Case: Legion LegalTech, Corp. v. United States Of America

1:26-cv-02225 | U.S. District Court for the District of District of Columbia

Filed Date: June 23, 2026

Case Ongoing

Clearinghouse coding in progress

Case Summary

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.) Legion LegalTech, Corp., a U.S.-based litigation-technology company and a commercial customer of Anthropic with a contractual license to use Anthropic's Fable 5 model, filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on June 23, 2026 against the United States of America, US Department of Commerce, Secretary of Commerce, Under Secretary of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Executive Office of the Presiden…

(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.)

Legion LegalTech, Corp., a U.S.-based litigation-technology company and a commercial customer of Anthropic with a contractual license to use Anthropic's Fable 5 model, filed this lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on June 23, 2026 against the United States of America, US Department of Commerce, Secretary of Commerce, Under Secretary of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Executive Office of the President, and individual defendants. 

Legion filed this lawsuit in response to a June 12, 2026 directive from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), an agency within the Department of Commerce (DOC). BIS sent Anthropic a letter directing Anthropic to suspend access to its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 artificial-intelligence models for “any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States, including foreign-national Anthropic employees,” under threat of criminal and civil penalties. The government justified the suspension by pointing to a "jailbreak" that let the model review third-party software code and identify flaws, a capability it characterized as a national security threat.

Legion claims the BIS directive misconstrues ECRA and EAR. Legion alleges that to the extent the directive rests on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the directive violates IEEPA’s §1702(b)(3) exclusion of informational materials from presidential authority, was issued without the national-emergency declaration required by §1701(a), and claims authority of vast economic and political significance that IEEPA does not clearly confer. Legion further alleges the directive is arbitrary and capricious under the § 706(2)(A) of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). 

Legion seeks a declaratory judgment that the directive is unlawful and void, vacatur, preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, and a stay of the directive.

People

For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73520460/parties/legion-legaltech-corp-v-united-states-of-america/


Judge(s)

Leon, Richard J. (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Plaintiff

Ewing, Gregory L. (District of Columbia)

Shutzer, Diana Lyn (District of Columbia)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document
1

1:26-cv-02225

Complaint For: (1) Ultra Vires - Excess Of Export Control Authority (2) Ultra Vires Under Ieepa / Violation Of The Berman Informational-materials Exemption (3) Apa - Arbitrary And Capricious Agency Action

Legion LegalTech, Corp. v. United States Of America 1:26-cv-02225

June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

Complaint

Resources

Docket

See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73520460/legion-legaltech-corp-v-united-states-of-america/

Last updated July 3, 2026, 3:06 a.m.

ECF Number Description Date Link Date / Link
1

COMPLAINT against BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DOE DEFENDANTS 1-10, EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, JEFFREY KESSLER, HOWARD LUTNICK, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ( Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ADCDC-12503748) filed by LEGION LEGALTECH, CORP.. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet, # 2 Summons for USA, # 3 Summons for Commerce, # 4 Summons for Lutnick, # 5 Summons for Bureau of Industry and Security, # 6 Summons for Kessler, # 7 Summons for the Executive Office of the President, # 8 Summons for U.S. Attorney General, # 9 Summons for Pirro)(Shutzer, Diana Lyn) (Entered: 06/23/2026)

1 Civil Cover Sheet

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2 Summons for USA

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3 Summons for Commerce

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4 Summons for Lutnick

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5 Summons for Bureau of Industry and Security

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6 Summons for Kessler

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7 Summons for the Executive Office of the President

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8 Summons for U.S. Attorney General

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9 Summons for Pirro

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June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

Clearinghouse
2

NOTICE of Appearance by Gregory L. Ewing on behalf of LEGION LEGALTECH, CORP. (Ewing, Gregory) (Entered: 06/23/2026)

June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

3

MOTION for Preliminary Injunction by LEGION LEGALTECH, CORP.. (Attachments: # 1 Declaration of A. Rothrock, # 2 Exhibit A, # 3 Exhibit B, # 4 Exhibit C, # 5 Text of Proposed Order)(Ewing, Gregory) (Entered: 06/23/2026)

1 Declaration of A. Rothrock

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2 Exhibit A

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3 Exhibit B

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4 Exhibit C

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5 Text of Proposed Order

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June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

RECAP
4

MOTION to Take Judicial Notice in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction by LEGION LEGALTECH, CORP.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit 1, # 2 Exhibit 2, # 3 Exhibit 3, # 4 Exhibit 4, # 5 Exhibit 5, # 6 Exhibit 6)(Ewing, Gregory) (Entered: 06/23/2026)

1 Exhibit 1

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2 Exhibit 2

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3 Exhibit 3

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4 Exhibit 4

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5 Exhibit 5

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6 Exhibit 6

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June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

RECAP
5

SUMMONS (7) Issued Electronically as to BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, JEFFREY KESSLER, HOWARD LUTNICK, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Attorney General (Attachments: # 1 Notice and Consent)(znmw) (Entered: 06/23/2026)

June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

Case Assigned/Reassigned

June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

Case Assigned to Judge Richard J. Leon. (znmw)

June 23, 2026

June 23, 2026

6

LCvR 26.1 CERTIFICATE OF DISCLOSURE of Corporate Affiliations and Financial Interests by LEGION LEGALTECH, CORP. (Shutzer, Diana Lyn) (Entered: 06/25/2026)

June 25, 2026

June 25, 2026

.Order AND ~Util - Set/Reset Deadlines

June 25, 2026

June 25, 2026

Order

June 25, 2026

June 25, 2026

MINUTE ORDER. Regarding plaintiff's 3 Motion for Preliminary Injunction, it is hereby ORDERED that defendants shall file a response by July 14, 2026. Plaintiff shall file its reply (if any) by July 21, 2026. The Court will hold a hearing on the motion no earlier than the week of July 27, 2026, with the precise date and time to be determined. SO ORDERED. Signed by Judge Richard J. Leon on 6/25/2026. (lcrjl1)

June 25, 2026

June 25, 2026

.Order AND ~Util - Set/Reset Hearings

July 1, 2026

July 1, 2026

Case Details

State / Territory:

District of Columbia

Case Type(s):

National Security

Special Collection(s):

Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government

Key Dates

Filing Date: June 23, 2026

Case Ongoing: Yes

Case Details

Other Dockets:

District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-02225

Available Documents:

Complaint (any)

Trial Court Docket

Recommended Citation