Texas closed out the year with blockbuster rulings on social media companies’ use of biometric data and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s expanded definition of a dealer. Here are the biggest decisions out of Texas that topped Law360’s radar this year.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2024 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

Analysis

The Top Cases Of 2024 In Texas: Year In Review

By Spencer Brewer

Texas closed out the year with blockbuster rulings on social media companies’ use of biometric data and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s expanded definition of a dealer. Here are the biggest decisions out of Texas that topped Law360’s radar this year.

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Texas AG Blocks Roberson Legislative Testimony

By Madeline Lyskawa

Texas state representatives on Friday slammed Attorney General Ken Paxton's last-minute effort to block testimony from a man on death row after his 2-year-old daughter died from what was diagnosed as shaken baby syndrome.

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Another Texas Judge Exits X's Advertising Boycott Suit

By Lauren Berg

The second Texas judge to oversee litigation filed by Elon Musk's X Corp. accusing the World Federation of Advertisers and others of conspiring to withhold advertising revenue from the company has recused himself from the case.

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Legislators Key To Court Fee Relief, Chief Justices Say

By Cara Salvatore

Two state high court chief justices and a top judicial administrator have told the National Center for State Courts that while they've been able to make significant progress in abolishing unfair court fines and fees, lawmakers have been vital in enacting these changes.

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Interview

SEC's Dealer Rule Loss Is A Lesson To Regulators, Atty Says

By Aislinn Keely

A Sullivan & Cromwell LLP attorney who successfully litigated a crypto industry challenge to vacate a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule expanding the definition of dealer said the Texas federal judge's decision is another block in the recent chain of court decisions warning federal agencies to refrain from stretching old statutory terms to reach new contexts that aren't clearly within their authority.

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ENFORCEMENT

SEC Fines Entergy $12M Over Alleged Accounting Errors

By Jessica Corso

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday announced a $12 million settlement with Entergy Corp. over claims that the company failed to properly account for what may have been hundreds of millions of dollars in unusable or surplus equipment.

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LITIGATION

Watchlist Flouts Justices' Major-Questions Ruling, Petition Says

By Tom Lotshaw

Four individuals backed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the government's terrorist watchlist, saying a Fifth Circuit ruling affirming its legality eviscerated the justices' major questions doctrine.

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Buzbee Pans Jay-Z's 'Astonishing' Sanctions Bid In Diddy Suit

By Rachel Scharf

Personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee urged a Manhattan federal judge on Friday to reject Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter's "astonishing request" to change the rules for a sanctions motion in rape litigation against the rapper and Sean "Diddy" Combs, saying the "rich, famous and powerful" must obey the same restrictions as everyone else.

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Startup Defends AI Antitrust Suit Against Nvidia, Microsoft

By Jared Foretek

Tech startup Xockets defended its monopoly and patent infringement suit against Nvidia and Microsoft Thursday, telling a Texas federal judge that the tech behemoths' motion to dismiss is part of the "standard game plan" when a smaller patent holder alleges infringement by the industry's top players.

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Analysis

A Look Back At 2024's Major Securities Litigation Moments

By Katryna Perera

The private securities litigation bar experienced a busy 2024, with meaningful and significant rulings in almost all of the nation's leading courts, and corporations, investors, government agencies and executives fighting over pay packages, disclosures, class certifications and mergers.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Analysis

The Most Significant Trade Secrets Cases Of 2024

By Ivan Moreno

Insulet Corp. became the latest company to notch a colossal trade secrets award, and a new presidential administration has attorneys wondering what will become of the Federal Trade Commission's pending proposal to ban employee noncompete agreements. Here's a look at trade secrets cases that defined 2024 and what to expect from the FTC in the coming year.

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Asus Can't Overturn $660K Patent Verdict At Fed. Circ.

By Andrew Karpan

Federal Circuit judges were unpersuaded Friday to do anything about an almost $660,000 jury verdict against laptop maker Asus, deciding that the Taiwanese electronics business was largely too late to ask questions about the ownership of a patent developed by a defunct chipmaker over two decades ago.

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Samsung Contractor Still Partly On Hook In Patent Suit

By Adam Lidgett

A California federal judge has partially denied a Samsung contractor's attempt to beat a suit alleging two of its products infringe a pair of technology patents, only agreeing to narrow which claims can move to trial.

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PEOPLE

Jackson Lewis Immigration Ace Jumps To Dickinson Wright

By Madison Arnold

A former equity partner at Jackson Lewis PC with experience in complex immigration matters has joined Dickinson Wright PLLC's Austin, Texas, office as an of counsel.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.

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Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

MoFo, Irell Latest Firms To Unveil Competitive Bonuses

By Aebra Coe & Hailey Konnath

Morrison Foerster LLP and litigation boutique Irell & Manella LLP have joined a chorus of firms announcing associate bonuses that meet or exceed the BigLaw standard for associate bonuses this year, with MoFo offering up to $218,200 and Irell handing its lawyers as much as $175,000.

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Approach The Bench: What Judges Had To Say This Year

By Cara Bayles

Jurists weighed the benefits of partisan elections, praised innovations in telehearings and worried about the future of the profession in nearly a dozen interviews with Law360 this year.

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Gunster $8.5M Data Breach Deal Needs More Info, Judge Says

By Matt Perez

A Florida federal judge this week denied preliminary approval of an $8.5 million settlement in a data breach class action against Gunster and demanded more information on payouts, the plaintiffs' standing in the case and a historical breakdown of settlement rates.

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NJ Bar's Diversity Plan Isn't Biased, Panel Says

By Tracey Read

A New Jersey state appeals court reversed and remanded on Friday a lower court's ruling that found the state bar association's diversity practices to be an unlawful, discriminatory quota system.

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Analysis

How Lawyers May Sue The Trump Administration … Again

By Cara Bayles

During the last Trump administration, BigLaw firms challenged White House policies, focusing on immigration, environmental regulations and healthcare. This time around, attorneys could rely on old tools, and some new tactics, to stall the executive branch.

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Biden Exceeds Trump's Record On Judges By One

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate confirmed on Friday the last two judicial nominations from President Joe Biden, making his total of lifetime judicial appointments 235, just one over President Donald Trump's 234.

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High Court Bar's Future: Williams & Connolly's Sarah Harris

By Katie Buehler

Sarah M. Harris of Williams & Connolly LLP never planned on being a U.S. Supreme Court advocate, or even an appellate one. She stumbled upon that career path after realizing her initial goal of becoming a national security or government lawyer wasn't the right fit.

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No, Microsoft Isn't Driving DOJ's Google Antitrust Suit: Judge

By Bryan Koenig

A D.C. federal judge pushed back Friday on Google's efforts to paint Microsoft as the true plaintiff in the Justice Department's search monopolization lawsuit, casting doubt during a hearing that Google should get even more information about Microsoft's relationship with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

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Feature

Litigator On The Roof: The Acting, Singing Mass. Solicitor

By Chris Villani

The top appellate lawyer in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General will be ringing in the new year by performing a comical cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, the latest show in a lengthy side career in music.

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Hagens Berman Settles Suit Over Effexor Deal Atty Fees

By Bryan Koenig

A pharmaceutical reseller's in-house counsel and founder moved Friday to drop a Mississippi federal court breach of contract suit accusing Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP of stiffing him on his share of a $13 million attorney fees award from an antitrust class settlement, citing a resolution to the dispute.

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Girardi's Mental Health To Be Evaluated At NC Federal Prison

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge said Friday she will order Tom Girardi to receive a psychiatric evaluation at a North Carolina federal correctional facility after she recently delayed his wire fraud sentencing to determine if he should be committed to a medical facility instead of prison due to his dementia diagnosis.

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Q&A

A Judge Reflects: West Wing Call, 'Alford Plea?' Early Exit

By Hayley Fowler

When Chief Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III of the North Carolina Business Court hangs up his robes for the last time on Dec. 31, he'll leave behind a white-hot docket of high-profile cases and a profusion of opinions that helped mold the court into a tribunal fit to rival Delaware's Court of Chancery.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Andrea Keckley

This week's Legal Lions leader comes from the public sector, as federal prosecutors secured a $650 million settlement from McKinsey & Co. to resolve a lawsuit over the consulting giant's role in Purdue Pharma's promotion of OxyContin.

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UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Max Austin

This past week in London has seen the University of Southampton sue a drone-maker over the rights to an uncrewed aircraft patent, Importers Service Corp. and its subsidiary ISC Europe take action against a former director who allegedly owes the company over £1.1 million ($1.4 million), and DAC Beachcroft face a fraud claim by a "prolific litigant." 

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

AVA Law Group

Addleshaw Goddard

Ahmad Zavitsanos

Akerman LLP

Alston & Bird

American Center for Law & Justice Inc.

Amin Turocy

Andrews & Springer

Armstrong Teasdale

Arnold & Porter

Banie & Ishimoto

Barrett Law Group

Blacks Solicitors

Bradley Arant

Brito PLLC

Buzbee Law Firm

CMS Cameron McKenna

Cantey Hanger

Charles Russell Speechlys

Choate Hall

Covington & Burling

Cravath Swaine

Curis Law

DAC Beachcroft

DLA Piper

Dacus Law Firm

Davis Wright Tremaine

Dechert LLP

Dhillon Law Group

Dickinson Wright

Duane Morris

Dunbar Harder

Faegre Drinker

Fenchurch Law

Fieldfisher

Fisher & Phillips

Folio Law Group

Forsters LLP

Fried Frank

Friedman Oster

Gatehouse Chambers

Gibbons PC

Gibson Dunn

Girardi & Keese

Glancy Prongay

Glenn Agre

Goodwin Procter

Gowling WLG

Gunster Yoakley

Gupta Wessler

Hadsell Stormer

Hagens Berman

Halunen Law

Haynes & Boone

Hogan Lovells

Holman Fenwick

Holwell Shuster

Hueston Hennigan

Hugh James

Irell & Manella

Jackson Lewis PC

Jenner & Block

Jones Day

Kaufman Dolowich

Keker Van Nest & Peters

Kelly Hart

Kemp Smith

Kilpatrick Townsend

Kirkland & Ellis

Kutak Rock

Labaton Keller

Latham & Watkins

Law Office of Rajeh A. Saadeh

Locke Lord

Mayer Brown

Milbank LLP

Morgan & Morgan

Morgan Lewis

Morrison Foerster

Mounce Green

Nabarro LLP

Norton Rose

O'Melveny & Myers

Offit Kurman

Orrick Herrington

Patterson Belknap

Paul Weiss

Paynter Law Firm

Perkins Coie

Quinn Emanuel

Reynolds Porter

Robbins Geller

Robins Kaplan

Robinson Bradshaw

Ropes & Gray

Ross Aronstam

Roythornes Solicitors

Sanford Heisler

Sheppard Mullin

Sidley Austin

Skadden Arps

Spector Constant & Williams

Sullivan & Cromwell

TLT LLP

Trenk Isabel

Trowers & Hamlins

Vartabedian Hester

Vinson & Elkins

Ward Hadaway

White & Case

Wiley Rein

Wilkinson Stekloff

Williams & Connolly

WilmerHale

Wilson Sonsini

Winstead PC

Winston & Strawn

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

Amalgamated Bank

American Civil Liberties Union

American Constitution Society

Appian Corp.

Apple Inc.

Applied Materials Inc.

Atlantic Coast Conference

BNP Paribas SA

Bank of America Corp.

Beazley PLC

Boy Scouts of America

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

British American Tobacco PLC

CVS Health Corp.

Cincinnati Financial Corp.

Curis Inc.

Dell Technologies Inc.

Democracy Forward Foundation

Duke Energy Corp.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc.

Entergy Corp.

Essity AB

Evercore Inc.

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Federalist Society

FibroGen Inc.

GP Global

Google LLC

Gulf Petrochem FZC

Hytera

Inovalon Holdings Inc.

Insulet Corp.

Insulet Corporation

Judicial Watch Inc.

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals Inc.

Lambda Legal Defense & Educational Fund

LinkedIn Corp.

Macquarie Group Ltd.

Macquarie Infrastructure Corp.

Managed Funds Association

Mars Inc.

Match.com Inc.

McKinsey & Co. Inc.

Meadow

Meta Platforms Inc.

Microsoft Corp.

Motorola Mobility LLC

Motorola Solutions Inc.

Mozilla Corp.

NBCUniversal Media LLC

NVIDIA Corp.

Natixis SA

New Jersey State Bar Association

Nordic Capital Ltd.

Our Children's Trust

Pegasystems Inc.

Pfizer Inc.

Phillips 66

Princeton University

Purdue Pharma LP

ROC Nation LLC

RPX Corp.

RWE AG

Reynolds American Inc.

Rocket Cos.

Ryan LLC

Saint-Gobain SA

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Sharp Corp.

Spotify Technology SA

Starr International Co. Inc.

Tellabs, Inc.

Tesla Inc.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

The New York Times Co.

The Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC

The State University of New York

The Walt Disney Co.

TikTok Inc.

TransUnion LLC

Twitter Inc.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Unilever PLC

United Steelworkers

UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Valero Energy Corp.

Walmart Inc.

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

Wells Fargo & Co.

Western Environmental Law Center

World Economic Forum

Zillow Group Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Arkansas Teacher Retirement System

Central Intelligence Agency

Circuit Court of Fairfax County

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Companies House

Dallas County, Texas

Delaware Court of Chancery

European Union

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Trade Commission

Georgia Court of Appeals

Internal Revenue Service

Ohio Supreme Court

Public Utility Commission of Texas

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Texas Health and Human Services Commission

Texas House of Representatives

Texas Legislature

Texas Supreme Court

The Crown Prosecution Service

Transportation Security Administration

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

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

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

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

U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

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

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 Texas

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 Mississippi

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

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

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

UK High Court

US Office of Management and Budget