The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on September 24 that the Chief Operating Officer of Fast Lab Technologies, LLC pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in connection with a nationwide COVID-19 billing scheme that resulted in more
Plaintiff lose political affiliation case
The Court of Appeals holds that three Program Integrity Officers who worked for the Orange County Sheriff cannot sue for First Amendment/political affiliation retaliation because they held political jobs, which gave the Sheriff discretion to replace them after they supported
What Evidence Helps Prove a Bonus or Commission Claim in New York?
The strongest evidence in a New York bonus or commission dispute usually shows what the employer promised, what the employee did to earn the compensation, and why payment should have been made. Offer letters, compensation plans, employment agreements, sales records,
It May Be Just a Theoretical Right to Serve on a Jury, But a Person with a Disability Has a Real Right to Serve on a Grand Jury
Baseball playoffs are here as is the start of the NFL season. Good luck to all of your teams. Two of my three baseball teams (Braves and White Sox), made it to the second round. We will see where it
A Michigan collector paid $30 for a seashell painting at an estate sale; identified as a 1951 Gertrude Abercrombie work, it has now sold at Freeman’s in New York for a record $1,352,600
A painting bought for just $30 at a Michigan estate sale has sold for a record $1,352,600 at auction in New York, after experts identified it as a long-lost 1951 work by Chicago Surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie. The painting, Alderman Merriam’s
Fraud Claim Fails Because of, Among Things, Failure Adequately to Allege Justifiable Reliance on the Alleged Misrepresentations
On September 29, 2026, the First Department issued a decision in Murphy v. PHG Funding LLC, 2026 NY Slip Op 05482, holding that a fraud claim failed because, among other things, of the failure adequately to allege justifiable reliance
Manufacturing, AI, Mental Health, and Security Industries Targeted for Independent Contractor Misclassification: September 2026 IC Legal News Update
This past month’s legal developments include new class actions filed against companies in the manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), and health care industries alleging independent contractor (IC) misclassification, as well as a court decision finding security guards were misclassified as ICs.
Engineer Turned Funds Partner Turned Founder: Esther Chiang on Building SmartEsq
Esther Chiang has an unusual CV even by the standards of legal tech founders. She read electrical engineering and English literature at Stanford, spent time at Qualcomm, then went to law school. Fifteen years of private funds practice followed, first
USC Athletics Appoints Sports Lawyer Aitken-Smith as Executive Senior Associate AD, Administration & Risk
USC Athletics has announced the hiring of Merlene Aitken-Smith, J.D., as Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration & Risk.A nationally respected collegiate athletics administrator with more than 20 years of leadership experience, Aitken-Smith joins USC from the University of
New Market Manipulation-Related Securities Suit Filed Against Ryde Group
As we have detailed in prior posts (most recently here), one of the key securities class action litigation filing trends this year has been the emergence of a host of securities suits alleging various types of market manipulation, including,