The Latest

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  Liability reduced for companies facing biometric data privacy violations

  Changes to the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act create a more reasonable risk environment for companies that might otherwise face huge penalties.

  Emerging Issues

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  Insurance coverage drives cyber risk reduction for companies

  Companies with cyber coverage are better able to detect and respond to attacks, according to a Forrester report.

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  Alternative dispute resolutions are reached more often when offered early in the process, EEOC finds

  An analysis of federal employee data showed mediation during the pre-complaint stage was more effective — but also a satisfaction gap between complainants and agency representatives.

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  Q&A

  PlanSource’s new GC talks risk and how she thinks about AI in legal ops

  The employee benefits administrator hired Jenny Zador this summer to help build its legal team and position the company for future growth.

  Hiring/Talent

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  Are DEI rollbacks widespread? Depends on who you talk to, experts say

  Men and Republicans are more likely to hear about them, Morning Consult researchers said.

  Hiring/Talent

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  Trade groups seek extension on FDIC’s ‘hot money’ rule

  Organizations need 60 more days “to furnish responses and data that fulsomely address the questions and issues raised” by proposed changes on brokered deposits, 11 trade groups wrote.

  Emerging Issues

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  FTC exceeded its authority with noncompete ban, judge says

  The agency’s rulemaking under Sec 6(g) of the FTC Act is procedural, not substantive, Judge Ada Brown of Texas federal court says, blocking a nationwide rule that would have taken effect shortly.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  47% of firms have suffered data breach resulting in big financial loss

  The study comes as the global average cost of a breach has hit nearly $4.9 million this year, according to an IBM estimate.

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  Former Kansas bank CEO gets 24 years in prison

  Shan Hanes pleaded guilty in May to one count of embezzlement as a bank officer after taking $47.1 million from Heartland Tri-State Bank as part of a crypto scheme.

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  DOJ allows Alaska Air-Hawaiian merger deal to proceed

  Tacit approval of Alaska Air acquiring the smaller carrier comes after the department sued to successfully block two previous airline combinations.

  Emerging Issues

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  How to build social activism into your governance structure

  Companies don’t have to retreat from activism to avoid backlash if they align their values with their business in a way that makes sense, a law professor says.

  Emerging Issues

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  Kroger says FTC’s effort to block merger with Albertsons is unconstitutional

  The grocer claims the agency’s administrative proceeding alongside its federal lawsuit challenging the deal is “an inappropriate attempt to receive multiple opportunities to litigate the same issues.”

  Updated Aug. 19, 2024

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  Minnesota’s noncompete ban marked big win for Tim Walz

  Minnesota became the fourth state to enact a law prohibiting noncompetition agreements under Gov. Walz, the Democrat’s vice presidential nominee. 

  Contracts

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  Adidas wins dismissal of shareholder suit over Kanye West conduct

  A federal judge ruled the German apparel maker did not mislead investors about its stock ahead of the fashion designer’s public meltdown in 2022.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  Friend or foe: Unpacking what the amicus briefs say about the SEC’s climate rule

  Amicus briefs in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ongoing lawsuit concerning its climate disclosure rule find institutional investors and businesses largely on opposite sides.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  FTC noncompete ban suffers another blow

  The ruling — which applies only to one Florida-based real estate broker — comes just weeks before the ban is slated to take effect.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  Federal judge issues permanent injunction against Missouri anti-ESG rules

  The court ruled that a pair of the state’s rules on socially responsible investing are preempted by national laws covering securities and pensions — and also unconstitutional.

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  TD, BNY, Truist hit with WhatsApp penalties

  The Canadian lender and its subsidiaries were fined $46.5 million by the SEC and $82 million by the CFTC over unapproved platform use and recordkeeping violations. Truist self-reported and saw reduced penalties.

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  Visa-Mastercard settlement claims deadline postponed

  Merchants seeking a piece of the $5.5 billion settlement now have until February 2025 to file claims, a federal judge overseeing the class action said.

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  Nvidia, OpenAI face YouTube creator lawsuits for using online videos

  A video creator alleges that the companies scraped his videos, and millions of others, without permission to help train their generative AI learning models.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  Intake process called key to measuring legal team value

  By creating a system for how work gets to in-house attorneys, general counsel can show how much the team contributes to company revenue, a legal operations specialist says. 

  Legal Operations

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  Opinion

  How mentorships can be a path to stronger firm-client relationships

  Programs that bring the law firm and the in-house team together can boost career development for young lawyers and lead to better outcomes for the general counsel. 

  Legal Operations

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  United Airlines gets sustainable fuel greenwashing lawsuit tossed

  A federal court dismissed a class-action suit brought against the airline that alleged it deceptively advertised its sustainable aviation fuel efforts.

  Lawsuits and Litigation

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  SEC imposes $390M in fines in crackdown on shoddy record-keeping

  The agency that regulates Wall Street in the past year has slammed several financial services companies for flawed record-keeping.

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  San Francisco passes ban on revenue management software in rental housing

  The ordinance, which has not yet been enacted, imposes a penalty of up to $1,000 per unit per month.

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