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Environmental
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December 23, 2024
NY Judge Won't Halt State's Congestion Pricing Model
A New York federal judge Monday upheld the Empire State's congestion pricing tolls, finding that the levies fairly reflect each type of vehicle's contribution to traffic congestion and environmental harm, rejecting injunction bids lobbed in four anti-congestion pricing lawsuits.
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December 23, 2024
Chemical Exec Facing Felony Charges For Flint River Oil Spill
The president of a chemical company has been arraigned on multiple felony charges for allegedly mismanaging chemical waste at a Michigan production site, resulting in a 2022 oil and chemical spill in the Flint River.
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December 23, 2024
House Report Says Gaetz Paid For Sex, Accepted Gifts
Former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz regularly paid women for sex, including with one 17-year-old girl, used illicit drugs and accepted a trip to the Bahamas in excess of permissible gift amounts, according to a report released Monday morning by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ethics.
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December 20, 2024
Colo. Panel Upholds Antero's $215M Wastewater Contract Win
A Colorado appellate panel will hold a wastewater solutions firm to a $215 million judgment for breaching salt standards in a contract to build a fracking water treatment plant for Antero Resources, recognizing an email referencing the criteria as a part of a change order and thus the deal itself.
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December 20, 2024
A Look Back At 2024's Major Securities Litigation Moments
The private securities litigation bar experienced a busy 2024, with meaningful and significant rulings in almost all of the nation's leading courts, and corporations, investors, government agencies and executives fighting over pay packages, disclosures, class certifications and mergers.
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December 20, 2024
Top Government Contracts Of 2024: Year In Review
This year, the U.S. General Services Administration made dozens of awards for two massive, uncapped governmentwide deals, while the U.S. Department of Energy awarded more than $70 billion both for making nuclear weapons and cleaning up their legacy. Here, Law360 looks at seven of the biggest government contracts awarded in 2024.
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December 20, 2024
The Biggest Climate Change Rulings Of 2024: Year In Review
Federal courts delivered several rulings this year that are expected to significantly impact future climate change litigation and policy development, including Supreme Court decisions reshaping administrative law and D.C. Circuit findings on project development and automotive emissions controls. Here are the four biggest climate change decisions of 2024.
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December 20, 2024
Top Product Liability Cases Of 2024
Some of the top cases for product liability for 2024 include an Ohio Supreme Court ruling on opioids and public nuisance, baby formula trials and an appellate decision in Fosamax litigation.
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December 20, 2024
DC Circ. Says Toxic Subtances Rule Threatens Trade Secrets
A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday threw out a facet of new Toxic Substances Control Act regulations that the judges said could lead to the unwanted disclosure of chemical manufacturers' trade secrets.
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December 20, 2024
Camp Lejeune Toxic Water Litigants Cite EPA's Chemical Ban
Veterans and family members who claim they were injured due to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune will use the Biden administration's final rule banning certain chemicals to prosecute their case over toxic water at the Marine base, according to a notice they filed in North Carolina federal court.
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December 20, 2024
Feds, Osage Nation Score Damages Win In Wind Farm Suit
An Oklahoma federal judge has ended a decade of litigation involving the Osage Nation, the U.S. government and Enel Green Power North America, ordering the company to pay more than $300,000 in damages and attorney fees and to remove 84 wind turbines from the tribe's reservation.
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December 20, 2024
FTA Proposes Buy America Waiver For Electric Minibuses
The Federal Transit Administration has asked for public feedback on whether it should grant a temporary nonavailability waiver from domestic sourcing requirements for battery electric minibuses, saying it had received related requests from multiple transit operators.
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December 20, 2024
EPA Releases Recommendations For PFAS In Bodies Of Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday released draft recommendations for the amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, for bodies of water that, when finalized, can be used by states and tribes.
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December 20, 2024
EPA Administrator Stepping Down At End Of December
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan on Friday announced that he's stepping down at the end of December, after a nearly four-year term that was punctuated by high-profile climate, water and chemical regulations and ambitious environmental justice initiatives.
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December 19, 2024
Monsanto PCB Trial Groups Can Grow, Wash. Judge Says
A Washington state judge laid out a plan on Wednesday to consolidate a series of alleged chemical poisoning cases pending against Monsanto in connection to an Evergreen State school, largely rejecting the company's arguments that it would be prejudiced if plaintiffs merged into larger trial groups.
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December 19, 2024
Texas Firm Beats Arnold & Itkin DQ Bid In Hurricane Zeta MDL
A Texas state judge Thursday denied Arnold & Itkin LLP's bid to disqualify the law firm defending a drilling rig owner in litigation stemming from Hurricane Zeta, finding that Arnold & Itkin hasn't established that a defense lawyer who had worked for the firm was involved in anything substantially related to the current litigation.
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December 19, 2024
CFTC Urges 7th Circ. To Uphold $231M Crypto 'Ponzi' Penalty
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has urged the Seventh Circuit to uphold a $231.5 million judgment against a man they say ran a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme, arguing it is "undisputed" that the agency has authority to regulate the trading of bitcoin and ether.
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December 19, 2024
Judge Says Some Paraquat Plaintiffs Being Left In Dark
Amid a hearing targeting fall 2025 for a first bellwether trial over the alleged link between the pesticide paraquat and Parkinson's disease, an Illinois federal judge told plaintiffs' lawyers to keep in better touch with their clients after her chambers received calls from plaintiffs wondering what's happening with their cases.
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December 19, 2024
Groups Say CARB Fuel Program Will Spur Environmental Harms
Environmental groups sued the California Air Resources Board in California state court on Wednesday, saying amendments to the state's low carbon fuel standard program will only further spur the expansion of factory farms, increasing environmental degradation in the San Joaquin Valley.
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December 19, 2024
US Co.'s Claim Over Canada Coal Phaseout Nixed
Westmoreland Coal Co. has lost its investor-state claim against Canada after lawmakers in Alberta opted to fast-track a planned coal phaseout, Ottawa has confirmed.
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December 19, 2024
FERC Chair Plays Coy On Impact Of LNG Export Study
Willie Phillips, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, wouldn't say on Thursday how the agency would incorporate a recently released federal study on the economic and environmental effects of liquefied natural gas exports into its reviews of proposed export terminals, and cited limits on FERC's authority.
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December 19, 2024
Mining Co. Wants Out Of Investor Suit Over Turkey Landslide
Colorado-based SSR Mining Inc. has asked a federal judge to drop a shareholder lawsuit alleging the company understated the likelihood of a deadly February landslide at its Turkish mine, arguing that the company sufficiently warned the public of potential catastrophes and that its executives had no knowledge of deficiencies at the mine.
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December 19, 2024
$1.1B Diablo Canyon Award Challenge Meets Skeptical Judge
A California federal judge appeared skeptical Thursday that an environmental group has standing to challenge the U.S. Department of Energy's award of $1.1 billion to help Pacific Gas & Electric Co. continue operating the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
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December 19, 2024
Feds Could Pay $1.1M To Settle WWII Refinery Waste Fight
A Valero Energy Corp. unit is asking a Michigan federal judge to sign off on a deal that would have the U.S. government pay it $1.1 million for cleanup costs allegedly stemming from the government's wartime operations at a refinery in Houston.
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December 19, 2024
$1.2B Sought From Phillips 66 After $605M Trade Secrets Win
A retailer of low-carbon fuels has asked a California state court to add $1.2 billion to a $604.9 million trade secrets verdict against Phillips 66, arguing that the jury's conclusion that Phillips 66's misappropriation of confidential information was willful and malicious merits exemplary damages.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law
The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.
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Carbon Offset Case A Win For CFTC Enviro Fraud Task Force
An Illinois federal court's decision in Commodity Futures Trading Commission v. Ikkurty — earning the CFTC a sizeable monetary award that will likely incentivize similar enforcement pursuit — shows the impact of the commission's Environmental Fraud Task Force, say attorneys at Steptoe.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Opinion
Toxic Water Case Shows Need For Labeling To Protect Kids
A recent case involving contaminated alkaline water that inflicted severe liver damage on children underscores the risks that children can face from products not specifically targeted to them, and points to the need for stricter labeling standards for all bottled water, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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What To Expect From Evolving Wash. Development Plans
The current round of periodic updates to Washington counties' growth and development plans will need to address new requirements from recent legislation, and will also likely bring changes that should please property owners and developers, says Jami Balint at Seyfarth.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Brownfield Questions Surround IRS Tax Credit Bonus
Though the IRS has published guidance regarding the Inflation Reduction Act's 10% adder for tax credits generated by renewable energy projects constructed on brownfield sites, considerable guesswork remains as potential implications seem contrary to IRS intentions, say Megan Caldwell and Jon Micah Goeller at Husch Blackwell.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Energy And AI: Key Issues And Future Challenges
Artificial intelligence promises new technical advantages for the energy industry, but it is also responsible for vast, and growing, energy consumption — so the future of AI and energy will require balancing technological advancement with regulatory oversight, environmental responsibility and infrastructure development, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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From Muppet Heads To OJ's Glove: How To Use Props At Trial
Demonstrative graphics have become so commonplace in the courtroom that jurors may start to find them boring, but attorneys can keep jurors engaged and improve their recall by effectively using physical props at trial, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.