Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

​The Chemours Company has agreed a $450m settlement with the Department of Justice over the release of so-called "forever chemicals" in West Virginia, North Carolina and New ‌Jersey. The settlement includes a $22.5m civil penalty and $90m in funding to control per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have been linked to cancer and other risks, and remove them from drinking water. "This is the first comprehensive settlement by the federal government to resolve enforcement claims over ​pollution by a manufacturer of forever chemicals," DOJ said. The settlement “delivers on the Trump administration’s promise to make polluters pay and stop PFAS contamination at the source,” said Jeffrey Hall, assistant EPA administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance.

 

CBS News

New York Times

Reuters

The Guardian

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The Supreme Court has ruled 7-2 that Bayer cannot be held liable under state law for failing to warn consumers that Roundup causes cancer when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not require such a warning on the product's federally approved label. The ruling strengthens Bayer's efforts to resolve years of costly litigation tied to Roundup, which the company inherited through its $63bn acquisition of Monsanto in 2018. The decision could pave the way for the dismissal of thousands of pending claims, bolster Bayer's proposed $7.5bn settlement with plaintiffs, and significantly reduce the company's legal exposure. The company has consistently maintained that Roundup is safe when used as directed, citing repeated EPA findings that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. However, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" in 2015, fueling years of litigation.

 

The Hill

CNBC

Politico

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

The Supreme Court has said the Trump administration can block asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. The decision allows the administration to revive its so-called turn-back or “metering” policy, allowing federal agents at the U.S. border to stop migrants from physically setting foot on U.S. soil, where federal law guarantees them the right to claim asylum and protection from persecution. In a 6-3 opinion, the court said the policy doesn't violate the Immigration Nationality Act (INA). “An alien standing in Mexico does not ‘arriv[e] in the United States’ by attempting, and failing, to set foot in this country,” read the majority opinion. “An alien ‘arrives in the United States’ only when he crosses the border. The INA thus neither entitles an alien standing in Mexico to apply for asylum nor requires an immigration officer to inspect him.”

 

The Columbus Dispatch

Bloomberg Law

Fast Company

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can strip protected status from hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants whose home countries remain unsafe. The 6-3 ruling overturned decisions by federal judges that had blocked the administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 350,000 people from Haiti and 6,100 from Syria. TPS is granted to individuals whose home countries are unable to accommodate them, due to war or natural disasters. Since TPS was created, the government has ended the protected designation for citizens of 18 countries.

 

Boston Globe

Los Angeles Times

Costco is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging it falsely marketed its Kirkland Signature Nature's Domain grain-free dog food as a healthy product while failing to disclose its alleged link to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a potentially fatal heart disease in dogs. The lawsuit cites scientific studies and a 2019 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation that identified Nature's Domain among grain-free brands potentially associated with an increased risk of the condition. The complaint seeks to represent all customers who purchased the product during the past four years and is seeking damages. The FDA paused its investigation in 2022, saying it would resume when meaningful new scientific evidence became available, although the lawsuit claims many veterinarians continue to advise against grain-free diets high in legume or pulse ingredients.

 

The Columbian

On Saturday, Apple closed its Towson, Maryland store, the first Apple Store in the U.S. to unionize, citing declining conditions at the shopping mall where it was located. However, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers has accused the company of retaliating against employees for unionizing, alleging that workers at the unionized store were denied the straightforward transfer opportunities offered to staff at two non-union stores that also closed the same day. More than half of the Towson store's approximately 70 unionized employees are expected to lose their jobs, with Apple saying it is following the terms of the collective bargaining agreement reached in 2024, which provides up to 12 weeks' severance pay but does not guarantee transfers. The company has strongly denied any retaliation, insisting it is complying with the negotiated agreement.

 

New York Times

U.S. Rep. Nathaniel Moran has introduced the AI Incident Reporting Act, which would create a federal process for reporting certain serious AI incidents to the Department of Commerce. The proposal focuses on advanced AI systems and includes reports on dangerous capabilities, security breaches, and safety issues. Under the measure, Commerce would identify which models meet risk thresholds. Developers of those systems would have seven days to report qualifying incidents, while the most serious cases would trigger a 48-hour notice to congressional leaders and committee chairs. The bill also calls for consultation with industry, researchers, cybersecurity experts, and national security officials.

 

Crypto Briefing

Reuters

The Trump administration is pressing Facebook parent Meta to submit its AI models for voluntary review so that the government ​can evaluate their abilities and vulnerabilities. Meta is believed to be the only major U.S. ⁠developer of AI technology that has not reached an agreement to voluntarily ​share its models with the federal government for review. The company launched the Muse ​Spark AI model in April. "We ​share the administration's goal of advancing U.S. leadership on robust and secure frontier AI. While we are working through the details, we hope to sign the agreement soon," ​Meta told Reuters.

 

New York Times

Reuters

Jarryd Anderson, a partner at Paul Weiss, is leaving the firm to lead the financial services group at Ropes & Gray. After less than three years at Paul Weiss, where he co-chaired the financial services practice, Anderson brings extensive regulatory experience from his previous roles at the Federal Reserve and Wells Fargo. Julie Jones, chair of Ropes & Gray, praised Anderson's diverse experience, saying: “Jarryd has sat on every side of [the] equation – writing the rules at the Fed, navigating them in-house, and advising on them in private practice.”

 

Bloomberg Law

French oil company TotalEnergies must account for its customers’ greenhouse gas emissions, a Paris court has found. The ruling is a partial victory for climate change NGOs seeking to apply France's 2017 corporate duty of vigilance law to climate change. However, the ⁠court stopped short of ordering specific measures such as limiting overseas exploration and production or setting binding ​emissions reduction targets. The court said: “Climate-related risks and impacts to which the company may contribute through its activities fall within the scope of the law on the duty of vigilance for parent companies and ordering companies.” The city of Paris said the ruling was “a landmark decision in the history of French climate law.” The city's deputy mayor, Alice Timsit, said: “For the first time, a judge recognises that climate risks do indeed fall under the duty of vigilance owed by large corporations, and no fossil-fuel multinational can evade this responsibility.”

 

Financial Times

Reuters

The Guardian

Brazilian federal police have launched the second phase of their investigation into the Americanas accounting scandal, executing nine search-and-seizure warrants in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and obtaining authorization to seize 54bn reais ($10.4bn) in assets and funds from suspects. Those searched reportedly include billionaire Carlos Sicupira, Paulo Alberto Lemann, and current and former executives linked to Itaú Unibanco, Banco Santander Brasil and Banco Bradesco. The investigation centers on alleged accounting fraud involving reverse factoring and cooperative advertising contracts, with investigators examining potential offenses including market manipulation and criminal conspiracy. 

 

Bloomberg

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed to end a government requirement for manual brake pedals ​in self-driving vehicles. The proposal would not apply to vehicles with human driver controls, and NHTSA said it would not drop braking performance requirements. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said: “If we want America to lead the way, we have to reimagine our regulatory framework. That’s why under Secretary Sean Duffy’s AV Framework, NHTSA is tearing down pointless barriers to innovative designs while strengthening the fundamental safety requirements that matter and holding AV developers accountable for safe performance. This approach will ultimately reduce roadway crashes, prevent fatalities, and increase mobility.”  

 

Bloomberg

Insurance Journal

NHTSA

Reuters