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Appellate
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July 29, 2024
2nd Circ. Backs $44.6M For Feds In Deadly Navy Ship Crash
The Second Circuit has upheld a New York federal judge's decision ordering Energetic Tank Inc. to pay the federal government more than $44.5 million in damages and prejudgment interest for its oil tanker's role in a deadly August 2017 collision with a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Singapore Strait.
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July 29, 2024
Court Won't Revive Woman's Postpartum Hospital Fall Suit
A Minnesota appeals court declined Monday to reinstate a woman's claims against a hospital alleging that a nurse caused her to fall and hit her head by encouraging her to take a bath after giving birth, saying the trial court rightly found that her experts' opinions didn't do enough to establish her case.
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July 29, 2024
Gas Refinery Co. On Hook For Worker's $1.6M Injury Award
An Ohio appellate panel has affirmed a $1.6 million award to an energy services worker who suffered serious injuries after thousands of gallons of jet fuel spilled onto him, saying there is sufficient evidence to support the $5.3 million verdict, which was later reduced.
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July 29, 2024
7th Circ. Affirms Defective Protein Pouch Suit Came Too Late
The Seventh Circuit on Friday upheld a Wisconsin federal court's decision to dismiss a suit brought by a protein powder maker founded by a bodybuilder over the manufacturer of zipper pouches on the grounds that statutes of limitations and other laws barred its claims.
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July 29, 2024
9th Circ. Axes Limit On DOL Denying Calif. Agencies Grants
The U.S. Department of Labor can shut California transit agencies out of a federal grant because of a conflict between a state pension law and a federal transit law, with the Ninth Circuit lifting a ban Monday on the agency denying grant applications because of that conflict.
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July 29, 2024
Railroads Ask 11th Circ. To Void New Train Crew Size Rule
Rail giants have told the Eleventh Circuit that the Federal Railroad Administration overstepped with its new two-person train crew rule, saying rail labor costs would surge if "one of the most consequential rulemakings in the history of American railroading" were allowed to stand.
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July 29, 2024
Mich. Top Court Says 2020 Tax Foreclosure Ruling Retroactive
The Michigan Supreme Court on Monday gave retroactive effect to its 2020 decision that said local governments violate homeowners' rights by profiting from the sales of their tax-foreclosed homes, saying Michigan's "robust" history of protecting against takings weighs in favor of making the ruling retroactive.
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July 29, 2024
Conn. Justices OK Vrbo Host's Short-Term House Rentals
A divided Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Vrbo host in Branford was allowed to rent out his property to vacationers under a set of regulations passed in 1994, before the local zoning board changed the rules in 2018 to ban his activities.
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July 29, 2024
Sky Zone Operator Gets Injury Claims Sent To Arbitration
The operators of a Sky Zone-branded trampoline park in the Chicago area have successfully pushed out of court a father's claims that his son was injured at the facility, after an Illinois appellate panel ruled that an arbitrator must determine if the waiver agreement the mother signed is in fact enforceable.
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July 29, 2024
4 Takeaways After Courts Block ERISA Advice Regs
Two Texas federal judges' takedowns of the U.S. Department of Labor's recently expanded definition of a fiduciary under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act has limited the agency's authority to oversee certain kinds of retirement investment advice, attorneys say, including some rollover situations. Here, Law360 looks at four things benefits lawyers have taken away from the decisions.
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July 29, 2024
2nd Circ. Won't Revive Crypto Org.'s NYT Defamation Suit
The Second Circuit refused to revive a Zurich-based cryptocurrency nonprofit's claims that The New York Times conspired with an analytics firm to defame the nonprofit, ruling Monday that the nonprofit had failed to show it was knowingly and recklessly misrepresented.
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July 29, 2024
9th Circ. Rules Ch. 7 Debtor Can't Exempt Home From Estate
The Ninth Circuit ruled that a debtor in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy case in Washington state cannot pursue above-limit homestead exemption and that the remaining proceeds of her property should go to the bankruptcy estate, reversing the bankruptcy appellate panel's decision in 2022.
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July 29, 2024
7th Circ. Revives Health Workers' COVID Vaccine Bias Suits
The Seventh Circuit reopened two lawsuits Monday accusing a health system of unlawfully rejecting requests by a Christian nurse and pharmacy technician to be excused from a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, ruling the religious nature of their exemption bids wasn't nullified by secular aspects of their arguments.
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July 29, 2024
Meadows Seeks High Court's Help In Ga. Case Removal Bid
Continuing his long-running efforts to drag his Georgia election interference prosecution into federal court, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to intervene and stop state prosecutors from declaring "open season on federal officials."
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July 29, 2024
Trademark Cases To Watch In The Second Half Of 2024
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a trademark infringement case regarding disgorgement of profits from corporate affiliates, and The Pennsylvania State University is headed to trial against a sports apparel retailer in a case with potentially huge ramifications for merchandise licensing. Here is a look at the trademark cases to watch for the rest of the year.
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July 29, 2024
Medical Co. Fights To Reboot Arbitration Bid At 9th Circ.
A private-equity owned medical product maker urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to reverse a finding that a truck loader's proposed class wage claims are exempt from federal arbitration law, arguing that the court erred in finding that she engaged in interstate commerce based on "super flimsy evidence" and is exempt.
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July 29, 2024
10th Circ. Won't Undo $6.4M Award In Cannabis Biz Fight
A Tenth Circuit panel has rejected a cannabis entrepreneur's attempt to undo a $6.4 million judgment in a dispute with an ex-business partner, but it ordered a district court to revisit an enforcement order that could require the entrepreneur to violate federal drug law to pay the damages.
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July 29, 2024
7th Circ. Judge Praised After Surviving Senate 'Gauntlet'
During U.S. District Judge Nancy Maldonado's brief tenure in Chicago federal court, she tackled several issues without direct precedent, including the intricacies of sound recording copyright protections. Now, after an especially bruising confirmation process, she'll be in a position to set precedent on the Seventh Circuit.
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July 29, 2024
'Grave' NatSec Concerns Justify TikTok Ban, DC Circ. Told
The U.S. government told the D.C. Circuit that TikTok's data collection practices and content recommendation algorithm threaten national security, in defending a federal law banning the social media platform from the United States unless it cuts ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
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July 29, 2024
Insurer Must Cover Driver's PIP Claim, Split Mich. Panel Says
An auto insurer must provide personal injury protection benefits to a policyholder's son who was injured in an out-of-state tractor-trailer crash, a split Michigan state appeals court ruled, finding that the man was not an owner or registrant of the tractor for purposes of the state's no-fault law.
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July 29, 2024
Commonwealth Financial Attacks SEC's 'Staggering' $93M Win
Commonwealth Financial Network has asked the First Circuit to overturn what it called a "staggering" $93 million penalty it was ordered to pay to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, arguing that its alleged failure to disclose conflicts of interest to investor clients was harmless.
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July 29, 2024
Utilities Seek 8th Circ. Freeze Of Power Plant Effluent Rule
Utility companies, trade groups and nearly two dozen states are urging the Eighth Circuit to pause a challenged rule setting new wastewater limitations for coal-fired power plants, arguing that it will otherwise force utilities to commit to unreasonable investments or plant retirements.
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July 29, 2024
Mich. Justices Uphold Power To Pause Pandemic Deadlines
The Michigan Supreme Court affirmed Monday that it had the power to suspend case filing deadlines for three months at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ruling the temporary measure was not an overreach of the judiciary's authority.
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July 29, 2024
9th Circ. Rules Pretrial Inmates Aren't Entitled To Min. Wage
The California Supreme Court made clear that state law doesn't cover pretrial detainees' wage claims, the Ninth Circuit ruled, flipping a lower court's decision denying a California county and a correctional services company's bid to toss a wage suit.
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July 29, 2024
Firm, Ex-Client Brief Conn. High Court In Punitive Award Case
McCarter & English LLP and ex-client Jarrow Formulas Inc. are weighing in as the Connecticut Supreme Court decides whether a federal court can award law firms punitive damages in suits for breach of contract, as the firm seeks a punitive payout after winning multimillion-dollar judgments in a contract dispute.
Expert Analysis
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Justices' Title VII Ruling Requires Greater Employer Vigilance
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Muldrow v. St. Louis ruling expands the types of employment decisions that can be challenged under Title VII, so employers will need to carefully review decisions that affect a term, condition or privilege of employment, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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End Of Acquitted Conduct Sentencing Can Spark More Reform
The U.S. Sentencing Commission’s recent end to factoring acquitted conduct into federal sentences could signal the start of a more constitutionally sound advisory scheme, but Congress and the Supreme Court must first authorize the commission to resolve two constitutional errors baked into its guidelines, say Mark Allenbaugh at SentencingStats.com and Alan Ellis at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.
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NY Tax Talk: Primary Function Is Key Analysis For Sales Tax
Two sales tax cases recently decided by New York's Appellate Division illustrate why both taxpayers and the state's Department of Revenue subscribe to the primary function test, a logical way to determine whether business transactions are subject to sales tax, say Elizabeth Cha and Jeremy Gove at Eversheds Sutherland.
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Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year ranging from salvage vehicle titling to rate discrimination based on premium-setting software.
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Why High Court May Have Rejected IP Obviousness Appeal
Attorneys at Womble Bond analyze possible reasons the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Vanda Pharmaceuticals' request to review the Federal Circuit’s reasonable expectation of success standard for determining obviousness, including that the court was unpersuaded by the company's argument that Amgen v. Sanofi places a bind on drug developers.
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Opinion
Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Ill. Justices' Ruling Answers Corporate Defamation Questions
The Illinois Supreme Court's recent unanimous decision in Project44 v. FourKites provides needed certainty and direction for lower courts considering defamation cases involving communications to corporate officers from third parties outside the corporation, which could result in fewer unwarranted motions to dismiss in trial courts and nonmeritorious appeals, says Phillip Zisook at Schoenberg Finkel.
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As Arbitrator Bias Claims Rise, Disclosure Standards Evolve
The growth in post-award challenges based on arbitrators' alleged conflicts of interest has led to the release of new guidance and new case law on the topic — both supporting the view that professional familiarity alone does not translate to a lack of impartiality, say attorneys at Skadden.
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6th Circ. Bias Ruling Shows Job Evaluations Are Key Defense
In Wehrly v. Allstate, the Sixth Circuit recently declined to revive a terminated employee’s federal and state religious discrimination and retaliation claims, illustrating that an employer’s strongest defense in such cases is a documented employment evaluation history that justifies an adverse action, says Michael Luchsinger at Segal Mccambridge.
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Social Media Free Speech Issues Are Trending At High Court
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision examining what constitutes state action on social media can be viewed in conjunction with oral arguments in two other cases to indicate that the court sees a need for more clarity regarding how social media usage implicates the First Amendment, say attorneys at Kean Miller.
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The Fed. Circ. In April: Hurdles Remain For Generics
The Federal Circuit’s recent Salix v. Norwich ruling — where Salix's brand-name drug's patents were invalidated — is a reminder to patent practitioners that invalidating a competitor's patents may not guarantee abbreviated new drug application approval, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.
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Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation
A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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10b-5 Litigation Questions Follow Justices' Macquarie Ruling
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Macquarie v. Moab that pure omissions are not actionable under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b–5(b), creating a slightly higher bar for plaintiffs and setting the stage for further litigation over several issues, say Steve Quinlivan and Sean Colligan at Stinson.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.