Appellate

  • March 14, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs Arbitrator Finding COVID Is No 'Act Of God'

    A distribution service provider failed to support its argument that an "act of God" exemption in a contract it had with a Teamsters chapter allowed the company to reduce workers' hours during the coronavirus pandemic, the Seventh Circuit ruled, keeping in place an arbitrator's conclusion.

  • March 14, 2025

    5th Circ. Reverses Insurer's Bar Assault Coverage Win

    The Fifth Circuit reversed on Friday a decision finding a bar's insurer had to pay only $1 million of a $3.2 million judgment because a settlement demand letter was too vague, saying the lower court should have declined to hear the case and must toss it on remand.

  • March 14, 2025

    Mass. Court Won't Lift Default Over Discovery Failures

    A California aerospace firm can't get a do-over after repeatedly defaulting on discovery obligations in a Massachusetts lawsuit over an unpaid bill from a tax consultant, the state's intermediate-level appeals court said on Friday.

  • March 14, 2025

    6th Circ. Rejects Tribe's Appeal Of Great Lakes Fishing Pact

    A Sixth Circuit panel upheld a 2023 decree governing fishery management in the Great Lakes on Thursday, finding that a Michigan federal judge had the prerogative to enter the decree over the objections of a Native American tribe. 

  • March 14, 2025

    Mass. Justices Say Transit Agency Not Immune In Assault Suit

    Massachusetts' highest court said Friday that the public transit agency in Greater Boston is not immune from claims that it negligently hired and retained a bus driver with an alleged known history of anger management issues who later beat up a customer and left him with a traumatic brain injury.

  • March 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Block Consolidation Of Uber Assault Cases

    The Ninth Circuit has rejected Uber Technologies Inc.'s contention that the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation should've enforced Uber's "non-consolidation" clause with passengers' lawsuit alleging they were sexualy assaulted, ruling that such a "private agreement" doesn't override the JPML's power to consolidate.

  • March 13, 2025

    Interactive Brokers Tells Justices To Skip Trading Patent Case

    Trading software company Interactive Brokers has shot back at a rival's effort to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to look at an "illusory" split between appeals courts over the standard for introducing post-trial fraud evidence in a long-litigated patent case. 

  • March 13, 2025

    Trump Asks Justices To Limit Pauses Of Birthright Order

    President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to limit three nationwide court orders prohibiting the implementation of his executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, arguing that the coast-to-coast injunctions upended the judicial process and are trying to micromanage the executive branch.

  • March 13, 2025

    $181K Sanctions Against Texas AG-Tied Investor Stand

    A Texas appeals court upheld around $181,000 in sanctions against the real estate developer at the center of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's failed impeachment, finding in a Thursday opinion that developer Natin Paul breached court orders when he wired money to an NBA player.

  • March 13, 2025

    Grubhub Can't Force Arbitration, But Uber Can At 2nd Circ.

    A partially divided Second Circuit panel said Thursday that Grubhub cannot force into arbitration a proposed class action's price-fixing claims based on rules barring restaurants from selling food more cheaply through other channels, but left the arbitrability question for the same claims against Uber Eats up to the arbitrator.

  • March 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Sides With Merck In Reissued Patent Debate

    The Federal Circuit isn't buying that a reissued patent was actually "issued" at the time it was originally awarded, dashing generic-drug makers' hopes of breaking pharmaceutical giant Merck's hold on a blockbuster drug that counteracts the effects of anesthesia.

  • March 13, 2025

    Merck Asks Justices To Block Fosamax Failure-To-Warn Suits

    Merck has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Third Circuit ruling that allowed more than 1,000 state-law failure-to-warn claims over its osteoporosis drug Fosamax, arguing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's formal rejection of a such a proposed warning label should block such lawsuits under federal law.

  • March 13, 2025

    Fla. Attys Disbarred, Suspended For Forgery Accusations

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday disbarred a West Palm Beach attorney for making threatening social media posts during litigation, repeatedly failing to file a viable complaint in a toxic tort case, and falsely accusing opposing counsel of forgery, an infraction that also earned his co-counsel a suspension.

  • March 13, 2025

    Split 7th Circ. Kills Injunction In Indiana Power Line Dispute

    The Seventh Circuit has knocked down an injunction blocking an Indiana right of first refusal law that gives Indiana-based utilities the first shot at securing new transmission project contracts before those from other states.

  • March 13, 2025

    Calif. AG Appealing State Limits On Pay-For-Delay Ban

    California enforcers are appealing to the Ninth Circuit after a lower court found that a new state law restricting "reverse payment" settlements between brand-name and generic-drug makers cannot be used to regulate deals that were struck outside the state.

  • March 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Dings Antibody Patent App For Lacking Description

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed a decision from top U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officials in a highly watched and technical dispute over an antibody patent application, concluding that preambles for so-called Jepson claims need sufficient written descriptions.

  • March 13, 2025

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive Saks, Luxury Brands No-Poach Case

    A Second Circuit panel refused Thursday to revive an antitrust suit from former Saks Fifth Avenue employees over the retailer's alleged agreements with Gucci, Louis Vuitton and other luxury fashion houses to not hire workers from its stores.

  • March 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. OKs Injunction Against Innova's Car Circuit Testers

    The Federal Circuit decided Thursday to keep an injunction in place stopping sales of Innova Electronics Corp.'s car-testing devices amid allegations those devices infringe a patent by rival Power Probe Group Inc.

  • March 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Bid For Increased Costs From DHS Build

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday revived a construction contractor's claim for additional costs under a contract to construct a utilities plant at U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters, finding the government's building specifications were inadequate.

  • March 13, 2025

    Ga. Judge Slams 'Meaningless' Reading Of Open Records Act

    A Georgia appellate judge took his colleagues to task Thursday for not backing a local newspaper publisher's effort to force a city to hand over its police records, writing that a majority opinion that declined to fully resolve the dispute "substitute[s] our policy preferences for the policy choices of the legislature."

  • March 13, 2025

    Ga. Court Nixes Reinstatement Of Officer Who Beat Jail Inmate

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court decision that reinstated to his job a former Athens-Clarke County police officer who was found to have beaten a person incarcerated in county jail, ruling there was enough evidence to justify the officer's firing for the assault.

  • March 13, 2025

    Karen Read Loses Double Jeopardy Bid In Federal Court

    Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman who stands accused of killing her boyfriend with her SUV, will not be able to avoid a retrial in state court after a federal judge on Thursday denied her bid to escape two charges that jurors supposedly rejected during deliberations.

  • March 13, 2025

    Pa. Justices Let Convicted Doctor Reapply For License

    A former University of Pittsburgh Medical Center radiologist who lost his license for unlawfully prescribing Vicodin can seek reinstatement less than 10 years after his 2019 suspension thanks to a change in state law defining a drug trafficking offense, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

  • March 13, 2025

    Full Fed. Circ. Probes Basis For $20M Google Patent Verdict

    The en banc Federal Circuit on Thursday closely scrutinized the damages evidence underlying EcoFactor's $20 million thermostat patent trial victory against Google, with some judges suggesting that it doesn't support the testimony given by EcoFactor's expert witness.

  • March 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Ends Idaho Abortion Law Row After Mutual Dismissal

    A Ninth Circuit panel has dropped an appeal from Idaho claiming the state's strict abortion ban doesn't conflict with a federal law protecting emergency abortions, after the Trump administration announced its decision to drop the Biden-era legal challenge. 

Expert Analysis

  • The 5 Most Important Bid Protest Decisions Of 2024

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    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Court of Federal Claims and the Government Accountability Office issued five noteworthy bid protest decisions in 2024 that will likely have a continuing impact on questions concerning standing, timeliness, corporate transactions and more, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.

  • High Court Could Further Limit Deference With TCPA Fax Case

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    The Supreme Court's decision to hear McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson, a case involving alleged junk faxes that centers whether district courts are bound by Federal Communications Commission rules, offers the court a chance to possibly further limit the judicial deference afforded to federal agency interpretations of statutes, says Samantha Duke at Rumberger Kirk.

  • Future Of Crypto-Asset Classification Is In 2nd Circ.'s Hands

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    A definitive ruling from the Second Circuit in a rare interlocutory appeal in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ongoing court battle with Coinbase could finally establish clear guidelines on the classification of digital assets, influencing how they are regulated and traded in the U.S., say attorneys at Manatt.

  • 5 Ways To Create Effective Mock Assignments For Associates

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    In order to effectively develop associates’ critical thinking skills, firms should design mock assignments that contain a few key ingredients, from messy fact patterns to actionable feedback, says Abdi Shayesteh at AltaClaro.

  • More Environmental Claims, More Greenwashing Challenges

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    As companies prepare for the 2025 greenwashing landscape, they should take heed of a D.C. appellate decision that shows that environmental claims are increasingly subject to attack and provides plaintiffs with a playbook for challenging corporate claims of sustainability, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Calif. Cannabis Decision Deepens Commerce Clause Divide

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    In Peridot Tree v. Sacramento, the Eastern District of California joined a growing minority of courts that have found the dormant commerce clause inapplicable to state-regulated marijuana, and the Ninth Circuit will soon provide important guidance on this issue, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • 4 Employment Law Areas Set To Change Under Trump

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    President Donald Trump's second term is expected to bring significant changes to the U.S. employment law landscape, including the potential for updated worker classification regulations, and challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion that are already taking shape, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • A Defendant's Guide To 4 Common CFPB Discovery Tactics

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    With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's recent flurry of new lawsuits showing no signs of stopping, defendants should know the bureau's most relied-upon discovery strategies — and be prepared to resist them, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • What Employment Bias Litigation Looks Like After Muldrow

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    Nine months after the U.S. Supreme Court created an undemanding standard for discrimination claims in Muldrow v. St. Louis, Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington discusses how the Title VII litigation landscape has changed and what to expect moving forward.

  • The 7th Circ.'s Top 10 Civil Opinions Of 2024

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    Attorneys at Jenner & Block examine the most significant decisions issued by the Seventh Circuit in 2024, and explain how they may affect issues related to mass arbitration, consumer fraud, class certification and more.

  • Royal Canin Ruling Won't Transform Removal Jurisdiction

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Royal Canin USA v. Wullschleger means that federal district courts must now remand whenever an amended complaint excises grounds for federal jurisdiction — but given existing litigation strategy and case law trends, this may ultimately preserve, rather than alter, the status quo, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: Nov. And Dec. Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five federal court decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving takings clause violations, breach of contract with banks, life insurance policies, employment and automobile defects.

  • Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

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    Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.

  • Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar

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    A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • What Insurers Should Know About AI Use In Litigation

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    As the use of artificial intelligence in litigation evolves, insurers should note standing court orders, instances of judges utilizing AI to determine policy definitions and the application of evidentiary standards to expert evidence that incorporates AI, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

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