Articles by Andrew Zajac and Joel Rosenblatt

Judge Rejects Catholic Church Challenge to Obamacare Birth Control Coverage

The Catholic Church isn’t harmed by the U.S. Affordable Care Act’s requirement for providing employees with insurance coverage for contraceptives, a judge ruled, throwing out most of a lawsuit challenging the provision. U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson in Washington last …

Paint Manufacturers Held Liable for $1.1 Billion in California Lead Paint Case

Sherwin-Williams Co., NL Industries Inc. and ConAgra Grocery Products LLC were ordered by a judge to pay $1.1 billion to replace or contain lead paint in millions of homes after losing a public-nuisance lawsuit brought by 10 California cities and …

Appeals Court Blocks Obamacare Contraceptive Mandate

A requirement of President Barack Obama’s health-care law that group insurance plans cover contraceptives was ordered blocked by a federal appeals court, the first such ban on enforcement of the mandate. The 2-1 decision by a U.S. Court of Appeals …

Closing Arguments Presented in $1B Lead Paint Case in California

NL Industries Inc. is one of five paint companies that presented closing arguments against a public-nuisance lawsuit by 10 California cities and counties seeking more than $1 billion to replace or contain lead paint in millions of homes. Superior Court …

PG&E to Settle Remaining Pipeline Explosion Claims in Northern California

PG&E Corp., owner of California’s largest utility, said it will settle “substantially all” remaining personal injury and property damage claims from a 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people. The utility announced the agreement today in a regulatory …

Blackstone Settles IPO Disclosure Lawsuit for $85 Million

Blackstone Group LP reached an $85 million settlement with investors over claims it made misrepresentations about its initial public offering. A U.S. appeals court in 2011 reversed the dismissal of a proposed class-action lawsuit against Blackstone, the biggest manager of …

Merrill Lynch Reaches $160 Million Settlement in Black Advisers’ Bias Suit

Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch unit agreed to pay $160 million to settle a discrimination lawsuit filed by black financial advisers, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said. The case, filed in 2005, was brought on behalf of one employee …

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Dodd-Frank by 11 States and Texas Bank

A lawsuit by 11 states and a Texas bank challenging the Dodd-Frank law’s financial regulation overhaul was dismissed by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle in Washington Thursday ruled that the states and the State National Bank …