On June 27, 2025, a state court judge in Fulton County, Georgia entered summary judgment in favor of Evans Delivery Company and its driver, Marvin Colbert, in a case brought by the estate of another truck driver, Alexander Scott. Despite the tragic and catastrophic nature of the accident, the Court found that the overwhelming evidence developed by the defense showed required judgment on the affirmative defense of avoidable consequences.

Litigation over President Trump's tariffs continues to develop in courts across the country. This Client Alert provides an update on the status of these cases and explores how a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that curbed courts' use of nationwide injunctions may impact the tariff litigation. 

The Texas Supreme Court tackled one of the highest monetary judgments against a motor carrier in Texas history when it delivered its opinion in Werner v. Blake ___ S.W. 3d ___ (Tex. 2025)(Cause No. 23-0493) on June 27, 2025. The Texas high court ruled in favor of Werner Enterprises, Inc., and its driver, Shiraz A. Ali, reversing and dismissing a jury verdict of over $100 million.

On June 12, 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) announced a $215,988,868 penalty on California-based venture capital firm GVA Capital, Ltd. (“GVA”) for knowingly managing an investment for a sanctioned Russian oligarch. This penalty, the statutory maximum, is one of the highest yet imposed and “reflects OFAC’s determination that GVA Capital's conduct was egregious and not voluntarily self-disclosed.” OFAC’s announcement highlights the necessity of strong compliance protocols for international dealings, especially for intermediary parties such as professional services providers.

A common refrain from many U.S. employers following receipt of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citation is that if they had known that they were in violation, they would have acted quickly to correct it. Well, now the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has expanded access for employers in doubt about whether they are in compliance with the law through the “opinion letter program.”

This past weekend, the Illinois legislature passed a bill that will permit the exercise of general jurisdiction over any defendant that is registered to do business in Illinois where the lawsuit alleges “injury or illness resulting from exposure to a substance defined as toxic under the Unform Hazardous Substance Act of Illinois.”

Most people know intuitively what the concept of “discrimination” is. In the landmark sex discrimination case of Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. 644 (2020), discrimination was defined as “to make a difference in treatment or favor (of one as compared with others).” In plain terms, treating similar cases the same is not discrimination, and neither is treating different cases differently. Treating similar cases differently, however, is discrimination.

On May 23, 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released General License 25. General License 25 is the most sweeping sanctions alleviation license published by OFAC regarding Syria, and follows President Trump’s May 14, 2025, Riyadh speech announcing the cessation of sanctions against Syria.