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Construction
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October 18, 2024
Judge Blasts Feds' 'Utter Failure' To Quantify Climate Impact
A Colorado federal judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the Clean Water Act and other federal guidelines in approving a dredging permit for a Denver dam project, calling out the agency's "utter failure" to study the impacts of climate change and alternatives that would avoid impacting wetlands.
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October 18, 2024
Fed. Circ. Partly Restores Suit Over Utility Line Patent
The Federal Circuit has revived part of a lawsuit that alleged Metrotech Corp. infringed a competitor's patent covering ways for finding underground utility lines, finding that a lower court needs to take another look at key patent terminology.
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October 18, 2024
DC Firms Look To Exit Suit Over $120M Iraq Award
Pierson Ferdinand LLP and another boutique firm have urged the D.C. Circuit to let them withdraw as counsel for Iraq as the country looks to overturn an order allowing a construction firm permission to go after Iraqi assets to satisfy a $120 million judgment, saying the country owes some $25,000 in legal fees and has stopped responding to the firms' inquiries on the litigation.
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October 18, 2024
Feds Win 1st Trial In Sprawling NYC Housing Bribery Case
A former New York City Housing Authority superintendent was convicted of taking bribes to award no-bid contracts, handing federal prosecutors a win in the first trial in a case that saw 70 defendants arrested earlier this year.
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October 18, 2024
Taxation With Representation: Baker, Simpson, Ropes
In this week's Taxation With Representation, Lundbeck inks a $2.6 billion cash deal for Longboard, Silver Lake agrees to buy Zuora for $1.7 billion, and PPG and American Industrial Partners reach a $550 million deal.
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October 17, 2024
Monsanto Again Seeks Pause As Seattle PCB Trial Begins
Monsanto is continuing its appellate bid to put off a chemical poisoning trial already underway in Washington state court as the plaintiffs told a Seattle jury on Thursday the company owes them more than $450 million, in the 10th such trial tied to an Evergreen State school.
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October 17, 2024
Engineer Wood PLC Faces Contempt Bid Amid Pipeline Spat
A contractor facing claims that it mismanaged the construction of a $22 million Colonial Pipeline Co. fuel terminal in Georgia asked a federal judge Thursday to hold multinational engineering firm John L. Wood PLC in contempt of court for playing "word games" with a recent subpoena.
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October 17, 2024
Infrastructure Co. Owes $2.4M In Arb. Fees In Solar Plant Fight
A federal judge has upheld an award of $2.4 million in fees to a Spanish construction firm in its dispute with an infrastructure company over a failed energy project in the Nevada desert, ruling an arbitration tribunal did not ignore the law in the breach of contract action.
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October 17, 2024
Brothers Get Prison For Ga. Concrete Bid-Rigging Scheme
A Georgia federal judge on Thursday sentenced brothers Gregory Hall Melton and John David Melton to serve time in prison for their roles in a scheme to fix prices and rig bids for the ready-mix concrete market in the greater Savannah area.
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October 17, 2024
6th Circ. Can't Ax Captive Audience Memo, NLRB Atty Says
A Michigan federal judge properly tossed a challenge to a memo that outlined why National Labor Relations Board general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo thinks so-called captive audience meetings are illegal, Abruzzo told the Sixth Circuit, saying the memo isn't the kind of agency action that's reviewable in federal courts.
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October 17, 2024
Hogan Lovells, Ropes & Gray Lead $550M Coatings Biz Sale
Paint and coatings company PPG, advised by Hogan Lovells, has agreed to sell its architectural coatings business in the U.S. and Canada to Ropes & Gray LLP-led investor American Industrial Partners for $550 million, according to a Thursday statement from PPG.
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October 17, 2024
Industrial Pipe Co. Hits Rival, Ex-Exec With Trade Secrets Suit
Industrial pipe manufacturer Atkore International Inc. took one of its former senior-level executives and the rival company he went to work for to North Carolina state court, alleging the former employee sabotaged operations on his way out the door and took valuable trade secrets with him.
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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.
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October 16, 2024
11th Circ. Won't Nix OK Of Guatemalan Power Plant Award
The Eleventh Circuit refused Wednesday to vacate an arbitral award issued following a dispute over an ill-fated Guatemalan power plant construction project, rejecting arguments that the tribunal improperly turned a blind eye to alleged corruption underlying the project.
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October 16, 2024
Amec Unit Wants 'Vexatious' Biofuel Plant Suit Tossed
Energy construction giant Amec Foster Wheeler and one of its units called on a Georgia federal judge to throw out a lawsuit alleging it misled a Peach State power company about the quality of work on two biofuel plants, arguing the company's complaint violates the claim-splitting doctrine and lacks sufficient factual allegations.
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October 16, 2024
Monsanto's Appellate Bid To Stop Seattle PCB Trial Flops
A Washington appellate commissioner won't overrule a lower court's decision to forge ahead with a pending Monsanto PCB poisoning trial, rejecting the company's request to pause until the state Supreme Court decides a similar case, concluding that she would be improperly "substituting" her judgment for the trial court's by pausing the case.
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October 16, 2024
Calif. Community Flood Insurance Project Secures New Funds
California's water regulation authority will support a novel flood insurance program aimed at providing a tiny Central Valley town with coverage in the event of a major flood event, the state's insurance commissioner said Wednesday.
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October 16, 2024
Clark Hill Adds Pair Of Taylor English Attys In Southeast
International law firm Clark Hill PLC has grown its Southeast presence with two former Taylor English Duma LLP attorneys in Atlanta and Florida, including Taylor English's former Mid- and North Florida Market managing partner.
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October 16, 2024
Construction Co., Gov't Drop $4M Retention Credit Suit
A former construction business' suit against the Internal Revenue Service seeking nearly $4 million in employee retention credit refunds was dismissed by a Florida federal judge Wednesday after the company and the federal government agreed to drop the case.
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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.
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October 15, 2024
Standing Rock Sioux Ask Court To Shut Down Dakota Pipeline
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is asking a federal court to block a Texas-based energy company from continuing to operate the Dakota Access Pipeline, arguing its latest emergency response plan fails to include a realistic calculation of a worst-case scenario liquid discharge.
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October 15, 2024
Texas Regulators Oppose Bid To Open Up Texas Grid Projects
The Public Utility Commission of Texas and three electricity companies have fired back at an independent electric transmission developer's attempt to halt a Texas law reserving new power line development for incumbent transmission companies.
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October 15, 2024
No New Trial For Bid-Rigging, Price-Fixing Concrete Bros.
A Georgia federal judge refused Tuesday to grant a new trial to a pair of brothers convicted in July for their role in a scheme fixing prices, rigging bids and carving up the coastal Georgia ready-mix concrete market, finding no jury confusion in witness testimony about antitrust compliance training.
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October 15, 2024
Judge Rejects Firm's 'Support' Framing In Racetrack Flaw Suit
A Florida state judge on Tuesday denied an attempt by a British racetrack consultant to define its role as merely providing "support" to the construction of a track that failed during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix race in 2022.
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October 15, 2024
Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues
A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
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How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
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Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
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Opinion
NEPA Final Rule Unlikely To Speed Clean Energy Projects
A recent final rule from the White House Council on Environmental Quality purports to streamline federal environmental reviews to accelerate the construction of renewable energy infrastructure — but it also expands consideration of climate change and environmental justice, creating vast new opportunities for litigation and delay, says Thomas Prevas at Saul Ewing.
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When Oral Settlements Reached In Mediation Are Enforceable
A recent decision by the New Jersey Appellate Division illustrates the difficulties that may arise in trying to enforce an oral settlement agreement reached in mediation, but adherence to certain practices can improve the likelihood that such an agreement will be binding, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.
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Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
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In Debate Over High Court Wording, 'Wetland' Remains Murky
Though the U.S. Supreme Court's decision limiting the Clean Water Act’s wetlands jurisdiction is now a year old, Sackett v. EPA's practical consequences for property owners are still evolving as federal agencies and private parties advance competing interpretations of the court's language and methods for distinguishing wetlands in lower courts, says Neal McAliley at Carlton Fields.
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Geothermal Energy Has Growing Potential In The US
Bipartisan support for the geothermal industry shows that geothermal energy can be an elegant solution toward global decarbonization efforts because of its small footprint, low supply chain risk, and potential to draw on the skills of existing highly specialized oil and gas workers and renewable specialists, say attorneys at Weil.
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Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse
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.
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Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
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.
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NY's Vision For Grid Of The Future: Flexible, Open, Affordable
Acknowledging that New York state's progress toward its climate goals is stalling, the New York Public Service Commission's recent "Grid of the Future" order signals a move toward more flexible, cost-effective solutions — and suggests potential opportunities for nonutility participation, say Daniel Spitzer and William McLaughlin at Hodgson Russ.
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Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
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.
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What A Louisiana Ruling Means For Pipeline Crossings
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.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data
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.