Sept. 21, 2021
Good morning. Federal prosecutors rested their case against R. Kelly after a month, handing the reins of the sex abuse trial over to his defense attorneys. Plus, find out how much Harvard has spent on its legal defense in litigation over its admissions policies and why more law firms are scrapping their office return dates altogether. Let’s do this thing.
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REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg We’re a month into R. Kelly’s trial on sex abuse charges in Brooklyn, and prosecutors have officially wrapped up their case - handing things over to the singer’s defense team, Nicole Blank Becker and Thomas Farinella.
Kelly is facing one count of racketeering and eight counts of illegally transporting people across state lines for prostitution, to which he has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say Kelly preyed on women and girls for several decades as his career picked up steam, forcing them into a tightly controlled entourage that had rules about when they could use the bathroom or speak.
But his defense team has argued that the witnesses were people who had tried to capitalize on connections to Kelly and failed.
Kelly’s team could call about six witnesses on his behalf, his attorneys have said. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly said jurors could start deliberations as soon as Thursday. Read more to find out whether Kelly is likely to testify in his own defense.
Industry buzz
REUTERS/Brian Snyder That’s the amount Harvard University said it has exceeded in its defense of race-conscious admissions policies. Lawyers from Wilmer Hale have led the representation of Harvard in long-running litigation over admissions. Harvard, represented by Anderson Kill’s Marshall Gilinsky, is now suing Zurich American Insurance in Boston federal court to recover defense costs including attorneys’ fees and expenses. Read more about the new lawsuit.
Uber is facing more than 31,000 arbitration cases by customers who contend the company’s 2020 policy of waiving delivery fees for Black-owned restaurants was discriminatory. Uber paid about $5 million in initial arbitration fees, but in new filings in New York State Supreme Court, it is protesting millions more that AAA intends to charge for overseeing the cases and paying for arbitrators. So far, fee challenges by mass arbitration targets have been a bust. Alison Frankel explains why Uber says this case is different. Check out other recent pieces from all our columnists: Alison Frankel, Jenna Greene and Hassan Kanu.
Reuters Events: Legal Leaders Webinar
Despite many companies implementing plans for a safe return to the office, remote working is here to stay and companies must embrace the new hybrid model.
What does this new workforce model mean for your data management policy and what factors should you take into consideration when crafting a data policy?
Join the exclusive Reuters Events: Legal Leaders webinar, Navigating the hybrid working world of the future (Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 1 PM EST) to hear insights from Richard Buchband, General Counsel of ManpowerGroup and Scott McVeigh, Industry Principal, Onna, and others.
REUTERS/Carl Recine Reuters video reporter Alex Cohen talks with employment lawyers and other legal experts about the lawsuits over religious exemptions for COVID-19 vaccines and the delicate negotiations between employers and employees on the topic. Watch the video.
Coming up today
Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes.
"We have all seen how social media has just polluted this country."
D.C. Circuit Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson, voicing support at oral argument for reviving rules that would curb certain speech activities involving employees of the federal judiciary’s administrative agency. Henderson said: “I’ve always believed political activity of any kind is toxic to the entire judicial branch.” She appeared to be in the minority, however, on the three-judge panel. Read more about the hearing and what’s at stake.
In the courts
Industry moves
Companies are allowed to consider environmental, social or governance factors (known as ESG) in selecting investment options for employee retirement plans, but Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (or ERISA) standards and shifting regulations can make it hard to know what ESG investments would be compliant with the law, write Celia Soehner and Elizabeth Goldberg of Morgan Lewis & Bockius. Read more to find out what Soehner and Goldberg recommend for employers interested in ESG investing.
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