Appellate

  • July 25, 2024

    6th Circ. Judge Questions GM's Arbitration Argument Delay

    A Sixth Circuit judge pressed General Motors on Thursday about why it waited three years to argue that some plaintiffs were bound by arbitration agreements in a class action over allegedly defective transmissions, saying a major car company should be aware most consumers sign such contracts.

  • July 25, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Axes 'Trump Too Small' Holding After Justices' Rule

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday vacated its 2022 ruling that California attorney Steve Elster should be allowed to register "Trump Too Small" as a trademark after the U.S. Supreme Court concluded he could not because the "names clause" of the Lanham Act prohibits registering a name as a mark without that person's permission.

  • July 25, 2024

    Ohio Board Incorrectly Calculated Land, Improvement Value

    An Ohio warehouse property had its land value incorrectly increased to $1.2 million, from $715,000, a state appeals court ruled Thursday after finding no evidence was presented that warranted a change in its value.

  • July 25, 2024

    The 5 Biggest Mass. Top Court Rulings Of 2024 So Far

    It was an eventful first half of 2024 for Massachusetts' top appellate panel, which issued a landmark sentencing ruling, weighed in on time limits in civil cases and addressed whether an attorney falling asleep mid-trial is grounds for a successful appeal.

  • July 25, 2024

    Calif. Appeals Court Revives Roadside Attraction Challenges

    A California state appeals court revived two suits targeting San Benito County approvals for a roadside attraction proposed to be built along Highway 101, holding that the Center for Biological Diversity and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band filed timely challenges to the so-called Betabel Road project.

  • July 25, 2024

    Dems, And Now Biden, Contemplate Supreme Court Reform

    On the heels of President Joe Biden saying he will push for U.S. Supreme Court reform in the final months of his presidency, two Democratic lawmakers on Thursday rallied to promote a bill that would increase the number of seats on the court from nine to 13.

  • July 25, 2024

    Ex-Conn. Tax Official Cites 'Just Cause' To Challenge Firing

    A former high-level legal director at the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services has asked the state's intermediate appellate court to reverse her termination, saying the agency, an employment review board and a state trial court judge all failed to apply "just cause" standards to her firing as a managerial worker.

  • July 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Enters Fray On Venue For Immigration Appeals

    The Third Circuit has transferred an immigration case to the Sixth Circuit, finding that court to be the appropriate venue for an appeal stemming from an immigration case involving virtual appearances from multiple remote locations, because the complaint underlying the matter was filed in Ohio.

  • July 25, 2024

    Full Fed. Circ. Refuses To Review Scope Of Oil Pipe Duties

    The full Federal Circuit refused to disturb a panel decision blessing the U.S. Department of Commerce's expansion of a decades-old antidumping duty order on Thai pipes.

  • July 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Says Service Flub Sinks SEC's Ponzi Scheme Win

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday vacated a $500,000 default judgment against a Swiss resident accused of operating a $1.4 million Ponzi scheme, finding email service used by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was improper under the Hague Service Convention.

  • July 25, 2024

    Web Designer Seeks $2M Atty Fees After High Court Win

    A Christian web designer and her company have asked a Colorado federal court to award her nearly $2 million in legal fees, arguing that their journey to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled the state can't force the designer to make wedding websites for same-sex couples, was "long, complex and ground-breaking."

  • July 25, 2024

    4th Circ. Vacates FTC Loss After Novant Bows Out Of Merger

    The Fourth Circuit has agreed to vacate a North Carolina federal judge's ruling allowing Novant Health's planned $320 million hospital merger to advance after the Federal Trade Commission secured an emergency injunction on appeal that effectively killed the deal.

  • July 25, 2024

    11th Circ. Sets Briefing Schedule In Mar-A-Lago Docs Appeal

    Briefing in special counsel Jack Smith's appeal of the dismissal of the classified documents criminal case against former President Donald Trump will run through mid-October, according to a scheduling notice from the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday.

  • July 25, 2024

    Pa. Justices To Weigh Rules For Tossing Provisional Votes

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania will expedite an appeal to clarify the rules for accepting or tossing certain provisional votes, in a case brought by candidates in a tight race for a seat in Pennsylvania's House of Representatives.

  • July 25, 2024

    The Biggest Copyright Decisions Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    The justices ruled there's no time limit for how far back copyright plaintiffs can pursue infringement damages as long as their claims are timely, and an Ohio jury said video game developers didn't infringe a tattoo artist's works by depicting the images on basketball players. Here's a look at some of the most notable copyright decisions so far in 2024.

  • July 25, 2024

    2nd Circ. Revives NYC's Coverage Rift With Captive Insurer

    The Second Circuit revived New York City's coverage dispute against a captive insurer, reversing a lower court's finding that it lacked diversity jurisdiction after having already granted the city an early win on the coverage issues.

  • July 25, 2024

    Mass. Court Revives Malpractice Suit Over Late Arbitration

    Massachusetts' intermediate-level appellate court on Thursday revived a legal malpractice suit against a pair of attorneys who allegedly waited too long to file an arbitration on their client's behalf, finding that a lower court was wrong to grant the lawyers a pretrial win.

  • July 25, 2024

    Calif. Justices Rule Prop 22 Is Constitutional

    The California Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Proposition 22 statewide ballot measure from 2020 that exempts certain app-based drivers from the state's independent contractor classification law, a ruling that could have widespread consequences for the gig economy and driver litigation.

  • July 24, 2024

    FTC Chair Wary AI Tools Can Be Used For Corporate Collusion

    Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan weighed in on a host of topics during a discussion Wednesday at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, expressing concerns about the agency's high legal bills for expert witnesses and describing AI price-setting tools as a potential loophole for collusion.

  • July 24, 2024

    SEC Unlikely To Relitigate Loss On Hedge Fund Regs

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appears ready to accept defeat in its efforts to require more detailed disclosures from private fund managers, with attorneys saying the agency's continued silence since last month's Fifth Circuit loss likely indicates it will not press the issue any further.

  • July 24, 2024

    11th Circ. Says Nokia Unit Immune From Worker's Negligence Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday declined to revive a suit against Nokia subsidiary SAC Wireless LLC by a worker who was electrocuted and seriously injured while helping remove a crane from a cell tower site in Georgia, ruling that the worker was an employee of a subcontractor, not SAC Wireless.

  • July 24, 2024

    Solicitor General Warns Against Feds 'Winning At All Costs'

    U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar underscored the importance of the federal government ensuring justice is served and not "winning at all costs" during a keynote speech Wednesday at the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, defending the DOJ's changed position in a high court case concerning a criminal defendant's right to a jury trial.

  • July 24, 2024

    FERC Can't Give Pipeline More Time, Green Groups Say

    Conservation groups are urging the D.C. Circuit to throw out a three-year deadline extension the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted for the completion of a southern extension of the controversial Mountain Valley pipeline.

  • July 24, 2024

    9th Circ. Wants Migrant's Credibility Reviewed After Atty Trick

    A split Ninth Circuit panel has ordered an immigration judge to reconsider a Chinese asylum seeker's credibility, saying Wednesday that they incorrectly deemed her untruthful based on her flustered behavior after a government attorney gave her information that turned out to be false.

  • July 24, 2024

    Pfizer's Fuel Cells Can't Be Taxed, Conn. Justices Rule

    A fuel cell module that powers Pfizer Inc.'s research campus in Groton, Connecticut, is not subject to personal property taxes, the state's high court ruled Wednesday, upholding a lower court decision that allowed FuelCell Inc. to avoid several multimillion-dollar local tax assessments and penalties.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Purdue Ch. 11 Ruling Reinforces Importance Of D&O Coverage

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, holding that a Chapter 11 reorganization cannot discharge claims against a nondebtor without affected claimants' consent, will open new litigation pathways surrounding corporate insolvency and increase the importance of robust directors and officers insurance, says Evan Bolla at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Fed. Circ. Percipient Gov't Contract Ruling Is Groundbreaking

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    The effects of the Federal Circuit's decision last month in Percipient.ai v. U.S. may be limited to commercial product and service suppliers, but it is significant for government procurement in opening the door to protests by suppliers who previously would have lacked standing and Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    After Chevron: No Deference, No Difference For SEC Or CFTC

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    The Chevron doctrine did not fundamentally alter the interplay between the courts and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the development of the securities and commodities laws — and its demise will not do so either, says Dan Berkovitz at Millennium Management.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • When Patents As Loan Collateral Can Cost You Standing

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Intellectual Tech v. Zebra Technologies shines a light on loan default provisions' implications for patent infringement litigation, as a default may inadvertently strip a patent owner of constitutional standing to sue over a patent pledged as collateral, say Joseph Marinelli and Suet L. Lee at Irwin IP.

  • Justices' Bribery Ruling: A Corrupt Act Isn't Necessarily Illegal

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    In its Snyder v. U.S. decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a bribery law does not criminalize gratuities, continuing a trend of narrowing federal anti-corruption laws and scrutinizing public corruption prosecutions that go beyond obvious quid pro quo schemes, say Carrie Cohen and Christine Wong at MoFo.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.

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    In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • 6 PTAB Events To Know From The Last 6 Months

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    The first half of 2024 brought a flurry of Patent Trial and Appeal Board developments that should be considered in post-grant strategies, including proposed rules on discretionary denial and director review, and the first decisions of the Delegated Rehearing Panel, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • Key Takeaways From High Court's Substitute Expert Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Smith v. Arizona decision, holding that the confrontation clause generally bars prosecutors’ use of a substitute expert witness at trial, will have the most impact in narcotics and violent crime cases, but creative defense lawyers may find it useful in white collar cases, too, say Joshua Naftalis and Melissa Kelley at Pallas Partners.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Parsing Justices' Toss Of Purdue's Controversial Ch. 11 Plan

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent nixing of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 proposal prevents the Sackler family from settling thousands of civil opioid lawsuits without the consent of all of the plaintiffs, and holds profound implications for bankruptcy cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

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