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It has also asked a federal court in Washington to dismiss claims in a 2020 antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department. And it has asked a federal court in Virginia to dismiss a complaint that the federal government filed this year. In its court filing in federal court in California on Thursday, Google asked that five claims be thrown out. Google argued it does not have a legal obligation to put other app stores in Android and, in fact, most Android phones come preloaded with more than one app store and others can be installed. Again, Google argued that game developers are not prevented from creating alternate app stores.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, is expected to act before the deadline to either grant or reject the requests or further pause the litigation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. agency that signs off on the safety of food products, drugs and medical devices, approved mifepristone in 2000. Circuit Court of Appeals on April 12 declined to block the curbs ordered by Kacsmaryk. Anti-abortion groups led by the recently formed Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and four anti-abortion doctors sued the FDA in November. The plaintiffs contend that the agency used an unlawful process to approve the drug, which they consider to be dangerous.

Private equity firm Staple Street Capital valued Dominion at $80 million when it purchased a controlling stake in it in 2018. The Fox settlement was nearly 10 times that amount and far outstripped the $226 million average of four pre-election valuations cited in Fox's court papers. Dominion's damages claim in the Fox case was based upon a report it commissioned from an accounting expert, half of which remains under seal. It is difficult to place a dollar value on the U.S. voting-machine industry because Dominion and its competitors all are privately held. While Dominion's report cites dozens of lost clients due to Fox's coverage, the company still has landed recent contract renewals including in California's Republican-majority Kern County.

[1/2] A Tesla Model 3 vehicle drives on autopilot along the 405 highway in Westminster, California, U.S., March 16, 2022. It said in a court filing that Hsu used Autopilot on city streets, despite Tesla's user manual warning against doing so. The main question in Autopilot cases is who is responsible for an accident while a car was in driver-assistant Autopilot mode - a human driver, the machine, or both? That executive, Ashok Elluswamy, director of Autopilot software at Tesla, testified during the Hsu trial last week about the videotape. Also at issue in the Hsu trial is the airbag.

☆ Ex-prosecutor in New York Trump probe wins congressional deposition delay
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | 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

April 20 (Reuters) - Mark Pomerantz, the former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal inquiry into former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Thursday won a delay to his deposition before a Republican-led congressional committee, court records showed. The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday granted a temporary delay to Pomerantz's deposition to allow a three-judge panel to consider the case. Pomerantz's closed-door deposition had been scheduled for 10 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) before the Judiciary Committee. Spokespeople for the Judiciary Committee did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Diane Craft and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoCompanies United States Senate FollowWASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee's chairman called on U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to testify at a May 2 hearing on Supreme ethics reform after earlier urging him to investigate ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and a wealthy Republican donor. The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Roberts. The chief justice is a member of the court's 6-3 conservative majority. In inviting Roberts to testify, Durbin also said the chief justice could designate another justice to appear instead.

NEW YORK, April 20 (Reuters) - An exiled Chinese businessman charged by U.S. prosecutors with leading a more than $1 billion fraud will remain in jail after a federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday rejected a proposed $25 million bail package. Guo had also proposed 24-hour guard, and being subjected to detention with GPS monitoring at his wife's Connecticut home. He had also been a business associate of former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who was arrested in a 2020 fraud case while aboard Guo's yacht. In seeking bail, Guo's lawyer Stephen Cook said Guo would remain in the United States if released on bond "because the risk to his life is simply too great for him to leave." The defendant has pleaded not guilty to 11 charges including securities fraud, wire fraud and concealing money laundering.

April 20 (Reuters) - New Mexico prosecutors have decided to drop criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western movie "Rust" in 2021, Baldwin's lawyers said on Thursday. Baldwin, 65, was charged in January with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with Hutchins' death and the injury of "Rust" director Joel Souza, who was also shot. He pleaded not guilty in February after prosecutors downgraded the seriousness of the charges, reducing the potential prison time. Baldwin settled a lawsuit in October with the cinematographer's husband, Matt Hutchins, in a deal that made Hutchins an executive producer on the movie. Gutierrez-Reed has blamed the shooting on other factors including possible sabotage, Baldwin's lack of training and a failure by Halls and Baldwin to ask her for extra checks.

[1/2] Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., April 14, 2023. Kaplan said Trump has no obligation to show up or testify, and his lawyers, who said Trump "wishes to appear," can renew the request if he doesn't. The judge also noted that Trump, the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential campaign, is planning a New Hampshire campaign stop on April 27, which would be the trial's third day. Carroll, 79, has accused Trump, 76, of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan in late 1995 or early 1996. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ex-prosecutor in New York Trump probe to testify in congressional deposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | 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

April 20 (Reuters) - Mark Pomerantz, the former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal inquiry into the business practices of ex-president Donald Trump, is set to appear for a deposition before a Republican-led congressional committee on Thursday. The subpoena came from the House Judiciary Committee, and the closed-door deposition is scheduled for 10 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington. But Jordan's lawyer countered that the committee needed Pomerantz's testimony to weigh legislation restricting what he called "politically motivated prosecutions" of presidents. But in her written ruling, she said he would be free to object and decline to answer questions if appropriate. Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Diane Craft and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

NEW YORK, April 20 (Reuters) - The co-head of the private equity firm that owns Dominion Voting Systems said the company's $787.5 million settlement with Fox Corp (FOXA.O) held Fox accountable for spreading lies even if it did not apologize or admit wrongdoing. The settlement came with no apology or admission of wrongdoing on behalf of Fox, just an acknowledgement of the court's rulings finding some claims about Dominion to be false. Dominion and Staple Street achieved their goals by exposing the truth and Fox News' "offensive" actions and getting the media company to pay for them, Yaghoobzadeh said. In a statement following Tuesday's settlement, Fox said it was committed to the highest journalistic standards. Dominion funded the litigation through its own resources, without Staple Street or a third party providing financial backing, Yaghoobzadeh said.

[1/2] U.S. President Donald Trump rape accuser E. Jean Carroll arrives for her hearing at federal court during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., October 21, 2020. There, he called Carroll's rape claim a "Hoax and a lie" for promoting her memoir, and maintained that she was "not my type!" Carroll first sued Trump for defamation in November 2019, five months after he first denied her rape claim. She has long accused Trump of stalling, and U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan has rejected multiple efforts by Trump to delay Carroll's case. Last year, Trump refused to let his Trump Organization concede wrongdoing in a New York criminal tax fraud case, which ended in a conviction that is being appealed.

[1/3] Dominion lawyers embrace after Dominion Voting Systems and Fox settled the defamation lawsuit over Fox's coverage of debunked election-rigging claims, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., April 18, 2023. At least 31 lawyers from nine different law firms worked on the case, court filings show. It was not immediately clear how large a share of the settlement the firm would receive in legal fees. The filings do not include recent costs associated with preparing for trial or the success fees lawyers could earn from the settlement. Fox News also hired Paul Clement and Erin Murphy, top appeals court lawyers who have advocated for conservative causes at the U.S. Supreme Court.

April 19 Reuters) - Seagate Technology Holdings (STX.O) has agreed to pay a $300 million penalty in a settlement with U.S. authorities for shipping over $1.1 billion worth of hard disk drives to China's Huawei in violation of U.S. export control laws, the U.S. Department of Commerce said on Wednesday. Seagate sold the drives to Huawei between August 2020 and September 2021 despite an August 2020 rule that restricted sales of certain foreign items made with U.S. technology to the company. Seagate shipped 7.4 million drives to Huawei for about a year after the 2020 rule took effect and became Huawei's sole supplier of hard drives, the Commerce Department said. The other two primary suppliers of hard drives ceased shipments to Huawei after the new rule took effect in 2020, the department said. Even after "its competitors had stopped selling to them ... Seagate continued sending hard disk drives to Huawei," Matthew Axelrod, the Commerce Department's assistant secretary for export enforcement said in a statement.

☆ Judge allows congressional subpoena of ex-prosecutor in Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | 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: +1 min

[1/2] New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge said on Wednesday she would allow Congress to subpoena a former prosecutor who once led the Manhattan district attorney's criminal investigation into former U.S. President Donald Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, last week sued Republican Representative Jim Jordan to block a subpoena for testimony from Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor who once led the office's multiyear investigation of Trump. The subpoena came from the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, which Jordan chairs. After hearing arguments in federal court in Manhattan on whether to block the subpoena, U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil issued a written ruling approving the subpoena but encouraging the parties to reach a compromise as to how the subpoena of Pomerantz would proceed.

[1/2] People stand in front of a welcome sign at a security checkpoint at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington, U.S. April 12, 2021. The residents asked for an order forcing the Port of Seattle, Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines to establish a fund for medical monitoring to help screen for diseases. A representative for the Port of Seattle said the airport and its tenants follow strict federal, state and local requirements that address environmental issues like air quality and noise. The Seattle-Tacoma airport is located south of the city of Seattle, and is the primary commercial air hub for the region. The case is Codoni v. Port of Seattle, Superior Court of the State of Washington in and for the County of King, No.

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - Donald Trump wants to attend next week's trial involving the writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of rape, but may not because of security issues his appearance would cause, his lawyer said on Wednesday. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan federal court, Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said that while Trump "wishes to appear at trial," the judge should instruct jurors not to hold it against the former president if he stays away. Trump is also the front-runner for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential campaign. On the day of Trump's plea, the southbound FDR Drive was closed for Trump's motorcade to the criminal court. Trump has until Thursday to advise whether he plans to attend at all.

[1/2] New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Wednesday said she would rule "promptly" in a standoff between the Manhattan prosecutor who got Donald Trump indicted and one of the former president's staunchest Republican allies in Congress. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil heard arguments from both sides on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan. Bragg has called the subpoena an unconstitutional "incursion" into a state criminal case, and payback for charging Trump in the first indictment of a former U.S. president. Pomerantz urged Vyskocil to block the subpoena and said he played no role in Bragg's decision to charge Trump.

The Boy Scouts' three-year Chapter 11 bankruptcy case resulted in the largest sexual abuse settlement fund in U.S. history and resolves claims by more than 80,000 men who say they were abused as children by troop leaders, according to the organization. The Boy Scouts settlement was supported by 86% of abuse claimants and the Boy Scouts' two largest insurers, which funded a large part of the settlement. The Boy Scouts organization was able to emerge from bankruptcy after the Philadephia-based 3rd U.S. Money for the settlement comes from the Boy Scouts, local councils, insurers and organizations that have chartered Scouting units and activities, including churches. The Boy Scouts organization has contributed additional insurance rights to the settlement fund, which may be worth as much $4 billion, according to court documents.

CompaniesCompanies Law Firms Grail Inc FollowIllumina Inc Follow(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday said it will accelerate reviewing Illumina Inc's challenge to a federal agency order requiring the biotechnology company to divest cancer diagnostic test maker Grail LLC. The agency said Illumina had not shown why the appeals court needed to speed up its consideration of the antitrust dispute. San Diego-based Illumina, which specializes in gene sequencing, is appealing an April 3 FTC order that said the company's $7.1 billion acquisition of Grail will curb competition in the cancer-testing market. The FTC in 2021 sued Illumina over its bid for Grail, a former subsidiary of the company. The case is Illumina Inc and Grail Inc v. Federal Trade Commission, 5th U.S.

April 19 (Reuters) - The Boys Scouts of America said on Wednesday it had emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after securing approval of a $2.46 billion reorganization plan from a bankruptcy judge in September. The organization had filed for bankruptcy in February 2020 after several U.S. states enacted laws allowing accusers to sue over decades-old abuse allegations. Reporting by Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday bolstered a bid by Turkey's state-owned lender Halkbank (HALKB.IS) to avoid criminal charges in the United States for allegedly helping Iran evade American economic sanctions. The court's majority, while rejecting a key defense mounted by Halkbank, ordered the Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Shares in Vakifbank (VAKBN.IS), another Turkish state bank, jumped 9.9% and the bourse's banking index climbed more than 4%. Sovereign immunity generally protects countries from facing legal action in another country's courts. The majority found that the 2nd Circuit did not fully consider whether the bank has immunity under "common law" principles.

April 19 (Reuters) - Fox News on Tuesday disposed of one legal threat with its $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, but the network still faces a $2.7 billion lawsuit from another voting technology company, Smartmatic USA, over its coverage of debunked election-rigging claims. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File PhotoSmartmatic is seeking $2.7 billion in damages from Fox and five individuals, including former Trump lawyers and hosts. Smartmatic alleges in its lawsuit in New York County Supreme Court that the defendants knowingly spread false claims that its software was used to flip votes. Conspiracy theorists erroneously claimed Smartmatic owned Dominion, and the companies mounted similar allegations in their lawsuits. Fox denies the allegations, saying in a recent statement the network had a right to report on highly newsworthy allegations of voter fraud.

☆ Manhattan DA, Republican congressman to face off in court over subpoena in Trump case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | 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

[1/2] New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a news conference at 1 Police Plaza in New York City, U.S., April 18, 2023. A hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT (1800 GMT) in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil. Bragg has called the subpoena an unconstitutional "incursion" into a state criminal case, and payback for charging Trump in the first indictment of a former U.S. president. Jordan countered that lawmakers needed Pomerantz's testimony, now scheduled for Thursday, as they weigh legislation to let presidents move state criminal actions to federal court. Pomerantz urged Vyskocil to block the subpoena and said he played no role in Bragg's decision to charge Trump.

"Fox has admitted to telling lies about Dominion that caused enormous damage to my company, our employees and our customers," Poulos said in a statement. Fox anchor Neil Cavuto broke into his news show "Your World" about 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to report the settlement. In February court filings, Dominion cited a trove of internal communications in which Murdoch and other Fox figures privately acknowledged that the vote-rigging claims made about Dominion on-air were false. Dominion said Fox amplified the untrue claims to boost its ratings and prevent its viewers from migrating to other media competitors on the right. ANOTHER LAWSUIT PENDINGAdding to the legal risks for Fox, another U.S. voting technology company, Smartmatic, is pursuing its own defamation lawsuit seeking $2.7 billion in damages in a New York state court.

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