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☆ US Supreme Court backs three men in Cuomo-era New York corruption cases
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Joseph Percoco (L), former aid to New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, walks out of the Manhattan Federal Courthouse in New York, September 22, 2016. The court has limited prosecutors in a series of political corruption cases in recent years. In overturning Ciminelli's guilty verdict, the justices said that theory of fraud, known as "right to control," is "inconsistent with the structure and history of the federal fraud statutes." The Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, increasingly has limited prosecutors in political corruption cases. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The private plaintiffs sued Microsoft in California federal court in December to enjoin the deal, which they called harmful to competition. Corley pushed back on the gamers' allegation that Microsoft would limit availability of the game. A lawyer for the gamers said on Monday they will press on with their challenge to the deal despite losing this preliminary round. Corley dismissed the gamers' first lawsuit in March, ruling that plaintiffs had not offered adequate factual support for claims that the deal would violate U.S. antitrust law. The case is DeMartini v. Microsoft Corp, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

May 22 (Reuters) - The graduate student accused of stabbing four University of Idaho college students to death is expected to appear in court on Monday for his arraignment and to enter a plea on first-degree murder charges. Bryan Kohberger, 28, is scheduled to be appear in a Latah County courtroom for an arraignment hearing in front of District Judge John Judge. The crime stunned the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, home to the University of Idaho, and drew national attention, with six weeks elapsing before a suspect was apprehended. Kohberger eventually was arrested in Pennsylvania, where he was visiting his family, and flown to Idaho to face charges. Kohberger was working on a PhD degree in criminal justice at Washington State University, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the University of Idaho campus.

NEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed long-running litigation by investors who accused HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) and Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) of conspiring to fix silver prices. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan said the investors lacked legal standing to pursue federal antitrust claims under the Sherman Act, or claims under the federal Commodity Exchange Act. Investors had accused HSBC, Scotiabank and Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) of manipulating silver prices from 2007 to 2013, saying they had "smoking gun" evidence of a price-fixing conspiracy among those banks and several other silver market makers. The judge also said the investors were not "efficient enforcers" of their private antitrust claims, unlike people who might have sold silver at the Fix price. The cases is In re London Silver Fixing Ltd Antitrust Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Companies JPMorgan Chase & Co FollowNEW YORK, May 22 (Reuters) - Entrepreneur Charlie Javice pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of defrauding JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) into buying her now-shuttered college financial aid startup Frank, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. She was indicted last week on charges of securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy. JPMorgan, the largest U.S. bank, bought Javice for $175 million in 2021. Javice has been free on $2 million bail since her first court appearance on April 4. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

May 22 (Reuters) - First Citizens BancShares Inc (FCNCA.O), which acquired Silicon Valley Bank following its collapse, sued HSBC Holdings PLC (HSBA.L) on Monday, accusing it of poaching more than 40 of the failed bank's employees in order to launch its own U.S. venture banking business. The lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court says HSBC violated federal law by hiring away the workers so it could gain access to Silicon Valley Bank's (SVB) trade secrets including information about clients in the tech and healthcare sectors. First Citizens in the lawsuit said it is seeking more than $1 billion in damages. First Citizens later in March purchased SVB's assets and deposits for up to $500 million in stock - a fraction of what the bank was worth before it failed. In April, HSBC had said it had hired dozens of Silicon Valley Bank employees to help the bank establish a dedicated practice focused on serving companies in technology and healthcare and investors who support them.

[1/2] People gather ahead of the "Festival of Fantasy" parade at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022. Lawyers for DeSantis, who is being sued for allegedly targeting Disney for company leadership's political views, filed a motion on Friday in Tallahassee, Florida, asking U.S. District Judge Mark Walker be recused in the case. Disney sued DeSantis in April for allegedly "weaponizing" state government in retaliation for the company's criticism of a law that banned classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with younger children. DeSantis' lawyers argued on Friday that the judge overseeing that case demonstrated potential partiality while handling separate cases in which the judge mentioned Disney as an example of state retaliation. Considering Walker's statements, "the court's impartiality in this matter might reasonably be questioned," DeSantis' lawyers said in the their motion.

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Mondelez International Inc FollowWalmart Inc FollowMay 19 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Illinois has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Mondelez International Inc (MDLZ.O) of deceiving consumers into believing its Trident "Original Flavor" gum contained real mint. U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston said it was "fanciful" to believe reasonable consumers would expect the gum to contain mint or peppermint because its packaging featured an "unnaturally blue" leaf with condensation bubbles. "At most, Trident 'Original Flavor' packaging hints that its flavor is mint, not that its ingredients include mint or peppermint," he added. The lawsuit covered consumers in Illinois and eight other U.S. states, and accused Chicago-based Mondelez of violating various consumer protection laws. The case is Lesorgen v Mondelez International LLC, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, No.

HOUSTON, May 19 (Reuters) - An attorney representing the family of a 55-year-old Marathon Petroleum (MPC.N) refinery worker killed in a fire at the Texas facility this week called the plant where he worked "dangerous" on Friday. Higgins family plans to file a gross negligence lawsuit against the oil refiner and other firms involved in the plant's maintenance, he said. Buzbee is seeking documents on the plant and maintenance, according to court filings. "Scott always thought he might die at that plant," Buzbee said. And the reason he talked to them about it is because that plant is very dangerous," Buzbee said.

☆ JPMorgan, ex-executive spar in court over responsibility for Epstein
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JPMorgan wants Staley to cover some or all damages it might face in lawsuits brought by Epstein's accusers and the U.S. Virgin Islands over its ties to Epstein. The lawsuits accuse the bank of aiding in Epstein's sex trafficking by keeping him as a client from 1998 to 2013, the last five years after he pleaded guilty to a Florida prostitution charge. Had Staley "observed his obligations, Epstein would not have been a client," said Leonard Gail, a lawyer for JPMorgan. Staley, who later served as Barclays Plc's (BARC.L) chief executive, has expressed regret for befriending Epstein but denied knowing about his crimes. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

May 18 (Reuters) - Amgen Inc (AMGN.O) has agreed not to quickly close on its $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics (HZNP.O) after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit to block the deal. Absent an agreement, Amgen could have sought to close the deal as early as Monday. Under the order, Amgen and Horizon will not close their transaction until the earlier of Sept. 15, or the second business day after the court rules on the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction. Amgen said it had made an offer to the FTC in the hope of resolving the issue. "We committed that we would not bundle the Horizon products raised as issues," Amgen said in a statement.

[1/3] A vial labelled "CureVac COVID-19 Vaccine" is seen in this illustration taken January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationMay 19 (Reuters) - CureVac NV said on Friday it had filed an expanded patent infringement claim against Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech over the use of mRNA technology and that a U.S. court had granted its request to transfer the trial. In July 2022, CureVac had filed a patent lawsuit against BioNTech over the use of mRNA technology in the companies' COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer and BioNTech in response had filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, seeking a judgment that they did not infringe U.S. patents held by CureVac. The companies have previously told the court that their COVID vaccine Comirnaty does not work in the same way as CureVac's patented technology.

NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) - The families of Sandy Hook victims are preparing to sue Alex Jones' wife and other family members to help satisfy $1.5 billion in judgments they won from lawsuits against the bankrupt right wing conspiracy theorist over his lies about the deadly 2012 U.S. school massacre. The families have a "very strong case" to claw back certain payments to Jones' family, including a $1 million payment from Jones to his wife, Zensky said. "You can imagine that if someone was to sue their wife over transfers, that's a little hard in the home," Driver said. The families have accused Jones and FSS of profiting off lies about the shooting for years and sued him for defamation. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, who is overseeing the bankruptcies, said Jones and the Sandy Hook families should make one last effort to reach a settlement.

He said Franklin Templeton might have worried about people seeing Cooper, a former insurance portfolio manager, display bad judgment and a short temper. Litt said Franklin Templeton crossed a line. Critics labeled Cooper "Central Park Karen," using a pejorative for an entitled white woman. Its lawyer Bryan Killian told the appeals court it was unreasonable to see the company's statements as "anything other than a response to the video." The case is Cooper v Franklin Templeton Investments et al, 2nd U.S.

The comments came a month after prosecutors dropped a criminal charge against Baldwin over Hutchins' death in 2021, citing new evidence. Prosecutors said additional testing was required to see if the hammer was modified, the source of the modification and what impact it might have on the firearm's performance. Ammunition found on the set was requested for testing for manner of assembly and origin of manufacture, prosecutors said. Prosecutors have yet to reveal how live rounds got onto the set of the low-budget movie production. "Rust" weapons handler Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is the only person still facing charges over Hutchins' death.

Lamond, who supervised the Intelligence Branch of the police department's Homeland Security Bureau, also made false and misleading statements to federal law enforcement agents about his communications with Tarrio, the Justice Department said. According to the indictment, Lamond and Tarrio had been in regular contact since 2019. Lamond wrote, "Hey brother, sad, sad news today. Tarrio pleaded guilty to charges in the Black Lives banner case and in 2021 was sentenced to five months in prison. A jury in a separate case this month convicted Tarrio and other members of the Proud Boys of seditious conspiracy involving the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban TikTok in the state, effective Jan. 1. The TikTok users argue the state seeks to "exercise powers over national security that Montana does not have and to ban speech Montana may not suppress." The suit adds users believe the law violates their First Amendment rights. "Montana can no more ban its residents from viewing or posting to TikTok than it could ban the Wall Street Journal because of who owns it or the ideas it publishes," the lawsuit said. TikTok has faced growing calls from U.S. lawmakers and state officials to ban the app nationwide over concerns about potential Chinese government influence over the platform.

Companies JPMorgan Chase & Co FollowNEW YORK, May 18 (Reuters) - Charlie Javice, who has been accused of defrauding JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) through her now-shuttered college financial aid company Frank, has been indicted over her relationship with the bank. A four-count indictment made public on Thursday in Manhattan federal court charges Javice with securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Kia Corp (000270.KS) agreed to a consumer class-action lawsuit settlement worth $200 million over rampant car thefts of the Korean automakers' vehicles, lawyers for the owners and the automakers said on Thursday. In February, the Korean automakers said they would offer software upgrades to 8.3 million U.S. vehicles without anti-theft immobilizers to help curb increasing car thefts using a method popularized on TikTok and other social media channels. The settlement covers about 9 million U.S. owners and includes up to $145 million for out-of-pocket losses for consumers who had cars stolen, lawyers for the owners said. The consumer settlement covers owners of 2011 through 2022 model year Hyundai or Kia vehicles with a traditional "insert-and-turn" steel key ignition system. Other related expenses including car rental, taxi or other transportation costs not covered by insurance are also included by the settlement.

Companies Alphabet Inc FollowMay 18 (Reuters) - Google will pay Washington state $39.9 million to resolve a lawsuit accusing the company of misleading consumers about its location tracking practices, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said on Thursday. The settlement also requires Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), to implement reforms that increase transparency about its location tracking settings. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New YorkOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

FollowNEW YORK, May 18 (Reuters) - Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX is seeking to claw back more than $240 million it paid for stock trading platform Embed, saying former FTX insiders did no investigation before buying the essentially worthless bug-ridden software platform. FTX filed three lawsuits late Wednesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware targeting former FTX insiders including indicted founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Embed executives including founder Michael Giles, and Embed shareholders. FTX alleged that Bankman-Fried and other FTX insiders misappropriated company funds to acquire stakes in Embed as part of the transaction. As part of the purchase, FTX also paid Embed employees $70 million in retention bonuses. FTX is seeking to recover $236.8 million from Giles and Embed insiders, and $6.9 million from Embed minority shareholders.

The justices in a second ruling shielded Twitter Inc from litigation seeking to apply a federal law called the Anti-Terrorism Act. This case marked the first time the Supreme Court had examined Section 230's reach. Many conservatives have said voices on the right are censored by social media companies under the guise of content moderation. Gonzalez's family argued that YouTube provided unlawful assistance to the Islamic State by recommending the militant group's content to users. In the Twitter case, the 9th Circuit did not consider whether Section 230 barred the family's lawsuit.

The court in a separate case involving Google LLC sidestepped a bid to weaken legal protections for internet firms. In the Twitter case, the 9th Circuit did not consider whether Section 230 barred the family's lawsuit. Islamic State called the Istanbul attack revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria. Twitter in court papers has said that it has terminated more than 1.7 million accounts for violating rules against "threatening or promoting terrorism." The family had argued that YouTube provided unlawful assistance to the Islamic State, which claimed responsibility for the attack, by recommending the militant group's content to users.

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Amgen Inc (AMGN.O) in its bid to revive patents on its cholesterol-lowering drug Repatha over a legal challenge by French rival Sanofi SA (SASY.PA). Amgen sought to patent a group of antibodies that help reduce so-called "bad" cholesterol. In 2014, Amgen sued Sanofi and Regeneron for patent infringement over their rival drug Praluent, which works by a similar mechanism as Repatha. The justices said that Supreme Court precedent weighed against Amgen. President Joe Biden's administration, arguing in support of Sanofi, told the justices that Amgen had not disclosed the information needed to make to make its patents valid.

NEW YORK, May 18 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) is seeking documents from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as part of a lawsuit against the bank by women who say they were abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, court records showed on Thursday. Bragg took part in a May 16 telephone conference in the case alongside lawyers for the victims, the bank, former JPMorgan private banking chief Jes Staley and the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Epstein had a home, the Manhattan federal court records showed. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff instructed Bragg to provide JPMorgan with a privilege log - or a description of documents the bank was seeking that he is withholding - by Friday. A spokesperson for Bragg did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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