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Appellate
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August 20, 2024
6th Circ. Refuses To Force Arbitration In ERISA Suit
The Sixth Circuit refused Tuesday to let two auto part companies compel individual arbitration in a lawsuit alleging they allowed their employee retirement plan to be loaded with shoddy investment options, ruling that enforcing the pact would prevent workers from seeking planwide remedies allowed by benefits law.
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August 20, 2024
NC Panel Nixes Black Property Owners' Revived Bias Fight
A North Carolina state appeals court handed the city of Kinston a win Tuesday for a second time in a discrimination lawsuit that the state Supreme Court recently revived, finding that Black property owners' claims that the city unfairly demolished their properties aren't viable because they never completed an "adequate" administrative appeals process.
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August 20, 2024
Duke Energy Wants 4th Circ. Rethink On Antitrust 'Haven'
Duke Energy sought a full Fourth Circuit rehearing Monday against a panel decision reviving NTE Energy Services' antitrust lawsuit, arguing the panel upended decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and risked making the circuit a space for plaintiffs to "escape" those rules.
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August 20, 2024
SF Police Can't Sue Navy Over Toxic Shipyard, 9th Circ. Says
A group of San Francisco police officers cannot pursue their suit alleging the U.S. Navy misled the city into leasing a former naval shipyard that was not properly decontaminated following its use during the Cold War, which led to the officers suffering health problems, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Cox, Music Publishers Ask Justices To Review Copyright Row
Cox Communications and music publishers led by Sony Music Entertainment have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit ruling — with music companies asking for clarity on the scope of liability for internet service providers for online piracy and Cox asking whether it can be responsible for copyright infringement for merely providing an internet connection.
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August 20, 2024
Wash. Judges Won't Upend Tobacco Payout Ruling
A Washington appellate court on Monday rejected attempts by Philip Morris and other tobacco companies to pay the state less under a 1998 master settlement agreement, upholding an arbitrator's determination that the state was enforcing a law covering payment.
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August 20, 2024
Ga. Justices Weigh 'Malice' In Atty's Defamation Case
An orthopedic surgeon urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to revive his case against a defense attorney who allegedly tarnished the surgeon's reputation during settlement talks with his attorneys for his former patients, arguing his appellate defeat last year flew in the face of 160 years of Georgia defamation law.
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August 20, 2024
Utah Tells Justices Feds Must Relinquish Land In State
The federal government is unconstitutionally hoarding and profiting from public lands in Utah, and the state is missing out on economic and development opportunities that are rightfully its own, it told the U.S. Supreme Court in a proposed lawsuit filed Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
7th Circ. Reverses Sysco Win Over Teamsters Grievance
The Seventh Circuit ordered arbitration Tuesday of a grievance over early retirement benefits that Sysco Indianapolis LLC wanted to be heard in federal court, reversing a trial judge who concluded the dispute was governed by terms outside the bargaining agreement.
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August 20, 2024
EPA Urges DC Circ. To Uphold Particulate Matter Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is defending its decision to ratchet down a fine particulate matter air pollution standard, telling the D.C. Circuit that states and industry groups challenging it aren't seriously questioning the scientific support for the change and misread the Clean Air Act to argue that the agency overstepped.
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August 20, 2024
9th Circ. Trans Health Appeal Hints At Supreme Court Fight
The Ninth Circuit will hear arguments Wednesday in an appeal from the state of Idaho seeking to preserve its ban on gender dysphoria treatment for minors, in a case that involves questions about trans health access that the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider this fall, attorneys say.
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August 20, 2024
Fed Circ. Finds No Fault In Denial Of Flu Vaccine Claim
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the denial of a family's petition for compensation alleging their child developed narcolepsy as a result of the FluMist vaccine, saying the special master's determination that the family hasn't properly established the link was not arbitrary.
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August 20, 2024
Ga. Power Says Factory Redo Can't Free Nestle From Service
Georgia's largest electricity provider tried to convince the state's high court Tuesday that a pet food manufacturer can't use its factory renovations to skirt a nearly 50-year-old state law requiring large electricity consumers to be wedded to a single provider in perpetuity.
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August 20, 2024
Split 6th Circ. Revives FCRA Claims Against Experian
A partially divided Sixth Circuit has reversed a lower court's decision to toss a consumer's Fair Credit Reporting Act claims against Experian concerning alleged delinquent spousal support payments, ruling in part on Monday that Experian failed to properly investigate court orders acknowledging the man's compliance with the payments.
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August 20, 2024
Pa. Justices Say No Public Benefit To Railroad Land Grab
The general public needed to be the primary beneficiary for a railroad to use eminent domain to take over part of a property and reactivate a siding, and that standard was harder to meet now compared with when a century-old precedent was set, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled Tuesday.
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August 20, 2024
Pa. Panel Says Estate Is Entitled To Stacked UIM Coverage
The estate of a Pennsylvania man who died assisting a motorist is entitled to stacked underinsured motorist benefits under a commercial policy issued to a trucking business the man controlled, a state appeals court ruled, noting the trucking company already paid higher premiums for such coverage.
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August 20, 2024
Power Plant Rule Stay Is Unwarranted, EPA Tells Justices
U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar called on the U.S. Supreme Court to reject industry groups' and Republican-led states' attempts to block the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rule curbing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, saying the agency did not exceed its statutory authority.
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August 20, 2024
Ohio Dance Teachers Can't Escape Suit Over Sex Assault
Two Cleveland dance instructors cannot escape claims that they knowingly allowed a now-notorious sexual predator, who was also a teacher, to rape a student, an Ohio state appeals court has ruled, saying both were likely aware of the man's already sordid past.
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August 20, 2024
Feds Fight Ex-Pa. Town Official's Appeal Of CWA Conviction
The federal government on Tuesday urged the Third Circuit to reject a former Pennsylvania township official's bid to undo his conviction for environmental and financial crimes committed during his time as director of the municipality's sewage authority.
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August 20, 2024
Fed. Circ. Flips Samsung's Win In 'Slide To Unlock' Patent Suit
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived part of a small smartphone company's patent suit against Samsung over its "swipe to unlock" feature, saying that one of Neonode Smartphone's core patent claims was more definite in its scope than the lower court gave it credit for.
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August 20, 2024
DOD Tells DC Circ. It Can Set Criteria For Soldier Citizenship
The U.S. Department of Defense is urging the D.C. Circuit to reverse a district court injunction permanently blocking the agency from setting service duration requirements for noncitizen soldiers to become citizens, saying Congress authorized it to do so.
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August 20, 2024
Fla. Attys' Licenses Suspended In Connection To Assault Case
The Florida Supreme Court has suspended the licenses of a Tallahassee attorney couple after they pled no contest to charges related to a criminal case in which their former babysitter accused them of sexual assault during an incident at the couple's home.
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August 20, 2024
Ex-Client Opposes Amicus In McCarter & English Fee Fight
A dietary supplement maker has asked Connecticut's highest court to reject a bid by the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association to file a friend-of-court brief in a case questioning whether McCarter & English LLP can obtain punitive damages in a fee dispute, saying no additional input is necessary because no tort occurred.
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August 20, 2024
Ex-State's Atty Says Md. Trial Convictions Should Be Axed
Former Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby is vying to upend her convictions for perjury and mortgage fraud, telling the Fourth Circuit the federal prosecution was riddled with errors from the outset.
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August 20, 2024
Mich. Judge Says She's Falsely Accused In Watchdog's Probe
A Michigan state judge said she now knows the "injustice" of being falsely accused, urging a judicial watchdog to reject charges that she lied to investigators who were probing another judge's misconduct.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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Takeaways From Justices' Redemption Insurance Decision
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.
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Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling
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.
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Fair Use Doctrine Faces Challenges In The Generative AI Era
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.
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Opinion
No Matter The Purdue Ruling, Mass Tort Reform Is Needed
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.
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A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling
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.
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How Justices' Chevron Ruling May Influence Wind Projects
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.