Adams Asks To Toss Bribery Charge, Citing Top Court Ruling

By Frank G. Runyeon

New York City Mayor Eric Adams moved swiftly to dismiss the bribery charge from his federal indictment on Monday, arguing that evidence of Turkish officials' gifts to curry favor with him fails to meet a high legal standard laid out by the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Sean Combs To Appeal Bail Denial, Bolsters Legal Team

By Bonnie Eslinger

Sean "Diddy" Combs is appealing a Manhattan federal judge's decision to deny him bail in a criminal case accusing the hip-hop mogul of sex trafficking and has bolstered his legal team, according to filings Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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Leon Black Can't Duck Sex Assault Suit Or Sanction Wigdor

By Jack Karp

Ex-Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black cannot dodge a lawsuit accusing him of raping an autistic teenager in 2002, as New York City's extension of the time limit to file the suit is not preempted by state law, a New York federal judge has ruled.

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US Trustee Says Reed Smith Didn't Disclose Eletson Ties

By Rick Archer

The U.S. Trustee's Office is asking a New York bankruptcy judge to claw back the fees and expenses law firm Reed Smith LLP has earned representing shipping firm Eletson Holdings in its Chapter 11 case, saying it failed to disclose ties with Eletson directors.

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SEC Says Accountant Aided Tingo Group's Fintech Fraud

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday sued a Nigerian accounting firm for allegedly helping the operator of the Tingo fintech businesses conceal fake audit reports that inflated the value of the firms to further the "massive" fintech fraud.

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NY Man Must Face Brownstone Deed Theft Charges

By Elliot Weld

A New York state court on Monday denied a Long Island man's bid to escape charges accusing him of using forgery and shell companies to steal two brownstone buildings in Harlem that are worth millions of dollars, disagreeing with the man's argument that the case was too stale to prosecute.

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Big Banks Get Brazilian Pollution Suit Booted From NY

By Jon Hill

A New York federal judge on Monday dismissed an effort by a Brazilian city and residents to hold several big banks liable for allegedly financing environmentally ruinous mining operations in their region, ruling the matter would be more appropriately heard in Brazil.

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Takeda End Payors, Direct Buyers Win Antitrust Class Cert.

By Lauren Berg

A New York federal judge Monday adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation to certify two classes of direct purchasers and end payors in consolidated antitrust actions accusing Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. of unlawfully inflating the price of its diabetes treatment Actos by delaying entry of generic alternatives.

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MetLife Can't Get Early Win In Pensioners' Mortality Table Suit

By Kellie Mejdrich

MetLife lost its bid for an early win Monday in a federal benefits lawsuit from pensioners alleging the company lowballed their annuity payouts by using outdated mortality data when making conversions, with a New York federal judge concluding that disputes over actuarial assumptions should proceed to trial.

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Consumer 'Overslept' On Some Drowsy Cough Syrup Claims

By Lauraann Wood

An Illinois federal judge said Monday a consumer can continue her suit alleging Tussin cough syrup's "non-drowsy" label is deceptive because the syrup made her sleepy, but ruled she waited too long to pursue warranty breach claims.

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Atty Accused Of Trying To Win Back Client With Loan

By Lynn LaRowe

The Law Offices of Michael S. Lamonsoff PLLC, a New York personal injury firm, has accused competitor Harmon Linder & Rogowsky of offering a former client a loan after learning they were being booted as counsel.

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AGs, Academics Back Media Giants In Sports Streaming Fight

By Alex Lawson

ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. have picked up allies in their push to move ahead with a "sports-first" broadcasting service, with six state attorneys general and a host of respected economics professors urging the Second Circuit to undo a New York court order that blocked the service's launch.

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SEC Says Ex-Church & Dwight CEO Misled On Independence

By Sarah Jarvis

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday that Church & Dwight Co.'s former CEO and chairman has agreed to settle claims that he had an undisclosed close friendship with a high-ranking company executive while serving as an independent director of the maker of the Arm & Hammer brand and other consumer products.

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Bristol-Myers Beats Celgene Investors' Drug Delay Suit

By Lauren Berg

A New York federal judge on Monday tossed UMB Bank's claims that Bristol-Myers Squibb improperly delayed U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a cancer treatment to avoid paying shareholders $6.4 billion owed from a 2019 acquisition of Celgene Corp., saying the bank lacked standing to sue.

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Chancery Sidelines Squarespace Merger Doc Suit For Now

By Jeff Montgomery

A Delaware Court of Chancery action to compel stockholder access to website builder Squarespace Inc.'s corporate records remained under a stay Monday, after a court finding that the suit aimed to preserve future review rights focused on a proposed $7.2 billion company take-private deal.

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Plane Parts Exec Loses Appeal In Honeywell Fraud Case

By Cara Salvatore

The Second Circuit refused Monday to free the president of an airplane parts supplier from a seven-year prison sentence over a $15 million fraud on Honeywell International Inc., rejecting his protest over evidence admitted for consciousness of guilt.

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DC Judge Won't Allow Single Trial In Admiral's Bribery Case

By David Minsky

A D.C. federal judge Monday denied the government's motion to reconsider a decision severing a retired Navy admiral's bribery trial from that of the defense contractors he is accused of steering federal contracts toward, reiterating a previous ruling that the court can split the case if consolidation appears to prejudice the parties.

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Marsh McLennan Paying $7.75B For McGriff Insurance

By Al Barbarino

New York-based global professional services group Marsh McLennan said Monday it has agreed to buy insurance brokerage McGriff Insurance Services, an affiliate of TIH Insurance Holdings, for $7.75 billion in a deal that included guidance from Troutman Pepper, Wachtell Lipton and Simpson Thacher. 

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4 Firms Guide Verizon's $3.3B Wireless Comms Towers Sale

By Isaac Monterose

Verizon has sold 6,339 wireless communications towers to a communications-focused real estate investment trust for $3.3 billion in a deal guided by Jones Day, Greenberg Traurig, Simpson Thacher and Mayer Brown, Verizon announced Monday.

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Morgan Stanley Investment Arm Nabs $750M For Climate Fund

By Madeline Lyskawa

Morgan Stanley's investment management arm revealed Monday that its climate private equity fund, which is focused on investing in North American and European companies working to avoid or remove one gigaton of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions from the atmosphere, closed at $750 million of equity capital commitments.

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A Class Action Trend Tests Limit Of Courts' Equity Powers

A troubling trend has developed in federal class action litigation as some counsel and judges attempt to push injunctive relief classes under Rule 23(b)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure beyond the traditional limits of federal courts' equitable powers, say attorneys at Jones Day.

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Opinion

AI May Limit Key Learning Opportunities For Young Attorneys

The thing that’s so powerful about artificial intelligence is also what’s most scary about it — its ability to detect patterns may curtail young attorneys’ chance to practice the lower-level work of managing cases, preventing them from ever honing the pattern recognition skills that undergird creative lawyering, says Sarah Murray at Trialcraft.

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A Deep Dive Into Law Firm Pay

By Kevin Penton

The legal industry may be known for its relatively high pay, but don't tell that to lawyers: Barely half of all attorneys feel satisfied or very satisfied with what they make, according to a new Law360 Pulse report.

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The 2024 Compensation Report: Law Firms

Law360 Pulse asked lawyers about their compensation, pay structure transparency, billable hours and more. Find out how much they earn, how satisfied they are and where some of the problem areas lie with their pay.

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Spencer Fane Combines With Las Vegas Boutique Firm

By Adrian Cruz

Spencer Fane LLP announced Tuesday that it has merged with Las Vegas boutique Holley Driggs Law Firm, adding a further 14 attorneys to its operations in Nevada's most populous city.

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Ga. High Court Declares Judicial Emergency After Helene

By Madeline Lyskawa

The Supreme Court of Georgia declared a statewide judicial emergency Monday in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which slammed into the Southeastern U.S. last week, bringing heavy rain and high winds that shut down several state courts the following day.

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Wigdor Sued For Dragging Cuomo Aide Into Harassment Case

By Ryan Boysen

Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo's spokesperson hit Wigdor LLP with a malicious prosecution suit Tuesday, claiming the well-known employment law firm filed a bogus retaliation claim against him for likening a sexual harassment suit against Cuomo to extortion.

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When The Client Is The Mayor, The Usual Rules Don't Apply

By Julie Manganis

Representing a public official, whether the mayor of New York City, a state legislator or a city council member, poses unique challenges for even the most experienced lawyers, who often find themselves torn between fighting battles in the press and protecting their client in court.

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Adams Says Feds Sought To 'Tarnish' Him With Leaks

By Frank G. Runyeon

New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked a Manhattan federal judge Tuesday to sanction Southern District prosecutors for allegedly leaking the details of a criminal investigation for nearly a year leading up to his corruption indictment, saying negative press has hurt his standing with the public and undermined his right to a fair trial.

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NYC Mayor Elevates Attorneys Amid Corruption Charges

By Anna Sanders

New York City Mayor Eric Adams nominated a longtime public servant as his next corporation counsel and promoted a former WilmerHale attorney to City Hall chief counsel as the embattled Democrat faces federal corruption charges.

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NYC Bar Urges Congress To Place Ethics Rules On High Court

By Andrea Keckley

The New York City Bar Association called on Congress to put U.S. Supreme Court justices under enforceable ethics rules in a report released Tuesday, throwing its support behind reforms, such as the creation of a Judicial Investigation Panel and an Office of the Inspector General.

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McElroy Deutsch Must Face 'Malicious' Claim From Fired Exec

By Jake Maher

A former business development director from McElroy Deutsch Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP has been given the go-ahead from a New Jersey state judge to bring a malicious-prosecution claim against the firm in litigation over her and her husband's alleged multimillion-dollar embezzlement from the firm.

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The Top In-House Hires Of September

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires over the last month included high-profile appointments at Wynn Resorts, Amtrak and eBay. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from September.

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Apple, Amazon Hint Hagens Berman Lacked Client's OK

By Greg Lamm

Amazon and Apple blasted Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP for seeking to withdraw as counsel for the no-show original lead plaintiff in an antitrust suit targeting iPhone and iPad sales, hinting that the firm continued to pursue the case even after knowing its client wished to drop out.

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