Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

IBM has agreed to pay roughly $17m to resolve allegations of illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices. The DOJ had said the company “knowingly” made “false claims” about its hiring and employment practices in its federal contracts. IBM allegedly identified “diverse” candidates for hiring or promotions, while developing race and sex demographic goals. “IBM is pleased to have resolved this matter,” an IBM spokesperson told CNN. “Our workforce strategy is driven by a single principle: having the right people with the right skills that our clients depend on.”

 

CNN

CBS News

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Meta must face a lawsuit ​by Massachusetts' attorney general alleging the company designed its Instagram social media platform to addict children. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled the case can move forward as Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s case targets Meta’s alleged conduct in designing a social media platform, rather than the content posted by third-party users. Writing for the unanimous court, Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt said the lawsuit brought by the attorney general does not seek to hold Meta liable for content created by its users, which section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 typically shields companies from, but instead targets the company’s conduct.

 

AOL

Boston Globe

Reuters

Donald Trump is nominating Sullivan & Cromwell partner Matthew Schwartz to serve on the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He would fill a seat that had been held by a George W. Bush appointee, Chief U.S. Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston, who is planning to take senior status. Trump said Schwartz "has fought fiercely against Lawfare and Government Overreach, representing ​clients at all levels of Federal and State Judiciaries."

 

Bloomberg Law

Reuters

The U.S. Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into the National Football League to examine whether its media rights practices are harming consumers by driving up costs and limiting access to games. The probe comes amid growing scrutiny from regulators, lawmakers, and media companies over the NFL’s use of its long-standing antitrust exemption, granted under the 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act, which allows teams to collectively negotiate lucrative television deals. In recent years, the league has increasingly divided its game packages among traditional broadcasters and streaming platforms, contributing to a fragmented viewing experience that often requires fans to pay for multiple subscriptions. Regulators are particularly concerned that the current model may exploit the league’s antitrust protections in ways that no longer align with today’s media landscape, where games are no longer primarily available on free-to-air television.

 

Bloomberg

CNBC

Wall Street Journal

The Trump administration is seeking access to sensitive medical records of millions of federal workers, retirees, and their families. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) aims to require 65 insurance companies to provide detailed health data, including prescriptions and treatment histories. OPM could use the data to analyze costs and improve the system, said Sharona Hoffman, a health law ethicist at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. “But,” she said, “they are going to get very, very detailed and granular data about everything that happens. The concern here is the more information they have, they could use it to discipline or target people who are not cooperating politically.”

 

U.S. News

Los Angeles Unified moved closer to avoiding a systemwide shutdown after reaching tentative agreements with both its administrators union and United Teachers Los Angeles, but a strike still looms unless SEIU Local 99 settles before Tuesday. The administrators deal includes an 11.65% raise over two years, with possible bargaining in a third year, plus new limits on uncompensated workload. The teachers pact would raise starting pay to $77,000, add student support staff, expand paid parental leave, and reduce some class sizes. Maria Nichols, president of Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, called the deal “a powerful testament to what unity, courage, and unwavering resolve can achieve.” Even with two agreements in place, solidarity actions remain likely if Local 99, which represents many low-paid campus workers, does not reach terms.

 

Los Angeles Times

U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., is calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to investigate trades in the oil and equity futures markets ahead of a pause in hostilities in Iran last month. Billions of dollars in futures changed hands shortly before Donald Trump announced the postponement. Financial contracts tied to at least six million barrels of oil were sold in a two-minute period. “What kind of trader would make a massive trade at 6:49 a.m., 15 minutes before a market-moving presidential announcement with billions of dollars at stake and without a hedge?” Torres said. “The only plausible answer to that question is an insider trader. Any other alternative is a statistical impossibility.”

 

Bloomberg

CNBC

NPR

Phillip Aurentz has joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in its litigation and intellectual property & technology practices in Dallas. A seasoned first-chair trial lawyer, Aurentz represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex, high-value litigation across various industries, including computing, oilfield services, and medical devices. He previously worked at Sidley Austin.

 

Bloomberg Law

Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor faces a lawsuit in Norway over sharing data with authorities in Myanmar from local customers who were suspected of opposing the 2021 coup. Justice and Accountability Initiative, a Swedish nonprofit organization, said it filed a civil class action suit against the firm before Asker and Baerum District Court. “Based on what we have heard through the media, there is nothing in this potential lawsuit that has not already been addressed, and in our view it is unlikely that such a claim will succeed,” a Telenor spokesperson said.

 

Bloomberg

The Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment has added BYD Auto do Brasil Ltda. to its "dirty list" of employers due to severe labor violations. This follows a December 2024 inspection that revealed workers were subjected to excessive hours and degrading living conditions. Inspectors found 107 passports locked away, restricting workers' access to their travel documents. Brazilian workers reported that their Chinese colleagues often worked seven days a week, with days off only granted during inspections. The ministry's actions limit BYD's access to state financing and heighten reputational risks in Brazil, its key market outside China.

 

The Nation

South China Morning Post

A Kimberly-Clark employee has been arrested on arson charges after a massive fire broke out at a California distribution center. The fire at the 1.2 million-square-foot facility in Ontario destroyed all products inside, and could potentially lead to disruptions in a market that serves around 50m consumers. The Ontario Fire Department said it had identified a suspect: Chamel Abdulkarim, an employee of NFI Industries, a third-party logistics provider for Kimberly-Clark products.

 

Bloomberg