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WA business owners speak on losses caused by copper wire theft
Small business owners in Seattle report significant financial losses from repeated copper thefts. At Ballard’s Lockspot Cafe, owner Alison Soike dealt with three destructive break-ins that required $10,000 in repairs.
ANV acquires Car Care Plan from AmTrust
The deal brings ANV into vehicle warranty across the US, Europe, Turkey and China
Nick Bosa to miss another game
49ers DE Nick Bosa still dealing with calf injury and will miss Week 4
Ken Paxton calls for balancing border security with immigration reform to help labor-starved business sectors
The Texas attorney general and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate blamed Democrats for standing in the way of a deal, arguing one could have been passed during the first Trump administration.
Ken Paxton calls for balancing border security with immigration reform to help labor-starved business sectors
The Texas attorney general and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate blamed Democrats for standing in the way of a deal, arguing one could have been passed during the first Trump administration.
Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)
The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.
Another health insurer could end up out-of-network with Lehigh Valley Health Network
A contract dispute between Jefferson Health and Independence Blue Cross could leave Lehigh Valley patients out of network if no deal is reached by the end of the year.
Steelers CB Brandin Echols in concussion protocol
The Steelers are dealing with multiple issues in their secondary this week.
Travis Etienne Jr. dealing with hamstring injury
Saints RB Travis Etienne Jr. set to miss time after Week 3 injury
Buckingham buys Blossom Road property in $8M deal
Buckingham Properties and Child Care Council are equal partners in the $8 million purchase of the Blossom Road Business Center.
October Prime Day is a week away, and new early deals just dropped: iRobot, Lego, Ninja and more are up to 80% off
Before Prime Big Deal Days officially starts (and popular products sell out), Amazon loyalty members can add household basics, gifts and much-needed upgrades to their carts.
Valley Bank Courts Small Businesses With Bluevine Acquisition
Valley Bank is set to acquire Bluevine, a digital banking platform for small businesses. The $340 million deal is designed to help Valley with its efforts
Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis dealing with health issue, ruled out indefinitely
Porzingis will be out indefinitely for the Golden State Warriors with a health issue, and won't travel to Hawaii training camp.
Lee Enterprises acquires Argus Leader in 4-newspaper deal
The Argus Leader has a new owner.
I'm Still Shocked at the Pixel 11 Pro Being 56% Off
There aren’t many deals that we find that seem too good to be true, yet basically are as good as advertised. When you throw a wireless carrier into the mix of the deal, you then almost always assume the worst. However, Verizon is still running a Pixel 11 Pro deal that really is as good...
J.J. McCarthy trade grades as Giants, Vikings swing QB deal
The Giants took bold action after Jaxson Dart's season-ending injury, landing J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings. But who won the deal?
Senate tees up college sports bill aimed at regulating NIL deals
The Senate is due to vote Monday on the bill, which would create a national framework for name, image and likeness deals in college athletics.
Warriors’ Kristaps Porziņģis has ‘health issue,’ will miss start of camp
"This came as a surprise," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "But we'll deal with it and move forward."
Shawn Levy Inks Overall Deal With Disney’s 20th Television
The producer and director, who recently finished the next 'Star Wars' film for Disney, has been based at Netflix since 2017.
Shawn Levy Signs Overall TV Deal at Disney
The producer and director, who recently finished the next 'Star Wars' film for Disney, has been based at Netflix since 2017.
Shawn Levy Moves To Disney’s 20th Television With Overall Deal After Long Tenure At Netflix
Shawn Levy Moves To Disney's 20th Television With Overall Deal After Long Tenure At Netflix
Shawn Levy and 21 Laps Entertainment Sign Overall TV Deal With Disney's 20th Television
The new deal that lured the producer over from Netflix kicks off in 2027
Shawn Levy and 21 Laps Entertainment Sign Overall TV Deal With Disney’s 20th Television
The new deal that lured the producer over from Netflix kicks off in 2027
Trump open to Iran sanctions relief for ‘concrete progress’ on nuclear issues, White House official says
President Donald Trump is willing to give Iran sanctions relief and release frozen funds for “concrete progress” on a nuclear deal, a US official told CNN Monday, as mediators try to bring both countries back to the negotiating table.
Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis dealing with health issue, won't travel to Hawaii training camp
Sylvester Stallone Says He Had Bulimia When His Body Became a Dangerous ‘Obsession’
At 80, the star of the “Rocky” and “Rambo” franchises says he abused his body and used steroids. The actor also opens up about dealing with anxiety and figuring out love late in life.
Better Business Bureau explains personalized pricing
Jo Ann Deal with the Better Business Bureau of Monroe joined Good Morning ArkLaMiss to talk about personalized pricing.
Inside the last-minute push to squeeze more from Stonepeak’s $2.53B parking meter deal
Loop Capital's Jim Reynolds, who also explored a parking meter bid, advised aldermen against the deal.
How the Donovan Mitchell, James Harden contracts shaped Cavs offseason
Donovan Mitchell immediately signed a long-term deal to silence questions about his future. James Harden allowed the team to wait. Both were crucial.
Democrats to probe lucrative Trump family business deals if they win midterms
Corporate donors to President Donald Trump's ballroom and participants in business deals brokered by Trump family members are expected to be among the first targets of investigations if Democrats take control of the House or Senate.
Democrats to probe lucrative Trump family business deals if they win midterms
WASHINGTON, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Corporate donors to US President Donald Trump's ballroom and participants in business deals brokered by Trump family members are expected to be among the first targets ...
Ford taps comedian Nate Bargatze for new ads promoting dealership service business
Ford taps comedian Nate Bargatze to front a new ad campaign encouraging customers to go back to dealership service centers as third-party repair competition grows.
Man United ‘leading’ race for Crystal Palace defender Mitchell
Manchester United are reportedly ‘leading’ the race to sign Tyrick Mitchell from Crystal Palace as leading clubs eye a cut-price deal for the defender.Mitchell’s contract at Palace expires at th...
City Demands Answers from Gaslamp Business Leader on Comic-Con Ad Deal
An illegal Avengers advertisement installed over the Gaslamp marquee during this year’s Comic-Con has come back to haunt a local business leader. A new letter from the city alleges that […]
Dealroom.co | Trinity Hunt Partners: Dallas private equity firm building business and consumer services platforms
What's the deal?Trinity Hunt Partners is a growth-oriented priva…
NIO Stock Jumps Overnight As $2.4B Nio Power Deal Brings Geely Into Its Battery Swap Business
The companies are also discussing wider use of battery swapping across Geely-related vehicles, though plans remain preliminary.
What the smell of a soil can tell us about soil health
Farmers used to sniff their soil to gauge how healthy it was. According to ecologist Rosa Boone, you can deduce a great deal from its smell: "The fungi and bacteria present in the soil are important for ...
Next Rayan Cherki could be heading to Liverpool
Are Liverpool going to sign the next Rayan Cherki? They’re having a look and might just get a deal done.Liverpool are certainly in the market for a no.10. Or at least, for a no.10-of-the-future. The...
Napoli reach agreement to extend Rrahmani contract until 2029
Napoli have agreed terms with Amir Rrahmani over a new deal, with only the official announcement outstanding.According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the Kosovo international has reached an agreement with Aureli...
Sandro Tonali reveals why Tottenham will be fine this season
Sandro Tonali joined Tottenham as part of a big-money deal in the summer transfer window, becoming the most expensive player in Italian football history. But the start to the season hasn’t been brig...
Early October Prime Day tech deals: Big savings on Anker chargers, Apple AirPods, Bose headphones and more
Amazon is already discounting some of our recommended tech ahead of its Oct. 6-7 bargain bonanza.
October Prime Day 2026: The Amazon early deals we're tracking from Hanes, DeWalt, Apple and more ahead of Prime Big Deal Days
We have the scoop on top pre-Prime Day discounts ahead of the October savings event, including tech must-haves, vacuums, fall style upgrades and more.
Cook Political Report founder: House is a ‘done deal’ for Democrats, reclaiming Senate ‘very realistic’
Cook Political Report founder Charlie Cook on Sunday said that it has been a “done deal” conclusion that Democrats are likely to retake the House after the November midterm elections, w…
As soaring energy prices crush businesses, France rolls out a new $500 million aid package, including help with commuting and heating costs
Fuel prices that have spiked since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28 are dealing a hard blow to small businesses across Europe.
Julia Stiles Says “Dancing with the Stars” Is a ‘Really Big Deal to Me’ After Being a ‘Very Private Person’ (Exclusive)
“My whole point in coming on the show is to find the confidence in performing again,” Stiles told PEOPLE
Trump's Greenland obsession isn’t random. Here’s what’s at stake
Greenland's untapped rare earth minerals, oil and gas reserves could reshape U.S. energy security as Trump's Denmark deal expands military presence.
Googlebooks might be the real deal
In this week’s Installer: Googlebooks, new Meta glasses, Remedy’s Control sequel, and more.
Oliver Moore Deal Sets Tone For Blackhawks’ Next Big Contracts
Oliver Moore's new deal signals a shift for Chicago. See the numbers on Levshunov, Rinzel, and Lardis as the rebuild moves forward.
Mikel Arteta / Arsenal contract
The Premier League reigning champions are reportedly set to sign coach Mikel Arteta to a long-term deal, according to ESPN. Arteta’s current deal was set to expire in the summer of 2027, and the current deal was signed in 2024. But the timing of the new deal is significant. Arteta has successfully transformed Arsenal from […] The post Mikel Arteta Agrees To New Arsenal Contract appeared first on Stadium Rant.
Kohli has 'unfinished business' at his 'last World Cup' in 2027
"My dream is to play a match-winning, finishing knock in the finals, like chasing a score - that's the ideal scenario," Virat Kohli says about the perfect sign-off | ESPN.com
Kohli has 'unfinished business' at his 'last World Cup' in 2027
"My dream is to play a match-winning, finishing knock in the finals, like chasing a score - that's the ideal scenario," Virat Kohli says about the perfect sign-off
Visa (V) Following The UPT Deal Is The Business Payments Story Now Fully Valued
Visa’s UPT partnership puts business payments in focus Visa (V) is back in the headlines after UPT announced it will use Visa’s Currencycloud platform to power virtual EUR and GBP IBANs and real-time foreign exchange for corporate clients. Visa’s share price has cooled slightly in the short term, with the stock down 3.7% over the past month after a solid 7.5% 90 day share price return, while the 1 year total shareholder return of 9.8% and 3 year total shareholder return above 60% point to...
Kings Sign Former National Champion Newton to Training Camp Deal
The Sacramento Kings signed former two-time National Championship winner Tristen Newton to a training camp deal on Saturday, adding another guard to the fray.
Heard the news? Atlético seal deal for the 'new Dembélé'
Atlético have agreed the signings of Nigerians Taiwo Alao and Olasunkanmi Abbas, aged 18 and 17 respectively.A winger developed at Sporting Lagos in Nigeria, Alao is regarded as skillful, quick, and ...
Permitting reform is good politics and good for markets. Bring it on.
A truly tech-neutral deal would serve the interests of both parties.
Liverpool looking to recreate excellent Jeremy Jacquet deal
The last two years have seen a distinct change in Liverpool’s transfer policy. During the time of Jurgen Klopp, the Reds became known as a side that would sign players with upside and turn them into...
Alabama teens getting their own version of TikTok under sweeping $100M deal
TikTok must disable its "For You" page for minors and enforce two-hour daily screen time limits under a landmark $100 million Alabama settlement.
Juventus make contact over January deal for Barcelona star
Barcelona star Alejandro Balde has made his way into the sights of one of Italian football’s leading clubs with a view to the winter transfer window.This comes amid the understanding that the board ...
Deals: Galaxy Z Fold7 vs. Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra, plus Galaxy S26 FE alternatives
The Z Fold7 is a lot cheaper than its replacement - but you will be missing out on some great improvements and the Z Fold8 Ultra is discounted as well.
Just 4 Minutes a Day: The Surprising Habit Transforming Health After 65 - Futura-Sciences
Why Short Workouts Might Be a Big Deal Starting long or intense workout regimens puts off a lot of people—no surprise there. Yet, muscle strength and balance are crucial for maintaining independence as we age, and unfortunately, these abilities decline faster after age 65. With this in mind, researchers at...
Trump Rejects Iran’s Cease-Fire Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
The president said the deal was not “acceptable” and demurred on whether he would restart military strikes after the midterm elections.
Baltimore Orioles' Gunnar Henderson Opens Up About Nagging Wrist Issue
Henderson reluctantly revealed that he had dealt with a right wrist issue for half of the 2026 season.
Castleford captain Mellor heads to Catalans
Captain Alex Mellor leaves Castleford Tigers after four years to join Catalans Dragons in a two-year deal.
✍️ Until 2029: Cruzeiro hand wonderkid first contract
Midfielder Luan has signed his first professional contract with Cruzeiro.The 17-year-old player's deal with Raposa runs until the end of July 2029.Luan came through Cruzeiro’s own youth academy, whe...
Amazon Canada has a Shark vacuum for 43% off, wrinkle-fighting skincare for under $15 & 25 more early October Prime Day deals to shop this weekend
Ready, set, save!
The Best Early Prime Day Deals Ahead of Amazon’s Second Sale (2026)
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days officially begin on October 6 and 7, but I’ve already spotted early discounts on gear our team recommends.
Best Pokémon TCG deal: 30th Celebration Elite Trainer Box for below market price
Amazon somehow still has stock.
Steph Curry takes a discount, signs 2-year extension with Warriors
Curry is leaving around $20 million on the table with the new deal.
TikTok settles for over $100 million in mental health lawsuit, Alabama AG says
The Alabama Attorney General’s Office announced Friday it reached a minimum $100 million settlement deal with TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, days before a state court was set to hear arg…
New survey predicts trouble for Trump ahead of midterms
With just over five weeks until the midterm elections, CNN’s John King explains the key indicators he’s tracking.
Saudi Arabia Open to Possibly Developing Nuclear Weapons
An intelligence assessment examined Saudi Arabia’s military ambitions as Congress reviews a new civilian nuclear deal between the U.S. and the kingdom.
AP | A data-sharing clause derailed US-Zimbabwe health talks. Now all funding ends this month
The US will end funding for Zimbabwe’s health programs at the end of September following the collapse of negotiations over a US-proposed deal.
Maria Menounos 'Almost Died' In Her Sleep Due to This Chronic Health Condition: 'Very Very Stressful and Scary’
Maria Menounos is opening up about a terrifying medical emergency related to her type 1 diabetes. The former E! News host shared a health update on Monday after dealing with a major equipment failure ...
Maple Leafs Face Financial Headache Due to Star’s Bonus Payments
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a financial headache to deal with due to potential bonus payments to a budding star forward. The post Maple Leafs Face Financial Headache Due to Star’s Bonus Payments appeared first on HEAVY.
Real Madrid star forced off with injury on international duty
La Liga giants Real Madrid have on Friday evening been dealt a potential blow on the personnel front. This comes after star goalscorer Kylian Mbappé picked up a fitness problem whilst on internationa...
Appeals court rules that states can regulate Kalshi’s sports prediction markets, dealing another legal blow to platforms
The decision is the second in less than a month by an appeals court that states have a role in regulating sports-related event contracts.
A data-sharing clause derailed US-Zimbabwe health talks. Now all funding ends this month
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — The United States will end funding for Zimbabwe’s health programs at the end of September following the collapse of negotiations over a U.S.-proposed deal that Zimbabwe reje…
October Prime Day 2026: Amazon's biggest early deals from Hanes, DeWalt, Apple and more ahead of the Prime Big Deal Days event
We have the scoop on top pre-Prime Day discounts ahead of the October savings event, including tech must-haves, vacuums, fall style upgrades and more.
Iran has suggested a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in 7 days
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi detailed the proposal in a private gathering on Thursday
Iran has suggested a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in 7 days
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi detailed the proposal in a private gathering on Thursday
Knicks haven’t signed their best draft shooter yet
Training camp is close, and Tyler Nickel still does not have a signed deal with the Knicks. The 2026 second-round […]
Grizzlies' Most Realistic 2026-27 Outcome Could Be Ideal
The Grizzlies may hover around the Western Conference play-in race in 2026-27, an outcome that could balance development with favorable lottery positioning.
Pioneer of China NewCo model sued in US over trade secret misuse, double-dealing
A legal feud unfolding in New York is putting a spotlight on the work of a business development veteran who is credited for pioneering one of biopharma’s hottest dealmaking mechanism: the China “NewCo” model. In a lawsuit originally filed in New York state court and recently moved to federal court, China’s Lepu Medical Technology has alleged that biopharma business development consultant Su Zhang, who was hired to help shop its GLP-1 weight-loss candidates to Western partners, engaged in corporate double-dealing and trade secret leaks. According to the complaint, while acting as Lepu’s primary dealmaking liaison for a group of obesity and metabolic disease drug candidates, Zhang was secretly double-dipping as the acting chief business officer for a direct competitor, BrightGene Pharmaceutical. “She never adequately disclosed the role, never sought Lepu’s consent, and never proposed any safeguard,” Lepu alleged in its complaint, which was filed in July after Zhang’s consulting firm, CoDevCo, sought certain transaction-based success fees from its angry customer through an arbitration process in Singapore. Lepu, the parent company of Lepu Biopharma, has asked Zhang to pay back its $500,000 retainer and disgorge all benefits she received during the alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, plus other damages and relief. The company has also requested the court grant injunctions to protect Lepu’s trade secrets. The ill-fated partnership officially kicked off in December 2024, when Lepu tapped CoDevCo as its “exclusive business development mechanism” to identify collaborators for the company’s drug candidates. According to Lepu’s complaint, Zhang personally negotiated and signed the agreement as managing director for CoDevCo, which used her home address. Before the Lepu deal, Zhang made a name following a short stint as the global head of business development for Hengrui Pharmaceuticals. It was during her tenure that Hengrui signed a landmark deal granting exclusive rights for a portfolio of GLP-1 assets to Hercules, which was at that time newly established by a group of private equity and venture capital firms. In addition to the regular upfront and milestone payments, Hengrui also gained an equity stake in Hercules, which later became Kailera Therapeutics. The Hengrui-Hercules deal opened a new paradigm, where a Chinese biopharma company spins off certain early-stage assets to investors for further development through the creation of a new company abroad. The “NewCo” model quickly came into vogue as it allows Western investors to access high-potential assets originating from China at an early stage while giving the Chinese licensors an opportunity to reap long-term benefits through equity stakes in the new firms. The NewCo model proved its value when Kailera staged a record-breaking $625 million IPO on Nasdaq this April, merely two years into the Hengrui deal. Related Kailera CEO 'knew we were in a good spot' before obesity biotech's record-breaking $625M IPO On her LinkedIn page, Zhang described her work at Hengrui as “[b]uilding team and capability from the ground up,” forming NewCo and major pharma partnerships worth billions of dollars. Lepu clearly wanted that kind of track record to help boost its own cardiometabolic portfolio, which includes a range of assets for obesity, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and muscle preservation during weight loss treatment. “Lepu’s pipeline is very valuable, but only if Lepu could secure the right international partner to expand into the overseas market during the available commercial window,” the company argued in its complaint. The Chinese biotech said it had little knowledge of U.S. laws, customs or business practices in the business development field, and therefore “needed to rely entirely” on the expertise of Zhang and her team as the firm’s first engagement of a U.S.-based BD consultant. “Zhang’s dominating influence on the business development strategy is further evidenced by the fact that she personally controlled the business-development communications on behalf of Lepu with potential partners,” Lepu said in its complaint. After entering the deal, Zhang introduced Lepu to her four associates. According to Lepu’s version of events, all of them were allegedly employed at different time points to perform similar jobs at other Chinese companies that Lepu described as its competitors, while having access to Lepu’s confidential information. As such, Lepu described Zhang’s team as “a roster of individuals whose primary professional loyalty, by virtue of their concurrent full-time employment, ran to Lepu’s competitors.” As well as the specific examples set out in the case, a look at Lepu’s deals over the period suggests Zhang may have been involved in at least one transaction. During their partnership, Lepu, through its subsidiary Shanghai Minwei Biotechnology, also out-licensed its GLP-1/GIP/FGF21 agonist MWN105 to a NewCo called Sidera Bio in the fall of 2025. The deal included an upfront and near-term payment of $35 million, up to $1.01 billion in milestones, and a 9.99% stake in the Danish startup. It seems likely that Zhang facilitated the Minwei deal given that Lepu is on record as having used CoDevCo as its “exclusive business development mechanism.” The big shock for Lepu came in the form of a news article on June 25, 2025. The article, reporting on phase 2 data for BrightGene’s GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist BGM0504, identified Zhang as acting chief business officer of the Lepu rival. Blindsided by her association with BrightGene, Lepu confronted Zhang in July 2025. “Lepu was given assurances that there was nothing to be concerned about and told that Zhang would explain the matter to Lepu,” Lepu alleged in its complaint. “Zhang never did.” Lepu claimed that Zhang had the motive and opportunity to steer potential prospective partners toward BrightGene or other competitors. Later, in February 2026, one of Zhang’s associates joined BrightGene as the vice president for global business development, according to the complaint. Around the same time, Lepu sent written demand letters asking Zhang to account for her BrightGene role, identify what confidential data were shared with the rival firm, and provide any conflict-of-interest or firewall policies during the engagement. According to Lepu, neither CoDevCo nor Zhang answered the questions in their responses. Related Novo vs. KBP: How a $1.3B deal turned into a fraud accusation and an international legal fight In a motion to dismiss filed with the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York on Sept. 4, Zhang’s legal team argued that Lepu’s agreement was signed with CoDevCo, and that an employee of the contractor does not owe fiduciary duties to the client. In its complaint, Lepu said: “That CoDevCo was the contracting entity does not insulate Zhang from personal liability for duties she personally undertook and personally breached.” Taking the argument one step further, the defending party argued that the consulting agreement “does not create a fiduciary relationship even between CoDevCo and Lepu; instead, it identifies CoDevCo as an independent contractor retained to market Lepu’s business to potential western partners.” Although CoDevCo was Lepu’s exclusive business-development contractor, there were no terms stipulating that the consulting firm should serve only Lepu, Zhang’s lawyer noted. As to Lepu’s claims that Zhang misappropriated trade secrets, the defendant argued that Lepu authorized the use of the information so Zhang’s team could perform their service per the agreement. In a rebuttal filed on Sept. 11, Lepu’s lawyer set out why they believe the Chinese biotech satisfied New York law’s misappropriation definition by alleging that the defendant used a trade secret “in breach of a duty or through improper means.” As an alternative to dismissing the suit, the defendant suggested the action should be stayed pending outcomes from the arbitration of a separate case in Singapore. While NewCo pioneer Zhang is defending her business arrangements, momentum behind the NewCo trend has continued unabated into 2026. Through August, Chinese biotech assets have spurred 15 NewCo deals this year, according to local trade publication PharmaDJ.
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