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Commercial Contracts
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August 08, 2024
Calif. Justices Side With Hartford Unit In Virus Coverage Fight
The California Supreme Court on Thursday reversed an appellate court's finding that a virus endorsement rendered a restaurant's policy illusory in a coverage dispute with a Hartford entity over pandemic-related losses, instead ruling that the endorsement clearly provides coverage "only if the virus results from certain specified causes of loss."
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August 08, 2024
Instacart Shopper's Costco Injury Suit Sent To Arbitration
A Maryland federal judge has sent to arbitration a suit seeking to hold Costco liable for an Instacart shopper's slip-and-fall injuries, saying the warehouse club chain is a third-party retailer that falls under the arbitration clause in the grocery delivery company's independent contractor agreement.
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August 08, 2024
'Unclean Hands' Doom Colo. Dispute Over Cannabis Biz Sale
A Colorado state appeals court on Thursday affirmed the dismissal of a dispute over the sale of a cannabis business, saying the would-be buyer can't pursue its claims because the sale agreement was an illegal attempt to get around the state's licensing laws.
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August 08, 2024
Wash. Firm, Atty Say Rehashed $20M Con Claims Can't Stick
A Washington attorney and her former law firm have urged a Washington judge to toss a lawsuit alleging they were part of a scheme to con an asset management company out of $20 million, arguing that they were following instructions as escrow agents making sure funds were disbursed.
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August 08, 2024
11th Circ. Affirms OK Of $188M Award Against Venezuelan Co.
The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday enforced a $188 million arbitral award issued to a British Virgin Islands commodities firm, ruling in a published opinion that a Venezuelan state-owned mining firm's corruption arguments wrongly took aim at an underlying contract, rather than the award itself.
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August 08, 2024
No Private Right To Sue After 'Total Loss,' Colo. Panel Says
Colorado policyholders cannot sue their auto insurers to enforce a statute requiring them to cover vehicles' title and registration fees when vehicles are declared a total loss, a Colorado appeals court ruled Thursday, finding the statute contains no implied private right of action.
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August 08, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Rethink OK'ing Ad Class Cert. Against Meta
The Ninth Circuit refused Thursday to rethink a split panel decision affirming certification of a damages class of potentially millions of advertisers who were allegedly deceived about Facebook's "potential reach" tool, rejecting Meta Platforms Inc.'s warnings of unchecked fraud class actions.
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August 08, 2024
Amazon Must Face Pandemic Price-Gouging Claims In Wash.
Washington's high court said on Thursday that Amazon can be sued under the state's Consumer Protection Act over alleged price-gouging early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but stopped short of agreeing with customers that the law bars specific markup percentages.
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August 08, 2024
Ark. Racing Commission Wants Out Of Licensing Dispute
The Arkansas Racing Commission wants out of a dispute between a Mississippi casino operator and two Cherokee Nation entities over a gambling license, saying it has nothing to do with an economic development agreement at the center of the litigation.
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August 08, 2024
Home Security Co. Can't Recreate $12.1M Contract, Court Told
The home security arm of building firm Toll Brothers on Thursday asked a Connecticut Superior Court judge to nix three counterclaims from a contract lawsuit accusing another home security company of botching a $12.1 million home monitoring account purchase, saying the company was impermissibly reading language into the contract at issue and pressing duplicate allegations.
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August 08, 2024
Texas LNG Investor's Estate Sues In Del. Over Stake Valuation
The estate of a deceased investor who had a minority stake in a long-delayed liquified natural gas export project in Texas has sued his investment company and co-investors in Delaware's Chancery Court, alleging they are attempting to short-change the estate by undervaluing his stake in the project.
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August 08, 2024
Apple Must Produce Docs In Epic Antitrust Fight By Sept. 30
A California federal judge overseeing discovery in Epic Games' antitrust compliance fight with Apple gave the iPhone-maker a Sept. 30 deadline to hand over documentation on its response to foreign antitrust regulations and other internal documents, rejecting Apple's suggested December deadline and calling the 92,000-document review large but "not huge."
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August 08, 2024
VC, PE Firm Says Chinese Co. Cost $150M SpaceX Investment
A California-based venture capital and private equity firm has sued a Chinese company in California federal court, claiming Elon Musk's SpaceX rejected its planned $150 million investment after the Chinese company breached its promise to abide by strict confidentiality requirements and instead publicized its involvement in the planned investment.
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August 08, 2024
Crypto Co. Owes NBA's Pelicans $400K Over Sponsorship Deal
Cryptocurrency mining company PrimeBlock owes the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans $400,000 with interest after failing to hold up its end of a sponsorship agreement, a New Orleans federal judge has ruled.
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August 08, 2024
Ghana Must Pay $111M In Power Plant Fight, Court Rules
A D.C. federal judge has issued a default judgment against Ghana for more than $111 million left unpaid on an arbitral award issued by a London tribunal over the country's breach of a power plant operating deal with a subsidiary of commodities giant Trafigura.
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August 08, 2024
Insurer Utica Off Hook In High-End Leather Goods Dispute
Utica National Insurance Group is not obligated to defend or indemnify a maker of high-end leather goods against claims it fraudulently induced a former partner into a deal in order to steal his designs and then attempt to drive him out of business, a Massachusetts intermediate appellate court has concluded.
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August 08, 2024
Cooley Hit With Fla. Malpractice Suit Over Financial Docs
Genetic Networks LLC has sued California-based Cooley LLP in Florida state court, alleging the law firm failed to file documentation needed to secure a lien when preparing loan papers for $1.2 million lent to ECI Pharmaceuticals.
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August 08, 2024
Calif. Atty Says Lending Groups Illegally Threatened Fee Suit
A California attorney is accusing his former clients of illegally threatening a lawsuit over a $91,000 invoice, according to a suit filed in a Texas federal court.
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August 08, 2024
Conn. Judge Says Telecom Can Get $3.5M, Not $61M Interest
CCT Communications can't get the $61 million in interest it sought from a company it's been in dispute with for 14 years after a state judge ruled that Connecticut does not allow interest for breach of contract claims if the interest amounts to a penalty.
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August 08, 2024
50 Cent Beats Liquor Consultant's 'Ridiculous' Wiretap Claim
A frustrated New York state judge on Thursday tossed a former Beam Suntory Inc. sales contractor's reworked wiretapping allegations against rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson in a $3 million embezzlement dispute, calling the claims "ridiculous" and an "obvious" delay tactic.
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August 08, 2024
FTC Tells 9th Circ. Booksellers Don't Belong In Amazon Case
The Federal Trade Commission and Amazon both urged the Ninth Circuit not to allow a trade association for independent bookstores to intervene in the government's antitrust case against the e-commerce giant, saying the group's claims are too different.
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August 07, 2024
5th Circ. Pushes DOL On Salary Thresholds For OT Eligibility
A Fifth Circuit panel told the government during oral arguments Wednesday that the Labor Department needed to provide more substantial reasoning as to how it determines workers' overtime eligibility, saying that just because it has set salary thresholds for nearly a century doesn't mean it gets carte blanche.
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August 07, 2024
Hemp Cos. Owner Says Cousin Ripped Off Formula, Trademarks
The owner of Florida-based CBD and hemp companies White Lab LLC and GS Distribution LLC is suing a company owned by his cousin, saying the cousin has failed to pay up on a distribution agreement and is now trying to steal the trademarks to one of White Lab's product lines.
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August 07, 2024
NC Court Tosses Resort's Appeal Over Tree-Cutting Loss
The North Carolina Court of Appeals threw out a resort owner's appeal arguing that Dominion Energy North Carolina cannot remove trees on its property, holding instead that the resort owner abandoned its arguments when it failed to analyze the trial court's final judgment on appeal.
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August 07, 2024
Shuttered Firm Partner Pulls $9.5M Fee Fight Out Of Arbitration
An Illinois appeals court has reversed the transfer to partial arbitration of a suit accusing a personal injury firm name partner of defrauding the other name partner by collecting $9.5 million in fees shortly before the firm's dissolution, saying the firm's operating agreement with an arbitration clause was superseded by the dissolution agreement.
Expert Analysis
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2nd Circ. Ruling Will Guide Social Media Account Ownership
The Second Circuit’s recent decision in JLM Couture v. Gutman — which held that ownership of social media accounts must be resolved using traditional property law analysis — will guide employers and employees alike in future cases, and underscores the importance of express agreements in establishing ownership of social media accounts, says Joshua Glasgow at Phillips Lytle.
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Assessing The Future Of Colorado's Economic Loss Rule
The Colorado Supreme Court's decision to review a state appellate court's ruling in Mid-Century Insurance Co. v. HIVE Construction will significantly influence the future of Colorado's economic loss rule, with high stakes for the cost of doing business in the state, says David Holman at Crisham & Holman.
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Series
Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.
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What To Know About RWI In Acquisition And Divestiture Deals
As a slower pace of merger activity turns underwriters toward new industries, representations and warranties insurance policies are increasingly being written for acquisition and divestiture energy deals, making it important for contracting parties to understand how the RWI underwriting process works in this new sector, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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Freight Forwarders And Common Carriers: Know Your Cargo
Freight forwarders and other nonprincipal parties involved in global cargo movement should follow the guidance in the multi-agency know-your-cargo compliance note to avoid enforcement actions should they fail to spot evasive tactics used in supply chains to circumvent U.S. sanctions and export controls, say attorneys at Venable.
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SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap
As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.
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Key Considerations For Evaluating An AI Vendor
As artificial intelligence technology advances across industries, businesses can mitigate risks, while maximizing the value of their investment, by evaluating technology, expertise, support services, transparency and more when selecting an AI vendor, say Rahul Kapoor and Shokoh Yaghoubi at Morgan Lewis.
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A Closer Look At Novel Jury Instruction In Forex Rigging Case
After the recent commodities fraud conviction of a U.K.-based hedge fund executive in U.S. v. Phillips, post-trial briefing has focused on whether the New York federal court’s jury instruction incorrectly defined the requisite level of intent, which should inform defense counsel in future open market manipulation cases, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.
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A Refresher On Alcohol Sponsorships Before The Super Bowl
As millions of people will see in Super Bowl commercials Sunday, celebrity sponsorships continue to be a valuable tool for alcohol beverage marketers — and those looking to better target audiences must understand how regulation of the alcohol industry affects these deals, say attorneys at McDermott.
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Compliance Tips On State Automatic Renewal Contract Laws
Brian Casey at Locke Lord and Travis Moore at the Service Contract Industry Council consider the challenges in operationalizing compliance faced by extended warranty businesses and whether extended warranties are exempt from laws covering automatic renewal contracts.
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Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout
While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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Series
Competing In Dressage Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My lifelong participation in the sport of dressage — often called ballet on horses — has proven that several skills developed through training and competition are transferable to legal work, especially the ability to harness focus, persistence and versatility when negotiating a deal, says Stephanie Coco at V&E.
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Considering A Practical FRAND Rate Assessment Procedure
As the debate over a fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory rate continues inside and outside courtrooms, a practical method may assess whether the proposed FRAND rate deviates significantly from what is reasonable, and ensure an optimal mix of assets for managers of standard-essential patent portfolios, says consultant Gordon Huang.
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How Poor Governance, Weak Contracts Harm Cannabis Cos.
Decades into cannabis decriminalization and legalization, many companies in the industry still operate on a handshake basis or fail to keep even minimally required records, which can have devastating effects and lead to costly, business-killing litigation, says Griffen Thorne at Harris Bricken.
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How Biotech Cos. Can Utilize Synthetic Royalty Financing
Synthetic royalty transactions have been on the rise as a funding structure for biotechnology companies, but questions have arisen surrounding how such transactions work, and structuring them correctly requires a nuanced understanding, say Todd Trattner and Ryan Murr at Gibson Dunn.