3 Apr 2026
Court Rules Meta Insurers Have No Duty to Defend Against Social Media Addiction Suits
On February 27, 2026, a Delaware state court ruled that a group of insurance companies have no duty to defend Meta Platforms, Inc. and Instagram LLC (“Meta”) against thousands of lawsuits alleging that Meta: (a) designed its platforms to maximize engagement by exploiting psychological vulnerabilities and embedding addictive features into its platforms; and (b) intentionally […]
Posted by:
Lisa Omoto
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2 Apr 2026
SDNY Judge Rules That AI Chats Are Not Privileged
The Holding: On February 17, 2026, Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York ruled in U.S. v. Bradley Heppner that conversations with an AI chatbot are not protected by attorney-client or work product privileges. The Facts: Mr. Heppner is a former CEO of a publicly traded company and was indicted on charges […]
Posted by:
Jonathan Goldhirsch
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1 Apr 2026
Revisiting Fraud-on-the-Market After Goldman: J&J’s Petition and the Future of Price Impact at Class Certification
Johnson & Johnson (“J&J”) filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) on February 4, 2026, asking the court to review a Third Circuit decision concerning class certification for investors who purchased J&J stock allegedly in reliance on defendants’ false and misleading statements about its talc […]
Posted by:
Matthew A. Conrad
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31 Mar 2026
NYSE Aims to Tokenize Securities and Unlock 24-Hour Markets
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), through its parent company, Intercontinental Exchange Inc., announced on January 19, 2026, plans to develop a blockchain-based platform to enable 24-hour trading of tokenized securities and exchange-traded funds. Although this initiative suggests a potentially significant shift in how equities and ETFs may be issued, traded, and settled within the […]
Posted by:
Braeden Hodges
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30 Mar 2026
Independent Contractor or Employee? The DOL’s Proposed Independent Contractor Rule and What It Means for Workers
The test for independent contractor classification is changing again at the federal level, and these developments may directly affect your legal rights. On February 26, 2026 the U.S. Department of Labor issued a proposal to rescind the 2024 independent contractor rule established by President Biden and largely reinstate the 2021 analytical framework that existed under […]
Posted by:
Shawn R. Clark
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27 Mar 2026
AI Deepfakes and the Workplace: A New Frontier for Discrimination Claims
Artificial intelligence (“AI”) is transforming the workplace. However, the misuse of AI to generate fake, sexually explicit, or harassing images, videos, or audio, known as “deepfakes,” is quickly becoming a new source of workplace disputes and potential liability for employers. Courts are already seeing lawsuits tied to AI-generated deepfakes. In one example, a Washington State […]
Posted by:
Alexa N. Salazar
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3 Mar 2026
What New York City Employees Need to Know About the Expanded Safe and Sick Time Rules
Significant updates to New York City’s Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) took effect on February 22, 2026, and they directly expand the leave rights and protections available to employees working in any of the five boroughs. One of the most important changes is the creation of a mandatory bank of 32 hours of […]
Posted by:
Kathryn Hettler
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24 Feb 2026
BlackRock TCP and the spotlight on BDCs
This new shareholder class action suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against BlackRock TCP Capital Corp. (“BlackRock TCP”) for allegedly misleading investors by understating their losses and publicly issuing false and/or misleading statements about their portfolio. The class period is between November 6, 2024, and January 23, […]
Posted by:
Ellen Lee
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23 Feb 2026
Ninth Circuit Revives Part of Investor Suit Against Funko, Inc.
On February 4, 2026, the Ninth Circuit filed its opinion to revive portions of the investors suit against Funko Inc.[1] Funko is a toy/collectible maker that holds “the world’s largest selection of pop culture licenses.”[2] Investors commenced the 10b-5 suit against Funko after the stock lost over half its value when news broke the company […]
Posted by:
Kayla Holmes
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20 Feb 2026
New York’s Trapped At Work Act: What It Means For Workers
On December 19, 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Trapped At Work Act, which outlaws stay or pay clauses that require workers to pay back training expenses to their employers if they leave their jobs before a specific time period. These clauses are harmful, as they restrict workers’ ability to leave hostile work […]
Posted by:
Jonathan Goldhirsch
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5 Jan 2026
SEC Issues Policy Statement Concerning Mandatory Arbitration Provisions
On September 17, 2025, the SEC announced in a policy statement that the presence of a mandatory arbitration provision will no longer affect the agency’s decision to accelerate a registration statement effectively giving companies pursuing public offerings the option to include such provisions in their governing documents. Mandatory arbitration provisions require shareholders to resolve federal […]
Posted by:
Matthew A. Conrad
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31 Dec 2025
NYC Announces Record-Breaking $38.9 Million Starbucks Settlement For Fair Workweek Violations
On December 1, 2025, New York City (the “City”) Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (“DCWP”) announced the largest worker protection settlement in its history. The City and DCWP reached a $38.9 million settlement with Starbucks after a multi-year investigation found more than 500,000 violations of the City’s Fair Workweek […]
Posted by:
Alexa N. Salazar
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31 Dec 2025
No-Action No More: SEC Modifies No-Action Process Ahead of Proxy Season
On November 17, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission announced significant changes to its handling of shareholder proposals for the 2025–2026 proxy season. Citing limited resources and a backlog of registration statements following the government shutdown, the Division is departing from its longstanding practice of providing substantive […]
Posted by:
Braeden Hodges
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31 Dec 2025
New NY State Law Reinforces Protections For Individuals Seeking Accommodations
On December 5, 2025, Governor Hochul signed the Reasonable Accommodation Anti-Retaliation Act (S3398/A4898), which clarifies the scope of the New York State Human Rights Law’s (NYSHRL) anti-retaliation provisions. The Act reinforces that it is discriminatory to retaliate against an individual who requests an accommodation in employment, housing, or at a place of public accommodations. Previously, […]
Posted by:
Jonathan Goldhirsch
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30 Dec 2025
Sports Events Contracts: Swaps or Wagers?
On November 25, 2025, KalshiEX, LLC (“Kalshi”) filed a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit in its case against the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission. Kalshi has asked the Ninth Circuit to review the district court’s order to dissolve the preliminary injunction it issued in April. Kalshi argued the preliminary […]
Posted by:
Kayla Holmes
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4 Dec 2025
DATCO – A New Digital Asset Treasury Model for Public Companies
An emerging category of public companies known as DATCOs (“Digital Asset Treasury Companies”) are firms that hold cryptocurrencies and other digital assets such as stablecoins and tokenized T-bills as reserves.[1] This year, DATCOs collectively hold hundreds of billions of dollars in these assets. What differentiates a DATCO from a traditional company is how its core […]
Posted by:
Ellen Lee
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2 Dec 2025
SEC Enforcement Actions Reduced by 30% in 2025 Compared to the Prior Year
According to a report released by Cornerstone Research Inc. and the NYU Pollack Center for Law & Business, the SEC brought 30% fewer enforcement actions against public companies and subsidiaries in fiscal 2025 compared to 2024, a drop that coincides with the new administration. In fiscal 2025, there was $808 million in monetary settlements, which […]
Posted by:
Dolgora Dorzhieva
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2 Dec 2025
Federal Jury Awards $6M to Former Merck Director in Race Discrimination Case
On November 21, 2025, a Black former IT director at Merck, Richard Davis, won a $6 million judgment after a Manhattan federal jury found that the company fired him because of his race. The verdict followed a five-day trial before Judge Vincent Briccetti in the Southern District of New York. Davis filed suit in 2022 […]
Posted by:
Alexa N. Salazar
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24 Nov 2025
NJ Court Rules That Retaliation Case Against Against NY Jets President Is Exempt From Arbitration
On November 14, 2025, the New Jersey Superior Court ruled that Ms. Elaine Chen can proceed in court with her discrimination and retaliation claims pursuant to the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“NJLAD”) against the NY Jets. Ms. Chen worked as the Vice President of Finance for the Jets for approximately fifteen years until she […]
Posted by:
Jonathan Goldhirsch
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6 Nov 2025
UK, US to Collaborate on Capital Markets, Crypto Policy
The U.S. and the United Kingdom announced the formation of a joint taskforce to explore ways to collaborate on digital asset policy and capital markets. The so-called Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets is charged with crafting recommendations over the next 180 days on ways to “enhance collaboration on capital markets and digital assets,” according to the […]
Posted by:
Dolgora Dorzhieva
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5 Nov 2025
Second Circuit Reinstates Race Discrimination Case
On October 23, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Brown v. Montefiore Health System found that a former Montefiore employee has sufficiently alleged race discrimination and hostile work environment claims, overturning a trial court ruling that had dismissed the case. The plaintiff, Brown, is a Black dietician who worked […]
Posted by:
Alexa N. Salazar
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