Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

Planned Parenthood of Illinois has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. The EEOC found that the organization violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by "segregating employees by race" and subjecting white employees to harassment. EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas emphasized that "Title VII guarantees equal treatment for every employee" and prohibits race discrimination. The investigation was launched following complaints from multiple employees about mandatory racially segregated training sessions. Michelle Wetzel, general counsel for Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said that the organization has "zero tolerance for bigotry, discrimination or harassment of any kind." The settlement comes amid increased scrutiny of DEI initiatives by the EEOC under the current administration.

 

Chicago Tribune

NPR / National Public Radio

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Live Nation chief executive Michael Rapino faced intense questioning on Thursday in a U.S. antitrust trial, as lawyers probed the company’s ticket pricing, fees, and alleged dominance following its merger with Ticketmaster. A coalition of more than 20 states argues the company has built an illegal monopoly by leveraging its scale to pressure venues into using Ticketmaster and limiting competition across the live events market. During testimony, Mr. Rapino was challenged on past comments highlighting Live Nation’s market strength and profitability, as well as internal remarks suggesting ticket fees were “too high.” He defended the company’s position, stating it had helped consolidate a fragmented industry into a more efficient global platform for artists, while attributing rising ticket prices in part to resale markets and broader industry dynamics. The case continues despite a settlement between Live Nation and the U.S. Department of Justice, with remaining states seeking structural remedies, including a potential breakup of the business.

 

CNN

Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal

Residential real estate brokerage Compass has dismissed its antitrust lawsuit accusing Zillow of illegally restricting home listings after the site agreed to open its platform to more sellers. Compass sued Zillow last year over a new rule requiring that any home marketed to the public must appear on Zillow within one day of its listing or it would not be allowed on the platform at all. Compass called Zillow's conduct ​the "Zillow ban" and accused the site of violating antitrust law. “The end of the ‘Zillow Ban’ is a major victory for homesellers and their real estate professionals,” Compass said. “With homesellers and their real estate professionals no longer subject to punishment by Zillow for publicly marketing a home, Compass will voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit.”

 

CNN

Reuters

A whistleblower lawsuit which accuses AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Novartis, and Sanofi, of ‌defrauding the federal and state governments out of hundreds of millions of dollars by overcharging on medications for low-income and uninsured patients has been revived by a U.S. appeals court. In a 3-0 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court ​of Appeals in Pasadena, California said the four drugmakers ​must defend against claims they violated the federal False Claims ⁠Act through their involvement in the Section 340B Drug Pricing Program. Adventist Health System/West, a California-based nonprofit with more than 440 hospitals and clinics, ​said many years of overcharges caused Medicare and Medicaid ​to pay inflated reimbursements.

 

Reuters

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has filed criminal charges against Kalshi, accusing the prediction market platform of operating an illegal gambling ​business in the state and unlawfully allowing people to place bets on elections. "Kalshi may brand itself as a 'prediction market,' but what it's actually doing is running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law," said Mayes. "No company gets to decide for itself which laws to follow." Arizona law prohibits operating an unlicensed wagering business, and separately bans betting on elections outright.

 

AZAG.gov

Reuters

The Guardian

BP has locked out over 800 union workers at its Whiting, Indiana refinery after failing to reach a contract agreement with the United Steelworkers Local 7-1. Eric Schultz, president of USW Local 7-1, said: “We presented British Petroleum with an offer [Tuesday] that included accepting several of their proposals - only for them to reject that after just four hours and serve us with a lockout notice.” BP said the lockout was a result of the union's rejection of critical proposals necessary for the refinery's sustainability. The company has offered a revised six-year contract that includes job restructuring affecting 20% of employees and cuts to lump sum payments. Union leadership claims the revised offer limits their ability to strike and undermines bargaining rights. As tensions rise amid increasing gas prices, BP insists that production will not be disrupted during the lockout.

 

Chicago Sun Times

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has urged companies to strengthen the security of Microsoft's endpoint management tool, ​after a March 11 cyberattack on medical device maker Stryker's computer systems that caused widespread disruption to its business. ​The company said it had experienced a global ⁠disruption to its Microsoft environment.

 

Reuters

Mary Technology, an Australian legal tech startup, has raised A$7m to address "fact chaos" in litigation. Their Fact Management System allows users to upload various documents, enabling AI to extract key facts, tag themes, and create searchable chronologies. Lawyers have reported time savings of 50%-90% on document review, with one associate calling it “a game-changer for massive clinical record loads.” The company is experiencing significant growth, with over 2,000 lawyers using the system across 100+ Australian firms. CEO Daniel Lord-Doyle emphasizes the importance of managing facts effectively, observing: “Facts determine whether a legal case is won or lost.” Fresh funding will support the firm's global expansion, including a new office in San Francisco and a self-serve model for smaller firms.

 

LawFuel

White & Case’s revenue in 2025 increased by 8.5% to $3.6bn, fuelling a 10% jump in profit per equity partner (PEP) to $4.4m. Half of the revenue was generated by cross-border work, the firm said. Vice-chair Oliver Brettle observed: “Our M&A, capital markets and restructuring and insolvency practices had a particularly strong 2025. Overall, we feel that last year reflects our focus on advising global clients on their most important, complex cross-border matters, and we think we are ideally placed to play to our strengths as a global firm.” 

 

Bloomberg Law

The Global Legal Post

Italy’s antitrust watchdog has announced a fact‑finding inquiry into the quantum computing sector, citing risks linked to ​market concentration, technological lock‑in and the growing impact on access of ‌large cloud "hyperscalers" that have begun offering quantum computing capabilities. The authority has concerns ⁠that onerous investment requirements, a ​sharp increase in ​quantum‑related patent ⁠filings, and reliance on ​proprietary hardware and software could favor a small number of ​dominant players. Reuters notes that Alphabet's Google, Amazon and Microsoft are among technology firms that are investing in quantum computing.

 

Reuters

Actor Kevin Spacey has reached a settlement with three men who ​had filed civil lawsuits at London's High Court accusing him of sexual assault. The allegations date back to between 2000 and 2015 and are linked to Spacey's tenure as artistic director at the Old Vic theater in London. Spacey has ⁠consistently denied accusations ⁠of ​sexual misconduct and said the incidents alleged in the lawsuits did ​not happen or ⁠were consensual.

 

Los Angeles Times

U.S. News

Daily Mail

Recent changes in tax laws are expected to encourage 6m-8.7m more Americans to donate to nonprofits, according to research from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. However, these changes may also lead to a decrease in overall charitable contributions by approximately $5.6bn annually. Jon Bergdoll, interim director of data and research partnerships at the school, observed: “I could imagine [giving] going in so many different directions this year.” The new law introduces a charitable deduction of up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for married couples, benefiting the majority of taxpayers. Conversely, wealthy donors may face reduced contributions due to a lower cap on deductions and a new threshold for tax benefits. Overall, the projections indicate a potential decline in charitable giving, with estimates ranging from a drop of $2.5bn to $12bn.

 

US News and World Report