The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case challenging a Texas law that requires people accessing websites containing explicit material to provide age verification before they can see the content, the nation's high court said Tuesday.
Law360
Technology
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2024 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Supreme_Court_22492.jpg

Justices Will Hear Texas' Porn Site Age Check Law

By Spencer Brewer

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case challenging a Texas law that requires people accessing websites containing explicit material to provide age verification before they can see the content, the nation's high court said Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Thomas Warns Of 'Danger In Delay' In Snapchat Abuse Case

By Ali Sullivan

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to review whether Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes platforms from lawsuits based on their own misconduct, rejecting a petition from a man who alleges that his high school teacher used Snapchat to send him sexually explicit material when he was 15.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Debevoise Can't Avoid Testifying In Ex-Cognizant Execs' Trial

By Carla Baranauckas

A New Jersey federal judge denied Tuesday a bid by Debevoise & Plimpton LLP to quash a subpoena seeking testimony from a firm partner for the coming bribery trial of two former Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. executives.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

DLA Piper Tells Judge Fired Associate Got Proper Discovery

By Pete Brush

Counsel for DLA Piper LLP told a Manhattan federal judge on Tuesday the firm has provided responsive information to a former associate who claims she was unlawfully fired while pregnant, adding it is confident her termination was lawful.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Senior Apple Atty To Pay SEC $1.1M For Insider Trading

By Gina Kim

Apple's former director of corporate law must pay $1.1 million to securities regulators stemming from criminal insider trading charges to which he pled guilty in 2022, a New Jersey federal judge said Tuesday, finding that his "egregious" violations warrant the penalty since "his very job" was to ensure compliance with securities laws.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Hytera Hit With Discovery Sanctions In Motorola Radio IP Suit

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge imposed sanctions against China's Hytera Communications on Monday for flouting three court orders to produce source code for review in Motorola's patent dispute claiming the radio manufacturer unlawfully copied its digital two-way radio technology and infringed seven patents.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Samsung Says Litigation Funder Misused Its Trade Secrets

By Spencer Brewer

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. says an intellectual property law firm and a Chinese litigation funder used its confidential information without permission to help Staton Techiya LLC assert patent infringement allegations, telling a Texas federal judge that the conduct demonstrated why the court should add the other companies to Samsung's suit.

Response attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Data Breach Suits Drive Consumer Protection Docket Growth

By Allison Grande

Federal consumer protection lawsuits are back on the rise after nearly a decade of steady decline, with disputes over increasingly prevalent data breaches fueling the uptick, according to a Wednesday report by Lex Machina.

Report attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

POLICY & REGULATION

Analysis

​​​​​​​Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission heard from advocates nearly 150 times in June on issues including broadband map accuracy, next-generation 911, prison phone rates, a new missing-persons code and rules to restrict bulk billing in apartment buildings.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Congress Urges DOJ To Probe TikTok Kids' Privacy Concerns

By Courtney Bublé

A bipartisan group of lawmakers urged the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday to quickly review the Federal Trade Commission's complaint referral against TikTok and its parent company ByteDance Ltd. for possibly violating a children's privacy law.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Captioning Providers Worried About FCC Rate Cuts

By Jared Foretek

Companies that provide captioned telephone service for people with hearing and speech disabilities are criticizing a Federal Communications Commission proposal to reduce rates paid to providers, saying that successive rate cuts could jeopardize their credit lines and diminish their ability to raise capital if the agency doesn't change course.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LITIGATION

4th Circ. Won't Rethink Google Ad Subpoena Decision

By Matthew Perlman

The Fourth Circuit denied a request on Tuesday to reconsider its ruling finding that a South Carolina agency must respond to Google's document request for a case accusing the tech giant of monopolizing key digital advertising technology.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Samsung Doesn't Owe $4M In Arbitration Fees, 7th Circ. Says

By Bonnie Eslinger

The Seventh Circuit has ruled that Samsung need not pay $4 million in individual arbitration fees for 35,000 consumers claiming the electronics giant illegally collected their biometric data, saying Monday that under their purchase agreement terms the consumers could have advanced the fees if they wanted their claims arbitrated.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

IT Workers Say Chevron's End Dooms Spouse Work Permits

By Lauren Berg

Ex-information technology workers told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning decades-old precedent instructing judges about when they can defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law buoys their challenge to an Obama-era program allowing work permits for some spouses of highly skilled foreign workers.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Amazon Must Face Wiretapping Class Suit, Wash. Judge Says

By Greg Lamm

A Washington federal judge said Tuesday that Amazon can't dodge a proposed class action alleging it violated California's wiretapping law, in a ruling that determined the tech giant was capable of accessing customer call data through its call center technology used by Capital One.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

YouTube Beats Kids Privacy Suit, But Plaintiffs Get 7th Shot

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal magistrate judge tossed with leave to amend Monday a revived proposed class action alleging Google and companies that host child-friendly YouTube channels illegally collected children's data from targeted ads, giving consumers a seventh shot to cure the deficiencies.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ga. City Comes Out On Top In T-Mobile Cell Tower Suit

By Nadia Dreid

The city of Columbus, Georgia, has come out on top in a legal battle with a wireless infrastructure builder who says that the city unfairly blocked its requests to build T-Mobile a cell tower, a conflict that also involved the local Shriners.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Levi & Korsinsky Appointed Lead In Instacart Pre-IPO Action

By Sydney Price

Levi & Korsinsky LLP has been appointed lead counsel for the investors in a suit alleging the grocery delivery company Instacart misrepresented its growth potential in the lead-up to its initial public offering.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Samsung Accuses Broadcom of Illegal Tying In Antitrust Suit

By Jared Foretek

Samsung is taking one of its former mobile chip suppliers to California federal court in an antitrust lawsuit, accusing Broadcom of illegally tying products and using exclusive purchase agreements to squeeze component competitors out of the market.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Mike Huckabee Says Meta Hosted Fake CBD Gummy Ads

By Hailey Konnath

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee says Meta Platforms Inc. has been allowing and hosting advertisements that falsely portray him promoting CBD gummies, leading to people falsely associating him with the CBD industry and marijuana use, according to a suit filed Monday in Delaware federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Iranian AI Experts, Other Professionals Sue Over Visa Delays

By Alyssa Aquino

Iranian experts in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies sued the U.S. Department of State to speed up delayed visa applications, arguing their green card troubles undermine the Biden administration's push to ease labor shortages in the technology industry.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ga. Parking Co. Stole Data To Send Fake Tickets, Fla Suit Says

By David Minsky

A Florida resident has brought a proposed federal class action against a Georgia parking company for alleged privacy violations, saying his data was illegally obtained and used to send fake citations in a scheme to collect money under the threat that vehicles could be confiscated or credit ruined.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

ENFORCEMENT

Gig Co. Inks $7M FTC Deal Over Misleading Pay Promises

By Lauren Berg

Arise Virtual Solutions Inc., a platform that connects gig workers with companies, on Tuesday agreed to pay $7 million to resolve Federal Trade Commission allegations that it misled workers about the money they could earn working from home as customer service agents for major companies.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Apple Says It's Too Early For Discovery In DOJ Antitrust Case

By Nadia Dreid

There's no need to get the ball rolling on discovery in the U.S. Department of Justice's case accusing Apple of monopolizing the smartphone market until the New Jersey federal court overseeing the case decides if it's going to dismiss it entirely, the tech giant argued.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PEOPLE

DLA Piper Hires Former Goodwin Corporate Partner In DC

By Al Barbarino

A former Goodwin Procter LLP partner has joined DLA Piper's corporate practice in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, where he will advise clients on mergers and acquisitions and other transactions. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Fed. Circ. Percipient Gov't Contract Ruling Is Groundbreaking

The effects of the Federal Circuit's decision last month in Percipient.ai v. U.S. may be limited to commercial product and service suppliers, but it is significant for government procurement in opening the door to protests by suppliers who previously would have lacked standing and Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Anticipating Disputes In Small Biz Partnerships And LLCs

In light of persistently high failures of small business partnerships and limited liability companies, mediator Frank Burke discusses proactive strategies for protecting and defining business rights and responsibilities, as well as reactive measures for owners.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Opinion

Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

When Patents As Loan Collateral Can Cost You Standing

The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Intellectual Tech v. Zebra Technologies shines a light on loan default provisions' implications for patent infringement litigation, as a default may inadvertently strip a patent owner of constitutional standing to sue over a patent pledged as collateral, say Joseph Marinelli and Suet L. Lee at Irwin IP.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Monsanto Ducks Roundup Case As Philly Plaintiff Withdraws

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A plaintiff in the Philadelphia Roundup weedkiller mass tort has voluntarily discontinued her case against Monsanto after a city judge granted summary judgment on all but one claim, letting the Bayer AG unit off the hook in the suit, at least temporarily, about a week before it was slated to go before a jury.

5 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Biden's New Picks Include NC Solicitor General For 4th Circ.

By Courtney Bublé

President Joe Biden announced four new judicial nominees on Wednesday, including one for the Fourth Circuit.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dechert To Close Offices In Beijing, Hong Kong, Chicago

By Tracey Read

Dechert LLP is the latest BigLaw firm to announce it is dissolving operations in Beijing and Hong Kong, and the Philadelphia-founded firm also plans to close its 12-year-old Chicago office, a Dechert spokesperson told Law360 Pulse on Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Morgan Lewis Benefit Plan Exits Atty's ERISA Suit

By James Boyle

An attorney at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP agreed to drop claims against her employee benefit plan in an Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit in Pennsylvania federal court alleging her long-term disability benefits were abruptly terminated after applying criteria irrelevant to her work.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bronx Defenders Union Braces To Strike In Less Than 3 Weeks

By Andrea Keckley

The Bronx Defenders Union's bargaining committee voted on Tuesday to authorize an unlimited unfair labor practice strike beginning the week of July 22, saying the organization's staff continue to face high attrition, unwieldy caseloads and some of the lowest pay rates of New York City's public defenders.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fox Rothschild Hires Pryor Cashman Nonprofit Leads

By Matt Perez

Fox Rothschild LLP announced Wednesday the hiring of two Pryor Cashman LLP partners for its corporate department in New York.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge OKs Bid To End FindLaw Trade Secrets Lawsuit

By Andrea Keckley

A New York federal judge has approved a deal to resolve a trade secrets dispute between West Publishing Corp. and RizeUp Media Inc. stemming from the departure of several key employees from West.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

High Court Rulings Thwart Judge Romance Suit, Firm Says

By Jack Karp

Jackson Walker LLP urged a Texas federal court Wednesday to consider its argument that two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on standing prevent a former shareholder in an engineering company from pursuing a racketeering lawsuit over a bankruptcy judge's concealed romantic relationship with an ex-firm attorney.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NC Solicitor General Faces GOP Roadblock To 4th Circ. Bench

By Courtney Bublé and Travis Bland

President Joe Biden's selection of North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park for a Fourth Circuit seat tops off a distinguished resume that includes a Harvard Law degree and a stint at Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP, but he still faces an uphill road to the bench amid pushback from Tar Heel State senators.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Promo that reads Law360 Pulse Lawyer Satisfaction Survey Promo that reads Law360 Pulse Summer Associates Survey

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

ACA Connects - America's Communications Association

Amazon.com Inc.

American Arbitration Association

American Civil Liberties Union

American Federation of Government Employees

American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations

American Immigration Council Inc.

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Apple Inc.

Arise Virtual Solutions Inc.

Assurance IQ LLC

BARBRI

BBB National Programs Inc.

Bayer AG

Broadcom Inc.

ByteDance Ltd.

CACI International Inc.

Chevron Corp.

ClearCaptions

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.

Defenders of Wildlife

DoorDash Inc.

Equifax Inc.

Fujifilm

General Dynamics Corp.

Google LLC

Immigration Reform Law Institute

Instacart

Instagram Inc.

Larsen & Toubro Ltd.

Lex Machina Inc.

LexisNexis Legal & Professional

Main Street Capital Corporation

McDermott International

Meta Platforms Inc.

Monsanto Co.

Morgan Stanley

Motorola Mobility LLC

Motorola Solutions Inc.

NASDAQ Inc.

National Congress of American Indians

National Telephone Cooperative Association

Natural Resources Defense Council

North Carolina Bar Association

Norton Healthcare Inc.

Percipient.ai Inc.

Progress Software Corp.

RELX PLC

Rivers Casino

Rush Street Gaming

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Securus Technologies Inc.

Snap Inc.

T-Mobile US Inc.

The Bronx Defenders

Thomson Reuters Corp.

TikTok Inc.

Twitter Inc.

Uniloc USA Inc.

Univ. of South Florida

Unum Group

WiAV Solutions LLC

YouTube Inc.

Zebra Technologies Corp.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Arnold & Porter

Atlas Consumer Law

Baker & Hostetler

Bandas Law Firm

Beck Redden

Bellew LLC

Bingham McCutchen

Bohrer PLLC

Boies Schiller

Bret Lusskin PA

Bursor & Fisher

Calfee Halter

Carson & Noel

Cozen O'Connor

DLA Piper

Debevoise & Plimpton

Dechert LLP

Dentons

Epstein Becker

Fox Rothschild

Freedman Normand

Freshfields

Gibbons PC

Gibson Dunn

Gillam Smith

Gimbel Reilly

Goodwin Procter

Gupta Wessler

Habush Habush

Haynes & Boone

Hogan Lovells

Hueston Hennigan

Irwin IP

Jackson Walker LLP

Jones Day

K&L Gates

Katten Muchin

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis

Kline & Specter

Labaton Keller

Latham & Watkins

Levi & Korsinsky

Linklaters LLP

Marino Tortorella

Merman Law Firm PC

Milberg Coleman

Morgan Lewis

O'Melveny & Myers

Orrick Herrington

PV Law LLP

Paul Weiss

Perkins Coie

Pomerantz LLP

Post & Schell

Poynter Law Group

Pritzker Levine

Pryor Cashman

Quinn Emanuel

Red Eagle Law

Rosen Law Firm PA

Rusty Hardin & Associates

Salmanson Goldshaw

Schuckit & Associates

Scott D. Owens PA

Seyfarth Shaw

Shook Hardy

Silver Golub

Skadden Arps

Stein Saks

Steptoe LLP

Stris & Maher

The Bagley Law Firm

Tillotson Johnson

Varnell & Warwick

Walsh Pizzi

Webb Daniel Friedlander

Weil Gotshal

Wigdor LLP

Winston & Strawn

Wisler Pearlstine

Yetter Coleman

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Bureau of Labor Statistics

European Commission

Executive Office of the President

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Food and Drug Administration

Illinois Supreme Court

Korea Fair Trade Commission

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia

Texas Attorney General's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey

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

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Department of State

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. Government Accountability Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Supreme Court

Wage and Hour Division