Legal
North Dakota governor orders pipeline protesters expelled
North Dakota's governor ordered the expulsion of thousands of Native American and environmental activists camped on federal property near an oil pipeline project they are trying to halt, citing hazards posed by harsh weather as a blizzard bore down on the area. Full Article
Eversheds in merger talks with U.S. law firm Sutherland Asbill
UK-based law firm Eversheds is in merger talks with U.S. peer Sutherland Asbill & Brennan in the latest attempt by the British firm to secure a U.S. tie-up. Full Article
U.S. justices sympathetic to death row inmate on intellectual disability
A majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared ready to side with a man sentenced to death fora 1980 Houston murder who is challenging how Texas gauges whether a defendant has intellectual disabilities that would preclude execution. Full Article
Recent Legal News
New York pharmacy owner gets prison for massive opioid pill scheme
NEW YORK The owner of two now-defunct New York City pharmacies was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for engaging in what authorities have called one of the largest opioid painkiller diversion schemes ever uncovered in the city.
Coal miners settle $100 mln fraud suit with W. Virginia
Coal mining companies Alpha Natural Resources Holdings Inc and Contura Energy Inc have settled a lawsuit filed by a West Virginia regulator that accused them of engaging in a $100 million fraud, according to a court filing on Tuesday.
Dowling becomes rare nonprofit college to file for bankruptcy
WILMINGTON, Del. Dowling College became a rare nonprofit college to file for bankruptcy on Tuesday after the liberal arts school near New York lost its academic accreditation in August and closed its doors after 48 years.
Creators of U.S. consumer agency rise to defend it in court
WASHINGTON The U.S. lawmakers who helped bring the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau into being rose to defend it on Tuesday, urging the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review a ruling that poses an existential threat to the agency.
Ackman's fund asks SEC for exemption after campaign donation
BOSTON Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fund firm run by billionaire William Ackman, wants to be exempted from possibly having to return millions of dollars in fees after a former employee donated $500 to a family friend's political campaign.
Trump can tweak Dodd-Frank without new laws - think tank
WASHINGTON U.S. President-elect Donald Trump may roll back some Wall Street standards put into effect under President Barack Obama without writing new law, an advocate for easing such rules said on Tuesday.
U.S. judge delays court hearing on Volkswagen 3.0-liter diesels
WASHINGTON U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Tuesday delayed a court hearing set for Wednesday on Volkswagen AG's plan to address 80,000 polluting Audi, Porsche and VW 3.0-liter vehicles.
State treasurers renew call for independent chair at Wells Fargo
Investors, including the state treasurers of Connecticut and Illinois, called on Wells Fargo & Co to require an independent board chair, saying the bank needs stronger oversight in the wake of a scandal over fake customer accounts.
Trade group sues TV's Dr. Oz over his claims of fake olive oil
WASHINGTON A trade group representing olive oil importers sued television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday under a largely untested Georgia food libel law, objecting to his claims that much of the imported extra virgin olive oil sold in U.S. supermarkets may be fake.
U.S. appeals court to hear gay workplace discrimination case
A U.S. appeals court takes up a closely watched gay rights case on Wednesday in which an Indiana college professor who says she lost her job because she is a lesbian is arguing that federal civil rights law should protect gay people from workplace discrimination.
6th Circuit revives Ford steering defect suit
A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a Tennessee widow's lawsuit seeking to hold Ford Motor Co liable for the death of her husband in a crash she blamed on a defective electronic steering system in their 2012 Focus. Read more
Meet the N.J. lawyer who is his own lead plaintiff in 100 consumer class actions
For a smart man, New Jersey lawyer Harold Hoffman makes a lot of bad purchases.