News published on Legal Newsline in April 2024

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) - The FTC is using unfair tactics to target MGM after a cyberattack that occurred while Chair Lina Khan was at one of its Las Vegas properties, the company says in a new lawsuit while it also faces more than a dozen private class actions.

A Florida man, Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for committing two federal hate crimes by attacking two Black women with a gun. Pierallini had previously pleaded guilty to these crimes on July 6, 2023.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, “The defendant is being held accountable for targeting two Black women with a gun on two separate days because of their race.”U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of...

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's Cyber Crime Unit has apprehended a man from Jena on charges of possessing child pornography and sexually abusing animals. The suspect, Curtis Webb, aged 33, residing on John Lane in Jena, Louisiana, faces multiple counts under state law.

Four individuals have been charged in connection with an alleged nationwide abusive-trust tax shelter scheme, as reported in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Denver. The indictment alleges that Marcia Predmore, Roderick Prescott, Suzanne Thompson, and Weldon Wulstein conspired with Larry Conner and Timothy McPhee to defraud the IRS by promoting, selling, and implementing the scheme.According to the indictment, the defendants were involved in a scheme that aimed to help business owners avoid paying federal income taxes on their business income....

Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon and Director Kristina Rose of the Office for Victims of Crime honored individuals and organizations for their dedication to helping victims of crime. Solomon expressed gratitude, stating, “We recognize the individuals and organizations represented here that go above and beyond to assist others in their time of crisis.” She emphasized the importance of supporting crime victims and survivors, ensuring they have the help they need.Director Rose highlighted the significance of the event’s theme, “How would you help? Options, services,...

Attorney General Miyares has partnered with the Henrico Sports & Entertainment Authority (HSEA) to enhance public awareness for the "One Pill Can Kill" campaign. The initiative aims to combat the dangers of fentanyl-laced drugs and reduce opioid-related deaths in Virginia. Attorney General Miyares emphasized the importance of education and prevention in the fight against counterfeit medications, stating, “Make no mistake – the rise of fentanyl poisoning is chemical warfare.”The collaboration between Attorney General Miyares and HSEA will utilize the Henrico Sports &...

The Supreme Court of Ohio has suspended Westlake attorney Daniel E. Perrico following his criminal convictions for providing alcohol to two teenage girls and groping one of them.

An indictment was unsealed today charging two Chinese nationals, Han Li, also known as Anson Li, 44, and Lin Chen, 64, with crimes related to a conspiracy to illegally export U.S. technology, including a machine manufactured by a California-based company that is used to process silicon wafer microchips, to prohibited end users in China, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Chen was arrested in Chicago yesterday."As alleged, the defendants sought to evade export controls to obtain U.S....

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A former client that hoped to keep lawyers from taking fees in pending cases is giving up its quest.

YAKIMA, Wash. (Legal Newsline) - A woman who traded in her cell phone at a Washington State T-Mobile store only to later find sexually explicit videos and photos sent through her Snapchat can move forward with much of her lawsuit.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, in collaboration with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, has initiated a lawsuit against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The legal action involves 17 states challenging a new EEOC rule that mandates workplace accommodations for abortions, which they argue is an illegal interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022 (PWFA).

In what has become a familiar pattern, a testing lab called Valisure last month told the Food and Drug Administration that Clearasil and other widely used acne medications contain potentially cancer-causing benzene.

The Supreme Court of Nevada has announced bar admission ceremonies for new lawyers who passed the February 2024 bar examination.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Counselor for International Affairs, Bruce Swartz, recently delivered remarks at the Disruptive Technology Protection Network Trilateral Summit. In his address, Swartz emphasized the importance of cooperation and information sharing among key partners.Swartz began his speech by greeting his colleagues and acknowledging the strong foundation on which the cooperation between the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan is built. He highlighted the positive relations in terms of mutual legal assistance and extraditions, stating,...

The first high-level trilateral summit of the Disruptive Technology Protection Network was held by the Justice Department, bringing together delegations from Japan and the Republic of Korea. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco set the tone by delivering the opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of preventing critical technologies from falling into the wrong hands. Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen and other senior government officials also spoke at the summit, highlighting the joint efforts to safeguard such technologies from...

Nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. is pleased to announce that Principal Sarah R. Skubas has been appointed to the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity’s (LCD) Board of Directors.

Nancy B. Ryan, an accomplished corporate lawyer and in-house counsel for two Fortune 500 technology companies, has joined McGuireWoods as a partner in New York.

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have jointly submitted a public comment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) emphasizing the importance of considering competition concerns in common ownership situations. According to the agencies, "competition is a core component of FERC’s 'public interest' analysis." They further explained that "partial acquisitions, including acquisitions involving common ownership in which individual investors hold non-controlling interests in firms that have a competitive relationship that...

Attorney General Ashley Moody has taken legal action against the Atlantic Coast Conference for withholding public records related to ESPN-related agreements. The ACC has allegedly made claims that could potentially cost Florida State University over half a billion dollars. Attorney General Moody initially requested the ACC to produce the contracts in January, but the ACC refused to comply, leading to the lawsuit filed today.In a statement, Attorney General Ashley Moody expressed her concerns, saying, “The ACC is asking a state entity—Florida State University—to...

A panel of judges from the Minnesota Court of Appeals conducted a session at Central High School in St. Paul on April 24.