Lawyers in the closely watched settlement over Bluetooth hearing-loss litigation defended the deal this week against renewed objections by class action critic Ted Frank. Frank, who represents seven class members, had objected to the original deal, prompting the Ninth Circuit to reject it.

Over the course of three long days this week, Roger Ackman, Imperial Tobacco’s general counsel from 1972 to 1999, sat in the hot seat where no GC ever wants to be — as a trial witness being grilled by a plaintiffs lawyer over the destruction of company research reports on the risks of smoking.

A year and a half after unleashing a series of securities class actions against the for-profit college industry, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd isn’t having much luck keeping the cases on track. The latest blow came this week, when a federal judge in Chicago dismissed a shareholder suit against DeVry Inc.

A lively panel discussion this week on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which included former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, offered insights into anticipated FCPA guidance from the Justice Department. There was a general consensus that much of the pressure for clarification was coming from outside the United States.

As the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments this week on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, one thing is sure: Some business interests will win, no matter which way the justices rule. And general counsel are watching the action closely.