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Environmental

  • July 29, 2025

    No Coverage For $2.5M Herbicide Damage Row, Court Says

    An AIG unit has no duty to cover an air services company in a contractor's lawsuit alleging that its aerial application of herbicides caused $2.5 million in expenses to fix grass damage, a New York federal court ruled Tuesday, finding no coverage under both of the company's policies.

  • July 29, 2025

    EPA Proposes Ditching GHG Danger Finding In Tailpipe Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed repealing an Obama-era finding that greenhouse gases endanger people's health and all vehicle emissions standards that relied upon that finding.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ford Settles Proposed Class Action Over Emissions Warranty

    Ford has settled a putative class action accusing it of violating the unfair competition law by failing to provide an emissions warranty for Golden State drivers whose vehicle transmissions weren't covered for seven years or 70,000 miles, according to a notice filed in California federal court.

  • July 29, 2025

    NC Engineer Says Green Energy Co. Withheld Stock Options

    A former engineer at a North Carolina climate technology company sued his ex-employer, claiming the company and its board refused to let him exercise his stock options after he left for another green energy business.

  • July 29, 2025

    Calif. Allows Retroactive Tax Exclusion For Solar Property

    California will allow the purchaser of a new property a three-year window to apply for a property tax exclusion for solar energy systems under a bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

  • July 29, 2025

    Judge Wants Docs On Feds' Role In Fla. Detention Center Suit

    A Florida federal judge has said agreements between the federal government and the state concerning the immigrant detention center in the Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" could help the court decide if federal environmental laws are at play in a suit from environmental groups.

  • July 29, 2025

    5 Firms Lead $2.48B Sale Of Piedmont Natural Gas' Tenn. Biz

    Duke Energy on Tuesday announced plans to sell its Piedmont Natural Gas Tennessee local distribution business to natural gas company Spire Inc. in a $2.48 billion all-cash deal that was built by five law firms.

  • July 29, 2025

    Judge Says Tug Operator Estate Liable For $14M Cleanup Bill

    A Washington federal judge ruled that the estate of a tugboat master is jointly and severally liable for about $14.4 million of oil cleanup costs the U.S. government incurred after a derelict fishing vessel being towed ran aground on the California coast.

  • July 29, 2025

    Pot Growers Not Forum-Shopping In $17M Suit, Judge Finds

    A Massachusetts state court judge has rejected claims of forum shopping made by a berry farm accused of contaminating nearby cannabis fields with pesticides, denying a motion to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction.

  • July 28, 2025

    Patent Damages Explode As Practice Areas See Wild Swings

    Damages in plaintiff-won federal patent cases have soared in the past decade while those in environmental cases and some other types of civil litigation have plummeted, a new report from Lex Machina shows.

  • July 28, 2025

    Apache Women Look To Block Arizona Site's Destruction

    A group of Apache women are looking to block the federal government from transferring their Arizona worship site to a copper mining company, telling a D.C. federal court they will be unable to practice and pass down their religion if the site is destroyed.

  • July 28, 2025

    Rincon Band Says NEPA Reform Proposal Is Bad Idea

    The Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians says projects under the FCC's jurisdiction have historically "failed to adequately identify and assess historic properties of cultural and religious significance to Tribal Nations" and a proposal to loosen National Environmental Policy Act rules will make things only worse.

  • July 28, 2025

    Florida's AG Announces 'Climate Cartel' Investigation

    Florida's attorney general announced Monday that he is investigating whether two greenhouse gas emission reduction groups violated state consumer protection or antitrust laws for allegedly coercing companies into disclosing proprietary information.

  • July 28, 2025

    Hawaii Fights Back Against US Bid To Block Climate Suit

    Hawaii on Friday asked a federal judge to throw out the Trump administration's "extraordinary and unprecedented" effort to block the state's climate change lawsuit against major energy companies.

  • July 28, 2025

    BLM Kills Biden-Era Policy Docs For Oil Drilling In Alaska

    The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Monday rescinded three Biden-era actions that aimed to restrict development activities in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve.

  • July 28, 2025

    Utilities Can Join 4th Circ. FERC Grid Policy Fight

    The Fourth Circuit said Friday that environmental groups, municipal utilities and electricity cooperatives, among many others, can intervene in an appeal challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent overhaul of its regional transmission policy.

  • July 28, 2025

    Fla. Says Tribe Can't Join Detention Center Row, Feds Shrug

    The Florida Division of Emergency Management's chief is objecting to the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians' effort to join green groups' legal fight against an immigration detention center constructed in the Everglades.

  • July 28, 2025

    Midstream Co. Says Contractor Caused $8M Spill In La.

    A Louisiana midstream company has told a Harris County court that a contractor tasked with controlling operations on a frac tank caused an $8 million oil spill, asking the court to order the contractor to reimburse it for the spill.

  • July 28, 2025

    Insurer Must Cover Runoff Settlement, Auto Co. Says

    An automobile auction company told a Texas federal court that a Liberty Mutual unit must indemnify a settlement reached over underlying claims that the company caused storm water runoff in neighboring properties when it cleared several parcels of land for car and machinery storage.

  • July 28, 2025

    Homeowners, Chubb Settle Water Damage Suit Ahead Of Trial

    Illinois homeowners and a Chubb unit agreed to end their dispute over coverage for damage caused by a burst water pipe during an extreme temperature drop, weeks after an Illinois federal court cleared the case for trial, according to a court filing.

  • July 28, 2025

    KKR Plugs AU$500M Into Australian Renewable Energy Biz

    Private equity giant KKR on Monday said that it has agreed to invest AU$500 million ($326.3 million) into Australian renewable energy company CleanPeak Energy to help it grow its distributed energy platform.

  • July 25, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Private REITs, Farms, Crypto In Escrow?

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney perspectives on private real estate investment trusts, national security concerns raised by farmland and a recent California listing that could lead to the state's largest real estate deal using digital currency.

  • July 25, 2025

    Calif. Air Board Faces New Suit Over Carbon Fuel Standard

    Environmental and public interest groups hit the California Air Resources Board with another lawsuit in Golden State court Friday, alleging that the state's recent amendments to the Low Carbon Fuel Standard will have the perverse effect of incentivizing large-scale factory farms, which pose significant environmental and public health risks.

  • July 25, 2025

    Solar Developer Claims NC County's Permit Denial Was Biased

    A "needlessly and excessively combative" board of county commissioners in North Carolina unconstitutionally blocked a solar energy developer's project based on personal issues, according to the company's lawsuit.

  • July 25, 2025

    9th Circ.: Gila River Tribe-Farmer Water Fight Not Over

    The Ninth Circuit has ruled a federal judge prematurely sided with the Gila River Indian Community in a water rights dispute, finding future fact-finding is needed before ordering Arizona farmers to shut off wells that allegedly draw water from the river.

Expert Analysis

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • A Deep Dive Into 14 Nixed Gensler-Era SEC Rule Proposals

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month formally withdrew 14 notices of proposed rulemaking, including several significant and widely criticized proposals that had been issued under former Chair Gary Gensler's leadership, signaling a clear and definitive shift away from the previous administration, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

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    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Calif. Air Waivers Fight Fuels Automakers', States' Uncertainty

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    The unprecedented attempt by Congress and the Trump administration to kill the Clean Air Act waivers supporting California's vehicle emissions standards will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court — but meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers, and states following California's standards, are left in limbo, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Lawsuit, Exec Orders Should Boost Small Modular Reactors

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    A lawsuit in Texas federal court and a set of new executive orders from the White House may finally push the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow for accelerated deployment of small modular reactors — a technology that could change the country's energy future, says Aleksey Shtivelman at Shutts & Bowen.

  • Opinion

    Juries Are Key In Protecting The Rule Of Law

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    Absent from the recent discourse about U.S. rule of law is the crucial role of impartial jurors in protecting the equitable administration of justice, and attorneys and judges should take affirmative steps to reverse the yearslong decline of jury trials at this critical moment, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • Preparing For Trump Pushback Against State Climate Laws

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    An April executive order from President Donald Trump mandated a report from the U.S. attorney general on countering so-called state overreach in climate policy, and while that report has yet to appear, companies can expect that it will likely call for using litigation, legislation and funding to actively reshape energy policy, say attorneys at Bracewell.

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