Appellate

  • April 03, 2025

    Texas Appeals Court Reverses Exxon's $25M Insurance Win

    A Texas state appeals court reversed a $25 million judgment for Exxon Mobil on Thursday, finding that because of a policy exclusion, the company's excess insurer did not have to cover it in connection with a $35 million settlement following a deadly 2013 explosion at one of its facilities.

  • April 03, 2025

    Unvaxxed Firefighters Face Skeptical 9th Circ. In Firing Appeal

    A panel of Ninth Circuit judges questioned the argument made Thursday by eight Washington fire and rescue workers fired after refusing COVID-19 vaccinations, challenging their claim that COVID-19 infections did not create an undue hardship for their department.

  • April 03, 2025

    Ex-Judge, Profs Ask Justices To Weigh 9th Circ. Ch. 7 Ruling

    A former bankruptcy judge and five law professors have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit opinion protecting the state of Montana from a real estate mogul and Montana ski resort founder's bid for damages over an involuntary Chapter 7 the state initiated.

  • April 03, 2025

    Photographer Wants Justices To Look At 'Server Test'

    A Los Angeles-based photographer has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review his failed lawsuit against a travel website over embedding Instagram posts, challenging the Ninth Circuit's "server test" for determining liability for online copyright infringement claims.

  • April 03, 2025

    Carnival Knew Of Assault Risks In Teen's Case, 11th Circ. Told

    An attorney representing a Canadian woman who was sexually assaulted aboard a Carnival ship as a teenager in 2019 urged the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to reinstate her lawsuit against the cruise company, arguing that the incident was foreseeable given dozens of reports received years prior documenting similar events.

  • April 03, 2025

    Hospital Group Urges 4th Circ. To Undo Data Access Order

    Industry groups representing hospitals and health data companies have urged the Fourth Circuit to rethink its panel's dismissal of an appeal over an order forcing an electronic medical records company to let a nursing data company access patients' information, saying the order creates a financial burden on the healthcare system.

  • April 03, 2025

    Carrier Dealing Rule Is Fair, Maritime Regulator Tells DC Circ.

    The agency that regulates the U.S. international ocean transportation system had "ample authority" to issue a rule defining "unreasonable" refusals to negotiate on the part of ocean carriers, the regulator has argued in response to a challenge from an affected trade association.

  • April 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Doubts SuperValu's Bid To Lower $22.5M Pension Bill

    The Seventh Circuit appeared Thursday to lean against a grocery store's effort to lower its $22.5 million union pension bill, with multiple judges challenging the employer's argument that stores sold months before a complete fund withdrawal should be excluded from its annual payment calculation.

  • April 03, 2025

    Baby Food Suit Must Face Trial Or Calif. Panel, 9th Circ. Told

    Plum Organics buyers urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to ask the California Supreme Court to clarify Golden State's deception-by-omission law, or reverse Plum's summary judgment win and send to trial the consumers' allegations that the baby-food-maker failed to disclose potential toxins in its baby food products.

  • April 03, 2025

    Tribes, Great Lakes Group Seek Appeal Of Enbridge Decision

    Four tribes and a Great Lakes water protection group have asked the Michigan Supreme Court for leave to challenge a state public service commission decision as well as a subsequent appeals panel ruling that both favor Enbridge Energy's Line 5 tunnel project.

  • April 03, 2025

    Senate Confirms Trump Nominee For Solicitor General

    The Senate voted 52-45, along party lines, on Thursday to confirm Dean John Sauer, a former personal attorney of President Donald Trump, to be solicitor general of the United States.

  • April 03, 2025

    DC Circ. Steps In To Pause CFPB Order As Judge Denies Stay

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday put a temporary, limited hold on a federal judge's preliminary injunction barring further cuts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, even as the judge herself largely denied a Trump administration bid to stay it for appeal.

  • April 03, 2025

    Fulton Bank Keeps $7.7M Win In Pa. Development Loan Fight

    The Pennsylvania Superior Court has affirmed a $7.7 million judgment in favor of Fulton Bank in legal battle with developers over construction loans used to build a manufactured home community, reasoning the companies' arguments that they were entitled to a jury trial didn't move the needle in their favor.

  • April 03, 2025

    Ex-Cop Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Bias Suit Against Fla. City

    A former Opa-Locka, Florida, police officer has urged the Eleventh Circuit to revive her gender and age discrimination suit against the city over her termination after she filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • April 03, 2025

    Texas Appeals Court Backs UT Royalty Award In Pet Co. Suit

    A Texas appellate court on Thursday refused to undo a lower court's ruling over the amount a pet healthcare company owes in unpaid royalties to the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System for veterinary testing products.

  • April 03, 2025

    5th Circ. Upholds Shriners' Firing Of Unvaxxed Workers

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday refused to revive a lawsuit accusing Shriners Hospitals for Children of wrongfully firing employees who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, shooting down terminated workers' contention that the hospital, acting for the government, violated their right to refuse a vaccine through a mandatory vaccination policy.

  • April 03, 2025

    Justices' Ruling Empowers FDA To Rein In Vapes, Experts Say

    A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming federal regulators' authority to deny marketing applications for flavored vapes was noted as a victory for federal agency autonomy, but vaping industry interests said it could remove a crucial harm reduction tool.

  • April 03, 2025

    NC Panel Scraps Subrogation Suit Over Misidentified Plaintiff

    An insurer for a Hardee's restaurant can't revive its subrogation suit over a 2019 fire after it accidentally misnamed itself in the complaint, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled, finding the incorrectly identified plaintiff lacked standing to sue, and the complaint was a "nullity."

  • April 03, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Sides With USPTO In 'Atypical' Patent Appeal

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday tossed an "atypical" appeal from an inventor challenging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of claims in a patent he applied for that would have expired before it could have even been issued.

  • April 03, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs $10M Gas Royalty Judgment Against Antero

    A Sixth Circuit panel affirmed an Ohio district court ruling holding that Antero Resources Corp. underpaid a class of Buckeye State landowners $10 million by improperly deducting costs from their natural gas royalties.

  • April 03, 2025

    Fla. Atty Cites Law School Debt In Bid To Skip Conn. Oral Args

    A Florida employment attorney embroiled in state and federal proceedings over a judgment requiring him to repay his ex's $30,000 contribution toward his law school loans says he can't afford to travel to Connecticut to argue an appeal because his debts and lack of income while traveling make in-person attendance difficult.

  • April 03, 2025

    11th Circ. Urged To End For-Cause Firing Of Tax Court Judges

    A widow and former licensed practical nurse urged the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to eliminate a code provision that only allows for-cause removal of U.S. Tax Court judges — saying it restricts presidential power — or else declare the provision unconstitutional because the Tax Court isn't a part of the executive branch.

  • April 03, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says NLRB Severance Doesn't Stop Enforcement

    The Second Circuit has joined a handful of other circuits in finding that it can rule on a National Labor Relations Board enforcement request when the agency has severed part of the underlying case, rejecting a broadcaster's bid to escape an order to bargain.

  • April 03, 2025

    'No Serious Question' Federal Firings Broke Law, Justices Told

    Federal employee unions and advocacy groups urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to reject the Trump administration's bid to pause a California court order reinstating tens of thousands of probationary workers fired from six agencies, arguing the government can't escape self-inflicted harms brought on by its allegedly unlawful actions.

  • April 03, 2025

    Pa. Transit Agency Beats Appeal In Platform Collapse Case

    The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority did not have "constructive notice" that a train platform was defective or dangerous before it crumbled beneath a commuter, so it was protected from her lawsuit by sovereign immunity, a state appellate panel ruled Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar

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    A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Insurers Should Know About AI Use In Litigation

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    As the use of artificial intelligence in litigation evolves, insurers should note standing court orders, instances of judges utilizing AI to determine policy definitions and the application of evidentiary standards to expert evidence that incorporates AI, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • UK Lawyers Can Access Broad US Discovery To Win Cases

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    Given its breadth, U.S. discovery can be a powerful tool in litigation in the U.K. and other jurisdictions outside the U.S., and a survey of recent cases indicates that discovery requests made in the U.S. are likely to be granted — with many applications even proceeding without contest, say lawyers at Miller & Chevalier.

  • 7 Employment Contracts Issues Facing DOL Scrutiny

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    A growing trend of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement against employment practices that limit workers' rights and avoid legal responsibility shines a light on seven unique contractual provisions that violate federal labor laws, and face agressive litigation from the labor solicitor, says Thomas Starks at Freeman Mathis.

  • Ruling Shows High Court Willing To Limit Immigration Review

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Bouarfa v. Mayorkas is the latest demonstration of the court’s readiness to limit judicial review in the immigration space, a notable break from other recent decisions that expanded judicial review of agency decisions in other areas, says Mark Fleming at WilmerHale.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Managing Litigation Side-Switching During 2nd Trump Admin

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    Now that the new presidential administration is in place, the government will likely switch positions in a number of pending cases, and stakeholders should employ strategies to protect their interests, say attorneys at Covington.

  • High Court Unlikely To Expand FSIA In Holocaust Asset Fight

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    Not surprisingly for a court where the majority are strict textualists, the U.S. Supreme Court justices appear poised to rule in favor of Hungary in Republic of Hungary v. Simon, reaffirming the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act as a narrow exception to jurisdiction, say attorneys at Lewis Baach.

  • The Fed. Circ. In 2024: 5 Major Rulings To Know

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    In 2024, the Federal Circuit provided a number of important clarifications to distinct areas of patent law – including design patent obviousness, expert testimony admissions and patent term adjustments – all of which are poised to have an influence going forward, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Mass Arbitration Procedures After Faulty Live Nation Ruling

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    Despite the Ninth Circuit's flawed reasoning in Heckman v. Live Nation, the exceptional allegations of collusive conduct shouldn't be read to restrict arbitration providers that have adopted good faith procedures to ensure that consumer mass arbitrations can be efficiently resolved on the merits, says Collin Vierra at Eimer Stahl.

  • Lessons From Two New Year's Eve Uptier Exchange Decisions

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    On the last day of 2024, two different courts issued important decisions relating to non-pro rata uptier exchanges — and while they differ, both rulings highlight that transactions effected in reliance on undefined terms in debt agreements come with increased risk, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

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    If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.

  • Issues To Watch In 2025's ERISA Litigation Landscape

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    Whether 2024’s uptick in new Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases will continue this year will likely depend on federal courts’ resolution of several issues, including those related to excessive fees, defined contribution plan forfeitures, and pleading standards for ERISA-prohibited transaction claims, say attorneys at Groom Law.

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