Reuters Legal

U.S. law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP said it has hired New York-based corporate partner Maria-Leticia Ossa Daza to lead a newly-formed Latin America group. Ossa Daza, who focuses on mergers and acquisitions and other deals, founded and was head of the Latin America practice at rival New York firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Paul Weiss said she has advised Latin America-based companies on cross-border and domestic transactions, and companies on investments in Latin America. 'Many of our clients are very active in this market, and both the formalization of a Latin America practice group and the arrival of Leticia will enhance our capabilities in this growing area of interest for our clients,' a Paul Weiss spokesperson said. Sara Merken has more: https://reut.rs/4b0s5zn

Amneal Pharmaceuticals said it had reached a deal valued at more than $270 million to resolve claims it helped fuel the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic, becoming the latest drug company to settle lawsuits over the addiction crisis brought by states and local governments. Amneal reached an agreement in principle to pay $92.5 million in cash and provide $180 million worth of naloxone nasal spray, an overdose treatment medication, to resolve lawsuits by U.S. states, local governments and Native American tribes. The settlement, which is payable over 10 years, would if finalized resolve nearly all of the more than 900 opioid-related lawsuits against Amneal, the company said. It did not admit wrongdoing as part of the nationwide settlement. The settlement added to the more than $51 billion that drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy operators and consultants have agreed to pay to resolve lawsuits and investigations over their roles in the drug addiction and overdose crisis. Find out more: https://reut.rs/3Wy09hU 

President Joe Biden's administration will allow certain immigrants illegally brought to the U.S. as children access to federally run health insurance, the White House said, addressing a sensitive issue ahead of the November elections. With the move, an estimated 100,000 previously uninsured participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, are expected to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace and the Basic Health Program, both created under the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. The DACA program was launched in 2012 under former President Barack Obama, when Biden was vice president. The program offers deportation relief and work permits to ‘Dreamer’ immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children or overstayed a visa. DACA enrollees will have access to related financial assistance, such as tax credits and reduced out-of-pocket costs under the change, which will be effective Nov. 1, according to a White House fact sheet. Read more: https://reut.rs/3UKFJ44 

Elon Musk's carmaker Tesla sued an Indian battery maker for infringing its trademark by using the brand name 'Tesla Power' to promote its products, seeking damages and a permanent injunction against the company from a New Delhi judge.   The case comes after Musk canceled his planned visit to India on April 21 to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Days later, Musk made a surprise visit to China and moved closer toward rolling out its advanced driver assistance package, a move that many Indian commentators called a snub. Subscribe to The Afternoon Docket: https://reut.rs/4aVlZjE #legal

Nearly half of law firm associates believe law school did not adequately prepare them for practice, a new survey has found.   Many of the 31% of respondents who said their law firm experience did not meet their expectations in law school cited legal education’s focus on litigation and a lack of training in the type of legal work they now do.   The survey also asked the associates what they would change about their law firm experience.   In this week’s audiogram, we analyze the results of the survey by legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa and legal data intelligence provider Leopard Solutions.   Read the full story by Karen Sloan 👉 https://reut.rs/4aZncGT  🎤 Shruthi Krishnamurthy shares audio legal updates weekly!  #lawschools #lawyers #legalindustry #legalnews #legal

Hope Hicks, a former top aide to Donald Trump, testified that staffers on his 2016 presidential campaign were alarmed when they learned that a tape in which he made lewd comments about women was about to be made public. Hicks testified there was a clear consensus the tape of Trump's comments on the 'Access Hollywood' TV show was damaging and that its release would be a crisis. Hicks' testimony gave jurors an inside view of damage-control efforts in the final days of the 2016 election, when Trump weathered widespread criticism from fellow Republicans as he faced multiple accusations of unflattering sexual behavior. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who was threatening to go public at that time with her story of their 2006 sexual encounter, an alleged liaison that he denies. Read more from the testimony here: https://reut.rs/3y6s6n1

  A lawyer for a group of transgender women on May 2 urged a US appeals court to revive claims that Tennessee's decades-old policy of not allowing people born in the state to amend their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity violates the US Constitution.   A three-judge 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Nashville heard arguments in the four plaintiffs' appeal of a judge's ruling, that said birth certificates are merely historical records that do not implicate the women's constitutional rights.   6th Circuit Judge Helene White seemed skeptical of Tennessee’s claim that the state uses birth certificates to maintain accurate data that is crucial for public health research.    The lawsuit alleges that Tennessee's ban on amending birth certificates violates the plaintiffs' constitutional rights to equal protection and due process.   Subscribe to The Daily Docket: https://reut.rs/3O4K9yr

Google has asked a US judge not to impose sweeping changes to the Alphabet unit's app store Play that were proposed by 'Fortnite' maker Epic Games in the companies' closely-watched antitrust fight.   Google made its filing late on April 2 in San Francisco federal court, where Epic last year persuaded a jury that the tech giant unlawfully stifled competition with its controls over apps downloads on Android devices and payments to developers for in-app transactions.   Epic's proposal 'would make it nearly impossible for Google to compete,' Google's filing said.   A hearing on the proposed injunction is scheduled for May 23. Mike Scarcella has more: https://reut.rs/3UJceQ7

Columbia Law School resumed final exams on May 2 after canceling all tests on May 1 due to ongoing pro-Palestinian protests and the closure of the university campus. Law firm Mayer Brown plans to separate from its current Hong Kong operations. Religious groups and scholars last week filed eight amicus briefs urging the entire 9th Circuit for the first time to sit en banc. Environmental groups sued FEMA in an attempt to force the agency to develop rules that could ensure that billions of dollars in disaster recovery funds are spent on renewable energy projects rather than fossil-fuel infrastructure. Here's your Legal File: #legal #legalnews #government #environment #litigation

Teen apparel retailer rue21 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for a third time on May 2, seeking to shut down its 540 stores and sell its intellectual property. rue21 has attempted to sell its business, but no buyer appeared willing to pay more than the company would earn by liquidating its inventory in 'going out of business' sales and shutting down its stores, the company said in documents filed in Wilmington, Delaware, bankruptcy court. The Warrendale, Pennsylvania-based retailer, which previously filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and 2017, focuses on affordable fashion for teens and young adults. rue21 has approximately 4,900 employees and $194.4 million in debt. But the company continued to struggle after emerging from bankruptcy, hit hard by a shift to online shopping that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.   Subscribe to The Daily Docket: https://reut.rs/3O4K9yr