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Dec 21 (Reuters) - Lawyers for Republican Kari Lake, who lost her bid last month to become Arizona’s governor, were in court Wednesday arguing that the election was invalid and should be overturned. Lake lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs by about 17,000 votes in the Nov. 8 election. A central tenet of her gubernatorial campaign was endorsing former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Marc Elias, an election attorney whose firm is representing Hobbs, said on Twitter that Lake had little chance of prevailing under the law. “Proving intentional wrongdoing and that it affected the outcome of the election will be impossible for Lake,” Elias wrote.

☆ Environmentalists sue to stop U.S. oil and gas auction off Alaska coast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Environmental groups sued the Biden administration on Wednesday to block a sale of oil and gas drilling rights off the coast of Alaska that is scheduled for next week. Interior had scrapped the Cook Inlet sale this year before the IRA passed, citing a lack of industry interest. "Cook Inlet is already experiencing severe effects of climate change, and new oil and gas leasing will only magnify those harms," the complaint said. Cook Inlet stretches 180 miles (290 km) from Anchorage to the Gulf of Alaska. Operating oil and gas platforms in the area are all in state waters, but oil production has declined substantially since peaking in the 1970s.

☆ Meta is building virtual world open to app makers, CEO tells antitrust court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Katie Paul | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Meta Platforms Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg leaves federal court after attending the Facebook parent company's defense of its acquisition of virtual reality app developer Within Inc., in San Jose, California, U.S. December 20, 2022. REUTERS/Laure AndrillonSAN JOSE, Calif., Dec 20 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) boss Mark Zuckerberg defended his acquisition of a virtual reality fitness app to an antitrust judge on Tuesday, arguing that his company was helping to build a nascent virtual reality industry, not dominate it. On fitness apps, he said, "it's less important that we own the experiences than that they exist." Platform companies have built "the key apps, what they call the killer apps," Zuckerberg said, "but they're not the only apps available." Within developed Supernatural, a VR app it advertises as a "complete fitness service" with choreographed workouts.

☆ Bankman-Fried hearing to resume on Wednesday as extradition decision looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Maria Alejandra Cardona | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The Founder and former CEO of crypto currency exchange FTX Sam Bankman-Fried leaves the Magistrate Court building in Nassau, Bahamas December 19, 2022. Tuesday's events mark the latest episode in what has become a confusing, back-and-forth saga over Bankman-Fried's extradition. Last week, he initially told a Bahamas court he would contest extradition, but Reuters and other outlets reported over the weekend that he would reverse his decision. During a court hearing on Monday at which Bankman-Fried appeared, Roberts said he had not been informed of the purpose of the proceeding. The person familiar with the matter told Reuters after Monday's hearing that Bankman-Fried would indeed consent to extradition.

☆ FTX's Bankman-Fried, facing extradition, due back in Bahamas court
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The Founder and former CEO of crypto currency exchange FTX Sam Bankman-Fried leaves the Magistrate Court building in Nassau, Bahamas December 19, 2022. It was not immediately clear if Bankman-Fried had arrived at the court in Nassau. On Monday, Bankman-Fried appeared in court in capital Nassau after Reuters and other outlets reported over the weekend that he had decided to agree to extradition. But during the tumultuous hearing, a Bahamas lawyer for Bankman-Fried, Jerone Roberts, said his client was not yet ready to consent. Upon arrival in the United States, Bankman-Fried would enter a plea in federal court within a day or two.

☆ Video gamers sue Microsoft in U.S. court to stop Activision takeover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Mike Scarcella | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It was filed on behalf of 10 video game players in California, New Mexico and New Jersey. A Microsoft representative on Tuesday defended the deal, saying in a statement that it "will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers." After the FTC sued, Microsoft President Brad Smith said, "We have complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court." Private plaintiffs can pursue antitrust claims in U.S. court, even while a related U.S. agency case is pending. The FTC previously said it sued to stop "Microsoft from gaining control over a leading independent game studio."

☆ FTX's Bankman-Fried, facing extradition, to appear in Bahamas court -source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The Founder and former CEO of crypto currency exchange FTX Sam Bankman-Fried leaves the Magistrate Court building in Nassau, Bahamas December 19, 2022. On Monday, Bankman-Fried appeared in court in capital Nassau after Reuters and other outlets reported over the weekend that he had decided to agree to extradition. But during the tumultuous hearing, a Bahamas lawyer for Bankman-Fried, Jerone Roberts, said his client was not yet ready to consent. Roberts said Bankman-Fried had seen an affidavit outlining the U.S. charges against him, but that he wanted to see the full indictment, which was unsealed in Manhattan federal court on Dec. 12. Upon arrival in the United States, Bankman-Fried would enter a plea in federal court within a day or two.

☆ Jury finds former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein guilty of sexual assault
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LOS ANGELES, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of sexual assault in a trial in Los Angeles on Monday, the second conviction for the one-time Hollywood kingmaker who became the face of #MeToo sexual abuse allegations five years ago, according to the Los Angeles Superior Court. The jury found Weinstein guilty on three counts involving allegations by one woman, but acquitted him of charges relating to a second alleged victim and did not reach a verdict on charges relating to two other women. Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Honeywell agrees to pay more than $81 million to settle SEC charges of bribery
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Companies Honeywell International Inc FollowDec 19 (Reuters) - Honeywell International Inc (HON.O) has agreed to pay more than $81 million to settle charges of bribery schemes in Algeria and Brazil in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on Monday. Reporting by Tyler CliffordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bankman-Fried wants to see indictment before agreeing to extradition - lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Sam Bankman-Fried wants to see the U.S. indictment against him for his role in the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange he founded before he agrees to be extradited from the Bahamas, his lawyer told a court in the Bahamas on Monday. Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, DelawareOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Companies Free Speech Systems, Llc FollowDec 19 (Reuters) - Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Monday asked a judge to allow him to take a $1.3 million annual salary from the bankrupt parent company of his Infowars' website. Jones drew a $1.3 million salary from Free Speech Systems before its bankruptcy, and his attorney asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez to restore his salary to that level at a hearing Monday. Free Speech System's monthly revenue has dropped to $1.9 million from pre-bankruptcy levels of $6 million to $7 million, attorneys from the company said, adding that it currently has about $1.8 million in cash. Marty Brimmage, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, opposed Jones' request for an increased salary. Lopez said he is "open to increasing" Jones' pay but did not have enough evidence to make a ruling yet.

☆ Appeals court says U.S. cannot mandate federal contractor COVID-19 vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday said the White House could not require federal contractors to ensure that their workers are vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of government contracts. A panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to uphold a lower court decision that blocked President Joe Biden's September 2021 contractor vaccine executive order after Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi brought suit to seek invalidation of the mandate. The court said Biden wanted it "to ratify an exercise of proprietary authority that would permit him to unilaterally impose a healthcare decision onone-fifth of all employees in the United States. We decline to do so." Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Father of accused Illinois gunman faces charges in July 4 parade mass shooting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Steve Gorman | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Robert E. Crimo III's mother Denise Pesina and father Robert Crimo Jr. attend a hearing for their son in Lake County court, in Waukegan, Illinois, U.S., August 3, 2022. Rinehart declined to specify what knowledge the father had that should have dissuaded him from sponsoring his son's application. The alleged threat in September 2019 followed a prior incident in which police responded to an emergency call reporting that the younger Crimo had attempted suicide. The younger Crimo could not have legally applied for a FOID card in 2019 without a parent or guardian signing for him because he was under 21 at that time. But a state police officer later disregarded that report as based on "second-hand" information, so it was not a factor when the Crimo FOID application was later reviewed by state police.

News of the FTX's fall first prompted questions to lawmakers about Bankman-Fried's political donations. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Boozman of Arkansas said they would donate Bankman-Fried’s campaign contributions, though they did not specify the charities they intended to donate the money to. Bankman-Fried also poured millions into super PACs that support candidates outside of their campaigns, including the Senate Majority PAC, or SMP, a super PAC supporting Democratic Senate candidates. The disclosed sums likely don't capture the full breadth of Bankman-Fried's political spending. "The candidates who received money from dark money organizations don't really have to answer for it," Sherman said.

☆ Citi, Revlon lenders reach deal over $500 mln accidental payment
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Citigroup Inc (Citi) logo is seen at the SIBOS banking and financial conference in Toronto, Ontario, Canada October 19, 2017. Citigroup, as Revlon's loan agent, had accidentally used its own money in August 2020 to prematurely pay off an $894 million loan owed by billionaire Ronald Perelman's now-bankrupt cosmetics company. "About three quarters of the mistaken payments have now been returned to Citibank," lawyers for both Citigroup and the lenders said in a letter to a federal judge. Citibank expects to file notices of dismissal in the coming weeks if payments are made as per the agreement, the document said. Reporting by Ann Maria Shibu and Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ North Carolina high court rejects voter-identification law, electoral map
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday knocked down a 2018 voter-identification law it said discriminated against Black voters and ordered a state Senate map be redrawn due to Republican partisan gerrymandering. The court upheld a lower court's 2021 ruling that a 2018 law requiring voters to present photo ID was unconstitutional. The majority opinion said that the lower court correctly found that the law "was motivated by a racially discriminatory purpose." In the gerrymandering case, the court found that the boundaries for state Senate districts unfairly favored Republicans and disfavored Black voters by diluting their vote. The court ordered that lower court judges redraw the state Senate maps to meet constitutional requirements.

The bare-bones indictment against Bankman-Fried - which could be amended with more details and co-defendants as the case progresses - suggests prosecutors have a long road ahead piecing together what they have described as one of the biggest financial frauds in American history. “A trial is probably 14 to 18 months out,” said Michael Weinstein, a white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor. On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan said a grand jury had indicted Bankman-Fried on wire fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud, campaign finance law violations and conspiracy charges. The indictment came just weeks after Bankman-Fried's $32 billion crypto exchange collapsed - an extraordinarily fast turnaround for prosecutors. Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday but indicated he would fight extradition to the United States.

☆ FTX debtors file bidding procedures motion for sale of four businesses
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies FTX Japan KK FollowDec 16 (Reuters) - FTX and its affiliated debtors said on Friday the company had filed a motion with the Bankruptcy Court seeking approval of bidding procedures to sell four businesses. Debtors of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange intend to conduct auctions for Embed, LedgerX, FTX Japan and FTX Europe businesses, according to the statement. The move comes after FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested on fraud charges on Monday. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware in November after traders pulled $6 billion from the platform in three days and rival exchange Binance abandoned a rescue deal. Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain and Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ FTX bankruptcy judge to hear media companies' request to reveal customer names
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Dietrich Knauth | Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - A group of media companies is set to argue on Friday to the U.S. judge overseeing the FTX bankruptcy that they should be allowed to request that the collapsed crypto exchange make public the names of its customers. In seeking to intervene in the case, the New York Times (NYT.N), Dow Jones, Bloomberg and the Financial Times said bankruptcy law demands transparency. Letting customer names remain secret could turn bankruptcy proceedings into a "farce" if creditors start fighting anonymously over how much money they should get, the media companies wrote in a Delaware bankruptcy court filing. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey said he will not rule on customer privacy issues before January. During Friday's hearing, FTX will also provide an update on its asset recovery efforts and its dispute with the Bahamas-based liquidators.

☆ Bankman-Fried makes new bail application after losing first request: source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Industry Insight | Saw Law Firms Move Past The Pandemic Into A More Client-Focused Service Environment | Thomson Reuters Institute | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 15 (Reuters) - Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has made a bail application before The Bahamas Supreme Court, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday, after a magistrate judge on Tuesday rejected the former crypto mogul's request for bail. The source, who asked not to be identified, said the application was made on Thursday. Bahamas broadcaster Eyewitness News on Thursday reported that the Supreme Court would hear the bail application on Jan. 17, without citing sources. Bankman-Fried amassed a fortune valued over $20 billion as he rode a cryptocurrency boom to build FTX into one of the world's largest exchanges before it abruptly collapsed this year. Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog on Thursday appointed a committee to represent FTX accountholders and other junior creditors in the collapsed crypto exchange's bankruptcy case. The nine-member committee includes three individual creditors, Genesis affiliate GGC International Ltd, crypto trader Wintermute Asia PTE, Coincident Capital International, Pulsar Global Ltd, Octopus Information Ltd and Wincent Investment Fund. Crypto firms that went bankrupt earlier this year, including Voyager Digital and Celsius Network, have classified most of their customers, particularly those with interest-bearing accounts, as unsecured creditors. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey, who is overseeing FTX's Chapter 11 case, said during a Wednesday court hearing that he expects the creditors' committee to weigh in on issues related to customer privacy at a hearing scheduled in early January. FTX has argued that customer names should be kept secret to protect them from scams and to preserve the business value of FTX's customer list for potential buyers.

At trial, Milton was convicted on one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud. In court papers on Thursday, Milton said that one juror had said during jury selection that she did not use social media and got her news via YouTube. But a review of what Milton said were her social media accounts implied that she read many news sources and showed that she had posted about income inequality, Milton said. If the judge does not grant a new trial, he should hold a hearing to question the juror about whether she lied in court, Milton wrote. Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dec 15 (Reuters) - Rudy Giuliani violated at least one attorney ethics rule in his work on a failed lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results on behalf of then-U.S. President Donald Trump and should be disciplined, a District of Columbia attorney ethics committee said Thursday. The committee of the D.C. Board on Professional Responsibility will recommend a specific penalty later for Giuliani, who faces accusations that he breached ethics rules against bringing frivolous lawsuits and harming the administration of justice. The panel could recommend disbarring him, suspending his D.C. law license or formally censuring him. The committee convened last week to hear allegations that Giuliani, 78, violated legal ethics rules in a lawsuit seeking to invalidate hundreds of thousands of mail-in votes in Pennsylvania. Giuliani was one several lawyers allied with the Republican president who pressed debunked claims of rampant election fraud.

Ahmad Abouammo had been found guilty by a jury in August following a trial in federal court in San Francisco. Abouammo's attorneys had asked U.S. District Judge Edward Chen for a probationary sentence at his home in Seattle with no prison time. The case focused on Abouammo's efforts to look up information on two Twitter users, a $42,000 watch he received from a Saudi official and a pair of $100,000 wire transfers. Twitter, recently acquired by Elon Musk, and the Saudi Embassy in Washington also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The attorneys also said Abouammo's actions paled in comparison to those of Ali Alzabarah, another ex-Twitter employee, who was accused of accessing thousands of Twitter accounts on behalf of Saudi Arabia.

Now, with the fraud charges filed earlier this week against Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the bankrupt FTX exchange, Williams has further solidified his office's growing role in prosecuting financial crimes involving cryptocurrency, according to interviews with a half-dozen former prosecutors. Bankman-Fried, 30, has acknowledged risk management failures at FTX but said he does not believe he has criminal liability. In the wake of Bankman-Fried's arrest, Williams has made clear he would plow on with cryptocurrency enforcement. On Wednesday, he announced wire fraud conspiracy charges against the founders of two separate cryptocurrency mining and trading companies he called Ponzi schemes. On Tuesday, Williams told reporters more charges in the FTX probe were possible.

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