This past January 11, we wrote a blog post about the Supreme Court entertaining arguments on the scope of the attorney-client privilege in the context of dual-purpose communications paraphrasing a question from Justice Kagan during the argument to Petitioner’s counsel to comment on the adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Washington, D.C.: In a huge victory for individuals grievously harmed by Johnson & Johnson baby powder, the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit roundly rejected Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to shovel all 38,000 cases into a brand-new subsidiary which then, within hours of creation, declared bankruptcy. In strong language, the federal appeals court found that the JNJ/LTL petition “has no valid bankruptcy purpose” and dismissed the bankruptcy in its entirety, reversing a ruling by a lower bankruptcy court.
“Enough is enough” – a two-year battle ended with Michigan State University agreeing to undergo a comprehensive Gender Equity Review and create a Gender Equity Plan to bring it into full Title IX compliance by the 2026-27 academic year. This settlement will positively shape MSU’s athletics program for years to come.
The Supreme Court is currently considering a case that could expand the scope of the attorney-client privilege in the context of dual-purpose communications – such as, in this case, communications made to a law firm that also prepares tax returns.
In a Title IX victory for women student-athletes, BG partners Lori Bullock and Josh Hammack successfully defeated cert in the U.S. Supreme Court after the high court rejected Michigan State University’s petition to review the Sixth Circuit’s ruling. This denial from the U.S. Supreme Court paves the way for the Title IX discrimination suit to proceed for the female swimmers and divers who allege MSU violated Title IX by not providing enough opportunities for women athletes to participate in sports.
