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Appellate
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August 26, 2024
5th Circ. Holds Off On Gulf Fishery Council Rule Challenge
The Fifth Circuit on Friday ordered a Mississippi federal judge to decide key issues that went unaddressed in his ruling upholding a fishing limit in the Gulf of Mexico, saying that new case law must be applied before it handles the appeal.
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August 26, 2024
Texas Cases To Watch In Last Half Of 2024
Courts across the state are poised to make decisions in several high-stakes cases over the next several months, including ruling on whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton can be deposed in a long-running employment retaliation suit and whether a challenge to Texas' floating Rio Grande barrier must be tried before a jury.
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August 26, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, Boeing accused shareholders of using a new pressure tactic, Cantor Fitzgerald struck a $12 million deal, and a vice chancellor dealt with zombie companies. New cases involved displaced Pacific Islanders and an insurance customer acquisition platform. In case you missed it, here's a roundup of news from the Chancery Court.
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August 26, 2024
Ex-Branscomb Atty Must Comply With Arbitration Award
A Texas appellate court said that a former attorney with Branscomb PC must abide by an arbitration award issued in his dispute over his termination from the firm, writing that if he had an issue with the award, he should have raised it with the arbitrator.
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August 26, 2024
Energy Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
Even after an action-packed first half of 2024, plenty of high-stakes energy litigation remains, including a new twist in the prolonged battle over climate change lawsuits against fossil fuel companies, as well as cases that could influence federal climate change policy. Here are several cases energy attorneys will be watching in the second half of the year.
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August 23, 2024
Abbott Judge Suggests $54M Judgment In Test Strip TM Case
A New York federal magistrate judge has recommended that default judgments totaling more than $54 million be entered against 85 companies and individuals who didn't respond to Abbott Laboratories' nearly decade-old trademark suit over gray-market diabetes test strips, according to a report and recommendation filed Thursday.
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August 23, 2024
Justices Urged To Tackle Arbitral 'Manifest Disregard' Split
A former Morgan Stanley financial adviser is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appellate panel's refusal to toss the bank's arbitral award and revive his $13.7 million counterclaims, arguing that the dispute presents the ideal vehicle to resolve the "clear" circuit split over whether "manifest disregard of the law" remains a valid ground for vacating such awards.
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August 23, 2024
9th Circ. Reverses 'Patent Misuse' Ruling Against CR Bard
The Ninth Circuit on Friday reversed a decision that cleared Atrium Medical Corp. in a $52.8 million breach of contract suit by C.R. Bard, concluding that the lower court wrongly held that Bard engaged in patent misuse by seeking royalties after its medical device patent expired.
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August 23, 2024
Google Pushes To Depose A Texas Official In Biometric Suit
Google is crying foul in a state court of appeals over Texas' refusal to let it take a deposition of either a representative or an employee of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, saying in a petition that it was forced to defend itself without full discovery.
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August 23, 2024
Wash. Justices Affirm Convicted Ex-State Auditor Disbarment
The Washington Supreme Court affirmed a recommendation to disbar convicted former state auditor Troy X. Kelley after he was imprisoned on felony theft charges, finding that Kelley's crimes justified the disbarment sanction.
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August 23, 2024
Insurer Must Cover Flooded Basements, Mich. Panel Says
An insurer must pay a property owner over $150,000 in damages stemming from drain backups and water damage, a Michigan state appeals court ruled, finding that the property owner inquired about increased coverage before the discovery of the loss.
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August 23, 2024
Mo. Appeals Court OKs Expunging THC Possession Charges
A Missouri appeals court has determined that, under the state's recent cannabis legalization law, offenses for possession of THC must be expunged in the same manner that marijuana possession offenses are.
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August 23, 2024
American Airlines Keeps Win In Passenger's False Arrest Suit
A Texas appellate court has upheld the dismissal of a passenger's suit against American Airlines Inc. over his misidentification and wrongful arrest, saying the airline and its then-employee did not have a duty to protect him from false arrest or keep his information from law enforcement when lawfully subpoenaed.
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August 23, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Says Ponzi Schemes Don't Need Proof Of Intent
A split Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Friday a jury's finding in a fraudulent-transfer fight that a now-bankrupt company was a Ponzi scheme, with the majority writing that jurors didn't need to find an intent to defraud, while a dissenting judge slammed the majority's reasoning as "circular."
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August 23, 2024
Young Thug Atty Says Contempt Charge Must Be Overturned
An attorney representing Atlanta rapper Young Thug urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Thursday to reverse the 20-day jail sentence and contempt of court conviction he received after refusing to divulge how he learned about a closed-door meeting between prosecutors, a witness and the original judge presiding over the rapper's racketeering trial.
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August 23, 2024
NC Not Shielded From Racetrack's COVID Shutdown Suit
The North Carolina Supreme Court on Friday ruled a racetrack owner's lawsuit accusing state officials of violating his constitutional rights with a COVID shutdown order can survive dismissal, reasoning the claims were sufficient to overcome the government's protections from being sued.
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August 23, 2024
Intended Financial Harm Counts In Sentencing, 4th Circ. Says
A split Fourth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a South Carolina woman's 30-month sentence for filing false tax returns and making false statements on applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans, finding that a sentencing range can be calculated using the total amount of intended financial harm.
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August 23, 2024
Split 6th Circ. Refuses To Undo Amway's $37M Coverage Win
The Sixth Circuit affirmed Friday that an AIG unit must pay $37 million for failing to defend and indemnify Amway and parent company Alticor in a dustup with major record companies over the use of copyrighted music in ads.
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August 23, 2024
Fed. Circ. Nixes $3.9M Dish Fee In Albright-Authored Decision
The Federal Circuit has ruled that Dish Network should not have been awarded a $3.9 million fee for its successful patent suit defense against Realtime Adaptive Streaming, finding in a decision written by Texas federal judge Alan Albright that a lower court judge abused his discretion when he found the case "exceptional" based on six "red flags."
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August 23, 2024
JPMorgan's $26K Atty Fee Award Overturned By Conn. Panel
A Connecticut appeals court on Friday reversed JPMorgan's nearly $26,000 attorney fee-shift and cost award in a case involving a $250,000 promissory note, holding a trial judge improperly awarded the recovery because the bank waited "more than one year" to seek it after scoring summary judgment.
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August 23, 2024
Texas City Can't Avoid Improvement District Bond Payments
A Texas appeals court has affirmed a Dallas specialty finance company's win over the city of Hutto, finding this week that the finance company made valid transactions despite the city's protests that the bonds at issue weren't valid under state law.
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August 23, 2024
Illinois Car Dealers Can't Stop Direct EV Sales
An Illinois state appeals court threw out a suit by franchise car dealerships and trade associations aiming to block two electric vehicle makers from selling directly to customers, saying Friday that neither the Illinois Vehicle Code nor the Motor Vehicle Franchise Act require carmakers to sell through a franchise dealership.
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August 23, 2024
Colo. Board Wrong In Nixing Fees From Valuation, Court Rules
The Colorado Board of Assessment Appeals improperly applied a state Supreme Court decision that erroneously revived a dispute over whether fees should be included in a resort's property valuation, a state appeals court ruled.
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August 23, 2024
The Biggest Texas Trial Rulings Of 2024: Midyear Report
Trial courts in Texas saw a series of high-dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in suits over patent infringement and personal injuries, but appellate courts tempered some plaintiffs' successes, backing a large retail employer in a harassment suit and tossing a verdict based on a lawyer's remarks. Here's a look at some of the biggest trial decisions in Texas in the first half of 2024.
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August 23, 2024
DHS Urges Justices To Bar Review Of Revoked Visa Petitions
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to find that an immigration law bars federal courts from reviewing revoked visa petitions, saying lawmakers had reduced the possibility of duplicative legal proceedings by preventing judicial review.
Expert Analysis
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Key Takeaways From High Court's Substitute Expert Decision
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.
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Opinion
Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem
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.
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Parsing Justices' Toss Of Purdue's Controversial Ch. 11 Plan
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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Calif. Long-Tail Ruling Continues Policyholder-Friendly Trend
The California Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Cement & Gypsum, rejecting horizontal policy exhaustion, was the latest in a string of its decisions involving insurance coverage for continuous or progressive injury claims that favor policyholders, say Billie Mandelbaum and David Goodwin at Covington.
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What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation
Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.
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Perspectives
High Court Ruling Leaves Chance For Civil Forfeiture Reform
Though advocates for civil forfeiture reform did not prevail in Culley v. Marshall last month, concerns voiced by a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court justices potentially leave the door open to consider stricter limits in future cases, say attorneys at Dykema.
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4 Important Events In Bank Regulation: A Midyear Review
The first six months of 2024 have been fairly stable for the banking industry, though U.S. Supreme Court decisions and proposals from regulators have significantly affected the regulatory standards applicable to insured depository institutions, says Christina Grigorian at Katten.
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Perspectives
NY Chief Judge Spotlights Need To Strengthen Public Defense
In a recent concurrence in People v. Watkins, New York Chief Judge Rowan Wilson called attention to the necessity for greater investment in public defense services, highlighting not only the urgency of current crises, but the need to embrace a more ambitious vision of equal right to counsel, says Corey Stoughton at Selendy Gay.
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The Fed. Circ. In May: A Major Shift In Design Patent Law
The Federal Circuit's recent en banc decision in LKQ v. GM overruled three decades of precedent and adopted a new standard for assessing the obviousness of design patents, leaving many questions unanswered, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.
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Series
Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Justices' Removal Ruling Presents Hurdles, But Offers Clarity
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Campos-Chaves v. Garland and two other consolidated cases endorses a multistep notice practice that could impair noncitizens' access to adequate judicial notice, but its resolution of a longstanding circuit split also provides much-needed clarity, says Devin Connolly at Reeves Immigration Law Group.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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Justices' 'Blind Mule' Ruling Won't Change Defense Strategy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Diaz v. U.S., holding that expert witnesses can testify broadly about the mental state of “most people” in a group, simply affirms the status quo for the majority of defendants, and is unlikely to change defense counsel’s strategy at trial, says Walter Gonçalves at the Arizona Federal Public Defender's Office.
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NJ Justices Clarify First-Party Indemnification Availability
In Boyle v. Huff, the New Jersey Supreme Court recently held that indemnification can be available in first-party claims, resolving an open question and setting up contracting parties for careful negotiations around indemnity clauses, says Todd Leon at Marshall Dennehey.