Judge Reduces Bulldog Law's Discovery-Sanction Fee Bill by 70%
A San Diego federal court found that most of the hours a law firm billed after its opponent ignored interrogatories had no causal link to that specific misconduct.
Civil Procedure
In Patent Fight Over Lumber Kilns, Both Sides' Contentions Come Up Short
A federal judge in Oregon struck portions of both parties' patent contentions Thursday, holding that neither side met the specificity requirements of the Local Patent Rules in a six-patent dispute over single-pass continuous lumber kilns.
Court Rules That Legal Right to Demand Records Does Not Equal Rule 34 Control When Practical Access Is Absent
A New York process-serving firm escaped Rule 37 sanctions after its GPS records contractor defied a court order to produce certified location data, because the firm lacked practical control over records it was legally entitled to demand.
MOVEit MDL Judge Blocks Broad Cybersecurity Probe of Downstream Defendants, Orders Limited Data-Valuation Response
A federal magistrate judge drew a clear proportionality line in the MOVEit data-breach MDL, rejecting plaintiffs' bid to probe the internal security practices of companies that never touched the breached software.
MDL Protective Order Violations Lead to Sanctions Against Plaintiffs' Co-Lead Counsel in Acetaminophen Litigation
A federal judge held that Keller Postman LLC and co-founding partner Ashley Keller willfully violated the acetaminophen MDL's protective and coordination orders by deploying confidential Kenvue documents in Texas state court proceedings after being...
Federal Judge Orders 7% Opt-In Sample in Delivery-Driver Wage Suit, Rejecting Both Sides' Proposals
A Manhattan magistrate judge resolved a discovery standoff between delivery workers and their employer by rejecting both sides' proposals and setting her own middle-ground figure.
Nelson County Sheriff's Monell Claim Over Alleged Vehicle Seizure and "Take and Keep Policy" Survives Dismissal
A federal judge in the Western District of Kentucky refused to dismiss most of Riquel Logan's civil-rights lawsuit against Nelson County Sheriff Ramon Pineiroa and Deputy Chief Brandon Bryan, allowing her Monell and individual-capacity Section 1983 claims...
New Mexico Federal Court Cuts Plaintiffs' Hourly Rate, Orders $5,780 Sanctions Against Wage-Hour Defendant's Counsel
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (LN) — A federal magistrate judge reduced plaintiffs' requested attorney rate from $650 to $425 per hour and ordered defense counsel to pay $5,780 in sanctions after EVO Transportation & Energy Services twice missed court-ordered...
Carvana Securities Suit Yields Partial Work-Product Waiver Over Confidential Witness Memos
A magistrate judge split the difference between the parties' positions, ruling that plaintiffs' decision to hand over one investigator memo at a deposition opened the door to related records — but not every witness file.
Insurer's Coverage Suit Over Consent Judgment Entered Without Its Consent Survives Dismissal Bid
A Utah senior-living operator and the family of a man killed when his wheelchair tipped in a facility vehicle agreed to a $4 million consent judgment — then tried to use it to force the insurer to pay.
Colorado Workers' Compensation Law Bars Flight Attendant's Toxic-Fume Claims Against Frontier Airlines
A federal judge ruled that Colorado's Workers' Compensation Act shields Frontier Airlines from a flight attendant's gross negligence and fraud claims arising from a 2023 cabin fume event.
Magistrate Keeps COO Deposition Alive in EEOC Burger King Harassment Case
A federal magistrate judge refused to let a Burger King franchisor block four more hours of questioning of its chief operating officer in a Title VII class sexual-harassment case.
Illinois Electrician Revives ADA Claims After Court Rejects Futility Challenge to Amended Complaint
A federal magistrate judge cleared the way for an electrician to replead dismissed ADA claims by adding facts about his employer's corporate structure.
Federal Judge Orders Media Matters to Log Press-Shield Claims, Defers Ruling on Whether Stored Communications Act Covers Social Media Posts
X Corp.'s lawsuit accusing Media Matters of fabricating images to drive away advertisers has reached a discovery crossroads, with a federal judge rejecting boilerplate privilege objections while leaving a thorny question about the Stored Communications Act...
New Jersey Appellate Panel Revives Whistleblower's Five CEPA Claims, Rejecting Statute-of-Limitations Bar
A former Novartis compliance officer who alleged she was investigated, demoted, and ultimately fired for flagging kickback schemes had her claims dismissed on timeliness grounds — a ruling the appellate panel has now reversed.
PA Court: Sole-Owner LLC Discovery May Implicate Owner’s Fifth Amendment Rights
A Pennsylvania appeals court ruled that compelling a sole-owner LLC to produce documents may implicate the owner’s personal Fifth Amendment privilege, vacating a trial court order that forced production without analyzing the claim.
Delaware Judge Dismisses Chemours Securities Suit Over Free Cash Flow Manipulation Claims
A Delaware federal judge dismissed a securities class action against industrial chemical maker Chemours, ruling that plaintiffs failed to plead material misrepresentations regarding the company's Free Cash Flow metrics.
Utah Judge Imposes $7,000 Sanction on Lawyers for AI-Generated Fake Cases
A federal magistrate judge imposed $7,000 in sanctions on two attorneys who admitted to using artificial intelligence that generated non-existent case law in a special education lawsuit.
Illinois Judge Transfers Google Patent Case to California, Citing Witness and Evidence Location
A federal judge in Chicago transferred a patent infringement lawsuit against Google to the Northern District of California, ruling that the West Coast forum offered clearer access to witnesses and physical evidence.
NBC Universal Held in Contempt Over Interview Outtakes — at $1 a Day
A federal judge held the network in civil contempt for defying a subpoena order for footage from an interview with a murder convict's wife, then immediately stayed the penalty to let the First Amendment fight play out on appeal.