Today's Legal Pulse
UK pushes commonhold reform to boost housing supply
The Draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill proposes abolishing leasehold and mandating new homes be sold as commonhold, tying the change to a target of delivering 1.5 million homes annually—the highest since 1968. The model remains untested, with fewer than 25 developments and unresolved issues around dispute resolution.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
Norway, Turkiye, Malaysia Pursue Social Media Age Restriction
Norway, Turkey and Malaysia are moving to impose minimum‑age limits on social‑media use, with thresholds of 16, 15 and 16 respectively. Norway’s bill ties the cutoff to the year a child turns 16 and proposes biometric age‑assurance, while Turkey plans a government‑run login portal for users 15 and older. Malaysia is set to introduce tiered controls based on platform risk, targeting 16‑year‑olds by June. The initiatives highlight a global push for stricter digital‑safety rules amid concerns over enforcement and potential misuse for broader censorship.
Musk Vs. Altman: Burning Man, a ‘Diary,’ and a Trial Almost No One Thinks Musk Can Win
Elon Musk has filed a $130 billion lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, alleging fraud after the nonprofit’s core technology was spun into a for‑profit subsidiary now valued near $1 trillion. Musk, who contributed roughly $38 million to OpenAI’s early funding, seeks to...
Wisconsin Reins in Assignment of Benefits- What Property Insurers Need to Know Before December 1, 2026
Wisconsin Governor Evers signed Senate Bill 531, creating Wis. Act 230 and § 632.11, which regulates assignments of benefits in first‑party property insurance. The statute limits contractors to suing only the insurer, grants insurers the insured’s rights against contractors, and caps bad‑faith claims to...
Building Lasting IP Protection
The article argues that companies typically treat patents, trademarks and trade secrets as separate assets, yet a unified IP strategy yields stronger, longer‑lasting protection. It explains how patents safeguard a product’s functional aspects, trade secrets conceal the manufacturing process, and...
Vorys Benefits Brief: What Employers Need to Know About Voluntary Benefits Litigation
Class actions are targeting employers that offer employee‑paid voluntary benefits such as supplemental hospital, fixed indemnity, and critical‑illness insurance. Plaintiffs claim employers breached ERISA fiduciary duties because brokers received excessive commissions, turning the benefits into prohibited transactions. The lawsuits hinge...
“Sustainably Caught” And the Expanding Risk of Food Marketing Claims
A putative class action filed in the Central District of California alleges Target’s “Good & Gather” tuna marketed as “sustainably caught” misleads consumers. The complaint invokes California’s Unfair Competition Law, False Advertising Law and Consumers Legal Remedies Act, arguing the claim inflates...
Tax Loophole Law Pushes Wealthy Out, Drains California
Yes, so take out your anger on them by passing a law that is easy for them to avoid by moving to another state which: A) erodes a recurring revenue base for California public services and B) helps their power and wealth grow...
Restitution of Nazi-Looted Modigliani Painting Ends 11-Year Court Battle
A New York State Supreme Court judge ordered the restitution of Amedeo Modigliani’s 1918 "Seated Man with a Cane" to the heirs of Oscar Stettiner, ending an 11‑year legal battle and highlighting the reach of the 2025 Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery...
NRC Unveils Part 57: A Streamlined Path for High-Volume Microreactor Licensing
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed Part 57, a new licensing framework that streamlines approval for high‑volume microreactors. The rule could shrink construction‑permit and operating‑license timelines to six months‑one year and generate $3.8‑$11.8 billion in industry savings. It introduces fleet‑licensing, limited...
What's Trending in Trademarks: April 2026
April 2026 saw a wave of trademark battles centered on AI‑driven brands. A federal judge questioned OpenAI’s promise not to use the “io” mark, extending a restraining order that could stall its hardware launch, while a court rejected Temu’s safe‑harbor...
Ohio Supreme Court Rejects Adverse Possession Claim Built on Lawn Care
The Ohio Supreme Court reversed lower‑court rulings that had granted NC Enterprises ownership of two Norfolk Southern Railway parcels, holding that two decades of lawn care does not satisfy Ohio’s adverse‑possession requirements. The court emphasized that the “open and notorious”...
AI Regulation Set to Become US Midterm Battleground
AI regulation is emerging as a central issue in the 2026 U.S. midterm race, with Republicans championing federal preemption of state AI laws and Democrats pushing a federal baseline that preserves stronger state protections. The debate is framed as a...
Federal Circuit Clarifies Written Description and Enablement Standards for Method-of-Treatment Patent Claims Using a Well-Known Antibody Genus
On April 16, 2026, the Federal Circuit reversed a district‑court ruling and held that Teva’s method‑of‑treatment patents for treating headache with anti‑CGRP antagonist antibodies met the written‑description and enablement requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 112. The court distinguished the Supreme Court’s Amgen decision,...
Court Voids Blue Origin's Arbitration Clause over Four Unconscionable Elements
On April 24, the California Court of Appeal declared Blue Origin's standard employment arbitration clause void, finding it unconscionable on four grounds. The agreement’s scope covered any claim against the company, even unrelated incidents, and forced all employee‑initiated claims into...
Virginia’s New Paid Family and Medical Leave Law Is Not Just FMLA with Pay Added
Virginia enacted a statewide paid family and medical leave (PFML) program on April 22, 2026, with benefits starting Dec 1, 2028. The Virginia Employment Commission will collect payroll contributions beginning April 1, 2028 to fund up to 12 weeks of leave at 80% of average weekly...
Payroll Errors Force Jack in the Box Into Wage Class Retrial
The Ninth Circuit sent Jack in the Box’s $5.3 million wage‑penalty class action back to trial after finding the payroll over‑deductions were not willful and the penalty ratio may breach due‑process. The case stems from a tiny 0.1‑0.4 cent‑per‑hour deduction error...
Ex-LPL Broker Dinged for Unreported Work With Streaming Company
FINRA fined former LPL broker James R. Ptacek $5,000 and imposed a 45‑day suspension after he failed to disclose his role as treasurer and board member of an undisclosed streaming platform. The breach violated FINRA’s rule requiring prior firm approval...
Africa’s Imitation Game in Competition Law
African competition agencies are importing EU‑style digital rules—such as gatekeeper provisions from the EU Digital Markets Act—while lacking the staff, expertise, and judicial capacity to enforce them. Nigeria’s FCCPC fined Meta and a Lagos court held the platform liable for...
People Using AI to Represent Themselves in Court Are Clogging the System
A new pre‑print study finds that generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude have sparked a sharp rise in self‑represented (pro se) federal civil cases, climbing from a stable 11 % share before 2022 to 16.8 % in 2025. The research,...
Toshiba Must Face Race Discrimination Suit After Court Partly Rejects Dismissal Bid
A North Carolina federal court denied Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions' motion to dismiss federal race‑discrimination and retaliation claims brought by former employee Casim Noble. While the court tossed the state‑law claim and removed seven individual executives from the case, Toshiba...
Classified Intel, Crypto and a Special Forces Sergeant- The CFTC’s First Insider Trading Case in Prediction Markets
The CFTC filed its first insider‑trading case in prediction markets, charging active‑duty Army Special Forces Master Sergeant Gannon Ken Van Dyke with fraud, manipulation and misuse of classified government information. Van Dyke allegedly used non‑public intel about a planned U.S....
The Supreme Court Killed the Clean Power Plan — and Public Confidence
On April 18, 2026, internal memos revealed that the U.S. Supreme Court abruptly stayed the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) using its shadow docket, without issuing a detailed opinion. The CPP, designed to cut power‑sector carbon dioxide emissions,...
Supreme Court Split Over Bayer’s Fight Against Roundup Lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Bayer AG’s bid to block state lawsuits alleging its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, revealing a split among the justices. Bayer contends that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) preempts state‑law failure‑to‑warn...
Court Rejects Wrongful Termination Claim Against UC Health After HIPAA Report
An Ohio appellate court affirmed UC Health's decision to fire social worker Danielle Drake after she accessed a patient’s protected health information to report a suspected HIPAA breach. The court found the employer had a legitimate business justification, noting Drake’s...
Exploring Potential Antitrust Risks for Quantum Computing
The article warns that quantum computing’s emerging ecosystem faces classic antitrust challenges despite its futuristic veneer. Vertically‑integrated quantum stacks enable firms to favor their own hardware and software, raising self‑preferencing concerns. Competing standards for languages, intermediate representations, and hardware interfaces...
Why Patent Reexaminations Are Experiencing a Resurgence
Patent reexaminations, once viewed as a fallback, are resurging as a primary post‑grant tool. The shift is driven by rising PTAB institution denials for IPRs, lower cost and faster timelines of ex parte reexamination, and the absence of statutory estoppel....
Section 2 Antitrust Claims Used to Be Sure Losers. Why Are They Suddenly Winning?
Recent antitrust victories against Live Nation, Google Search, and Google’s ad‑tech business have hinged on the rarely invoked Section 2 of the Sherman Act. Historically, Section 2 was reserved for classic monopoly cases, yet state attorneys general and the DOJ successfully framed...
Disclosure Duty of Listed Companies
First Gen Corp, a Philippine‑listed firm, delayed disclosing two contract provisions with Prime Infrastructure Corp for six and two months, respectively, prompting a shareholder group to request an investigation by the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) and the Securities and Exchange...
Money Launderer for Crypto Thieves Given 5-Year Sentence
A California man, 22‑year‑old Evan Tangeman, received a 70‑month prison term for laundering at least $3.5 million of cryptocurrency stolen by the Social Engineering Enterprise, a cyber‑criminal group that stole roughly $260 million from high‑value crypto owners. Tangeman used fake identities to...
Guide to Translating German Birth Certificates and Diplomas
German birth certificates and diplomas require precise, certified English translations for immigration, university admission, and credential evaluation. USCIS mandates a full translation accompanied by a translator’s certification, while the U.S. Department of State insists on submitting the original document with...
Trump Uses Assassination Try to Justify Expanding Spying Powers
President Donald Trump used the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting to argue for extending Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is set to expire Thursday. Section 702 allows the U.S. intelligence community to collect foreign communications without a...
Judge Reaffirms: EEOC May Subpoena Penn's Records as to "Jewish-Related Organizations" (And Others) in Investigation of Anti-Semitic Harassment at Penn
A federal judge in Philadelphia affirmed that the EEOC can enforce its subpoena demanding the University of Pennsylvania provide contact information for employees linked to Jewish‑related campus groups. The order, issued May 1, requires Penn to comply despite the university’s...
Celebrate the 2026 Canadian Law Awards Winners Next Week
The Canadian Law Awards gala will be held on May 5 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, with tickets already sold out. The ceremony will honor winners in 26 categories, selected from the Excellence Awardees shortlist announced earlier this spring. Hosted...
MrBeast Sues Canadian Company for $5M over Beast Games Production
Jimmy Donaldson’s MrBeast brand has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Toronto‑based MHQ, alleging the production company mishandled a pre‑payment for season one of the Amazon Prime Video series Beast Games. MHQ has responded with a countersuit, insisting it incurred costs and...
The Trump Administration’s Attempts to Ban Gender Affirming Care for Minors Are Illegal, by Sean M. McBride and Alexander Chen
On Dec. 18, 2025 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a proposed rule that would make gender‑affirming care for minors a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid. If finalized, hospitals that continue offering such care could...
Judge Just Noticed The Obvious Problem With Trump Suing His Own IRS For $10 Billion
Federal Judge Kathleen Williams flagged a fundamental flaw in former President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, which he effectively controls. The judge noted the lack of true adversarial parties, questioning whether a case or controversy exists under Article III....
Maine Health Care Transactions: New State Approvals Involving Some Private Equity, Hedge Funds, and MSOs
On April 13, 2026 Governor Janet Mills signed Act H.P. 1480/L.D. 2201, granting Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services authority to review health‑care transactions involving private‑equity firms, hedge funds, and related management‑services organizations (MSOs). The law creates a 180‑day pre‑closing notice requirement, annual reporting,...
Fidelity Fined $1.25 Million Over Client Data Breach
Massachusetts regulators fined Fidelity Brokerage Services $1.25 million after a breach exposed sensitive data of 77,000 clients. An unauthorized party exploited a flaw in the firm’s online document viewer, manipulating image IDs to retrieve records that included Social Security numbers, credit‑card...
A Court Decision Has Strengthened the CFPB’s Footing as Debates over Its Future Continue
A federal court ruling in April 2026 forced the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to request funding from the Federal Reserve’s earnings, interpreting “earnings” as revenues rather than profits. The decision, issued by Judges Davila and Jackson, obligates the Fed to...
READ IN FULL: Bombshell Lawsuit Targets Michael Jackson Estate With Shocking New Allegations
A newly filed lawsuit alleges Michael Jackson was a serial child predator, claiming he abused plaintiffs from ages seven or eight through gifts, lavish trips, and isolation. The complaint cites abuse occurring on global tours, at Neverland Ranch, and even...
MAC Promotes Krogh To Associate General Counsel
Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has promoted Matt Krogh to associate general counsel. Krogh, who joined MAC’s legal affairs department in 2012, previously practiced corporate, finance and transactional law at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly (now Fox Rothschild) and served as a...
Seychelles’ Case Sets Precedent for Asset Forfeiture
U.K. Magistrate Judge Sam Goozée ruled that a civil forfeiture’s six‑year limitation clock starts only when the National Crime Agency (NCA) discovers the assets, not when the last deposit is made. The decision led to the forfeiture of roughly $260,000...
Understanding FATF Recommendations: Combatting Money Laundering and Terror Financing in Global Trade
Understanding the FATF Recommendations is essential for any jurisdiction seeking to shield its financial system from money laundering and terrorist financing. The inter‑governmental body has secured commitment from over 200 countries to adopt a risk‑based framework that includes National Risk...
Supreme Court Bypasses Merits, Greenlights Texas Gerrymander
This is a new low in the use of the shadow docket. The Court blocked a lower court ruling on the so called "interim docket" (as conservatives call it). Then, quietly issued a final judgement without allowing us to even...
IRS Extends Deadline for Appealing ERC Claim Denials
The #IRS announced a new procedure to extend the time to appeal #ERC claim disallowances https://t.co/7wgIqkWo1b https://t.co/Iazwffm4Zp
Pokémon Go? More Like Pokémon No! Judge “HM01s” (Cuts) Out Patent Under 101 Despite Prosecution History
District Judge Wolson in Delaware invalidated ImagineAR’s U.S. Patent No. 10,946,284, which claims location‑based gaming methods used in titles such as Pokémon Go. The court applied the two‑step Alice/Mayo test, finding the claims abstract and lacking an inventive concept beyond conventional sensors...
3D Printing Community Battles California's Gun-Part Restriction Law
3D printing community organizes against California law that would restrict sales to state-approved models to prevent printing gun parts https://t.co/aGSLmUPCzh @stlDenise3D
Canada Expands Citizenship‑by‑descent, Opening Doors for Millions
We have a story up with @LaVjosa about the remarkable change in Canadian citizenship-by-descent rules which extends Canadian citizenship to potentially millions of people. Americans are lining up. Some moving & interesting family tales in the comments. https://t.co/aVovjhMTH6
Jeffrey Epstein and Third-Party Risk
The upcoming Ethixbase 360 webinar will use the Jeffrey Epstein scandal as a case study for third‑party risk management. It highlights how a single high‑profile individual can expose senior executives across multiple firms to reputational damage. The discussion will focus on...
UNECE Final ADS Working Group Sets Stage for WP.29
📍Bangkok 🇹🇭 Kicking off the final @UNECE Automated Driving System Informal Working Group meeting before WP.29 meeting in June when the regulatory text will be tabled. Final steps now on the interpretation document & starting the plans for version 2 of...