☀️ Good morning from The Legal File! Here is the rundown of today’s top legal news:
💊 Novo Nordisk pursues preliminary injunction to block Eli Lilly weight-loss drug ads
Novo Nordisk is asking a U.S. court to immediately block certain Eli Lilly advertisements for obesity drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro, escalating the fight between the two companies dominating the weight-loss market
According to thelawsuit, Lilly compares the highest approved doses of Zepbound and Mounjaro with lower doses of Novo’s Wegovy and Ozempic
Novoargues the ads omit newer, higher-dose versions of its drugs, creating a misleading picture of how the treatments compare
Novo is seeking apreliminary injunctionto halt the ads while the case proceeds, as well as a permanent injunction and corrective advertising
The case pits the two biggest players in the obesity-drug market against each other as they compete for a market expected to exceed $100 billion by 2030
It could test how aggressively drugmakers can use comparative efficacy claims in advertising when different doses and newer formulations are involved
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💻 US appeals court blocks part of Texas children’s online safety law
A divided 5th Circuit on July 24 blocked Texas from enforcing a key provision of a state law meant to shield children from harm through using social media
Trade groups had challenged a requirement that operators of social media platforms monitor and filter content that “promotes, glorifies, or facilitates” self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, stalking, bullying, sexual abuse and several other types of conduct
In a 2-1 decision, New Orleans-based 5th Circuit said a federal law that broadly shields the industry from liability for information posted by third parties preempted the monitoring and filtering requirement in Texas’ Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, or SCOPE Act
A lower court had issued injunctions blocking parts of the law, which took effect in September 2024 and is also known as Texas House Bill 18
The decision was a victory for the Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice, which both include Amazon, Google and Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms among their members
States and social media companies have long been at odds over whether Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act shields the industry from responsibility to police user content
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📨 US appeals court rules Trump cannot implement mail-in voting order
A federal appeals court on July 25 declined to allow the Trump administration to implement in 23 states his executive order that aims to tighten rules for mail-in voting ahead of November elections that will decide control of Congress
The Boston-based 1st Circuit rejected the administration’s request to lift an injunction several Democratic-led states secured on June 25 from a lower-court judge who concluded that key parts of the Republican president’s order were unconstitutional
In asking the court to pause U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s ruling while it pursues an appeal, the Department of Justice had argued that because government agencies had yet to finalize actions and policies to implement Trump’s directive, any lawsuit challenging his order was premature
The appeals court, in a 2-1 ruling, rejected that argument
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⚖️ Alex Saab, ally of Venezuela’s Maduro, pleads not guilty to U.S. charges
Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and onetime prominent ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, pleaded not guilty on July 24 to U.S. money laundering charges
Saab’s lawyers entered the not guilty plea on his behalf at a hearing in Miami federal court, defense lawyer Joseph Schuster told Reuters
Venezuela deported Saab in May to face the charges, after U.S. Special Forces captured Maduro in Caracas in January. Maduro has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and is due to go on trial starting June 1, 2027
Saab previously served as Venezuela’s minister of industry
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That’s all for today. Thank you for reading The Legal File, and have a great day!
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