🧩 Judge orders an AI-free rewrite
PLUS: Amazon's reported $7 billion acquisition talks
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Welcome to Lookzy. In today's Lookzy:
A judge tells a litigant to rewrite her complaint without AI
AI startup Moonshot heads toward an IPO with a shareholder claim that could top $700 million
Amazon reportedly considers buying Decart for $7 billion
Social Security numbers exposed at Holland & Knight and Squire Patton Boggs
THE VERDICT
Arguing today's litigation news
Write it yourself. U.S. District Judge Krissa Lanham told self-represented litigant Shelly George to rewrite her 67-page USDA employment complaint without AI and keep it to 25 pages or fewer. The judge dismissed the complaint with leave to amend for failing to connect facts to clear claims. She observed apparent AI authorship but made no finding of fabricated citations; George acknowledged partial AI use. Any later AI-assisted filing must include a declaration disclosing that use and certifying personal review and verification of its content. George plans to amend and has until October 19 to avoid dismissal of the case with prejudice.
Philips defeats inquiry. Philips' recall of roughly 15 million sleep-apnea devices wiped out about two-thirds of its market value, but shareholders failed to secure a Dutch corporate inquiry into alleged misleading disclosures and management failures. The Amsterdam Court of Appeal's Enterprise Chamber found no indication Philips knew about the potentially harmful foam long before warning users, or that executives should have intervened earlier at Respironics. French prosecutors are still investigating separately, and Philips agreed to pay $1.1 billion in 2024 to settle U.S. personal-injury claims.
Moonshot's ownership fight. Moonshot AI executives are in private settlement talks with shareholder Recurrent.ai and some of its investors ahead of a Hong Kong IPO, Reuters' sources said. They did not know whether a settlement was imminent; one did not expect the arbitration to derail the listing. Recurrent alleges unauthorized server transfers and data deletion, claims CEO Yang Zhilin previously denied and Reuters could not independently verify. It seeks compensation equal to 10.5% of Moonshot's original shares, which one source said could exceed $700 million at the startup's $30 billion June valuation.
Who pays for the ads? Television ads praising President Trump ended with a disclaimer saying the U.S. government paid for them. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon temporarily barred taxpayer funding after Common Cause and other plaintiffs alleged the spots were campaign propaganda ahead of the November 3 midterms. The order does not finally decide those allegations, and a separate challenge is pending in Washington. The administration had already said it would stop the ads, with future spots supposed to be funded by MAGA PAC. The White House said the PAC would not reimburse taxpayers for the ads already aired.
THE DEAL
Wheelin' and dealin' today's corporate news
Amazon eyes Decart. Amazon is in talks to buy AI startup Decart for around $7 billion, nearly twice its roughly $4 billion May valuation, according to unnamed sources cited by The Wall Street Journal and reported by Reuters. There is no agreement, talks could collapse and another bidder may emerge. Amazon declined to comment; Decart did not respond. Decart's Lucy edits live video, while Oasis generates simulated environments for robotics and autonomous-driving tests. Anthropic reportedly explored a $6 billion acquisition in August before walking away after due diligence.
Cash for a no. Monte dei Paschi's board is due to review Intesa Sanpaolo's pending €35 billion takeover bid on Monday, three people close to the matter told Reuters, though it was unclear whether management would offer additional defenses. Intesa has promised to raise the bid's cash component by 25% if shareholders reject MPS CEO Luigi Lovaglio's defense plan. Holders of about 30% of MPS have said they will oppose the plan, which needs two-thirds approval at the October 29 vote.
More solar for KKR. TotalEnergies and KKR signed an agreement to add three U.S. solar assets to their year-old 50/50 joint venture, which would grow its capacity from 1.4 GW to 2.1 GW. The portfolio carries a $1.2 billion enterprise value, not a disclosed cash purchase price. Closing is expected in 2026 subject to customary conditions, with the Texas and Ohio projects expected to begin commercial operation by the first quarter of 2027. TotalEnergies will keep operating the assets, whose electricity is already sold to third parties or will be marketed by TotalEnergies.
BOILERPLATE
Three firms, separate breaches. Holland & Knight and Squire Patton Boggs disclosed separate breaches involving Social Security numbers; both said client service was uninterrupted. Nelson Mullins faces a proposed class action over another reported hack, which the firm says was limited to one user's laptop and account, with a limited number of documents copied. H&K said social engineering gave an intruder remote access to one computer and a small number of files.
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