Appellate

  • September 03, 2024

    7th Circ. Upholds Arbitration In Menards Hidden Fees Suit

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday upheld a decision to compel arbitration in a proposed class action claiming that home improvement retailer Menards used a hidden pickup service fee to manipulate its prices, saying the company provided "reasonably conspicuous" notice of its terms on the page where the lead plaintiff completed her online order.

  • September 03, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Revive Fla. School's Loudspeaker Prayer Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a decision in favor of the Florida High School Athletic Association and its decision denying the use of a loudspeaker for prayer before sporting events, ruling that it could be regulated because it was government speech.

  • September 03, 2024

    Tribe Of Two Loses Fed. Circ. Appeal Over Rival's 'TT' Mark

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a small handbag designer that claimed a potential rival wanted to register a trademark that used the letters "TT" in a similar way.

  • September 03, 2024

    5th Circ. Grills Feds On Congress' Intent In No Surprises Act

    A Fifth Circuit panel on Tuesday challenged the federal government over its interpretation of how it applies a formula to calculate qualifying payments under a law meant to protect Americans from surprise medical bills and questioned the arbitration process over the payments that a medical association said favors insurers. 

  • September 03, 2024

    Colo. Panel Doubts Jury Instruction Can Upend $1.8M Award

    Colorado appellate judges appeared skeptical Tuesday that a state trial court was responsible for what an investor described as poor jury instructions that resulted in a nearly $1.85 million civil theft judgment, which he insisted was far too high, with one judge asking why the investor didn't sue his trial counsel over the supposed error.

  • September 03, 2024

    5th Circ. Hesitant To Call Tornado Cash 'Entity'

    A Fifth Circuit panel prodded the U.S. Department of the Treasury's argument that Tornado Cash counts as a corporation-like organization, telling the agency that its reasoning for calling the sanctioned crypto mixer an entity was "slippery" during oral arguments Tuesday.

  • September 03, 2024

    Feds Ask Sixth Circ. To Uphold Highway GHG Rule

    The federal government called on the Sixth Circuit to overturn a district court ruling finding the Federal Highway Administration overstepped its authority by directing states to set targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from federally funded highway projects, arguing the rule aligns with Congress' instructions.

  • September 03, 2024

    Amazon Prevails In Targeted Programming IP Fight At Fed. Circ.

    A patent licensing outfit trying to assert patents related to developing "video-on-demand" programming for cable companies was told Tuesday by the Federal Circuit that they cover abstract ideas.

  • September 03, 2024

    Texas Justices Will Review $116M Trucking Wreck Award

    Trucking company Werner Enterprises Inc. will get a chance to upend a $116 million jury verdict that found it liable for a crash that killed a 7-year-old and paralyzed a 12-year-old, after the Texas Supreme Court said it would take up the company's appeal.

  • September 03, 2024

    Teva Patents Don't Belong In Orange Book, Fed. Circ. Told

    Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc. is urging the Federal Circuit to preserve a lower court decision ejecting inhaler device patents from an important government database, arguing that the delisting, won in an infringement lawsuit from Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., properly separated out device patents from drug patents.

  • September 03, 2024

    Pedestrian Hit By Off-Duty Uber Driver Can't Sue Over Injuries

    A California appellate panel held Uber can't be sued for the negligence of a driver who hit a pedestrian just minutes after he switched his status to "offline," saying it was speculative to assume the driver was still on duty due to his alleged manipulation of higher "surge" fares.

  • September 03, 2024

    5th Circ. Won't Revive BP Spill Malpractice Settlement

    The Fifth Circuit will not take another look at a proposed global settlement over accusations that attorneys botched Louisiana residents' claims following the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, issuing an order on Tuesday denying residents' bids for an en banc hearing to revive the settlement that a Fifth Circuit panel overturned in August.

  • September 03, 2024

    3rd Circ. Preview: Starbucks Firing, Liquor Law In September

    Two National Labor Relations Board cases grace the Third Circuit's September session, when panels will probe the agency's suits against Starbucks Corp. for firing Philadelphia workers attempting to unionize and a plastic company accused of firing a safety whistleblower.

  • September 03, 2024

    Insurance Intermediary Can't Revive Biz Interference Claims

    Liberty Mutual and two of its adjusters had no obligation to work with an intermediary that helps contractors secure coverage, an Ohio appeals court ruled, rejecting the intermediary's claims that Liberty and the adjusters tortiously interfered with the intermediary's business relationships by refusing to communicate with it.

  • September 03, 2024

    Justices Deny Oklahoma's Bid To Block HHS Funding Cut

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Oklahoma's request to stop the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from cutting funding over the state's refusal to refer family planning patients for abortion after the high court's Dobbs decision last year.

  • September 03, 2024

    Calif. Backs EPA's High Court Fight To Keep SF Water Limits

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's water quality standards for San Francisco are legal and should be upheld in the face of a challenge from the city, California and various green groups told the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday.

  • September 03, 2024

    Colo. Justices To Parse Public Interest Under Anti-SLAPP Law

    Colorado's high court will consider whether the state's anti-SLAPP law requires a person to actually contribute to public discourse in order for their speech to be covered by the statute, and whether their motive matters, in a case concerning negative online posts about a veterinary clinic.

  • September 03, 2024

    Firm Can't Enforce Unexplained Arbitration Clause In Illinois

    A Missouri attorney accused of botching an injury lawsuit he helped pursue for a couple whose dry-cleaning business used allegedly toxic chemicals cannot arbitrate those allegations because he never explained the contractual arbitration provision in those clients' contract to them, an Illinois state appellate panel has found.

  • September 03, 2024

    No BIPA Exception For OTC Glasses, Ill. Judges Say

    An Illinois appellate court has held that someone trying on nonprescription sunglasses with an online try-on tool isn't considered a patient in a healthcare setting, dooming a glasses retailer's attempt to end the biometric privacy lawsuit it faces.

  • September 03, 2024

    NAACP, Others Fight Ga.'s Bid To Undo Election Law Block

    The Georgia branch of the NAACP and a host of other groups are asking the Eleventh Circuit to affirm and expand a preliminary injunction blocking parts of a controversial Peach State election law as state officials are pushing to have the injunction overturned.

  • September 03, 2024

    Judge Skeptical Navy Owes Millions For IP Infringement

    A Federal Circuit judge appeared skeptical Tuesday about a software firm's demand for $85.9 million in damages for the Navy's unauthorized copies of its software, suggesting the company hadn't proven its eligibility for more than the $154,400 it was previously awarded.

  • September 03, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Panel Questions CIT Ruling On Cookware Duty

    A Federal Circuit panel expressed skepticism of a U.S. Court of International Trade decision last year to deny first-sale treatment for a California cookware distributor's Chinese imports, saying the key step in determining the level of duties seemed to be largely based on the absence of certain evidence the government didn't even subpoena to obtain.

  • September 03, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Ax Dad's Removal Over Child's Mental Health

    The Second Circuit ruled Tuesday that a man who entered the U.S. illegally more than two decades ago can't cancel his removal on the grounds that it would cause his daughter hardship, ruling that any adverse impacts would be typical of family separation.

  • September 03, 2024

    3rd Circ.: Biotech Must Pay Royalties Despite Expired Patents

    A cancer drug biotechnology company must pay royalties to a research firm despite the expiration of the applicable patents, a Third Circuit panel ruled in a precedential decision Tuesday, concluding that the biotech's royalty obligation is calculated differently than the one in a U.S. Supreme Court case it cited.

  • September 03, 2024

    Colo. AG Says Tenants Can Sue Blackstone Over Lease Terms

    Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser urged the state's Supreme Court on Friday to find that tenants can sue a group of Blackstone subsidiaries for deceptive trade practices over lease agreements that allegedly misrepresent the rights of tenants.

Expert Analysis

  • Menendez Corruption Ruling Highlights Attorney Proffer Risks

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    The recent admission of slides used in a preindictment presentation as evidence during U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial highlights the potential pitfalls of using visual aids in attorney proffers, and the increasing importance of making disclaimers regarding information presented at the outset of proffers, say Carrie Cohen and Savanna Leak at MoFo.

  • Opinion

    Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis

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    For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.

  • Analyzing Advance Notice Bylaws On 'Clear' Or 'Cloudy' Days

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    In Kellner v. AIM ImmunoTech, the Delaware Supreme Court recently clarified the framework for judicial review of advance notice bylaws adopted, amended or enforced on "clear" or "cloudy" days, underscoring the responsibility of boards to ensure that their scope does not overreach or prevent the possibility of a contested election, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling May Limit Discovery In Int'l Arbitration

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    The Second Circuit's recent Webuild v. WSP decision, affirming a discovery order's nullification in arbitration between Webuild and the government of Panama, demonstrates courts' unwillingness to find that arbitral tribunals in investor-state cases fall within the scope of the discovery statute, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Takeaways From High Court's Tribal Health Admin Cost Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent determination that the government must reimburse two Native American tribes for administrative healthcare costs will help tribes maintain equal footing with the Indian Health Service when administering programs, and continues a pattern of how the current court aligns on tribal concerns, say attorneys at Lewis Roca.

  • Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar

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    At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • High Court's Expert Ruling May Help Health Fraud Defendants

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Diaz v. U.S. appears to give the government a powerful new tool in calling its own agents as expert witnesses, but it could also benefit defense counsel in criminal healthcare fraud and other white collar criminal cases that arise in complex legal or regulatory environments, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Patent Lessons From 5 Federal Circuit Reversals In June

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    A look at June cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court highlights a potential path for branded drugmakers to sue generic-drug makers for off-label uses, potential downsides of violating a pretrial order offering testimony, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • NY Ruling Offers A Foreclosure Road Map For Lenders

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    A New York appellate court recently upheld a summary judgment ruling in favor of a commercial lender's foreclosure in U.S. Bank v. 1226 Evergreen Bapaz, illustrating the proofs lenders will need to prosecute a foreclosure action, especially where the plaintiff is an assignee of the originating lender, say attorneys at Sherman Atlas.

  • What Chevron's End Means For How Congress Does Business

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, overturning the Chevron doctrine, will have a far-reaching impact across the entire public policy life cycle, beginning with how Congress writes its laws and extending through agency implantation and judicial review, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Preserving Payment Rights

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    Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions that together illustrate the importance of keeping accurate records and adhering to contractual procedures to avoid inadvertently waiving contractual rights to cost reimbursements or nonroutine payments.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

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