TOP NEWS
Analysis Calif.'s New Tech Laws May Face Free Speech Challenges California recently enacted two groundbreaking laws aimed at holding social media companies accountable for the proliferation of disinformation and hate speech on their platforms and ensuring children are protected online, but legal experts say the laws could butt up against First Amendment protections. Read full article » 'Serial' Subject Adnan Syed Gets Murder Conviction Vacated A Maryland state judge on Monday vacated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, whose case drew national attention after it was highlighted in the podcast "Serial," ordering Syed's immediate release and granting him a new trial in light of revelations that former prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense. Read full article » Warning Signs For FTC In AGs' Meta Appeal At DC Circ. An at-times skeptical D.C. Circuit panel signaled a tough road ahead Monday not only for the 48 attorneys general trying to revive their suit accusing Facebook successor Meta of buying or burying the competition, but also for federal enforcers still pursuing a parallel case at the district level. Read full article » MVP
MVP: Davis Wright's Rachel Strom Rachel Strom of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has spent the past year representing media organizations like Vice, which faced defamation claims from a company that detects gunshots, and Netflix, which was sued by Alan Dershowitz over its Jeffrey Epstein biography, earning her a spot among Law360's 2022 Media & Entertainment MVPs. Read full article » INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Disney Must Face Writer's 'Muppet Babies' Suit Disney can't escape a lawsuit accusing the company of stealing a writer's ideas for a "Muppet Babies" reboot, a California federal judge has ruled, finding the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that protectable parts of the writer's work are substantially similar to the revamped series.  Order attached | Read full article » 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic Tells Artist To Keep Paws Off His Music Joe Exotic — the main attraction in Netflix's "Tiger King" and who is incarcerated for the attempted murder-for-hire of big cat conservationist Carole Baskin — accused the artist whose music is featured in the docuseries of stealing his contractual rights to the songs, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Florida federal court. Complaint attached | Read full article » PRIVACY & CONSUMER PROTECTION
COMPETITION
Ticketmaster Users Ask 9th Circ. To Reverse Arbitration Order Concertgoers urged a Ninth Circuit panel Monday to overturn a lower court's ruling that sent to arbitration their claims against Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster accusing the ticket sales giants of monopolizing the business, saying the arbitration agreements should be voided because they do not specifically identify the companies. Read full article » EMPLOYMENT
Reno Fights To Reboot Netflix, Hulu Fee Suit At 9th Circ. A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Monday of the city of Reno's bid to revive a proposed class action against streaming giants Netflix and Hulu seeking Nevada video franchise fees for allegedly using public wireline facilities, with each judge expressing doubts that the city has the right to sue. Read full article » SECURITIES & WHITE COLLAR
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court Dominoes began to fall last week for the legal team of tech billionaire Elon Musk, as scheduled trials and hearings in multiple Delaware Chancery Court suits banged up against each other. Lawyers for Loews Corp. got their day in court, two cryptocurrency firms squared off over a failed merger, and a vice chancellor ticked "no" on the state's vote-by-mail statute. Read full article » TELECOMMUNICATIONS
HOSPITALITY
Montana Resort Settles River Pollution Suit Spanish Peaks Mountain Resort could escape claims for allegedly polluting the Gallatin River after the ski and golf resort, alongside environmentalist groups, said the two sides have reached a settlement and asked the court to dismiss the case.  2 documents attached | Read full article » SPORTS & BETTING
Oakland Can't Revive Suit Over Raiders' Move To Vegas A California appellate panel declined to revive the city of Oakland's claims that the Raiders' move to Las Vegas violated the National Football League's relocation policies, ruling that the city can't sue as a third-party beneficiary of the team's agreement with the league. Opinion attached | Read full article » EXPERT ANALYSIS
Grasping Social Media Ad Regulations: Key FTC Proposals The Federal Trade Commission's pending revisions to its endorsement guides, which reflect the agency's desire to strengthen its grip on deceptive advertisements, will likely have broad implications for social influencers and companies that fail to disclose paid advertisements or collaborations, say Diego Gutiérrez and Steve Winters at Lane Powell. Read full article » Privacy Bill Intensifies Mobile Carrier Regulation Battle The recently introduced American Data Privacy and Protection Act, if passed, would shift mobile privacy regulation to the Federal Trade Commission — and could increase uncertainty for mobile carriers on aspects that have traditionally been within the purview of the Federal Communications Commission, says Barlow Keener at Womble Bond. Read full article » A Law Firm's Guide To Humane Layoffs As Recession Looms Amid warnings of a global recession, law firms should prepare for the possibility of associate layoffs, aiming for an empathetic approach and avoiding common mistakes that make the emotional impact on departing attorneys worse, say Jarrett Green, a wellness consultant, and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey & Africa. Read full article » LEGAL INDUSTRY
BakerHostetler, Potter Anderson Trade Barbs In Board Battle BakerHostetler and Potter Anderson & Corroon have traded barbs over a now vacated motion to compel filed by AIM ImmunoTech Inc. in a Delaware Chancery Court case over an alleged entrenchment effort by its board, with BakerHostetler saying the biopharmaceutical company may deserve sanctions for bad litigation behavior. Read full article » | 
