Today's Legal Pulse
DOJ says Title VII disparate impact liability is unconstitutional
The Office of Legal Counsel concluded that disparate impact liability under Title VII violates the Constitution. The Department of Justice echoed this view, declaring employment disparate impact rules unconstitutional.
Also developing:
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 Assessments and targeted controls on high‑risk sectors such as trade finance. Key recommendations—national coordination, sanctions, customer due diligence, monitoring of politically exposed persons, technology risk assessment, and cash‑courier oversight—directly address the vulnerabilities exploited in trade‑based money laundering (TBML) and trade‑based terrorist financing (TBTF). Implementing these standards requires continuous monitoring of high‑risk customers and transactions across borders.
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...
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...
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...
Biglaw Harassment Account Includes Maybe The Most Insane Email A Biglaw Partner Has Ever Sent An Associate
Perkins Coie counsel Breanna Philips disclosed a series of harassment incidents, including a vitriolic email from a former partner’s husband, after a rumor that she fabricated a sexual assault claim. Despite reporting the matter to HR in September 2025, an...
Samsung Sued by the ‘Original Developer of Foldable Phones,’ but a Ban Seems Unlikely
Lepton Computing, a two‑person firm that never released a product, has sued Samsung in Texas, alleging it infringed nine patents covering foldable‑phone displays, hardware, and software. The complaint targets the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Flip 3 and all later foldables, seeking damages...
Federal Circuit Reverses JMOL and Reinstates Jury Verdict in Teva V. Lilly
The U.S. Federal Circuit reversed a district‑court judgment and reinstated a $176.5 million jury verdict for Teva in its patent fight with Eli Lilly. The case centered on Teva’s patents covering methods of using antibodies to treat migraines, a market where Teva...
Tax Power Is Not Designed to Control Behavior
The Fifth Circuit ruled that the federal excise tax on home‑distilled spirits is meant solely to raise revenue, not to regulate personal behavior. The court emphasized that Congress cannot use tax power as a regulatory weapon, setting a precedent that...
From Competition to Exclusion: Can Discounts Go Too Far?
The DOJ has sued Visa, alleging its debit‑card loyalty discounts force merchants to route over 90% of transactions through Visa to earn fee rebates, effectively creating de facto exclusivity. The complaint also claims Visa neutralizes potential rivals, such as Apple, by...
Apple Store Union Files NLRB Complaint Over Closing Retaliation
The union representing Apple Store employees from a soon-to-be-closed location in Maryland filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the company of illegally discriminating against the shop’s staff. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-27/apple-store-union-staff-at-closing-location-accuse-company-of-retaliation
Trump Ballroom Lawsuit Plaintiff Rejects DOJ Demand to Drop Case After 'Assassination Attempt'
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued to block President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom, rejected a Department of Justice demand to drop the case after a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The DOJ argued the...
From Regulations to Protection: The Power of AML Directives
The European Union has issued six Anti‑Money Laundering Directives (AMLDs) since 1991, each expanding the scope and tightening requirements to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The most recent AMLD4‑6 introduced beneficial‑ownership registers, extended coverage to crypto‑assets and prepaid cards,...
The Opposition Is Growing: Eleven Organizations Seek to Intervene in Lawsuit Against Bill C-5
Eleven Canadian environmental, scientific, medical and human‑rights groups have applied to intervene in the Quebec Environmental Law Centre’s lawsuit challenging the federal Building Canada Act (Bill C‑5). The law, passed in June 2025, gives the federal government sweeping discretionary powers...
ChatGPT Now Offers Real‑time Global Compliance Data
GPT-5.5 just dropped. So did the Deel App for ChatGPT. Because a smarter model still needs accurate data. Powered by the world's largest proprietary compliance knowledge base, covering 150+ countries, maintained by hundreds of local legal experts, and updated as laws change. Whether...
A Few Thoughts on the Chatrie Oral Argument
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in *Chatrie v. United States*, a challenge to the constitutionality of geofence warrants. The Justices appeared inclined to reject the plaintiffs' claim that such warrants are categorically unconstitutional, favoring a limited, time‑and‑space‑constrained approach....
Good Job DOJ, Now The Conspiracy Theorists Have A Point
The Department of Justice quickly drafted a letter demanding that the National Trust for Historic Preservation drop its lawsuit challenging the White House ballroom redesign, citing the recent shooting at the Washington Hilton as proof of the ballroom’s security importance....
Deponent’s Use of A.I. to Answer Deposition Questions Barred; ChatGPT Was Not an Attorney
In Jones v. Delta Air Lines, the Eastern District of Michigan barred a pro se deponent from using ChatGPT to answer deposition questions, holding that the AI tool is not protected by attorney‑client privilege. The court ordered the deponent to...
Good News! 57 Right To Repair Bills Across 22 States
The Right‑to‑Repair movement has gained traction, with 57 bills introduced across 22 U.S. states this year. Nearly half of the states are now debating legislation that would force manufacturers to provide repair information and parts. Major players such as Apple,...
EU Countries Cool on Brussels Age-Check App
The European Commission unveiled a demonstration age‑verification app, dubbed a “mini‑wallet,” intended to help platforms confirm users’ ages and protect minors online. Within hours of being declared technically ready, security researchers exposed vulnerabilities, prompting the Commission to label the software...
Apple Sends a “Signal” To Law Enforcement: EDiscovery Trends
Apple disclosed and patched a logging flaw that caused iOS devices to retain push‑notification snippets of Signal messages for up to a month, even after the messages disappeared or the app was removed. The retained data allowed the FBI to...
Legal Precedent Could Legalize Charity Looting, Warns Founder
Scam Altman and Greg Stockman stole a charity. Full stop. Greg got tens of billions of stock for himself and Scam got dozens of OpenAI side deals with a piece of the action for himself, Y Combinator style. After this...
Louisiana Requires Fiduciaries of Estates and Trusts to File Income Tax Returns by 2026 Deadline
The Louisiana Department of Revenue announced that fiduciaries overseeing estates and trusts must file income tax returns by the 2026 filing deadline, a new requirement that adds a compliance layer for wealth‑management professionals and estate planners.
Milwaukee Landlord Sam Stair Arrested, Prompting Calls for Stricter Oversight
Federal agents arrested 52‑year‑old Sam Stair, owner of S2 Real Estate Group, on April 22 on multiple drug‑related charges tied to his 150‑plus rental units. City officials and tenant advocates say the case exposes a systemic failure to police negligent...
Billionaire Tax Miscounts Super‑voting Shares, Over‑taxing Founders
None of the billionaire tax coverage about Sergey Brin in Bloomberg or the NYTimes reports the most important structural detail of why he opposes it so much more than Jensen. It taxes voting shares as ownership. It taxes Page and...
Universal and Sony Must Be Allowed to See Warner’s Deal with Suno, Lawyers Tell Judge as AI Legal Battle Continues
Universal Music and Sony Music have asked a Massachusetts judge to compel Suno to disclose its licensing agreement with Warner Music. They argue the deal undermines Suno’s courtroom claim that no viable market exists for licensing sound recordings as AI...
When Your Internal HR Investigation Is on Trial: Key Case Law and Practical Lessons
Littler’s upcoming webinar will dissect recent case law on internal HR investigations, showing how courts evaluate the thoroughness and documentation of such inquiries. The session will outline practical frameworks for structuring investigations, preserving attorney‑client privilege, and mitigating retaliation claims. Speakers...
US Soldier’s $560K Bet Sparks Insider‑Trading Probe of Prediction Markets
A U.S. special‑forces soldier was charged with using classified intelligence to place a $560,000 wager on the capture of Venezuela’s former president on the Polymarket prediction platform. Prosecutors say the trade turned a modest bet into a six‑figure profit, igniting...
New Notice in a Nutshell Briefing: FCA Fines Dinosaur Merchant Bank £338,000 for Market Abuse Surveillance Failures in Its CFD...
On 24 March 2026 the UK Financial Conduct Authority issued a Final Notice to Dinosaur Merchant Bank Limited, levying a £338,000 (approximately $430,000) penalty for failing to detect and report suspicious orders in its contract‑for‑difference (CFD) business. The FCA found...
Jackson Lewis Welcomes Joseph M. Wientge Jr. As Principal in St. Louis
Jackson Lewis P.C. announced that Joseph M. Wientge Jr. has joined its St. Louis office as a principal. Wientge comes from Littler Mendelson, where he was a shareholder and co‑chair of the Arbitration practice. He brings more than 20 years...
Supreme Court Turns Down a Third Case Over Schools’ Gender Identity Policies
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a third challenge to school gender‑identity policies, refusing to hear the Florida Littlejohn case after declining similar suits from Massachusetts and Maine. The denial leaves the contentious debate over parental notification versus student privacy unresolved,...
Sullivan & Worcester Partner Sees TRS Structure as Simpler, More Flexible Alternative for REITs
Sarah Wellings, partner at Sullivan & Worcester, told Nareit’s REITwise conference that taxable REIT subsidiaries (TRSs) provide a simpler, more flexible alternative to using independent contractors for non‑customary services, cutting compliance risk. She explained that routing asset sales through a...
Kessler Topaz Launches Securities Fraud Probe Into Sportradar After Muddy Waters Report
Law firm Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP has opened a securities‑fraud investigation into Sportradar Group AG after Muddy Waters Research accused the company of facilitating illegal gambling. The allegations sent Sportradar’s shares down more than 22%, prompting the firm...
A Comprehensive New Book Exposes One of the Worst Pieces of the Modern Legal System
Former federal prosecutor Brendan Ballou’s new book, *When Companies Run the Courts*, reveals how forced arbitration has supplanted public lawsuits, channeling disputes into a secretive system that favors corporations. The author details how repeat‑hired arbitrators, costly fees, and confidentiality erode consumer...
The Big Impacts of Small Dust Particles
Researchers at UC Merced and the statewide UC Dust Team are documenting how fine dust particles affect health, safety and the environment across California. Their studies link airborne dust to respiratory illnesses, increased car‑accident rates during dust storms, livestock injuries,...
Self‑Driving Cars Deny Drivers Due Process
In America, we have a thing called due process. This quite literally strips out due process from our day-to-day lives as Americans. There should be a lawsuit and it should be put before the Supreme Court. There’s no way this...
The California DMV Profits From Impounded Car Auctions. State Lawmakers Want to Change That
The California DMV has generated over $8 million by auctioning roughly 5,300 impounded vehicles between 2016 and 2024, keeping any surplus after lien holders are paid without notifying owners. Current law lets unclaimed surplus revert to the state after three years....
Former LiveNation Exec Says He Was Fired After Raising Concerns Over Business Practices
A former senior executive at Live Nation filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleging he was unlawfully terminated after raising concerns about the company’s financial practices. The ex‑executive says he sounded a "serious and legitimate alarm" over...
An Endangered Species Act Exemption Reveals Distrust of Process, Congress, and Courts, by Erika B. Kranz and Andrew C. Mergen
On March 31, 2026 the Endangered Species Committee—known as the “God Squad”—met for 15 minutes and granted a national‑security exemption allowing oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico despite a NOAA finding that the activities threatened the endangered...
Rural Hoosiers Lean on the Law to Fight Drones
Indiana rural residents are turning to state law to curb drone misuse after reports of drones tracking deer for poachers, hovering over chicken coops, and unsettling locals. Conservation officers prosecuted two cousins in the first criminal case under Indiana's 2016...
What Vietnam’s AI Law Teaches Us
Vietnam enacted its first standalone AI law on March 1, 2026, creating a risk‑based tiered framework that mirrors the EU AI Act but emphasizes national security and data sovereignty. The law bans "unacceptable" systems, subjects high‑risk applications in health, education and finance...
QVC’s Chapter 11 Filing and the Continuing D&O Coverage Challenges in Bankruptcy
QVC Group, Inc. filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 petition in April 2026, citing declining TV viewership, rising costs and heavy leverage. The restructuring plan includes up to $300 million of debtor‑in‑possession financing and $281 million of letters of credit, up from $108 million a year...
China’s Manus Block Signals AI Software Now Under Scrutiny
China is blocking the Manus acquisition by Meta. A few things stand out: - China has historically been more opaque and less public in restricting foreign acquisitions of Chinese tech assets, while the US (CFIUS) has been more explicit and aggressive...
Ex‑CEO’s Amicus Brief Calls Polymarket Case Gambling, Not Fraud
Amicus brief just came in on the Polymarket Maduro insider trading case... and it's the former CEO of a real estate startup arguing that the case must be dismissed because the defendant should be charged with illegal gambling and not...
SCOTUS Summarily Reverses Three-Judge Panel In Mandatory Jurisdiction Case Based On Earlier Shadow Docket Ruling In Same Case
The U.S. Supreme Court issued an unprecedented order reversing a three‑judge district court’s preliminary injunction against Texas’s 2026 redistricting plan. The reversal was based on an emergency stay the Court granted earlier on its shadow docket, effectively nullifying the lower...
Legal Week: $40M Partner Pay, Resignations, Appellate Shuffle
In the latest Judicial Notice, my weekly legal news roundup: - partner pay hits $40 million (yes, a year) - appellate advocates play musical chairs - a prominent jurist reveals his resignation - S&C's no good, very bad week LINK: https://t.co/Kojlm7ReEC https://t.co/isQeInLBbt
A Long-Running Case Centering on Alleged Robert Indiana Forgeries Is Resolved with a $102 M. Settlement
A New York jury concluded an eight‑year lawsuit by the Morgan Art Foundation, finding publisher Michael McKenzie liable for creating unauthorized and altered versions of Robert Indiana’s iconic works, including the famed LOVE series. The jury awarded the foundation $102.2 million...
Microsoft Facing UK Antitrust Lawsuit From Slack Over Teams ‘Bundling’
Slack and its parent Salesforce have filed a lawsuit in London’s High Court accusing Microsoft of anticompetitive bundling of its Teams app with Office. The complaint alleges that tying Teams to Office limits customer choice and harms rivals in the...
SymphonyAI Agents Cut Sanctions Workload by 90%
SymphonyAI’s Risk Intelligence (SRI) platform deployed AI‑driven agents for a major U.S. bank, cutting manual sanctions‑screening effort by 90% and slashing alert review time tenfold in a proof‑of‑concept. The agents reduced false positives by 99% and achieved over 98% agreement...
Musk Appeals Dismissal Of Ad Boycott Suit Against WFA, Others
Elon Musk's X Corp. is appealing a federal judge's dismissal of its antitrust lawsuit accusing the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and ten major brands of orchestrating an ad‑boycott that allegedly cost X billions in revenue. The suit, filed in...
Anthropic IPO Could Spark Lawsuits for Microsoft, OpenAI
By the time #Anthropic files #IPO, how many lawsuits will $MSFT & #OpenAI be involved in ?