Law and legal issues

The state agreed to pay $350,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit against Treasurer Fiona Ma.

The lawsuit contends a state law that punishes banks and others for "boycotting" the fossil fuel industry violates free speech provisions in the U.S. Constitution.

Property taxpayers want a state court to order the city to reduce its 2024 tax levy by $187 million earmarked for a now-downsized mass transit plan.

Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft's office said the ruling was "not just legally deficient but also morally wrong."

The state's year-old rules ban broker-dealers and investment advisors from using non-financial criteria in investment strategies.

The utility had $542 million of outstanding tax-exempt special purpose revenue bonds issued through the Hawaii Department of Budget of Finance at year-end 2023.

The bankruptcy saga of Mercy Hospital continues, with trustee Computershare Trust filing a notice about the distribution of cash to bondholders.

The bond parties and the Oversight Board are now arguing over the meaning of the word "account."

Litigants in a case challenging San Jose's validation of proposed pension bonds will have to wait another month to hear if the high court will review an appeals court ruling.

Lawsuits targeting validation lawsuits for pension obligation bonds in California generally stop issuers from considering issuance, but two cities have fought and, so far, won.

Oconee County using bond proceeds for a sewer that will benefit only some residents may violate the state constitution.

New York lawmakers are helping a coalition of legal experts, transit riders, and environmental and disability advocates sue the governor for stopping congestion pricing.

The St. Louis-based senior-living facilities operator has almost $80 million in bonds outstanding.

The state attorney general's office said it will appeal the ruling prohibiting enforcement of 2022's Energy Discrimination Elimination Act.

The city had set an Aug. 27 election on a proposition to create tax increment financing districts to help finance an arena project.

The Grants Pass decision was viewed as the most consequential for local governments of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent session.

Officials in East St. Louis, Illinois, sued the local police and firefighter pension boards and the state comptroller to block the use of an intercept law.

The Phoenix-based school's debt was rated a notch above junk — to BBB-minus by Fitch Ratings ahead of a refinancing of bonds from a 2021 issue.

S&P Global Ratings revised the outlook on the city's AA rating to negative from stable, citing increased debt and costs from a settlement with firefighters.

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, recently vetoed anti-ESG legislation similar to Missouri's, saying that it overstepped legal authority.