Appellate

  • July 17, 2024

    6th Circ. Skeptical About Nixing Diver's Harassment Verdict

    The Sixth Circuit appeared inclined Wednesday to uphold a $58,000 verdict awarded to a commercial diver who accused an environmental cleanup company of subjecting her to harassment and belittlement, with several judges expressing doubt about superseding the jury's conclusion. 

  • July 17, 2024

    After #MeToo, Report Suggests Judiciary Workplace Reforms

    A report released on Wednesday makes 34 suggested reforms for the federal judiciary to better protect its approximately 30,000 employees, including clerks, building off changes made following the #MeToo movement.

  • July 17, 2024

    Chamber Of Commerce Urges Justices To Limit RICO's Reach

    Business groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to extend the scope of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act to include personal injury-related claims in civil suits, in a case over alleged false advertisement of hemp-derived CBD products.

  • July 17, 2024

    Glaser Weil Atty Fee Arbitration Award Upheld In Calif. Appeal

    A Los Angeles-area entrepreneur cannot escape a $462,000 legal fee arbitration judgment in favor of his former legal counsel, a California appellate panel determined, finding that a trial court was correct to approve the amount after he failed to appear at the arbitration, despite his claims of being bedridden due to COVID-19.

  • July 16, 2024

    KBR Whistleblower Loses $1.1M Settlement Award At 5th Circ.

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday reversed a KBR Inc. whistleblower's $1.1 million share of a False Claims Act settlement over alleged Iraq War contract kickbacks, agreeing with the federal government that the now-deceased whistleblower's estate deserved nothing since none of his claims were settled.

  • July 16, 2024

    Gilead Asks Calif. Supreme Court To Ax 'Disastrous' Decision

    Gilead Sciences on Monday urged the California Supreme Court to overturn an appellate panel's decision that the company can't ditch claims it held back a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on an older medication, saying that holding manufacturers liable for non-defective products would "yield disastrous policy consequences."

  • July 16, 2024

    5th Circ. Hands Loss To Canadian Standards Group In IP Fight

    A split Fifth Circuit panel said a lower court improperly gave a win to the Canadian Standards Association in a copyright suit over electrical codes, telling the lower court to give a win to P.S. Knight Co. Ltd. in the case. 

  • July 16, 2024

    Fed. Circ. OKs Judge Connolly's Fine Against IP Biz Owner

    A precedential ruling from the Federal Circuit on Tuesday found that Delaware's top judge has the right to fine a Texas paralegal who is the sole owner of patent litigation outfit Backertop Licensing LLC $200 a day for refusing to show up in court as part of the judge's investigation into whether Backertop and others hid their connection to big-name intellectual property consulting firm IP Edge.

  • July 16, 2024

    DC Circ. Knocks La. Site FERC Order, Tosses LNG Export Row

    Two D.C. Circuit panels on Tuesday ruled the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission inadequately explained a failure to assess the significance of greenhouse gas emissions for proposed liquefied natural gas facilities in Louisiana, dismissing a challenge of approvals allowing a Texas project to send more of its LNG exports to nonfree trade agreement countries.

  • July 16, 2024

    Praying Coach's School Faces Skeptical Judge In Fee Fight

    A Washington state appellate judge struggled Tuesday to follow a school district's argument that its insurer should cover a nearly $1.8 million legal bill for a praying football coach's U.S. Supreme Court win, pointing to a policy exclusion for certain adverse judgments.

  • July 16, 2024

    6th Circ. Says Credit Union Can't Sue T-Mobile Over Cell Scam

    The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday ruled that a lower court was correct in tossing a lawsuit in which Michigan First Credit Union sued T-Mobile to recover the reimbursement fees the credit union paid to customers after they suffered unauthorized electronic transfers of money from their accounts due to cellphone scams.

  • July 16, 2024

    Enbridge Seeks 6th Circ. Rehearing In Venue Dispute

    Enbridge Energy LP has asked the full Sixth Circuit to rehear an appellate panel's decision to send the company's pipeline dispute with Michigan's attorney general back to state court, arguing that the opinion creates a conflict within the circuit over when the removal clock starts running.

  • July 16, 2024

    Judge's Emails To Prosecutor Unethical But Didn't Taint Trial

    A judge should have recused herself after emailing the elected prosecutor during trial to complain that an officer "didn't do a very good investigation," but the ethical lapse didn't warrant a new trial, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

  • July 16, 2024

    DC Circ. Says Iraq Immune To $120M Contract Row

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Tuesday threw out a $120 million judgment levied against Iraq for its refusal to pay a Pennsylvania defense contractor for rebuilding the country's military equipment, ruling after more than a decade of litigation that Iraq is immune from the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts.

  • July 16, 2024

    Feds Contest Texas DA's Immunity In Migrant Arrest Law Fight

    Nonprofits challenging Texas' migrant arrest law have urged the Fifth Circuit to reject Texas District Attorney Bill Hicks' claim of immunity, saying his argument that the Fifth Circuit's ruling in a separate case over changes to the state's election code is meritless.

  • July 16, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Rejects APA Challenge To PTAB Panel Makeups

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's invalidation of Arbor Global Strategies' processor module patent claims, shooting down the company's position that the board violated the Administrative Procedure Act when making its decision.

  • July 16, 2024

    FCC's Media Ownership Rules Are 'Relics,' 8th Circ. Told

    Broadcasters are pressing the Eighth Circuit to unravel the Federal Communications Commission's latest local media ownership rules, saying they are based on views of the industry that are long outdated.

  • July 16, 2024

    Ga. Panel Limits Insurer Pool's Collections For Workers' Comp

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Tuesday limited the power of a state-sponsored insurance pool to recoup its expenses when filling in for an insolvent insurer, ruling that companies can't be forced to accept liability for an injured worker when they were placed into the position by a staffing agency.

  • July 16, 2024

    Influencer's Forest Pics Not 'Work Activity,' 10th Circ. Rules

    A Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday reversed a social media influencer's conviction for unauthorized work on National Forest Service property after he posted Instagram photos of himself snowmobiling on closed NFS land, finding that the influencer didn't have fair warning that what he was doing might be considered a federal crime.

  • July 16, 2024

    NC Panel Affirms Property Tax Valuation For Ashley Furniture

    About 300 acres of property belonging to Ashley Furniture in North Carolina were properly valued at about $60 million for tax years 2018 and 2019, a state appeals court panel ruled Tuesday in favor of the state property tax commission.

  • July 16, 2024

    Judges Press Amazon On Its Duty To Guard Against Suicide

    Washington appellate judges on Tuesday challenged Amazon's argument that the e-commerce giant should be free from liability for selling sodium nitrite that buyers used to kill themselves, with one judge asking what other use a "small bottle" of nearly pure poison would have.

  • July 16, 2024

    7th Circ. Says Foreign Retirement Not Shielded In Bankruptcy

    A professor who filed for bankruptcy in Illinois can't protect his Canadian retirement account from creditors because the account is ineligible under a state law shielding accounts that qualify as retirement plans under the Internal Revenue Code, the Seventh Circuit ruled Tuesday.

  • July 16, 2024

    No Immunity For Philadelphia Transit In Bus-Stop Injury

    The Philadelphia-area transit system can't escape a lawsuit accusing one of its bus drivers of refusing to lower a handicap accessible ramp, resulting in a passenger twisting her leg while exiting the vehicle, a state appeals court ruled, saying the claims fall squarely with the motor-vehicle exception to sovereign immunity.

  • July 16, 2024

    7th Circ. Backs Manufacturer Win In Worker's Retaliation Suit

    The Seventh Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate a lawsuit from a Black worker accusing a manufacturing company of firing him in retaliation for complaining about race discrimination with his union, saying there's no error in the lower court's decision despite it relying on his former plant manager's flubbed testimony.

  • July 16, 2024

    Full 4th Circ. Won't Hear Student Loan Biz's Sealed Docs Case

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday declined to grant a full court rehearing to a student loan provider that wanted to shield court filings from a filmmaker after a panel found he had a First Amendment right to the information.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

    Author Photo

    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    High Court Made Profound Mistake In Tossing Purdue Deal

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 plan jeopardizes a multistate agreement that would provide approximately $7 billion in much-needed relief to help fight the opioid epidemic, with states now likely doomed to spend years chasing individual defendants across the globe, says Swain Wood at Morningstar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Piercing FEMA Authority Is Not Insurmountable

    Author Photo

    While the Federal Emergency Management Agency's discretionary authority continues to provide significant protection from claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, Loper Bright is a blow to the argument that Congress gave FEMA unfettered discretion to administer its own programs, says Wendy Huff Ellard at Baker Donelson.

  • What Happens After Hawaii Kids' Historic Climate Deal

    Author Photo

    Implications of the Hawaii Department of Transportation's first-of-its-kind settlement with youth plaintiffs over constitutional climate claims may be limited, but it could incite similar claims, says J. Michael Showalter and Robert Middleton at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • Big Business May Come To Rue The Post-Administrative State

    Author Photo

    Many have framed the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning Chevron deference and extending the window to challenge regulations as big wins for big business, but sand in the gears of agency rulemaking may be a double-edged sword, creating prolonged uncertainty that impedes businesses’ ability to plan for the future, says Todd Baker at Columbia University.

  • Differences In Enforcing Oral Settlements In NJ And Pa.

    Author Photo

    New Jersey mediations should incorporate new best practices for settlement agreements after a recent state appellate court ruling eliminated the enforceability of oral-only settlements, setting New Jersey at odds with Pennsylvania’s established willingness to enforce unwritten agreements that were clearly intended to be binding, say Thomas Wilkinson and Thomas DePaola at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Reading Between The Lines Of Justices' Moore Ruling

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Moore v. U.S. decision, that the Internal Revenue Code Section 965 did not violate the 16th Amendment, was narrowly tailored to minimally disrupt existing tax regimes, but the justices' various opinions leave the door open to future tax challenges and provide clues for what the battles may look like, say Caroline Ngo and Le Chen at McDermott.

  • Series

    After Chevron: A Sea Change For Maritime Sector

    Author Photo

    The shipping industry has often looked to the courts for key agency decisions affecting maritime interests, but after the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright ruling, stakeholders may revisit important industry questions and coordinate to bring appropriate challenges and shape rulemaking, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    Post-Chevron, Good Riddance To The Sentencing Guidelines

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of the Chevron doctrine may signal the end of the U.S. sentencing guidelines, which is good news given that they have accomplished the opposite of Congress’ original intent to bring certainty, proportionality and uniformity to sentencing, say attorneys Mark Allenbaugh, Doug Passon and Alan Ellis.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Impact On CFPB May Be Limited

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo is likely to have a limited impact on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's regulatory activities, and for those who value due process, consistency and predictability in consumer financial services regulation, this may be a good thing, says John Coleman at Orrick.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

    Author Photo

    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Series

    After Chevron: 7 FERC Takeaways From Loper Bright

    Author Photo

    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine, it's likely that the majority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's orders will not be affected, but the commission has nonetheless lost an important fallback argument and will have to approach rulemaking more cautiously, says Norman Bay at Willkie Farr.

  • Series

    After Chevron: USDA Rules May Be Up In The Air

    Author Photo

    The Supreme Court's end of Chevron deference may cause more lawsuits against U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations, like the one redefining "unfair trade practices" under the Packers and Stockyards Act, or a new policy classifying salmonella as an adulterant in certain poultry products, says Bob Hibbert at Wiley.

  • 7th Circ Joins Trend Of No CGL Coverage For Structural Flaws

    Author Photo

    The Seventh Circuit, which recently held potential structural instability did not count as property damage under a construction company's commercial general liability policy, joins a growing consensus that faulty work does not implicate coverage without tangible and present damage to the project, say Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty, and Elan Kandel and James Talbert at Bailey Cavalieri.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!