A federal jury in Phoenix returned an $8.5 million verdict against Uber in a lawsuit brought by a woman who alleges she was assaulted by an Uber driver in 2023, when she was 19. The jury found the ride-hailing company liable under the legal doctrine of apparent agency, agreeing with the plaintiff that Uber's branding, safety messaging and oversight of rides led her to reasonably believe that the driver was a representative of the company.

A jury ordered Medtronic to pay $382 million to Applied Medical Resources after finding that sales practices for Medtronic's LigaSure device, which is used for cutting tissue and sealing blood vessels during surgery, violated antitrust laws. Medtronic said it plans to appeal.

Nike is the subject of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation, which began in 2024, into allegations that the company discriminates against white employees and applicants through its diversity and hiring practices. The EEOC has told a court that Nike has provided insufficient information to comply with a subpoena in the case. Nike says it has "shared thousands of pages of information" and is "in the process of providing additional information."

An interim final rule from the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review would allow the automatic dismissal of appeals within 15 days except when a majority of the Board of Immigration Appeals votes to review a case on the merits. The department indicates that the rule will not apply to the 200,000 cases already pending before the board. The change would allow the board to focus "on selecting decisions for review that present novel issues warranting the board's attention," the rule states.

The Justice Department said Zubayar Al-Bakoush, who is accused of being a key participant in the deadly 2012 attack on a US diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, is in custody in the US and faces eight counts, including murder, attempted murder and arson. The attack resulted in the killings of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

The Census Bureau's field test for its 2030 headcount includes the question, "Is this person a citizen of the United States?" Citizenship questions have not been part of the census for 75 years, but the question is part of the American Community Survey, from which the bureau drew questions for the field test, which is being carried out in Huntsville, Ala., and Spartanburg, S.C.

Regulators are signaling a heightened focus on prediction markets, with US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton confirming that enforcement actions are likely to follow the recent surge in trading activity. Clayton emphasized that operating outside traditional financial venues does not shield market participants from legal scrutiny, especially as prediction markets begin to resemble conventional securities products.

Renat Abramov, a former Bank of America relationship manager in Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to money laundering as part of a $14.6 billion health care fraud scheme. Abramov admitted to bypassing know-your-customer protocols to allow foreign nationals to establish business accounts, which were used to launder over $8 million from fake Medicare claims.

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Six new immigration judges and 27 temporary immigration judges were sworn in on Thursday, according to the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review. The judges, about half of whom have military backgrounds, will serve in states including Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland and Virginia. The department previously hired 36 immigration judges in October, after over 100 were fired or pushed out in the months prior.

Super Bowl commercials this year reflect cultural trends such as the protein craze, sports betting and the influence of the Kardashians. Notable ads include Fanatics Sportsbook with Kendall Jenner, Hellmann's with Andy Samberg and Elle Fanning, Bud Light with Peyton Manning and Post Malone, and Squarespace with Emma Stone. Some ad spots have sold for as high as $10 million, a 43% jump from four years ago.