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A Manhattan federal judge sentenced a lifelong union steamfitter who beca= me a labor power player as head of New York State's Building and Constructi= on Trades Council to 51 months in prison Thursday for taking more than $144= ,000 in bribes from a shady contractor-turned-informant.

Construction

FRIDAY, = MAY 19, 2023

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TOP NEWS

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Ex-Construction Union Kingpin Gets 51 Months In Bribe = Sting

=09

By Pete Brush

A Manhattan federal judge sentence= d a lifelong union steamfitter who became a labor power player as head of N= ew York State's Building and Construction Trades Council to 51 months in pr= ison Thursday for taking more than $144,000 in bribes from a shady contract= or-turned-informant.

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BLM Greenlights Long-Gestating SunZia Transmission Pro= ject

=09

By Tom Lotshaw

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management= has given the go-ahead to a major power transmission project first propose= d more than 15 years ago that will be able to carry up to 4,500 megawatts o= f mostly wind energy from New Mexico west to energy-hungry Arizona and Cali= fornia.

=20 Decision attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Panama Canal Authority Claims Victory In Latest Award =

=09

By Caroline Simson

An International Chamber of Commer= ce tribunal has rejected more than $500 million in claims brought against t= he Panama Canal Authority by the contractor hired for a multibillion-dollar= project to expand the famous waterway, though it did award the contractor = $35 million in labor costs.

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Judge Slams Ala. DOT Head's $120M Toll Bridge Co. 'Ven= detta'

=09

By Peter McGuire

The head of Alabama's transportati= on department planned to spend $120 million in taxpayer money to build an u= nnecessary coastal bridge in a personal campaign to undermine a nearby toll= bridge company, according to a state judge's fiery order stopping work on = the new span.

=20 Order attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Biden Admin. Escapes Challenge To Mass. Offshore Wind = Plan

=09

By Julie Manganis

The Biden administration scored a = win this week in its effort to promote the development of offshore wind far= ms, as a Massachusetts federal judge granted summary judgment for the gover= nment in a challenge to approvals for the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind projec= t.

=20 Order attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LITIGATION

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Construction Co. Says Feds Owe $4.7M After Deal Roadbl= ocks

=09

By Rae Ann Varona

A Louisiana construction company i= s hauling the federal government to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims to get= $4.7 million for work it performed on a Texas dike raise project, saying s= ite conditions made it impossible to finish on time.

=20 Complaint attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Property Owners Seek Class Cert. In Louisiana Pollutio= n Suit

=09

By Isaac Monterose

A proposed class of property owner= s is urging a Louisiana federal court to certify and bifurcate its putative= class action over alleged contamination of groundwater, soil and air&= #160;from a local industrial site.

=20 Memorandum attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

EXPERT ANALYSIS

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4th Circ. Ruling Reveals 2 Layoff Pitfalls To Avoid

=09 =09

The Fourth Circuit's recent decisi= on in Messer v. Bristol Compressors serves as a reminder that employers hav= e a continuing obligation to keep employees informed about mass layoffs, an= d that employees do not need to show prejudice to succeed on Worker Adjustm= ent and Retraining Notification Act claims, say Kevin White and Steven DiBe= neditto at Hunton.

=20 Opinion attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

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Proskauer Poaching Row Shows Ethics Pitfalls For C-Sui= te

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By Cara Bayles

Recent allegations that Jonathan O= 'Brien, former chief operating officer at Proskauer Rose LLP, tried to poac= h staff on his way out the door are being closely watched by legal recruite= rs and ethics experts alike, who say the litigation could be a sign of what= 's to come as firms continue to employ nonlawyers in C-suite roles.

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CBS #MeToo Leaker Revealed As Ex-Covington Lawyer<= /p> =09

By Aebra Coe

A former document review lawyer fo= r Covington & Burling LLP leaked information in 2018 from the law firm'= s investigation into allegations of sexual assault against the then-CEO of = media giant CBS, Leslie Moonves, the lawyer revealed in an interview Thursd= ay with a New York Times podcast.

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McKool Smith Co-Founder Departs To Form New Firm =09

By Christine DeRosa

Powerhouse law firm McKool Smith s= aid Thursday that one of its founders has left to start his own firm.

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McDermott Allegedly Blocked Employee Talks On Work Ter= ms

=09

By Kevin Penton

McDermott Will & Emery LLP is = facing allegations that it has engaged in unfair labor practices by blockin= g employee discussions related to certain work terms or conditions, accordi= ng to a charge against the firm filed with the National Labor Relations Boa= rd.

=20 1 document attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Kagan Rips Sotomayor's 'I Could Paint That' Warhol Opi= nion

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By Hannah Albarazi

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena K= agan let her artistic mind be known Thursday in a fiery dissent slamming Ju= stice Sonia Sotomayor's majority opinion for "ignoring" the transformative = nature of Andy Warhol's licensed artwork drawing on a photographer's portra= it of music icon Prince.

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IRS Needn't Notify Firms Of Bank Doc Summons, Justices= Say

=09

By Theresa Schliep

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed Th= ursday a Sixth Circuit decision approving IRS summonses for the banking rec= ords of two law firms and the wife of a man owing $2 million in taxes, reje= cting their arguments that they should have been notified of the requests.

=20 Opinion attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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High Court Blocks Claim Twitter Contributed To Terrori= sm

=09

By Jess Krochtengel

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday= threw out a lawsuit saying Twitter violated the Anti-Terrorism Act by aidi= ng and abetting the Islamic State group, saying the terrorism-related claim= was not plausible, but did not decide the closely watched question of immu= nity for big tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency= Act.

=20 2 documents attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Giuliani's Seizing On Accuser's Past Suit Could Be Ris= ky

=09

By Phillip Bantz

The woman who accused Rudy Giulian= i of sexual abuse and harassment in a graphic complaint filed this week pre= viously lodged a similar lawsuit against a New York real estate mogul, but = experts say it might be risky for Giuliani to dredge up that case to questi= on his accuser's credibility in court.

=20 6 documents attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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1st Circ. Pick Withdraws After Scrapped Senate Panel V= ote

=09

By Katie Buehler

McLane Middleton PA director and s= hareholder Michael Arthur Delaney, President Joe Biden's controversial pick= for the First Circuit, withdrew his name Thursday from consideration for a= seat on the appellate court bench after the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committe= e scrapped an approval vote earlier in the day.

=20 Letter attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Civil Rights Atty Becomes 11th Circ.'s 1st Black Woman= Judge

=09

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Senate on Thursday narrow= ly confirmed Southern Poverty Law Center litigation director Nancy G. Abudu= to the Eleventh Circuit, making her the first Black woman to sit on the ap= pellate court's bench.

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NYC Bar's Annual Leadership Election Results Are In

=09

By Andrea Keckley

The New York City Bar Association = has announced the results of its annual leadership elections, saying Wednes= day that 19 of its 26 board members are women or from other underrepresente= d groups.

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Calif. Bar Backs 'Snitch' Rule But Can't Agree On Spec= ifics

=09

By Andrew Strickler

California bar leaders on Thursday= endorsed a new ethics rule that would require Golden State lawyers to repo= rt misconduct by their professional peers to regulators but failed to reach= a consensus on how far a mandatory duty should go.

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Disability Advocates Call For DOJ Action Against Calif= . Bar

=09

By Gianna Ferrarin

Disability advocacy groups filed a= civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursda= y accusing the State Bar of California of violating the Americans with Disa= bilities Act through its process of evaluating accommodations requests for = the state's bar exam from test-takers with disabilities.

=20 Complaint attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Ronald Sullivan Takes Ozy Media Case From Sher Tremont= e

=09

By Emily Sawicki

Boutique firm Sher Tremonte LLP ha= s dropped out of representing Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson in a $50 million = financial fraud case underway in New York federal court, to be replaced by = high-profile criminal defense attorney Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., a onetime Ha= rvey Weinstein counsel who teaches law at Harvard Law School.

=20 Notice attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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Texas Attys Back Bar's Disciplinary Action Against Sta= te AG

=09

By Emily Sawicki

The State Bar of Texas' ethics law= suit against Lone Star State Attorney General Ken Paxton after his attempt = to challenge the 2020 presidential election results now has the support of = 16 Texas attorneys and the nonpartisan action group Lawyers Defending Ameri= can Democracy, who filed an amicus brief supporting the State Bar's Commiss= ion for Lawyer Discipline.

=20 Brief attached |=20 Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Podcast

The Term: The Internet Survives The Supreme Court, For= Now

=09 =09

The case that many court watchers = speculated could break the internet by curtailing protections for social me= dia companies sued over content on their platforms landed with a thud on Th= ursday, as the U.S. Supreme Court remanded the case back without weighing i= n on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

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COMPA= NIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

American Bar Association

American Civil Liberties Union

American Civil Liberti= es Union of Florida

American Roads LLC

Apple Inc.

Baker Hughes Co.

Bank of America Corp.

Cantor Fitzgerald

Georgetown University

Google LLC

Halliburton Co.

Instagram Inc.

International Paper Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Murphy Oil Corp.

New York City Bar Association

Ohio State University

Oracle Corp.

Planned Parenthood Federation

Public Broadcasting Service

Regents of the Universit= y of California

Southern Poverty Law Center

Spotify Technology SA

State Bar of California

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson<= /a>

Texas Instruments Inc.

Thomson Reuters Corp.


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LAW = FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Kenneth J. Montgomery PLLC

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

GOVE= RNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Alabama Department of Transp= ortation

Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Ocean Energy Manageme= nt

Chambers County, Texas

Executive Office of the Preside= nt

Internal Revenue Service

International Chamber of Commer= ce

National Labor Relations Board

National Marine Fisheries Servi= ce

State Bar of Texas

State of Michigan

Texas Attorney General's Offi= ce

Texas Supreme Court

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

U.S. A= ttorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York

U.S= . Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals = for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals= for the Fourth Circuit

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Distric= t Court for the District of Massachusetts

U.S. Dist= rict Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. Dis= trict Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. Dis= trict Court for the Western District of Louisiana

U.S. Dist= rict Court for the Western District of Virginia

U.S. Securities and Excha= nge Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Senate = Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

U.S. Supreme Court

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