“Thanks to a remarkable oil and gas boom, the United States has achieved the long-sought goal of energy self-sufficiency: We now produce more oil and refined products, natural gas and coal than we consume. In particular, horizontal drilling and hydraulic transformed the United States from,” reports Jesse Jenkins in The New York Times.

“This kind of physical energy security is a blessing when conflict disrupts the global energy trade. Europe’s frantic dash to free itself of Russian energy illustrates how deeply problematic it can be to not have it. Yet look at prices at the pump, and you’ll see why we can’t drill our way to true energy security. That’s why the Senate must finalize.”

Read the article.

“Good-government organizations and a range of think tank and advocacy groups are backing the restoration of oversight for billions of dollars in state government spending by the New York comptroller’s office in order to guard against fraud and corruption. The oversight power was previously,” reports Nick Reisman in Spectrum News.

“Having that oversight could be key for preventing fraud or corruption given those entities have been used in the past to provide pass-through funding for economic development projects. Some of those projects in the last decade have fallen under the scrutiny of federal prosecutors. Comptroller oversight is crucial for ensuring the integrity.”

Read the article.

“The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone. Now that teams have claims on players they’ve selected throughout the three-day spectacle in Las Vegas, they’ll now head to the negotiating table to hammer out their rookie contracts. Of course, these negotiations are unlike those from over a decade ago when Sam,” reports Tyler Sullivan in CBS Sports.

“Bradford was inking a $78 million deal with $50 million guaranteed after being the first overall pick. Now, thanks to a new CBA, rookie contracts are a lot more tied to the player’s slotted draft position and there really isn’t too much to be negotiated. That said, it is notable when the two sides do come to terms on what is a fully guaranteed deal.”

Read the article.

“The Cardinals began signing their draft picks on Thursday, getting three of their new players under contract. The team signed running back Keaontay Ingram, guard Lecitus Smith and linebacker Jesse Luketa to four-year deals. Ingram and Smith were sixth-round picks, Luketa was one of three,” reports Darren Urban in Arizona Cardinals.

“Seventh-rounders. That leaves second-round tight end Trey McBride, third-round pass rushers Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders, seventh-round cornerback Christian Matthew and seventh-round guard Marquis Hayes. The rookies arrived in Arizona for the first time Thursday. Rookie minicamp is Friday through Sunday.”

Read the article.

“Proposed US rules causing banks to sour on SPACs are having the opposite effect on Big Law firms that see an uptick in inquiries about special purpose acquisition companies. Lawyers are advising SPACs, investors, and target companies on what the rules will mean for deals being negotiated now and,” reports Roy Strom in Bloomberg Law.

“In the past few weeks the work has increased, said Josh DuClos, co-head of the SPACs group at Sidley Austin. We’re having conversations with investors, banks, sponsors, about what these rules will mean. The US Securities and Exchange Commission proposal is creating business for law firms that benefited from the boom in the vehicles.”

Read the article.

“General Mills (NYSE: GIS) today announced that Karen Wilson Thissen will join as general counsel and corporate secretary of General Mills, effective June 6, 2022. Thissen, a 29-year legal veteran, joins from Ameriprise Financial, Inc. where she most recently served as general counsel and executive vice,” reports Business Wire in their blog.

“Karen brings a proven track record of strategic thinking and global experience which is critical for General Mills’ continued success, said Jeff Harmening, Chairman and CEO of General Mills. As we continue to advance our growth, Karen’s sophisticated global legal experience will help move us forward across the many geographies we are.”

Read the article.

“Capital One will pay $190 million to resolve claims it jeopardized customer information in a 2019 data breach. The settlement benefits around 98 million Capital One customers whose information was compromised as part of the 2019 data breach. Capital One offers a variety of financial services to,” reports Top Class Actions in their blog.

“However, according to the bank, its customers were targeted in a 2019 Data Breach. In July 2019, Capital One informed its customers that millions of them had their information compromised when a third party accessed bank systems. Although the perpetrator was captured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), sensitive information.”

Read the article.

“The Surfside collapse litigation reached an almost $1 billion settlement, a landmark development in the court battle to bring some justice to the families of the 98 people who died less than a year ago. The milestone agreement follows weeks of mediation between attorneys for the plaintiffs and the slew,” reports Katherine Kallergis in The Real Deal.

“The parties sued over allegedly contributing to the deadly collapse of Champlain Towers South last summer. The settlement is for $997 million, although it could exceed $1 billion as negotiations continue with one remaining defendant. More than 25 entities and companies opted to settle the suit, including the Terra-led development team.”

Read the article.

“Could the person who leaked U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft abortion opinion be charged with a crime?,” reports Debra Cassens Weiss in ABA Journal.

“It’s possible, even though the Espionage Act wouldn’t apply, say experts who wrote for Bloomberg Law and spoke with Reuters, Wired, PolitiFact and the Washington Post. That law applies to classified information, and a court opinion is not classified.”

Read the article.

“I used to look out at the Hudson from the window of my beautiful office at a Biglaw firm in Manhattan and pinch myself, not believing that I had made it. As a young associate, I had a passion for making connections and building relationships. I quickly realized that such skills would set me up for success,” reports Jill Woods in Above The Law.

“I was newly married and had just bought a house in the suburbs without any kids.  Before I took the job, my husband and I had a serious conversation, where we candidly discussed what our future would look like if I took this job and if we started a family. I would be over an hour away from our kids, and my husband would be the one.”

Read the article.

“Podium, a communication and payments platform for local businesses, announced today that it has hired Mariam Sattar as its first-ever general counsel. In this newly created role, Mariam will be responsible for running Podium’s legal department. She will be a member of Podium’s executive team and report,” reports PR Newswire in their blog.

“Mariam brings extensive legal expertise to Podium with nearly two decades of experience in the legal field, working in areas such as securities, M&A, finance and corporate governance. She comes to Podium from Twilio, where she was Vice President of Legal, Corporate. Prior to Twilio, she was Senior Corporate Counsel at Atlassian.”

Read the article.

“A national plaintiffs’ firm on Wednesday asked a U.S. appeals court in California to uphold a nearly $80 million legal-fee award that was part of a $310 million settlement resolving class claims over the performance of certain Apple Inc iPhones. In the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,” reports Mike Scarcella in Reuters.

“Mark Molumphy of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy spurned objectors’ allegations that the attorneys’ fee award, which was 26% of the settlement, was too high, depriving the class of tens of millions of dollars, and other claims over the settlement notice process. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California, held two days of hearings.”

Read the article.

“In a surprisingly swift resolution of the Champlain Towers South class-action lawsuit, relatives of the victims and survivors of the Surfside condo collapse have reached a settlement that will pay them nearly $1 billion, a state court judge was told Wednesday. The comprehensive settlement announced,” reports Linda Robertson in Miami Herald.

“The comprehensive settlement announced in Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Michael Hanzman’s courtroom effectively closes the litigation phase of the case. Still to be decided: the individual shares the plaintiffs, including family members of the 98 people who died in the collapse, will receive. We have gotten $997 million in proposed.”

Read the article.

“The term “digital transformation” often gets thrown around in our ever-changing business environment. It’s a catch-all term that describes new and emerging digital technologies to improve business processes, achieve higher efficiencies, and satisfy customers.,” reports Devin Partida in Forbes.

“Most customers expect companies to have a strong digital presence through means such as social media platform posting, a website, and quality content. However, as digital technology becomes more widely used, it can open up businesses to compliance issues.”

Read the article.

“This may sound hard to believe, but some Biglaw firms are still matching Cravath. We’re not talking about Am Law 200 firms here; we’re talking about worldwide heavy hitters ranked near the tippy top of the Am Law 100. So, which firm is just now getting around to offering market compensation? That,” reports Staci Zaretsky in Above The Law.

“It would be Norton Rose Fulbright — a firm ranked at #14 in the most recent Am Law 100, after bringing in $2,100,000,000 gross revenue in 2021. The firm recently notified associates that it would, in fact, be matching the prevailing Cravath salary scale. Sources at the firm tell us that their raises quietly went into effect a few weeks ago.”

Read the article.

“General Mills Inc. named Karen Wilson Thissen as its new general counsel on Tuesday. Wilson Thissen will take over the position from Richard Allendorf, who is expected to retire in August. Karen brings a proven track record of strategic thinking and global experience which is critical for General,” reports Naasir Akailvi in Business Journal.

“Karen’s sophisticated global legal experience will help move us forward across the many geographies we are honored to serve. And above all, her passion for developing people and culture makes her a natural addition to our team. Wilson Thissen began her career at law firm Faegre & Benson now Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath before.”

Read the article.

“Keith Cooper, who spent more than eight years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of an armed robbery in Elkhart, announced Wednesday he will receive $7.5 million in a settlement agreement with the city. The city’s settlement with Cooper is the largest amount paid to a plaintiff in,” reports Marek Mazurek in South Bend Tribune.

“The record-breaking settlement follows a series of other wrongful conviction proceedings and lawsuits in Elkhart. Cooper’s co-defendant in the 1996 robbery, Christopher Parish, was exonerated and awarded nearly $5 million in a 2014 settlement. In March, Andrew Royer filed a lawsuit saying police and prosecutors coerced him into a false.”

Read the article.

“Apple is preparing to pay out $14.8 million as part of a settlement of a class-action lawsuit that alleged the company stored iCloud subscribers’ data on third-party servers without informing them. The free version of Apple iCloud comes with 5GB of storage, but additional space requires a paid iCloud Plus,” reports Dan Avery in CNET.

“Plaintiffs in Williams v. Apple alleged that Apple made no mention of outside servers in its marketing materials or terms and conditions. The current iCloud customer agreement does refer to third-party servers. Though Apple did not admit to wrongdoing, the company agreed to the settlement in January. A final approval hearing.”

Read the article.

“Senior executives at USAA ignored warnings from compliance staff and consultants for years regarding multiple violations of U.S. federal banking laws and “intentionally” hid from regulators the scope of the company’s illegal practices, a former USAA compliance officer turned whistleblower told Compliance Week,” reports Jaclyn Jaeger in Compliance Week.

“The $225 million in combined civil penalties USAA has received, to date—$85 million in 2020 and $140 million in March—from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for compliance failures could portend more enforcement activity to come, the whistleblower suggested.”

Read the article.

Stinson Partner Michelle Corrigan Erikson and attorney Renee Henson successfully defended their client, Safariland LLC, maker of law enforcement body armor, in product liability claims asserted against it in St. Louis, Missouri. A 12-person jury found that Safariland was not responsible for a former police officer’s paralysis suffered when he was shot in the line of duty.

Plaintiffs brought a lawsuit, Michael Vernon v. Ed Roehr Safety Products and Safariland Group, LLC, in St. Louis County Circuit Court against Safariland on a product liability matter regarding a bullet-resistant vest, claiming negligence, failure to warn and design defects. In defense, Corrigan Erikson and Henson presented evidence that showed that the Safariland product met all industry standards, contained appropriate warnings for all potential hazards, and did not cause the injuries claimed by plaintiffs. After 90 minutes of deliberation, a St. Louis County jury ruled in favor of Safariland, rejecting the plaintiffs’ claim that the product was defective and the cause of the officer’s paralysis.

“A case like this is obviously very difficult. The plaintiff police officer was doing his job and unfortunately suffered this tragic injury in the line of duty,” Corrigan Erikson said. “It’s terrible, but I am confident that it was not our client’s fault. Our client’s product did not contribute to the officer’s injury, nor could it have prevented his injury given the way he was shot.”

Safariland, pleased with outcome of the trial, said that Corrigan Erikson and Henson were “great representatives” of the company. “In their work and trial presentation, they reflected our company’s values, integrity, curiosity, excellence and servant leadership. I am truly grateful that we had such great people, not just great lawyers, as our public voice in the trial.”

Additional Stinson personnel involved in this matter include attorneys Alexander Barrett and Joyce Kim, paralegals Judy Bradley and Dianna Rodenburg, and eDiscovery and Practice Support consultant Robin Ferrell.

Corrigan Erikson has 25 years of experience in the area of product liability, including claims involving consumer products, children’s products, and industrial products, as well as in general business litigation. She has successfully represented manufacturers and distributors of a wide range of products in litigation involving claims of personal injuries and property damages. She also represents many clients in federal and state regulatory matters related to consumer products and children’s products.

Henson focuses her practice on products liability litigation, complex commercial litigation, and intellectual property litigation. She works with a broad array of clients, including manufacturers, distributers, commercial liability insurers, industrial commodity merchandisers and private equity firms.