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Environmental

  • July 31, 2025

    CSX Settles Derailment Suit With NC Mine On Eve Of Trial

    CSX Transportation Inc. has agreed to settle its multimillion-dollar lawsuit against a North Carolina sand and gravel mine over a 2018 derailment during Hurricane Florence that destroyed its locomotives, ending the litigation just one week before trial was set to begin.

  • July 31, 2025

    11th Circ. Says 'Urban Cowboy' Can Amend Taken Horses Suit

    A divided Eleventh Circuit on Thursday granted a Georgia man whose horses were seized by Atlanta-area authorities a fresh shot at amending a lawsuit over the seizure, with the majority saying the lower court wrongly found that amending the suit was futile under the Fifth Amendment's takings clause.

  • July 31, 2025

    'Abusive Behavior' Spurs $195M Add To Phillips 66 IP Verdict

    A California state judge added $195 million in exemplary damages to a $605 million trade secrets verdict against oil giant Phillips 66 following its "abusive behavior" toward startup and onetime acquisition target Propel Fuels.

  • July 31, 2025

    Tribe Can Join Fight Against 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Judge Says

    A Florida federal judge has allowed the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida to intervene in a lawsuit filed by green groups against the immigration detention center known as "Alligator Alcatraz" constructed in the Everglades after the tribe argued the facility poses a direct threat to its livelihood.

  • July 31, 2025

    State Regulators Push FERC To Nix $22B Grid Projects Plan

    Several state utility regulators have urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reject a regional grid operator's $21.8 billion transmission development plan, saying the plan's benefits are overstated and wrongly forces them to subsidize the clean energy goals of other states.

  • July 31, 2025

    Eco Oro Wants Colombia Mining Damages Claim Revived

    Armed with new counsel, Eco Oro Minerals Corp. said Thursday it will look to revive its damages claim against Colombia after an international tribunal found that the country had breached an underlying treaty by blocking the Canadian precious metals company's mining project to protect surrounding wetlands.

  • July 31, 2025

    10th Circ. Says Water Exclusion Bars Co.'s $1.75M Loss

    A Kansas office building's property insurer has no duty to provide coverage for roughly $1.75 million in repairs over a broken water pipe, the Tenth Circuit ruled, rejecting the building owner's argument that an exception in one exclusion conflicted with a separate exclusion for water damage.

  • July 31, 2025

    Anadarko Asks 5th Circ. To Back La. Suit Indemnity Win

    Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has asked the Fifth Circuit to uphold its indemnification win against an environmental remediation company in connection with a decade-old Louisiana kickback suit, writing that "one who makes his own bed must lie in it."

  • July 31, 2025

    Oil Exec Was Defamed, Wrongly Placed On Leave, Suit Says

    The former CEO of an oil and gas company in Colorado has filed a complaint in state court against the company and its current CEO, claiming he was put on administrative leave without being informed of his alleged misconduct and was defamed by the new top executive.

  • July 31, 2025

    Judge Questions Gov't Objection To Shielding FEMA Funds

    A Massachusetts federal judge Thursday questioned the Trump administration's assertion that it has not redirected funds allocated by Congress for natural disaster mitigation efforts toward other Federal Emergency Management Agency programs, even as the government was objecting to states' narrow request to protect the funds for now.

  • July 31, 2025

    Sunnova Cleared To Sell Assets To Lenders In Ch. 11

    Solar panel business Sunnova Energy International Inc. secured a Texas bankruptcy judge's blessing Thursday to sell almost all of its assets to a group of lenders for about $118 million.

  • July 30, 2025

    GHG Regs Rollback Would Test Clean Air Act Interpretation

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to eliminate a pillar of climate change regulation could test the agency's — and courts' — interpretations of Clean Air Act language that has remained largely unquestioned since the Obama administration.

  • July 30, 2025

    8th Circ. Tosses Ruling Striking Binding NEPA Regulations

    The Eighth Circuit has granted blue states' bid to vacate a ruling that faulted the White House Council on Environmental Quality for issuing binding regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act, following the Trump administration's decision to withdraw those regulations.

  • July 30, 2025

    EPA Extends Compliance Deadlines For Methane Control Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is extending certain compliance deadlines for a Biden-era rule that imposed sweeping new methane control requirements for oil and gas infrastructure.

  • July 30, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Says 70-Acre Casino Land Fight Must Continue

    The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria are fighting a bid by a fellow California tribe to pause their challenge to the U.S. Department of the Interior's decision to take 70 acres into trust for a casino project while a sovereign immunity order is appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

  • July 30, 2025

    Wash. Condo Group Seeks $10M In Water Damage Coverage

    A condominium association said its Country Financial insurers must provide coverage for an estimated $10.4 million in hidden water damage, telling a Washington federal court the insurers have failed to make a coverage determination in the two years since the association submitted its damage claim. 

  • July 30, 2025

    Buddhist Group's Suit Against Everglades Project Advances

    A Florida Buddhist center's suit against an Army Corps of Engineers project in the Everglades will continue after a district court judge determined the center plausibly argued that the potential impacts of the project's construction didn't become clear until at least 2022.

  • July 30, 2025

    Trump Official Denies Shutting Down FEMA Disaster Program

    The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told a Massachusetts federal judge that President Donald Trump's administration has not decided whether to end the agency's flagship natural disaster protection program, despite a lawsuit by 20 states claiming it had been shut down.

  • July 29, 2025

    Oil Co. Misled Investors Prior To $295M Offering, Suit Says

    Oil and gas company Sable Offshore Corp. is facing a proposed investor class action alleging the company hurt investors by overpricing a secondary public offering after misrepresenting it had restarted oil production at a field off the coast of California.

  • July 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Urged To Rehear Alaskan Willow Project Ruling

    Alaskan Native and environmental advocacy groups are asking the Ninth Circuit for a rehearing on its ruling to uphold the federal government's decision to evaluate only alternatives for the ConocoPhillips Willow project that they say will result in full development of the Arctic oil reservoir.

  • July 29, 2025

    Affirmed Energy Says FERC Unlawfully Cut Auction Rights

    Affirmed Energy LLC told the D.C. Circuit the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission can't justify orders approving PJM Interconnection LLC's proposal to bar energy efficiency resources from participating in its electricity capacity auctions.

  • July 29, 2025

    11th Circ. Upholds Toss Of Sea Island Clean Water Act Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has affirmed the toss of a suit filed against Georgia's Sea Island resort for allegedly misleading the Army Corps of Engineers about a wetlands filling project, finding that the resident and environmental groups who filed the suit failed to show a wetland on the property satisfied the test for "waters of the United States." 

  • July 29, 2025

    OxyChem, Nokia Tell 3rd Circ. Passaic Cleanup Deal Is Unfair

    Occidental Chemical Corp. and Nokia of America Corp. on Monday asked the Third Circuit to reverse a New Jersey federal district court's approval of a $150 million settlement to clean up the Lower Passaic River.

  • July 29, 2025

    No Coverage For $2.5M Herbicide Damage Row, Court Says

    An AIG unit has no duty to cover an air services company in a contractor's lawsuit alleging that its aerial application of herbicides caused $2.5 million in expenses to fix grass damage, a New York federal court ruled Tuesday, finding no coverage under both of the company's policies.

  • July 29, 2025

    EPA Proposes Ditching GHG Danger Finding In Tailpipe Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed repealing an Obama-era finding that greenhouse gases endanger people's health and all vehicle emissions standards that relied upon that finding.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Key Takeaways From The 2025 Spring Antitrust Meeting

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    Leadership changes, shifting priorities and evolving enforcement tools dominated the conversation at the recent American Bar Association Spring Antitrust Meeting, as panelists explored competition policy under a second Trump administration, agency discretion under the 2023 merger guidelines and new frontiers in conduct enforcement, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • What PFAS-Treated Clothing Tariff Bill Would Mean For Cos.

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    In keeping with a nationwide trend of greater restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives would remove tariff advantages for PFAS-treated clothing — so businesses would be wise to proactively adapt their supply chains and review contracts to mitigate liability, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • What 2nd Trump Admin Means For Ship Pollution Compliance

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    As the second Trump administration's civil and criminal enforcement policies take shape, the maritime industry must ensure it complies with both national and international obligations to prevent oil pollution from seagoing vessels — with preventive efforts and voluntary disclosures being some of the best options for mitigating risk, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Mass. AG Emerges As Key Player In Consumer Protection

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    Through enforcement actions and collaborations with other states — including joining a recent amicus brief decrying the defunding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has established herself as a thought leader for consumer protection and corporate accountability, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Series

    Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • What Cos. Should Know About U.S. Minerals Executive Order

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    President Donald Trump's new executive order aimed at boosting U.S. mineral production faces challenges including land use and environmental regulations, a lack of new funding, and the need for coordination among federal agencies, but it provides industry stakeholders with multiple opportunities to influence policy and funding, say advisers at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    Among the most notable developments in California banking in the first quarter of the year, regulators and legislators issued regulations interpreting debt collection laws, stepped up enforcement actions, and expanded consumer protections for those affected by wildfires, says Stephen Britt at Severson & Werson.

  • How The ESG Investing Rule Survived Loper Bright, For Now

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    A Texas federal court's recent decision in Utah v. Micone upholding the U.S. Department of Labor's 2022 ESG investing rule highlights how regulations can withstand the post-Loper Bright landscape when an agency's interpretation of its statutorily determined boundaries is not granted deference, say attorneys at Miller & Chevalier.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

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    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • In-House Expert Testimony Is Tricky, But Worth Considering

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    Litigation counsel often reject the notion of designating in-house personnel to provide expert opinion testimony at trial, but dismissing them outright can result in a significant missed opportunity, say David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law and Martin Pitha at Lillis Pitha.

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