Today's Legal Pulse
Biden sues DOJ to block release of interview audio
President Biden filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Department of Justice from publishing an audio interview, arguing the release would be improper. The action has sparked political commentary, including remarks from former President Trump.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader clear final merger hurdles
Groups Sue Administration Over Approval Of Ultra-Deepwater Oil Drilling Project In Gulf
Five Gulf and environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for approving BP’s Kaskida ultra‑deepwater drilling project, the first new Gulf oilfield since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The suit claims BP failed to provide adequate safety data, underestimated worst‑case spill volumes, and seeks to drill as deep as six miles below the sea floor—far deeper than the fatal well. The administration’s broader rollbacks of well‑control rules and endangered‑species protections amplify concerns that a repeat of the 2010 spill is possible, threatening coastal economies and ecosystems.
Texas Business Court’s Expanded Jurisdiction Under HB 40 – What It Means for Small and Mid-Sized Texas Business
Texas House Bill 40, effective September 1 2025, expands the Texas Business Court by lowering the amount‑in‑controversy threshold to $5 million, adding intellectual‑property and technology claims, and granting jurisdiction over arbitration‑related disputes. The bill also permits parties to transfer pre‑September 2024 cases into the...
Canadian Medic Ordered to Pay $6K in Discipline for Antisemitic Social Media Posts
Winnipeg paramedic Saru Chahal was reprimanded by the College of Paramedics of Manitoba and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus $5,000 in costs for antisemitic social‑media posts made after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack. The posts portrayed Hamas fighters positively,...
Hong Kong Exchange Tightens Rules to Avoid Auditor Shopping
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. announced that listed companies must now obtain shareholder approval at a general meeting to appoint or remove auditors, and must disclose audit fees or fee ranges. The rule treats any auditor resignation triggered by...
DOJ’s UnitedHealth-Amedisys Deal Remedy Keeps Healthcare Antitrust in Focus
The U.S. Department of Justice reached a settlement with UnitedHealth Group over its proposed acquisition of Amedisys, requiring the sale of substantial assets to address antitrust concerns in home health and hospice markets. The agreement, backed by a coalition of...
Estate Planning Lessons From Tony Hsieh's Contested $500M Will
Tony Hsieh, the Zappos founder, died in 2020 leaving an estimated $500 million estate with no documented will. In early 2025 a seven‑page document allegedly signed by Hsieh in Pakistan and witnessed by non‑existent individuals surfaced and is now before a...
Fed Faults Georgia Bank over Government Lending Program
The Federal Reserve issued a cease‑and‑desist order to Community Bankshares, the holding company of Community Bank & Trust in LaGrange, Georgia, citing deficiencies in board oversight, capital adequacy, and compliance with affiliate‑transaction rules. The order stems from the bank’s aggressive...
FCA Publishes Findings in Relation to Market Soundings in UK Equity Capital Markets
The FCA released a review of market soundings in UK equity capital markets, analysing transactions over £50 million (about $63 million) that ran between January 2023 and June 2025. It found that trading volumes fell roughly 13% during the sounding window, while key quality...
Election Officials Left in Limbo as State Leaders Contemplate Next Steps for Ballot QR Codes
Georgia’s 2024 law prohibits using QR codes on ballots after July 1, yet the legislature failed to allocate funds or extend the deadline, leaving counties without a clear path forward. Governor Brian Kemp may convene a special session, but timing conflicts...
Richard Baker Claps Back, Moves to Quash Subpoena in Saks Global Bankruptcy Case
Former Saks Global executive chairman Richard Baker is contesting a creditor‑driven subpoena in the retailer’s Chapter 11 case. Baker claims he has been locked out of his company email and hardware since the bankruptcy filing on Jan. 13‑14, limiting his ability to...
Michigan Bill Requires Human Trafficking Hotlines Be Posted in Hotels
Michigan’s Senate has advanced Bill 481, which would require every hotel and motel in the state to display the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline number. The measure follows a 2024 report identifying 340 trafficking cases and 585 victims in...
Legal Prep Prevents Probate Real Estate Nightmares
I spent 25 years in courtrooms arguing over real estate that someone should have sold correctly the first time. Contested probate sales. Disputed trust distributions. Beneficiary lawsuits against executors. Almost every case I litigated had the same root cause — someone moved...
SEC and CFTC Jointly Propose Amendments to Reduce Private Fund Reporting Burdens
The SEC and CFTC have jointly proposed amendments to Form PF that raise filing thresholds and streamline reporting requirements for private‑fund advisers. The filing threshold would jump from $150 million to $1 billion in assets, eliminating the obligation for roughly half of current...
Court Ruling in Amazon-Perplexity Case Raises New Questions for Agentic AI in Enterprise Systems
A U.S. federal court in Northern California issued a preliminary injunction in Amazon.com Services LLC v. Perplexity AI, holding that AI agents accessing password‑protected platforms without explicit platform permission may violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California’s data‑access...
Chad Fitzgerald Joins Greenberg Glusker As Partner
Chad R. Fitzgerald has become a partner in the Litigation Department of Greenberg Glusker, one of Hollywood’s leading law firms. He arrives after nearly two decades at Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir, most famously securing a $200 million profit‑participation settlement for *The Walking Dead* showrunner. Fitzgerald...
BLET Members Ratify New Contract With Tacoma Rail
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Tacoma Municipal Belt Railway after a nine‑year negotiation. The contract provides retroactive wage payments covering 2017‑2025 and sets scheduled wage increases for 2026‑2029. It also...
How the Visa-Mastercard Card Fee Case May End
A proposed settlement to end the long‑running Visa‑Mastercard interchange‑fee litigation would cut rates by ten basis points for five years and set a 1.25% fee for standard consumer cards for eight years, while giving merchants the right to decline certain...
FMC Chief: Ocean Carriers Knew War Could Increase Fuel Prices
The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) rejected Maersk’s third request to waive the mandatory 30‑day waiting period for emergency fuel surcharges, citing insufficient justification. Maersk argued that the Iran‑Hormuz conflict drove VLSFO prices from $509 to $929 per metric ton between...
Lambeth to Launch High Court Case Against Loughborough Estate Management Board
Lambeth Council is preparing a High Court claim against the Loughborough Estate Management Board (LEMB) over serious governance, operational and financial concerns. The council alleges audit failures, unjustified foreign travel expenses, and an invalid annual general meeting that breached LEMB’s...
Stanford’s 2026 AI Index Highlights Rapid Growth and Widening Governance Gaps
Stanford’s 2026 AI Index shows AI adoption accelerating while governance lags. Documented AI incidents climbed to 362 in 2025 and the Foundation Model Transparency Index fell to 40 out of 100, with 80 of 95 notable models released without training...
Dealing with the Client Relationship: How to Deal with Client Relationships Properly
Filing a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) triggers complex post‑filing decisions about client relationships. Jurisdictions differ: some require immediate termination, others prohibit tipping‑off and mandate waiting periods or FIU approval before freezing or exiting accounts. Institutions must keep KYC data current,...
Social Media Addiction’s Liability Potential
An California jury awarded $6 million in damages to a plaintiff who blamed Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for addiction, anxiety and depression, marking the first major verdict that treats social‑media platforms as potentially liable for health harms. The decision has drawn...
Stifel Settles With Investors in $133 Million Structured Note Award
Stifel Financial has reached a settlement in principle with the Jannetti family, the plaintiffs in a $133 million arbitration award tied to a former broker’s structured‑note strategy. The settlement will be finalized while the court stays the litigation for 30 days. Stifel...
New York Loses $73 Million in Federal Funds After CDL Audit
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is withholding $73.5 million in federal highway funding from New York after a audit revealed that more than half of the state’s reviewed commercial driver licenses violated federal residency requirements. The audit examined 200 records and...
Georgia Biotech CFO Found Liable for Stanford Professor’s ‘Malicious Arrest’: Trial Balance
A Fulton County jury found former Chemence Medical CFO Robert Wilson and two other executives liable for conspiring to orchestrate a malicious arrest of Stanford professor James Quinn. The verdict includes $58 million in damages for Quinn on claims of malicious...
Senators Demand OPM Withdraw Plan to Access Feds’ Medical Records
Sixteen Democratic senators have urged the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to abandon a proposal that would require insurers to submit monthly, claim‑level health data on federal employees and retirees. The request, published in the Federal Register, lacks safeguards to...
360% | Payroll 'Pressure' Prompts Surge in HMRC Tip-Offs About Underpaying Bosses
Employees are increasingly reporting employers for failing to meet the UK minimum wage, with 7,622 tip‑offs recorded last year. That figure represents a 360% jump from the 1,656 reports filed in 2020‑21. HMRC responded by opening 1,137 investigations, up from...
Feedback Wanted: Ottawa Launches Consultations on Federal Labour Law Reforms
The Canadian government has opened a consultation period, ending May 18, 2026, to consider sweeping reforms to the Canada Labour Code that govern federally regulated workplaces. Proposed changes include mandatory collective‑bargaining timelines, a new “special mediator” role, stronger protections against misclassification and...
Solon Spots 'Continuing Pattern' As COA Issues Fresh Disallowance Notice to OVP
The Commission on Audit (COA) issued a fresh disallowance notice covering ₱375 million (≈$6.8 million) in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President, bringing the total potential exposure to about ₱448 million (≈$8 million) after a prior ₱73 million case. COA ordered Vice...
LegalZoom and GoDaddy (GDDY) Partner on Business Formation Services
LegalZoom and GoDaddy announced a strategic partnership making LegalZoom the exclusive legal‑services provider within GoDaddy’s ecosystem. The integration lets customers secure a domain, launch a website, and complete business‑formation tasks such as LLC filing directly from GoDaddy’s platform. A separate...
RBI Draft for Upper Layer Non-Banks Affects CICs Disproportionately, Raises Compliances Costs
The Reserve Bank of India issued a draft rule that classifies any finance entity with assets‑under‑management (AUM) exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore (≈$12 billion) as an upper‑layer NBFC (NBFC‑UL). The provision applies on a consolidated basis, pulling large core investment companies (CICs) such as...
Frontier Airlines Sues American Airlines AGAIN For Collision at Boston Logan Airport That Caused $670,000 Worth of Damage to Airbus...
Frontier Airlines has filed a second federal lawsuit against American Airlines over a November 2024 ground collision at Boston Logan that damaged Frontier's Airbus A321. The repair bill totaled $670,387, of which American agreed to cover half, leaving Frontier to...
Improvidently Granted: The Sleeper Supreme Court Case Affecting the Rights of 12.8 Million Green Card Holders
The Supreme Court will hear Blanche v. Lau on April 22, a case in which the Solicitor General seeks to give DHS unchecked authority to seize green cards and place lawful permanent residents (LPRs) in indefinite parole after any foreign...
Why the Supreme Court’s Birthright-Citizenship Decision May Depend on the Meaning of “Domicile”
The Supreme Court is hearing Trump v. Barbara, a challenge to President Trump’s 2025 executive order that seeks to limit birthright citizenship by tying it to a parent’s “domicile.” Solicitor General D. John Sauer argues that domicile means lawful permanent residence...
Why the Supreme Court’s Birthright-Citizenship Decision May Depend on the Meaning of “Domicile”
The Supreme Court is set to decide Trump v. Barbara, a case challenging the president’s 2025 executive order that narrows birthright citizenship. The administration argues that the 14th Amendment’s phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” requires a parent’s legal domicile,...
FTC Launches Nationwide Probe of Delivery-App Fees Amid $1 M NYC Settlement
The Federal Trade Commission opened a public comment period on “unfair or deceptive fee practices” in online food and grocery delivery, while New York City settled a nearly $1 million dispute with a delivery app. Regulators aim to force clearer pricing,...
New Hampshire Crypto‑ATM Scam Prompts $30,000 Loss, Sparks Legislative Battle
A Nashua senior lost $30,000 after feeding cash into a cryptocurrency ATM, exposing a regulatory gap. Senate Bill 482, backed by public‑safety groups, seeks to impose transaction caps and refund windows, while a House amendment led by Rep. Keith Ammon...
OSHA’s Evolving Approach to Workplace Violence Prevention in Healthcare
OSHA is conducting its first workplace‑violence audit in 25 years, highlighting growing scrutiny of safety in health‑care settings. While a federal standard on health‑care violence has been shifted to Long‑Term Action status, delaying any rule for at least a year,...
Montana Supreme Court Allows Transgender Birth Certificates and IDs Under Equal Protection
The Montana Supreme Court voted 5-2 to let transgender residents amend birth certificates and driver’s licenses to match their gender identity, finding the state’s 2022 policy likely violates the Equal Protection Clause. The decision, brought by the ACLU of Montana,...
Oregon Passes Bill to Support Medical Cannabis Among Hospice Patients
Oregon enacted Ryan’s Law, mandating hospice, residential and palliative care providers to permit qualified patients to use medical cannabis and to establish safety policies and staff training. The bill adds hospice and end‑of‑life care as a new qualifying condition for...
Trump Administration Redirects Federal Resources to Mass Deportations, Sparking HR Concerns
The Trump administration has diverted personnel, funding and training assets from at least six federal programs to bolster Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on top of a $75 billion budget increase for ICE. The reallocation, uncovered by NOTUS, raises immediate questions for...
Courts Must Decide AI Liability: Companies or Developers
Who is liable when artificial intelligence makes mistakes? At issue in the Mobley case is whether courts will impute legal responsibility to AI systems for decisions they take on behalf of companies, or whether liability will sit with the companies —...
Beware: Recruitment Agencies Targeted by Bill‑of‑Exchange Tax Scam
Just heard about an insane "tax avoidance" scheme being pitched to recruitment agencies, involving paying HMRC with a "bill of exchange". I'd think it was a joke if it hadn't come from an unimpeachable source. If you come across this, do get...
No Evidence Juries Improve Outcomes Beyond Vague Enforcement Claims
What's missing from this: any argument that juries reach better outcomes by any metrics besides some vague comments that more enforcement is better https://t.co/Pqvp2WnMGx
FBI Director Sues Atlantic for $250 Million Defamation Claim
FBI Director Kash Patel has sued The Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick alleging defamation and seeking $250 million in damages. https://t.co/5Z9SVDbUu7 https://t.co/sYgZXFowIB
TSA Pushes Bill to Privatize Small Airports
Last week, @TSA told Congress it is working on a legislative proposal to require privatization of smaller airports https://t.co/3oJL1Jur2V
Only a Handful of States Recognize Common‑law Marriage
"A few states including Texas and Kansas recognize common-law marriages, where unwed couples who publicly represent themselves as spouses are subject to the state’s #marriage and #divorce laws. But most states don’t."
Colleges Back Athletes Suing NCAA, Defying Eligibility Rules
We live in a world where colleges agree to follow NCAA eligibility rules, but when one of their athletes sues the NCAA to stay eligible and asks a court to override eligibility rules, colleges support their athlete's case. This is becoming...
Context.ai’s SOC2 Audit Traced Back to Delve
I’ve confirmed that Context .ai was “audited” by Delve for SOC2 Redirects now deleted but https://t.co/o3dRukNdBn used to redirect to Delve themselves You cannot make this up…
Use Free Templates and Basic Legal Checks for Small Deals
Question: how should creators handle contracts when the brand deal isn't big enough to hire a lawyer? https://t.co/MrgVVU9CS1