Trials

  • November 04, 2024

    Ex-LA City Hall Lobbyist Dodges Jail For Bribery Scheme

    A California federal judge Monday sentenced a former Los Angeles City Hall lobbyist to six months home confinement for his role in conspiring to bribe a then-city councilmember, telling the defendant he started the day planning to sentence him to prison but changed his mind after hearing his "sincere" comments.

  • November 04, 2024

    Pa. Jury Finds Fastener Co.'s Ads Infringing, But Charts OK

    A Philadelphia jury has delivered a mixed verdict in an industrial fastener manufacturer's intellectual property lawsuit against its competitor, finding that Peninsula Components Inc. improperly used Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corp.'s "PEM" trademark in its online ads, but deciding that the mark's appearance on specification comparison charts was fair use.

  • November 04, 2024

    Texas Border Buoy Trial Delayed After En Banc Ruling

    An Austin federal judge paused an impending bench trial between the Biden administration and the state of Texas over a 1,000-foot buoy barrier in the Rio Grande, reopening discovery Monday in the wake of an en banc circuit court opinion that slammed the judge for ordering the removal of the buoys.

  • November 04, 2024

    Hospital Can't Undo Widow's $5M Win Over Husband's Suicide

    An Illinois state appeals court won't upend a $5 million verdict awarded to a widow against a Cook County hospital in a suit over her husband's death by suicide, finding that the widow's expert testimony was enough for a jury to conclude that the doctor's negligence led to the death.

  • November 04, 2024

    MVP: Proskauer's Bart Williams

    Proskauer Rose LLP partner Bart Williams led Gilead Sciences Inc. to a victory over a $3.6 billion antitrust lawsuit, and helped Netflix resolve claims that Ava DuVernay's show about the Central Park Five defamed the prosecutor of the later-exonerated men, earning him a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Trials MVPs.

  • November 04, 2024

    Feds Slam Ozy Media CEO's 'Last-Ditch' Effort To DQ Judge

    Prosecutors have pushed back against Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson's "last-ditch effort" to get his fraud and identity theft convictions undone, insisting that investments owned by the New York federal judge overseeing his case are in hedge funds and not in Watson's victims, and are too small to matter.

  • November 04, 2024

    NFL Stakes Out Appeal Rights In Sunday Ticket Antitrust Fight

    While the NFL was able to overturn a $4.7 billion antitrust jury verdict against its Sunday Ticket broadcasting package, the league is nevertheless staking out an appeal at the Ninth Circuit in case the fight is turned on its head again.

  • November 01, 2024

    Texas Justice Says Amici Should Get Say In Religion Case

    A Texas Supreme Court justice released a statement Friday saying the court should have granted First Liberty Institute's request for five minutes to argue its position in a case about religious freedom under the Lone Star State's constitution, saying help from an amici would be "sensible and advisable."

  • November 01, 2024

    No New Trial For Akoustis After $39M Trade Secret Case Loss

    A federal judge has refused to give Akoustis Technologies Inc. another trial after jurors earlier this year told it to pay wireless company Qorvo Inc. nearly $38.6 million for trade secrets and infringing misappropriating acoustic wave resonator patents.

  • November 01, 2024

    Kroger Blasts 'Food Desert' Fears From Wash. Nonprofits

    Kroger and Albertsons said the trial judge in Washington's bid to block a $24.6 billion merger should reject amicus briefs from two cities, a food bank and a poverty nonprofit, saying their assertions that the deal would inflate grocery prices and create food deserts in some communities rehash claims by activists and the media.

  • November 01, 2024

    IBM Settles $19.5M EDTX Case Over 'Blockchain' Software

    IBM told U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap on Friday that it has reached a settlement in principle with an Oklahoma litigation outfit that won a $19.5 million patent verdict from a federal jury in Marshall, Texas, back in September.

  • November 01, 2024

    GRSM50 Won't Be Disqualified In Detroit Hotel Firing Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has refused to disqualify Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP from representing an upscale Detroit hotel in a retaliation suit filed by three fired employees, but flagged the firm for being "negligent" in its handling of discovery in the case.

  • November 01, 2024

    Del. Chancellor To Issue Musk Pay Suit Ruling By Year's End

    Delaware's chancellor said she'll issue a final ruling by the end of the year in the lawsuit challenging Tesla CEO Elon Musk's multibillion-dollar stock-based compensation plan, stating it's taking longer than expected to determine whether to allow a post-verdict stockholder vote to resurrect the pay package.

  • November 01, 2024

    Mich. AG Hits Paper Company With PFAS Discharge Suit

    Michigan's attorney general has hit Ox Paperboard WP LCC and one of its mills with a state court suit alleging that they have repeatedly discharged "forever chemical"-contaminated wastewater into the White Pigeon River.

  • November 01, 2024

    What Happens To Ga. Election Case If Trump Wins?

    The fate of the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump is on the ballot this November, according to legal experts, who told Law360 that a Trump victory would likely mean any trial would have to wait until he completes his term in office.

  • November 01, 2024

    Accountant Gets 1 Year For Failing To Report Stolen Income

    An accountant for a manufacturing company who embezzled more than $800,000 and failed to report it on his tax returns was sentenced to just over a year in prison and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution, according to New Jersey federal court documents.

  • October 31, 2024

    Ex-Goldman Exec Says 1MDB Judge Thwarted His Defense

    Former Goldman Sachs executive Roger Ng on Thursday told the Second Circuit that his trial defense over the massive $6.5 billion 1MDB scheme was marred by the wrongful exclusion of video evidence that supported his claim that $35 million he received in alleged kickbacks was actually investment proceeds.

  • October 31, 2024

    Judge 'Duped' By BigLaw Attys Urged To Preserve Sanctions

    Guardant Health urged a California federal judge Thursday to reject a request from Natera's Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorneys to lessen sanctions barring clinical trial evidence in Guardant's false advertising case, noting the court said it had been "duped" by false and misleading statements from Natera's expert and counsel.

  • October 31, 2024

    1st Amendment Protects 'Nevermind' Album Art, Judge Told

    The First Amendment protects Nirvana's 1991 "Nevermind" album art, the Recording Industry Association of America has told a California federal court in an amicus brief, warning that allowing child pornography claims by the man featured naked as a baby in the artwork threatens to broadly chill artistic expression.

  • October 31, 2024

    Fla. Jury Finds 'Undead' NFT Developer Scammed Investors

    A Florida federal jury on Wednesday found a nonfungible token developer guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for his role in a cryptocurrency scam prosecutors have said bilked investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

  • October 31, 2024

    IP Forecast: Another Apple Watch Trial Kicks Off In California

    Apple and Masimo will face off next week in their long-running feud over whether the tech giant misappropriated Masimo's trade secrets for some of the health-monitoring features used in newer versions of the Apple Watch. Here's a spotlight on that case — plus all the other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.

  • October 31, 2024

    Cyclist Awarded $16M In University Of Washington Crash Suit

    A Washington state jury has awarded $16 million to a cyclist who sued the University of Washington over injuries he sustained in a bicycling accident on campus while swerving to avoid a speed bump.

  • October 31, 2024

    Jury Awards Synopsys $550K In IP Suit Against Software Rival

    A California federal jury has awarded software company Synopsys Inc. nearly $550,000 in damages after its competitor, Real Intent Inc., was found to have breached contractual agreements by copying certain commands from Synopsys' software — but the defendants' counsel considers the damages award a victory.

  • October 31, 2024

    Young Thug Takes Plea Deal In YSL RICO Trial

    Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper Young Thug agreed to change his plea to guilty Thursday in his long-running racketeering conspiracy case, which has become the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia history.

  • October 31, 2024

    Rebar Giant's Economist Rips Rival's 'Narrow' Antitrust Market

    Commercial Metals Co.'s expert economist testified in a federal antitrust jury trial Thursday that Pacific Steel Group's theory of the rebar market is "too narrow" by only focusing on California, although he conceded under cross-examination that CMC sold most of its rebar within 500 miles of its since-shuttered California mill.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis

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    For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.

  • Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar

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    At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Opinion

    After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.

  • A Closer Look At New SDNY And EDNY Local Rules

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    New local rules in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York went into effect earlier this month, and include both stylistic changes to make legal writing more accessible, and substantive changes to make processes and filings more efficient, say Andrew Van Houter and Jennifer Montan at Faegre Drinker.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Challenging Prosecutors' Use Of Defendants' Jail Phone Calls

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    Although it’s an uphill battle under current case law, counsel for pretrial detainees may be able to challenge prosecutors’ use of jail-recorded phone calls between the defendant and their attorney by taking certain advance measures, say Jim McLoughlin and Fielding Huseth at Moore & Van Allen.

  • A Simple Proposal For Improving E-Discovery In MDLs

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    Given the importance of e-discovery in multidistrict litigation, courts, parties and counsel shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel in each newly consolidated case — and a simple process for sharing e-discovery lessons and knowledge across MDLs could benefit everyone involved, particularly clients, say Benjamin Barnett and Shauna Itri at Seeger Weiss.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • 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.

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