A New York federal judge is urging over two dozen states to settle their antitrust claims against Ticketmaster and its parent company this week after the Justice Department reached a deal and dropped out of an ongoing trial. Dan Wall, a lawyer for Ticketmaster parent Live Nation Entertainment, told Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday there was no chance all states would quickly settle. He said he based his assessment on the nature of discussions between the ticketing and entertainment giants and the states over the past week. Still, the judge persuaded lawyers for both sides to negotiate in Manhattan federal court.
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Ohio's plan to use unclaimed funds to help fund construction of a new domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns has been temporarily blocked in court. A judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit was substantially likely to win on the merits. A $60 billion budget took $1 billion from the state’s Unclaimed Funds Account to pay for the stadium. The lawsuit argues provisions of the budget violate constitutional prohibitions against taking people’s private property for government use, as well as citizens’ due process rights. Monday's ruling pauses the plan while the case is heard.
The parents of a girl critically wounded in a school shooting in Canada is suing ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, alleging it knew the shooter was planning a mass attack. OpenAI has said it considered but didn’t alert police about the activities of the person who months later committed one of Canada's worst school shootings. The civil lawsuit launched Monday in British Columbia alleges that ChatGPT behaves willingly to assist users such as the shooter to plan a mass casualty event. Jesse Van Roostselaar killed eight people and herself at a school last month. The lawsuit from the mother and father of Maya Gebala says she was shot in the head and neck and will have permanent cognitive and and physical disabilities.
Three brothers, including two of the nation’s most successful luxury real estate brokers, have been convicted of charges that they conspired to drug and rape multiple women. The verdict in the five-week trial of Oren, Alon and Tal Alexander came on Monday, leaving all three brothers shaking their heads as “guilty” was repeated 19 times. The verdict followed weeks of testimony by 11 women who said they were sexually assaulted by one or more of the brothers at fancy locales, often after receiving a drink that they believed was laced with drugs. The brothers had pleaded not guilty to charges that carried a potential life prison sentence. A defense lawyer promised to appeal.
AP Wire
The Justice Department says it's reached a settlement in its antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company, California-based Live Nation Entertainment that will benefit consumers by letting competitors play a role in ticket sales and force Live Nation to give up control of 13 amphitheaters. Some states, though, are not joining the deal and say they'll continue a trial in New York federal court. The case alleged there was an illegal monopoly over live events in America. The settlement announcement angered a judge who said he was kept out of the loop. The government has said Live Nation's monopoly costs consumers. Live Nation has maintained that artists and teams set prices and decide how tickets are sold.
AP Wire
Anthropic is suing the Trump administration, asking federal courts to reverse the Pentagon’s decision designating the artificial intelligence company a “supply chain risk” over its refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its technology. Anthropic filed two separate lawsuits Monday, one in California federal court and another in the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., each challenging different aspects of the Pentagon’s actions against the company. The Pentagon last week formally designated the San Francisco tech company a supply chain risk after an unusually public dispute over how its AI chatbot Claude could be used in warfare. The lawsuits aim to undo the designation and block its enforcement.
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A Texas judge has ordered Camp Mystic to preserve damaged cabins and other parts of the grounds hit by last year’s catastrophic flood that swept away and killed 25 girls and two counselors. The order followed a lawsuit by the family of 8-year-old Cile Steward, who was swept away in the flood last Fourth of July and whose body still has not been recovered. District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ordered Camp Mystic to halt any construction or alterations after the family argued that any changes at the camp could destroy evidence needed for their lawsuit. Attorneys for Camp Mystic have expressed sympathy for the girls’ families but maintained there was little they could have done during the catastrophic flooding that quickly overcame the camp.
A report by Rhode Island’s attorney general detailing decades of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy is giving survivors a sense of vindication while renewing calls for accountability and support. The investigation identified 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950, though officials say the true number is likely higher. Survivors say the report confirms what they have long known and exposes years of secrecy within the church. Many are now speaking publicly about the lasting trauma and the struggle to be believed. They are urging church leaders to provide meaningful support for victims, including help paying for therapy and other services.
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Some two dozen states are challenging President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs in court. On Thursday, the states filed a lawsuit over import taxes he imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. Democratic attorneys general leading the suit argue that Trump is overstepping his power with planned 15% tariffs on much of the world. Trump has said the tariffs are essential to address trade deficits. He imposed duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs he imposed last year under an emergency powers law. The new suit argues that law was intended to be used only in specific, limited circumstances.
More than 20 states sue over new global tariffs Trump imposed after Supreme Court loss.