🧩 BBC wants Trump to sit for his own lawsuit
PLUS: Penske's buyout and a $3,000 hourly rate
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Welcome to Lookzy. In today's Lookzy:
BBC asks for Trump's deposition in his $10 billion suit
Crowell faces a conflict challenge over AI advice
Penske's controlling shareholders want the rest
A judge takes issue with $3,000 an hour
THE VERDICT
Arguing today's litigation news
Still your client?. DeviantArt wants Crowell & Moring disqualified from representing automotive-photo company Evox in an AI-training copyright suit. It says Crowell advised parent Wix and its subsidiaries on AI, copyright and DeviantArt's DreamUp product before suing over that product. Crowell's general counsel said the firm had done no work for Wix or its subsidiaries since 2024 and had no conflict. DeviantArt says the client relationship never ended.
Spot the fake. OpenAI and Meta experts warned a federal evidence-rules committee about detecting synthetic audio and video. OpenAI's counsel said there is no universally reliable detection method. The courtroom evidence is limited: in a March survey, 15 of 931 responding judges had encountered a challenge alleging a deepfake, not necessarily a proven fake.
Plaintiff unavailable. The BBC wants a judge to compel Trump's deposition in his $10 billion suit over its edit of his January 6 speech. According to the BBC, Trump canceled an agreed October 16 deposition, citing matters of national importance, and offered dates in January 2027—after the December 18 discovery deadline. The broadcaster apologized for the edit but denies defamation. Trump's lawyers reiterated his allegations to AP without explaining the delay.
THE DEAL
Wheelin' and dealin' today's corporate news
Penske buys the rest. Penske Automotive’s largest shareholders, Penske Corp. and Mitsui, have agreed through their acquisition vehicle to buy the remaining shares for $212 each in cash, valuing the whole company at about $16.3 billion including debt. The board approved the deal on the recommendation of a special committee advised by Paul Weiss. The controlling shareholders still need approval from unaffiliated shareholders, among other conditions, to take the company private.
Buying the claims business. A GTCR-led group including Elliott agreed to buy CCC Intelligent Solutions in an all-cash deal valuing the company at about $6.1 billion including debt. CCC's software connects insurance claims and auto repairs across a network of more than 35,000 businesses. The $7.75-a-share price is a 44% premium to its July 9 close, before sale rumors surfaced.
Cybersecurity joins forces. Thoma Bravo-owned Proofpoint agreed to buy Varonis for $49.75 a share in a $6.3 billion all-cash deal. Varonis's data-security tools would join Proofpoint's email and cyberattack protection, with the companies pitching a combined offering to control how people and AI access sensitive data. Paul Hastings advises Varonis and Kirkland advises Proofpoint.
BOILERPLATE
Three thousand an hour. Judge Beth Labson Freeman called David Scott's proposed $3,000 hourly rate “patently unreasonable” and used $1,600 instead to cross-check the lawyers' fee request in the Google Assistant privacy settlement. The adjustment didn't reduce their award: she approved the requested $22.7 million, one-third of the $68 million settlement. Google denied the underlying privacy claims.
Houston before the office. Ashurst Perkins Coie has hired Houston energy and finance lawyer Tamara L. McKinzie, formerly senior counsel at Bracewell, Bloomberg Law reports. The newly merged firm has no office in the city.
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