LAW360 (Native feed)

The federal government pressed a New Mexico federal court Tuesday to ax the tort claims it's facing in multidistrict litigation over the Gold King mine spill, saying the court lacks jurisdiction over Federal Tort Claims Act claims.

Two Washington tribes, the Yakama and Lummi nations, came together Monday to call for the removal of three dams along the Columbia River, which they say have depleted the local salmon population and are emblematic of colonization's impact on Native people.

The Yakama Nation told the Ninth Circuit the Trump Administration is reinterpreting government policy to undermine the tribe’s right to investigate crimes involving tribe members on its reservation, even if a nonmember is involved.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and its casino-operating arm have urged a Michigan federal judge to rule they have sovereign immunity to claims the tribe didn't cough up payments it owed to a gaming consultant.

A top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enforcement attorney has joined Vinson & Elkins LLP, where he will focus on assisting energy clients with enforcement litigation and permitting matters, the firm announced Tuesday.

As shown by recent case law, including a New Jersey federal court holding last month in Valsartan Products Liability Litigation, there is no "shifting tide" in favor of disclosing litigation funding arrangements, say Matthew Harrison and Stephanie Southwick of Bentham IMF.

A Washington federal judge said Thursday that an Army Corps of Engineers permit allowing shellfish aquaculture is unlawful in the state, finding the agency's determination that the nationwide permit would have a minimal environmental impact is not supported by the evidence presented.

A group of Restasis buyers on Friday defended class certification in their New York federal suit accusing Allergan of boosting profits by delaying a cheaper generic version of the dry-eye medication, saying they share numerous, common antitrust injuries.

While artificial intelligence has already revolutionized the e-discovery field, the development of emotionally intelligent AI promises to explore data in an even more nuanced and human way, thereby further reducing the burden on legal teams, say Lisa Prowse and Brian Schrader at e-discovery services provider BIA.

The federal government and a mining company cannot dodge claims that the approval of a proposed copper and silver mine in Montana violated the Endangered Species Act because regulators improperly analyzed the project's impact on bull trout and grizzly bears.

A Texas federal judge on Friday teed up a block on the Trump administration’s planned diversion of $6.1 billion in defense funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, ruling that President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the border is unlawful.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked a New York federal judge to approve a settlement reached with a Montana investor recently sentenced for his role in a scheme led by serial fraudster Jason Galanis that defrauded pension funds and a Native American tribe.

A council of Minnesota tribes has demanded that the federal government expand the Prairie Island Community’s land to include territory that isn't imperiled by nearby nuclear waste storage and from persistent flooding created by a federal dam project.

Washington, D.C., will rename this upcoming Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, with the District becoming part of a growing number of cities and states choosing to celebrate and acknowledge the history and contributions of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Bankrupt opioid maker Purdue Pharma LP again touted its proposed settlement of opioid litigation in a New York bankruptcy court Thursday and claimed individual lawsuits against it and company owners the Sackler family could destroy the value of the estate.

Bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP has filed a term sheet in New York bankruptcy court detailing a proposed settlement it hopes will resolve thousands of lawsuits over the company's role in the national opioid crisis and calling for a deal to be reached with the federal government.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday asked a D.C. federal judge to grant the agency a win in four Native American tribes' challenge to the Dakota Access pipeline, arguing it sufficiently consulted the tribes and performed the environmental review that the court demanded.

Although most lawyers are well-prepared to defend or justify the value of an insurance claim for clients, often law firms have not clearly identified their own potential liabilities, planned for adequate insurance or established prudent internal risk management practices, says Victor Sordillo at Sompo International.

The Sixth Circuit on Thursday rejected eleventh-hour bids by the Ohio attorney general and drug companies to block an upcoming bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation accusing drugmakers of fueling the opioid crisis, rejecting the state’s arguments that the counties in the case are usurping its authority.

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday restored several claims in a suit by tribal housing agencies seeking more federal funding, saying the U.S. Court of Federal Claims had wrongly dismissed the entire suit when it should have just tossed two claims tackled in an earlier appeal.