Federal Civil Enforcement

DOJ seeks forced sale of Chrome, other big changes at Google in monopoly case

The Justice Department is seeking to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser and make other major changes to remedy its illegal search monopoly, prosecutors told a Washington court Wednesday, setting a marker in the landmark case before the incoming Trump administration makes its own determinations about how to proceed.

Nov 21, 2024 3:48 PM CST

DOJ will push Google to sell Chrome to break monopoly on search market

Top Justice Department antitrust officials have decided to ask a judge to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser in what would be a historic crackdown on one of the world’s biggest tech companies.

Nov 19, 2024 3:35 PM CST

FTC antitrust case against Meta can move to trial, court rules

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit accusing Facebook owner Meta of holding an illegal monopoly over social media can proceed to trial, handing the agency a victory after previous setbacks in making its case in court.

Nov 13, 2024 3:35 PM CST

Copyright decision is a win for milkshake lovers and the right to repair

The Library of Congress—which houses the Copyright Office—has ruled that any technician can repair some commercial food preparation equipment, including the McDonald’s ice cream machines. The decision could decrease the amount of time McDonald’s restaurants have to wait for an expert to fix the devices.

Nov 1, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

DOJ reaches $100 million settlement in Baltimore bridge collapse

The owner of the Dali container ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge earlier this year, collapsing the span and killing six people, has agreed to pay more than $100 million in damages to resolve a Justice Department lawsuit, authorities said Thursday.

Oct 25, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

Justice Department sues TikTok, alleging it broke child privacy law

The Justice Department on Friday sued TikTok and its China-based owner ByteDance, saying the popular video app had violated a children’s privacy law by collecting data on millions of Americans younger than 13.

Aug 2, 2024 3:20 PM CDT

DOJ launches corporate whistleblower awards program

The Justice Department on Thursday unveiled a corporate whistleblower pilot program targeting foreign corruption and financial fraud that authorities said could yield billions of dollars in forfeitures each year. Tipsters who are first to provide information of corporate wrongdoing could be eligible for up to 30% of the first $100 million in company forfeitures.

Aug 2, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

SCOTUS blocks EPA’s ‘downwind’ air-quality initiative

The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of air quality on Thursday, putting on hold a major initiative to improve public health by reducing smog-forming pollution from power plants and factories that blows across state lines.

Jun 27, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

Texas AG Ken Paxton makes deal to avoid felony securities trial

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), a conservative firebrand acquitted last year in a historic impeachment trial, has reached an agreement with prosecutors to avoid trial on long-standing state felony securities fraud charges.

Mar 26, 2024 3:00 PM CDT

Federal initiative recovers over $836M in stolen COVID-19 relief funds, DOJ says

From May through July, the U.S. Department of Justice led enforcement actions against 718 individuals for offenses involving more than $836 million in alleged COVID-19 fraud.

Aug 25, 2023 11:42 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: SCOTUS approval rating plummets; Trumps lose deposition appeal

SCOTUS approval rating drops 10 percentage points Only 44% of the public approves of the way that the U.S. Supreme Court is handling its job, according to a Marquette University Law School poll. The survey was conducted soon after the leak of a draft opinion overturning the right to abortion.…

May 27, 2022 1:44 PM CDT

Threats of sham lawsuit against well-known singer constitute a crime, 9th Circuit says

Threats of baseless litigation can amount to extortion under the Hobbs Act, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco ruled Tuesday.

Apr 16, 2021 11:56 AM CDT

Supreme Court rules disgorgement, with limits, is allowed in SEC civil actions

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Monday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may seek disgorgement—with some limits—in civil enforcement cases.

Jun 22, 2020 12:32 PM CDT

How to become a federal criminal: It’s easier than you may think

In this episode of the Modern Law Library, lawyer Mike Chase talks with the ABA Journal’s Lee Rawles about crimes like impersonating a mailman, importing pregnant polar bears, selling mail-order dentures, and letting your falcon be filmed for a movie.

Jun 20, 2019 4:12 PM CDT

SCOTUS says investment banker can be liable for false email drafted by boss

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that an investment banking director can be liable for emailing alleged false statements to prospective investors, even though he sent the emails at the direction of his boss, who had written the content. The Supreme Court ruled 6-2 that Francis Lorenzo could be held…

Mar 27, 2019 11:40 AM CDT