Mich. Justices Take Up Contractor's 'Fees For Fees' Appeal

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to review whether a construction contractor was entitled to additional attorney fees for time spent arguing that it was entitled to a fee award in its lawsuit alleging that a county-level road agency failed to disclose information about its hiring of minority-owned contractors.

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Warehouse Didn't Know Slabs Would Kill Workers, Panel Says

By Danielle Ferguson

The estates of employees who died while moving stone slabs at a Michigan warehouse didn't prove the workers' employer deliberately put them in harm's way or knew the way the materials were stored could cause their deaths, a state appellate panel has determined, upholding the dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the estates.

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Mich. Justices To Mull Immigrant Org.'s Workers' Comp Fight

By Carolyn Muyskens

The Michigan Supreme Court said Monday it would review whether a one-year filing deadline bars an immigrant legal aid organization from forcing the state to stop denying workers' compensation benefits based on immigration status.

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Heritage's $10M Generic Drugs Deal With AGs Gets 1st OK

By Ryan Harroff

A Connecticut federal judge gave his initial approval on Monday to Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s $10 million settlement agreement with state attorneys general to resolve allegations it took part in an anticompetitive, price-fixing scheme focused on generic drugs.

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Bonus Spotlight

Mid-Law Firm Seward & Kissel Matching Milbank Bonus Scale

By Tracey Read

Seward & Kissel LLP, a Mid-Law firm with offices in New York and Washington, D.C., has joined the bonus bandwagon for associates by matching the year-end and special cash rewards set by Milbank LLP, according to media reports.

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The Top In-House Hires Of November

By Sue Reisinger

Legal department moves in the last month included high-profile announcements at CSX Corp., Cohen & Steers Inc. and Pershing Square Holdings Ltd., including two general counsel joining boards of directors. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house appointments from November.

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Jackson Walker 'Extinguished' Privilege Over Judge Romance

By Lynn LaRowe

An Oregon federal judge has said Holland & Knight LLP lawyers must turn over documents regarding their advice to Jackson Walker LLP on how to handle the "debacle" of a former firm partner's intimate relationship with a former bankruptcy judge, finding Jackson Walker has "utterly extinguished" any claim to attorney-client privilege.

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Analysis

Biden's Pardon Is Another Blow To Special Counsel Probes

By Phillip Bantz

President Joe Biden's pardon of his son over the weekend marks the latest example of a special counsel investigation fizzling and raises doubts over the future use of such probes, which can drag on for years and cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

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NC Judge Is 2nd To Reverse Senior Status Plans After Election

By Courtney Bublé

A second federal judge appointed by a Democratic president has reversed his decision to take senior status in the wake of former President Donald Trump's win in the 2024 presidential election.

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Senate Sends Calif. Judge To Federal Bench

By Courtney Bublé

The U.S. Senate voted 48-43 on Monday evening to confirm California Superior Court Judge Anne Hwang to a federal judgeship in the Central District of California.

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Girardi Won't Get New Fraud Trial Despite Memory Claims

By Rae Ann Varona

A California federal judge on Monday denied Tom Girardi's bid for a new trial after a jury found he misappropriated $15 million worth of client settlement funds, standing by a prior assessment that the disbarred attorney was "exaggerating" symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.

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Hagens Berman Sued For Slice Of Atty Fee From Effexor Deal

By Rae Ann Varona

A pharmaceutical reseller's in-house counsel and founder lodged a breach of contract suit against Hagens Berman in Mississippi federal court, accusing the law firm of refusing to pay him his share of a $13 million attorney fees award stemming from an antitrust class settlement with Pfizer Inc. unit Wyeth.

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Ex-BigLaw Atty Who Killed Wife Faces Depo Over Settlement

By Jack Karp

Former Fisher Phillips partner Claud "Tex" McIver, who is serving a prison sentence for killing his wife, is set to be deposed as soon as Tuesday as part of the legal battle in Georgia state court over who is entitled to the settlement of the wrongful death suit brought by his wife's estate.

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