Volkswagen

Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.16.17

* Was your firm disabled by a cyberattack? Probably not if you're still reading this. [Am Law Daily] * All these "classified intelligence" headlines miss the point. It's not like Trump told them the nuclear codes or anything -- he warned them about a possible terror plot. The problem is that haphazard handling of secrets could mess up future intelligence gathering and put sources at risk. And, of course, that Trump's going to address a burgeoning national security scandal on Twitter. [Courthouse News Service] * If you think movie theaters are a racket, well, the Department of Justice thinks that's worth looking into. [Law.com] * Dean Erwin Chemerinsky explains why firing James Comey didn't spark a constitutional crisis -- but that's about the only good thing he has to say about the administration. [Newsweek] * German law enforcement's search of local Jones Day offices was legal. VW plans to turbocharge an appeal. [Reuters] * This may come as a shock, but Arizona Summit Law School isn't doing well. [Arizona Central] * Conan has to go to trial on joke theft allegations. [New York Times] * What to know about the Supreme Court's latest arbitration decision. Besides "y'all are screwed," of course. [Law360]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 05.11.17

* Johnson & Johnson pushing back against the baby powder cancer verdicts. I thought J&J was the one that wasn't supposed to cause tears. [Law.com] * Nine percent tuition hike in store for this law school. [Inforum] * While the Comey story has sucked up a lot of attention, civil libertarians are watching West Virginia, where a reporter was arrested for asking a question of the Trump administration. [US News & World Report] * What was Putin wearing when he gave his thoughts on Comey's firing? (A) A bear costume; (B) A Russian Air Force Uniform; (C) MAGA Hat; (D) Hockey Gear; (E) Shirtless. [Huffington Post] * German authorities laugh off Jones Day complaints. [Am Law Daily] * Fewer meetings makes for a better team. This... apparently isn't obvious to people yet. [Corporate Counsel] * Chinese hackers have to pay up for breaches at Cravath and Weil Gotshal. [Big Law Business] * Judge Kaplan was attacked by a pit bull, but he's all right now. [Law360]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.12.17

* Fahrvergnügen! The DOJ charged six VW executives in the emissions-cheating scandal, arresting one in Miami. [New York Times] * Dewey think the Trustee should be able to destroy records? [Law360] * The Jeff Sessions confirmation hearing opted for the "he can't be racist, he has a black friend" strategy that absolutely, positively never fails. [Litigation Daily] * Child prostitution isn't legal in California and oh my God why do we have to clarify this? [ABC News] * Company under CFPB investigation battling to remain anonymous. This probably would be a significant legal challenge if we assumed the CFPB would exist past next month. [National Law Journal] * Chelsea Manning's sentence may be commuted before Obama leaves office. [Lawfare] * The fight over legal rights to Prince's catalog continues. [Page Six]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.11.17

* After hearing powerful testimony from victims' relatives, a federal jury sentenced Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof to death. [BuzzFeed] * Dahlia Lithwick on yesterday's Jeff Sessions hearing: the nominee "will be handily confirmed," and Democrats "are rightly very, very afraid." [Slate] * An interesting puzzle for the Supreme Court: free speech and credit card fees. [New York Times via How Appealing] * Also from Howard Bashman, also about free speech: Gibson Dunn partner Miguel Estrada "warns City of Philadelphia that his hourly rate is very expensive." [How Appealing] * More about Morrison & Foerster snagging former Justice Department national security chief John Carlin -- the latest in a series of high-profile hires of former government lawyers, including Kathryn Thomson and Jessie Liu. [Law.com] * Some good news out of the Charlotte School of Law: students might be getting their spring semester loan proceeds after all. [ABA Journal] * Speaking of money, Volkswagen is going to pay a lot of it -- perhaps $4.3 billion in fines -- to resolve the federal criminal investigation into its cheating on vehicle emissions tests. [New York Times]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket 07.27.16

* Volkswagen settlement clears first hurdle. [San Francisco Chronicle] * The top 50 litigation firms. Well, this is arguable. [Law360] * Law firm sues 20-year-old who wrote up her experience on Facebook. [Houston Press] * Cooley nabs MoFo's patent team. [The Recorder] * Having solved every other problem, Alabama has a "cursive writing" law. [ABC3340] * The number of women making partner suffers a decline in the U.K. [Legal Week] * Libyan fund trying to pry money off Goldman Sachs. I'm sure this'll end well. [Reuters]

By Joe Patrice
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 01.05.16

* If you haven't been watching Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer, then you're missing Dean Strang's turn on the catwalk. The compassionate defense attorney has turned into an "unlikely sex symbol." Are you part of the #StrangGang? [The Guardian] * Sometime later today, President Barack Obama will announce a sweeping package of executive actions related to gun restrictions. Stay tuned, grab your popcorn, and get ready for some hardcore constitutional litigation. [Washington Post] * Happy New Year! We're not even a full week into 2016, and the first Biglaw merger has already been announced. Lewis Roca Rothgerber has picked up Christie Parker & Hale, a 40-lawyer Southern California IP boutique. [Big Law Business / Bloomberg BNA] * Hipsters, thou shall be avenged sevenfold: The Justice Department has filed suit against Volkswagen in the wake of the automaker's massive emissions scandal. The DOJ is seeking billions in damages over VW's air-pollution violations. [New York Times] * According to Ethan Couch's lawyer, it may be weeks or months before the affluenza teen returns to the United States. A judge issued a temporary stay in his case after Couch argued that being deported from Mexico would somehow violate his civil rights. [CNN] * Robert Wonsch, an Oklahoma process server, was arrested after allegedly coercing his female clients into performing sex acts in exchange for lowering his fees. He's now facing several criminal counts. Good Lord, talk about ineffective service of process... [Reuters] * Dale Bumpers, President Clinton's impeachment defense lawyer, RIP. [New York Times]

By Staci Zaretsky
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 11.04.15

* Yeah, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was cool even before she became the Notorious RBG. [Fusion] * Can you improve your courtroom performance by vibrating? I promise it isn't a dirty as it sounds. [Katz Justice] * Authorities are scrutinizing advertisements in building their case against Volkswagen in the emissions cheating scandal. [Star Tribune] * One way to follow up from a Supreme Court argument years in the making is to open a new office the very next day. Congrats to Edelson P.C. (you remember these guys, don't ya?) on taking on way too much in a very short amount of time. [The Recorder] * Northwestern Law has a debate series on prosecutorial overreach beginning next Tuesday. Check it out if you're in the area. [Northwestern Law School]

By Kathryn Rubino
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 10.07.15

* Dewey know what Justice Robert Stolz will do now that the jury has declared itself deadlocked on most charges? Tune in later today. [American Lawyer] * A case brought by law student turned privacy activist Max Schrems has triggered a European court ruling that Facebook won't "like." [How Appealing] * King & Spalding associate Ethan Davis talks about how he prepared for his argument yesterday before the U.S. Supreme Court. [National Law Journal] * Thanks to sentencing reform, the Justice Department will release about 6,000 inmates from prison starting later this month. [New York Times] * Speaking of the DOJ, BP will settle Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims with the feds for a whopping $20 billion. [ABA Journal] * Elsewhere in news of embattled companies, Volkswagen is turning to Mayer Brown for help in dealing with the emissions scandal that stinks to high heaven. [American Lawyer] * 50 Cent's malpractice suit against his ex-lawyers seeks 7.5 billion cents. [Law360] * When legal recruiters sue each other, things can get ugly -- fast. [American Lawyer]

By David Lat
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 09.28.15

* Jurors in the criminal trial for former leaders of Dewey & LeBoeuf have reviewed evidence for a full week already, and will return to court today for their eighth day of deliberations. At least the defendants will be able to keep killing time on Candy Crush. [WSJ Law Blog] * A federal judge denied the UFC's motion to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit that was filed against it by current and former fighters over the organization's monopolization of the MMA industry. It's time to bring in an armbar submission artist to stop the UFC for good. [ESPN] * "I don't want to leave my successor a dirty barn." Hot on the heels of his surprise resignation, House Speaker John Boehner has vowed to avoid a government shutdown and pass some legislation before his time is up. Well, it's good to have goals. [Reuters] * Volkswagen can expect nothing less than a "tsunami" of lawsuits and legal proceedings thanks to its emissions scandal. On the bright side, Kirkland & Ellis is going to be able to reap the rewards of thousands of billable hours. [Chicago Tribune; Automotive News] * TV staffers who worked on "The Following" and "The Blacklist" filed suit against production companies Warner Brothers, NBC, and Sony, alleging they were forced to work 24 hours straight -- and pee in bottles -- without being paid overtime. [New York Post]

By Staci Zaretsky
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By Barbri
Non-Sequiturs

Non-Sequiturs: 09.22.15

* The town of Collidge, Arizona, does not understand the establishment clause of the First Amendment... come to think of it, they aren't real clear on the exercise clause either, but that sure doesn't stop them from invoking it! [Wonkette] * Could Volkswagen's revelation (that they rigged their cars to beat emissions tests but then, in real life, pumped out emissions like a bloated redneck with IBS that's just been given a lifetime supply of baked beans) mean jail time for executives? [Mother Jones] * Are you a veteran thinking about law school? First of all, why? But if you're still interested, check out this upcoming Service to School even in D.C. to get the inside scoop. [Service to School] * Reagan may have been an actor by trade, but he sure spoke like a lawyer. [Guile is Good] * Don't know where to house refugees? How about the former Dachau concentration camps? The eminently practical, yet horrifying German solution. [The Guardian] * The papal visit starts today, and though expectations are high, there might be a nasty tax implication if the pontiff starts talking up Bernie Sanders too much. [TaxProf Blog] * When Americans talk about religious freedom, they do not mean Muslim Americans. No duh. [The Atlantic] * Book excerpt about the intersection of the girl who cried rape and lynching. [Jezebel] * Still care about the Kim Davis debacle? Well, she might be heading back to jail. [Slate] * If a Ponzi scheme is operated with Bitcoins, is it still a Ponzi scheme? [Dealbreaker]

By Kathryn Rubino