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
DOJ Secures $17 Million False Claims Act Settlement From IBM Over Discriminatory Contract Practices
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that IBM will pay just over $17 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that it violated federal anti‑discrimination requirements tied to its government contracts. The settlement, the first under the DOJ’s Civil Rights Fraud Initiative, splits into $8.2 million restitution and $8.8 million in civil penalties, signaling heightened scrutiny of contractor compliance.
Realty One, The Agency Settle in Homebuyer Commissions Case
Realty One Group and The Agency have elected to join the Tuccari homebuyer‑commission settlement, bringing all defendants in the related Cwynar case to preliminary agreements. The settlement, overseen by the Northern District of Illinois, does not disclose the amounts the...
Live Nation Stock Falls as Jury Finds Ticketing Giant Acted as an Illegal Monopoly. Here’s What Happens Next.
A jury in New York concluded that Ticketmaster, Live Nation’s ticketing arm, operated as an illegal monopoly, prompting immediate market backlash. Live Nation’s stock fell 6.3% during regular trading and slipped another 1.5% in after‑hours trading. The verdict fuels calls...
Thomson Reuters Shareholders Demand Investigation Into ICE Contracts
Shareholders, led by the B.C. General Employees’ Union, have filed a proposal urging Thomson Reuters’ board to commission an independent human‑rights impact assessment of its CLEAR investigative database. The proposal highlights evidence that ICE integrates CLEAR data—names, addresses, Social Security...
AI Is Outpacing the Systems Built to Govern It, Stanford Report Finds
Stanford’s 2026 AI Index reveals a surge in global AI investment, now exceeding $200 billion, alongside a sharp rise in safety incidents. The report notes a narrowing performance gap between the United States and China, shrinking to roughly five percent. These...
Telegram Keeps $21 B Crypto Scam Market Live After UK Sanctions
Telegram has not removed Xinbi Guarantee, a crypto‑scam marketplace valued at $21 billion, even after the UK sanctioned the group on March 26. Elliptic reports $505 million in transactions in the first 19 days post‑sanction and a user base approaching half a million,...
Amazon Faces Class-Action Lawsuit over Fire TV Sticks
Amazon is facing a California class‑action lawsuit alleging it stopped software updates for first‑ and second‑generation Fire TV sticks without clear consumer warnings. The plaintiff, Bill Merewhuader, says the lack of updates forced his 2018 devices to slow dramatically, compelling...
The FDA Just Rewrote the Rules for Gene Therapy Approval & Most Investors Haven’t Noticed Yet: The Plausible Mechanism Framework...
The FDA released two draft guidances in early 2026 that reshape gene‑therapy regulation. The Plausible Mechanism Framework (PMF) creates a formal pathway for individualized, ultra‑rare treatments, allowing single‑patient or tiny‑cohort data combined with mechanistic and natural‑history evidence to support marketing...
El Salvador Publishes Law Allowing Life Sentences for Minors as Young as 12
El Salvador's legislature approved a law that allows life imprisonment for minors as young as 12 for crimes such as homicide, terrorism or rape. The measure, part of President Nayib Bukele's hard‑line anti‑gang campaign, will take effect on April 26,...
A Searing Injustice!
A former criminal‑justice professor is returning to Washington to appear on MS NOW with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. The segment will focus on the Justice Department’s controversial motion to dismiss the seditious‑conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys...
26-348 - Detherage V. Hunter Et Al
On April 14, 2026, Magistrate Judge Suzanne Mitchell issued a Report and Recommendation to dismiss the Detherage v. Hunter et al case without prejudice. The recommendation ends the magistrate's referral of the matter and sets a deadline of May 4,...
26-015 - Strickland V. Aldoerffer Et Al
On April 14, 2026, Judge David L. Russell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma issued an order granting the motion to dismiss filed by seven defendants, including Everette Aldoerffer and Stephen Bruce & Associates, in...
How to Avoid Claims of Ageism Amid Restructuring
An Ontario Superior Court ruling in Dunlop v. Interspec Systems Ltd. ordered the manufacturer and its owner to pay roughly $704,000 USD in damages after a plant relocation was deemed an age‑based termination of senior staff. The judgment includes unpaid wages,...
Trump’s DOJ Just Did What Jan. 6 Prosecutors Feared Most
The Justice Department, under the Trump administration, has moved to vacate the convictions of several high‑ranking members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, the two extremist groups central to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Former federal prosecutor Brendan Ballou warned...
Is a Vague Medical Note Enough to Prove Discrimination?
The Alberta King’s Bench ruled that a psychologist’s vague note recommending exemption from a COVID‑19 vaccine policy did not prove a disability‑based discrimination claim. The note lacked a clear statement that the teacher was medically unable to be vaccinated or...
The FTC Ordered WPP, Publicis, and Dentsu to Stop Coordinating on Brand Safety Standards It Says Led to a Boycott...
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by several states, issued a consent order prohibiting WPP, Publicis and Dentsu from coordinating brand‑safety standards that diverted advertising spend from conservative media. The action follows a similar order on Omnicom tied to its $13.5 billion...
SME Law Firms Reduce Reliance on Client Account Interest
SME law firms posted their strongest financial year in over a decade, with practice fee income rising 11.2% in 2025 to a median £1.2 million per equity partner (≈ $1.5 million). Profit per equity partner (PEP) jumped 13% overall and 10.5% when...
BBC Sting Heaps Pressure on Immigration Lawyers and SRA
The BBC's latest undercover investigation claims immigration lawyers are helping migrants fabricate gay or other identity claims to obtain asylum, charging thousands of pounds per case. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) responded by closing three named firms—Law & Justice Solicitors,...
Ticketmaster-Owner Live Nation Ran a Monopoly and Overcharged Fans, Jury Finds
A federal jury in New York concluded that Live Nation, the parent of Ticketmaster, operated an illegal monopoly and overcharged concertgoers by $1.72 per ticket. The verdict, reached after a four‑day deliberation, could compel the company to divest assets or...
Inside an 'AI-Native Law Firm' Started by Cooley, Fenwick and Thomson Reuters Veterans
Javed Qadrud‑Din, a former Cooley, Fenwick and Thomson Reuters executive, has launched an AI‑native law firm that embeds generative AI into every client service and internal workflow. The firm’s technology stack combines proprietary large‑language models with Thomson Reuters legal data...
California Bill Would Ban Cellphones in Schools
California Assembly Bill 1644 seeks a statewide, bell‑to‑bell ban on student cellphone use, requiring every district to adopt a policy by July 1 2027 and to update it every five years. The bill, backed by both Democrats and Republicans, argues that such...
Rebel Wilson Appeals for Dismissal of Film Producers’ Defamation Suit
Rebel Wilson appealed a California appellate court decision that upheld a lower court ruling rejecting her anti‑SLAPP motion in a defamation suit filed by three producers of her directorial debut, “The Deb.” The producers allege Wilson made false accusations of...
It’s Not An AI Hallucination — It’s Lazy Editing Of A Human Paralegal
A New Jersey district court sanctioned attorney Geoffrey Mott after a paralegal’s careless citation swaps produced a brief riddled with incorrect and outdated case references. The judge found no generative AI was used; the error stemmed from the paralegal misapplying...
UN Experts Warn French Antisemitism Bill Threatens Free Speech
UN human‑rights experts warned on Tuesday that France’s draft PPL Yadan Bill, intended to curb antisemitism, could erode freedom of expression. The proposal would broaden criminal penalties to cover speech that trivialises the Holocaust, praises terrorism or calls for the...
Anti-Fraud Task Force Suspends 447 Hospices
A federal anti‑fraud task force led by Vice President J.D. Vance has suspended 447 hospice providers and 23 home‑health agencies in the Los Angeles area over alleged fraud totaling roughly $600 million. The coalition, created by the White House in March,...
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Is Preparing Banks to Collect Citizenship Data
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the Trump administration is moving forward with an executive order requiring U.S. banks to collect citizenship information from customers. The order would expand existing KYC obligations, demanding proof of citizenship, permanent residency, or a...
Superloop Puts Functional Separation Bid to ACCC
Superloop has applied to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for approval of a joint functional separation undertaking following its $165 million (≈ $109 million USD) acquisition of Lynham Networks. The proposal would split Lynham into a wholesale‑only network provider while keeping...
International Protection Bill Passed in Dáil Vote After Three-Hour Debate
Ireland’s Dáil approved the International Protection Bill by an 86‑62 vote after a three‑hour debate, marking the most extensive overhaul of the country’s asylum law. The legislation aligns Irish rules with the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, tightening eligibility, speeding...
Skillz vs Papaya Bots Trial Has Its First Day in Court
Skillz Platform has launched a federal lawsuit against Papaya Gaming, with the trial opening on the first day of court. The case, allowed to proceed by a federal judge, centers on Skillz’s claim that Papaya’s misleading advertising and alleged use...
Wait, Could They Still Actually Break up Live Nation?
A federal jury found Live Nation operating as an illegal monopoly, opening the door to a possible breakup of the entertainment conglomerate and its Ticketmaster unit. The verdict follows a 2024 DOJ and 40-state antitrust lawsuit alleging the company stifles...
Another Day, Another Mega-Merger: Partners Say Yes To Historic $3 Billion Biglaw Behemoth
Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader have received overwhelming partner approval—over 95%—to merge into a single firm, creating the largest law‑firm combination in history. The new entity, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, will launch on July 1 2026 with roughly 3,100 lawyers and projected gross revenue...
Today on Lawfare: April 15, 2026
Lawfare’s April 15 roundup covers three distinct beats: a legal showdown over whether former President Trump’s blanket Jan. 6 pardon shields pipe‑bomb suspect Brian Cole Jr., a policy essay proposing privacy‑preserving AI verification to enable cross‑border oversight, and a slate of podcasts and...
Class Action Targets Berkadia over Alleged Cyberattack Exposing Thousands' Data
Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, the leading Freddie Mac lender, faces a proposed class action alleging a March 20 cyberattack by the ShinyHunters group. The breach reportedly exposed thousands of individuals' personal and financial data, including Social Security numbers and banking details. Plaintiffs claim...
Choose a Wyoming Holding Company, Not a Trading Corp
Most attorneys will set you up with a trading corporation when what you actually need is a holding company. The difference matters for long-term capital gains. DWP builds Wyoming holding companies with NAICS code 551112 or 551114, operating agreement provisions...
Thomson Reuters Leverages Potentially Pirated Open‑
so thomson reuters is building its own AI model on open source models such as those of “meta or mistral” both of which are trained using pirated libraries, including content from TR's own competitors... https://t.co/h7UFiomggV
CoStar Hit With Class-Action Suit Claiming It's A Monopoly That 'Destroyed Competition'
CoStar Group, which commands about 80% of the online commercial‑real‑estate (CRE) listing market, faces a new class‑action lawsuit filed by Brooklyn‑based broker Grand & Co. The complaint alleges CoStar violated the Sherman Act by imposing restrictive contracts, demanding $300‑$1,000 monthly...
Hollywood Merger Advocacy Is Legal, Not Just Politics
These Paramount advocates want to portray Hollywood advocacy around mergers as standard frivolous politics. They don’t get it’s a legal matter. Letters from industry stakeholders absolutely matter in antitrust cases.
Two-Tier Tax System Pushes Out-of-State Residents Away
I’m confused. Don’t they always pay property taxes? So this is a two tier property tax system as it’s illegal to impose income taxes on out of state residents. Also what about non-residents who have businesses here?...
Worker’s Firing Days Before Retirement Didn’t Violate ERISA, Judge Holds
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled in *Armstrong v. Western & Southern Financial Group* that the insurer did not violate ERISA when it terminated a sales representative days before her planned May 2022 retirement. The...
Admin Boosts H‑2B Visas, Adding 64,716 Slots
"The administration authorized an additional 64,716 H-2B visas for fiscal year 2026, after initially planning only 35,000." I, for one, would prefer a more open and transparent system where supply and demand aren't determined in large part by whom you know...
Politicians Deceive Public with Draconian Bill Pre‑election
Except for lying to the public that this draconian bill is needed at all, much less 7 months before the next election
Employee Benefits Regulator to Focus on ‘Bad Actors’
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) announced a strategic shift to target enforcement on the most egregious conduct that harms employee benefit plans. The agency outlined four guiding principles emphasizing timely, fair action tied directly to...
FDA Reverses Ban on 12 Peptides for Review
So... @SecKennedy just announced that 12 peptides the Biden FDA shoved into "Category 2" — effectively banning them from regulated compounding pharmacies and driving people to the black market - are being pulled back for legitimate scientific review. Here's what each one...
Founders Must Use Vesting and One‑Year Cliff
Founders should have vesting shares like everyone else. With a one-year cliff for early folks that don’t work out, which is extremely common; the more founders, the more common. Yes you should make that legal before you start. Always.
Settlement Bars Arizona Utility From Extreme-Heat Disconnections
Arizona Public Service (APS) agreed to a $7 million settlement that bars the utility from disconnecting service for nonpayment when temperatures reach 95 °F or higher. The deal follows the death of 82‑year‑old customer Katherine Korman, whose power was cut on a...
Dem Senators Boost Effort to Reinstate Two Immigration Judges
Democratic senators have asked the Federal Circuit to expedite an appeal by two former immigration judges who were fired under an at‑will authority asserted by the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The MSPB’s ruling, based on a half‑sentence dictum from...
Fired Fannie Mae Workers' Defamation Lawsuit Dismissed
U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema dismissed the defamation lawsuit filed by 61 former Fannie Mae employees, allowing them to refile the claim. The workers, all of Indian origin, said FHFA Director Bill Pulte’s public statements falsely portrayed them as engaging...
The Trump Administration Has Fired Over 100 Immigration Judges Without Explanation
The Justice Department has dismissed more than 100 immigration judges since President Trump began his second term, with the latest report identifying the 113th judge fired without any public explanation. Unlike Article III judges, immigration judges serve at the pleasure...
Antitrust Chief Assefi, a Ticketmaster Settlement Loser
It's worth noting that acting Antitrust chief Omeed Assefi, who settled the Ticketmaster case on orders of his higher-ups, is a loser. https://t.co/dN91Pfnkfp
Mullin Blasts Biden Admin After DHS Employee Killed By Naturalized Felon
Department of Homeland Security auditor Lauren Bullis was shot and stabbed to death while walking her dog in DeKalb County, Georgia. Police arrested 26‑year‑old Olaolukitan Adon‑Abel, a naturalized U.S. citizen with a violent felony record, and charged him with two...