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Environmental
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April 29, 2025
Examining The EPA's Forever Chemical Plans
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it plans to clarify who is liable for forever chemical contamination and hold polluters accountable, though questions remain as to whether current standards could be loosened and how much help could be needed from Congress.
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April 29, 2025
Gore-Tex Maker Seeks Dismissal Of PFAS Suit
The company behind the waterproof fabric brand Gore-Tex urged a Washington federal court to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of manufacturing with toxic forever chemicals while also "greenwashing" its image, arguing that the buyers, who did not actually test their garments, provide no proof that the clothing they bought contains these substances.
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April 29, 2025
Koi Nation Can't Intervene In Casino Row, Court Told
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria is fighting a bid by a fellow California tribe at the crux of a dispute over the Interior Department's decision to take 70 acres into trust for the construction of a proposed hotel and casino project, arguing it lacks any justification to do so.
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April 29, 2025
Michigan Asks Justices To Sustain Remand Of Pipeline Fight
The Michigan attorney general on Tuesday told the U.S. Supreme Court that there's no need for it to review a Sixth Circuit decision remanding to state court a lawsuit seeking to shut down an Enbridge Energy LP crude oil and natural gas pipeline.
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April 29, 2025
Trump Can't Reorganize Gov't Without Congress, Groups Say
President Donald Trump lacks the power to reorganize the executive branch and push for mass terminations of workers when Congress hasn't given its blessing, unions and other groups told a California federal court.
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April 29, 2025
PacifiCorp Hit With $11M Verdict In Latest Wildfire Case
A Portland, Oregon, jury awarded around $10.8 million in noneconomic damages Tuesday to nine plaintiffs who suffered property damage in a group of 2020 wildfires attributed to PacifiCorp's negligence, with the awards likely to be increased to account for punitive damages.
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April 29, 2025
FERC Wrongly Greenlighted Kan. Grid Projects, DC Circ. Told
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission unlawfully approved a Kansas electric co-operative's transmission development projects despite rejecting a regional grid operator's plan to divide the costs of such projects, the D.C. Circuit heard Monday.
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April 29, 2025
Sullivan M&A Chief Sees Opportunities Amid Tariff Turmoil
After a rocky start to 2025, the mergers and acquisitions landscape is grappling with economic volatility, shifting trade policies and a complex regulatory environment. But even in a "choppy" market, there are always deals to be made, says Melissa Sawyer, global head of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's M&A group and co-head of its corporate governance practice.
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April 29, 2025
2 Insurance Firms Join Frozen IPO Pipeline Seeking $440M
Two insurance companies joined the roster of candidates for initial public offerings on Tuesday by launching plans to raise about $440 million combined under guidance from six law firms, potentially unlocking a stalled pipeline.
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April 29, 2025
Kirkland Guides Allied Industrial On $300M Fund Close
Houston-based Allied Industrial Partners has closed its inaugural fund at its $300 million hard cap, achieving the objective under the legal guidance of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.
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April 29, 2025
Stonepeak Buying Stake In Spain's Repsol For $340M
Vinson & Elkins LLP-advised Stonepeak has agreed to purchase a 46.3% stake in Latham & Watkins LLP-advised Repsol's 777-megawatt solar and storage portfolio in the U.S. for $340 million, according to a Tuesday announcement.
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April 28, 2025
Pulled Decision Dooms Chicago Disposal Site Suit, Feds Say
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urged an Illinois federal judge to toss a suit challenging its decision to expand a disposal facility that stores sediments dredged from Chicago waterways now that it has withdrawn that decision.
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April 28, 2025
Ag Groups Say 'Common Sense' Means Standing In EPA Suit
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hit back Monday at a contention by agricultural groups that "common sense" gives them standing to challenge a 2024 rule that changes the type of gasoline car manufacturers are required to test for fuel economy.
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April 28, 2025
Biz Groups Fight NY's Bid To Join Their Climate Suit With States'
Fossil fuel industry groups countered the New York attorney general's bid to transfer their lawsuit fighting a $75 billion tab they must pay for climate change adaptation projects, saying joining their suit with one from a group of Republican states would serve neither justice nor judicial economy.
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April 28, 2025
Veolia Settles Flint Water Crisis Claims For $53M
A Michigan federal judge entered final judgment Monday in litigation brought by the state of Michigan and about 26,000 individuals against Veolia North America alleging it prolonged the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, after a $53 million settlement was approved earlier this month.
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April 28, 2025
EPA Waiver Lifts Summer Ban On High-Ethanol Fuel Sales
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday formally suspended the usual summer ban on sales of higher-ethanol gasoline blends, the fourth year in a row the agency has done so.
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April 28, 2025
Ziploc 'Microwave Safe' Bags Shed Microplastics, Buyer Says
S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. falsely markets Ziploc bags and containers as "microwave safe" and suitable for use in freezers despite knowing they are made from materials that shed microplastics into food when the products are used as directed, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.
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April 28, 2025
FAIR Plan Failed To Pay For LA Fire Smoke Claims, Suit Says
Another group of California homeowners has accused the state's insurer of last resort of illegally denying and underpaying claims for smoke damage following the Los Angeles wildfires despite its obligation to cover all fire-related damage under California law, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.
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April 28, 2025
Green Group Says Shell Case Discovery Fees Are Too Costly
A Philadelphia-based environmental group suing Shell over pollution from a Western Pennsylvania chemical plant balked at a federal court's order that it pay 15% of the cost to resolve a discovery dispute, arguing it could be left with a potentially devastating tab.
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April 28, 2025
EPA Restarts Voluntary Retirement Program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday refreshed its effort to convince employees to take a voluntary retirement package that was rolled out in the early days of the Trump administration but has been dormant until now.
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April 28, 2025
Nikola Seeks Court OK For $9M Climate-Credit Sale Process
Electric truck maker Nikola Corp. has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to approve a sale process for environmental credits the company earned by selling zero-emission vehicles, saying it has secured an $8.97 million bid that will set a floor price for the assets.
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April 28, 2025
EPA Touts Intention To Act On PFAS Contamination
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it's planning a series of actions to address pollution from forever chemicals, including the designation of a leader for PFAS regulation and issues at the EPA.
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April 28, 2025
10th Circ. Says EPA Overlooked Colo. Air Pollution Concerns
The Tenth Circuit on Monday said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inappropriately approved changes to Colorado's air pollution standards that a green group claimed allow regulators to disregard emissions during drilling, fracking and well completion processes.
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April 25, 2025
PacifiCorp Should Pay $96M To Wildfire Victims, Jury Told
Nine plaintiffs who fled from wildfires started by PacifiCorp's negligence should get $95.5 million in noneconomic damages, an Oregon state jury heard in closing arguments Friday, while PacifiCorp's lawyer told the jury to focus on what the evidence actually supports and award roughly $2.2 million in that category.
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April 25, 2025
Okla. Backs Wind Farm At 10th Circ. In Osage Mineral Dispute
Oklahoma is backing Enel Power in its Tenth Circuit bid to undo a $4.2 million judgment and order requiring it to remove 84 wind turbines from the Osage Nation reservation, saying the project provides tax revenue, employment and a stable power source for tens of thousands of homes.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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10 Issues To Watch In Aerospace And Defense Contracting
This year, in addition to evergreen developments driven by national security priorities, disruptive new technologies and competition with rival powers, federal contractors will see significant disruptions driven by the new administration’s efforts to reduce government spending, regulation and the size of the federal workforce, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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Navigating The Trump Enviro Rollback And Its Consequences
The Trump administration's rapid push for environmental deregulation will lead to both opportunities and challenges, requiring companies to adopt strategic approaches to a complex, unpredictable legal environment in which federal rollbacks are countered by increased enforcement by states, and risks of citizen litigation may be heightened, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.
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Series
Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.
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8 Ways Cos. Can Prep For Termination Of Their Enviro Grants
The federal government appears to be reviewing energy- and infrastructure-related grants and potentially terminating grants inconsistent with the Trump administration's stated policy goals, and attorneys at DLA Piper provide eight steps that recipients of grants should consider taking in the interim.