Commercial Contracts

  • June 28, 2024

    Aviation Co. Escapes Florida Suit Over No-Fuel Plane Crash

    A Florida federal judge has tossed a lawsuit brought against a Miami-based aviation company over a pilot crashing its plane into the ocean after running out of fuel while en route to the Bahamas, ruling that the company wasn't actually in possession of the aircraft during the incident.

  • June 28, 2024

    Maxeon Was Overreliant On SunPower Sales, Investor Says

    Maxeon Solar Technologies was hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging that the company concealed that a significant portion of its business depended on exclusive sales of certain products to its former parent company, SunPower Corp., and that a terminated contract between the two would lead to a 41% revenue drop for Maxeon.

  • June 28, 2024

    Legal Tech Co. Seeks Arbitration Of ESOP Row At 11th Circ.

    A legal technology company is urging the Eleventh Circuit to back arbitration of workers' claims that they lost $35.4 million when their employee stock ownership plan bought undervalued company shares, arguing that the lower court misstepped by finding that the agreement flouted rights under federal benefits law.

  • June 28, 2024

    Consulting Co. Says Rivals Merged Despite Promising Not To

    A software consulting company seeking to block a merger between two competitors alleged in a suit in Colorado state court that the rivals have shown "blatant disregard" for a noncompete pact brokered during earlier talks to combine all three companies.

  • June 28, 2024

    Most H.I.G. Capital Claims Advance In $915M Del. Audax Suit

    A Delaware Superior Court judge has kept alive much of a suit filed by affiliates of H.I.G. Capital alleging "brazen" sell-side fraud and conspiracy by interests of Audax Group in connection with H.I.G.'s $915 million deal in early 2022 for an allegedly overvalued Mobileum Inc.

  • June 28, 2024

    NY Law Firm Botched Gas Co. Sale, Ex-Client Says

    Albany, New York-based Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP is facing a lawsuit in New York federal court alleging it failed to properly structure the sale of a gas company and caused its owner to incur an avoidable tax liability.

  • June 28, 2024

    Pashman Stein Can't Escape Negligence Claims, NJ Atty Says

    A New Jersey attorney who countersued Pashman Stein Walder Hayden PC after the firm accused him of ducking a nearly $100,000 legal bill is urging a state court to reject what he says are the firm's "frivolous" calls to toss his negligence counterclaims.

  • June 28, 2024

    Bank Shareholders Win $800K In Venezuelan Takeover Suit

    Shareholders in a small Miami bank won an $800,000 award Thursday after a federal jury found two of the five board members accused of working for the Venezuelan government liable for the bank's financial difficulties.

  • June 28, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen Uber hit with claims from Addison Lee and the former CEO of the Kabbee app, animal by-product company Leo Group file a defamation claim against a local anti-odor campaigner, and a self-styled lord who claims to be the illegitimate son of the late Prince Phillip resume legal action against his cousins for a share in his late aunt's estate. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 28, 2024

    Supreme Court Strikes Down Chevron Deference

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned a decades-old precedent that instructed judges about when they could defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law in rulemaking, depriving courts of a commonly used analytic tool and leaving lots of questions about what comes next.

  • June 27, 2024

    Ex-Gibson Dunn Partner Wins Over $557K In Retirement Fight

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher must pay $557,371 plus retirement benefits to a former partner who left in 2022 and joined Weil Gotshal & Manges, a California state judge said Thursday, affirming an arbitrator's conclusion that the partner didn't resign but rather retired, which allows him to collect retirement benefits.

  • June 27, 2024

    Ch. 7 Can't Free PE Firm From Suit, Diamond Polisher Says

    A Canadian diamond polisher urged a Michigan federal judge to keep alive its suit alleging that a lab-grown diamond company's private equity owner knew it couldn't make good on its promise to fund new facilities to process the gemstones, saying the fact that the company is going through bankruptcy can't shield the PE firm from liability for using its alter ego to make fraudulent statements.

  • June 27, 2024

    FCC's Unlocked Phone Regs Could Affect Existing Contracts

    A Federal Communications Commission plan to require the "unlocking" of cellphones so consumers can easily switch providers could impose rules on existing mobile contracts, but the FCC said Thursday that it might apply only to future agreements.

  • June 27, 2024

    Construction Co. Ordered To Stop Misusing Credentials

    A construction engineering firm was ordered by a Massachusetts state court judge on Wednesday to stop identifying an employee as a construction supervisor on projects he's not involved with.

  • June 27, 2024

    Mich. Top Court Won't Fast-Track Fiat Supplier's Pricing Fight

    The Michigan Supreme Court has rejected a petition from one of Fiat Chrysler's suppliers, Kamax, for an immediate audience in front of the state's top court after Kamax was ordered by a judge to continue producing parts for the automaker at a loss.

  • June 27, 2024

    Rec Sports Co. Wants Proof Behind Trade Secret Theft Claims

    A recreational sports club that was accused of receiving a competitor's confidential customer information has demanded that its accuser produce its evidence, telling a New Jersey federal judge that it is "mystified" by the allegations.

  • June 27, 2024

    Colo. GOP Atty Sent Client's $375K To Hacker, Suit Says

    A Colorado attorney and conservative radio personality is facing breach of contract claims in state court after he allegedly wired a client's $375,000 divorce settlement to a purported investment account in Hong Kong despite what the plaintiff, a garden center worker making $14.77 per hour, called clear signs of fraud.

  • June 27, 2024

    US Service Members Want Timeshare Class Action Certified

    A putative class of U.S. service members who borrowed timeshare loans pushed for class certification for their suit in Florida federal court against two timeshare companies, which were accused of violating the Military Lending Act by not making legally required disclosures about the loans and arbitration requirements.

  • June 27, 2024

    Title IX Firm Conspired To File Frivolous Grievance, Suit Says

    A Michigan law firm that specializes in defending college students from Title IX claims alleged another firm conspired with a former joint client to file a grievance complaint to gain leverage in a separate lawsuit over the firms' soured business relationship.

  • June 27, 2024

    Boeing Settles Suit Claiming NC Fund Ransomed Plane Parts

    The Boeing Co. and the private investment firm it accused of forcing a new supply contract under false pretenses before raising prices for aircraft parts by more than 300% have agreed to settle their dispute, according to a new notice filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • June 27, 2024

    Honeywell Says Sourcing Co. Backpedaled On Supply Deal

    Honeywell has accused a sourcing company of trying to claw its way out of a contract to buy medical-grade gloves by fabricating quality concerns and launching a bogus recall in an allegedly underhanded way to make itself more appealing to potential buyers.

  • June 27, 2024

    Conn. Banking Dept. Defends $25K Fine Against Legal Funder

    The Connecticut Department of Banking is urging a state judge to affirm a $25,000 fine levied on a legal funding business, saying the court should reject the company's contention that it has no authority over transactions at issue in the penalty.

  • June 27, 2024

    Susan Sarandon Can Get Home Contractor's Bank Records

    A Massachusetts credit union must give Hollywood star Susan Sarandon some of the personal financial records of a contractor who she says failed to properly oversee construction of her $2 million sustainable home in Vermont, a federal magistrate judge ruled Wednesday.

  • June 26, 2024

    Window Seal Maker Can't Nix Condo's Faulty Glass Panel Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Tuesday refused to free a window component maker from a lawsuit claiming it helped conceal defects in a Seattle condominium's windows, saying the court had personal jurisdiction because the alleged wrongdoing was characterized as a deliberate act that affected a large number of actual Washington consumers.

  • June 26, 2024

    Calif. Sanctioned $111M In 30-Year Prison Staffing Case

    A California federal judge has ordered state officials to hand over more than $111 million for failing to bring prison mental health staffing up to levels set by the court in 2009 in a 30-year-old case, saying Tuesday that "given defendants' contumacy, it is for the court to effect compliance."

Expert Analysis

  • Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May

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    A look at recent cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court provide guidance on how to succeed on appeal by clarifying the obviousness analysis of design patents, the finality of a judgment, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Shows Lies Must Go To Nature Of Bargain

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Milheiser decision, vacating six mail fraud convictions, clarifies that the key question in federal fraud cases is not whether lies were told, but what they were told about — thus requiring defense counsel to rethink their strategies, say Charles Kreindler and Krista Landis at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Adopting 7 Principles May Improve Voluntary Carbon Markets

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    The Biden administration's recently issued joint policy statement on improving the integrity of voluntary carbon markets may help companies using carbon credits to offset their emissions withstand scrutiny by government agencies, the public and investors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Managing Legal Risks After University Gaza Protests

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    Following the protests sparked by the war in Gaza, colleges and universities should expect a long investigative tail and take steps to mitigate risks associated with compliance issues under various legal frameworks and institutional policies, say Wiley's Diana Shaw and Colin Cloherty.

  • Debate Over CFPB Definition Of Credit Is Just Beginning

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recently worked to expand the meaning of credit, so anyone operating on the edges of the credit markets, or even those who assumed they were safely outside the scope of this regulatory perimeter, should pay close attention as legal challenges to broad interpretations of the definition unfold, says John Coleman at Orrick.

  • Abu Dhabi Ruling Hints At More Arbitration-Friendly Approach

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    The international and comparative rationale an Abu Dhabi onshore court used to decide that an arbitration agreement referencing a defunct arbitration center was still enforceable suggests that the UAE judiciary may be adopting a more flexible, pro-arbitration framework and stabilizing Dubai's arbitration landscape, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

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    Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • DC Circ. Ruling Heightens HHS Contract Pharmacy Challenges

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    The D.C. Circuit's recent ruling that the Section 340B program does not bar manufacturers from restricting deliveries of discounted drugs to contract pharmacies represents a second strike against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' current contract pharmacy policy and raises the stakes surrounding an upcoming Seventh Circuit ruling on the same issue, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Trending At The PTAB: Real Party In Interest And IPR

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    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s recent Luminex v. Signify decision, finding a complaint seeking indemnification may be treated as a public demand sufficient to establish a real party-in-interest, shows that the board continues to apply a broad and expansive definition to that term, say Yicong (Eve) Du and Yieyie Yang at Finnegan.

  • How Employers, Attorneys Can Respond To Noncompete Ban

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    As the Federal Trade Commission's recently issued noncompete ban faces ongoing legal challenges, now is a good time for employers to consider whether they want to take a wait-and-see approach before halting use of noncompetes and for practitioners to gain insight into other tools available to protect their clients' business interests, says Jennifer Platzkere Snyder at Dilworth Paxson.

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