Appellate

  • October 01, 2024

    Phone 'Tax' For FCC Programs Unconstitutional, Justices Told

    Groups challenging the Federal Communications Commission's universal service system urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to throw out the program's funding base, arguing it amounts to an illegal tax on consumers.

  • October 01, 2024

    Starbucks Investor Suit Seems 'Premature,' Court Official Says

    A Washington appellate commissioner gave Starbucks another chance to end a shareholder suit accusing the company's leadership of turning a blind eye to union-busting by managers, saying the lawsuit appears "premature" since it mostly relies on unfair labor practice complaints that are still pending.

  • October 01, 2024

    NC Man Defends $1.6M Verdict Over Vape Battery Explosion

    A North Carolina man is asking a state appeals court to affirm his $1.6 million verdict in a suit against a distributor over injuries he suffered when a lithium-ion battery for his vape exploded in his pocket, saying there was plenty of evidence for the jury to conclude the distributor sold the battery in question.

  • October 01, 2024

    TikTok Petitions 3rd Circ. To Review Section 230 Ruling

    TikTok asked for another crack in the Third Circuit on Tuesday, requesting an en banc rehearing of the appeals court's decision holding that its "For You Page" algorithm doesn't enjoy Section 230 immunity and reviving a suit accusing the app of recommending a "blackout challenge" that led to a 10-year-old's death.

  • October 01, 2024

    Wash. Panel Backs Workers' $3.3M Win In Meal Break Suit

    A Washington appeals court refused to upend a class of workers' $3.3 million win in their lawsuit accusing a Seattle-based hospital of failing to provide them with 30-minute meal periods, saying employees in Washington state are entitled to additional pay if they're forced to work through their breaks.

  • October 01, 2024

    Big Banks Urge Panel To Toss NJ Bond Marketing Claims

    A New Jersey state judge erred when he applied a recent change in state law to deny a bid by JPMorgan Chase & Co. and other big banks to toss a suit accusing them of a scheme to inflate the interest rates of certain bonds, the banks argued Tuesday before a state appellate panel.

  • October 01, 2024

    EPA Can't Justify Particulate Matter Rule, DC Circ. Told

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can't justify its decision to ratchet down a fine particulate matter air pollution standard, Republican-led states and industry groups told the D.C. Circuit on Monday.

  • October 01, 2024

    Fla. Justices Urged To Nix Ruling Axing Malpractice Award

    A former client of The Ferraro Law Firm PA is asking the Florida Supreme Court to consider restoring its $1.5 million legal malpractice arbitration award, arguing the Third District Court of Appeal created a new pleading requirement in arbitrations.

  • October 01, 2024

    Febreze Jingle IP Claim Doesn't Pass 2nd Circ. Smell Test

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a New York composer who claims Procter & Gamble's advertisement jingle for Febreze ripped off five notes from a song he wrote in the 1980s, saying those notes by themselves are not protectable under copyright law.

  • October 01, 2024

    Estate Exaggerating Value Of Exec's Tax Tipoff, DC Circ. Told

    A Dutch bank executive's estate is "vastly" overstating the significance of his tips to the IRS in seeking a whistleblower award for his reporting of tax schemes, the U.S. government told the D.C. Circuit, urging it to uphold the U.S. Tax Court's denial of the award.

  • October 01, 2024

    NYC Bar Urges Congress To Place Ethics Rules On High Court

    The New York City Bar Association called on Congress to put U.S. Supreme Court justices under enforceable ethics rules in a report released Tuesday, throwing its support behind reforms, such as the creation of a Judicial Investigation Panel and an Office of the Inspector General.

  • September 30, 2024

    Texas' Standing Theory Yet To Be Tested At High Court

    Litigation challenging federal immigration policy has become a cornerstone for both Democratic and Republican-led states, but Texas-led suits have introduced a unique theory of standing that has yet to be tested in the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 30, 2024

    9th Circ. Partly Revives Crypto Investor's Suit Against AT&T

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday partially revived a cryptocurrency investor's suit accusing AT&T of failing to protect his information amid a fraudulent SIM swap that cost him $24 million, finding there to be a triable question whether AT&T gave hackers access to his proprietary information through the scheme.

  • September 30, 2024

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    The year's spookiest month is looking scary-good for appellate aficionados, as famed oral advocates joust in October over net neutrality and Uber's extraordinary bid to unravel multidistrict litigation — just two of the high-profile arguments previewed in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing. October also begins with former President Jimmy Carter turning 100, and we'll test your knowledge of his profound impact on the judiciary.

  • September 30, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Keeps Patent Case Against Sony In EDTX

    The Federal Circuit on Monday rejected Sony's bid to move a patent suit against it over a newer line of wireless PlayStation 5 controllers out of a Texas federal court, finding that it failed to show that the Northern District of California was a more convenient forum.

  • September 30, 2024

    Plane Parts Exec Loses Appeal In Honeywell Fraud Case

    The Second Circuit refused Monday to free the president of an airplane parts supplier from a seven-year prison sentence over a $15 million fraud on Honeywell International Inc., rejecting his protest over evidence admitted for consciousness of guilt.

  • September 30, 2024

    Sean Combs To Appeal Bail Denial, Bolsters Legal Team

    Sean "Diddy" Combs is appealing a Manhattan federal judge's decision to deny him bail in a criminal case accusing the hip-hop mogul of sex trafficking and has bolstered his legal team, according to filings Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

  • September 30, 2024

    Jones Day, Akin Gump, Latham Alums Tapped For Calif. Bench

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom elevated a former Jones Day partner on Monday to a leadership role on the state's Second District Court of Appeal as part of a slew of judicial picks that also include alums of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP.

  • September 30, 2024

    Apache Tribe Urges Supreme Court To Take Up Mining Case

    The San Carlos Apache Tribe is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling by Arizona's high court that sides with a state agency decision letting a copper mining company discharge treated wastewater from potential future operations into a local waterway.

  • September 30, 2024

    Red States Back High Court Bid To Undo Mont. Voting Order

    Fifteen Republican-led states are backing a U.S. Supreme Court petition by Montana that looks to undo a determination that two voting laws hindered Native Americans and students from participating in the election process, arguing that the state's high court transgressed the ordinary bounds of judicial review in making its decision.

  • September 30, 2024

    11th Circ. Skeptical Of Peanut Truck Co.'s Excise Tax Refund

    The Eleventh Circuit seemed skeptical of a lower court's decision to award a $37,000 excise tax refund to a manufacturer on its sale of wagons for carrying and drying peanuts, suggesting during oral arguments that the semitrailers may fail to qualify for a tax exemption for off-road vehicles.

  • September 30, 2024

    Missouri Drops Appeal Intended To Save ESG Regulations

    Missouri has asked the Eighth Circuit to dismiss its appeal of a federal judge's decision finding that the state's anti-environmental, social and governance regulations for brokers and advisers violate the First Amendment and are preempted by federal laws.

  • September 30, 2024

    Generic-Drug Co. Says To Think Again About 'Double Patenting'

    An Indian generic-drug maker wants the whole Federal Circuit to take a closer look at the issue of "double patenting," telling it that a recent panel ruling mistakenly breathed new life into pharmaceutical patents covering an anti-diarrhea drug.

  • September 30, 2024

    NC Builder's Insurer Must Cover Death Suit, Estate Says

    The estate of a woman who died while working on a roof replacement project said it's entitled to coverage under a construction company's policy, telling a North Carolina state appeals court Monday a lower court wrongly held that the woman was an employee barred from coverage.

  • September 30, 2024

    Marathon Unit Wants 8th Circ. To Nix Appeal In Pipeline Fight

    A Marathon Petroleum Corp. subsidiary is asking the Eighth Circuit to dismiss an appeal by tribal landowners trying to intervene in its lawsuit challenging the Interior Department's reversal of prior decisions related to a pipeline crossing part of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.

Expert Analysis

  • How Calif. Ruling Alters Worker Arb. Agreement Enforcement

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    The California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ramirez v. Charter Communications should caution employers that while workers’ arbitration agreements will no longer be deemed unenforceable based on their number of unconscionable provisions, they must still be fair and balanced, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor.

  • Opinion

    After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.

  • The Rise Of State And Local Environmental Leadership

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    While Congress is deadlocked, and a U.S. Supreme Court with a hostility toward the administrative state aggressively dismantles federal environmental oversight, state and local governments are stepping up with policies to shape a more sustainable future for all species, says Jonathan Rosenbloom at Albany Law School.

  • Questions Linger About DTSA's Scope After Motorola Ruling

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Motorola v. Hytera, which held that the Defend Trade Secrets Act applies extraterritorially, does not address whether an act that furthers misappropriation must be committed by the defendant in order to satisfy the law's extraterritoriality requirement, say Ilissa Samplin and Grace Hart at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Slowing Down AI In Medical Research

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning the Chevron doctrine may inhibit agencies' regulatory efforts, potentially slowing down the approval and implementation of artificial intelligence-driven methodologies in medical research, as well as regulators' responses to public health emergencies, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.

  • What High Court TM Rulings Tell Us About Free Speech

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    Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings show tension between free speech and trademark law, highlighting that while political mockery is protected, established brands may be forced to adapt to evolving cultural values, says William Scott Goldman at Goldman Law Group.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uncertainty In Scope Of ITC Oversight

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    The U.S. International Trade Commission's long-standing jurisprudence on some of the most disputed and controversial issues is likely to be reshaped by the Federal Circuit, which is no longer bound by Chevron deference in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, say Kecia Reynolds and Madeleine Moss at Paul Hastings.

  • Half-Truths Vs. Omissions: Slicing Justices' Macquarie Cake

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Macquarie v. Moab provides a road map for determining whether corporate reports that omit information should be considered misleading — and the court baked it into a dessert analogy that is key to understanding the guidelines, say Daniel Levy and Pavithra Kumar at Advanced Analytical Consulting Group.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Chevron's End Puts Target On CFPB's Aggressive BNPL Rule

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    A recent interpretative rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, subjecting buy-now, pay-later loans to the same regulations as credit cards, is unlikely to survive post-Chevron challenges of the rule's partisan and shaky logic, say Scott Pearson and Bryan Schneider at Manatt.

  • Justices' Ch. 11 Ruling Is A Big Moment For Debtors' Insurers

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Truck Insurance v. Kaiser Gypsum ruling upends decades of Chapter 11 bankruptcy jurisprudence that relegated a debtor’s insurer to the sidelines, giving insurers a new footing to try and avoid significant liability, say Stuart Gordon and Benjamin Wisher at Rivkin Radler.

  • Justices' Starbucks Ruling May Limit NLRB Injunction Wins

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Starbucks v. McKinney, adopting a more stringent test for National Labor Relations Board Section 10(j) injunctions, may lessen the frequency with which employers must defend against injunctions alongside parallel unfair labor practice charges, say David Pryzbylski and Colleen Schade at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

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