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Environmental
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June 11, 2025
3rd Circ. Sends Dow Pollution Suit Back To NJ State Court
The Third Circuit on Wednesday said New Jersey's lawsuit accusing Dow Chemical Co. of causing widespread groundwater pollution through a product containing a potentially cancer-causing compound should be heard in state court, rejecting the chemical company's argument that it was acting under the direction of the federal government.
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June 11, 2025
Trade Groups Revive Suit Over Colo., Denver Efficiency Rules
A collection of trade groups renewed their arguments in Colorado federal court against rules set by the state and city of Denver establishing energy efficiency standards for buildings and limiting the use of natural gas appliances after the policies underwent a recent revision.
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June 10, 2025
Jury Awards $28M In Latest PacifiCorp Wildfire Trial
Oregonians, including a photographer and a charter boat operator, were awarded $27.97 million in noneconomic damages in the latest trial against utility PacifiCorp over wildfire damage, much less than the amount requested for the 10 plaintiffs.
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June 10, 2025
Mazda Driver Says Emissions Claims Distinct From Calif. Case
A North Carolina federal judge didn't fairly consider how a Mazda driver's claims of excessive emissions in the state were distinct from a California matter that ended in a settlement he didn't opt out of, the driver argued in a motion to revive the case.
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June 10, 2025
Electric Truck Co. Lordstown Wants Investors' Suit Tossed
Electric truck startup Lordstown Motors Corp. has asked an Ohio federal judge to dismiss consolidated class claims from investors alleging the company misrepresented its production capacity and demand, saying it made no misleading representations about pre-orders.
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June 10, 2025
Judge Denies Calif. Tribe's Bid To Restore Gaming Eligibility
A D.C. federal judge Tuesday declined to reinstate a California tribe's gaming eligibility for a casino-resort project in the San Francisco Bay Area while the U.S. Department of the Interior reassesses its approval, ruling that the tribe hasn't shown it would be imminently harmed by the eligibility suspension.
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June 10, 2025
Tribes' Effort To Overturn Ore. Casino Land Decision Halted
A D.C. federal court judge hit pause on a bid by three tribes to vacate the U.S. Department of the Interior's final determination and environmental impact statement in a dispute over the agency's decision to take land into trust for Oregon's Coquille Indian Tribe for a proposed casino project.
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June 10, 2025
Trump Wind Farm Pause Has Stalled Projects, Judge Hears
A coalition of blue states and industry advocates told a federal judge on Tuesday that the recent mothballing of a New Jersey offshore wind project exemplifies the damage being inflicted by the Trump administration's unlawful decision to pause wind farm permitting.
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June 10, 2025
Plastic Waste Often Illegally Burned, Tax Chiefs Say
Plastic waste shipped abroad is often illegally incinerated rather than recycled, including that in Turkey and Indonesia, the Dutch and British tax authorities said Tuesday.
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June 10, 2025
Mo. Verdict Winner Urges Justices To Deny Roundup Appeal
A Missouri man awarded $1.2 million for a failure-to-warn claim alleging Roundup weed killer caused his cancer urged the U.S. Supreme Court to deny Monsanto's petition for review, saying the company is only trying to avoid liability.
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June 10, 2025
GrafTech Brass Face Derivative Suit Over Enviro Disclosures
A GrafTech International shareholder has sued the electrode-maker's top brass in Ohio federal court over their alleged long-running cover-up of the company's environmental contamination in Monterrey, Mexico.
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June 09, 2025
Texas, BlackRock Face Judge's Questions Over Coal Suit
A Texas federal judge on Monday questioned BlackRock Inc. and a Republican-led coalition over claims that the asset manager conspired with others in the industry to drive down coal production through its investment in publicly traded energy companies, wondering whether pressure placed on the companies to provide more detailed climate disclosures was enough to move the lawsuit forward.
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June 09, 2025
Enviro Groups, Tribes Can Intervene In Coal Leasing Ban Row
A Wyoming federal judge allowed a coalition of tribes and environmental groups to intervene in a challenge to the Biden administration's 2024 decision ending new coal leasing on public lands in the Powder River Basin, citing the groups' participation in prior suits over leasing at the site.
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June 09, 2025
Senate Confirms Gibson Dunn Partner For EPA's No. 2 Post
The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed David Fotouhi, a partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, to serve in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's No. 2 post.
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June 09, 2025
8th Circ. Affirms Travelers Doesn't Owe $1.4M For Wall Failure
A Missouri property developer can't recover from Travelers $1.4 million for lost rental income and soft costs after a retaining wall failure caused delays at an apartment construction project, the Eighth Circuit ruled Monday.
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June 09, 2025
Feds Approve Mont. Coal Mine Expansion Amid Controversy
The Interior Department has said it will expand by nine years the mining plan for a Montana coal mine at the center of litigation over the mine's environmental impacts, authorizing Signal Peak Energy to recover 57 million tons of coal in a move that aligns with the Trump administration's energy emergency directive.
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June 09, 2025
'No Question' DuPont Polluted Delaware River, NJ Court Told
New Jersey told a federal judge on Monday that it was clear E.I. du Pont de Nemours discharged "forever chemicals" into the Delaware River, wrapping up the majority of a first-of-its-kind series of bench trials over whether the company is liable for contamination at a longstanding manufacturing facility.
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June 09, 2025
Tax Court Backs Penalties In $24M Georgia Easement Feud
An Internal Revenue Service agent properly followed the procedure to secure timely supervisory approval to impose penalties against a partnership for incorrectly claiming a $24 million charitable tax deduction on its Georgia conservation easement donation, the U.S. Tax Court said Monday.
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June 09, 2025
Hinshaw Welcomes Insurance Litigator To New Orleans Team
Hinshaw & Culbertson has added a partner from Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz to its global insurance services practice in New Orleans, where she will represent insurance companies and other entities, the 500-lawyer firm announced Monday.
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June 09, 2025
Justices Urged To Keep Pause On 'Breakneck' Gov't Overhaul
The U.S. Supreme Court should leave in place a California federal judge's order barring implementation of layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, several unions and nonprofits argued Monday, claiming a decision allowing the changes would irreversibly harm the federal government and render Congress and the judiciary powerless.
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June 09, 2025
Insurers Must Pay For $7.3M Hail Loss, Property Owner Says
A dispute among insurers over when a Texas shopping center was damaged in a hailstorm has left the center short of full coverage for a $7.3 million loss, and the owner wants a federal court to ensure that the carriers found responsible will cover what they owe.
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June 09, 2025
Feds Argue Koi Nation's Historic Ties Justify Calif. Land Trust
The Interior Department is looking to dismiss a challenge to its decision to take 70 acres into trust for a proposed tribal hotel and casino project in Sonoma County, California, telling a federal court that the Koi Nation has a significant historical connection to the site.
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June 09, 2025
Eco-Friendly Packing Firm Broadway Signs SPAC Merger
Packaging company Broadway Technology Inc. has announced plans to go public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Quartzsea Acquisition Corp. in a deal that was built by six law firms and will result in a combined company that trades on the Nasdaq.
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June 09, 2025
Iowa Expands Property, Sales Tax Breaks For Data Centers
Iowa expanded property tax and sales and use tax breaks for data centers to include leased facilities under legislation signed by the governor.
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June 09, 2025
Residential Solar Panel Co. Sunnova Hits Ch. 11 With $9B Debt
Sunnova Energy International, a major residential solar panel designer, filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas Sunday, with $8.9 billion in debt amid an industry downturn and uncertainty around the future of government incentive programs for solar projects.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.
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Enviro Justice Efforts After Trump's Disparate Impact Order
The Trump administration's recent executive order directing the U.S. Department of Justice to unwind disparate impact regulations may end some Biden-era environmental justice initiatives — but it will not end all efforts, whether by state or federal regulators or private litigants, to address issues in environmentally overburdened communities, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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The Risks Of Trump's Plan To Fast-Track Deregulation
A recent memorandum issued by President Donald Trump directing the repeal of so-called unlawful regulations, and instructing that agencies invoke the good cause exception under the Administrative Procedure Act, signals a potentially far-reaching deregulatory strategy under the guise of legal compliance, say attorneys at GableGotwals.
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Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.
A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery
The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.
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What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.
Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.
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Opinion
Proposals Against Phillips 66 Threaten Corporate Law
Activist investor Elliott Investment Management's latest attempted tactic — initiating a high-stakes proxy contest against Phillips 66 — goes too far and would cause the company to both violate Delaware law and avoid the legal exception to the shareholder proposal process, says J.W. Verret at George Mason University.
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Balancing Deep-Sea Mining Executive Order, Int'l Agreements
President Donald Trump's recent executive order directing exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources appears to conflict with the evolving international framework regulating such activities, so companies and investors should proceed with care and keep possible future legal challenges in mind, say attorneys at Dentons.
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Mitigating Import Risks Around Southeast Asian Solar Cells
The U.S. Department of Commerce's recent final determinations in its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into solar cells produced in certain Southeast Asian countries make it important for U.S. purchasers to consider risk mitigation strategies, including modifying supply chains and contractually assigning import responsibilities, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Arbitral Ruling In EU Fisheries Clash Clarifies Post-Brexit Pact
The Permanent Court of Arbitration's recent ruling marks a pivotal moment in the evolving jurisprudence surrounding the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, concluded between the U.K. and the EU after Brexit, and sets an important precedent for interpretation and enforcement of trade and environment clauses in cross-border disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.
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Series
Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.
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Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook
The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.
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4 Ways To Leverage A Jury's Underdog Perceptions
Counsel should consider how common factors that speak to their client's size, power, past challenges and alignment with jurors can be presented to try and paint their client as a sympathetic underdog, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.
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Why Hiring Former Jurors As Consultants Can Be Risky
The defense team's decision to hire former juror Victoria George in the high-profile retrial of Karen Read shines a spotlight on this controversial strategy, which raises important legal, ethical and tactical questions despite not being explicitly prohibited, says Nikoleta Despodova at ND Litigation.
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What To Watch For As High Court Mulls NRC's Powers
If successful, Texas’ challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority — recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and currently pending before a Texas federal court — may have serious adverse consequences for aspiring NRC licensees, including potential nuclear power plant operators, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.