Articles Posted in US Courts

Two internet trade organizations have challenged a Texas law regulating social media companies’ ability to remove users from their platforms. The law, House Bill 20, was signed by Governor Greg Abbott earlier this month.

Opening statements in the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes, former CEO and founder of Theranos, began on September 8. Holmes is accused of intentionally misrepresenting Theranos’ blood-testing technology and the company’s business performance.

Central Park Five prosecutor Linda Fairstein may sue Netflix for defamation over its portrayal of her in its 2019 series about the case.

The founder and former CEO of Nikola Corporation, a Tesla competitor, was charged in a securities fraud scheme in the Southern District of New York on Thursday. Trevor Milton is accused of defrauding and misleading investors about the development of his company’s products and technologies in order to drive investor demand.

Abortion rights activists and providers filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday, challenging Texas Senate Bill 8. S.B. 8 bans abortion in Texas after approximately six weeks of pregnancy and allows private citizens to sue any abortion provider or individual who violates the law.

Former employees of HP are alleging that the tech giant intentionally sought to target older workers for replacement by younger employees, violating federal and state age discrimination laws.

On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, the Judicial Conference of the United States proposed the addition of 79 new federal judgeships along with initiatives to improve courthouse security and personal security for judges. The personal security initiatives are proposed in light of the murder last year of Daniel Anderl, the son of Judge Esther Salas. Despite bipartisan support, Congress did not act on the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act before adjourning in December, but the bill's cosponsors plan to reintroduce the bill soon.

In a second defamation suit, Dominion Voting Systems filed a complaint against lawyer Rudy Giuliani on Monday for his statements concerning Dominion’s voting machines during the 2020 election.

The Trump administration had issued an executive order banning TikTok from operating in the U.S., but a court had blocked the enforcement of the order.

The Texas Supreme Court recently announced that it will allow service of process in civil cases through social media or email if the usual methods of serving in-person or through the mail fail.