Media & Communications Law

‘Reply all’ in electronic communications can imply consent, new ABA ethics opinion says

Lawyers who copy their clients on emails and other forms of electronic communications when messaging a lawyer representing someone in the same matter have given implied consent to receiving a “reply all” response back from the recipient counsel, absent special circumstances, according to a new ethics opinion from the ABA.

Nov 2, 2022 10:02 AM CDT

Dechert faces new ‘hack-and-smear’ suit; plaintiff is fired Wall Street Journal reporter

A fired reporter from the Wall Street Journal has filed a lawsuit accusing Dechert of participating in a “hack-and-smear operation” that led to his firing and blackballing in the journalism community.

Oct 18, 2022 11:36 AM CDT

Boies Schiller hopes to use radio, social media to inform clients it is withdrawing from Chiquita litigation

Boies Schiller Flexner wants to withdraw from its representation of about 1,400 Colombian clients suing Chiquita Brands International for its alleged support of paramilitary violence.

Oct 13, 2022 11:13 AM CDT

Calls to defund SEC circulate on Trump’s social media platform

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is being targeted by critics on Truth Social, former President Donald Trump's social media platform, after a holdup in a merger with a special purpose acquisition company because of an SEC investigation.

Oct 7, 2022 9:07 AM CDT

Trump’s ‘big lie’ defamation suit against CNN says he shouldn’t have to show actual malice by network

Former President Donald Trump has filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN alleging that the network has undertaken a “smear campaign” that maligns him “with a barrage of negative associations and innuendos.”

Oct 4, 2022 1:18 PM CDT

Supreme Court will consider social media liability for terrorist attacks

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear two cases that consider the liability of social media companies for content that relays terrorist propaganda and builds support for terrorist groups.

Oct 4, 2022 8:52 AM CDT

The metaverse and Web3 are all the rage, but the law is stuck at Web1

The metaverse and Web3, including virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens and more, are evolving to become another Wild West technology frontier where existing laws are hard to apply, legal experts say.

Oct 1, 2022 2:10 AM CDT

Judge criticizes Gibson Dunn and Facebook for alleged effort to ‘obstruct and delay’ discovery

A federal judge wants additional briefing on the type of sanctions that he could consider against Facebook and its law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in multidistrict litigation alleging privacy violations by the social media platform.

Sep 19, 2022 2:50 PM CDT

Texas may enforce law banning social media from blocking users based on viewpoints, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court on Friday allowed Texas to enforce a law that generally bans large social media companies from restricting posts based on the viewpoint of the speaker.

Sep 19, 2022 10:39 AM CDT

Lawsuits against social media companies use product-liability theory to sidestep immunity law

Social media companies should be liable under product-liability law for designing their products in a way that addicts their users and causes other harms, according to a growing number of lawsuits.

Jul 18, 2022 8:41 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Woman claims fetus is a passenger; recording police is protected, appeals court says

Woman says unborn baby counts for carpool lane A Plano, Texas, woman contends she shouldn’t be ticketed for driving in the carpool lane because she is pregnant and her unborn baby counts as a passenger. The woman, Brandy Bottone, has a July 20 court date. She was ticketed after the…

Jul 15, 2022 2:30 PM CDT

Waiver agreement bars ex-Chief Justice Roy Moore’s defamation suit against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, 2nd Circuit says

A federal appeals court has refused to revive a lawsuit filed by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and his wife against a comedian who claimed to be an Israeli anti-terrorism expert with a device able to detect pedophiles.

Jul 8, 2022 2:59 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Jan. 6 panel subpoenas ex-White House counsel; former Judge Alex Kozinski represents Trump

Ex-White House counsel subpoenaed by Jan. 6 panel Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone has been subpoenaed to testify before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. The subpoena follows testimony by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson claiming that Cipollone had warned of being…

Jul 8, 2022 11:32 AM CDT

Judge limits Meta’s refiled brief to 5 footnotes after complaining of local rule violation

Lawyers from Kellogg, Hansen, Todd, Figel & Frederick have refiled a brief with zero footnotes after a federal judge tossed a prior version for violating a local court rule.

Jul 5, 2022 12:12 PM CDT

Kagan and 3 conservative justices dissent as Supreme Court blocks Texas restrictions on social media

The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 on Tuesday to temporarily block a Texas law that bans large social media companies from restricting posts based on viewpoint.

Jun 1, 2022 10:29 AM CDT