Commercial Contracts

  • October 09, 2026

    Calif. Hotels Give Chinese Bank Path To $209M In Awards

    A California federal judge has refused to dismiss a Chinese bank's lawsuit seeking to enforce about $209 million in arbitral awards against a businessperson, ruling that hotels he bought in the state give the court jurisdiction over the case even though he doesn't live in the U.S.

  • October 09, 2026

    Amazon Can't Push Back FTC Antitrust Trial

    A Washington federal judge refused Friday to delay the Federal Trade Commission antitrust trial accusing Amazon.com Inc. of creating an artificial pricing floor in online retail, forcing the company to try to navigate a potential timing overlap in parallel state court litigation from the California attorney general.

  • October 09, 2026

    Pot Farm Seeks Review Of 6th Circ. Federal-Illegality Ruling

    A Michigan cannabis farm is asking the Sixth Circuit to reconsider a recent holding that contracts in the federally illegal marijuana industry are unenforceable, saying the ruling would cause "unimaginable instability" in jurisdictions with legalized cannabis.

  • October 09, 2026

    Pepsi Bottler Hit With $630K Lien Over 23-Month Project

    A California contractor told a Colorado state court judge Thursday that the company is seeking to foreclose on a mechanics' lien of nearly $630,000 after being wrongfully terminated from a $7.6 million contract by a Pepsi subsidiary.

  • October 09, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 6 Notable Decisions From September

    The Tenth and Seventh circuits issued published opinions in two union retirement disputes, while the Sixth Circuit found that the Commonwealth of Kentucky's lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers does not belong in state court, citing colorable federal preemption arguments. Here's more on those decisions and three other notable rulings involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act that came down in September.

  • October 09, 2026

    Anti-SLAPP Law Doesn't Tank Firm Breakup Case, Judge Says

    A Connecticut trial attorney and his new firm cannot invoke the state's anti-SLAPP law to dismiss claims brought by his former law partner, a state court judge held Thursday in one of multiple lawsuits stemming from Connecticut Trial Firm LLC's dissolution less than two years after it gained prominence with a record-setting personal injury verdict.

  • October 09, 2026

    Insurers Can't Avoid $5.3M Motel Damage Suit, Court Told

    A real estate development company urged a Washington federal court to reject its insurers' bid to avoid a suit seeking $5.3 million in coverage for damage to a motel that was supposed to be converted into affordable housing, saying the carriers' arguments concerning improper service are meritless.

  • October 09, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen PrivatBank sue its former oligarch owner, building materials provider Kingspan face a €100 million ($112 million) claim over Grenfell Tower cladding and energy giants VaroPreem and Viaro Energy become embroiled in an intellectual property row.

  • October 09, 2026

    Legal Marketing Co. Inks $600K Call Center Rep Wage Deal

    Legal marketing company Lawyer.com Inc. agreed to pay $600,000 to settle claims in a New Jersey federal court that it misclassified call center representatives as independent contractors and failed to pay them overtime wages required under federal law.

  • October 08, 2026

    9/11 Family Sues Cannabis Entrepreneurs Over $1.3M Loss

    A 9/11 widow and her children are suing a previously sanctioned Los Angeles-area cannabis entrepreneur and his associate in California state court claiming they misused the family's $1.3 million investment, taken from their terrorism-victim compensation fund, after making false promises of guaranteed returns.

  • October 08, 2026

    NASCAR Rivals Must Yield Race Setups In Trade Secrets Suit

    Joe Gibbs Racing LLC and rival NASCAR team Spire Motorsports must produce their race-car setups for the 2025 and 2026 seasons in their contested trade secrets battle, a North Carolina magistrate judge has ruled, but not without first lamenting the onslaught of discovery disputes he's been saddled with resolving.

  • October 08, 2026

    The Rise Of White Collar Sports Cheating Scandals

    Throughout the history of professional sports, teams have tried to get an edge. When those efforts have veered into impropriety, it's usually stemmed from violations between the lines: sign-stealing, equipment tampering or spying. But that dynamic is shifting.

  • October 08, 2026

    Fired Bassist Drops Conn. Contract Suit Against Metal Band

    The co-founder and longtime bass player for Grammy-nominated metal band Hatebreed has withdrawn a Connecticut state court lawsuit against the musical ensemble's singer and a related corporate entity, dropping all allegations his 2024 ouster was a breach of contract that caused him emotional distress.

  • October 08, 2026

    Gildan Changes T-Shirt Contract Terms After FTC Pressure

    The Federal Trade Commission said Thursday that T-shirt manufacturer Gildan Activewear SRL has removed terms from its supply agreement with distributor S&S Holdings LLC that prevented Gildan from offering better prices to competing distributors.

  • October 08, 2026

    New Fraud Division Flexes Might In Latest Enforcement Policy

    The National Fraud Enforcement Division's new corporate enforcement policy emphasizes the quick pursuit of certain types of fraud through data analysis and staff resources, expands the target list beyond traditional healthcare providers and highlights the division's growing dominance within the U.S. Department of Justice, experts say.

  • October 08, 2026

    Fla. Panel Reverses Atty Fees Award In Atty's POA Dispute

    A Florida appellate court has reversed an attorney fees award in a property purchase dispute involving a Florida attorney, a local property owners association and other parties.

  • October 08, 2026

    Buzbee Faces $970K Fee Bid In Dismissed Conspiracy Cases

    A Mississippi lawyer is asking a Texas state court to award her more than $970,000 in fees after defeating claims that she and her law firm conspired with rapper Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP to retaliate against prominent Houston plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee and two of his former clients.

  • October 08, 2026

    'Chicken Soup' Parent Owes $25M Judgment, Investor Says

    The entity that manages self-help book publisher Chicken Soup for the Soul Holdings LLC should be ordered to pay $25 million after a sale of most of an affiliate's assets never materialized, according to an investor seeking to recover some of its alleged $50 million in losses.

  • October 08, 2026

    Fla. Court Vacates $5 Law Firm Sales In Litigation Funder Suit

    A Florida state court vacated an order allowing a discount sale of an attorney's $20 million worth of shares in three law firms to a litigation funder seeking to collect on an out-of-state judgment, saying the auction notice wasn't issued properly. 

  • October 08, 2026

    Amazon Sued Over Child And Woman's Fire Pit Fuel Burns

    A minor and a family friend are suing Amazon.com Inc. in a New Jersey state court, alleging they were severely burned when a defective fueling bottle for a tabletop fire pit experienced "flame jetting" while the fire pit was being refueled.

  • October 08, 2026

    Ex-Coal Exec's Bribe Sentencing Paused Amid Witness Claims

    A Pennsylvania federal judge agreed Wednesday to reschedule an upcoming sentencing hearing for a former coal executive convicted of authorizing bribes to an arm of the Egyptian government, after his attorneys flagged new allegations against a star witness for the prosecution.

  • October 07, 2026

    9th Circ. OKs 90-Day Stay For Maker Of Eye Drops

    The Ninth Circuit isn't going to rehear its decision preserving a win in a case accusing the maker of Clear Eyes drops of illegal price discrimination in favor of Costco, but it will hold off on issuing the mandate while the eye drop maker appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • October 07, 2026

    Josh Cellars Co. Says Ex-Prez Has 'Deep' Litigation Funding

    Companies behind the Josh Cellars wine brand say they should be allowed to introduce an ex-president's alleged litigation funding deals during an upcoming Connecticut jury trial, arguing they're necessary to defend against his assertions regarding a corporate operating agreement and to refute a possibly misleading portrayal of the parties' resources.

  • October 07, 2026

    Colo. Panel Mulls Telecom Co.'s Challenge To $24M Judgment

    A Colorado wireless internet company urged a Colorado appellate court Wednesday to overturn a $24 million judgment against it that the company says came without due process, fielding the panel's questions on the appropriate standard to use in evaluating the company's appraisal dispute with its shareholders.

  • October 07, 2026

    Texas Justices Push Exxon On Explosion Suit Coverage Bid

    The Texas Supreme Court pressed Exxon Mobil Corp. to explain why an AIG unit should have to pay $25 million of a $35 million settlement arising from a deadly 2013 explosion at the oil giant's refinery in Beaumont, asking Wednesday if the company had control over the workers who were injured.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At The Court's Next Steps In Live Nation Antitrust Case

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    Following a recent jury verdict that Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly to fix ticket prices, a New York federal court stands to weigh Live Nation's bid for a new trial, approve the U.S. Department of Justice's March settlement with the defendants, and impose remedies that include full structural separation, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

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    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Foot Locker Fine Illustrates SEC's Whistleblower Priorities

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent fining of Foot Locker for its separation agreements is a reminder that the commission remains serious about maintaining open channels for reporting whistleblower concerns and that provisions can violate Rule 21F-17(a) without specifically barring communications with the SEC, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

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    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • Del. Chancery Has Signaled Decreased Use Of Its Blue Pencil

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    The Delaware Chancery Court's decision in BluSky Restoration Contractors v. Robbins not to enforce or rewrite overbroad language, known as blue-penciling, in key covenants shows that the sale of a business context no longer insulates these restrictive measures from judicial scrutiny, affecting transactions and litigation, says Aylin Daldal at Kleinbard.

  • Series

    Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

  • 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

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    The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

  • 2 'Rocket Dockets' And The Rules That Propel Them

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    The fastest civil trial courts in the country are currently in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Southern District of Florida, and their chief judges provide insights into the court rules that keep them ahead, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • AI Practices To Protect Trade Secrets Amid Unstable Case Law

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    Amid recent diverging district court approaches to whether inputting proprietary information into artificial intelligence tools could constitute a failure to take reasonable measures to safeguard secrets, trade secret owners must adapt their confidentiality practices to keep trade secrets secure, says Fitz Collings at MoFo.

  • Texas Ruling Leaves Key Oil Royalty Question Unresolved

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    The Texas Supreme Court's recent decision in Fasken Oil and Ranch v. Puig clarifies that royalty reservations containing “free of cost forever” language do not bar deduction of post-production costs — but it leaves open whether prices producers report to royalty owners should reflect what unaffiliated buyers would pay, says Robert Foss at Hinds Feat Advisors.

  • Key Legal Considerations For Data Center Battery Storage

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    Battery energy storage systems have become essential infrastructure for data center development — but as trade, energy and tax policies continue to shift, companies operating in this space must understand the importance of supply chain requirements and industry-tailored contracts, says RJ Colwell at Davis Graham.

  • Your Next Litigation Hold Should Cover AI Chat Logs

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton to treat a CEO’s artificial intelligence chats as substantive evidence is being read as a discovery warning to litigators, but there is a second duty-to-preserve lesson that is especially pertinent to in-house counsel, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Musk-OpenAI Verdict Shows Value Of Early-Stage Governance

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    A California federal court's ruling last week in Musk v. Altman preserves the status quo at OpenAI, but signals to the technology industry at large that courts will not relitigate the governance decisions of early-stage organizations on a founder's competitive timetable, surfacing questions that will outlast the litigation, says attorney Alan N. Walter.

  • Finding Borrower Risk In The Private Credit Covenant Mix

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    Amid rising caution over private credit defaults, investors and their counsel can gain key insights about borrower risk from the particular combination of financial metrics included in a loan's covenants, not just the number of covenants, say Christopher Armstrong at Stanford University, and Carlo Gallimberti and David Tsui at Analysis Group.

  • Series

    Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

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