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Appellate
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November 14, 2024
Termination Agreement Sinks Pastry Shop Injury Suit
A Pennsylvania appeals court won't revive an injury claim from a man who says he fell while delivering baked goods to Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe Inc., saying an agreement to terminate their working relationship released any claims related to that relationship.
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November 14, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Upend Certification In Nissan Sunroof Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday refused to undo class certification in a suit alleging Nissan North America Inc. sold vehicles with defective sunroofs prone to shattering, saying the trial court correctly found that there were common questions of law and fact among vehicle owners in the case.
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November 14, 2024
Gaetz's Slim Legal Resume Raises Concerns Over AG Role
Having never served as a prosecutor and with minimal experience practicing law, Matt Gaetz would have the thinnest legal resume of any attorney general in recent history and would face a steep learning curve, including daunting leadership challenges, if he were to take up the reins of the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.
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November 14, 2024
RNC, McCormick Say Pa. Counties Counting Ineligible Votes
Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick and the Republican National Committee have filed separate lawsuits in Pennsylvania, claiming that multiple counties are improperly counting mail-in votes that state courts have previously held should have been disqualified.
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November 14, 2024
4th Circ. Nomination Sent To Full Senate With NC Senator's Ire
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced on Thursday the nomination of Ryan Young Park, solicitor general of North Carolina, to the Fourth Circuit, with one Republican senator repeating his warning that Park does not have the votes.
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November 14, 2024
9th Circ. Says Immigration Board Flubbed Priest's Asylum Bid
The Ninth Circuit revived a Salvadoran priest's asylum bid, ruling that the Board of Immigration Appeals overlooked the connection between his alleged persecution and his refusal to use his influence as a church leader to support a major political party's agenda.
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November 14, 2024
Mass. Justices Open Show-Cause Hearings In Brothel Case
Massachusetts' highest court said Thursday that the public may access hearings that will determine whether criminal charges will be brought against as-yet unidentified customers of a high-end brothel, a group that potentially includes public officials, corporate executives and individuals with security clearances.
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November 14, 2024
MVP: Hogan Lovells' Jessica Ellsworth
Jessica Ellsworth of Hogan Lovells' appellate practice argued in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Danco Laboratories, leading to the overturning of a decision that threatened to block access to the company's abortion medication, and on behalf of Coinbase, resulting in a holding that it is up to judges, not arbitrators, to figure out if contracts between businesses and consumers have subtly superseded earlier agreements to proceed in arbitration rather than litigation. The back-to-back arguments helped earn her a spot as one of the 2024 Law360 Appellate MVPs.
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November 14, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Rethink Denial Of Church Tax Exemption
The D.C. Circuit rejected a request to reconsider the tax status of an Iowa church that used a psychedelic drug in its rites, letting stand its decision that because the church uses a federally illegal drug, it isn't entitled to tax-exempt status.
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November 13, 2024
Docks Co. Urges 11th Circ. To Rehear Split Cuba Port Ruling
Havana Docks Corp. has urged the Eleventh Circuit to grant a full panel rehearing over the court's split ruling to reverse a $440 million win against several luxury cruise companies for using a Cuba port terminal that was confiscated by the country's government, saying the ruling by a three-judge panel contradicted the law.
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November 13, 2024
Texas Court OKs Med Mal Death Suit, Expert Report
A Texas appellate court has declined to dismiss a medical malpractice suit accusing an emergency medical clinic of failing to diagnose a man's heart disease which caused his fatal cardiac arrest, saying the plaintiffs' medical expert's mandatory report satisfies state guidelines.
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November 13, 2024
Nigeria Asks Justices To Take Up Circuit Split On Sovereigns
Nigeria has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards mandates judicial enforcement of arbitration awards against sovereign nations for cases that arise solely from their roles as sovereigns.
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November 13, 2024
7th Circ. Won't Halt Ind. Gender-Affirming Care For Minors Ban
A split Seventh Circuit reversed a lower court's preliminary injunction order Tuesday that stopped an Indiana law prohibiting its physicians from providing gender-affirming care through medication to minors, finding the plaintiff's view on the law would result in allowing parents to decline to take a seriously injured child to the hospital.
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November 13, 2024
Google Says $20M Thermostat IP Verdict Was 'Manufactured'
Google is making its argument to the full Federal Circuit that a $20 million verdict the tech giant was hit with in the Western District of Texas was "manufactured" by an expert hired by a competing smart-home energy startup.
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November 13, 2024
Live Nation Ruling Chills Modern Arbitration, 9th Circ. Told
The Ninth Circuit's recent decision invalidating Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Ticketmaster's choice of a digital arbitration startup for consumer antitrust claims has created "massive uncertainty" and undermines innovative approaches for dealing with abusive mass arbitrations, the live event companies argued in a rehearing petition Tuesday.
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November 13, 2024
Defenders, Prosecutors Clash On Proposed Wash. Case Caps
As public defenders called on the Washington Supreme Court on Wednesday to adopt lightened caseload standards to stem the exodus of attorneys from the indigent defense field, prosecutors chalked up those concerns to career dissatisfaction and cautioned the court the updated rules would catapult local governments into budgetary crisis.
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November 13, 2024
A 3M PFAS Win Could Be Hollow, Mich. Justice Suggests
Michigan Supreme Court justices asked Wednesday what it would mean to invalidate the state's regulations on so-called forever chemicals in drinking water, with one justice commenting that winning the case might be of little consequence for 3M, the company that brought the challenge, while undoing protections for the water supply.
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November 13, 2024
Panel Says Ex-Atty's ADA Claim Doesn't Apply To Her Lawyers
A Tenth Circuit panel on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of a disbarred Colorado attorney's Americans With Disabilities Act claim against her former defense lawyers, according to an unpublished decision that said the law only applies to public entities.
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November 13, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Won't Ax Injunction In 'Open AI' TM Fight
A man accused by OpenAI of preventing the ChatGPT maker from registering its name as a trademark lost his Ninth Circuit challenge to an injunction blocking him from using the "Open AI" mark while his case is pending.
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November 13, 2024
Fed. Circ. Judges Frown On Custom Emoji Patent
A patent covering the development of customizable emojis died at the Federal Circuit on Wednesday, after judges there rejected an appeal of an administrative board ruling that knocked out all of the patent's claims.
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November 13, 2024
Mich. Justices Bore Into Railroad's Telecom Tunneling Dispute
Norfolk Southern emphasized its safety concerns Wednesday during oral arguments before the Michigan Supreme Court as it tried to persuade the justices to reverse a ruling finding a telecommunications company did not need the railway's permission to bury fiber-optic cable underneath its tracks.
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November 13, 2024
Detroit Fire Fee Ruling Concerns Mich. Justice
A Michigan Supreme Court justice on Wednesday said he was troubled by a lower appellate ruling he said seemed to imply that municipalities can work around a state law barring sneaky taxes, in this case by stating a charge for fire prevention services is really just the cost of a permit allowing property owners to do business in Detroit.
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November 13, 2024
EPA Tells DC Circ. That Mercury Rule Is Sound
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told the D.C. Circuit that opponents of its rule strengthening standards for mercury and other toxic air emissions at power plants are seeking to hamstring the agency with a too-narrow interpretation of the Clean Air Act.
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November 13, 2024
7th Circ. Judge Calls Strike On Cubs Atty In ADA Seating Row
An increasingly frustrated Seventh Circuit judge on Wednesday repeatedly asked a lawyer for the Chicago Cubs how federal prosecutors' recent accessible seating settlement affected a fan's related appeal, cutting her off several times to emphasize that her suggested doctrine was explicitly not available in his court.
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November 13, 2024
Italian Plane Maker Can't Dodge Fla. Wrongful Death Suit
A Florida appeals court on Wednesday said an Italian aircraft manufacturer cannot escape a wrongful death suit over a plane crash in the Florida Keys, finding that the company had sufficient minimum contacts in the state to haul it into court there.
Expert Analysis
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3 Presidential Privilege Questions After Trump Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Trump v. U.S., carving out a new evidentiary privilege for presidents, leaves unanswered several key questions concerning whether this new privilege is waivable or subject to various exceptions, says Jeremy Bates at Frankfurt Kurnit.
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Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.
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What To Know About Major Fla. Civil Procedure Rule Changes
The Florida Supreme Court recently amended the state's Rules of Civil Procedure, touching on pretrial procedure, discovery, motion and trial practice, and while the amendments are intended to streamline cases, the breadth of the changes may initially present some litigation growing pains, say Brian Briz, Benjamin Tyler and Yarenis Cruz at Holland & Knight.
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Prior Art Takeaways From Fed. Circ. Public Disclosure Ruling
While the Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Sanho v. Kaijet clarified that a private sale is not a public disclosure under patent law, there remains significant room for advocacy, as the opinion lacked meaningful guidance on how to satisfy the public disclosure exception to prior art, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Perspectives
2 High Court Rulings Boost Protections Against Gov't Reprisal
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Gonzalez v. Trevino and Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon significantly strengthen legal protections against retaliatory arrests and malicious prosecution, and establish clear precedents that promote accountability in law enforcement, say Corey Stoughton and Amanda Miner at Selendy Gay.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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3 High Court Rulings May Shape Health Org. Litigation Tactics
Three separate decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term — Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy — will likely strengthen healthcare organizations' ability to affirmatively sue executive agencies to challenge regulations governing operations and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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How Calif. Justices' Prop 22 Ruling Affects The Gig Industry
The California Supreme Court's recent upholding of Proposition 22 clarifies that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other companies in the gig industry can legally classify their drivers as independent contractors, but it falls short of concluding some important regulatory battles in the state, says Mark Spring at CDF Labor.
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What 7th Circ. Samsung Decision Means For Mass Arbitration
The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Wallrich v. Samsung highlights the dilemma faced by mass arbitration filers in the face of nonpayment of arbitration fees by the defending party — but also suggests that there are risks for defendants in pursuing such a strategy, says Daniel Campbell at McDermott.
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Takeaways From Virginia's $2B Trade Secrets Verdict Reversal
The Virginia Court of Appeals' recent reversal of the $2 billion damages award in Pegasystems v. Appian underscores the claimant's burden to show damages causation and highlights how an evidentiary ruling could lead to reversible error, say John Lanham and Kamran Jamil at Morrison Foerster.
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How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act
In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.
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Employers Face Uncertainty After Calif. Justices' Slur Ruling
In Bailey v. San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the California Supreme Court recently ruled that a singular use of a racial slur may be sufficiently severe to support a hostile work environment claim, leaving employers to speculate about what sort of comments or conduct will meet this new standard going forward, says Stephanie Roeser at Manatt.