Were dozens of banks complicit in the $3 billion fraud that toppled the cable company? With Judge Lawrence McKenna's refusal to grant the banks' motion to dismiss the Adelphia trustee's case against them, we may get an answer.

Do the federal courts have to abide by Florida Supreme Court rules that relieve plaintiffs in smoker suits from the burden of proving that tobacco companies knowingly sold dangerous products? The industry says that's unconstitutional, but plaintiffs lawyers say it's just common sense.

The ruling--a resounding rejection of Credit Suisse's attempt to vacate the FINRA arbitration panel's award--should burnish Jenner's reputation as the only firm with any plaintiffs-side success in auction-rate securities litigation.

The ruling came in a case brought by investors in Regions Financial Corporation who tried to hold the company liable for allegedly overstating goodwill and failing to increase loan loss reserves enough before the 2008 financial crisis. Sullivan & Cromwell, representing Regions, convinced the court that these figures should be treated as opinions, not facts.