Environmental

  • March 24, 2025

    Judge Slams Pa. County For 'Sneaky' Climate Suit End Run

    A Pennsylvania state judge seemed skeptical Monday that Bucks County's Big-Tobacco style lawsuit against oil companies should move forward, calling out the county for what he said was its commissioners' attempt to avoid scrutiny by filing the lawsuit without first providing the public adequate notice.

  • March 24, 2025

    Norfolk Southern Must Face Investors' Suit Over Safety Claims

    A lawsuit claiming that Norfolk Southern executives propped up stock prices with false claims about the railroad's safety culture has survived the company's motion to dismiss, with a Georgia federal judge ruling Monday that those claims were specific enough to be material for investors who were allegedly deceived up until the 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

  • March 24, 2025

    Energy Giants Urge Puerto Rico Judge To Nix RICO Suit

    A group of energy industry giants have asked a Puerto Rico federal district judge to toss racketeering and antitrust claims filed by municipalities alleging they misrepresented the climate dangers of fossil fuel products.

  • March 24, 2025

    Groups Press DC Judge To Unfreeze EPA Climate Funds

    Three nonprofits awarded billions of dollars under climate change investment initiatives established under the Inflation Reduction Act have asked a federal judge to restore their access to grant funds that they claim the Trump administration has unlawfully blocked.

  • March 24, 2025

    3 Firms Advise As Gold Cos. Tussle Over Rejected $2.1B Offer

    Australia's Gold Road Resources Ltd. rejected what it called a "highly opportunistic" AU$3.3 billion ($2.07 billion) takeover bid from South African miner Gold Fields Ltd., but both companies were left "disappointed" after a Gold Road counterproposal was also turned down, according to company statements Monday. 

  • March 24, 2025

    Trump Asks High Court To Halt Fed. Workers' Reinstatement

    The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to pause a California federal court order reinstating tens of thousands of probationary federal workers who were fired from six agencies, arguing the band of nonprofit groups that obtained the order have no standing to challenge the firings.

  • March 24, 2025

    NC Justices Back Permit Approval For Disputed Asphalt Plant

    North Carolina's highest court reversed a lower court's ruling that a contested permit to build an asphalt plant in Ashe County should not have been issued, ruling that the company looking to develop the facility had properly submitted its application even if it didn't have state approval for the project at the time.

  • March 24, 2025

    4 Firms Advise On $8.75B James Hardie, Azek Deal

    Dublin-based building products company James Hardie Industries PLC has agreed to acquire The Azek Co. Inc. in a cash and stock transaction valued at $8.75 billion, including debt, in a deal steered by four law firms. 

  • March 24, 2025

    Vertical Farming Co. Files Ch. 11 Amid Financing Struggles

    Vertical farming venture Plenty Unlimited Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas bankruptcy court with $100 million to $500 million of both assets and liabilities after struggling to raise fresh funds to support its money-losing business.

  • March 24, 2025

    Justices Close Door On Kids' Climate Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to revive a lawsuit from youths alleging that current federal energy policies harm their future by exacerbating climate change.

  • March 22, 2025

    Up Next At High Court: Non-Delegation & Clean Air Fights

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench Monday to hear arguments in a dispute that could revive a long-dormant separation of powers principle and trigger a regulatory power shift. 

  • March 21, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Pause Order To Reinstate Federal Workers

    The Fourth Circuit on Friday refused to pause a Maryland federal judge's restraining order requiring the reinstatement of thousands of probationary workers who were fired from 18 federal agencies.

  • March 21, 2025

    11th Circ. Declines To Disturb Tesla Crash Suit Dismissal

    The Eleventh Circuit on Friday affirmed a Florida federal court's dismissal of a Tesla battery deflect suit brought by the father of a teenager killed in a crash, ruling there is no evidence the teen would have survived but for the lack of a fire retardant in the car's batteries.

  • March 21, 2025

    Aircraft Parts Co. Moves Facility Fire Case To Federal Court

    Aircraft parts manufacturer SPS Technologies LLC has moved litigation over the effects of its Abington Township, Pennsylvania, parts warehouse explosion and fire to federal court from the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, arguing that federal jurisdiction is proper because its parent company is in Oregon.

  • March 21, 2025

    Trump Administration Reveals Details On WOTUS Intentions

    The Trump administration on Friday revealed that it plans to prioritize clarifying what types of water bodies are covered by the waters of the U.S. Clean Water Act rule during its upcoming review of the Biden-era regulations.

  • March 21, 2025

    Buyers' Gripe Is With Timber Sector, Not Charmin, P&G Says

    A false advertising lawsuit accusing Procter & Gamble of overhyping the forest-friendly bona fides of Charmin toilet paper should be dismissed, the company told a Washington federal judge, arguing that the buyers' suit is misdirected at P&G when their actual disappointment is with the "forestry industry."

  • March 21, 2025

    Consumer Group Doesn't Belong In FERC Fight, Court Told

    An energy efficiency aggregator fighting a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission market manipulation case carrying a potential $1 billion price tag says a consumer advocate's concern over a constitutional challenge to the agency's structure can't justify its motion to intervene in the company's lawsuit.

  • March 21, 2025

    Hail Deductible Applicable In Colo. Townhomes' Storm Dispute

    A homeowners association's insurer correctly applied a hail deductible when it issued a roughly $1,600 payment despite the association's $3.5 million damage estimate, a Colorado federal court ruled Friday, rejecting the association's argument that the deductible became void once the insurer breached the policy by underpaying coverage.

  • March 21, 2025

    Mich. Judge Dismisses $217M Dam Repair Tax Challenge

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed a pair of lawsuits alleging a $217 million special assessment to fund the reconstruction of dams destroyed in 2020 floods was unfairly levied on certain properties, finding homeowners had the opportunity to oppose the assessment and litigate their claims in state court.

  • March 21, 2025

    EPA Senior Atty Joins Holland & Knight As Senior Counsel

    Holland & Knight LLP has hired a former senior legal counsel from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, who is joining the firm to continue his work with environmental regulatory matters.

  • March 21, 2025

    Apollo, BP Ink $1B Deal For Stake In European Gas Pipeline

    BP has agreed to sell a 25% noncontrolling stake in a BP entity invested in the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline, or TANAP, to funds managed by Apollo Global Management for $1 billion, the companies said Friday.

  • March 20, 2025

    Nippon Calls Consumer Suit Over US Steel Merger 'Baseless'

    Nippon Steel Corp. has urged a California federal court to throw out a consumer suit over its blocked $14.9 billion merger with U.S. Steel Corp., calling it yet another "in a long line of baseless lawsuits" over a merger of public companies that they have "no standing to challenge in the first place."

  • March 20, 2025

    NTSB Says Maryland Didn't Track Risks Of Key Bridge Collapse

    The National Transportation Safety Board recommended Thursday that 68 bridges in 19 states be evaluated for risk of collapse in the event of a vessel strike, and found that Maryland officials failed to adequately calculate vulnerabilities in Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge well before its collapse last year.

  • March 20, 2025

    Utah High Court Leaves Youth Climate Claims Down For Now

    The Utah Supreme Court on Thursday found that a group of youths hasn't shown it has grounds to pursue a lawsuit against the state over its energy policies that allegedly contribute to climate change.

  • March 20, 2025

    No Coal Plant Rescue Plans On The Table, FERC Chair Says

    President Donald Trump's recent call for his administration to encourage more coal-fired power use hasn't resulted in any order to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to craft policies to prop up coal plants, Chairman Mark Christie said Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • The Post-Macquarie Securities Fraud-By-Omission Landscape

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 opinion in Macquarie v. Moab distinguished inactionable "pure omissions" from actionable "half-truths," the line between the two concepts in practice is still unclear, presenting challenges for lower courts parsing statements that often fall within the gray area of "misleading by omission," say attorneys at Katten.

  • Trump's Energy Plans: Climate, Data Centers, LNG And More

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    With a host of executive orders addressing climate and emissions policies, expanded energy development, offshore and onshore projects, liquefied natural gas and more, the second Trump administration has already given energy companies much to consider, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex

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    Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • Trump's Energy Plans: Funding, Permits And Nuclear Power

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    In the wake of President Donald Trump's flurry of first-day executive orders focusing on the energy sector, attorneys at Gibson Dunn analyze what this presidency will mean for energy-related grants and loans, changes to permitting processes and developments in nuclear power.

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • The Tides Are Changing For Fair Access Banking Laws

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    The landscape of fair access banking laws, which seek to prevent banks from denying services based on individuals' ideological beliefs, has shifted in the last few years, but a new presidential administration provides renewed momentum for advancing such legislation against the backdrop of state efforts, say attorneys at Latham.

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • A Halftime Analysis Of DOJ's Compensation Pilot Program

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    The U.S. Department of Justice appears to consider the first half of its three-year pilot program on compensation incentives and clawbacks to be proceeding successfully, so companies should expect prosecutors to emphasize the program and other compliance-related considerations early in investigations, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • A Look At Order Ending Federal Contractor Affirmative Action

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    To comply with President Donald Trump's executive order revoking affirmative action requirements in the next 90 days, federal contractors should focus on identification of protected groups, responsibilities of "diversity officer" positions and annual compliance reviews, says Jeremy Burkhart at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    Courts Should Nix Conferencing Rule In 1 Discovery Scenario

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    Parties are generally required to meet and confer to resolve a discovery dispute before bringing a related motion, but courts should dispense with this conferencing requirement when a party fails to specify a time by which it will complete its production, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law.

  • 4 Keys To Litigating In An Active Regulatory Environment

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    For companies facing litigation influenced by government regulatory action — a recent trend that a politically charged atmosphere will exacerbate — there are a few principles that can help to align litigation strategy with broader public positioning in the regulatory and oversight context, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • Gas Contract Fight Holds Lessons On Force Majeure Clauses

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    Ongoing litigation over gas deliveries during Winter Storm Uri underscores the need for precision and foresight when negotiating force majeure clauses in contracts — particularly in the energy sector, where climate-related disruptions and market volatility are inevitable, but often unpredictable, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.

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