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
Case of the Day: Whoop V. Serinity Group
Whoop, Inc., a Boston fitness‑band maker, sued France‑based Serinity Group (doing business as Aurora) for trade‑dress infringement. After a French huissier could not locate Aurora’s registered address, Whoop petitioned the District of Massachusetts for permission to serve process by email. The court granted the request, noting the defendant’s email was publicly posted on its website and had previously accepted orders. The decision hinges on FRCP 4(f)(3) and the Hague Service Convention’s limits when a foreign address is unknown.
Purpose Before Product
The author argues that law schools and legal regulators need not create separate generative AI policies because existing professional‑conduct rules already address tool misuse. He warns that technology‑specific policies quickly become outdated and are hard to enforce, citing the difficulty...
Why Neurodiversity Is Driving a Compliance Crisis
Neurodiversity has moved from academia to mainstream workplaces, prompting a surge in accommodation requests. Studies show adult autism diagnoses jumped 450% between 2011 and 2022, while ADHD diagnoses rose over 60% from 2021 to 2024. HR teams, accustomed to physical‑disability...
The Philippine Government Seeks Concrete Action From Meta on Disinformation, Threatens Regulatory Crackdown
The Philippine government warned Meta that its response to a joint request on disinformation was inadequate. The Department of Information and Communications Technology, together with the DOJ and the Presidential Communications Office, demanded clear, binding, time‑bound actions to curb false...
Litera Announces Global Integration of Compare with Google Workspace
Litera announced a global integration that embeds its Compare document‑comparison and redlining tool directly into Google Workspace, giving law firms and corporate legal teams access via Google Drive. The integration also bundles Litera’s AI legal assistant, Lito, at no extra...
SBC Summit Malta Focuses on Compliance, Risk and Operational Resilience
The SBC Summit Malta, slated for April 29‑30, 2024, will spotlight an ‘Operations and Compliance’ stage aimed at bolstering security, fraud prevention, and regulatory readiness. The two‑day event gathers C‑level leaders, security and fraud experts, and regulators to share best...
FCC Considers Reallocating Nine UHF Channels to 6G
D.C. Memo: @FCC Asked to Adopt Plan Taking Nine UHF TV Channels from Broadcasters for Reassignment to 6G Wireless; Ahead of @nabtweets show in Las Vegas this week, a group called Landover Saturn 5 is targeting ‘underutilized’ UHF spectrum amid...
Top Democrats Seek Guidance From Lina Khan
Good piece on Lina Khan’s influence. Most top Dems are calling and asking for advice. https://t.co/ilFCyFldpA
How a Buyer’s AI Conversations Sank Its Earnout Avoidance Strategy
The Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that Krafton breached its Equity Purchase Agreement by terminating Unknown Worlds' key executives without contractual cause and seizing operational control of the studio. The court reinstated the studio's CEO, enjoined Krafton from circumventing that...
Tech Firms Shield Datacenter Metrics, Thwart EU Transparency Push
So, the EU commission wanted to oblige datacentre operators to report data on key performance indicators. But then tech companies successfully "pushed to classify all individual information on datacentres as confidential, citing commercial interests" https://t.co/qmPgzunR0w
How Europe’s New Rules Are Closing the APP Fraud Gap
Europe’s upcoming Payment Services Regulation will obligate payment‑service providers to reimburse victims of personal‑account impersonation fraud and, more critically, to connect to a mandatory, cross‑border fraud‑intelligence exchange. The framework, agreed politically in late 2025, narrows the UK’s geographic limitation by...
US Jet-Maker, Undersea Robotics and Bitcoin Mining Innovators Appoint Legal Heads
US innovators Nauticus Robotics, Hermeus and Elektron Energy each named new top legal executives this week. Nauticus hired Michael Ferrier, formerly of Berry Corporation, as general counsel. Hermeus appointed Kim Nakamaru, previously GC at Relativity Space, to steer its aerospace legal...
Data Authenticity & Accountability Crucial in the AI Age
Data authenticity has become a cornerstone of AI deployment as deepfake and synthetic‑data threats rise, exposing firms to fraud, litigation and reputational damage. The EU’s new digital omnibus aims to streamline AI, cybersecurity and data rules, promising roughly $6 billion in...
Negligence & AI: Can the Courts Keep Up?
U.S. courts are confronting a surge of AI‑related negligence lawsuits in the absence of any federal standard defining harmful AI use. Plaintiffs are leveraging common‑law tort theory to hold developers, integrators, and even end users accountable for design flaws, inadequate...
Monday’s Mix
Slaw’s weekly “Monday’s Mix” curates excerpts from five award‑winning Canadian legal blogs, spotlighting recent analyses that range from Supreme Court jurisprudence to cultural shifts affecting lawyers. The post highlights the Court’s February 2026 Fox decision reaffirming accused rights over lawyer‑client...
Will AI Change FinServ Regulation? Here’s What History Tells Us.
U.S. securities regulators are not drafting new AI‑specific rules; instead they rely on technology‑neutral existing regulations. The SEC’s 2023 proposal to address AI‑induced conflicts of interest was withdrawn, while state legislatures such as California, Texas and Colorado have enacted broader...
AI Firms Must Audit Global Compliance Amid Rising Regulations
xAI is suing a US state over its AI law. One question for Monday morning: Could your AI deployments survive a regulator audit in every jurisdiction you operate in today? Name the country where you'd be exposed. What's missing. That's your Q2 priority. https://t.co/a9mS4eS9VC
Lawfare
President Donald Trump will speak at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a stage he has never occupied as president. The appearance comes days after a federal judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a 2003...
The Architecture of Trust: How Enterprises Can Safely Deploy PII in LLMs
Enterprises can now safely process personally identifiable information (PII) within large language models by embedding the models in a purpose‑built protective architecture. The approach combines a fine‑grained entitlement layer that classifies and enforces access rules, end‑to‑end encryption that keeps data...
One Legal Fiction After Another: The Court of Justice Judgment on the Asylum Border Procedure in Joined Cases C‑50/24 to...
The EU Court of Justice ruled in the Danané joined cases (C‑50/24‑C‑56/24) that border asylum procedures may be carried out in inland detention centres designated as “at the border” by national law. The judgment confirms that after the four‑week limit...
Texas Appoints New Captive Insurance Specialist
The Texas Department of Insurance has hired Andrew Norton as a captive insurance specialist to bolster oversight of the state’s expanding captive market. Texas now hosts 102 active captive insurers and has issued five new licences in 2026. Norton's appointment...
Non‑Compete Agreements Now Bind Up to One‑Fifth of U.S. Workers
Government data shows 18‑20% of U.S. workers are covered by non‑compete agreements, a practice that has moved from executives to low‑wage jobs. State reforms in Minnesota, California, Oklahoma and North Dakota are beginning to curb the trend, raising questions about...
REITs Own One‑Fifth of U.S. Senior Housing, Raising Care Quality Concerns
Real‑estate investment trusts have bought roughly 20% of the nation’s senior‑housing portfolio and a sixth of its nursing homes, prompting lawsuits over resident deaths and renewed scrutiny of their influence on care quality. Critics argue that rent‑focused lease terms and...
SEC Proposal Watch: Semi-Annual Reporting
The SEC is poised to issue a semi‑annual reporting proposal that would allow, but not require, public companies to replace the mandatory Form 10‑Q with twice‑yearly filings. The rule is still subject to notice‑and‑comment, and accounting firms have voiced strong...
Rep. Eugene Vindman Demands Polymarket Records After $500K Insider Military Bets
Representative Eugene Vindman has formally asked Polymarket to preserve and disclose internal data after newly created accounts reportedly earned $400,000‑$553,000 by betting minutes before U.S. strikes in Venezuela and Iran. The request, joined by a CFTC inquiry from Rep. Ritchie...
Kenya's High Court Warns Litigants Against AI‑Generated Pleadings
The Milimani High Court, led by Justice J. Chigiti, warned that AI‑assisted drafting does not excuse non‑compliance with Kenya's civil procedure rules. The ruling, prompted by a self‑represented litigant’s use of digital tools, underscores the judiciary’s demand for uniformity and...
Legal Talk Africa 2026
Legal Talk Africa 2026 launches a 16‑city roadshow tackling the lawyer’s dilemma in a digital ecosystem. The conference showcases experts on AI‑driven legal orchestration, blockchain‑based tokenised law firms, RegTech compliance, and cross‑border payment security. Sponsored by major legal‑tech firms such...
Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Geofence Warrants in Virginia Bank Robbery Case
The U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for April 27 on whether police‑issued geofence warrants—searches of cellphone location data without individualized suspicion—breach the Fourth Amendment. The case stems from a 2019 Virginia bank robbery where investigators used a Google‑provided...
Connecticut Just Tried to Make Parents Ask the Government’s Permission to Homeschool
Connecticut lawmakers introduced a bill that would require parents to notify the Department of Children and Families before withdrawing a child from public school for homeschooling, effectively flagging every homeschooling family for child‑welfare review. The proposal sparked a 4 a.m. protest...
California Bear‑Suit Scam Nets $142K Fraud Payouts, Three Charged with Felony Insurance Fraud
Three Los Angeles County residents pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud after using a bear costume to stage fake attacks on high‑end vehicles, siphoning $141,839 in payouts. Each will serve 180 days in a weekend jail program, underscoring the...
HiPP Baby Food Recall Sparks Criminal Investigation Across Four Countries
HiPP has recalled all 190‑gram carrot‑and‑potato baby food jars sold through SPAR stores after a sample tested positive for rat poison. Austrian prosecutors opened a criminal case, and authorities in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany have launched parallel investigations,...
Market Chatter: Apple Fails to Submit Financial Data in India Antitrust Case as Regulator Sets Final Hearing
Apple has failed to provide the Competition Commission of India (CCI) with the financial data it requested for an ongoing antitrust investigation into the company’s App Store practices. The regulator has now scheduled a final hearing, giving Apple a last...
Dianthus CFO Ryan Savitz Sells 8,224 Shares for $739,000 Under 10b5‑1 Plan
Ryan Savitz, the chief financial officer of Dianthus Therapeutics, exercised and sold 8,224 stock options for approximately $739,000 on April 9, 2026. The transaction, executed under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan, reduced his direct share ownership to zero while leaving a sizable...
SEC Proposal Watch: How’s the White House Pit Stop Working Out?
The SEC’s rulemaking timeline is now subject to White House OIRA review after a February 2025 executive order limited independent agency autonomy. OIRA’s review of independent agency proposals has averaged 17 days, with a maximum of 29 days, well under...
UNI Welcomes Bangladesh Labour Law Reform Boosting Union Rights
Bangladesh Parliament approved a sweeping labour law reform on April 9, 2026, lowering the membership thresholds for forming trade unions and adding protections against unfair practices, forced labour, violence, and sexual harassment. The new rules let small firms (≤300 workers)...
Startale Secures $63M Series A and Expands to Abu Dhabi via Hub71
Startale Group, backed by a $63 million Series A, has been selected for Hub71’s Digital Assets cohort and will open a regional hub inside Abu Dhabi Global Market. The move gives the crypto‑focused fintech regulatory clarity and access to a network...
One Login: GDS to Create ‘Easily Digestible Version’ of Privacy Impact Report
The UK Government Digital Service (GDS) announced it will publish an "easily digestible" version of the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) for the GOV.UK One Login by the end of 2026, though the full unedited report is unlikely to be...
How Official Notices Reflect South Africa’s Social and Business Landscape
South Africa’s Government and Provincial Gazettes publish thousands of official notices each year, documenting everything from estate administrations to liquor‑licence renewals. These notices are legally required, providing a transparent public record of individual, business, and governmental actions. While the gazettes...
Casely Expands Recall to 429,000 Power Banks After Fatal Fire and Plane Incident
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Casely have broadened a recall to about 429,000 MagSafe‑compatible power banks following a fatal fire and a separate onboard airplane fire. The move spotlights safety risks in online retail and could reshape liability...
Cell Captive Regulation to Be Reviewed in New Zealand Consultation
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has opened a public consultation on its Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Amendment Bill, which includes multi‑cell captive insurers in its scope. The bill aims to modernise New Zealand’s insurance prudential framework and bring it closer to...
BIS Chief Urges Global Coordination on Stablecoin Regulation
Bank for International Settlements (BIS) chief Agustín Carstens called for coordinated international policy on stablecoins, warning that fragmented rules could undermine financial stability. The appeal comes as regulators worldwide grapple with the rapid growth of algorithmic and fiat‑backed digital assets.
If You Can’t Explain Why Each Employee Needs a Noncompete, You May Have a Problem
The FTC filed an administrative complaint against Rollins, the parent of Orkin, alleging its blanket non‑compete policy forced more than 18,000 pest‑control workers to sign two‑year, 75‑mile restrictions without compensation. The agency says the practice violates Section 5 of the FTC...
How DERA Helps with Rulemaking (and More)
The SEC’s Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA) is a 170‑person unit of economists, data scientists, statisticians, and lawyers that underpins the Commission’s rulemaking and enforcement agenda. DERA stresses that comment letters backed by clean, structured data carry the...
A Third of States Lack Deed Fraud Laws, Report Finds
A new EquityProtect Property Protection Scorecard reveals that roughly one‑third of U.S. states lack dedicated deed‑fraud statutes for residential titles. Seven states, including New York, have enacted such laws since 2023, while eight remain in the lowest tier with minimal or...
The TCPA "Czar" Talks Spam Call Lawsuit Risks for Lenders
Eric Troutman, dubbed the TCPA “czar,” warns mortgage lenders that spam‑call and text lawsuits are accelerating, with class‑action certifications now hitting 70‑75% and settlements frequently reaching seven‑ or eight‑figure levels. He notes that while no major mortgage settlement has occurred...
Trial Presentation Checklist: The Roadmap to a Winning Argument
The article outlines a step‑by‑step trial presentation checklist that guides attorneys from case theory development to courtroom delivery. It emphasizes aligning narrative, evidence, and technology to create a coherent, persuasive argument. Practical tips include exhibit sequencing, hardware testing, and rehearsal...
Orange Rag Insights: After Adoption – The Next Challenges for AI-Enabled Legal Functions
Legal operations leaders at ArcelorMittal, Dentsu and Syngenta discuss the next phase after AI tool adoption, focusing on advanced use cases, value proof, and governance. They highlight a shift from measuring sentiment to tracking specific workflow usage and monetary savings,...
Waystone Positions ManCo Platform as Infrastructure for Global Fund Expansion
Waystone’s regulated fund business, overseeing about 1,550 funds with roughly $450 billion in assets, is positioning its ManCo and ACD platform as a global infrastructure for asset‑manager expansion. The model lets firms launch funds across Europe, the UK and emerging markets...
Apple Withholds Data in India Antitrust Case, Watchdog Sets Final Hearing
Apple has failed to submit the financial information requested by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in its antitrust investigation into the iPhone app ecosystem. The CCI, which found Apple abused its dominant position, has fast‑tracked the case and scheduled...
The Hemp Boom that Rewrote America's Cannabis Laws Is Now Unraveling
The 2018 Farm Bill sparked a $28 billion hemp boom by legalizing cannabis with no more than 0.3% delta‑9 THC. Producers quickly filled the gap with THC‑infused gummies, CBD tinctures, and hemp‑derived drinks, creating a parallel market in states without legal...