Charlotte School of Law

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.25.17

* On Tuesday, a Major League Baseball game had fewer than 6,000 in attendance. At the same time, the Second Circuit has to grapple with the fact that we still give this sport an antitrust exemption. [Law360] * Justice William O'Neill of the Ohio Supreme Court took to Facebook to blast Cleveland Browns players for staging a silent, reverential protest of racial violence in America. With that, O'Neill successfully completes the first step in running for governor. [ABA Journal] * "How do you go from the sixth-largest media market to the 40th and call it a win?" Antitrust attorney James Quinn on the NFL's decision to move the Raiders to Las Vegas. [New York Law Journal] * The battle between the St. Louis Cardinals and an animal welfare organization has stepped up a notch. I promise there's non-sports legal news after the jump. [Deadspin] * Hilarity ensues when Jeff Flake holds a hearing on splitting the Ninth Circuit and the hard-core Trump people use it to troll him. [The Recorder] * Children conceived from frozen sperm can't get survivor benefits. Well, this is a wacky one. [Law.com] * Department of Education outlines the options available to Charlotte Law students. [Inside Higher Ed] * Ministry objects to SPLC "hate group" label issued over a history of staunch anti-LGBT activism. [Sun-Sentinel]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.23.17

* Statues of Chief Justice Roger Taney may have been removed in his native Maryland, but don't expect his bust to be removed from the Supreme Court's Great Hall or his portrait to be taken down from the high court's East conference room in the near future. The visage of the Dred Scott opinion's author will remain. [National Law Journal] * The Charlotte School of Law may be dead, but that doesn't mean that former students' proposed class-action lawsuits against the school have been put out to pasture. Though the bulk of the claims were dismissed, two such cases with allegations of unfair and deceptive trade practices have survived motions for summary judgment. Best of luck against Infilaw's first fallen school. [Law.com] * Much to his defense attorney Benjamin Bratman's chagrin, the names of the jurors who convicted Martin Shkreli of securities fraud have been released. They've been talking to the press about the disgraced pharma bro, and one of them referred to him as "his own worst enemy." [DealBook / New York Times] * Meanwhile, Martin Shkreli's ex-lawyer, former Kaye Scholer partner Evan Greebel, remains charged with wire fraud conspiracy, a charge on which Shkreli was acquitted by a jury. Greebel's defense attorneys at Gibson Dunn have called this "a Kafkaesque scenario," that is "frightening for every corporate lawyer in America simply doing their jobs representing clients." [New York Law Journal] * Berkeley Law is planning to launch a hybrid online/on-campus LL.M. program for foreign-educated attorneys. Students will be able to complete their fall and spring semesters online, but must attend classes on campus at the law school during the summer months. Tuition is a whopping $57,471. [The Recorder] * Earlier this week, a California jury handed down the largest verdict thus far in a talcum powder cancer case against Johnson & Johnson. The plaintiff, Eva Echeverria, who had used J&J baby powder since the 1950s and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, was awarded $417 million. [Consumer Affairs]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.14.17

* James Alex Fields Jr., the 20-year-old accused of ramming his car into a group of counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one and injuring numerous others, has been charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene of an accident. [NPR] * Heather Heyer, the 32-year-old woman who was killed in Charlottesville this weekend, was a paralegal at a small law firm where she managed the bankruptcy department. She was described as woman willing to stand up against "any type of discrimination." We'll have more on this tragic news later today. [New York Times] * After being urged by Senator Ted Cruz to "prosecute this grotesque act of domestic terrorism," the Department of Justice has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the deadly white supremacy rally that occurred this past weekend in Charlottesville, as the events that unfolded there "strike at the heart of American law and justice." [Independent Journal Review; The Hill] * "Evidently that's not going to happen." Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is walking back comments that he made back in April about the likelihood of a Supreme Court justice (i.e., Justice Anthony Kennedy) retiring this summer. Maybe he'll get his wish next summer. [Reuters] * Classes are supposed to begin at Charlotte Law in three weeks, but according to a spokesman from the University of North Carolina system, the school's temporary license to operate has expired. The dean of the troubled law school, on the other hand, says the license hasn't expired. Hmm... [Charlotte Observer]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 07.28.17

* The Senate rejects the latest GOP effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act -- with Senator John McCain casting the decisive "no" vote. [Washington Post] * Riley Safer Holmes and Cancila continues its rapid expansion, adding 13 new lawyers -- including eight from Bryan Cave, led by former managing partner Joseph McCoy. [Law360] * More bad news for the LGBT community from the Trump administration: the Justice Department takes the position that Title VII doesn't cover discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. [How Appealing] * Meanwhile, civil rights and LGBT groups get ready to file suit if President Trump's plan to ban transgender people from the military becomes a reality (which is not yet the case). [National Law Journal] * And these groups might just prevail -- Michael Richter and Anna Pohl, chairs of the New York City Bar Association’s Military Affairs and LGBT Rights Committees, lay out the case for why the transgender ban is unconstitutional. [The Hill] * Stephanie Francis Ward takes a long, hard look at the woes of Charlotte School of Law -- and the rest of the beleaguered Infilaw consortium of law schools. [ABA Journal] * Closing statements in the Martin Shkreli case paint very different pictures of the infamous "Pharma Bro." [Law.com] * Nuisance claims, or nuisance suits? Judge James Donato (N.D. Cal.) seems skeptical of a purported class-action case targeting Pokémon GO (which recently added Legendaries to the game). [The Recorder]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.22.17

* Donald Trump told a rally that "the time has come" for a law banning immigrants from getting welfare. Now all he needs is a time machine to go back to 1996 when this law was actually passed. [The Hill] * If you're hoping to score an in-house legal position, it looks like you're in luck -- corporate counsel offices expect to keep hiring as they continue to internalize more and more work. [Law.com] * Texting while driving is now legal in Colorado. OMG. LOL. [Explosion Emoji] [Fox 31] * Companies should continue their efforts to comply with the FCPA even though Trump called the law "absolutely crazy." Because you should take him seriously not literally or what have you. [Corporate Counsel] * Here's how important a website is to your small or solo legal practice -- this firm didn't even exist and it got clients because of its web design. [Houston Chronicle] * Charlotte School of Law has until August to prove that it's financially viable. [News & Observer]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.23.17

* Trump's reportedly close to selecting outside counsel. According to these reports, the top contenders are Robert Giuffra Jr., Marc Kasowitz, Theodore Olson and Reid Weingarten. [The Hill] * Speaking of Trump, he's asking the D.C. Circuit to delay a ruling on health care subsidies because throwing markets into chaos is the new normal. [NY Times] * Sessions suggests that sanctuary cities will lose Justice and Homeland Security funds if they don't affirmatively prove that they're deputizing themselves to federal immigration officials. That really puts in the proper perspective exactly how committed this guy is to actually keeping people safe from crime. [USA Today] * La La Anthony has hired a top-notch divorce lawyer. “Carmelo is still in denial and thinks he can fix his marriage.” Well, he still thinks he can fix the Knicks too so.... [Page Six] * Dorsey & Whitney is out and Proskauer is in, much to the judge's dismay. [Law360] * DOE releases some loan money to Charlotte Law students. [ABA Journal]

By Joe Patrice