Appellate

  • August 09, 2024

    4th Circ. Will Hear FERC Grid Policy Overhaul Fight

    The Fourth Circuit is set to take on consolidated challenges to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's sweeping overhaul of its regional transmission planning policy, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation said in an order Thursday.

  • August 09, 2024

    Nigeria Must Face $65M Award Suit, DC Circ. Rules

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday affirmed a ruling greenlighting litigation to enforce a $65 million arbitration award issued to a Chinese company after it was ousted from Nigeria, saying the country's sovereign immunity defense fails because it agreed to arbitrate the dispute.

  • August 08, 2024

    SPAC Investors Can't Sue Lucid Over Merger, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday refused to revive investors' proposed class action alleging that Lucid duped them into buying stock in a special purpose acquisition company ahead of the electric-vehicle maker's $11.75 billion merger, saying an acquiring company's investors can't sue the target company over its alleged misstatements before the merger.

  • August 08, 2024

    4th Circ. Upholds Asylum Denial Over Forced Hospitalizations

    The Fourth Circuit on Thursday refused to revive an Indian foreign exchange student's bid for asylum, saying in a published opinion that his multiple involuntary hospitalizations in India and the administration of electroshock therapy to treat diagnosed mental illnesses did not amount to persecution.

  • August 08, 2024

    ITC Rips Google's Bid To Wield Chevron's End In Sonos Row

    The U.S. International Trade Commission on Thursday joined Sonos in urging the Federal Circuit to reject Google's argument that the end of so-called Chevron deference means the appellate court should review precedent on the ITC's patent powers, calling the dispute a "poor vehicle" for such a review.

  • August 08, 2024

    2nd Circ. Says Fla. Biz Should Have Been More Diligent Earlier

    A small Florida chain of souvenir stores had no luck Thursday at the Second Circuit trying to revive allegations that owners of a bankrupt beachwear company concealed the ownership of trademark registrations in a since-settled, decade-old lawsuit, because the chain "should have uncovered the alleged fraud" the first time.

  • August 08, 2024

    Poll Workers, Giuliani Want $148M Judgment Appeal Expedited

    Rudy Giuliani and two Georgia election workers who secured a $148 million defamation judgment against him have asked the D.C. Circuit to fast-track the former mayor's appeal of the judgment.

  • August 08, 2024

    CFPB Urges 5th Circ. To Revive Anti-Bias Exam Policy

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has appealed to the Fifth Circuit to reinstate a 2022 policy that expanded the scope of the agency's anti-discrimination oversight, saying a Texas federal judge's decision to strike it down last year could allow even so-called debanking to go unexamined.

  • August 08, 2024

    Calif. Justices Side With Hartford Unit In Virus Coverage Fight

    The California Supreme Court on Thursday reversed an appellate court's finding that a virus endorsement rendered a restaurant's policy illusory in a coverage dispute with a Hartford entity over pandemic-related losses, instead ruling that the endorsement clearly provides coverage "only if the virus results from certain specified causes of loss."

  • August 08, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives Negligence Claims In Uber Sex Assault Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived a woman's negligence claim against Uber Technologies Inc. over her sexual assault by a suspended driver, saying the company had a duty of care because it contributed to the situation that led to her being assaulted.

  • August 08, 2024

    Migrant Can't Show 1st Circ. That Attacks Weren't Personal

    A man who left his native Guatemala after a 2010 car explosion and wedding attack couldn't convince the First Circuit to revive his asylum application, unable to show that the perpetrators of the attack had targeted him due to his family.

  • August 08, 2024

    Texas Acts Like It Has 5th Circ. In 'Back Pocket,' Judge Says

    U.S. District Judge David Ezra accused a Texas state attorney of misleading the Fifth Circuit by hinting that he may ignore the appellate court's decision to overrule his order for the state to move a barrier deterring migrants from crossing the Rio Grande.

  • August 08, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Rethink Decision On 'Short-Swing' Profits

    The Second Circuit won't reconsider its decision to revive a lawsuit against hedge fund Raging Capital Management LLC over claims that it improperly made $5 million in short-swing profits as a corporate insider of retailer 1-800-Flowers.

  • August 08, 2024

    'Unclean Hands' Doom Colo. Dispute Over Cannabis Biz Sale

    A Colorado state appeals court on Thursday affirmed the dismissal of a dispute over the sale of a cannabis business, saying the would-be buyer can't pursue its claims because the sale agreement was an illegal attempt to get around the state's licensing laws.

  • August 08, 2024

    11th Circ. Affirms OK Of $188M Award Against Venezuelan Co.

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday enforced a $188 million arbitral award issued to a British Virgin Islands commodities firm, ruling in a published opinion that a Venezuelan state-owned mining firm's corruption arguments wrongly took aim at an underlying contract, rather than the award itself.

  • August 08, 2024

    Equifax Not Responsible For Mortgage Denial, 7th Circ. Rules

    A split Seventh Circuit on Wednesday refused to revive an Illinois woman's suit claiming she was denied a mortgage because Equifax didn't accurately report her credit history, finding Equifax could not be held liable for errors in another company's report combining data from all three major credit bureaus.

  • August 08, 2024

    No Private Right To Sue After 'Total Loss,' Colo. Panel Says

    Colorado policyholders cannot sue their auto insurers to enforce a statute requiring them to cover vehicles' title and registration fees when vehicles are declared a total loss, a Colorado appeals court ruled Thursday, finding the statute contains no implied private right of action.

  • August 08, 2024

    Real Estate Agents Not Liable In Death Suit, Ga. Court Says

    The Georgia Court of Appeals said for the first time that real estate brokers or agents could be held responsible for injuries sustained by visitors during property showings, just not in the case of a man suing over his wife's deadly fall in 2019.

  • August 08, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Rethink OK'ing Ad Class Cert. Against Meta

    The Ninth Circuit refused Thursday to rethink a split panel decision affirming certification of a damages class of potentially millions of advertisers who were allegedly deceived about Facebook's "potential reach" tool, rejecting Meta Platforms Inc.'s warnings of unchecked fraud class actions.

  • August 08, 2024

    Amazon Must Face Pandemic Price-Gouging Claims In Wash.

    Washington's high court said on Thursday that Amazon can be sued under the state's Consumer Protection Act over alleged price-gouging early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but stopped short of agreeing with customers that the law bars specific markup percentages. 

  • August 08, 2024

    Apple Wins Bid For 2 Trials In IP Dispute With Masimo

    A California federal judge will hold separate trials on Masimo Corp.'s trade secrets and patent claims over the Apple Watch, siding with Apple Inc. and rejecting Masimo's request for one later trial on all the issues, in a case with potentially billions of dollars at stake.

  • August 08, 2024

    Nat'l Business Groups Sound Off Against Colo. Climate Case

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers are urging the Colorado Supreme Court to block the county and city of Boulder from pursuing state law claims aiming to hold Exxon Mobil Corp. and Suncor subsidiaries liable for climate change harms.

  • August 08, 2024

    11th Circ. Vacates Man's Denaturalization Over Drug Offense

    An Eleventh Circuit panel unanimously threw out a district court ruling denaturalizing a man who became a U.S. citizen over his participation in a drug conspiracy, finding he should not be precluded from litigating the issue and arguing that his participation began after he became a citizen.

  • August 08, 2024

    Ga. City Argues Immunity In $33M Yale Student Death Suit

    An attorney for the city of Milton urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday to reverse the denial of its request for judgment notwithstanding a $33 million verdict over the death of a Yale University student whose car crashed into a roadside planter, arguing the city had sovereign immunity.

  • August 08, 2024

    Drilling Permit Suit Must Be Revived, Enviro Orgs. Tell DC Circ.

    Conservation groups are defending their standing to challenge federal approvals of thousands of drilling permits in New Mexico and Wyoming, telling the D.C. Circuit that they have pressed specific allegations showing that the drilling would harm the environment and their members.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: FCC And Industry Must Prepare For Change

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    The Chevron doctrine was especially significant in the communications sector because of the indeterminacy of federal communications statutes, so the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the doctrine could have big implications for those regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, bringing both opportunities and risks for companies, say Thomas Johnson and Michael Showalter at Wiley.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uniform Tax Law Interpretation Not Guaranteed

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    The loss of Chevron deference will significantly alter the relationship between the IRS, courts and Congress when it comes to tax law, potentially precipitating more transparent rulemaking, but also provoking greater uncertainty due to variability in judicial interpretation, say Michelle Levin and Carneil Wilson at Dentons.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Environmental Law May Face Hurdles

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning Chevron deference could prove to be as influential as the original 1984 decision, with far-reaching implications for U.S. environmental laws, including rendering recently promulgated regulations more vulnerable to challenges, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    'Trump Too Small' Ruling Overlooks TM Registration Issues

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Vidal v. Elster, which concluded that “Trump Too Small” cannot be a registered trademark as it violates a federal prohibition, fails to consider modern-day, real-world implications for trademark owners who are denied access to federal registration, say Tiffany Gehrke and Alexa Spitz at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Colo. Ruling Adopts 'Actual Discharge' Test For The First Time

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    After a Colorado court’s recent decision in Potts v. Gaia Children, adopting for the first time a test for evaluating an actual discharge claim, employers must diligently document the circumstances surrounding termination of employment, and exercise particular caution when texting employees, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Why High Court Social Media Ruling Will Be Hotly Debated

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    In deciding the NetChoice cases that challenged Florida and Texas content moderation laws, what the U.S. Supreme Court justices said about social media platforms — and the First Amendment — will have implications and raise questions for nearly all online operators, say Jacob Canter and Joanna Rosen Forster at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Good News For Gov't Contractors In Litigation

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    The net result of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Chevron deference is that individuals, contractors and companies bringing procurement-related cases against the government will have new pathways toward success, say Joseph Berger and Andrés Vera at Thompson Hine.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies

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    The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 2 Options For Sackler Family After High Court Purdue Ruling

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked Purdue Pharma's plan to shield the family that owns the company from bankruptcy lawsuits, the Sacklers face the choice to either continue litigation, or return to the bargaining table for a settlement that doesn't eliminate creditor claims, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections

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    While 24 states have passed laws that prohibit race-based hair discrimination, this type of bias persists in workplaces and schools, so a robust federal law is necessary to ensure widespread protection, says Samone Ijoma and Erica Roberts at Sanford Heisler.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Malicious-Prosecution Ruling Shows Rare Restraint

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, Ohio, declining to limit malicious-prosecution suits, is a model of judicial modesty and incrementalism, in sharp contrast to the court’s dramatic swings on other rights, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School.

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