Know What's Happening in Legal
Know What's Happening in Legal
Delaware Supreme Court revives insurers' contract claims against Blackbaud over ransomware breach
The court reversed lower‑court dismissals, allowing insurers to pursue breach‑of‑contract claims against Blackbaud for its 2020 ransomware incident. Blackbaud previously paid a $3M SEC fine and $49M settlements to state attorneys general for misleading breach disclosures.
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Anti‑money laundering (AML) compliance is now a non‑negotiable requirement for mortgage lenders, who are classified as financial institutions under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and the USA PATRIOT Act. Lenders must implement comprehensive programs that include Know‑Your‑Customer (KYC) checks, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), beneficial‑ownership identification, transaction monitoring, and independent testing. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine‑learning platforms are reshaping how lenders verify identities and flag suspicious activity. Failure to meet these obligations can trigger severe civil and criminal penalties, reputational harm, and even license revocation.
Financial institutions must adopt comprehensive Anti‑Money Laundering (AML) programs to detect illicit activity, meet regulatory mandates, and protect their reputations. Core components include Customer Due Diligence, rigorous record‑keeping, suspicious activity reporting, and a dedicated AML compliance officer. Emerging threats such...
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its Board Rules of Procedure, a comprehensive set of governance documents covering everything from audit committees to digital markets oversight. The latest update on 27 March 2026 removed the Nominations Committee’s terms of...
The article consists solely of a security verification prompt, lacking any substantive news about a senior partner or client dispute. It displays placeholder images and instructions to solve a puzzle, indicating the content is inaccessible. No factual details, quotes, or...
On 27 March 2026, the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) announced the extension of General Licence INT/2023/2824812 until 26 March 2028. The licence, first issued on 28 March 2023 and previously extended in March 2025, authorises non‑designated persons to engage in bond restructuring activities that...
U.S. District Judge Rita Lin issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the Pentagon’s designation of AI startup Anthropic as a national‑security supply‑chain risk. The ruling pauses Trump‑era sanctions and keeps Anthropic’s Claude model usable by federal agencies while the...
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed an antitrust lawsuit against NewYork‑Presbyterian Hospital, alleging the health system leverages its 30% Manhattan market share to compel insurers into costly, all‑or‑nothing contracts. The suit says the practice inflates premiums for millions of...
Linklaters and Freshfields have obtained European Union merger‑control clearance for a €43 billion ($50 billion) asset swap between German energy giants RWE and E.ON. The decision by the EU’s top court ends almost six years of appeals and clears the path for...
The California Public Utilities Commission has ruled that Tesla’s robotaxi service qualifies only for a charter‑party carrier permit—the same license used by limousine operators—rather than a true autonomous‑taxi permit. The classification exempts Tesla from submitting detailed safety and usage data,...
The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) announced that Luxembourg banker François Pauly will assume the presidency of its Board of Superintendence on April 28. Pauly succeeds Jean‑Baptiste Douville de Franssu, whose tenure saw a sweeping reform of the...
Client onboarding remains a pain point for law firms, with fragmented emails, calls, and forms creating confusion for new clients. Modern clients now expect digital‑first, real‑time updates, making traditional onboarding feel outdated. Inefficient onboarding forces lawyers into administrative work, reducing...
U.S. Attorney Gregory Kehoe announced federal indictments against siblings Alen Zheng and Ann Mary Zheng for planting an improvised explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base. The primary suspect fled to China and faces up to 40 years in prison,...
After massive farmer protests in early 2024, the European Commission fast‑tracked a rollback of the environmental components of the €300 bn (≈$330 bn) Common Agricultural Policy using an urgency procedure. The process bypassed the usual public consultation and impact‑assessment steps, prompting legal...
The White House announced that entrepreneur David Sacks will serve as co‑chair of the President’s AI and Crypto Advisory Council, a step that deepens government involvement in artificial‑intelligence policy and cryptocurrency regulation. Details of the council’s mandate and funding were...
The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for a chemical company after finding its severance release was knowing and voluntary under a five‑factor test. The court held the employee, a master’s‑degree holder, had ample 45‑day review time, clear language, adequate consideration,...
Raymond, a 40‑year‑old son in British Columbia, worries his 67‑year‑old father has no estate plan despite owning a home, boat, cars and a long‑term partner. Without a will, BC intestacy rules will dictate asset distribution, potentially granting the common‑law girlfriend...
Paris is intensifying its crackdown on illegal short‑term rentals, imposing fines that can exceed $174,000 for non‑compliant hosts. The city’s new rules cut the allowable rental period to 90 days annually and require registration, echoing a forthcoming EU mandate for...
The Italian competition authority AGCM has opened investigations into LVMH‑owned Sephora and Benefit Cosmetics for alleged unfair commercial practices that market adult cosmetics to children and adolescents. Regulators say the brands employ very young micro‑influencers on social media to push...
Synthetic identity fraud is exploding in 2026 as AI tools and data breaches enable criminals to blend real personal data with fabricated details, creating entirely new personas that pass traditional KYC checks. Because no real victim exists, these synthetic identities...
On 26 March 2026 the European Securities and Markets Authority released official translations of its updated stress‑test guidelines under the Money Market Funds Regulation. The guidance seeks a common, uniform application of Article 28 across the EU. Sections highlighted in red become legally...
In this Legal Speak episode recorded at Legal Week, corporate counsel Odette Claridge discusses her 14‑year e‑discovery background, her transition to an in‑house role at ProSearch, and the company’s AI‑driven e‑discovery and contract‑life‑cycle‑management (CLM) initiatives. She shares insights from a...
Indonesian coal billionaire Low Tuck Kwong and Energy Resource Investment sued Peter Kwee and Chan Kok Choon for roughly $6.3 million USD over alleged material defects in Australian golf‑club and hotel assets. The dispute arises from a June 2025 share‑purchase agreement valued...
On 26 March 2026 the UK government released a draft Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (Amendment) Regulations 2026, translating the Treasury’s 2024 consultation into law. The proposal tightens customer due diligence for unusually large or complex transactions, converts euro‑based thresholds...
Judge blocks Pentagon from labeling Anthropic AI a "supply chain risk" and halts Trump's ban on federal use https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/anthropic-ruling-judge-trump-pentagon-ai/
After FCA presented evidence that he had groped, verbally harassed & inappropriately touched female employees, Crispin Odey insisted to the court that he was the one who was actually the victim, and the target of “bullying” by the regulator. https://t.co/T0oIZDvdpC
Florida lawmakers have passed SB 484, a bill that obligates hyper‑scale data centers to shoulder the full cost of the electricity and water they consume, preventing those expenses from being passed onto average ratepayers. The measure requires utilities to file...
The Trump administration touts recent reductions in Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment fraud while unveiling a sweeping set of 2027 regulations aimed at tightening eligibility verification and curbing broker misconduct. Complaints about unauthorized enrollments climbed to 341,906 in 2025, prompting...
An NHS worker, Ilda Esteves, won a harassment claim after a colleague repeatedly called her “Auntie” and suggested she would be a good match for an older male staff member. The London Employment Tribunal upheld the harassment claim based on...
The Delaware federal court rejected Moderna’s claim that Section 1498 immunity shielded its COVID‑19 vaccine sales, holding that the statute only protects products that directly benefit the government. The ruling coincides with a $2.25 billion settlement between Moderna and Arbutus, including a...
Ron Wyden is the only lawmaker in congress who is actually interested in cracking down on big tech it seems
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a formal investigation on 26 March 2026 into Just Eat’s compliance with consumer‑protection law. The probe focuses on whether the platform’s star‑rating system artificially inflates the scores of certain restaurants and grocers, potentially misleading...
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced the No Adversarial AI Act, which would permanently prohibit federal agencies from purchasing or using artificial intelligence developed by China, Russia, Iran or North Korea. The bill tasks the Federal Acquisition Security Council...
Someva Renewables secured approval for its 372 MW Hills of Gold wind farm after an 18‑month legal battle, when the Tamworth Regional Council withdrew its appeal against the NSW Independent Planning Commission’s decision. The council had argued the IPC lacked sufficient...
China’s customs authority now requires local authority recommendation letters for health foods imported via the general trade route, tightening controls against counterfeit products. In the United States, the FDA will hold a March 27 hearing to reinterpret the DSHEA definition of...
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 18 luxury properties in Dubai and two in Delhi, valued at roughly $204 million (₹1,700 crore), belonging to Mahadev betting app promoter Sourabh Chandrakar. This seizure brings the total frozen assets in the case to about...
A mysterious seven‑page will for Tony Hsieh’s roughly $500 million estate arrived at a Reno law firm, claiming a $50 million trust and other unconventional bequests. The document, dated 2015 and signed by alleged witnesses who cannot be located, met Nevada’s minimal...
Propertymark has released a new Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT) agreement for its letting‑agent members, aligning contracts with the upcoming Renters’ Rights Act that takes effect on 1 May. The legislation abolishes fixed‑term Assured Shorthold Tenancies, converting all tenancies in England to...
HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax Self‑Assessment will compel landlords to keep digital records and submit quarterly updates, starting in April 2026 for those earning over £50,000 (≈ $63,500). The threshold will fall to £30,000 (≈ $38,100) in 2027 and...
The Madhya Pradesh High Court reinstated a peon after 22 years, ruling that an irregular appointment cannot justify dismissal after long service. The court distinguished illegal appointments, which are void, from irregular ones, which cannot be cancelled after decades. It...
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has ordered Bank of London to halt onboarding new clients, citing deficiencies in its anti‑money‑laundering and risk‑management frameworks. The freeze, effective immediately, applies to all prospective corporate and retail accounts and could delay the bank’s...
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against United Parks & Resorts Inc., the parent of SeaWorld, alleging that its policy banning wheeled walkers with seats violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. The complaint cites a pattern of discrimination...
Japan will double the minimum residency period for naturalization from five to ten years, effective April 1, 2026. The Justice Ministry also lengthens tax‑payment verification to five years and social‑insurance verification to two years, applying the rules to pending applicants....
The International Bar Association convened a side event at the 61st United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva to address accountability for crimes arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Legal experts, diplomats and policymakers focused on establishing a Special...
The SEC’s recent rulemaking has come under heightened scrutiny for relying on fairness arguments without solid empirical evidence, especially in its cost‑benefit analyses. Critics focus on the Alternative Uptick Rule, a short‑selling restriction triggered by a 10% daily price drop,...
The Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners (ALEP) has written to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee urging clarification and publication of amendments to the Leasehold & Freehold Reform Act 2024 (LAFRA). ALEP highlights technical gaps in ground‑rent rules, valuation...
Mike Lindell’s live interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference was interrupted when a woman in a red dress claimed to be serving him court papers. Lindell repeatedly asked to stay on camera, then seized the documents and tossed them...
On 17 March the UK Prudential Regulation Authority released Consultation Paper CP5/26 to modernise the liquidity policy framework. The PRA proposes targeted, proportionate adjustments that focus on Pillar 2 risk management rather than increasing high‑quality liquid assets. Key proposals include assessing liquidity...
The UK Crown Court backlog surged to a record 80,203 cases by December 2025, prompting courts minister Sarah Sackman to warn the system is "on the brink of collapse." The government is using the crisis to justify cutting jury trials...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has vacated the Department of Labor’s 2024 fiduciary rule, and the DOL subsequently removed the rule from the Code of Federal Regulations. The decision reinstates the 1975 definition of an investment‑advice...
The U.S. Tax Court entered a stipulated decision in Agate Holdings LLC v. Commissioner, confirming the partnership’s $48.3 million conservation easement deduction. The IRS waived both accuracy‑related and civil fraud penalties for the 2018 tax year. The concession was based solely...
