Afternoon Briefs: State files 100th lawsuit challenging Trump policies; 2 more firms reverse pay cuts
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California files 100th suit against Trump administration
California and 21 other states have filed a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration rule that curtails the scope of environmental reviews conducted to assess the impact of actions by federal agencies. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said it is the 100th suit filed by his state against the Trump administration. Also joining the plaintiffs are Washington, D.C., and several other governmental bodies. (Law360, the California attorney general Aug. 28 press release)
2 more law firms reverse salary cuts
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton and Fisher Phillips are reversing salary cuts made because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kilpatrick Townsend is restoring associate salaries after a 5% pay cut, while secretaries put on a reduced schedule are returning to full-time work. Some lawyers and professional staff members whose hours were reduced could be returned to full-time work, but the decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. Fisher Phillips, meanwhile, will fully restore salaries that had been cut by 20% for associates and staff members. (Above the Law here and here, Law360)
Missed deadline in lawsuit against BigLaw firm yields fee penalty
U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods of the Southern District of New York has ordered a lawyer in a racial bias case to pay $2,500 in attorney fees after missing a March 2 discovery deadline. The lawyer for discrimination plaintiff Kaloma Cardwell will have to pay the money by Oct. 1. Cardwell is suing Davis Polk & Wardwell for alleged racial discrimination and retaliation. (Law360, Law.com)
Judge sets target trial date for Sarah Palin’s defamation suit
U.S. District Jed Rakoff of the Southern District of New York has set a target trial date of February 2021 in a defamation lawsuit filed against the New York Times by Sarah Palin, a former vice presidential candidate and former governor of Alaska. Rakoff ruled after a federal appeals court ruled last year that he followed the wrong procedure when he held an evidentiary hearing and dismissed the suit. The trial will consider whether the New York Times acted with actual malice when it published an editorial linking Palin to a 2011 mass shooting that killed a federal judge and five others. (Politico, Courthouse News Service, the New York Times)
