Appellate

  • September 06, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Revives ParkerVision Patent Suit Against Qualcomm

    The Federal Circuit on Friday revived a ParkerVision Inc. lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc. over wireless communications patents, ruling that a Florida judge wrongly relied on earlier decisions to grant summary judgment to Qualcomm and exclude ParkerVision's experts.

  • September 06, 2024

    7th Circ. Backs Bulk Of CFTC's Fraud Claim Win Against CEO

    The Seventh Circuit has largely upheld a win for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, finding that the head of a Chicago-based brokerage conducted a multimillion-dollar options fraud scheme, but remanded on two claims related to whether the company was required to register as a commodity trading adviser.

  • September 06, 2024

    Fla. Hospital Wins Records Fight In Amputation Suit

    A Florida appeals court ruled Friday that a hospital need not produce an orthopedic surgeon's "credentialing file" in a suit accusing the surgeon of providing negligent care resulting in a leg amputation, saying the documents are protected under the state's Peer Review Statutes.

  • September 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Immigration Board Mischaracterized Calif. Law

    A split Ninth Circuit panel ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals on Friday to reconsider a Jamaican man's request to reopen his removal case, saying the board mischaracterized the California law under which the conviction that formed the basis of his removal was vacated.

  • September 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Urged To Act Fast On Green Card Rule Suit Appeal

    A nonprofit immigrant rights group has asked the Fifth Circuit to accelerate its challenge to a lower court's refusal to let them intervene in a Texas lawsuit against a program allowing noncitizen relatives of U.S. citizens to seek green cards, noting a bench trial could proceed soon without its participation.

  • September 06, 2024

    Gov't Asks Fed. Circ. To Rehear AI Deal Dispute

    The federal government is urging the Federal Circuit to revisit a high-profile decision reviving an artificial intelligence company's protest over its exclusion from a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency procurement, saying the ruling wrongly expanded the Court of Federal Claims' bid protest jurisdiction.

  • September 06, 2024

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive Solar Cos.' National Grid Tax Suit

    The Second Circuit declined to revive one of two proposed class actions brought by solar companies against National Grid alleging it illegally charged them for taxes in an effort to dampen competition from renewables, finding on Friday that the district court properly determined it lacked subject matter jurisdiction.

  • September 06, 2024

    11th Circ. Orders New Look At Penalty In SEC Loan Fraud Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Friday rejected a bid from a couple accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of a nearly half-a-billion-dollar fraud to reverse an order expanding a receivership of their merchant loan business, but it vacated $43.7 million in penalties they were ordered to pay on the grounds it was unclear who was liable for what.

  • September 06, 2024

    JD Vance Can't Ax Campaign Spending Limits At 6th Circ.

    The full Sixth Circuit upheld coordinated campaign spending limits in the face of a challenge from Ohio senator and vice presidential hopeful J.D. Vance and Republican party organizations that sought to lift the restrictions.

  • September 06, 2024

    Ex-Conn. Utility Execs Can't Shake Convictions At 2nd Circ.

    The Second Circuit issued a mammoth 140-page decision Friday upholding punishments including a $748,000 restitution order for three former executives convicted of stealing from a Connecticut utility cooperative, but the court threw out the utility's bid for a $9.6 million reimbursement for fronting the defendants' attorney fees.

  • September 06, 2024

    Attys Urge Justices To Shield Corporate Veil In TM Case

    More briefs landed Friday in the "Dewberry" trademark case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court — this time, from two groups of intellectual property lawyers who are concerned about the use of the Lanham Act to "pierce the corporate veil."

  • September 06, 2024

    Calif. Panel Rejects PE Exec's Excess Coverage Claims

    A California state appeals court upheld the dismissal of a private equity executive's claims that two excess insurers had to cover the millions he said he and his companies incurred in litigation with his co-founder, finding he didn't sufficiently allege that underlying limits had exhausted first.

  • September 06, 2024

    Appeals Court Says Nursing Home Seller Keeps Atty Fees

    An entity that sold a nursing home is entitled to keep attorney fees because the underlying contract spelled out that it was entitled to them, a Texas appeals court found, even though the eventual buyer was not a party to the contract granting attorney fees.

  • September 06, 2024

    Starbucks Finds Interest For Appeal In Shareholder Suit

    A Washington Court of Appeals commissioner suggested to two Starbucks shareholders on Friday that their lawsuit must "do more than what it does" as of now if they want to accuse corporate leadership of responding illegally to barista unionization, hinting the court will likely take up the coffee giant's appeal.

  • September 06, 2024

    Justice Alito Reports Concert Tickets From Catholic Activist

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted $900 concert tickets from a German princess and Catholic activist in 2023, but otherwise received no free trips or other gifts, according to his annual financial disclosure, which was made public Friday.

  • September 06, 2024

    'He Says, She Says' In Harvey Weinstein's America

    The controversial decision by New York's highest court to overturn Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault conviction has some lawmakers focusing intense new scrutiny on centuries-old legal jurisprudence barring evidence of a defendant's criminal propensity.

  • September 06, 2024

    3rd Circ. Follows Corner Post In Home Care OT Change Feud

    Three home care companies' challenge to an Obama-era rule expanding overtime eligibility for certain workers is back on track, the Third Circuit ruled Friday, saying that the U.S. Supreme Court's Corner Post decision mooted a Pennsylvania federal court's ruling that the entities' suit was late.

  • September 06, 2024

    'Insanity Tolling' May Save Ford Rollaway Claims, Panel Says

    A split Michigan appellate panel has revived a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. from a woman who was run over by her Ford Escape, finding her debilitating stress and depression may entitle her to an exception to the statute of limitations.

  • September 06, 2024

    Split 2nd Circ. OKs Jury Of 11 In Fox News Hosts Threat Case

    A split panel of the Second Circuit on Friday upheld a man's conviction for sending messages threatening two Fox News hosts and two members of Congress, despite the jury only having 11 people.

  • September 06, 2024

    11th Circ. Revives Slip-And-Fall Suit Against Westin Hotel

    The Eleventh Circuit reversed a win for Westin Hotel in a former guest's suit over injuries sustained in a slip and fall at an Indianapolis hotel, ruling that after the insurer that paid the guest workers' compensation benefits intervened in the suit, the case should have been sent back to state court.

  • September 06, 2024

    Texas Justices To Weigh In On Native American Park Dispute

    The Texas Supreme Court agreed Friday to answer a question from the Fifth Circuit about religious freedom under the Lone Star State's constitution to aid the federal appellate court in resolving a dispute between Native American church members and San Antonio over access to a local park.

  • September 06, 2024

    IHS Seeks Stay In $17M Suit In Wake Of High Court Ruling

    The Indian Health Service is asking for a stay in a challenge by a Navajo Nation hospital board that seeks $17.4 million in unpaid contract support costs, saying the agency is working toward a methodology on how to address claims stemming from a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the issue.

  • September 06, 2024

    Sharpe Rips Favre's Nod To Palin-NYT Ruling As Irrelevant

    Sportscaster Shannon Sharpe blasted former NFL quarterback Brett Favre on Friday for improperly asking the Fifth Circuit to consider, as it mulls reviving a case against Sharpe, a recent ruling that granted Sarah Palin a new libel trial against the New York Times.

  • September 06, 2024

    4 ERISA Arguments To Watch In September

    The Ninth Circuit will weigh two cases involving whether class claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act can be forced into solo arbitration, and the Second Circuit will hear Yale University workers' bid to revive their retirement plan mismanagement suit. Here are four upcoming oral argument sessions that benefits attorneys should have on their radar.

  • September 06, 2024

    Enviro Groups Challenge FERC Approval Of La. LNG Terminal

    Environmental groups and fishermen have called on the D.C. Circuit to slash the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of a massive liquefied natural gas export terminal in Louisiana, saying the move violates federal law and illustrates the agency's "failure to consider and approve projects that are truly in the public interest."

Expert Analysis

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    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.

  • Justices' 'Blind Mule' Ruling Won't Change Defense Strategy

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    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.

  • NJ Justices Clarify First-Party Indemnification Availability

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    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.

  • Takeaways From Justices' Redemption Insurance Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Connelly v. U.S. examines how to determine the fair market value of shares in a closely held company for estate tax purposes, and clarifies how life insurance held by the company to enable redemption of a decedent’s shares affects that calculation, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.

  • Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Suski ruling not only reaffirmed the long-standing principle that arbitration is a matter of contract, but also established new and more general principles concerning the courts' jurisdiction to decide challenges to delegation clauses and the severability rule, say Tamar Meshel at the University of Alberta.

  • Fair Use Doctrine Faces Challenges In The Generative AI Era

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    As courts struggle to apply existing copyright principles to new, digital contexts, the evolving capabilities of AI technologies are testing the limits of traditional frameworks, with the fair use doctrine being met with significant challenges, says John Poulos at Norton Rose.

  • Opinion

    No Matter The Purdue Ruling, Mass Tort Reform Is Needed

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will soon issue its opinion in the bankruptcy of Purdue Pharma LP, and regardless of the outcome, it’s clear legal and policy reforms are needed to address the next mass tort, says William Organek at Baruch College.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • How Justices' Chevron Ruling May Influence Wind Projects

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    Parties both for and against the development of East Coast offshore wind development are watching the U.S. Supreme Court closely for its anticipated ruling challenging long-standing principles of agency deference that may subject decision making based on that precedent to upheaval, say attorneys at Robinson & Cole.

  • Top 5 Issues For Employers To Audit Midyear

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    Six months into 2024, developments from federal courts and regulatory agencies should prompt employers to reflect on their progress regarding artificial intelligence, noncompetes, diversity initiatives, religious accommodation and more, say Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Lisa Haldar at Lawrence & Bundy.

  • Lower Courts May Finally Be Getting The Memo After Ciminelli

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    A year after the U.S. Supreme Court again limited prosecutors' overbroad theories of fraud in Ciminelli v. U.S., early returns suggest that the message has at least partially landed with the lower courts, spotlighting lessons for defense counsel moving forward, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • What 11th Circ. Fearless Fund Ruling Means For DEI In Courts

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent backing of a freeze on the Fearless Fund's grants to women of color building new companies marks the latest major development in litigation related to diversity, equity and inclusion and may be used to question other DEI programs targeted at providing opportunities to certain classes of individuals, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

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