Appellate

  • July 09, 2024

    9th Circ. Lets Librarian's Suit Against Dun & Bradstreet Go On

    The Ninth Circuit has backed a California federal court's decision not to throw out a suit claiming Dun & Bradstreet Holdings sold personal information of individuals without consent, saying the proposed class action can move forward.

  • July 09, 2024

    2nd Circ. Urged To Toss Cannabis Dormant Commerce Suit

    New York cannabis regulators have urged the Second Circuit to disregard a California lawyer's efforts to upend the state's licensing program, arguing that the dormant commerce clause doesn't apply to marijuana, a substance that Congress has not permitted to be traded between states.

  • July 09, 2024

    Ga. Doc Can't Get Emergency Protection In Med Mal Death Suit

    In a split opinion, the Georgia Court of Appeals revived a medical malpractice case against a doctor who allegedly misdiagnosed a patient's brain condition, finding he's not shielded by a statute that sets a gross negligence standard for liability in emergency medical situations.

  • July 09, 2024

    NFL Says Ex-Pro's Benefits Row Belongs At Bargaining Table

    The National Football League has pushed back against a Fifth Circuit appeal by a former player whose benefits suit was tossed, arguing his issue is not with the plan's board but the plan's design, which can only be resolved through bargaining, not in court.

  • July 09, 2024

    Gov't Missed Merck Vax Potency Problem, 3rd Circ. Told

    Two whistleblowers claiming that Merck & Co. had exaggerated the potency of its mumps vaccine told a Third Circuit panel Tuesday that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's continued purchasing of the vaccine was not proof that the agency knew but didn't care about the alleged deception.

  • July 09, 2024

    Ex-Uber Driver Urges 9th Circ. To Rehear Race Bias Suit

    An Asian former Uber driver is asking the Ninth Circuit to overturn a panel's June ruling finding he failed to support his allegations that the ride-hailing giant's rating system is racially biased, saying the court held him to too high of a standard.

  • July 09, 2024

    NJ Atty Must Face Claims Over Not Reviving Malpractice Suit

    The New Jersey state appeals court reversed a trial court decision Tuesday and reinstated a malpractice case against a solo practitioner who allegedly blew a filing deadline and caused his clients to lose a separate malpractice suit.

  • July 09, 2024

    5th Circ. Indicates Skepticism In Brett Favre Defamation Case

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday seemed skeptical that comments made by former NFL star Shannon Sharpe about Brett Favre's alleged involvement in a massive Mississippi welfare fraud scheme amounted to defamation, pressing Favre's attorney over why the retired NFL quarterback didn't sue over Sharpe's more emotionally charged statements.

  • July 09, 2024

    Maryland, SC Tell 4th Circ. PFAS Suits Belong In State Courts

    Federal district courts properly determined that lawsuits Maryland and South Carolina filed against 3M over alleged contamination stemming from the manufacture, use and disposal of a wide range of consumer products containing so-called forever chemicals can proceed within their respective state courts, the two states told the Fourth Circuit.

  • July 09, 2024

    Experts Don't Always Need To Cite Studies, Mich. Justices Say

    The Michigan Supreme Court has found a medical malpractice plaintiff's expert witness was wrongly stricken for failing to support his opinion with peer-reviewed medical literature, ruling experts shouldn't be disqualified solely on that basis, particularly in a case where the rare complication at issue has not been studied.

  • July 09, 2024

    Ousted Fla. Atty Pushes 11th Circ. To Speed Up Review

    Suspended Florida prosecutor Andrew Warren is once again asking the Eleventh Circuit to expedite a mandate to a lower court to reconsider his case against Gov. Ron DeSantis, arguing that a single judge has stopped it from moving forward for nearly six months.

  • July 09, 2024

    Alaska Senators Condemn District Judge After Resignation

    Alaska's two Republican senators reprimanded the federal judge from their state who was found by a special committee to have created a hostile work environment and had an "inappropriately sexualized relationship" with one of his clerks, and has resigned.

  • July 09, 2024

    5th Circ. Skeptical Of Nixing ESG Rule Despite Chevron's End

    A Fifth Circuit panel appeared unlikely Tuesday to knock out a Biden administration rule allowing retirement plan advisers to consider environmental, social and governance factors when choosing investments, although one judge seemed to support vacating a lower court's decision upholding the regulation in light of the Chevron doctrine's demise.

  • July 09, 2024

    'ComEd Four' To Renew Acquittal Bid After Bribery Ruling

    An Illinois federal judge effectively pushed the next ruling in the criminal case against former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and her three co-defendants to at least winter, as the defendants vowed to renew their acquittal bid in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling finding that federal bribery law doesn't criminalize rewards given after an official act.

  • July 09, 2024

    Newman Loses Suit Against Fed. Circ. Over Suspension

    A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman filed against her colleagues over her suspension for refusing to undergo medical tests, saying she failed to prove the judicial conduct law at issue is unconstitutional.

  • July 08, 2024

    5th Circ. Unstrings Gibson's Win In Guitar Design TM Fight

    Gibson must retry its case alleging a rival guitar maker sold counterfeit instruments that infringed its trademark on the Flying V guitar and other iconic models, the Fifth Circuit ruled Monday, saying the district court improperly excluded evidence.

  • July 08, 2024

    Shopify Privacy Ruling Threatens AGs' Work, 9th Circ. Told

    Attorneys general from 30 states and the District of Columbia, along with a trio of California city attorneys, are calling on the Ninth Circuit to revive a proposed class action accusing payment processing company Shopify of collecting shoppers' sensitive information without permission, arguing that the dispute threatens to deprive them of their ability to enforce their states' consumer protection laws. 

  • July 08, 2024

    Would-Be Pot Co. Rainmaker Still Not Liable For Alleged Fraud

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel has affirmed the outcome of a jury trial in which a businessman was found not liable for defrauding a cannabis company, concluding that it would have been highly prejudicial to tell jurors the businessman was sanctioned in the case for fabricating evidence.

  • July 08, 2024

    Judge's Error Reverses Med Mal Atty Sanctions, Panel Rules

    A Pennsylvania Superior Court ruled Monday that a Philadelphia trial court erred by imposing sanctions on counsel in a long-running medical malpractice suit against a hospital, saying sanctions can't be based on a broad courtwide policy attempting to speed up medical malpractice cases.

  • July 08, 2024

    Fla. Judge Facing Reprimand For Spreading Campaign Gossip

    A Florida judge has agreed to a public reprimand for disseminating unreliable allegations about her opponent for a judicial seat that insinuated the opponent fraudulently obtained money from the Paycheck Protection Program, according to documents filed Monday.

  • July 08, 2024

    2nd Circ. Lets Rail Co. Retool Suit Against Big Banks

    The Second Circuit on Monday restored Eddystone Rail Co. LLC's lawsuit targeting Bank of America NA and other banks for their alleged roles helping an oil transportation and logistics company evade liability in a roughly $140 million contract dispute, reasoning that the rail company still has time to amend its complaint.

  • July 08, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Let Charter Shake Off Texas Patent Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Monday turned down an argument from Charter Communications to direct a lower court in Marshall, Texas, to toss a patent infringement suit it's facing — less than a year after the cable company lost a nearly identical argument in a different patent case before the appeals court.

  • July 08, 2024

    11th Circ. Reverses Halt On Ga. Election Spending Probe

    The Eleventh Circuit on Monday threw out a district court ruling blocking Georgia officials from enforcing a state campaign finance law against two nonprofits founded by Stacey Abrams that challenged the law's constitutionality, holding that the lower federal court should have abstained in light of a state proceeding.

  • July 08, 2024

    3rd Circ. Backs Pa. In Transco's Pipeline Permit Review Fight

    The Third Circuit on Monday backed the Pennsylvania state environmental board's authority to review pipeline upgrade permits secured by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co., rejecting the company's assertion that under the federal Natural Gas Act a federal court is the only forum to dispute the issuance of the permits.

  • July 08, 2024

    Purdue Creditors Look To Sue Sacklers After Justices' Ruling

    The official committee of unsecured creditors in the Chapter 11 case of drugmaker Purdue Pharma asked a New York bankruptcy judge on Monday for standing to bring actions against members of the Sackler family that own the company after the U.S. Supreme Court torpedoed a precarious settlement among the parties.

Expert Analysis

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • High Court's Jan. 6 Rioter Case May Have Wide Ripple Effects

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear oral arguments in Fischer v. United States, a case that will determine whether a law enacted after the Enron scandal can be used to prosecute Jan. 6 rioters, and could affect the government’s ability to charge those who impede a range of official proceedings, say Brook Dooley and Sara Fitzpatrick at Keker Van Nest.

  • 5th Circ. Clarifies What Is And Isn't A 'New Use' Of PFAS

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    The Fifth Circuit's March 21 decision in Inhance Technologies v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, preventing the EPA from regulating existing uses of PFAS under "significant new use" provisions of the Toxic Substances Control Act, provides industry with much-needed clarity, say Joseph Schaeffer and Sloane Wildman at Babst Calland.

  • CORRECTED: Endoscope Patent Case Offers Guidance On Right To Repair

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    An Alabama federal court's decision in Karl Storz v. IMS reaffirmed that product owners have broad rights to repair or modify their property as they see fit, highlighting the parameters of the right to repair in the context of patent infringement, say Dustin Weeks and Dabney Carr at Troutman Pepper. Correction: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article and headline attributed the Karl Storz ruling to the wrong court. The error has been corrected.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • How A Motion Before Justices May Help Trump Beyond Court

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    Even if Donald Trump loses his presidential immunity claim before the U.S. Supreme Court, the delay created by the motion may mean a trial can't be completed before the November election, says Paul Tuchmann at Wiggin and Dana.

  • Opinion

    $175M Bond Refiled By Trump Is Still Substantively Flawed

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    The corrected $175 million bond posted by former President Donald Trump on Thursday to stave off enforcement of the New York attorney general's fraud judgment against him remains substantively and procedurally flawed, as well as inadequately secured, says Adam Pollock of Pollock Cohen.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • NJ Ruling Offers Road Map To Fight Dishonored Check Claims

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    As ATM and mobile check deposits become more common, a New Jersey state appellate court’s recent ruling in Triffin v. Neptune shows that issuers can rely on copies of checks to defend against claims that checks were wrongfully dishonored after being electronically deposited, say attorneys at Sherman Atlas.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • A Look At Recent Challenges To SEC's Settlement 'Gag Rule'

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    Though they have been unsuccessful so far, opponents of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's so-called gag rule, which prevents defendants from denying allegations when settling with the SEC, are becoming increasingly vocal and filing more challenges in recent years, say Mike Blankenship and Regina Maze at Winston & Strawn.

  • How 3 Unfolding Cases Could Affect The Energy Industry

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    Three judicial decisions now in the pipeline — Texas' challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane regulations, Delaware's climate suit against big energy companies, and a case before the Supreme Court of Texas on royalty lease interpretation — could have important implications for the energy industry, say Michelle Scheffler and Rachael Cox at Skadden.

  • Conn. Bankruptcy Ruling Furthers Limitation Extension Split

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    A recent Connecticut bankruptcy court decision further solidifies a split of authority on whether Bankruptcy Rule 9006(b) may be used to extend the limitations period, meaning practitioners seeking to extend should serve the motion on all applicable parties and, where possible, rely on the doctrine of equitable tolling, says Shane Ramsey at Nelson Mullins.

  • How Purdue Pharma High Court Case May Change Bankruptcy

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Purdue Pharma may be the death of most third-party releases in Chapter 11 cases, and depending on the decision’s breadth, could have much more far-reaching effects on the entire bankruptcy system, say Brian Shaw and David Doyle at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

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