Transportation

  • October 17, 2024

    Consumer Groups Back DOT In Airline Fees Rule Fight

    Consumer advocates have told the Fifth Circuit that a U.S. Department of Transportation rule requiring airlines to more clearly disclose add-on fees upfront would curtail the industry's trickery in airfare marketing, foster competition and save individual travelers frustration, time and money.

  • October 17, 2024

    DHL Supply Chain Hit With Disability Bias Suit

    Logistics giant DHL Supply Chain was hit with a disability discrimination lawsuit Wednesday from a worker who says she was forced out of her job after DHL demanded she see a company physician to verify her debilitating medical condition.

  • October 17, 2024

    Mich. Urges 6th Circ. To Toss Enbridge's Line 5 Countersuit

    Michigan's governor has told the Sixth Circuit she and another state official are immune from Enbridge Energy LP's lawsuit over efforts to shut down a natural gas and oil pipeline because the dispute implicates state sovereignty issues that place it beyond federal jurisdiction.

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-Worker Says She Was Fired For Threatening EEOC Charge

    A logistics company was sued Wednesday in federal court by a former Georgia employee who alleges she was sexually harassed and mistreated by "aggressive and threatening" male co-workers and then fired after warning the company she would file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if things didn't improve.

  • October 17, 2024

    FCA Blames Supplier For Defective Parts Leading To Recalls

    FCA US LLC is suing one of its parts suppliers in Michigan federal court, alleging that it sold the automaker air heater grid relays for its Ram pickup trucks with a defect that can cause fires even when the vehicles are turned off and caused multiple recalls.

  • October 17, 2024

    EPA Settles With Car, Parts Cos. Over Clean Air Act Violations

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it has finalized settlements with Shyft Group Inc. and Double R Diesel to resolve enforcement actions alleging they violated the Clean Air Act, with Shyft agreeing to pay a $2 million penalty.

  • October 17, 2024

    Health Co. Must Face State Farm Settlement Interpretation Suit

    An automobile-accident-focused healthcare company can't escape State Farm's lawsuit claiming the facility breached a settlement agreement by failing to drop hundreds of personal injury protection suits, a Florida federal court ruled.

  • October 17, 2024

    States, Industry Urge DC Circ. To Scrap Truck GHG Rule

    Dozens of states and industry groups are imploring the D.C. Circuit to pull the plug on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule setting greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, arguing it mandates a transition to electric vehicles that the agency has no authority to push.

  • October 16, 2024

    Airline Owner Can't Force Cravath To Give Docs, Court Says

    Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP doesn't have to turn over documents used in the prosecution of an airline owner accused in a scheme to defraud Polar Air Cargo Worldwide of millions of dollars, a New York federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying the defendant hasn't shown the firm was part of the prosecution.

  • October 16, 2024

    Rail Agency Fired Vax Objectors In 'Sham Process,' Jury Told

    Counsel for six fired San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District workers delivered opening statements Wednesday in a new trial over allegations BART discriminated against employees who sought religious exemptions from its COVID-19 vaccination mandate, calling the agency's review of their requests a "sham process."

  • October 16, 2024

    Feds, Md. Tell 4th Circ. Beltway Lane Expansion Is Fully Vetted

    Federal and Maryland state transportation officials have told the Fourth Circuit that they thoroughly vetted air pollution, traffic congestion and other environmental concerns before approving an estimated $4 billion highway expansion project outside Washington, D.C., arguing that environmental groups have no grounds to sue to block the project.

  • October 16, 2024

    Sudanese Men Charged With Hacking Cedars-Sinai, Microsoft

    California federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that two Sudanese brothers have been charged with operating a prolific hacking group that orchestrated tens of thousands of politically motivated cyberattacks against worldwide government agencies, Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and companies including Microsoft, PayPal, Google and Netflix.

  • October 16, 2024

    SpaceX Says Calif. Board Taking Disdain Of Musk Out On It

    SpaceX hit the California Coastal Commission with a federal lawsuit claiming its board members are opposing the company's bid to launch more rockets from a military base in Santa Barbara County due to "naked political discrimination" against it and its outspoken billionaire CEO Elon Musk.

  • October 16, 2024

    Award Rightly Reinstates Worker In Pot Test Spat, Judge Says

    An arbitration board correctly ordered an Alaska Airlines mechanic's reinstatement after he was fired following a positive test for marijuana, a Washington federal judge concluded, upholding the arbitration panel's view of the just cause provision in the labor contract between the airline and the worker's union.

  • October 16, 2024

    Inspector Says It's Not To Blame For $3.4M Yacht Damage

    A company that inspected a boat hoist that failed during the launch of a yacht said it wants out of a $3.4 million dispute between Lloyd's syndicates and underwriters and a Seattle boat builder, telling a federal court that its actions did not cause the damage to the vessel.

  • October 16, 2024

    DC Circ. Urged To Let Feds Fix Pipeline Safety Rules

    A pipeline industry group urged a D.C. Circuit panel to reconsider its August decision throwing out a handful of new safety standards for gas transmission pipelines, warning that federal regulators' implementation of the court's mandate could lead to millions of dollars of unnecessary repair costs for pipeline operators.

  • October 16, 2024

    Latham-Led Silicon Carbide Biz Lands $2.5B Of New Funding

    Silicon carbide technology company Wolfspeed, advised by Latham & Watkins LLP and Smith Anderson, announced that it expects to receive up to $2.5 billion in new funding, through the CHIPS and Science Act and from a consortium that includes private equity giant Apollo, to support the expansion of silicon carbon manufacturing in the U.S.

  • October 16, 2024

    Georgia EV Battery Manufacturer Settles Fire Suit

    A Georgia electric vehicle battery manufacturer has reached a settlement ending a recycling facility's suit alleging it caught fire and burned to the ground last year after the manufacturer allegedly sent hundreds of charged lithium-ion battery scraps to the facility.

  • October 16, 2024

    Railroad Holding Locomotive 'Hostage,' G&W Unit Says

    A Connecticut railroad has held a locomotive "hostage" since it derailed in August and is trying to "extort" its rightful owner for more than $100,000, according to a federal lawsuit that brings claims including larceny and unfair trade practices against Housatonic Railroad Co. Inc.

  • October 16, 2024

    Kia Drivers Say Automatic Van Doors Have Dangerous Defect

    A proposed class of drivers is suing Kia Corp. and Kia America Inc. in Maryland federal court, alleging Kia sold minivans with automatic sliding doors that don't stop or reverse when blocked like they are supposed to.

  • October 15, 2024

    Boeing Judge Wants DEI Monitor Pick Info Before Plea Ruling

    The Texas federal judge overseeing prosecutors' criminal case against The Boeing Co. on Tuesday said he needs more information on a provision of the proposed plea deal regarding how the U.S. Department of Justice would select an independent monitor in compliance with the agency's diversity and inclusion policies.

  • October 15, 2024

    Uber Faces Scrutiny From NY High Court In Negligence Case

    Judges on New York's highest court on Tuesday grilled an Uber attorney over whether the rideshare company violated ethical rules when it failed to omit a user already pursuing a negligence lawsuit against it from an email blast providing notice about an updated arbitration agreement in its terms of use.

  • October 15, 2024

    DOT Fines Lufthansa $4M For Barring 128 Jews From Flight

    German airline Lufthansa has agreed to pay a record $4 million fine for refusing to let 128 Jewish passengers board a connecting flight after a few passengers allegedly failed to follow crew instructions, the largest-ever fine against an airline for civil rights violations, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.

  • October 15, 2024

    Transport Monopoly Judge Accepts Antitrust Guilty Plea

    A Texas federal judge has accepted a guilty plea from one of a dozen individuals in an antitrust case whom the government accused of using violence and intimidation to monopolize cross-border sales of used vehicles and other goods from the U.S. to Central America.

  • October 15, 2024

    Tribes, Backers Urge Justices To Take On Oak Flat Dispute

    Tribes, religious groups and scholars are backing a bid in the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Ninth Circuit ruling allowing part of the Tonto National Forest that is sacred to the Western Apache to be destroyed for a copper mine proposed by a Rio Tinto and BHP venture.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

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    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • Series

    After Chevron: A Sea Change For Maritime Sector

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    The shipping industry has often looked to the courts for key agency decisions affecting maritime interests, but after the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright ruling, stakeholders may revisit important industry questions and coordinate to bring appropriate challenges and shape rulemaking, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Opinion

    Cell Tech Patent Holdup Is Stalling Automaker Innovation

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    Courts and Congress should seek to stem anticompetitive harm caused by standard-essential patent holders squeezing automakers with unfairly high royalties for cellular connectivity technology, says Charles Haake at Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

  • California Adds A Novel Twist To State Suits Against Big Oil

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    California’s suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., one of several state suits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate-related harms, is unique both in the magnitude of the alleged claims and its use of a consumer protection statute to seek disgorgement of industry profits, says Julia Stein at UCLA School of Law.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Why Justices Should Rule On FAA's Commerce Exception

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    The U.S. Supreme Court should review the Ninth Circuit's Ortiz v. Randstad decision, to clarify whether involvement in interstate commerce exempts workers from the Federal Arbitration Act, a crucial question given employers' and employees' strong competing interests in arbitration and litigation, says Collin Williams at New Era.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Electrifying Transportation With Public-Private Partnerships

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    Many clean energy goals remain public policy abstractions that face a challenging road to realization — but public-private partnership models could be a valuable tool to electrify the transportation sector, says Michael Blackwell at Husch Blackwell.

  • Navigating The New Rise Of Greenwashing Litigation

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    As greenwashing lawsuits continue to gain momentum with a shift in focus to carbon-neutrality claims, businesses must exercise caution and ensure transparency in their environmental marketing practices, taking cues from recent legal challenges in the airline industry, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • How High Court Approached Time Limit On Reg Challenges

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board effectively gives new entities their own personal statute of limitations to challenge rules and regulations, and Justice Brett Kavanaugh's concurrence may portend the court's view that those entities do not need to be directly regulated, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter of 2024 brought two notable bills that will affect Florida's banking and finance community across many issues, including virtual currency abandonment, cancellation of financial services on the basis of political opinions, and the exemption amount of motor vehicles, say Joshua Prever and Andrew Balthazor at Holland & Knight.

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