Latest Legislation Headlines

All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

FCC Chief Vows to Advance New Social Media Company Liability Rules

Oct 16 2020 // Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai said Thursday the agency will move forward to set new rules to clarify the meaning of a key legal protection for social media companies.The announcement came as...

Michigan Legislature Passes Legal Liability, Unemployment Measures

Oct 15 2020 // Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature on Oct. 14 voted to keep intact longer-lasting unemployment benefits and other coronavirus-related orders issued by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, while also striking a deal...

New South Carolina Law Creates Resilience Office to Address Flooding

Oct 15 2020 // After five years filled with unprecedented flooding, South Carolina has now established an office to marshal the state’s efforts in stemming floodwaters and coordinating recovery and relief efforts.Governor Henry...

Judge Tosses $30M Lawsuit Brought by Wounded Oregon Trooper

Oct 13 2020 // A federal judge has dismissed a $30 million lawsuit filed by an Oregon State Police trooper who was shot 12 times in December 2016. Nic Cederberg and his wife sued Legacy Meridian Park Hospital claiming the suspect, James...

Judge Tells PG&E to Explain Role in Zogg Fire in California Last Month

Oct 13 2020 // PG&E Corp was ordered by a U.S. district judge to explain its role in the ignition of the Zogg Fire in California last month, according to a court order filed on Monday.Last week, the California Department of Forestry...

After Court Ruling, New Emergency Orders Issued to Stem Virus in Michigan

Oct 12 2020 // A week after Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lacked the authority to act unilaterally to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the state health department issued its own emergency order keeping...

Judge Finds Strems Guilty of Misconduct; Advises 2-Year Suspension, Probation

Oct 12 2020 // After finding Florida attorney Scot Strems in violation of numerous rules regulated by The Florida Bar last month, the court-appointed referee overseeing his case has recommended a 24-month suspension followed by one year...

German Lawmakers Agree to Corporate Accounting Reforms After Wirecard Scandal

Oct 7 2020 // Germany’s coalition parties have agreed a package of reforms to financial and accounting rules aimed at avoiding another Wirecard scandal, a document seen by Reuters shows.Lawmakers launched a parliamentary inquiry...

Feds Fault Operator, Regulators in New York Limo Crash That Killed 20

Oct 6 2020 // State regulators repeatedly failed to properly oversee a poorly maintained stretch limousine with corroded brakes that hurtled down a hill at more than 100 mph and crashed in a ravine, killing 20 people, federal...

Top EU Court Rules Mass Spying on Phone, Internet Data Is Unlawful

Oct 6 2020 // The European Union’s top court ruled on Tuesday that unrestrained mass surveillance of phone and internet data is unlawful, in a move which could curb the powers of spying agencies in France and other EU...

South Carolina Passes Flood Insurance Law to Boost Private Market

Oct 6 2020 // The state of South Carolina is aiming to foster new flood insurance coverage options through the enactment of the South Carolina Private Flood Insurance Act.South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed the legislation, passed...

Judge Orders Cisco to Pay $1.9 Billion in Cybersecurity Patent Lawsuit

Oct 6 2020 // A U.S. judge on Monday ordered Cisco Systems Inc. to pay $1.9 billion to a Virginia company that accused it of copying its cybersecurity patents.U.S. District Judge Henry Morgan in Norfolk, Virginia, concluded after a...

Michigan Governor’s Coronavirus Powers Upended After Court Ruling

Oct 5 2020 // A 1945 law repeatedly used by Gov. Gretcher Whitmer to respond to the coronavirus pandemic was declared unconstitutional Friday by the Michigan Supreme Court, a striking decision that puts months of restrictions in...

Judge Tosses Case Over Texas Chemical Plant Fire During Harvey

Oct 5 2020 // A judge has dismissed the criminal case against a chemical manufacturer and one of its former employees over a fire at its plant near Houston during Hurricane Harvey, saying prosecutors failed to present sufficient...

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Jurisdiction Question in Climate Damages Lawsuit

Oct 5 2020 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal by energy companies including BP PLC, Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC contesting a lawsuit by the city of Baltimore seeking damages for...

5th Circuit Backs Plaintiffs in Insurer Interest Penalty Case

Oct 5 2020 // A Houston plaintiff’s attorney defeated State Farm Lloyd’s for the fourth time on the same issue, this time coming away with a federal appellate court ruling that policyholders don’t have to prove that...

Judges Nix Consolidating COVID Business Interruption Suits Against Big Insurers

Oct 4 2020 // A panel of federal judges has decided against consolidation of hundreds of lawsuits seeking coverage for coronavirus-related business interruption claims against major national insurers Travelers, The Hartford, Cincinnati...

Judge Blocks Trump ‘Secretive’ Commission Report on Police and Civil Justice

Oct 2 2020 // Before a U.S. federal judge on Thursday halted the work of a Trump administration law enforcement commission – saying it had violated public meetings laws – the panel had been warned about shutting out public...

Virus Restrictions on Businesses, Gatherings Lifted in Most Tennessee Counties

Oct 2 2020 // Businesses in 89 of Tennessee’s 95 counties will no longer have to adhere to social distancing guidelines, Gov. Bill Lee announced Tuesday, even though cases of COVID-19 in the state have been persistently high.The...

Judges Dismisses $18M in Liens Filed by California Medical Provider Convicted of Fraud

Oct 1 2020 // An administrative law judge in California has dismissed liens valued at $18 million filed by convicted medical provider Michael E. Barri, bringing to a close one of the earliest cases aimed at combatting fraud in...