Know What's Happening in Legal
Know What's Happening in Legal
Delaware Supreme Court lets insurers pursue contract claims against Blackbaud over ransomware breach
The Delaware Supreme Court reversed lower‑court dismissals, permitting insurers to bring breach‑of‑contract actions against Blackbaud for its 2020 ransomware incident. Blackbaud had previously paid a $3 million SEC fine and $49 million to state attorneys general for misleading breach disclosures.
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By the numbers: Oil majors acquire $164M of Alaska oil leases
A recent panel of regulators, crypto technologists, legal experts and bank executives debated the looming inheritance crisis in digital assets. Participants highlighted that lost private keys can render cryptocurrency permanently inaccessible, leaving heirs unable to claim rightful wealth. While self‑sovereignty emphasizes personal responsibility, the discussion revealed a growing demand for standards, custodial services and programmable inheritance tools. The consensus pointed to a hybrid future where institutions and technology collaborate to ensure crypto survives across generations.
Queensland introduced the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026 on March 11, criminalising words, symbols and expressions that may "menace, harass or offend." Within weeks, Brisbane artist James Hillier was...
A U.S. federal judge in California largely sided with Amy Taylor, frontwoman of Amyl and the Sniffers, in her copyright dispute with photographer Jamie Nelson. The court denied Nelson's anti‑SLAPP motion, allowed Taylor to amend her federal claim and keep...
Morpheus Research released a report accusing MakeMyTrip of continuing anti‑competitive price‑parity practices despite a 2022 Competition Commission of India fine of $26 million. The activist short‑seller alleges the platform uses an internal “price competitiveness score” to indirectly enforce parity, while also...
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission secured a consent order against Peken Global Limited, the operator of the KuCoin exchange, for allowing U.S. users to trade on its platform without CFTC registration. The order imposes a permanent injunction against future violations...
Pinsent Masons announced the promotion of 23 new partners effective 1 May, a slight decrease from the previous year. The cohort is 65% male, reversing last year’s female majority, and is heavily weighted toward energy and infrastructure specialists. Sixteen partners join...
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has introduced a new legislative instrument, ASIC Corporations (Foreign Licensees and ADIs) Instrument 2026/121, replacing the 2016 version and running until April 1, 2031. The instrument exempts foreign AFS licensees from record‑keeping and audited financial statement...
The ACCC released a draft determination that will set NBN Co’s regulatory framework from 1 July 2026, proposing lower capital spending, reduced weighted‑average cost of capital, and tighter benchmark service standards. It also upgrades the entry‑level broadband offering to a 25 Mbps download/10 Mbps...
Former Deutsche Bank asset‑wealth head Michele Faissola and four ex‑colleagues sued the lender in a London court for at least £473 million ($624 million), part of a broader claim of £664 million ($877 million). The lawsuit alleges they were wrongly blamed in a 2013...
Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court rejected Danone’s appeal, confirming that the word “milk” cannot appear on plant‑based product labels, even in altered forms such as “This Is Not M*lk.” The 4‑1 decision aligns with a recent UK ruling against Oatly and...
The Federal Maritime Commission rejected four major carriers' request to impose an immediate war‑risk surcharge on U.S.–Middle East routes without the required 30‑day notice. The decision forces any new fees to wait until at least early April and obliges shippers...
Squire Patton Boggs has appointed Andrew Wilkinson as its new European managing partner, taking over from Jonathan Jones in May. Wilkinson, a London partner since 2003, leads the firm’s IP and technology practice, advising on AI, fintech, telecoms and other...
Effective AI oversight now hinges on the ability to reconstruct a single AI‑influenced decision with verifiable records. The EU AI Act makes automatic event logging a compliance prerequisite for high‑risk systems, but merely having policies is insufficient. A "proof drill"—a...
Western Australia has overhauled its rental‑bond rules, allowing tenants to initiate bond releases after the final inspection rather than waiting for landlords. The change routes most disputes to the Commissioner for Consumer Protection, cutting the roughly 4,500 annual tenancy cases...
Shareholders are supreme under Japanese corporate law, but shareholders' economic interests are not. What is the distinction? Japan is (in)famous for its webs of cross-shareholdings. Suppliers, customers, financial institutions own shares in each other, and always support incumbent management with their...
Mecca Brands Pty Ltd, Mecca Brands NZ Pty Ltd and RTCH Pty Ltd were each hit with a $198,000 AUD (≈$130,000 USD) infringement notice for failing to lodge audited financial reports for the year ending 28 December 2024, totalling $594,000 AUD (≈$392,000 USD). The penalties were...
Chicago has adopted a citywide mandate requiring pre‑rental inspections before a unit can be leased, with the cost placed on property owners. Small, independent landlords warn the rule could add to already‑inflated expenses from rising property taxes, insurance and maintenance,...
In this episode, Northwestern Law professor Paul Gowder draws a stark parallel between the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act and today’s mass deportation practices, arguing that both create a class of people treated as foreign and denied legal rights. He explains...
Angela Lipps, a 50‑year‑old Tennessee grandmother, was arrested in July 2025 and held for more than five months after Clearview AI facial‑recognition software mistakenly identified her as a fraud suspect. The case, described as the longest AI‑related wrongful detention in...
In March 2026 a wave of notable legal developments unfolded: Jones Day added four Supreme Court clerks from the October 2024 term, including Seanhenry VanDyke; veteran attorney J. Klatchko moved to dispute‑resolution firm JAMS; the Trump administration intensified its challenge...
Australian radio network ARN is confronting two federal lawsuits after the abrupt termination of its KIIS 1065 breakfast hosts. Kyle Sandilands alleges his dismissal was invalid and seeks reinstatement and payment under his contract. Jackie Henderson claims her contract was ended...
On January 5 2026 the General Services Administration issued an IT Security Procedural Guide that instantly raises cybersecurity requirements for any contractor handling Controlled Unclassified Information. The guide forces compliance with NIST SP 800‑171 Rev 3, selected SP 800‑172 Rev 3 controls, and privacy controls from...
With two legal challenges moving through California courts, a sheriff and Republican candidate for governor who seized 650,000 ballots cast in last year’s redistricting referendum has conceded that his mission to recount the votes is temporarily on pause. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/california-sheriff-who-seized-ballots-says-his-recount-plan-is-on-hold-but-has-grabbed-even-more-election-records/
Australia’s under‑16 social‑media ban, effective 10 December, is facing serious compliance gaps across major platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube. The eSafety Commissioner’s report finds that platforms have built workarounds into age‑verification systems, failed to close reporting pathways,...
My latest: It is often said that Trump’s strategy is to overwhelm us by flooding the zone. I think it is more accurate to say his strategy is to grind it out and wear us down. https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/trump-isnt-flooding-the-zone-hes-trying-to-wear-us-down/
JUST IN: Manhattan federal prosecutors are investigating whether big-money bets on prediction markets broke insider trading rules and other laws.
A Texas federal judge dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit alleging Cardi B’s hit “Enough (Miami)” copied the beat from the 2021 “Greasy Frybread” track used in FX’s *Reservation Dogs*. The plaintiffs, production duo Kemika1956, failed to establish personal jurisdiction in Texas...
Major companies in Japan face mandatory new rules on climate reporting under the next phase in the country’s planned national emissions trading system. https://t.co/qWxjaezR9y
The Power Broker permanently changes how you read contracts. You stop looking for terms and start looking for power.
Australia’s regulator ACMA confirmed its draft standard that classifies signal strengths below –115 dBm as ‘no coverage’, forcing carriers to label maps with four tiers: good, moderate, usable and no coverage. The rule means Telstra could have up to one million...
Mary McNair, a 100‑year‑old homeowner, has filed a lawsuit against State Farm demanding full coverage for $30,000 in fire‑damage repairs after the insurer offered only $2,000. The dispute highlights tensions over policy interpretation and the treatment of elderly claimants.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by former Fox News reporter Jason Donner, who claimed he was fired for challenging the network's coverage of the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Donner alleged retaliation and discrimination under the...
Hong Kong's IPO market, which raised nearly $14 bn in the first quarter – its best since 2021 – is now confronting regulatory warnings, a shortage of deal‑banking staff and Beijing's new restrictions on Chinese listings, dampening investor appetite and putting...
The Small Business Administration has restricted its loan programs to U.S. citizens and nationals, ending eligibility for green‑card holders. The change could cut off financing for up to 220,000 California small‑business owners, representing 40% of the state’s entrepreneurial base and...
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order tightening AI procurement standards and requiring new safeguards for companies seeking state contracts. The order expands the state’s existing AI transparency framework, mandating vetting of bias controls, illegal‑content safeguards, and civil‑rights protections....
Cardi B won a federal court ruling that dismissed a Texas lawsuit alleging her 2024 single “Enough (Miami)” copied the unregistered track “Greasy Frybread.” Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. found the plaintiffs lacked factual support and could not establish personal jurisdiction...
Former NFL official Robin DeLorenzo, one of only three women ever to officiate, filed a gender‑bias lawsuit against the league, its former senior vice president of officiating Walter Anderson, and trainer Byron Boston. She alleges she was forced to conform...
The Fifth Circuit vacated the FTC’s cease‑and‑desist order that barred Intuit from marketing TurboTax products as free, ruling the agency’s internal adjudication violated the separation of powers. The court relied on the Supreme Court’s *SEC v. Jarkesy* decision, characterizing deceptive‑advertising...
Land O'Lakes is being sued by a pregnant lead operator who says the dairy cooperative terminated her after reversing an approved intermittent FMLA leave. The employee, Jessica Clemmer, disclosed her pregnancy and requested a light‑duty accommodation, which was initially granted...
Gboyega Ajibola Okunniga, a Coventry‑based solicitor, was struck off after a Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal found he fabricated a merger to conceal the diversion of client payments into his personal accounts. A district judge dismissed his £9,600 (~$12,300) claim and ordered...
Former NASA Pathways intern Ravin J. Serrao filed a federal lawsuit alleging that NASA secretly maintained a 56‑entry negative performance log he never saw, while a positive mentor assessment was withheld. He claims race, disability and retaliation discrimination after disclosing...
Hook Tangaza’s report for the Ministry of Justice urges the UK government to invest in court infrastructure and new legislation, especially in technology and financial services, to drive economic growth. It highlights that delays in dispute resolution raise business costs...
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is taking direct control of anti‑money‑laundering (AML) oversight, shifting from rule‑making to active supervision. It will demand law firms adopt real‑time risk monitoring and integrate up‑to‑date data, mirroring the approach used with financial‑services firms. Between...
The European Union Intellectual Property Office has signed a five‑year agreement with the European Commission to provide technical and consultative support under the Digital Services Act. EUIPO will focus on curbing online counterfeit goods and pirated content, helping oversee Very...
Today I signed the bipartisan SB26-011 to make Coloradans safer by ensuring that warrants are responded to more quickly This new law, sponsored by Senators Lisa Frizell and Dylan Roberts and Representatives Andrew Boesenecker and Jarvis Caldwell, supports our hardworking...
Capital One’s chief legal officer, Matthew Cooper, saw his compensation surge 93% to $15.6 million after he successfully closed the acquisition of a rival credit‑card issuer. The pay rise acknowledges his role in negotiating the deal and steering post‑merger integration. The...
U.S. rapper Eminem, legally Marshall Mathers, is fighting Australian beachwear startup Swim Shady over the similarity of the latter’s name to his Slim Shady moniker. A first hearing in Australia is set for 1 April, while parallel opposition and cancellation proceedings continue in...
The Federal Court of Appeal upheld a lower‑court ruling rejecting the Competition Bureau’s request for Amazon.ca transaction data in its fake‑review investigation. The commissioner sought broad data across health, home, tools and electronics categories, but Amazon argued the request was...
