An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday ruled Walgreens can recover the costs of a contentious deposition in a dispute with an electronics company, saying the witness "possessed virtually no knowledge" of the matters laid out in the deposition notice and the company's attorney engaged in "improper, obstructionist conduct" during the proceeding.
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2024 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Walgreens Wins Sanctions Over Depo With 300 Objections

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday ruled Walgreens can recover the costs of a contentious deposition in a dispute with an electronics company, saying the witness "possessed virtually no knowledge" of the matters laid out in the deposition notice and the company's attorney engaged in "improper, obstructionist conduct" during the proceeding.

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Uber, Lyft, Chicago Ignored Due Process, Banned Driver Says

By Gina Kim

A former Uber and Lyft driver has sued the platforms in Illinois federal court for deactivating her accounts over false claims she spit on a passenger, and she also sued the city of Chicago over its ordinance allowing rideshare platforms to ban drivers without notice or an opportunity to defend themselves.

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Burger King Franchisee Escapes BIPA Coverage Counterclaim

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge has axed an AIG subsidiary's counterclaim in a Burger King franchisee's lawsuit seeking coverage for an underlying case accusing it of violating Illinois' biometric privacy law, concluding that the counterclaim is redundant and "adds nothing that will not be decided through resolution of the motions for summary judgment."

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LITIGATION

Foley Shouldn't Face Data Breach Claims, Calif. Panel Says

By Dorothy Atkins

A California appellate panel affirmed the dismissal of Accellion Inc.'s cross-complaint against law firm Foley & Lardner LLP in an insurance company's lawsuit claiming the software-maker should be held liable for a $1 million ransomware attack that targeted the law firm, finding that Accellion's cross-claims are untimely.

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DEALS

Sidley-Guided Lifeway Rejects Second Danone Buyout

By Al Barbarino

Lifeway Foods Inc. said Wednesday that its board has rejected a Nov. 15 revised offer from Danone North America PBC to buy the remainder of Lifeway for $27 per share, or roughly $306 million.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

What Cos. Can Learn from Water Microplastics Class Actions

Class actions against companies whose bottled spring water allegedly contains microplastics, challenging claims such as "natural" and "100% spring water," seem to be drying up — but these cases serve as a good reminder to other businesses to review regulatory standards, and carefully vet plaintiff allegations at the outset, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

BigLaw Begins Matching Milbank On Associate Bonuses

By Aebra Coe

Following the news Tuesday that Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP will pay associates year-end and special bonuses in line with those handed out by Milbank LLP this year, the firms' peers have begun to respond, with swift matches Wednesday by Paul Hastings LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

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DOJ Settles With Atty Who Reported Judge's Sexual Misconduct

By Lauren Berg

A former Alaska federal prosecutor who made allegations of sexual misconduct against then-U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred has reached an undisclosed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice resolving claims she suffered retaliation for speaking up, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Wednesday.

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Weil Litigation Leaders Jump To Paul Weiss In NY

By Tracey Read

The co-chair of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP's global litigation department and the co-head of Weil's patent litigation practice will soon be joining Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York, the latter firm announced Wednesday.

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Akerman Opens In Charlotte With 2 Moore & Van Allen Hires

By Xiumei Dong

Akerman LLP announced Wednesday the firm opened its second North Carolina office in Charlotte and brought on two new partners from Moore & Van Allen PLLC, including the former head of its renewable energy project finance team and a tax law expert.

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Judiciary Touts Reforms In Handling Workplace Complaints

By Ryan Boysen

The federal judiciary is successfully reforming the controversial process that aims to protect its 30,000 employees from sexual harassment in the workplace, according to a new internal report released Wednesday, even as lawmakers have called for scrapping that process altogether and replacing it with a new one.

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Trump Wants 'Immediate Dismissal' Of NY Hush Money Case

By Frank G. Runyeon

President-elect Donald Trump's legal team told the New York judge who presided over his hush money trial that his conviction should be thrown out due to his "overwhelming victory" at the polls, according to a filing released Wednesday.

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Musk, Ramaswamy Say High Court Rulings OK Federal Cuts

By Lauren Berg

Billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, President-elect Donald Trump's picks to lead a newly created "Department of Government Efficiency," on Wednesday said two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings will give them the authority to cut off power to regulatory agencies and conduct massive federal layoffs.

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House Dem Proposes Vote Forcing Release Of Gaetz Report

By Hailey Konnath

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten on Wednesday introduced a resolution that would require the House of Representatives to vote on whether the House Ethics Committee must release its report on the allegations against former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a proposal unveiled the same day the ethics committee failed to reach a consensus.

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Fed. Judges Still Seek New Bench Seats Amid Dems' Loss

By Courtney Bublé

The Federal Judges Association is urging the House to pass the bipartisan bill that would expand the federal courts in order to meet rising caseloads, even as the Biden administration appears to be cooling on the idea it once supported.

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Calif. Judicial Nominee Asked About Race, Parenting Writings

By Courtney Bublé

A California judicial nominee's previous writing about the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked a national reckoning on race, was the subject of debate during a Senate nomination hearing on Wednesday.

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Washington State, DC District Court Picks Secure Seats

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate on Wednesday voted 50-48 to confirm Washington Court of Appeals Judge Rebecca L. Pennell to the Eastern District of Washington and 50-49 to confirm Amir Ali, former president and executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center and co-director of the Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic at Harvard Law School, to the District of Columbia.

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Girardi Pushes For New Trial Over Competency Claims

By Cara Salvatore

Counsel for Tom Girardi told a federal judge the disbarred attorney is plainly mentally incompetent and deserves a new trial over charges he defrauded clients of $15 million worth of settlement money.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

A&G Law LLC

Akerman LLP

Anderson & Kreiger

Cravath Swaine

Dunnegan & Scileppi

Foley & Lardner

Gilbert Employment Law

Girardi & Keese

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Hinkhouse Williams

Jenner & Block

Jones Day

Keller & Heckman

Kilpatrick Townsend

Latham & Watkins

Lee Anav

McDermott Will & Emery

McGarry & McGarry

Milbank LLP

Moore & Van Allen

NechelesLaw

Paul Hastings

Paul Weiss

Rathje Woodward

Sidley Austin

Wachtell Lipton

Weil Gotshal

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American International Group Inc.

BlueTriton Brands

Boston University

Burger King Holdings Inc.

CG Roxane LLC

Chevron Corp.

Consumer Attorneys of San Diego

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Danner Inc.

Gehrke Co. Inc.

Groupe Danone

Kiteworks USA LLC

Lifeway Foods Inc.

LinkedIn Corp.

Nestle SA

New York University

Newell Brands Inc.

PG&E Corp.

Planned Parenthood Federation

Princeton University

Roivant Sciences Ltd.

Tesla Inc.

The Cigna Group

The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights

Uber Technologies Inc.

Wells Fargo & Co.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Judicial Center

Food and Drug Administration

Internal Revenue Service

International Trade Commission

Judicial Conference of the United States

Manhattan District Attorney's Office

National Labor Relations Board

New York County District Attorney's Office

New York Supreme Court, New York County

Patent Trial and Appeal Board

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Alaska

U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

U.S. Government Accountability Office

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Office Of Special Counsel

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Supreme Court

US Office of Management and Budget

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington