Corporate Law

Judge orders Apple to help FBI unlock another iPhone; will issue reach the Supreme Court?

A federal magistrate judge in Boston has issued an order requiring Apple to help the FBI access a locked iPhone to get potential evidence for a gang case. Unsealed Friday at the request of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, documents in the case of alleged Columbia Point Dawgs…

Apr 11, 2016 10:00 AM CDT

Corporate lawyer with ‘spotless record’ faces RICO case over client’s payday loan business

Wheeler K. Neff, 67, is a corporate and banking lawyer with “a spotless record with the Delaware bar” during his 40-year legal career, his lawyer tells a local newspaper. Yet he has been indicted, along with a client with similar upper-echelon credentials. They face a federal racketeering case that claims…

Apr 8, 2016 10:30 AM CDT

Federal judge gives final OK to $20B settlement by BP in Gulf oil spill disaster

A federal judge in New Orleans on Monday gave the final OK to an estimated $20 billion settlement by BP concerning a massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. The ruling by U.S District Judge Carl Barbier followed his earlier finding that the company had been grossly negligent in…

Apr 6, 2016 12:00 PM CDT

Prosecutors launch probes after massive leak of Panama law firm’s documents

Following news of a massive leak of documents from a Panama-based law firm that has incorporated some 240,000 offshore shell companies, prosecutors around the world on Monday announced related probes. That included the Department of Justice, which said it is reviewing the documents to see if there is any violation…

Apr 5, 2016 2:45 PM CDT

Blanket bans on renting to those convicted of a crime violate Fair Housing Act, feds tell landlords

The feds are warning landlords to beware of imposing blanket bans on renting to those with a criminal record. New guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says that relying simply on an applicant’s arrest record is improper and excluding an applicant based on a conviction requires…

Apr 4, 2016 5:00 PM CDT

Take a seat, California workers: Top state court says employers should provide chairs

Life may soon be easier for a number of California workers who find it difficult to be on their feet all day. At the request of a federal appeals court, California’s top court has interpreted a state wage order requiring that “all working employees shall be provided with suitable seats…

Apr 4, 2016 4:45 PM CDT

Massive leak of law firm documents reveals offshore wealth of politicians and celebrities

One of the largest data leaks ever to occur resulted in more than 11 million documents from a Panamanian law firm that specializes in offshore incorporations and wealth management reportedly being sent to a German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung. Shared by the newspaper through the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ)…

Apr 4, 2016 11:50 AM CDT

Is Uber ride-sharing app a price-fixing scheme? Federal judge OKs conspiracy suit against CEO

A federal judge gave a green light on Thursday to a lawsuit alleging that the head of Uber Technologies Inc. is involved in a price-fixing conspiracy with drivers who use the company’s ride-sharing smartphone application to find paying passengers. Co-founder and chief executive officer Travis Kalanick had sought to dismiss…

Apr 1, 2016 11:05 AM CDT

Will Milano suit settlement kill Trader Joe’s competing brand? No word on how cookies may crumble

News of the settlement of a federal lawsuit over claimed infringement of the iconic Milano cookie brand marketed by Pepperidge Farm leaves unanswered an important question to lovers of baked goods. Does the pact mean that Trader Joe’s will stop marketing its competing Crispy Cookies filled with Belgian chocolate? What…

Mar 30, 2016 3:55 PM CDT

In first GM ignition-switch case to go to verdict, jury awards zip, saying defect didn’t cause crash

Both sides proclaimed victory Wednesday after the first jury verdict in a General Motors ignition-switch case. That’s because the jury, while finding a 2007 Saturn Sky unreasonably dangerous because of an ignition-switch defect, also found that the defect did not cause the plaintiff driver to lose control on an icy…

Mar 30, 2016 3:20 PM CDT

Cybercriminals target 50 BigLaw firms for phishing attacks seeking corporate deal info

A would-be securities fraud broker has spotlighted methods used in attempts to penetrate law firm computer systems, by seeking help with his project on a cybercriminal forum, authorities say. A post earlier this year by “Oleras,” who lives in the Ukraine, outlined a plan to target nearly 50 BigLaw firms,…

Mar 30, 2016 2:10 PM CDT

Free Rolling Stones concert in Cuba was Curacao lawyer’s idea

Curacao corporate lawyer Gregory Elias feared the manager of the Rolling Stones would hang up on him when he called last November with a proposal that the Rolling Stones give a free concert in Cuba. Instead, the manager acknowledged Elias had made a unique proposal and promised to get back…

Mar 30, 2016 8:52 AM CDT

SEC brief supports fired in-house lawyer’s suit against Vanguard, says he qualifies as whistleblower

The federal government has intervened to file a brief in support of a former in-house lawyer’s wrongful termination suit against Vanguard Group. The mutual fund giant contends that plaintiff David Danon doesn’t qualify for whistleblower protection, because he only sought it after learning that he would be let go by…

Mar 29, 2016 3:15 PM CDT

Posner says Bluebook is ‘560 pages of rubbish,’ suggests changes to improve jury trials

Judge Richard Posner acknowledges his reputation as a “naysayer” and “faultfinder” yet proceeds to find fault with The Bluebook (it is “560 pages of rubbish”) and the uneven quality of trial lawyering. Lawyers often differ greatly in quality, and that distorts the trial process, according to Posner, a judge on…

Mar 29, 2016 6:15 AM CDT

DOJ says it unlocked iPhone of San Bernardino shooter, seeks to vacate order requiring Apple’s help

Saying that it has managed to unlock an encrypted Apple iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter without the company’s help, the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday filed a motion seeking to vacate an earlier federal court order requiring Apple’s assistance with the project. The brief filing averts a…

Mar 28, 2016 5:40 PM CDT