's bid to toss their suit aimed at blocking him from altering or destroying records, saying because their suit does not make any claims for damages, they do not need an expert report.
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October 09, 2024
Caterpillar Settles Wirtgen IP Row After Judge's $19.5M Ruling
Caterpillar and machinery manufacturer Wirtgen have reached a deal to resolve their legal fight after a Delaware court held that Caterpillar owes about $19.5 million in a patent case over road-milling machines.
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October 09, 2024
Atlanta Braves Pitch Dismissal Or Transfer Of Defamation Suit
The Atlanta Braves urged a Texas federal judge to dismiss or transfer a defamation lawsuit filed by an auction house alleging the team purposely maligned its image by leaking false claims to the media that the auctioneer was selling memorabilia to which it had no rights.
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October 09, 2024
Judge Finalizes $65.7M Verdict Against Cisco In IP Case
A $65.7 million verdict from earlier this year against Cisco Systems has been finalized by a Western District of Texas judge, in a case where a jury found the company infringed Paltalk's patent related to hybrid audio servers.
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October 09, 2024
Texas Electric Co-Op Says EPA Mercury Rule Must Be Nixed
A Texas electricity co-operative on Tuesday backed a D.C. Circuit challenge to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule curbing mercury and other toxic metal emissions at some coal-fired power plants, saying the agency fudged data to saddle the co-op with unachievable emissions reduction requirements.
Expert Analysis
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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EPA Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG Rules Face Bumpy Road Ahead
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for owners and operators of heavy-duty vehicles are facing opposition from both states and the transportation industry, and their arguments will mirror two pending cases challenging the EPA's authority, says Grant Laizer at Adams and Reese.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
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A Look At M&A Conditions After FTC's Exxon-Pioneer Nod
The Federal Trade Commission's recent consent decree imposing several conditions on Exxon Mobil's acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources helps illustrate key points about the current merger enforcement environment, including the probability of further investigations in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors, say Ryan Quillian and John Kendrick at Covington.
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FTC Theories Of Harm After Anesthesia Co. Ruling
As Federal Trade Commission litigation against U.S. Anesthesia Partners proceeds following a Texas federal court's recent decision to dismiss a private equity sponsor from the suit, the case attempts to incorporate and advance some of the commission's theories of competitive harm from the final 2023 Merger Guidelines, say attorneys at Mintz.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: May Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four notable circuit court decisions on topics from automobile insurance to securities — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including circuit-specific ascertainability requirements and how to conduct a Daubert analysis prior to class certification.
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Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
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Tips For Advising CRE Owners Affected By Houston Storms
As Houston residents begin the arduous process of recovery after this month's devastating storms, attorneys should guide commercial real estate owners and managers toward immediate action under their insurance coverage to facilitate restoration and a return to normalcy, says Justin Ratley at Munsch Hardt.
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Cos. Must Stay On Alert With Joint Employer Rule In Flux
While employers may breathe a sigh of relief at recent events blocking the National Labor Relations Board's proposed rule that would make it easier for two entities to be deemed joint employers, the rule is not yet dead, say attorneys at Day Pitney.
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5th Circ. Bond Claim Ruling Shows Creditors Must Be Vigilant
In Raymond James & Associates v. Jalbert, the Fifth Circuit recently held that the bankruptcy debtor's indemnification obligations were discharged by the confirmed plan because the indemnified party failed to speak up, demonstrating that creditors must proactively protect their rights, says Joshua Lesser at Bradley Arant.
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Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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One Contract Fix Can Reduce Employer Lawsuit Exposure
A recent Fifth Circuit ruling that saved FedEx over $365 million highlights how a one-sentence limitation provision on an employment application or in an at-will employment agreement may be the easiest cost-savings measure for employers against legal claims, say Sara O'Keefe and William Wortel at BCLP.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling
Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.