legal battle

  • TikTok Must Face Lawsuit Over 10-Year-Old Girl’s Death, US Court Rules

    A U.S. appeals court has revived a lawsuit against TikTok filed by the mother of a 10-year-old girl who tragically died after participating in a viral “blackout challenge” on the platform. The challenge, which dared users to choke themselves until they passed out, was allegedly recommended to the girl by TikTok’s algorithm. Although federal law…

  • Accused Capitol Rioter Skips Obstruction Charge After Supreme Court Ruling

    A U.S. prosecutor announced on Wednesday that the Justice Department would not pursue the revival of an obstruction charge against former police officer Joseph Fischer, who was charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot. Fischer successfully persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to raise the legal standard for this offense, leading to broader implications for…

  • SCOTUS Declines To Revive Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to revive President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan, bolstering efforts by Republican-led states that have sued to block it. The justices rejected the administration’s request to lift a judicial decision temporarily that halted the plan, which aims to lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers and accelerate loan…

  • X Wins Tentative Dismissal of Sex Bias Lawsuit Over Mass Layoffs

    A federal judge in San Francisco has once again dismissed a proposed class action alleging that social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, targeted female employees for layoffs when Elon Musk took control of the company. In a written ruling on Monday, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar stated that it was unclear whether the…

  • Massachusetts High Court Strikes Down Switchblade Ban

    Massachusetts’ highest court struck down a state ban on carrying switchblades on Tuesday, ruling that the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision requiring modern gun restrictions to align with the nation’s history and tradition also applies to other weapons. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court determined that a 1957 law prohibiting the possession of spring-release pocketknives, commonly…

  • Amazon Denied Bid to Write ‘Novella’-Length Brief in Alexa Privacy Lawsuit

    District Judge Robert Lasnik, who has served for over 25 years on the federal bench in Seattle, emphasized that giving lawyers extra pages doesn’t necessarily result in more comprehensive or polished filings. In an order issued on Monday, he expressed his view that such expansive submissions often become verbose, repetitive, and waste both party and…

  • Tesla Can Challenge Louisiana Direct Sales Ban, Appeals Court Rules

    A divided federal appeals court on Monday revived a lawsuit in which Tesla, the electric car company led by Elon Musk, challenged Louisiana’s ban on direct vehicle sales to consumers. In a 2-1 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans reversed a lower court judge’s dismissal of Tesla’s constitutional due process…

  • Special Counsel Asks Court To Revive Charges Against Trump In Documents Case

    Special Counsel Jack Smith urged a federal appeals court on Monday to reinstate the criminal case accusing Donald Trump of retaining classified documents, after a lower court dismissed the indictment in July. Smith’s legal team filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, requesting the overturn of…

  • J&J in Talks With Holdouts to $6.5 Billion Talc Settlement

    Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced on Friday that it is negotiating with plaintiffs’ lawyers who have opposed the company’s proposed settlement of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talc products caused cancer. The company aims to eliminate holdouts and finalize a $6.48 billion global settlement through the bankruptcy of a subsidiary company, following…

  • Panel Upholds Sexual Misconduct Findings Against Ex-Alaska Judge

    A national judicial conduct committee has upheld a panel’s findings that a now-former federal judge in Alaska engaged in misconduct by having an inappropriate sexualized relationship with one of his law clerks and creating a hostile work environment for court employees. On Thursday, the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability affirmed a decision…