Legal News and Headlines
Legal News and Headlines
The Federal Circuit vacated the PTAB’s earlier decision granting priority to the Broad Institute, Harvard and MIT in Interference No. 106,115 and remanded the case for further proceedings. The PTAB responded by swapping panel members, appointing Administrative Patent Judges Rachel H. Townsend, David Cotta and Deborah Katz. A strict briefing schedule has been set—supplemental briefs due Oct 10, 2025, responses Nov 7, and replies Dec 5—while the derivation issue remains a focal point. An oral hearing date has yet to be scheduled, leaving the dispute unresolved.
The CPA Journal highlights three pivotal SALT updates: California’s Climate‑Related Financial Risk Act (SB 261) now obliges businesses with over $500 million in revenue to file biennial climate risk reports starting Jan 1 2026, with penalties of $50 k‑$500 k per year; Washington, D.C. passed a...
Littler’s 2026 legislative outlook highlights a surge of state‑level bills affecting employment law, from expanded E‑Verify mandates and new tip‑and‑overtime tax deductions to stricter job‑posting transparency. Lawmakers are also advancing portable benefit accounts for gig workers, curbing TRAP and stay‑or‑pay...
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has introduced an internal dispute resolution data dashboard to enhance its enforcement decision‑making. The tool aggregates complaint volumes, categorises issues and outcomes, tracks resolution speed, and details financial remedies provided by advisory firms....
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 2345, revising the allocation of Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) premiums without altering the total amount. Employers can now fully deduct the employee‑share of the medical‑leave premium, while deductions for the family‑leave premium...
Kansas lawmakers advanced two property‑tax reforms: Senate SCR 1616 would cap assessed‑value growth at 3 percent annually, while House HB 2745 would impose a 3‑percent levy limit with a voter‑protest mechanism and an exemption for school districts. The assessment limit risks creating gaps...
The NIL era has turned NCAA eligibility into an economic right, prompting new litigation. Quarterback Diego Pavia secured a preliminary injunction in federal court by framing the NCAA’s rule counting junior‑college seasons toward the four‑year limit as an antitrust restraint, while...
FINRA reported 431 disciplinary actions in 2025, a 22% drop from 2024, while total fines rose to $75 million, driven largely by a $26 million penalty against Robinhood Securities. The top five fine categories were anti‑money laundering, misleading communications, trade reporting, recordkeeping,...
The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced the ERISA Litigation Reform Act on a 19‑13 party‑line vote, aiming to raise pleading standards for certain employee‑benefit plan lawsuits. The bill targets excessive‑fee claims, employee stock ownership plan suits, and proposes a...
New Jersey’s Supreme Court in Rutgers v. AFSCME Local 888 held that collective‑bargaining grievance procedures cannot override Title IX obligations. The ruling forces higher‑education employers to align CBAs with federal gender‑equity mandates, rejecting any contract language that conflicts with Title IX. Littler’s...
Social media platforms have become hotspots for trademark, copyright, and patent infringements, prompting businesses to adopt proactive protection strategies. Clark Hill attorneys outline four essential steps: registering intellectual property, continuously monitoring platforms, reporting violations through built‑in tools and DMCA notices,...
Compass International Holdings announced on March 18 that it is dismissing its June lawsuit against Zillow without prejudice. The move follows Zillow's launch of the "Preview" product, which relaxes its Listing Access Standards and permits pre‑market listings. Compass had challenged...
The FTX Recovery Trust announced a $2.2 billion distribution to creditors on March 31, marking its fourth payout under the Chapter 11 plan. The payment covers both “Convenience” and “Non‑Convenience” claim classes, with funds transferred through BitGo, Kraken or Payoneer within 1‑3 business...
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation issued new Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets, effective June 1, 2026, replacing the 1995 rules. The regulations broaden the definition of trade secrets to include algorithms, source code, and detailed customer data, and...
The UK Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee held a three‑round evidence session on imposing age‑restriction measures on major social‑media platforms, mirroring Australia’s recent Social Media Minimum Age Act. Advocates cited alarming parental polling – 93% deem social media harmful...
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The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) designates large online platforms with at least 45 million monthly EU users as gatekeepers and forces them to change data‑tracking, app‑pre‑install, and ranking practices. Enforcement began in 2023 with a compliance deadline of 6 March 2024,...
A Maryland bill would force pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy groups to disclose any financial ties when they run disease‑awareness advertisements. The legislation requires drugmakers to state whether they sell or are developing a treatment for the condition featured, and...
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is representing an anonymous Jehovah’s Witness researcher, J. Doe, whose JWS Library site was targeted by DMCA subpoenas from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. The organization has a documented history of filing 72 copyright...
The Department of Justice’s new rule, effective April 30, requires all U.S. government agencies serving 50,000 or more residents to bring their websites into compliance with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards under Title II of the ADA. The mandate, introduced during the Biden...
On 18 March 2026, the UK Financial Conduct Authority issued a Call for Input inviting stakeholders to comment on how regulation can improve small and medium‑sized enterprises’ access to finance. The FCA aims to identify regulatory barriers that raise costs...
A federal judge dismissed a wrongful‑death lawsuit against Bristol, Tennessee police and paramedics over the 2017 death of 23‑year‑old Austin Hunter Turner, ruling the statute of limitations had expired. The family filed the suit in 2024 after the Associated Press...
Sen. John Cornyn introduced the “End Special Treatment for Congress at Airports Act,” which would require members of Congress to undergo the same TSA screening as the general public and ban federal funds for expedited airport access. Lawmakers could still...
The New Jersey Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee approved bills A2401 and A2406 to tighten safety standards for scrap metal facilities. The legislation mandates remotely operated fire suppression systems, heat detection technology, limits on scrap pile heights, and places...
A Los Angeles jury in the nation’s first social‑media addiction trial has submitted multiple notes, including a request to replay a 30‑minute YouTube custodian testimony, highlighting the case’s procedural complexity. The same court saw Judge Ruth Kwan strike $950 million in...
Nexon is appealing an ₩11.642 billion fine imposed by the Korea Fair Trade Commission for allegedly concealing probability changes in MapleStory’s paid Cube items. The Seoul High Court scheduled a final presentation hearing on April 29, granting each side 20 minutes for...
On 18 March 2026 the FCA, PRA and Bank of England released coordinated policy statements that create a single operational‑incident and third‑party reporting regime for UK financial firms. The new rules define a unified incident definition, standardised thresholds and a...
On March 6, 2026, the Third Circuit in Massey v. Borough of Bergenfield held that New Jersey’s “background circumstances” rule— which required majority‑group plaintiffs to prove employer intent— is incompatible with the NJ Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD). Citing the U.S....
GuardDog Telehealth admitted to accessing patient medical records under false pretenses, claiming treatment needs while actually selling the data to law firms. The lawsuit, supported by Epic and Health Gorilla, alleges the use of sham providers to request records from...
The Competition Commission announced a probe into Canal+'s compliance with the merger conditions attached to its takeover of MultiChoice, focusing on the recent shutdown of the Showmax streaming service. Regulators will assess whether Canal+ adhered to voting‑right caps and the...
CalSTRS warns that the SEC’s recent retreat from reviewing shareholder proposals erodes a critical layer of investor protection. The pension fund argues the market needs an independent referee to fairly vet proposals before they reach a vote. Without such oversight,...
A regulator placed two insurers under statutory management, signaling heightened oversight in the sector. Concurrently, war-driven volatility is expected to push Nigerian reinsurance rates higher and spur Greek firms to intensify cyber‑risk scans. Insurers are also expanding globally, with a...
India’s securities regulator SEBI imposed a total fine of ₹2.8 crore on 18 entities for manipulating the share price of Retro Green Revolution Ltd (RGRL). The regulator ordered Sanjay Arunkumar Choksi and Western Agrotech Innovative to return unlawful gains of ₹2.94 crore...
Safety‑Kleen Systems, a Clean Harbors subsidiary, agreed to pay a $175,000 federal fine after the EPA cited its Linden, New Jersey plant for maintenance, storage and equipment violations. Inspectors found leaking pipes, unsealed containment structures and improper labeling that heightened the...
SoundExchange CEO Michael Huppe welcomed Ireland’s amendment to its copyright law, which now obliges Irish radio royalties to be paid to American performers. The change stems from an EU court ruling that mandates all member states to allow such payments,...
Freshpet was ordered by the BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division (NAD) to stop using "human grade" language in its dog‑food advertising after a challenge from rival The Farmer’s Dog. NAD found two of three reviewed ads implied the product...
The U.S. Department of Justice antitrust trial against Ticketmaster and its parent Live Nation resumed on March 16 after 32 states rejected a tentative settlement. The proposed deal would have forced 50 % of tickets at Live Nation‑owned venues to be sold...
The global space economy is set to surge from $630 billion in 2023 to $1.7 trillion by 2035, yet the legal framework remains fragmented and largely government‑centric. Private actors face a regulatory vacuum that could trigger lunar land grabs, inflate costs, and...
Vera Mayzel, a legal influencer with nearly 40,000 followers, announced on Instagram that she is leaving her newly‑qualified solicitor role at Hogan Lovells. After completing a training contract and qualifying in February 2026, she said she is stepping back from Big Law...
The House Education and Workforce Committee approved HR 7661, the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act,” and sent it to the full House. The bill would prohibit federal funding for any public‑school program that provides or promotes literature deemed “sexually...
Weil Gotshal & Manges announced that co‑managing partner Ramona Nee will succeed longtime executive partner Barry Wolf as executive partner on 1 January 2027, with Wolf remaining chair of the management committee until the end of 2027 before retiring. Nee, who also...
The Delhi High Court affirmed ICICI Bank’s right to terminate a long‑serving manager by paying salary in lieu of notice, ruling that the employee’s acceptance of Rs 99,634 effectively ratified the dismissal. The court rejected the employee’s claims for reinstatement and...
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) formally designated Google as holding Strategic Market Status (SMS) for its general search and search‑advertising services in October 2025. Following the designation, the CMA launched a comprehensive conduct‑requirement consultation in January 2026, proposing rules on...
Chrystal D. Mueller, 41, of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, received an 18‑month federal prison sentence for conspiring to distribute fentanyl after pleading guilty in September 2025. The scheme involved shipping 19 parcels of fentanyl pills from California to Wisconsin between January and...
A 60‑year‑old Independence, Mo., salesman, Michael Robert Jett, was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for a six‑year tax evasion scheme. He falsified exemption claims, preventing employer tax withholdings and failing to pay federal and state income taxes from...
Barry and Allison Schneider have sued Carrington Mortgage Services in federal court, alleging the servicer ignored four written information requests and proceeded with a foreclosure demand exceeding $30,000. The dispute began when the couple discovered portal errors, missing escrow data,...
The U.S. administration’s suspension of the de minimis exemption is now being challenged in the Court of International Trade after a lawsuit by auto‑parts retailer Detroit Axle alleges the move exceeds legal authority. The challenge follows a Supreme Court ruling that limited...
The UK government plans to amend the credit‑union common‑bond rules across England, Scotland and Wales. The locality bond membership cap will rise from three to ten million, and new eligibility categories will include students, relatives outside the household, and retirees....
Incoming BEREC Chair Alejandra de Iturriaga outlined the regulator’s 2026‑2030 strategy at the IIC Digital Communications and Media Forum. The roadmap targets a secure, competitive, inclusive and sustainable digital Europe by strengthening connectivity, open ecosystems and resilient infrastructure. Implementation will...
Comply Exchange’s February 2026 roundup flags key FATCA, CRS, and IRS filing deadlines for financial institutions. Bahamas AEOI participants must submit FATCA/CRS data by March 31, 2026, while U.S. Form 1042 and 1042‑S filings closed on March 16, 2026. The IRS announced the FIRE system will...
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied dismissal motions by AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Sanofi, allowing a whistleblower False Claims Act suit over alleged 340B program overcharges to proceed. The lawsuit, filed by Adventist Health System/West, claims the manufacturers...
