Attorney Wire Briefing: July 24, 2026
Includes tariffs on 80+ trading partners, Paramount merger litigation, Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement, and potential J&J talc dismissals.
Good morning – it’s Friday, July 24, 2026.
Here are six key legal developments we’re following.
Estimated read time: 4 minutes
Lead Story
U.S. Imposes New Tariffs on More Than 80 Trading Partners
What happened: The Trump administration imposed tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on imports from more than 80 trading partners effective July 24. The duties replace a temporary 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 and rely instead on Section 301. The administration cited countries’ alleged failure to restrict forced-labor imports.
Why it matters: The administration turned to Section 301 after the Supreme Court invalidated tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Section 122’s 150-day limit expired. The statute has not previously been used to impose tariffs on dozens of countries simultaneously.
Implication: The shift creates renewed uncertainty over the durability of the administration’s trade policy. Legal challenges could determine whether Section 301 authorizes tariffs of this breadth and duration.
Read more: New York Times | Notice of Action
The Docket
Paramount Secures Conditional EU Approval for $110 Billion Warner Bros. Deal
What happened: The European Commission conditionally approved Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The approval requires Paramount to exit its European distribution joint venture with Universal within 13 months of closing and bar new European distribution agreements between the companies for 10 years. Separately, a federal judge temporarily blocked the deal from closing until the August 3rd preliminary injunction hearing in a challenge brought by California and 11 other states.
Why it matters: The proceedings show that Justice Department clearance does not foreclose state antitrust challenges or conditions imposed by foreign competition authorities.
Read more: Reuters | Merger Clearance Announcement
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Federal Judge Approves Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion Copyright Settlement
A federal judge approved Anthropic’s $1.5 billion class-action settlement with authors and publishers whose books the company downloaded from pirate websites for training AI software. It is the largest known settlement in a U.S. copyright case. A prior ruling found that training Claude on copyrighted books was fair use but the acquisition of pirated books was unlawful. The court awarded class counsel more than $101 million of the requested $187.5 million in fees.
Why it matters: The settlement sets an early monetary benchmark for AI copyright cases involving pirated source material while preserving the court’s distinction between model training and unlawful acquisition.
Read more: Associated Press | Order
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Judge Orders 69,000 J&J Talc Claimants to Show Cause
A federal magistrate judge ordered approximately 69,000 plaintiffs in the Johnson & Johnson talc multidistrict litigation to explain why their cases should not be dismissed for lack of admissible expert evidence that talc caused their ovarian cancer. The order followed May testimony from two plaintiffs’ experts. Responses are due Nov. 19.
Why it matters: The order could substantially narrow one of the country’s largest mass-tort dockets before trial if claimants cannot produce admissible expert opinions linking talc use to their individual cases.
Read more: Law.com | Memorandum Opinion
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New York Judge Allows AG’s Zelle Fraud Suit to Proceed
A New York state judge denied Early Warning Services’ motion to dismiss the attorney general’s lawsuit over Zelle. The court held that the state sufficiently alleged that the company prioritized growth over consumer safety and misleadingly marketed the platform as secure. The state alleges consumers lost more than $1 billion to fraud from 2019 to 2022. Early Warning plans to appeal.
Why it matters: The ruling permits a state consumer-protection case to proceed after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped a similar federal lawsuit, opening discovery into Zelle’s internal safeguards and marketing practices.
Read more: Bloomberg Law | Decision and Order
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Holland & Knight Faces Malpractice Suit Seeking Up to $1.2 Billion
Former client MV Realty sued Holland & Knight for malpractice, seeking between $400 million and $1.2 billion and alleging faulty advice concerning early-termination fees in 40-year Homeowner Benefit Agreements. According to the complaint, more than 30 states investigated the program, 16 filed suit, and state courts repeatedly found the fees unenforceable.
Why it matters: The case highlights professional-liability exposure when legal advice supports a multistate consumer business later challenged by regulators.
Read more: Reuters | Legal Malpractice Complaint
Partner Signal
Data-Breach Suits Target Four Major Law Firms
WilmerHale faces a proposed class action following a cyberattack that allegedly exposed names and Social Security numbers. The firm denied evidence of data misuse or dissemination. Similar suits recently targeted Wiley Rein, Fox Rothschild, and Blank Rome.
What We’re Watching
Bipartisan House Bill Would Give DHS Emergency Authority Over AI Systems
House lawmakers introduced the bipartisan AI Kill Switch Act, which would require covered developers to maintain the technical capability to throttle, suspend, or shut down advanced AI systems. The bill would also authorize the Department of Homeland Security to order proportionate emergency action after specified incidents, including loss-of-control events.
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