Transportation

  • November 08, 2024

    ND Wants To Back Feds In Dakota Access Pipeline Row

    North Dakota wants to back the federal government in a challenge by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe seeking to block a Texas-based energy company from continuing to operate the Dakota Access Pipeline, arguing a shutdown would undermine the state's interests in oil and gas regulation activity.

  • November 08, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen collapsed German airline Air Berlin take action against its former auditor KPMG, the associate editor at The Spectator hit with a libel claim by a mosque over the far-right riots that took place in August and British licensing authority the Performing Right Society sue Parklife Manchester and four other festival organizers. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • November 07, 2024

    Oakland Airport Name Has Travelers Flying In Circles, SF Says

    Attorneys for San Francisco urged a California federal judge Thursday to block Oakland from renaming its airport the "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport," saying travelers are mistakenly showing up to San Francisco International Airport instead of Oakland's hub because the new name is "dangerously and confusingly similar."

  • November 07, 2024

    Discovery Paused In Parts Co.'s Suit Against Pratt & Whitney

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has agreed to halt discovery in a parts supplier's antitrust suit against Pratt & Whitney Wednesday, as the aerospace engine manufacturer moves to get the suit tossed.

  • November 07, 2024

    State Farm Owes No Coverage For Exec In Fatal Crash Suit

    A repair company's president who was involved in a fatal accident while driving a truck he personally owned but also used on the job can't be covered under its commercial auto policies, an Alaska federal court ruled, noting it's undisputed he was on a personal errand at the time.

  • November 07, 2024

    Alaska Flyers Lodge Emergency 9th Circ. Bid To Halt Merger

    Flyers and travel agents hoping to block Alaska Airlines' $1.9 billion merger with Hawaiian Airlines are asking the Ninth Circuit for an emergency halt to any further integration between the companies while they appeal a district court's dismissal of their suit, telling the judges consumers will be hurt if the merger continues.

  • November 07, 2024

    Teamsters Tell 10th Circ. To Nix Yellow's Contract Claims

    The Tenth Circuit must uphold a district court's decision to dismiss Yellow Corp.'s $137 million lawsuit against the Teamsters, the union said, arguing the business didn't exhaust the grievance process under a contract and can't claim that making such an effort would have been pointless.

  • November 07, 2024

    Apache Say 'Stakes Are Clear' In Oak Flat Land Dispute

    The federal government is trying to manufacture problems by claiming that a law aimed at protecting the religious rights of minorities can't apply to later-enacted statutes, an Apache nonprofit has told the U.S. Supreme Court in its bid to save a sacred worship site in Arizona from mining destruction.

  • November 07, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Lays Groundwork To Fight Trump Policies In Court

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session on Thursday to fund litigation against President-elect Donald Trump's potential erosion of abortion rights, immigration protections and environmental progress, saying lawyers for the blue state have already begun preparing "to challenge in court unconstitutional and unlawful federal policies."

  • November 07, 2024

    Union Says DOL Can't Show It Deprived Members Of Vote

    An Amalgamated Transit Union local representing Greyhound bus drivers is fighting the U.S. Department of Labor's push to vacate its officer election results, telling a Georgia federal judge the department has failed to show that people who didn't receive ballots were actually eligible members at the time.

  • November 07, 2024

    MVP: Keller Rohrback's Ryan McDevitt

    Keller Rohrback LLP's Ryan McDevitt secured a $150 million settlement for drivers suing General Motors over allegedly faulty batteries in Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles that could catch fire, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law36 Transportation MVPs.

  • November 07, 2024

    CMA Raises Concerns Over Amex GBT's $570M Buy Of Rival

    The proposed $570 million acquisition by American Express Global Business Travel Inc., a corporate travel management company, of rival CWT Holdings LLC in the U.K. could "lead to reduced choice and quality" in Britain, the antitrust watchdog has warned.

  • November 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Says No New Trial For Tesla Investors' Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday ruled that a lower court didn't err in denying Tesla investors' request for a new trial regarding their $12 billion claim over Elon Musk's 2018 tweets that he had "funding secured" to take the electric car giant private, saying there were no improper instructions given to the jury.

  • November 06, 2024

    Ousted Denver Transit Top Cop Alleges Racism Drove Firing

    A former Black police chief for a Denver transportation district is suing the agency for discrimination and retaliation after he was fired in September, claiming the district failed to properly investigate complaints about racist behavior by white officers and then fired him based on a retaliatory complaint.

  • November 06, 2024

    Hyundai, Kia Rip Cities' Bellwether Trial Bid In Car-Theft MDL

    Hyundai and Kia have asked a California federal judge to reject several cities' request for bellwether trials in consolidated litigation alleging that the automakers knowingly sold vehicles with design flaws that spawned a car-theft crime wave after a viral TikTok trend popularized tips for breaking into their cars.

  • November 06, 2024

    4th Circ. Won't Allow Appeal In Crash Privacy Suit

    The Fourth Circuit has rejected the city of Charlotte's attempt to appeal a North Carolina federal judge's finding that it violated privacy law by making car accident reports public, which allowed law firms to use the data for marketing purposes.

  • November 06, 2024

    Calif. Truckers Seek Scrub Of State's New Emissions Rule

    The California Trucking Association is asking a federal court in the state to give it a win in its challenge to the California Air Resources Board rule requiring that they switch to zero-emissions vehicles, saying the rule is preempted because it will impact trucking rates and routes.

  • November 06, 2024

    Maritime Commission Seeks To Ax Refusal To Deal Challenge

    The Federal Maritime Commission is asking the D.C. Circuit to toss an ocean carrier industry challenge to federal rules for carrier practices, arguing that the World Shipping Council hasn't shown it has standing to contest the regulations.

  • November 06, 2024

    Amazon Can't 'Just Walk Out' On BIPA Claims

    An Illinois federal judge largely allowed two biometric privacy suits to proceed against Amazon and a Midway Airport shop operator over Amazon's Just Walk Out cashierless checkout technology, trimming just an unlawful profiting claim against the travel retailer.   

  • November 06, 2024

    Insurer Must Fully Cover $1.17M Crash Award, Fla. Panel Says

    A Florida state appeals court upheld a directed verdict finding an auto insurer acted in bad faith while attempting to settle a woman's injury claims over a drunken driving crash, affirming Wednesday that the company must fully cover her $1.17 million compensatory damages award, less a prior $25,000 payment.

  • November 06, 2024

    Tesla Defeats Sanctions Bid Over Atty's Mediation Appearance

    A widow suing Tesla Inc. for the wrongful death of her late husband can't pursue sanctions against the automaker for allegedly wasting her time in mediation, a California federal judge ruled Wednesday.

  • November 06, 2024

    MVP: O'Melveny's Mark W. Robertson

    Mark W. Robertson of O'Melveny & Myers LLP has spent the year defending Piedmont Airlines Inc. and American Airlines from proposed class actions and other litigation over overtime, sick leave and other employment issues, earning himself a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Transportation MVPs.

  • November 06, 2024

    Mass. Voters Back Gig Driver Unions, Setting Up Possible Suit

    Massachusetts voters on Tuesday handed Uber and Lyft drivers a novel route to unionization, likely setting up a legal challenge to the measure that experts predict will face an uphill climb.

  • November 05, 2024

    Trump Win Puts Emissions Regs On Chopping Block

    Projected president-elect Donald Trump is expected to roll back Biden administration rules and initiatives meant to slash transportation-sector emissions and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles likely focusing on what experts say would be more "traditional" infrastructure investment in highways, roads and bridges.

  • November 05, 2024

    Mass. Voters Reject Tipped Minimum Wage Proposal

    Massachusetts voters on Tuesday rejected a hotly contested measure that would have fundamentally changed how servers and other tipped workers are compensated, one of a collection of ballot initiatives dealing with employment rights, education and legalized hallucinogens.

Expert Analysis

  • Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse

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    Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Del. Dispatch: Chancery's Evolving Approach To Caremark

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    Though Caremark claims are historically the least likely corporate claims to lead to liability, such cases have been met in recent years with increased judicial receptivity — but the Delaware Court of Chancery still expressly discourages the reflexive filing of Caremark claims following corporate mishaps, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Unwitting Disclosure, Agency Deference

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    Roke Iko at MoFo examines two U.S. Court of Federal Claims decisions highlighting factors to consider before filing a protest alleging Procurement Integrity Act violations, and a decision from the U.S. Government Accountability Office about the capacity of an agency to interpret its own solicitation terms.

  • Global Bribery Probes Are Complicating FCPA Compliance

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    The recent rise in collaboration between the U.S. Department of Justice and foreign authorities in bribery enforcement can not only affect companies' legal exposure as resolution approaches vary by country, but also the decision of when and whether to disclose Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations to the DOJ, say Samantha Badlam and Catherine Conroy at Ropes & Gray.

  • Airlines Must Prepare For State AG Investigations

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    A recent agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation and 18 states and territories will allow attorneys general to investigate consumer complaints against commercial passenger airlines — so carriers must be ready for heightened scrutiny and possibly inconsistent enforcement, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • What A Louisiana Ruling Means For Pipeline Crossings

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    After a Louisiana appeals court's recent ruling on a conflict between two pipeline projects, operators and developers should review pipeline crossings to ensure that they occur at safe distances — and keep in mind the value of crossing agreements for protecting both sides in case of a dispute, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • 4 Sectors Will Likely Bear Initial Brunt Of FTC 'Junk Fees' Rule

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    If the Federal Trade Commission adopts its comprehensive proposed rule to ban unfair or deceptive fees across the U.S. economy, many businesses — including those in the lodging, event ticketing, dining and transportation sectors — will need to reexamine the way they market and price their products and services, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data

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    Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • What CRA Deadline Means For Biden Admin. Rulemaking

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    With the 2024 election rapidly approaching, the Biden administration must race to finalize proposed agency actions within the next few weeks, or be exposed to the chance that the following Congress will overturn the rules under the Congressional Review Act, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Rebuttal

    Time For Congress To Let Qualified Older Pilots Keep Flying

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    While a previous Law360 guest article affirmed the current law requiring airline pilots to retire at age 65, the facts suggest that the pilots, their unions, the airlines and the flying public will all benefit if Congress allows experienced, medically qualified aviators to stay in the cockpit, say Allen Baker and Bo Ellis at Let Experienced Pilots Fly.

  • 8 Questions To Ask Before Final CISA Breach Reporting Rule

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    The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s recently proposed cyber incident reporting requirements for critical infrastructure entities represent the overall approach CISA will take in its final rule, so companies should be asking key compliance questions now and preparing for a more complicated reporting regime, say Arianna Evers and Shannon Mercer at WilmerHale.

  • Justices Clarify FAA But Leave Behind Important Questions

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Bissonnette v. LePage firmly shuts the door on any argument that the Federal Arbitration Act's Section 1 exemption is limited to transportation workers whose employers transport goods on behalf of others, but two major issues remain unresolved, say Joshua Wesneski and Crystal Weeks at Weil.

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