Appellate

  • December 11, 2024

    Movie Producer Asks 11th Circ. To Reverse YouTube's IP Win

    A movie producer urged the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive his copyright claims against YouTube, arguing that the platform has a duty under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to locate additional infringing clips in its video library after receiving a takedown notice.

  • December 11, 2024

    ​​​​​​​6th Circ. Probes Rationale For State Farm Worker's Firing

    The Sixth Circuit grappled Wednesday with whether to reopen a former State Farm employee's suit alleging she was illegally fired after counseling a colleague about a disability accommodation complaint, with one judge questioning if the insurer had looked into the worker's claim that she faced selective discipline.

  • December 11, 2024

    4th Circ. Seems Wary Of Reviving Post-Pregnancy Firing Suit

    The Fourth Circuit seemed skeptical Wednesday of a former Nexstar Media Inc. worker's bid to revive her pregnancy-related disability discrimination suit, reminding the ex-employee's counsel about the limits to how much accommodation an employer has to provide.

  • December 11, 2024

    Fed. Circ. OKs Intel's Partial PTAB Loss

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday shot down Intel's appeal of a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that found the company failed to show that numerous claims of a patent on battery-saving technology for computer processors are invalid.

  • December 11, 2024

    Ga. Justices Disbar Atty For Abandoning Criminal Cases

    The Georgia Supreme Court has disbarred a Florida-based attorney in the Peach State after finding he caused economic harm to three clients in abandoning their criminal cases "and even caused one client to experience an extended period of incarceration."

  • December 11, 2024

    After Veto Threat, Courts Warn Need For More Judges Urgent

    Following President Joe Biden's veto threat of a bill to add more federal judgeships, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts warned Wednesday that there is an urgent need for more judges despite the White House's claim that there's no immediate need to create more seats.

  • December 11, 2024

    Akerman Can't Escape Malpractice Suit Over Lease Dispute

    Akerman LLP has lost its jurisdictional challenge to a lawsuit alleging it owes a seafood restaurant chain over $1 million for giving bad advice during a lease dispute in Florida, with a Texas appeals court ruling the malpractice claims stem from work the firm solicited within the Lone Star State.

  • December 11, 2024

    DC Circ. Lets Pipeline Safety Rule Remain Amid Agency Fix

    The D.C. Circuit has agreed to leave in place one of four new safety standards for gas transmission pipelines while the U.S. Department of Transportation works to amend them, after an industry group said not doing so could cause unnecessary repair costs.

  • December 11, 2024

    Developer, Feds Ask Justices To Pass On Offshore Wind Case

    The federal government and Vineyard Wind 1 LLC are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a Massachusetts group's latest bid to block the large offshore wind farm taking shape in waters off Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.

  • December 11, 2024

    Calif. Panel Reverses Cost Award After Auto Shop Wage Trial

    A California appeals panel flipped a lower court's decision awarding about $54,000 in post-offer costs to an auto body shop after winning a former employee's wage and hour suit, saying that two sections of the California Labor Code preclude such awards.

  • December 11, 2024

    Antitrust Bar's 'Leading Light,' Ex-Morgan Lewis Chair Dies

    John Shenefield, a former chair of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP who also served as an assistant attorney general in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, died Monday at 85, according to a statement released by Morgan Lewis on Wednesday.

  • December 11, 2024

    Justices' Cold Feet On Nvidia, Meta Leaves Attys Guessing

    The U.S. Supreme Court threw out a second securities case on Wednesday by refusing to issue a ruling in a Nvidia Corp. case with no explanation on its change of heart, leaving the defense bar to guess at the court's motivation and its potential implication for the future of high court securities cases.

  • December 10, 2024

    Feds Tell Justices To Stay Out Of Climate Change Tort Fights

    U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar on Tuesday urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to weigh in on climate change torts filed against fossil fuel companies, arguing in a pair of briefs that the state court cases aren't the correct vehicles for resolving the issues, at least not yet.

  • December 10, 2024

    9th Circ Reverses Cert. In Widow's Allianz Life Insurance Suit

    A unanimous Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday reversed a lower court decision granting class certification in a case claiming that Allianz LIfe Insurance didn't follow statutorily required notice provisions before denying life insurance claims, saying the lead plaintiff wasn't an adequate representative for the proposed class, among other concerns.

  • December 10, 2024

    BNP Paribas Seeks High Court Appeal In Sudan Refugee Case

    BNP Paribas has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the standard for permitting immediate appeals of class certifications, arguing the Second Circuit was wrong to deny it such review in a class action accusing the bank of enabling human rights abuses in Sudan.

  • December 10, 2024

    Arb. Award 'Unjust' Enough To Toss? Ga. Justices Ponder

    Justices of Georgia's Supreme Court appeared to agree Tuesday that arbitration of a dispute between a medical provider and its contractor unjustly turned into a one-sided affair, but hesitated to endorse the argument that the issues raised warrant throwing out the arbitrator's $1.75 million award in the contractor's favor.

  • December 10, 2024

    3rd Circ. Reopens White Worker's Bias Suit Against Tech Firm

    The Third Circuit revived a white former manager's lawsuit alleging an Indian information technology company unlawfully favored South Asian job candidates and employees, ruling Tuesday that a trial court was wrong to say his failed attempt to join a separate class action couldn't extend the time limit for his claims. 

  • December 10, 2024

    7th Circ. Questions Reviving Harley-Davidson Warranty MDL

    The Seventh Circuit on Tuesday flagged issues with not only Harley-Davidson's motorcycle warranty but also its customers' antitrust claims against it as the court considered reviving multidistrict litigation claiming the contract constitutes illegal tying. 

  • December 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Upholds $850K Penalty In EPA Fine Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a $850,000 penalty against Multistar Industries Inc. for Clean Water Act violations related to chemical storage, saying it agrees with the Environmental Protection Agency's view that the company was not exempt from the rules for storing hazardous materials.

  • December 10, 2024

    BNSF Railway On The Hook For $2.7M Spinal Injury Verdict

    BNSF Railway Co. can not escape a $2.75 million jury verdict that found it had negligently caused a worker's permanent spinal injuries, a Missouri appeals court ruled Tuesday, saying the trial court made no mistake when telling jurors to consider both the safety conditions of the train and reflective vest.

  • December 10, 2024

    2nd Circ. Revives Antitrust Suit Over Instagram Algorithm

    A split Second Circuit Tuesday revived defunct app Phhhoto Inc.'s claims that Meta Platforms used anticompetitive means, including an algorithm for Instagram to suppress rival content, to squash its business, finding that Phhhoto adequately alleged Meta's fraudulent concealment of an anticompetitive scheme would stretch out the four-year statute of limitations.

  • December 10, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Says IT Cos. Can't Duck $4K H-1B Petition Fees

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday rejected software companies' attempt to secure a refund on H-1B visa petition fees for U.S.-based noncitizens, saying the fee is applicable regardless of whether the workers are already in the country or not. 

  • December 10, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB Ruling That Wireless Tech IP Is Invalid

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding that a mobile communications patent owned by a unit of European patent-licensing company Sisvel was invalid, handing a win to challengers, including Honeywell International and Sierra Wireless.

  • December 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Idaho Can't 'Veto' Federal Law In Abortion Row

    The Ninth Circuit seemed poised on Tuesday to turn away fresh arguments from Idaho officials claiming a state abortion ban does not conflict with a federal emergency stabilizing law, after the officials said the federal government can't impose conditions on private hospitals receiving Medicare funds.

  • December 10, 2024

    5th Circ. Asks ATF Where To 'Draw The Line' In Trigger Ban

    A Fifth Circuit panel has pressed the government on how so-called "forced reset triggers" are different from bump stocks, asking where it was supposed to draw the line to determine whether the triggers turn semiautomatic firearms into federally banned machine guns.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • How NJ Temp Equal Pay Survived A Constitutional Challenge

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    The Third Circuit recently gave the New Jersey Temporary Workers' Bill of Rights a new lease on life by systematically dismantling multiple theories of the act's unconstitutionality brought by staffing agencies hoping to delay their new equal pay and benefits obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • What We Know From Early Cyberinsurance Rulings

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    Recent cyber disruption incidents, like the Crowdstrike outage and the CDK Global cyberattack this summer, highlight the necessity of understanding legal interpretations of cyberinsurance coverage — an area in which there has been little litigation thus far, say Peter Halprin and Rebecca Schwarz at Haynes Boone.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complexity Of ERISA Preemption

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    The Sixth Circuit’s recent ruling in Standard Insurance v. Guy — that the defendant couldn't collect his mother’s life insurance after being convicted of murdering his parents — illustrates how courts must engage in mental gymnastics to avoid the broad reach of Employee Retirement Income Security Act preemption, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

  • Strategies To Defend Against Healthcare Nuclear Verdicts

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    The healthcare industry is increasingly the target of megaclaims, particularly those alleging medical malpractice, but attorneys representing providers can use a few tools to push back on flimsy litigation and reduce the likelihood of a nuclear verdict, says LaMar Jost at Wheeler Trigg.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    After Chevron: SEC Climate And ESG Rules Likely Doomed

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    Under the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright, without agency deference, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure and environmental, social and governance rules would likely be found lacking in statutory support and vacated by the courts, says Justin Chretien at Carlton Fields.

  • Assessing Whether Jarkesy May Limit FINRA Prosecutions

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Jarkesy v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, holding that civil securities fraud defendants are entitled to jury trials, may cause unpredictable results when applied to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority prosecutions, say Barry Temkin and Kate DiGeronimo at Mound Cotton.

  • The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar

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    The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • IP Hot Topic: The Intersection Of Trademark And Antitrust Law

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    Antitrust claims – like those in the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent case against Apple – are increasingly influencing trademark disputes and enforcement practices, demonstrating how antitrust law can dilute the power of a trademark, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Election Outlook: A Precedent Primer On Content Moderation

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    With the 2024 election season now in full swing, online platforms will face difficult and politically sensitive decisions about content moderation, but U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last term offer much-needed certainty about their rights, say Jonathan Blavin and Helen White at Munger Tolles.

  • When The Supreme Court Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

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    Instead of grousing about the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions overturning long-standing precedents, attorneys should look to history for examples of how enterprising legal minds molded difficult decisions to their advantage, and figure out how to work with the cards they’ve been dealt, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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