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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

RETURN ENGAGEMENT – Alex Kozinski abruptly retired from the Ninth Circuit about two years ago amid allegations of harassment and sexual misconduct. Now, the former chief judge is set to return to the court on Monday as the lawyer for the son of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Zindel, who is seeking to revive a copyright lawsuit against the filmmakers behind the Academy Award-winning film "The Shape of Water." As Ross Todd reports, Kozinski's client claims the filmmakers lifted multiple copyright-protected elements of Zindel's play "Let Me Hear You Whisper."

POTTY MOUTHPIECE – Southern California lawyer Christopher Hook is facing possible sanctions after sending opposing counsel at Sheppard Mullin more than 100 emails—many laced with profanity—demanding a nine-figure settlement on behalf of his clients suing Allstate Insurance Co., Ross Todd reports. Among the many emails penned by Hook: "Haha. Fuck you crooks. Eat a bowl of dicks."

BAD ADS?  Law firms and legal marketers across the country have received warning letters from the FTC over TV ads they were airing about allegedly dangerous medications that are now the subject of mass tort litigation. Max Mitchell reports that those letters, sent in September, were part of a new initiative by the agency aimed at keeping an eye on legal ads that may alarm viewers and potentially lead them to stop taking their prescribed medications. The letters, obtained through ALM's request under the Freedom of Information Act, showed that most of the problematic ads focused on the diabetes drug Invokana.

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