Commercial Contracts

  • February 07, 2025

    Appellate Court OKs Trim Of Goldman Family Portfolio Battle

    A New York state appellate court affirmed a trial court's toss of several claims brought against the late Sol Goldman's real estate empire by inheritors who allege his daughter squeezed them out of the family business and manipulated an appraisal when they sought to cash out on their stake.

  • February 07, 2025

    Judge Sides With Ga. Railroad In Eminent Domain Battle

    A Georgia state court judge sided Thursday with a railroad company in an eminent domain fight with residents opposing the construction of a rail spur through their property, upholding a Georgia Public Service Commission ruling that gave the green light to the condemnation.

  • February 07, 2025

    Auctioneer Of 'Unknown' Van Gogh Wins $215 Bidder's Fight

    An auction service was within its rights to halt in-progress bidding for what one woman claims could be a "previously unknown" Vincent van Gogh painting because Connecticut law presumes auctions can be shut down before the hammer falls unless other terms are stated, a state court judge has ruled.

  • February 07, 2025

    Conn. Trial Firm Partner Seeks Sanctions In Heated Split-Up

    Connecticut Trial Firm LLC former co-owner Andrew Garza has asked a Connecticut Superior Court judge to issue sanctions against his former 50-50 partner, Ryan McKeen, accusing McKeen of "misconduct presenting a threat to the administration of justice" in heated litigation over the firm's split.

  • February 07, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Investec Bank PLC sue two diamond tycoons, London florist Nikki Tibbles file a claim against an "imitator company," a direct descendant of the Cartier family launch a claim, and a Coronation Street actor hit footballer Joe Bunney with a defamation claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 06, 2025

    Kraken Co-Founder Accuses 'Elite' SF Condo Of Political Bias

    Crypto-exchange Kraken co-founder Jesse Powell sued the owner of a landmark condominium — dubbed "Susie's Building" — in California state court Wednesday, claiming the property's allegedly "elite" Democratic shareholders discriminated against him by blocking his efforts to buy a condo due to his conservative views and role in the crypto industry.

  • February 06, 2025

    Sony Blocked From Axing CBS Deals Amid Game Show Battle

    A California state judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking Sony Pictures Television from terminating its distribution agreements for popular game shows "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" with CBS while the pair dukes it out in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to a minute order.

  • February 06, 2025

    6th Circ. Uncertain If Health Plan Administrator Is A Fiduciary

    A yacht-maker urged the Sixth Circuit on Thursday to revive its lawsuit accusing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan of overpaying employee health plan claims so it could profit off of savings recovered later, but faced tough questions about whether plan administrator BCBSM was a fiduciary under federal benefits law.

  • February 06, 2025

    Dealers Sue VW Unit Over Deposits For New Trucks, SUVs

    More than two dozen Audi and Volkswagen dealers in Florida have sued a Volkswagen unit, claiming it is violating a state law barring automakers from selling vehicles directly to the public by accepting $100 deposits for electric trucks and SUVs scheduled for release in 2027.

  • February 06, 2025

    Judge Questions Firm's Candor In Apple, Amazon Docs Row

    A Washington federal judge said on Thursday there was "troubling shifting" around Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP's explanation of texts and emails with a client who disappeared from a proposed class action targeting Amazon and Apple, while also saying it might not matter because the firm found substitute plaintiffs.

  • February 06, 2025

    SEC 'Exposes Lunacy' Through Its Dueling Suits, PE Firm Says

    A South Carolina private equity fund said Thursday the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to gut it through a Florida lawsuit, telling a Texas judge the commission made "out of touch statements" on how the litigation will harm its business.

  • February 06, 2025

    Jeld-Wen Appealing Forced Factory Sale To 4th Circ., Again

    Jeld-Wen Inc. is taking another trip to the Fourth Circuit to fight an order forcing it to sell a door skin factory, filing a notice of appeal Thursday after a Virginia federal judge said a $115 million price is fair.

  • February 06, 2025

    Earthlink Investors' Attys Score $28M In Merger Suit

    The attorneys who helped Earthlink investors score an $85 million settlement with the company after they said they were tricked into approving a $1.1 billion merger with a failing telecommunications company will be walking away with almost $28 million for their trouble.

  • February 06, 2025

    ERISA Preempts Banker's $5.5M Deferred Comp, Judge Rules

    The Employee Retirement Income Security Act preempts a former Leerink Partners employee's claims that she was cheated out of about $5.5 million in deferred compensation after the bank hired her under allegedly false pretenses from Goldman Sachs, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • February 06, 2025

    Sam Altman Calls Musk's Claim Of Ban On Rivals 'False'

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the key claim made in a preliminary injunction request from Elon Musk in their ongoing investment spat is false, saying in a new declaration that he never told OpenAI investors that they wouldn't be able to invest in the company if they also invested in Musk's xAI.

  • February 06, 2025

    Broker Sued In $79M Bezos Deal Has To Replead Defenses

    A Florida judge on Thursday struck most of the defenses put forth by Douglas Elliman LLC against accusations that it misrepresented that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was not the true purchaser of a $79 million Miami property, but told the real estate broker it could assert the defenses again with more facts to support them.

  • February 06, 2025

    Fla. Judge Beats Bias Challenge In Presiding Over CBD Suit

    A Florida federal judge on Thursday rejected an objection by former franchisee for CBD company American Shaman Franchise System LLC to a magistrate judge's decision not to recuse herself from his breach of contract case.

  • February 06, 2025

    Metals Dealer Says Partners Lost $12M In Attys' Tax Scam

    A precious metals dealer and his partners said they were fleeced of $12 million by attorneys who directed them to form a partnership and take illegal tax deductions for intellectual property, according to a complaint filed in Colorado federal court.

  • February 06, 2025

    Filing Claims 'Secret Lockout' Led To Conn. Trial Firm Schism

    One of the 50-50 partners litigating the dramatic breakup of Connecticut Trial Firm LLC, a personal injury firm known for high-dollar verdicts, has accused his onetime partner of having "plotted a secret lockout" to remove him from the firm, according to a revised derivative complaint filed in Connecticut state court.

  • February 06, 2025

    XPO Says Ex-Account Execs Poached Its Customers For Rival

    Logistics company XPO Inc. is accusing two ex-employees of violating their nonsolicitation and confidentiality agreements by poaching its clients after leaving to work for a rival firm, but the workers say the contracts are unenforceable, anyway.

  • February 05, 2025

    House Republicans Target CFPB's Small-Biz Rule For Repeal

    House Republicans at a Wednesday hearing sought to build momentum for reversing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's small-business loan data rule, casting it as harmful to smaller banks while Democrats argued the real danger is the Trump administration itself.

  • February 05, 2025

    'Dog Eat Dog' Contract Raises Connecticut Justice's Hackles

    A Connecticut Supreme Court justice on Wednesday challenged private equity firm members fighting a former member's trial court victory in a breach suit over the partnership, suggesting that the winner may have had a viable fiduciary duty claim over the "dog eat dog" operating agreement that apparently allows members to "screw" a minority shareholder.

  • February 05, 2025

    Monolithic's Investors Say Co. Botched Nvidia Orders

    Power management component manufacturer Monolithic Power Systems Inc. has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging it hid critical defects in power modules used by its largest customer, Nvidia Corp., that led the artificial intelligence chipmaker to cancel orders, harming Monolithic's revenue.

  • February 05, 2025

    Mercedes-Benz Defective Brake Suit Narrowed Again

    A Washington federal judge has again narrowed a proposed class action against Mercedes-Benz over defective braking systems in SUVs, dismissing claims that the automaker fraudulently concealed the issue but allowing allegations that it unfairly shifted repair costs to customers.

  • February 05, 2025

    'Pay-To-Pay' Fees Are Unfair Debt Practice, 11th Circ. Rules

    The Eleventh Circuit said a mortgage servicing company illegally charged borrowers fees for online and phone payments, upholding a Florida federal court's decision that it improperly collected so-called pay-to-pay convenience fees that were not expressly allowed by underlying loan agreements.

Expert Analysis

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

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    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • A Legal Perspective On NYC's Retail Real Estate Evolution

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    As New York City's retail market begins to show signs of resilience after the challenges of recent years, landlords must be cognizant of legal implications from shifting trends toward shorter-term leases and pop-up stores, says Andrea Gendel at Pryor Cashman.

  • The Fed. Circ. In October: Anti-Suit Injunctions And SEPs

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    The Federal Circuit's holding in Ericsson v. Lenovo, a complex global case involving standard-essential patents, will likely have broad consequences for practitioners, including by making it easier to obtain an anti-suit injunction, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • How CFIUS' Updated Framework Affects Global Investors

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    The recent change to the monitoring and enforcement regulations governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will broaden administrative practices around nonnotified transaction investigations, increase the scope of information demands from the committee and accelerate its ability to impose mitigation on parties, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks

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    A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • OpenAI's Patent Pledge Is Not All It Seems

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    A recent statement that OpenAI won't assert its own patents is more of an aspiration than an obligation, and should prompt practitioners to think deeply about the underlying legal mechanisms of patent and contract law when determining the effectiveness of similar nonassertion pledges, say attorneys at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • FERC's Reactive Power Compensation Cutoff Is No Shock

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    While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent final rule ending compensation for reactive power provided within the standard power factor range will mean less revenue for some generators, it should not come as a surprise, since FERC has long signaled its interest in this shift, says Linda Walsh at Husch Blackwell.

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