Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Alleging Environmental Discrimination in Louisiana Parish
Dec 4 2023 // NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that accused a south Louisiana parish of using land use policies to guide industries that pollute into communities with majority-Black populations. U.S....
Texas Judge Orders Houston Attorney to Reimburse Insurer $137,000 for “Frivolous” Lawsuit
Nov 28 2023 // A Texas judge has ordered a Houston plaintiffs’ attorney to reimburse an insurer $137,000 for the legal fees it expended to defend itself against a “frivolous” and “groundless” lawsuit that...
California Can Share Gun Owners’ Personal Information With Researchers, Court Rules
Nov 28 2023 // A state appeals court ruled that California can continue providing personal information of gun owners to researchers to study gun violence, reversing last year`s decision by a lower court judge who said such data sharing...
Judge Finds Evidence That Tesla, Musk Knew About Autopilot Defect
Nov 22 2023 // A Florida judge found “reasonable evidence” that Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk and other managers knew the automaker’s vehicles had a defective Autopilot system but still allowed the cars to be driven...
Bill Cosby Accuser Files New Lawsuit Under Expiring New York Survivors Law
Nov 22 2023 // A woman who said Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her when she was a young comedy writer more than 50 years ago filed a lawsuit against the actor Thursday under a soon-to-expire New York law that gave victims of sexual abuse...
New Law Lets New York Auto Insurers Waive Photo Mandate Starting Next May
Nov 21 2023 // New York finally has a law on the books that allows insurance companies to waive pre-insurance photo inspections. Bills to permit inspection waivers have been introduced since 2009. Gov. Kathy Hochul recently signed one...
White House Proposes Transportation, Commerce Agencies Handle Space Regulations
Nov 16 2023 // The Biden administration on Wednesday released a long-awaited proposal to split regulatory powers over emerging private-sector space activities between the U.S. transportation and commerce departments, according to a draft...
Judge Says Hair Relaxer Claims Against L’Oreal, Revlon Can Proceed
Nov 14 2023 // A federal judge on Monday allowed the majority of claims to move forward in sprawling litigation that claims chemical hair relaxer products made by L’Oreal USA, Revlon and others cause cancer and other...
Banks, Insurers May Escape EU’s Toughest ESG Regulation So Far
Nov 14 2023 // Banks, asset managers and other financial firms have won a reprieve from Europe’s most consequential ESG regulation to date, as a wave of intense industry lobbying pays off. Spain, which holds the European...
Judge Upholds $24M Award in Suit by Employee With Social Anxiety Disorder
Nov 14 2023 // A federal district court judge in Massachusetts has upheld a $24 million jury award for a woman who sued her employer for retaliation and discrimination because of her social anxiety disorder. The employer, PPD...
Fed Judges Ask Florida Supreme Court to Decide if Insurers Can Sue Auto-Glass Shops
Nov 9 2023 // The Florida Legislature earlier this year struck a mighty blow for auto insurers in their years-long fight against windshield repair shops, ending assignment-of-benefits and the practice of offering gifts to insureds. Now,...
Judge Trims U.S. Lawsuit Accusing Drug Distributor of Fueling Opioid Epidemic
Nov 9 2023 // A federal judge on Monday pared back a U.S. government lawsuit accusing drug distributor Cencora, formerly called AmerisourceBergen, of fueling the nation’s deadly opioid epidemic by failing to report hundreds of...
Florida Lawmakers Fund Home Hardening Program, Idalia Recovery in Special Session
Nov 8 2023 // The Florida House of Representatives and Senate moved quickly this week to approve more funding for the state’s popular home-hardening program, along with grants, loans and tax breaks for areas hit by Hurricane...
Judge Rules Ex-UCLA Gynecologist Can Be Retried on Charges of Sexually Abusing Female Patients
Nov 6 2023 // A former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles who was sentenced to prison for sexually abusing student patients can be retried on charges involving additional women, a judge ruled. A Superior Court...
Judge Rules Virginia Teacher Shot by Student Can Proceed with $40 Million Lawsuit
Nov 6 2023 // A teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in Virginia can press forward with her $40 million lawsuit against a school system over claims of negligence by school administrators, a judge ruled Friday. The surprise...
Ohio Law Applies in Insurance Dispute over Superfund Remediation Costs, Court Rules
Nov 3 2023 // Ohio law must be used to resolve an insurance dispute involving a polluted site in Michigan caused by manufacturing companies based in Ohio and Indiana, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The 5-2 decision may force...
Lawmakers Advance Bill to Increase Transparency of Pennsylvania’s Universities
Nov 3 2023 // An effort supporters say will boost transparency in several leading Pennsylvania universities passed the House of Representatives on Monday, while the universities’ annual state subsidies remain snarled in the...
NC Commissioner Fires Top Fire Marshal Officials as Feud with Lawmakers Continues
Nov 1 2023 // North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey appears to have escalated a feud with lawmakers, firing three officials at the state fire marshal’s office after legislation stripped Causey of the marshal’s...
Poultry Producers Ask Judge to Dismiss Ruling That They Polluted an Oklahoma Watershed
Oct 31 2023 // A group of poultry producers, including the world’s largest, have asked a federal judge to dismiss his ruling that they polluted an Oklahoma watershed. Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, Minnesota-based Cargill Inc. and the...
Florida Appeals Court Ruling Puts New Scrutiny on Wind Experts’ Credibility
Oct 31 2023 // Expert testimony is subject to a well-established standard set forth by the US Supreme Court 30 years ago in Daubert v. Merrel Dow Pharms., Inc. Under the Daubert standard, trial judges are gatekeepers of expert testimony,...
