In Summer 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a strongly worded decision in In Re: FirstEnergy Corporation (No. 24-3654)—confirming the core concept that internal investigations conducted by counsel and in anticipation of litigation are privileged and protected from disclosure. When securities plaintiffs in the case sweepingly sought all documents “related to the internal investigation,” the district court incorrectly ordered their production. After much legal wrangling, the Sixth Circuit rebuked the district court on August 7, 2025, and reaffirmed in a per curiam opinion filed October 3, 2025.
The Supreme Court recently granted certiorari in In re Grand Jury to resolve a circuit split regarding what standard governs the application of the attorney-client privilege to dual-purpose communications, that is communications which contain both legal and non-legal advice. The petition was filed on behalf of an unnamed law firm which asserted the privilege in response to a federal grand jury subpoena.
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