Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse
19th January 2026
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THE HOT STORY
Google asks court to delay data sharing order amid appeal
Alphabet's Google has asked a judge to defer making the company share data with rivals while it challenges a 2024 ruling that it used unlawful tactics to maintain its dominance in online search. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington at the time went too far in seeking to level the playing field by ordering the company to share its data with competitors such as generative artificial intelligence companies, Google said. "Although Google believes that these remedies are unwarranted and should never have been imposed, it is prepared to do everything short of turning over its data or providing syndicated results and ads while its appeal is pending," the company said.
COMPLIANCE & GOVERNANCE
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LAWSUITS
Trump threatens to sue JPMorgan Chase
President Donald Trump has threatened to sue JPMorgan Chase for allegedly “debanking” him following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. “I’ll be suing JPMorgan Chase over the next two weeks for incorrectly and inappropriately DEBANKING me after the January 6th Protest, a protest that turned out to be correct for those doing the protesting,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. JPMorgan spokesperson Trish Wexler said: “While we won’t get specific about a client, we don’t close accounts because of political beliefs,” adding “We appreciate that this Administration has moved to address political debanking and we support those efforts.”
LAW
California orders xAI to halt creation of nonconsensual imagery
California Attorney General Robert Bonta has issued a cease-and-desist letter to Elon Musk's xAI, demanding an end to the production of nonconsensual sexualized images by its Grok chatbot. Bonta described the reports of such content, which include disturbing depictions involving women and children, as "shocking" and potentially illegal. As the scrutiny on Musk's ventures escalates globally, authorities from Japan and various other regions are also investigating the issue surrounding Grok's content generation.
U.S. court allows Dominion's offshore wind project to continue
A federal judge has granted Dominion Energy the go-ahead to resume construction on its $11.2bn offshore wind project in Virginia, marking a setback for President Trump's opposition to such initiatives. Judge Jamar Walker ruled that the Interior Department's stop-work order was overly broad and did not pertain specifically to Dominion's operations.
EMPLOYMENT LAW
NYC Mayor Mamdani cracks down on Motoclick over pay
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced that NYC has filed a lawsuit against delivery app Motoclick and its chief executive, alleging violations of the city’s minimum pay rules. Officials claim the company underpaid workers, deducted wages for cancelled and refunded orders, and charged fees that reduced earnings. The lawsuit seeks back pay and damages for affected couriers, according to Sam Levine, commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Motoclick says it works with major platforms including Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub.
REGULATION
FTC to scrutinize Big Tech's talent acquisition deals
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is scrutinizing big tech firms that hire employees of a start-up instead of buying the companies outright. The growing practice is seen as a way to sidestep antitrust review. "We are beginning to examine these acqui-hires to make sure they are not an attempt to get around" the agency’s merger review process, FTC chairman Andrew Ferguson said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. He blamed the Biden administration's aggressive antitrust enforcement for encouraging companies to increase the practice.
FIRMS
Cravath's diversity chief departs
Peter Wilson Jr., the chief diversity officer at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, has left the firm after three years, amid increasing scrutiny from the Trump administration regarding diversity positions in Big Law. Wilson, who was recruited from Proskauer Rose to lead the firm's diversity and inclusion initiatives, confirmed his departure through an automatic email response. Cravath has not commented on the situation, and Wilson could not be reached for further remarks.
LEGAL TECH
Eve unveils new AI tools
Legal tech start-up Eve has announced the addition of three AI-powered features to its platform. The new tools include AI Agents for autonomous task execution, an AI Auditor for quality control, and an AI Analyst that identifies operational patterns within firms. This expansion follows Eve's successful $103m Series B funding round.

 
Law
INTERNATIONAL
EU prepares retaliation for Donald Trump’s Greenland threat
EU leaders are considering hitting the U.S. with a €93bn ($107.7bn) package of tariffs in response to Donald Trump’s threats to Nato allies opposed to his campaign to take over Greenland. Another option that will be discussed at an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday is the to date never-used 'Anti-Coercion Instrument' (ACI), which could limit access to public tenders, investments or banking activity or restrict trade in services, in which the U.S. has a surplus with the bloc, including in digital services. "I'm convinced that [Europe] must not give in," observed Jérémie Gallon, a former French diplomat and current senior managing director at McLarty Associates, a Washington-based international strategic advisory firm. "Resisting a new attempt at humiliation and vassalization is the only way Europe can finally assert itself as a geopolitical actor."
Taiwan issues arrest warrant for OnePlus CEO over illegal hiring
Taiwanese prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Pete Lau, the CEO of Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer OnePlus, alleging his involvement in illegal recruitment activities that included hiring over 70 employees in Taiwan. The accusations, stemming from Taiwanese laws governing China relations, suggest that Lau and two local accomplices operated a business without proper authorization. The development highlights ongoing tensions regarding Chinese companies seeking to recruit talent in Taiwan amid heightened scrutiny from Taiwanese authorities.
OTHER
U.S. Health Department to launch study on cell phone radiation risks
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is to launch a study of cell phone radiation, following Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s linking of such radiation to cancer and neurological harm. The study, part of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, aims to assess health risks tied to electromagnetic radiation amid evolving technologies. Agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Cancer Institute maintain there is no credible evidence of health risks from cellphone use.

 

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