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Construction
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July 12, 2024
Feds Ignoring Idle Offshore Oil Well Risks, Green Group Says
The federal government is looking the other way as owners of retired offshore oil and gas drilling infrastructure fail to properly shut down the facilities and blow deadlines, environmentalists said in a new lawsuit.
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July 12, 2024
Wayfair Says Contractor On 1st Megastore Stiffed Vendors
Online retailer Wayfair LLC says the company it hired to oversee the build-out of its first "large-format" brick and mortar location failed to pay multiple subcontractors on the project, forcing Wayfair to pay the subcontractors directly to ensure that the store opened on time, according to a complaint filed Friday.
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July 12, 2024
Contracting Co. Sues Home Depot Over Tool Rental Charges
A Philadelphia-based contracting company has hit Home Depot USA Inc. with a proposed class action in Georgia, claiming the home improvement chain has systematically overcharged the customers of its tool rental program.
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July 12, 2024
Biggest Washington Decisions Of 2024: A Midyear Report
The first half of 2024 in Washington courts was punctuated by a fizzled startup's $72 million trial win against The Boeing Co., and Monsanto Co.'s appellate reversal of a $185 million verdict in one of a series of high-profile PCB poisoning cases. Here is a closer look at some of the biggest decisions in Washington state and federal courts in the first half of 2024.
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July 12, 2024
Judge OKs Another Penalty Duty Over Chinese Loan Program
The U.S. Department of Commerce justifiably penalized a Chinese aluminum importer over Beijing's refusal to disclose information on an export loan program, the U.S. Court of International Trade said, finding the importer hadn't filled the gap in the record.
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July 12, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen the owner of the Lambretta scooter brand Innocenti SA embroiled in a trademark dispute with a property developer, a clash between two art dealers over a collection of tapestries, Telecom Italia pursue a debt claim against a competing telecommunications company, and performing arts trade union Equity hit a casting directory for charging unfair subscription fees on actors. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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July 11, 2024
Calif. Tribe Seeks $8.2M For Cultural Site Destruction
The Quechan Indian Tribe is asking a California federal judge to award it $8.2 million after the court found that a federal government construction project to replace poles for 9 miles of transmission lines damaged 10 cultural and sacred archaeological sites on the tribe's reservation.
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July 11, 2024
$1M Fine 'Substantial' In Wash. Dam Settlement, Judge Says
A Washington federal judge, over objections from tribes and environmental groups, is allowing the government to enter into a proposed consent decree that would settle Clean Water Act violations, saying a $1 million fine against dam operator Electron Hydro is substantial.
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July 11, 2024
Pa. Condo Owner Group Takes Inner-Tower Conflict To Court
The residents association of a downtown Pittsburgh condo building sued the building's commercial association in state court, alleging they have been improperly denied access to commercial sections of the building needed to complete HVAC repair work.
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July 11, 2024
Trade Court Backs Nonevasion Finding For Aluminum Tariffs
The U.S. Court of International Trade blessed U.S. Customs and Border Protection's remand determination that aluminum extrusion importers weren't evading tariffs, saying CBP explained it couldn't maintain its original evasion finding after reviewing data it had initially disregarded.
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July 11, 2024
'Bridgegate' Defense Offers Road Map For NJ RICO Case
Counsel for the powerful New Jersey mogul and Democratic operatives facing explosive racketeering charges are likely to justify their actions as just business, experts told Law360, describing defense tactics similar to the ones that absolved defendants in "Bridgegate," New Jersey's most notorious politics-fueled crime in recent history.
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July 11, 2024
Ex-Union Leader Gets 6 Years For Bribery, Embezzlement
John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, the former business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 98 in Philadelphia, was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison after being convicted of bribing a city councilman and stealing over $500,000 from the union.
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July 11, 2024
3rd Circ. Backs Toss Of $427K Arbitration Liability Award
The Third Circuit upheld a lower court's nix of an arbitration award of more than $427,000 against a painting company over a union pension fund's withdrawal liability claims, determining Thursday that the fund waited too long to request payment under federal benefits law.
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July 11, 2024
Engineering Co. Seeks Coverage Of Deal In $80M Suit
An engineering and design firm said its insurer must reimburse it for a settlement reached in an $80 million unfair business practice lawsuit, telling a Nebraska federal court the insurer wrongfully denied coverage, forcing the firm to defend itself.
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July 10, 2024
Mich. County Fights To Keep $217M Edenville Dam Repair Tax
Homeowners attacking a localized tax to fund the reconstruction of four dams have already had a chance to contest the assessment and shouldn't get a second one, a Michigan county told a federal judge Tuesday.
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July 10, 2024
Pa. Developer's Heirs, Foundation Can't Appeal Fee Denial
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania won't take up a fee dispute stemming from a disagreement over the control of a foundation established by Pittsburgh developer Jack Buncher.
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July 10, 2024
Wash. Condo Assoc. Wants Allstate To Cover $9.7M In Repairs
A Washington condominium association is suing Allstate Insurance Co. in federal court, saying it broke their coverage agreement by refusing to cover $9.7 million in repairs for "hidden damage" to the buildings' exteriors.
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July 10, 2024
DOI Pledges $120M For Tribal Climate Resiliency Efforts
The Biden administration said Tuesday that it's making $120 million available to help Native American tribes plan and prepare for climate change threats.
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July 10, 2024
Prove Steel Is North American Or Pay Levy, White House Says
Importers bringing steel and aluminum goods from Mexico must prove that the metals were forged in North America or face national security tariffs starting Wednesday, as part of the Biden administration's effort to counter Chinese goods rerouted through Mexico to avoid duties.
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July 09, 2024
Indicted Ex-Conn. Official Drops Greece Vacation Plan
Ex-Connecticut budget official Konstantinos "Kosta" Diamantis on Tuesday dropped his request for a federal judge's permission to travel to Greece while he is under indictment, withdrawing his motion one day after prosecutors objected.
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July 09, 2024
CIT Finds Labor Issues Don't Justify Penalty Evasion Ruling
The U.S. Court of International Trade backed U.S. Customs and Border Protection's decision not to penalize an importer that allegedly threatened workers against speaking with officials investigating potential duty evasion, saying the purported misconduct hadn't hampered the probe.
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July 09, 2024
No Conflict For Ballard Spahr In Ex-Union Leader's Bribe Case
A Pennsylvania federal judge on Tuesday rejected a claim by former Philadelphia union leader and convicted felon John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty that his Ballard Spahr LLP defense team marred its representation of him in a bribery prosecution because of a conflict of interest with Comcast.
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July 09, 2024
Judge Calls Cost Of DOJ's Assa Abloy Market Study 'Insane'
A D.C. federal judge took the U.S. Department of Justice and its monitoring trustee to task Tuesday for their pursuit of an open-ended look at Assa Abloy's books to check for anticompetitive harms from a 2023 merger, excoriating budget estimates pricing the investigation at a minimum of $1.7 million.
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July 09, 2024
BP Unit Slams 'Farfetched' $300M Franchise Termination Suit
The trio of companies that sued a BP subsidiary for terminating their truck stop franchise agreement have no claim to make, the BP unit has told an Ohio federal court, arguing that by their own admission the companies failed to hold up their end of the agreement at issue.
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July 08, 2024
3rd Circ. Backs Pa. In Transco's Pipeline Permit Review Fight
The Third Circuit on Monday backed the Pennsylvania state environmental board's authority to review pipeline upgrade permits secured by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., rejecting the company's assertion that under the federal Natural Gas Act a federal court is the only forum to dispute the issuance of the permits.
Expert Analysis
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Payment Provision Lessons From NJ Construction Ruling
A New Jersey appellate court's decision in Bil-Jim v. Wyncrest, holding that an American Institute of Architects contract was not an installment contract, highlights both the complexities of statute of limitations calculations and the significant consequences that can arise from minor differences in contract language, say Mitchell Taraschi and Zac Brower at Connell Foley.
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Ruling In La. May Undercut EPA Enviro Justice Efforts
A Louisiana federal court's recent decision in Louisiana v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will likely serve as a template for other states to oppose the EPA's use of disparate impact analyses in Title VI civil rights cases aimed at advancing environmental justice policies and investigations, say Jonathan Brightbill and Joshua Brown at Winston & Strawn.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Facts Differ But Same Rules Apply
Zachary Jacobson and Sarah Barney at Seyfarth examine two decisions illustrating that reliance on a technicality may not save an otherwise untimely appeal, and that enforcement of commercial terms and conditions under a federal supply schedule contract may be possible.
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Series
Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.
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A Legal Playbook For Stadium Construction Agreements
As a new wave of construction in the professional sports arena space gets underway, owners must carefully consider the unique considerations and risks associated with these large-scale projects and draft agreements accordingly, say attorneys at Akerman.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Is Imperative This Election Year
As the next election nears, the judges involved in the upcoming trials against former President Donald Trump increasingly face political pressures and threats of violence — revealing the urgent need to safeguard judicial independence and uphold the rule of law, says Benes Aldana at the National Judicial College.
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Series
Riding My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Using the Peloton platform for cycling, running, rowing and more taught me that fostering a mind-body connection will not only benefit you physically and emotionally, but also inspire stamina, focus, discipline and empathy in your legal career, says Christopher Ward at Polsinelli.
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New Eagle Take Permit Rule Should Help Wind Projects Soar
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's recently issued final rule revising the eagle take permit process should help wind energy developers obtain incidental take permits through a more transparent and expedited process, and mitigate the risk of improper take penalties faced by wind projects, says Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks
Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.
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Litigation Inspiration: A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment
As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.
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Series
Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC
The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts
Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.
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Opinion
Contractors Need Protection From NJ Homeowner Protections
A recently passed New Jersey law, combined with the state's Consumer Fraud Act, is intended to protect innocent homeowners, but legislative action must be taken to prevent homeowners from abusing the law to avoid paying hardworking contractors, say Gary Strong and Madison Calkins at Gfeller Laurie.