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Environmental
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July 24, 2025
Equitrans Charged Over 2-Week Gas Leak In Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday on Thursday charged energy company Equitrans LP with failing to properly maintain a facility where natural gas leaked for 14 days into the air, ground and water, contaminating the nearby area and several neighboring states.
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July 24, 2025
Navy Takes Ariz. Border Land For Immigration Enforcement
The U.S. Department of the Interior said it turned over about 285 acres of land along the border with Mexico to the U.S. Navy for three years so the military can set up an enforcement area as part of the Trump administration's efforts to prevent illegal immigration.
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July 24, 2025
CapVest Seeks $11.7B Stake In Stada, Plus More Rumors
British private equity firm CapVest Partners is looking to take a major stake in German drugmaker Stada Arzneimittel in a roughly $11.7 billion deal, Comedy Central's "South Park" creators have nabbed a $1.5 billion five-year streaming rights deal with Paramount, and ExxonMobil wants to explore deepwater blocks in Trinidad and Tobago for oil and gas. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other deal rumors from the past week.
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July 23, 2025
Red Wolf Survival Relies On Redesignation, Judge Told
A conservation lawyer told a North Carolina federal judge in a dueling motions hearing Wednesday the state's experimental population of red wolves is still imperiled, arguing in federal court that the government needs to take another look at a petition to grant the wolves tighter protections.
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July 23, 2025
Enviro Groups Slam FAA For SpaceX Review Shortcuts
The Federal Aviation Administration knew SpaceX's plans to restore migratory birds' coastal habitats in the event of an explosion at its Boca Chica, Texas, launch site were inadequate, but allowed the company to bypass a full environmental impact statement nonetheless, environmental groups said Wednesday in D.C. federal court.
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July 23, 2025
North Carolina AG Defends Power To Pursue PFAS Suit
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson on Wednesday urged a state court judge not to dismiss his long-running lawsuit against DuPont spinoffs over groundwater contamination from forever chemicals, saying lawmakers have not revoked his power to continue pursuing the case.
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July 23, 2025
ICJ Puts Reparations On The Table In Climate Change Case
The International Court of Justice on Wednesday delivered its long-awaited advisory opinion on governments' obligations with respect to climate change, issuing a rare, unanimous decision that opens the door for nations harmed by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions to seek reparations.
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July 23, 2025
Trump Wins 9th Circ. Block On Order Providing Reorg Plans
The Ninth Circuit greenlighted the Trump administration's request to pause a lower court ruling requiring the government to turn over its layoff and reorganization plans in the case disputing whether the president can lawfully reshape federal agencies without congressional approval.
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July 23, 2025
FWS Wrongly Approved Bird-Harming Pesticide, Judge Says
A North Carolina judge on Wednesday revoked the federal government's approval of a pesticide that is toxic to birds for use as an algal bloom control measure at a lake in a wildlife refuge, saying regulators bungled the environmental review.
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July 23, 2025
SEC Asks 8th Circ. To Rule On Abandoned Climate Regs
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday to decide the fate of Biden-era climate disclosure rules that the agency has said it will no longer defend against challenges brought by Republican-led states and business interests.
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July 23, 2025
7th Circ. Revives Part Of Solar Firm's Panama Grid Suit
The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday largely upheld an Illinois federal judge's ruling that Spanish energy company Avanzalia Solar could not pursue its claims that Goldwind Americas blocked and delayed access to the Panamanian power grid.
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July 23, 2025
No New General Causation Opinions In Camp Lejeune Case
A North Carolina federal judge is limiting the scope of expert opinions in the consolidated litigation over water contamination at Camp Lejeune, saying the plaintiffs' specific causation experts can refer to prior general causation opinions but cannot introduce new general causation opinions.
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July 23, 2025
Trump Publishes AI 'Action Plan' With 90 Policy Proposals
In an effort to secure America's leadership in artificial intelligence, the Trump administration released a blueprint Wednesday outlining ideas to accelerate innovation, modernize infrastructure and foster international collaboration while safeguarding national security.
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July 23, 2025
5th Circ. Finds Enclave Doctrine Blocks Asbestos Claims
The Fifth Circuit has held that the federal enclave doctrine blocks the bulk of a military family's claims in a suit alleging their housing at Randolph Air Force Base had mold and asbestos, while affirming a $91,000 damages award against the housing managers.
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July 22, 2025
5th Circ. Asks If Fishery Council Guidance Was Ratified
A Fifth Circuit panel pushed multiple commercial fisheries to explain how the adoption of fishing limit recommendations from a council would not count as a ratification and clear constitutional hurdles, saying during oral arguments on Tuesday that the council in question seemingly made a "bottom up data recommendation."
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July 22, 2025
Gov'ts, Tribes Look To Settle Idaho Mining Pollution Suit
The U.S. government, Idaho and a tribal nation are asking a federal judge to approve an unopposed settlement with a phosphate ore mining company over its alleged dumping of hazardous substances within a national forest.
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July 22, 2025
Power Cos., PJM Back FERC Auction Rerun Decision
Power producers and PJM Interconnection LLC told the D.C. Circuit Monday the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was right to let PJM rerun an electricity capacity auction with an inflated reliability requirement after the Third Circuit ruled changes to it were retroactive ratemaking.
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July 22, 2025
Lathrop GPM Adds Partner To Chicago Office
Lathrop GPM LLP has added a new Chicago-based partner to its tort, insurance and environmental practice group, the firm announced Monday, saying her practice primarily focuses on defending clients against product liability claims and claims involving exposure to toxic substances and transportation-related injuries.
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July 22, 2025
9th Circ. Rejects Gun Club's Bid For Permitting Cost Coverage
An insurer for a Washington shooting club had no duty to cover roughly $400,000 in costs to secure proper site development permits after county officials won a public nuisance lawsuit against the club, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding the club can't be covered for its deliberate actions.
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July 22, 2025
Transportation Cases To Watch: Midyear Report 2025
Litigation concerning whether local delivery drivers qualify as transportation workers exempt from arbitration and clashes over the scope of federal preemption in personal injury cases involving freight brokers and motor carriers are among the court battles that transportation attorneys are watching in the latter half of 2025.
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July 22, 2025
Sable Aims To Sink Groups' Suit Over Calif. Oil Platforms
Sable Offshore Corp. told a California federal judge that green groups didn't follow proper litigation notice rules, dooming their lawsuit alleging the federal government failed to require the company to update safety and pollution control plans at drilling facilities.
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July 22, 2025
Greenberg Traurig Adds Ex-Miami-Dade Asst. County Atty
Greenberg Traurig LLP has hired an attorney who formerly worked for Miami-Dade and Broward counties to bolster its litigation practice and ability to handle commercial matters.
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July 22, 2025
Ore. Extends Brownfield Development Tax Breaks
Oregon extended its program of local property tax incentives for brownfield development by six years under a bill signed by the governor.
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July 21, 2025
DC Circ. Urged To Leave FERC Project Approvals Alone
Grid operator Southwest Power Pool Inc. urged the D.C. Circuit to deny utility petitions challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of four transmission projects developed by Kansas-based Sunflower Electric Power Corp.
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July 21, 2025
Energy Litigation To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2025
Courtroom showdowns between the Trump administration and blue states over U.S. energy and climate change policy will dominate the energy litigation landscape for the rest of 2025. Here is what the energy industry will be watching closely in the second half of the year.
Expert Analysis
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Managing Anti-Corporate Juror Views Revealed By CEO Killing
After the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson laid bare deep-seated anti-corporate sentiments among the public, companies in numerous industries will have to navigate the influence of related juror biases on litigation dynamics, say Jorge Monroy and Keith Pounds at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Opinion
California Climate Lawsuit Bill Is Constitutionally Flawed
A bill in the California Legislature that would let victims of climate-related disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires sue oil and gas producers for spreading misinformation about climate change is too vague, retroactive and focused on one industry to survive constitutional scrutiny, says Kyla Christoffersen Powell at the Civil Justice Association of California.
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How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic
The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.
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5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships
Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.
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BlackRock Suit Highlights Antitrust Risks Of ESG
In Texas v. BlackRock, pending in Texas federal court, 13 state attorneys general are suing large institutional investors in the coal business, underscoring key reasons companies may want to alter their approach to developing and implementing policies related to environmental, social, and governance factors, especially if coordination with competitors is involved, say attorneys at Manatt.
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Evidence Rule May Expand Use Of Out-Of-Court Statements
A proposed amendment to Federal Rule of Evidence 801(d)(1)(A) would broaden the definition of nonhearsay, reflects a more pragmatic approach to regulating the admissibility of out-of-court statements by declarant-witnesses, and could help level the playing field between prosecutors and criminal defendants, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.
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How Courts Can Filter Nonmeritorious Claims In Mass Torts
Nonmeritorious claims have been a key obstacle to settlement in many recent high-profile mass torts, but courts may be able to use tools they already have to solve this problem, says Samir Parikh at Wake Forest University.
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Series
Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.
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Opinion
Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence
Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.
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The Math Of Cross-Examination: Less Is More, More Is Less
When conducting cross-examination at trial, attorneys should remember that “less is more, and more is less” — limiting both the scope of questioning and the length of each query in order to control the witness’s testimony and keep the factfinders’ attention, says Thomas Innes at the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
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Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises
“No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.
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Fund Names Rule FAQs Leave Some Interpretative Uncertainty
Although recently released FAQs clarify many specific points of the 2023 expansion to the Investment Company Act's fund names rule, important questions remain about how U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staff will interpret other key terms when the end-of-year compliance date arrives, say attorneys at Dechert.
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How Design Thinking Can Help Lawyers Find Purpose In Work
Lawyers everywhere are feeling overwhelmed amid mass government layoffs, increasing political instability and a justice system stretched to its limits — but a design-thinking framework can help attorneys navigate this uncertainty and find meaning in their work, say law professors at the University of Michigan.
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Tools For Witness Control That Go Beyond Leading Questions
Though leading questions can be efficient and effective for constraining a witness’s testimony, this strategy isn’t appropriate for every trial and pretrial scenario, so techniques like headlining and looping can be deployed during direct examination, depositions and even witness interviews, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.
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Opinion
US Steel-Nippon Merger Should Not Have Been Blocked
The Biden administration's block of the U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel merger on national security grounds was unconstitutional overreach and needs to be overturned, with the harms remedied in federal court, says attorney Chuck Meyer.