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
$125k Costs Ordered Against Employee with "Dollar Signs in His Eyes"
The Federal Circuit Court ordered a former casual employee of Tasman Rope Access to pay $125,000 in the employer’s legal costs after dismissing his discrimination claim. The judge found the employee’s conduct in the general‑protections proceeding to be manifestly unreasonable. The claim alleged unlawful discrimination based on a physical disability, which the employee denied. The court upheld the employer’s decision, citing medical assessments that showed the employee could not meet the physical demands of a rope‑access technician role.
Colorblind?: Investors Allege Tricolor’s Lenders and Underwriters Ignored Persistent Red Flags
Tricolor Holdings, a subprime auto dealer‑financier, collapsed after a federal indictment revealed a multi‑year scheme that double‑pledged and fabricated loan collateral, securing roughly $800 million in extra financing and selling over $2 billion of asset‑backed securities. Investors now allege that the banks...
Full Report: Two Scalps, Four Cleared in NACC Robodebt Probe
The National Anti‑Corruption Commission (NACC) released a report on six senior officials referred by the Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme. It found Deputy Secretary Serena Wilson and General Manager Mark Withnell engaged in serious corrupt conduct by deliberately misleading oversight bodies....
Suspended Sentence for Online Harassment of Solicitors
A High Court judge sentenced Sophie Fleming, the partner of the late solicitor Brendan Fleming, to two suspended custodial terms for repeatedly breaching anti‑harassment injunctions. The injunctions had been issued to protect the executors and interim administrators of Fleming’s £8 million...
Early Readings From the FCC’s Sports Broadcasting Docket
The FCC’s Media Bureau has opened a docket to examine the fragmented sports‑broadcasting ecosystem, inviting comments through March 27. Early filers include One Ministries, which urges the commission to extend must‑carry rules to virtual MVPDs so independent stations like KQSL...
“Sealed According to Law”: The First Loan Closings in Antiquity – Part II
The article examines the earliest known loan closures, focusing on cuneiform clay tablets from Mesopotamia and comparable Egyptian practices. It details how duplicate clay tablets sealed with cylinder‑seal impressions protected agreements, and outlines the typical contents of ancient loans, including...
Court of International Trade Enforces Supreme Court Decision, Orders Removal of IEEPA Tariffs on U.S. Imports
A U.S. Court of International Trade judge ordered Customs and Border Protection to liquidate and refund IEEPA tariffs deemed unauthorized by the Supreme Court. The order applies to more than 330,000 importers covering over 53 million entries, effectively mandating refunds without...
Murdoch’s Mexico War & An Ellison Merger Lesson
Fox is embroiled in a cross‑border trademark dispute in Mexico after a football broadcast blackout, leading to injunctions and mounting contempt fines. The Ninth Circuit is hearing an appeal that could restore the NFL’s $4.7 billion Sunday Ticket penalty. Disney is...
ANAO Confirms Treasury’s HAFF Monitoring and Reporting Under Scrutiny
The Australian National Audit Office has launched a performance audit of Treasury’s monitoring and reporting of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF). The audit follows a request from Senator Andrew Bragg, who asked the Auditor‑General to expand the review to include...
Supreme Court Poised to Revisit NEPA and RCRA
The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Department of the Air Force v. Prutehi Guahan, a case that asks whether the Air Force’s filing of a RCRA permit renewal counts as a final agency action that triggers NEPA review. The dispute...
Stepping Back, Staying Safe: A Joined-Up Approach to Growth
At the MoneyLIVE Summit 2026, FCA executive David Geale outlined the planned consolidation of the Payment Systems Regulator into the FCA, promising a single, coordinated payments oversight body. He highlighted recent pro‑growth reforms, including the removal of the £100 contactless...
Copyright Bullying Vs. Religious Freedom
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is urging a Southern District of New York judge to quash DMCA subpoenas issued by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society aimed at unmasking anonymous researcher J. Doe. Doe’s work, which uses fair‑use analysis of...
British Columbia Moves to Ban Protests Near Schools and Places of Worship
British Columbia’s attorney general introduced two bills that would ban protests within 20 metres of K‑12 schools and places of public worship. The legislation extends the existing Safe Access to Schools Act until June 2028 and creates a parallel Safe Access...
Federal Court Dismisses Chapter 93A Claims Predicated on Fraud for Failure to Plead With Particularity
The U.S. District Court for Massachusetts dismissed Chapter 93A fraud claims against Bank of America after plaintiffs failed to meet Rule 9(b)'s heightened pleading requirements. Plaintiffs alleged $48,000 was transferred via Zelle without authorization and that the bank misrepresented Zelle’s safety and...
Industry Group Challenges CA Prop. 65 DEA Warning Requirement
The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) filed a federal lawsuit in California challenging the Proposition 65 requirement to label diethanolamine (DEA) as a cancer risk. The suit argues the warning compels companies to convey a false, misleading message, citing limited scientific...
Why a Surfer Spent 4 Months in ICE Detention for Wandering Onto the Wrong Beach
Surfer Hagop Chirinian was detained for four months after unintentionally crossing the Camp Pendleton border, prompting ICE involvement. Although he held a work permit and complied with check‑ins, he was held without a formal hearing, leading a federal judge to...
37,000 Fake AI Comments Mysteriously Oppose Washington State’s Effort To Tax The Rich
Washington State opened a public comment period for a proposed millionaire tax, only to see more than 37,000 AI‑generated submissions opposing the measure. The fake entries duplicated names dozens of times, often posted late at night, inflating the appearance of...
Legalweek 2026 Day 2: Activating Data Breach Strategies, Gauging Reactions to AI Adoption
Legalweek 2026’s second day spotlighted two urgent priorities for law firms: fortifying data‑breach response plans and integrating next‑generation AI tools into practice. Panels emphasized proactive incident‑response playbooks, real‑time breach monitoring, and alignment with evolving privacy regulations. Parallel sessions tackled lawyer...
Renaming Draft “_FINAL” To Pressure Opposing Counsel
Adding a “_FINAL(Execution Copy)” to the name of the initial draft to bully another lawyer into clearing the deal
Kalshi Suffers Court Loss in Ohio over Sports Betting Lawsuit
Kalshi’s request for a preliminary injunction to block Ohio regulators from overseeing its sports‑event contracts was denied by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. The judge found Kalshi had not demonstrated that such contracts fall under...
First Amendment May Protect First-Grader's Giving Black Classmate "Black Lives Mater Any Life" Drawing
The Ninth Circuit vacated a summary‑judgment ruling in B.B. v. Capistrano Unified School District, holding that a first‑grader’s drawing containing the phrase “Black Lives Mater any life” is protected speech under the First Amendment. Applying the Tinker balancing test, the...
Trial Begins for Istanbul Mayor Amid Political Influence Concerns
Istanbul mayor and opposition figure Ekrem İmamoğlu began a high‑profile trial on Monday, facing charges of corruption, bribery, extortion and money‑laundering. The case involves more than 400 co‑defendants, many of whom are municipal employees and CHP officials. Opposition leaders allege President...
Cooper Carry Sued In U.S. To Collect Dubai Court Judgment
Muzoon Holdings, a UAE developer, is suing Atlanta‑based architecture firm Cooper Carry in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to enforce a Dubai judgment exceeding $200,000. The Dubai court found Cooper Carry liable for failing to...
State Lawmakers Weigh Bill to Crack Down on Nursing Home Abuse With Tougher Penalties, More Transparency
Missouri lawmakers are advancing a bill that would increase penalties for nursing‑home abuse to a Class E felony and require facilities to carry at least $1 million in liability insurance. The legislation also mandates the Department of Health and Senior Services to...
BREAKING: Paul Boyne Guilty on ALL COUNTS
A Connecticut jury convicted journalist Paul Boyne on all counts of first‑degree and electronic stalking for a series of blog posts criticizing state judges. Prosecutors argued the posts formed a course of conduct intended to intimidate the judiciary, while the...
Trump’s Assault on Higher Education Has Hit a Snag
The Trump administration launched an aggressive campaign against elite universities, slashing DEI programs, freezing billions in research grants, and capping indirect research costs. Universities and advocacy groups responded with a wave of lawsuits that halted most of the funding cuts...
FDA Advisor Touts Approach Tailoring Regulation To Specific AI Use
The FDA’s artificial‑intelligence advisor announced a shift toward evaluating AI‑driven health technologies on a case‑by‑case basis, focusing on each tool’s specific function rather than applying a one‑size‑fits‑all rule set. This risk‑based approach will tailor regulatory requirements to the actual clinical...
Kristi Noem, Law Firms & No-Knock Warrants
In this episode, Preet and Joyce dissect the puzzling flip‑flop by the Justice Department over an appeal concerning four executive orders targeting law firms, exploring why the government abandoned the appeal one day and reinstated it the next. They argue...
Judge Is Skeptical of Penn’s Argument Against Trump Demand for List of Jews
A federal judge in Philadelphia appeared receptive to the Trump administration’s EEOC subpoena demanding the University of Pennsylvania provide names of its Jewish faculty and staff for an antisemitism investigation. The university has refused, labeling the request unconstitutional and unsettling...
Law Professor Learns Harsh State Income Tax Lesson
The article examines the "Matter of Zelinsky" case, where a Connecticut‑resident law professor teaching at New York’s Cardozo School was forced to pay full New York state income tax despite working from home during the pandemic. New York courts applied...
Gracenote Sues ChatGPT Developer OpenAI for Copyright Infringement
Gracenote, the leading entertainment metadata provider, has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT was trained on its proprietary data without permission. The complaint asserts that OpenAI reproduced Gracenote’s detailed descriptions and the relational framework that organizes its...
ACCC Backs Tighter Rules on Mobile Coverage Claims
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has endorsed new rules that require mobile operators to display coverage on standardized maps using a ‑115 dBm signal threshold. The proposal, driven by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), would label areas...
Change to IRS's Tip Deduction Guidance May Mean Amended Returns
The IRS released updated Schedule 1‑A instructions that tighten the tip deduction for self‑employed and gig‑economy workers. The new rules cap the deduction at $25,000 and limit it to net business income after subtracting self‑employment tax, health‑insurance and retirement‑plan deductions. For...
Biologics and Biosimilars Landscape 2025: IP, Policy, and Market Developments
The FDA approved 18 biosimilars in 2025, spanning six therapeutic areas and marking a surge in interchangeable designations to over 20. A wave of denosumab biosimilars and first‑in‑kind interchangeable products such as Poherdy® and Omlyclo® highlighted market diversification. BPCIA litigation...
Anatomy of a Data Security Addendum
The article dissects Data Security Addenda (DSAs), highlighting how most vendor templates lack the structural completeness needed for real breach scenarios. It stresses that precise definitions of Customer Data and Security Incident are foundational, influencing every downstream obligation. The piece...
Fired Guard's Deleted Photo Sparks Human Rights Discrimination Complaint
The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario dismissed Jesspreet Grewal’s claim that his termination and the removal of his photograph from a security company’s public‑facing pages constituted race‑based discrimination. The tribunal found Grewal’s allegations were “bald” and lacked a factual nexus...
Disney's ESPN Bundling Sparks $50M Antitrust Settlement
This class action antitrust case against Disney for raising cable prices was really interesting, it's too bad it's not going to trial. The allegation is that prices for streaming pay-tv packages like Sling and Hulu were cheap because they didn't...
Trump Administration Again Sued Over Alaska Public Lands "Giveaway"
Environmental coalitions have filed a new lawsuit against the Trump administration for revoking Public Land Orders 5150 and 5180, which would open roughly 2.1 million acres in Alaska—including a 211‑mile Ambler Road corridor through Gates of the Arctic National Park—to mining...
IRS Audits Dog-Dependent Claims, No Wins
The IRS has audited people for claiming their dog as a dependent. The dog did not win.
OCC's Gould Doubles Down on State Preemption
Comptroller Jonathan Gould reaffirmed the OCC's commitment to federal preemption of state banking rules, citing the agency’s Lincoln‑era origins. He announced an aggressive filing strategy of amicus briefs and court filings to solidify the OCC’s legal position. Gould dismissed criticism...
Zimbabwe Should Expand, Not Restrict, Kids' Internet Access
Just unnecessary. Social media HAS EVERYTHING …. YouTube is social media & it has lots of educational content & entertainment content appropriate for kids. Google, which is not social media, gives access to a lot of bad stuff. So what...
Exposing Dark Patterns: Advocacy Insights From Local Circles
My latest column is on “dark patterns.”Tremendous advocacy work in this area by @sachintaparia of @LocalCircles. For those who wish to read the column 👇, here’s a link: https://t.co/PtpgiuDtJ4
Smarsh Launches AI Enabled Communication Surveillance for Small to Medium Businesses
Smarsh introduced the Noise Reduction Agent, an AI‑driven tool that trims compliance alert volume by up to 60 % for small and mid‑sized financial firms. The solution suppresses low‑risk communications during ingestion, preserving audit‑ready records while cutting thousands of non‑actionable review...
AI Agents Accelerate Hardware Compliance, Cutting Time Tenfold
Noetic (@getnoetic) uses AI agents to automate end-to-end compliance workflows, so hardware products can get to markets 10x faster. Congrats on the launch, @togao0, @henrypzheng & @J4ckJ1Y! https://t.co/yDKh3UF6ks https://t.co/bMZ4rFcPBK
Oppose 21st Century ROAD Act: It Hinders Build‑to‑Rent
Please voice your opposition to the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which as currently drafted punishes new Build-to-Rent housing construction. https://t.co/gYsrYfSiJu https://t.co/WLqgU46iDQ
Medical Malpractice and AI: Jurors React Differently Depending on How Radiologists Utilize the Technology
A mock‑trial study published in Nature Health examined how jurors assign liability when radiologists use AI in interpreting CT scans. When AI flagged a brain bleed and the radiologist reviewed the image only once, 75% of jurors held the radiologist...
Live From LegalWeek with Aron Ahmadia
In this Legal Speak episode recorded at Legal Week, Aaron Amadea, Vice President of Applied Science at Relativity, discusses the evolution of AI in legal tech, from early active‑learning tools to today’s large language models that power Relativity’s AI‑driven document...
Mercer Faces Second Class-Action Lawsuit After ShinyHunters Cyberattack
Mercer Advisors is facing a second class‑action lawsuit after a ShinyHunters cyberattack exposed roughly 5.7 million client records, including names, contact details and partial Social Security numbers. The complaint alleges Mercer refused to pay the hackers’ ransom, prompting the group to...
Bad Bunny Wins Dismissal of Lawsuit Claiming Uncleared Sample on ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Track
Bad Bunny secured a federal court dismissal of a lawsuit alleging his track “Enséñame a Bailar” sampled Nigerian artist Dera’s 2019 song “Empty My Pocket.” Judge Otis Wright threw out the case with prejudice after the plaintiff failed to meet...
Senators Try to Unlock Stalled Crypto Clarity Act with Compromise on Stablecoin Yield
Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Thom Tillis are negotiating a compromise on stablecoin reward provisions to revive the stalled Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. The compromise would allow limited, transaction‑based rewards while preserving guardrails to prevent deposit flight, addressing bankers’ concerns...