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Compliance
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August 07, 2024
Biotech Firm Can't Pause SEC Action During Appeal
A Colorado federal magistrate judge won't pause a lawsuit by securities regulators against a biotech company accused of misappropriating roughly $9 million while the company appeals an asset freeze, agreeing in a Wednesday order with the SEC's argument that investors would be better served if the case moved ahead.
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August 07, 2024
FTC, CFPB Turn Up Scrutiny On Solar Energy Sales Practices
The federal government on Wednesday stepped up efforts to police shady solar energy sales and financing practices, with the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies releasing consumer advisories and announcing a new partnership to better monitor the industry.
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August 07, 2024
Google Judge To Review Class Attys' $218M Fee Bid Docs
A California federal judge agreed Wednesday to review billing records supporting class counsel's $217.6 million fee bid for cutting a nonmonetary deal with Google to end claims that Google surreptitiously tracked users after Google's counsel claimed the hours were inflated, unjustified and above Google's own $40 million defense legal bill.
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August 07, 2024
6th Circ. Backs 20 Years For Chinese Spy Who Targeted GE
The Sixth Circuit upheld a 20-year prison sentence for a Chinese spy convicted of espionage for trying to steal trade secrets from General Electric's GE Aviation unit, noting in an opinion unsealed Wednesday the punishment was reasonable as he continuously pursued the confidential information using sophisticated tradecraft processes for several years.
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August 07, 2024
Google 'May Not Be So Lucky' Next Time Over Chat Deletions
Google's stunning antitrust loss in D.C. federal court Monday dealt another blow against its policies of letting internal chats delete automatically, and it came with a callout of its practice of training employees to avoid competition law "buzzwords."
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August 07, 2024
Advocates Tell 9th Circ. To Revive Invisalign Monopoly Suit
Competition advocates are backing the revival of a class action accusing the makers of Invisalign of monopolizing the market for clear dental aligners, telling the Ninth Circuit in a new amicus brief that a district court summary judgment ruling for Align Technology creates a dangerous precedent for refusal-to-deal cases.
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August 07, 2024
Pipe Co. Exec Says Criminal Antitrust Charges Unconstitutional
A former executive of an aluminum pipe company defending the Fourth Circuit's reversal of his bid-rigging conviction has told the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that all criminal antitrust prosecutions under Section 1 of the Sherman Act are unconstitutional, claiming they violate "fundamental constitutional principles" of nondelegation and objectivity.
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August 07, 2024
Judge Sanctions EEOC For Doc Delays In Long-COVID Suit
A Colorado federal judge doubted Wednesday that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission looked hard enough for a worker's communications with their doctor in a patient portal, awarding an appliance company attorney fees as sanctions for the agency's failure to turn over the documents sooner.
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August 07, 2024
NTSB Hearing Probes FAA Review, Boeing Quality Control
The Federal Aviation Administration maintained that it is appropriately overseeing Boeing even after years of audits revealed multiple instances of unauthorized work on the aircraft builder's production line, as the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday scrutinized company safety and quality control programs during an investigation of the 737 Max 9 jet door plug blowout.
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August 07, 2024
SEC Accuses Urban Commons REIT Founders Of $70M Fraud
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused the founders of the Urban Commons real estate investment trust of running a pair of fraud schemes involving investments in U.S.-based hotels that the regulator said collectively cost investors $70 million.
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August 07, 2024
Biden Trampled Free Speech With Israeli Sanctions, Suit Says
A group of dual U.S.-Israeli citizens sued the Biden administration in Texas federal court Tuesday alleging that an executive order authorizing sanctions and visa restrictions for individuals said to undermine peace and stability in the West Bank violates their First Amendment rights.
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August 07, 2024
Conn. Dispensary Fights $500K Fee Over Application Mishap
A Connecticut medical cannabis dispensary is suing a state consumer agency for denying a $500,000 fee waiver as a social equity applicant in a dispute over whether the state properly processed the shop's amended application to also sell recreational pot as a hybrid business, which the state denied.
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August 07, 2024
DC Circ. Declines To Block EPA Mercury Air Toxics Rule
The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday refused to stay the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new rule tightening mercury and other toxic metal emission standards for some coal-fired power plants as a legal challenge filed by states and industry groups plays out.
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August 07, 2024
RELX Hit With Proposed Greenwashing Class Action
RELX PLC has been hit with a proposed class action by a former employee alleging the information and analytics company retaliated against him and committed securities fraud by making various business decisions that contradicted its investor disclosures and public-facing statements.
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August 07, 2024
Green Groups Say Export-Import Bank Is Harming Climate
Environmental and animal rights groups on Wednesday asked the U.S. Department of State to order the Export-Import Bank to stop helping fund projects they said are contributing to climate change.
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August 07, 2024
Ex-Pharma Exec Gets 20 Months In SEC Contempt Case
A former pharmaceutical executive who used an alias to flout a 2016 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission consent judgment barring him from the securities industry was sentenced Wednesday to 20 months in prison by a judge who called him "incorrigible."
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August 07, 2024
WWE Accuser May Be Liable For Defamation, Doctor Says
The woman who accused World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and former executives including ex-CEO Vince McMahon of sexually trafficking and abusing her may be liable for defaming a celebrity doctor that she targeted with a bid for discovery in Connecticut Superior Court, according to a complaint from Dr. Carlon Colker and his company.
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August 07, 2024
Dems Push For Scrutiny On Fox, ESPN, Warner Bros. JV
Three Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a proposed joint venture between Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney subsidiary ESPN that would create a new streaming service called Venu Sports, arguing the partnership would lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.
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August 07, 2024
Mich. Insurance Agency Pushes Carriers To Safeguard AI Use
The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services urged insurance companies Wednesday to establish a program for the responsible use of artificial intelligence systems to comply with state laws barring unfair practices and discrimination in underwriting.
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August 07, 2024
FTC Asks Courts To Pause $8.5B Handbag Merger
The Federal Trade Commission has asked a New York federal court to pause the planned $8.5 billion merger between the owners of Coach and Michael Kors while the agency conducts an in-house merger challenge.
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August 07, 2024
Ohio AG Cites Search Ruling In Google Common Carrier Suit
Ohio's attorney general pointed a state court judge Wednesday to a recent D.C. federal court decision declaring Google an illegal search monopolist, arguing the U.S. Department of Justice's win underscores why the internet giant should be banned from self-preferential treatment as a "common carrier."
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August 07, 2024
Khan 'Impermissibly Conflicted' In Cyber Probe, MGM Says
MGM Resorts International fought Wednesday to keep alive its lawsuit accusing the Federal Trade Commission of wrongly refusing to recuse chair Lina Khan from an investigation into the company's data security practices, arguing that its case involves core constitutional issues that belong in the D.C. federal court.
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August 07, 2024
Ripple Ordered To Pay $125M Penalty In SEC Case
A New York federal judge ordered Ripple Labs Inc. to pay a $125 million civil penalty on Wednesday in a long-awaited order addressing remedies for the blockchain company's failure to register institutional sales of its XRP token with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
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August 07, 2024
7th Circ. Keeps 3M PFAS Pollution Suit In State Court
The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday rejected 3M's bid to send back to federal court a lawsuit brought by the state of Illinois alleging that the company polluted local waters with toxic "forever chemicals," saying a federal government contractor defense would be "wholly irrelevant" to the state's case.
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August 07, 2024
Tax Court's Economic Substance Foray May Clarify Limits
A U.S. Tax Court judge plans to address an ill-defined provision governing the relevance of the economic substance doctrine in a microcaptive insurance case, offering the courts another chance to clarify an anti-abuse tool the IRS has been deploying more often.
Expert Analysis
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Managing Legal Risks After University Gaza Protests
Following the protests sparked by the war in Gaza, colleges and universities should expect a long investigative tail and take steps to mitigate risks associated with compliance issues under various legal frameworks and institutional policies, say Wiley's Diana Shaw and Colin Cloherty.
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Live Nation May Shake It Off In A Long Game With The DOJ
Don't expect a swift resolution in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against Live Nation, but a long litigation, with the company likely to represent itself as the creator of a competitive ecosystem, and the government faced with explaining how the ticketing giant formed under its watch, say Thomas Kliebhan and Taylor Hixon at GRSM50.
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5 Steps For Gov't Contractor Affirmative Action Verification
As the federal contractor affirmative action program certification deadline approaches, government contractors and subcontractors should take steps to determine their program obligations, and ensure any required plans are properly implemented and timely registered, say Christopher Wilkinson at Perkins Coie and Joanna Colosimo at DCI Consulting.
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Boeing Saga Underscores Need For Ethical Corporate Culture
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.
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Debate Over CFPB Definition Of Credit Is Just Beginning
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recently worked to expand the meaning of credit, so anyone operating on the edges of the credit markets, or even those who assumed they were safely outside the scope of this regulatory perimeter, should pay close attention as legal challenges to broad interpretations of the definition unfold, says John Coleman at Orrick.
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Key Takeaways From 2024 Accountants' Liability Conference
At the recent annual Accountants' Liability Conference, regulators provided important commentary on new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board rulemaking and standard-setting initiatives, and emphasized regulatory priorities ranging from the tone at the top to alternative practice structures, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.
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FDA Warning Indicates Scrutiny Of Regenerative Health Cos.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent warning letter to Akan Biosciences is a quintessential example of the agency's enforcement priorities for certain products involving human cells and tissues, and highlights ongoing scrutiny placed on manufacturers, say Dominick DiSabatino and Cortney Inman at Sheppard Mullin.
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New OSHA Memo Helps Clarify Recordkeeping Compliance
Based on recent Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance on whether musculoskeletal disorders are recordable injuries under the agency's recordkeeping regulation, it appears that OSHA may target active release techniques and stretching programs during its inspections, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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A Closer Look At Feds' Proposed Banker Compensation Rule
A recently proposed rule to limit financial institutions' ability to award incentive-based compensation for risk-taking may progress through the rulemaking process slowly due to the sheer number of regulators collaborating on the rule and the number of issues under consideration, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Best Practices For Responding To CBP's Solar Questionnaire
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's recently introduced questionnaire to solar importers imposes significant burdens, with the potential for supply chain disruptions and market consolidation, but taking certain steps can assist companies in navigating the new requirements, say Carl Valenstein and Katelyn Hilferty at Morgan Lewis.
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Exploring Alternatives To Noncompetes Ahead Of FTC Ban
Ahead of the Sept. 4 effective date for the Federal Trade Commission's noncompete ban, employers should seek new ways to protect their proprietary and other sensitive information, including by revising existing confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, says Harvey Linder at Culhane.
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5th Circ. Venue-Transfer Cases Highlight Mandamus Limits
Three ongoing cases filed within the Fifth Circuit highlight an odd procedural wrinkle that may let district courts defy an appellate writ: orders granting transfer to out-of-circuit districts, but parties opposing intercircuit transfer can work around this hurdle to effective appellate review, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
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.
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Navigating Self-Disclosures As A Regulated Financial Entity
As enforcement risks heat up for regulated financial institutions, such entities may be forced to weigh the potential advantages and disadvantages of self-disclosing potential compliance gaps, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.