Federal Court in Texas Requires All Voters and Poll Workers to Wear Masks at the Polls

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Voting Rights

Texas Governor’s Exemption for Polling Places From the Statewide Mask Mandate is Declared ‘Invalid and Void’ – Voting Rights Advocates Celebrate ‘Major Victory for Democracy’

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – A federal court in San Antonio, Texas issued a ruling last night requiring that all voters, poll workers, and poll watchers wear masks at the polls throughout the state leading into the November election.  The ruling, issued in a voting rights lawsuit brought by Mi Familia Vota, the Texas NAACP, and an individual Texas voter, takes effect immediately at all Texas polling sites. [Read more…]

Voting Rights Groups Defeat Texas Governor’s Discriminatory Voter Safety Protocol Exceptions

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Voting Rights

Federal court finds Governor’s mask exceptions at polling stations violated Voting Rights Act by imposing a discriminatory burden on non-white voters

San Antonio, TX–(BUSINESSWIRE)–On October 27, 2020, U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam issued an Order finding that Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-29 exempting poll workers from health and safety mask protocols in the state during the current election to be in violation of the Voting Rights Act and immediately voiding the discriminatorially deterrent mask-mandate exceptions of GA-29. The Judge’s Order was issued in response to a lawsuit originally filed on July 15, 2020 by Mi Familia Vota, the Texas State Conference NAACP, and individual Texas voters challenging certain of Texas’ in-person election practices as unsafe, high-risk, and unequal during the COVID-19 pandemic.  [Read more…]

Judge Rules Juul and Altria Can’t Escape Majority of Plaintiffs’ Claims in Nationwide Juul E-Cigarette Fraud and Injury Litigation

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Juul E-Cigarette Injuries

As reported by Law360 (subscription), on October 23rd, 2020, U.S. District Judge William Orrick of the Northern District of California issued a ruling that plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Juul and Altria had adequately pled their cases, finding their public nuisance and negligence claims against the e-cigarette makers and marketers to be legitimate. Complaints against Juul and Altria allege they deliberately and deceptively marketed their devices to addict underage teens to nicotine, in the process unleashing a nationwide youth vaping epidemic. [Read more…]

Silverado Fire: New California Wildfire Breaks Out in Orange County

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California Wildfires

500 firefighters are already battling the growing flames as 20,000 homes are evacuated

Early on Monday October 26, 2020, a wildfire broke out in Orange County, California in the area of Santiago Canyon Road and Silverado Canyon Road. The City of Irvine immediately issued an evacuation order that has now grown to 100,000 residents as the fire rapidly spread. Dubbed the Silverado Fire, the fast growing wildfire critically injured two firefighters as it spread to 4,000 acres with no containment. [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser’s R-23s Win 2020 “Best Lawyer Band in the Bay” Award at Annual FVAP Charity Event

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Lieff Cabraser's R23s!

We are delighted to announce that Lieff Cabraser’s in-house rockers, The R-23s, once again took the prestigious “Best Lawyer Band in the Bay” Award at last night’s virtual Banding Together to End Domestic Violence benefit for the Family Violence Appellate Project. This marks the fifth year in a row the R-23s have rocked the FVAP house to the utmost critical acclaim! Along with receiving the Judge’s Choice award for musical excellence, the band also took the third place slot for funds raised to help California survivors of domestic violence! [Read more…]

Mediation Begins in University of Michigan / Dr. Robert Anderson Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

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Michigan stadium

As reported by Michigan Live, mediation has begun between lawyers representing the University of Michigan and those representing victims of the late Dr. Robert E. Anderson, a former UM doctor and athletics program physician accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of student-patients over a period of three decades. The lawsuits against Anderson allege he used his position to repeatedly and regularly abuse University of Michigan students in the guise of providing medical care. [Read more…]

David Rudolph Speaks on California Privacy Law 2020 at Practising Law Institute

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David Rudolph PLI Privacy 2020

On October 21, 2020, Lieff Cabraser partner David Rudolph spoke as part of a Practising Law Institute virtual program on California Privacy Law 2020. David presented material on the “Outside Counsel Perspective” discussing key privacy litigation risks faced by companies, providing an understanding of the plaintiff perspective, and analyzing what steps companies can take to minimize risk. [Read more…]

Paulina do Amaral to Discuss Traditional Career Paths in Law at UC Hastings Career Advice Event

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Paulina do Amaral to Discuss Traditional Career Paths in Law at UC Hastings Career Advice Event

Lieff Cabraser partner Paulina do Amaral will participate in a virtual panel discussion focusing on some of the more traditional career paths in law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law career advice event on Thursday, October 29th, 2020 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser Files Lawsuit Against JUUL & Altria on Behalf of the Yurok Tribe for Deceptive Youth Targeting and Devastating Injuries from JUUL E-Cigarettes

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Health Officials Say Cases of Vaping-Related Lung Illness on the Rise

Lawsuit includes allegations that JUUL and Altria deliberately targeted vulnerable native populations

Lieff Cabraser and its co-counsel, Zwerling Schachter & Zwerling LLP, have filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California on behalf of the California Yurok Tribe against JUUL and Altria for violations of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) and California negligence and nuisance laws. The Complaint in the lawsuit alleges the companies’ efforts to maximize profits through the creation and native-youth-targeted marketing of its new electronic nicotine delivery product predictably led to an epidemic of teen addiction within the Yurok Tribe, the social and economic costs of which were shouldered by the Tribe as the government entity responsible for the public health and safety of the local population. [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser Sponsors Tennessee Innocence Project “Envision Innocence 2020” Virtual Fundraiser

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Lieff Cabraser Sponsors Tennessee Innocence Project “Envision Innocence 2020” Virtual Fundraiser

On Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 12 pm CST, the Tennessee Innocence Project will host its Envision Innocence 2020 virtual fundraising event. Emceed by Emmy award winning Middle Tennessee news anchor Demetria Kalodimos, the event will feature a conversation between Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham and Dr. Yusef Salaam, a committed advocate and educator, focusing on the issues of false confessions, police brutality and misconduct, press ethics and bias, race and law, and the disparities in America’s criminal justice system. Yusef, a member of the Exonerated Five, received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 from President Barack Obama, was appointed to the board of the Innocence Project in 2018, and is a part of the Netflix Feature limited series, When They See Us, based on the true story of the “Central Park Five.” The two will discuss the importance of innocence work and the movement to litigate and prevent wrongful convictions for people in Tennessee and across the U.S. [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser Files Amicus Brief Defending California’s Pro-Consumer Pay-for-Delay Law on Behalf of American Antitrust Institute and Other Organizations

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generic prescription drug

On October 15, 2020, Lieff Cabraser filed an amicus brief on behalf of the American Antitrust Institute (AAI), Consumer Reports, and Public Citizen in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California opposing a generic pharmaceutical association’s efforts to defeat pro-consumer anti-pay-for-delay legislation. A legal tactic used by branded drug manufacturers to stifle competition from lower-cost generic medicines, pay-for delay agreements are what emerge when companies band together and illegally agree not to compete over price. [Read more…]

Lawdragon Names Five Lieff Cabraser Attorneys to “500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers” 2020 Listing

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Lawdragon Names Five Lieff Cabraser Attorneys to “500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers” 2020 Listing

Lawdragon has published its third annual listing of the “500 Leading Plaintiff  Employment Lawyers” in America, a list that includes Lieff Cabraser partners Lin Y. Chan, Kelly M. Dermody, Rachel Geman, Daniel M. Hutchinson, and Anne B. Shaver. Introduced as one of the newest additions to Lawdragon’s acclaimed 500 series, the “500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers” guide includes distinguished attorneys selected over a two-year period from a combination of editorial research by Lawdragon staff, law firm submissions, and other online nominations. [Read more…]

Lin Chan to Discuss Trends in Antitrust Class Actions at AAI 14th Annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference

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Lin Chan to Discuss Trends in Antitrust Class Actions at AAI 14th Annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference

Lieff Cabraser partner Lin Y. Chan will speak at the American Antitrust Institute’s 14th Annual Private Antitrust Enforcement Conference on Tuesday, November 10th, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Lin will be featured on the panel “The State of Private Enforcement: What 10-Year Trends Say About The Success of Antitrust Class Actions.” [Read more…]

IRS Unlawfully Withheld Stimulus Relief From Incarcerated People, Federal Court Confirms

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Justice

On October 14, 2020, Chief Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton of the Northern District of California granted in part the Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment against the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin, and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig. In its order, the Court explained that “incarcerated individuals are not excludable as an ‘eligible individual’ under the Act,” and that the IRS therefore acted contrary to law by withholding stimulus relief from them. [Read more…]

Kelly Dermody Moderates Discussion at National Association of Women Judges 42nd Virtual Annual Conference

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Kelly Dermody Moderates Discussion at National Association of Women Judges 42nd Virtual Annual Conference

Lieff Cabraser partner Kelly M. Dermody will moderate a panel discussion today on “Challenges in the U.S. Court Systems and in the Practice of Law in the U.S.,” at the National Association of Women Judges 42nd Virtual Annual Conference. The panel takes place on the first day of the conference, where topics will focus on access to justice and gender equality. Speakers will discuss advancements made since allegations of misconduct were made against U.S. Federal Judge Alex Kozinski and other issues related to harassment in the practice of law. [Read more…]

Kelly Dermody, Dean Harvey, and Tiseme Zegeye to Speak at American Bar Association’s 14th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference

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Kelly Dermody, Dean Harvey, and Tiseme Zegeye to Speak at American Bar Association’s 14th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference  

Lieff Cabraser partners Kelly Dermody, Dean Harvey, and Tiseme Zegeye will be speaking at the American Bar Association’s 14th Annual Section of Labor and Employment Law Conference, which will be virtually broadcast from November 11-13, 2020. Kelly will participate in a discussion on “Effective EEO, Anti-Bias and Anti-Bullying Employee Training Programs,” where she will address innovative and effective strategies to combat discrimination, harassment and retaliation in the workplace. Dean will be answering questions on the panel, “How Does Labor Law Intersect with Antitrust Law?” and Tiseme will participate in a discussion on “Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in the Workplace,” where she will explore the many uses of these technologies, including their effectiveness in hiring, training and assessing performance. [Read more…]

Cal Fire Investigating PG&E Equipment as Possible Source of Zogg Fire

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wildfire aftermath

On October 12, 2020, PG&E Corp. was ordered by the judge overseeing its criminal probation to explain its “role in the ignition” of the Zogg Fire in northern California after the company said investigators are investigating its equipment as a possible cause of the the blaze that killed four people and burned more than 56,000 acres in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

[Read more…]

Ninth Circuit Court Reverses Dismissal of Bank of Internet (BofI) Securities Fraud Class Action

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generic securities image

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the District Court’s dismissal of the securities fraud class action lawsuit against BofI Federal Bank after finding that a related whistleblower suit and accounts by numerous other former employees, adequately pleaded fraud and scienter on the part of the Bank and its CEO. [Read more…]

Katherine Benson to Discuss Ethical Issues in Settlement Negotiations at ABA Class Actions National (Virtual) Institute

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Katherine Benson to Discuss Ethical Issues in Settlement Negotiations at ABA Class Actions National (Virtual) Institute

Lieff Cabraser partner Katherine Lubin Benson will speak at the American Bar Association’s Class Actions National (Virtual) Institute on Wednesday, October 14th, 2020 at 12:00 pm ET. Katherine will be featured on the panel “Building the Best Firewall. Ethical Issues In Settlement Negotiations and Approval of Class Action Settlements.” [Read more…]

Lieff Cabraser Enoxaparin Case Team Recognized as Honorees for AAI 2020 Antitrust Enforcement Awards

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Lieff Cabraser Enoxaparin Case Team Recognized as Honorees for AAI 2020 Antitrust Enforcement Awards

Historic antitrust case against Momenta Pharmaceuticals over illegal drug price-fixing led to second largest indirect purchaser antitrust pharmaceutical settlement in history

The American Antitrust Institute has announced its selection of leading practitioners and economists to be recognized as honorees for the 2020 Antitrust Enforcement Awards. Lieff Cabraser’s team shared the AAI’s award for Outstanding Private Practice Antitrust Achievement, and attorneys Kathrine Benson and Adam Gitlin have been selected as joint honorees to receive the Institute’s prestigious award for Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement by a Young Lawyer. [Read more…]