A law firm has cleared a major US trade union of an explosive corruption allegation, but questions have been raised over its independence after it emerged the firm had previously been paid $11.6 million in fees by the same union. The case highlights concerns about potential conflicts of interest when organisations investigate allegations against clients who have long-standing financial relationships with them, a matter likely to fuel further scrutiny of internal union governance.

The law firm concluded it found no evidence to support the corruption claims levelled at the union, but critics argue that its prior financial ties to the union undermine the credibility of that finding. The full details of the original corruption allegation and the identity of the union were not fully specified in the available report, though the scale of the fees involved—$11.6 million—has become the central point of controversy.