Transportation

  • June 25, 2024

    FAA Not Off The Hook In Nevada Plane Crash, 9th Circ. Rules

    The Federal Aviation Administration has been dragged back into a $6.5 million lawsuit accusing it of causing a fatal single-engine plane crash, killing its pilot and passenger, after the Ninth Circuit ruled that the agency's air traffic controller breached his duty of reasonable care.

  • June 25, 2024

    GM Gears Up For Legal Dept. Changes With New Top Lawyer

    General Motors said late Tuesday it had recruited a former in-house counsel at Boeing to be its next top lawyer, who will begin the job when the company's longtime legal chief takes a job in GM's driverless car unit next month.

  • June 25, 2024

    Cummins Brass Face Investor Suit For $2B Clean Air Act Deal

    Executives and directors of engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit accusing them of concealing the company's use of unlawful emissions control devices in certain engines, which eventually resulted in a record $1.68 billion fine against the company and more than $326 million in related payments.

  • June 25, 2024

    Pappas Restaurants 'Invented' Causes In Houston Airport Suit

    The city of Houston told a state appeals court Tuesday that it should be shielded from a suit filed by Pappas Restaurants that alleges its procurement process caused Pappas to unfairly lose a 2023 contract with the William P. Hobby Airport because the contract for airport concessions did not require the city to spend any money.

  • June 25, 2024

    Texas Appeals Court Reverses Dallas Transit Contractor's Win

    A Texas appeals court has revived a subcontractor's lawsuit against a company that oversees the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority's services for people with disabilities, saying this week the subcontractor's allegations were strong enough to withstand a motion to dismiss.

  • June 25, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Torched In NTSB Final Derailment Findings

    Norfolk Southern used "reprehensible" tactics to interfere with the investigation into last year's derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and pushed for an "unnecessary" controlled vent and burn of highly flammable vinyl chloride during the accident's chaotic aftermath, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

  • June 25, 2024

    Verizon To Pay $1M For Southeast 911 Outage, FCC Says

    Verizon has agreed to pay just more than $1 million and follow a compliance plan after a December 2022 breakdown of 911 connectivity throughout the Southeast, the Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday.

  • June 25, 2024

    Intl. Trade Commission Takes Up 2 New China Import Probes

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has initiated import injury investigations into allegedly dumped and subsidized golf carts from China and brake drums from China and Turkey, the agency announced in a pair of Federal Register notices Tuesday.

  • June 25, 2024

    NY Judge Rejects Visa, Mastercard Fee Deal

    A New York federal judge handling multidistrict litigation over Visa and Mastercard merchant fees rejected a proposed settlement for equitable relief and recommended a case from Grubhub be sent back to Illinois, making good on a suggestion she shared at a previous hearing.

  • June 25, 2024

    Chancery Tentatively OKs $15.5M Lordstown SPAC Suit Deal

    A $15.5 million class settlement for a stockholder suit that challenged the special-purpose acquisition company deal that took Lordstown Motors Inc. public won tentative Delaware Court of Chancery approval Tuesday, conditioned on confirmation of one expense claim.

  • June 25, 2024

    Ex-SEPTA Surveillance Unit Head Gets 37 Months For Bribery

    A former director of video surveillance for a Pennsylvania transportation authority was sentenced Monday for his role in a bribery and extortion scheme in which he exchanged inside information for thousands of dollars, concert tickets and a future job.

  • June 25, 2024

    DOL Must Rethink Tossing UAW Member's Election Challenge

    The U.S. Department of Labor must take a second look at a United Auto Workers member's challenge to a union officer election, a Michigan federal judge ruled Tuesday, saying the agency should have weighed in on 30 of the members' objections instead of dismissing them as untimely.

  • June 25, 2024

    American Airlines Can't Move Frequent Flyers' Suit To Texas

    American Airlines lost its bid to transfer to Texas a proposed class action alleging it improperly terminated frequent flyer accounts and erased accrued airline miles, as a California federal judge ruled Monday the airline hadn't shown convenience and justice required moving it from the Golden State.

  • June 25, 2024

    United Strikes Deal To Exit Bias Suit Over Mask Policy

    United Airlines told a California federal court it reached a deal with a baggage handler to end his lawsuit after the Ninth Circuit determined a jury should hear his claims that the company unlawfully refused to let him wear a face shield in lieu of a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • June 25, 2024

    Schouest Bamdas Opens Dallas Office With 6-Partner Hire

    Schouest Bamdas Soshea BenMaier & Eastham PLLC has expanded its footprint in Texas by launching a new office in Dallas with six new partners from Hartline Barger LLP, it said in an official announcement Tuesday.

  • June 25, 2024

    CEO Claims She Was Pushed Out, Told To Focus On Family

    The former chief executive officer of a petroleum distributor said in a complaint filed Monday that she was forced out of her position and replaced by a man after her mother, the board chair, told her to focus on spending time with her family.

  • June 25, 2024

    UK Billionaire's Pilot Avoids Prison For Insider Trading

    A Manhattan federal judge sentenced a former private jet pilot to house arrest Tuesday for insider trading on stock tips from his billionaire boss Joe Lewis, finding that a prison term would be unfair in comparison to Lewis' non-incarceratory sentence.

  • June 25, 2024

    Advance Auto Parts Hit With 4 Data Breach Suits

    Advance Auto Parts Inc. has been hit with four proposed class action complaints over a recent data breach that one suit says exposed more than 1 million people's private information, some of which has purportedly already gone up for sale on the dark web.

  • June 25, 2024

    Conn. Atty Agrees To 10-Day Suspension For Unexplained Fee

    A Connecticut attorney accused of charging an unreasonable fee and failing to communicate with a former client following an underlying vehicle buyback negotiation has agreed to a 10-day suspension and three hours of legal ethics-focused continuing education courses.

  • June 24, 2024

    Tesla Class Attys In Del. Blast Musk's Texas Pay-Salvage Plan

    Tesla stockholder attorneys who won a Delaware Court of Chancery order voiding Elon Musk's then-$56 billion compensation package in January have asked the court to reject company claims that recent stockholder approval of the same Musk pay plan after Tesla's reincorporation in Texas "has controlling and preclusive effect."

  • June 24, 2024

    GM Financial Pulls FDIC Industrial Bank Application, For Now

    General Motors' financing arm said Monday that it has withdrawn its long-gestating bid for Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. approval to open an insured industrial bank, tabling its plans just days after the agency signed off on another such application for the first time in years.

  • June 24, 2024

    K-Pop Stars Cited As Judge Awards $171M In Rail Fraud Fight

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has awarded over $171 million to Eddystone Rail after finding Bridger Logistics affiliates liable for fraudulent asset transfers under a rail services agreement, citing the South Korean boy band BTS in his decision writing the defendants made 'Bad Decisions" and it's time they "Make It Right."

  • June 24, 2024

    Toyota Accused Of Misleading Investors Over Emission Tests

    Toyota and its top brass misled investors by understating in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings its role in falsifying emissions and fuel-economy data, which led to a drop in stock price when the truth came out, according to a proposed class action filed Monday in California federal court.

  • June 24, 2024

    Judge Recommends Tossing VW Supplier's Antitrust Case

    A magistrate judge has recommended that a Texas federal court toss a suit accusing Volkswagen of maintaining an illegal stranglehold over its suppliers after the Fifth Circuit told the court to consider if the dispute should be litigated in Germany instead of the U.S.

  • June 24, 2024

    Boeing Says Turbulent Securities Suit Should Be Dismissed

    Boeing has moved to dismiss a proposed securities fraud suit in Virginia federal court accusing it of misleading investors about the overall safety of its 737 Max jets, saying that the plaintiffs' "kitchen-sink" approach falls short of pleading requirements.

Expert Analysis

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • What Alternative Fuel Proposals Mean For EU Infrastructure

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    The European Union’s proposed Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility, covering activities in the transport sectors supporting the decarbonization process, sets ambitious standards regarding the deployment of adequate supply infrastructure and offers new funding opportunities for port operators and shipowners, says Christian Bauer at Watson Farley.

  • What 4 Cyber Protection Actions Mean For Marine Transport

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    Several recent steps by the Biden administration are necessary to address the cyber threats that increasingly disrupt the maritime sector, but also impose new legal risks, liabilities and operating costs on the owners and operators of U.S.-flagged vessels and facilities, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception

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    Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May

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    A look at recent cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court provide guidance on how to succeed on appeal by clarifying the obviousness analysis of design patents, the finality of a judgment, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Updated Federal Rules Can Improve Product Liability MDLs

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    The recent amendment of a federal evidence rule regarding expert testimony and the proposal of a civil rule on managing early discovery in multidistrict legislation hold great promise for promoting the uniform and efficient processes that high-stakes product liability cases particularly need, say Alan Klein and William Heaston at Duane Morris.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Unlocking Blockchain Opportunities Amid Legal Uncertainty

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    Dozens of laws and legal precedents will come into the fore as Web3, metaverse and non-fungible tokens gain momentum, so organizations need to design their programs with a broader view of potential exposures — and opportunities, say Teresa Goody Guillén and Robert Musiala at BakerHostetler and Steve McNew at FTI Consulting.

  • Boeing Saga Underscores Need For Ethical Corporate Culture

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    In the wake of recent allegations about Boeing’s safety culture, and amid the U.S. Department of Justice’s new whistleblower incentives, business leaders should reinvigorate their emphasis on compliance by making clear that long-term profitability requires ethical business practices, says Maxwell Carr-Howard at Dentons.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    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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