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North Carolina
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April 15, 2024
Oil Co. Warns NC Justices Of 'Unfair' Results In Taking Case
An oil company and two other former plaintiffs from a settled state government land-taking proposed class action have warned the North Carolina Supreme Court that if the justices affirm an intermediate appellate ruling in a similar case, they would be reinforcing "unfair, unequal, disparate and divergent" treatment of property owners.
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April 15, 2024
4th Circ. Upholds W.Va.'s Win In Coal Mine Cleanup Suit
The Fourth Circuit on Monday affirmed a West Virginia federal court's order ending developers' allegations that the state's environmental regulators' reclamation efforts at an old coal mining site constituted illegal dumping, finding the lower court correctly concluded the efforts are exempt from regulations prohibiting open dumps.
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April 15, 2024
4th Circ. Affirms Timberland Boots' Trade Dress Bid Denial
The Fourth Circuit decided Monday that a Virginia federal judge correctly denied trade dress registration for Timberland's Icon Boot, saying in a published opinion the lower court did not err in concluding the design elements the company wanted to register were ineligible because they had not acquired distinctive meaning in consumers' minds.
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April 15, 2024
Justices Won't Review ERISA Suit Over Heart Transplant
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review the Fourth Circuit's decision only partially reviving a suit brought by the mother of a deceased airline worker whose employer refused to cover his heart transplant surgery until after his death.
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April 12, 2024
Republicans Warn CFPB Against Pursuing Arbitration Rule 2.0
Two Republican lawmakers are cautioning the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau against heeding calls for another rulemaking to restrict arbitration provisions in consumer financial contracts, warning that such an effort would be a "significant abuse" of the agency's authority.
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April 12, 2024
Software Co. Hit With Patent Suit Over Data Tracker
A software developer has accused a rival of infringing patents that allow businesses to track a website user's browsing data without using third-party cookies, costing the developer profits.
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April 12, 2024
Atrium Stakes Claim To Trust Of Prominent NC Textile Family
Atrium Health is looking to sack trustees currently standing in the way of the hospital system inheriting a substantial sum of money from one of North Carolina's most prominent families, saying the trustees have refused to pay its distributions and are hiding information.
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April 12, 2024
NC Auto Parts Co. Settling Feds' Emissions-Cheating Claims
The U.S. government and a North Carolina auto parts seller are close to settling a lawsuit alleging the company sold equipment to overwrite vehicle emissions controls, according to a joint motion to stay the litigation so the two sides can finalize a deal.
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April 12, 2024
Mogul Aims To Trace Part Of Alleged $35M Hack Payout To Atty
An airline mogul has doubled down on a bid to access the bank records of a North Carolina attorney and ex-FBI agent, saying those records will help "follow the money" to prove a large-scale hacking conspiracy against him that he claims involves a $35 million payout.
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April 12, 2024
Chubb Unit Must Contribute To Fatal Crash Deal, Lowe's Says
A Chubb unit wrongly refused to contribute its $10 million policy limits to a settlement in a Texas state court suit over a crash involving a Lowe's employee that killed an infant and seriously injured the child's parents, the home improvement giant has told a North Carolina federal court.
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April 11, 2024
State Rules Can't 'Obliterate' Federal Rights, Justices Told
The U.S. Supreme Court must clarify that states are categorically prohibited from requiring plaintiffs to exhaust local administrative remedies before pursuing claims that state officials violated federal rights, several Alabamans told the court Thursday, warning that state prerequisites obliterate federal rights.
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April 11, 2024
Pool Co. Gets Rival's Assets Frozen After False Ads Verdict
A North Carolina federal judge on Thursday temporarily froze the assets of a Chinese manufacturer of pool products and its American subsidiary after they were hit with a multimillion-dollar verdict for false advertising and unfair business practices, citing a concern they may move assets to try and duck payment.
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April 11, 2024
Insurer Drops Suit After Evidence Clears Stihl In Fire Case
Pennsylvania National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co. agreed Wednesday to drop a lawsuit in North Carolina federal court seeking to hold Stihl Inc. liable for fire damages at a policyholder's home after evidence showed a hedge-trimmer battery didn't cause the fire.
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April 11, 2024
Software Co., NC Officials Want Out Of Digital Courts Row
Software company Tyler Technologies, North Carolina court administrators and two sheriffs have asked a federal court to release them from a proposed class action alleging the state's new digital filing system has led to unlawful arrests and detentions.
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April 11, 2024
NC Justices Hint Holtzman Vogel Immune In Defamation Case
The North Carolina Supreme Court's Republican majority seems poised to reverse a Court of Appeals decision forcing Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC to face voters' defamation claims, with one justice lamenting that revoking the law firm's privilege defense could upend decades of case law in the Tar Heel State.
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April 10, 2024
No Retrial Over NC Farm Worker's $2.5M Severed Foot Verdict
A North Carolina farm failed in its bid for a new trial following a $2.5 million verdict against it, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, as a worker who lost his foot to a grain silo auger had enough evidence to support the award.
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April 10, 2024
Emissions Rules' Foes May Be Forced To Yield To Automakers
Potential challengers of vehicle emissions rules were shown they're not necessarily in the drivers' seat on the issue when the D.C. Circuit upheld California's authority to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards and run a zero-emission vehicles program while citing the auto industry's peace with the regulations.
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April 10, 2024
4th Circ. Sides With CMS' Definition Of 'Line-Extension Drug'
The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a summary judgment ruling in favor of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in a rule challenge by Vanda Pharmaceuticals, which took issue with the agency's criteria for what constitutes a line-extension drug.
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April 10, 2024
Novant Wants Fired Exec's Atty Fees Cut After Trip To 4th Circ.
An attorney representing a former Novant Health executive should receive about $140,000 after prevailing on claims that his client was fired for being white amid a diversity push, the healthcare network said, urging a North Carolina federal judge to reduce the ex-executive's request for about $152,000 in attorney fees.
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April 10, 2024
Honeywell Sues Insurer For $8.75M Performance Bond
A company that issued a $8.75 million performance bond is refusing to honor its deal with Honeywell International Inc. after a subcontractor declared bankruptcy and didn't finish its work at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania, Honeywell claims in a suit filed Tuesday in Pennsylvania federal court.
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April 10, 2024
Beer Biz Investors Beg NC Justices To Clear Legal Haze
Former shareholders looking to revive their fraud suit against the CEO of a beverage company and his wife asked the North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday to tie up an unsettled area of fiduciary law, saying a lower court's disparate jurisprudence "cries out" for clarity.
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April 10, 2024
NC Justices Doubt Homeowner's Attic Fall Suit Can Go To Jury
The North Carolina Supreme Court appeared likely Wednesday to rule against a homeowner who fell through an attic hole left by a builder, with the justices suggesting her actions may have played a part in her injury.
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April 10, 2024
Settlements Prompt SC Cheer Abuse Case Dismissal
Four suits levying sexual abuse allegations against competitive cheerleading's power brokers have been tossed from South Carolina federal court as a series of settlements have shifted the focus of the litigation from corporate giants to individual gyms and coaches.
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April 10, 2024
Feds Cleared To Use Undercover Recording In Atty's Tax Trial
Federal prosecutors trying an attorney next week on charges he orchestrated a tax fraud scheme that spanned seven states will be allowed to play for the jury an audio recording made by an undercover agent, a North Carolina federal judge ruled.
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April 09, 2024
4th Circ. Unravels MetLife's Win In Benefits Denial Suit
The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday reinstated a policyholder's lawsuit accusing Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. of wrongly cutting off his long-term disability benefits payments, saying a new precedent requires a bench trial in the dispute.
Expert Analysis
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After Headwinds, 2024 May See Offshore Wind Momentum
Despite skyrocketing raw material costs, conflicting state and federal policies, and other setbacks for the offshore wind sector in 2023, the industry appears poised for growth in the coming year, with improving economics, more flexible procurement procedures and increasing legislative support, say Emily Huggins Jones and Ben Cowan at Locke Lord.
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Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends
Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.
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The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023
A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.
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Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities
Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.
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In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023
Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.
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How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season
Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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A Look At FedNow Liability Allocation And A 4th Circ. Toss-Up
Dsu-Wei Yuen and Andrew Lorentz at Davis Wright break down the current legal requirements that are directly applicable to common electronic payment systems like FedNow and Automated Clearing House and how they could be affected by a decision in Studco v. 1st Advantage Credit Union, currently on appeal in the Fourth Circuit.
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Series
Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.
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How Clients May Use AI To Monitor Attorneys
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly enable clients to monitor and evaluate their counsel’s activities, so attorneys must clearly define the terms of engagement and likewise take advantage of the efficiencies offered by AI, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
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Series
The Pop Culture Docket: Judge D'Emic On Moby Grape
The 1968 Moby Grape song "Murder in My Heart for the Judge" tells the tale of a fictional defendant treated with scorn by the judge, illustrating how much the legal system has evolved in the past 50 years, largely due to problem-solving courts and the principles of procedural justice, says Kings County Supreme Court Administrative Judge Matthew D'Emic.
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Series
Performing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The discipline of performing live music has directly and positively influenced my effectiveness as a litigator — serving as a reminder that practice, intuition and team building are all important elements of a successful law practice, says Jeff Wakolbinger at Bryan Cave.
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Breaking Down High Court's New Code Of Conduct
The U.S. Supreme Court recently adopted its first-ever code of conduct, and counsel will need to work closely with clients in navigating its provisions, from gift-giving to recusal bids, say Phillip Gordon and Mateo Forero at Holtzman Vogel.
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Opinion
Legal Profession Gender Parity Requires Equal Parental Leave
To truly foster equity in the legal profession and to promote attorney retention, workplaces need to better support all parents, regardless of gender — starting by offering equal and robust parental leave to both birthing and non-birthing parents, says Ali Spindler at Irwin Fritchie.
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Series
Writing Thriller Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Authoring several thriller novels has enriched my work by providing a fresh perspective on my privacy practice, expanding my knowledge, and keeping me alert to the next wave of issues in an increasingly complex space — a reminder to all lawyers that extracurricular activities can help sharpen professional instincts, says Reece Hirsch at Morgan Lewis.
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What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance
Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.