Commercial Contracts

  • September 27, 2024

    NC Biz Court Trims Pot Farm Fight With 'Amazon Of Hemp'

    An online hemp retailer has narrowed a North Carolina farm's lawsuit alleging the retailer doctored its THC reports before listing the farm's products for sale online, with a state Business Court judge finding they aren't competitors and the farm otherwise failed to show the retailer tried to pass off the hemp producer's products as its own.

  • September 27, 2024

    Deal Cools Sale Broker's Beef With Cold-Cheese Pizzeria

    A Pittsburgh cold-cheese pizzeria's beef with a real estate broker over the commission on what was almost a $2.1 million sale has cooled, with the parties telling a Pennsylvania state court they have settled the case.

  • September 27, 2024

    Homebuilder Says NC Developer Reneged On $62M Land Deal

    Homebuilder Meritage Homes of the Carolinas Inc. accused a North Carolina developer on Friday of defaulting on a more than $61 million land development deal by failing to subdivide nearly 200 acres of land into a residential community with 785 lots.

  • September 27, 2024

    Off The Bench: College Sports Dominates Legal Landscape

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA and the athletes in the big name, image and likeness settlement try to redo the terms to satisfy the overseeing judge, Reggie Bush says his image has been exploited by his alma mater and the NCAA for years, and the Pac-12 claims that it's being strong-armed by a rival conference for coaxing away its teams.

  • September 27, 2024

    Colo. Law Voids Cos.' Coverage Agreement, Judge Rules

    An oil and gas production company isn't owed coverage by an electrical drilling company for an underlying lawsuit brought by an injured worker, a Colorado federal judge ruled, finding that defense, indemnification and insurance provisions within the companies' agreement are void under state law.

  • September 27, 2024

    NY Court Won't Transfer DOJ's Live Nation Antitrust Case

    The New York federal judge overseeing the government's antitrust case against Live Nation said Friday he will not transfer the action to Washington, D.C., where a court handled a settlement clearing the concert promotion giant's 2010 purchase of Ticketmaster.

  • September 27, 2024

    TPG Sues In Del. For Control Of Md. Data Center Project

    An affiliate of global asset manager TPG sought a fast-tracked declaratory judgment in Delaware's Court of Chancery late Thursday that Quantum Loophole Inc. was validly removed as manager of a potential multisite, $5 billion "gigawatt" data center project near Frederick, Maryland.

  • September 27, 2024

    Ill. Justices Won't Hear Baker McKenzie's London Transfer Bid

    Illinois' top court has declined to take on a petition from Chicago-based Baker McKenzie urging the justices to send to London a malpractice suit accusing the firm of botching a client's bid to reacquire a Russian coal mine.

  • September 27, 2024

    Womble Bond Adds Holland & Knight Business Litigator

    Womble Bond Dickinson has added a former Holland & Knight LLP business litigation partner to its office in Nashville who before his more than 20-year legal career was a U.S. Navy lieutenant on the USS Gettysburg, the firm announced Thursday.

  • September 27, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen Coca-Cola bring a trademark infringement claim against its former marketing director, Glencore face legal action by American Century ETF Trust, law firm Bishop Lloyd & Jackson defend itself against two solicitors it worked alongside during inquiries into Grenfell Tower, and a U.K. cruise line face a claim by a subsidiary of the sanctioned gambling platform GTLK.

  • September 26, 2024

    1st Circ. Won't Disturb Ex-DraftKings Exec's Noncompete

    The First Circuit on Thursday rejected an appeal from a former DraftKings executive looking to undo his noncompete contract, ruling that Massachusetts law — not California law — applies to his agreement with his Boston-based former employer and that an injunction barring him from competing with DraftKings stands.

  • September 26, 2024

    Legal Pros Grapple With Best Use Of AI As Clients Divide

    BigLaw attorneys and in-house counsel speaking at the annual Berkeley Law AI Institute on Thursday talked about how they've recently grappled with using the tools known as artificial intelligence in representing clients, saying some clients have either demanded or prohibited attorneys from using the tools, and others have taken seemingly contradictory positions.

  • September 26, 2024

    Seattle Firm Seeks $143M In Tunnel Machine Insurance Trial

    A Seattle construction contractor told a Washington state jury on Wednesday its insurers owe $143 million for repairs to a massive tunneling machine that sustained "catastrophic damage" when it struck a steel pipe underground in 2013, urging jurors to reject the defense that the claim fell under a "machinery breakdown" exclusion.

  • September 26, 2024

    GEO Agrees To Let Labor Inspectors Into Wash. ICE Facility

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday signed off on an agreement between the state of Washington and private prison operator GEO Group Inc. to allow state labor inspectors access to an immigration detention facility GEO owns and operates for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

  • September 26, 2024

    Keller Postman Defends Hitting Tubi With 23K Arbitration Claims

    Keller Postman LLC on Wednesday defended filing arbitration demands against Tubi Inc. without waiting 45 days after providing notice of claims, and urged a D.C. federal judge to toss the TV content platform's lawsuit, arguing that arbitration is the only route its clients have to dispute the enforceability of the contractual delay.

  • September 26, 2024

    Edible Arrangements Says Zurich Shirked Policy Duties In $4M Suit

    Atlanta-headquartered Edible Arrangements has hit the American Zurich Insurance Co. with a breach of contract suit seeking at least $4.2 million, claiming the insurer refused to defend and indemnify it against counterclaims stemming from a trademark suit it filed against another company.

  • September 26, 2024

    Oil Co. Can Escape Most Claims In Shell Fraud Suit

    A federal judge trimmed most of the claims from a lawsuit brought by a group of Western Pennsylvania landowners who say a Royal Dutch Shell PLC subsidiary fraudulently sold off $9.5 billion of its assets to avoid the possibility of being subject to a judgment in a separate lawsuit.

  • September 26, 2024

    Full Fed. Circ. Looks To Clarify Damages In Google Case

    The full Federal Circuit has agreed to review EcoFactor's $20 million infringement award against Google, a move that attorneys say should provide much-needed guidance for both judges and parties when calculating damages.

  • September 26, 2024

    Helicopter-Maker Claims Supplier Had 'Reliability Issues'

    A former Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. engineer claimed a supplier at the center of a $100 million trade secrets lawsuit delivered parts that had "reliability issues," saying Thursday during a trial in Texas state court that the supplier had long-standing problems.

  • September 26, 2024

    Chubb Bears Burden In Smithfield Hog Farm Coverage Suit

    A Chubb unit must bear the burden of proving the reasonableness of costs that Smithfield Foods incurred in defending against claims that its farms were a nuisance, North Carolina's business court ruled, saying the pork producer must only show that it incurred and paid the costs at issue.

  • September 26, 2024

    Visa Case Continues Antitrust Focus On 'Middlemen'

    The antitrust case filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against Visa on Tuesday is the administration's latest attack on commercial "middlemen" that enforcers say contribute to high consumer prices by using their dominance to charge inflated fees.

  • September 26, 2024

    Judge Certifies COVID-19 Refund Action Against Cedar Fair

    An Ohio federal judge certified two classes of 2020 season pass holders with amusement park company Cedar Fair LP — which recently merged with Six Flags Entertainment Corp. — and also added some subclasses for the pass holders' claims that they are entitled to refunds after the amusement parks they bought passes for were shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • September 26, 2024

    Conn. Lawyer Wants Early Win In $450K Malpractice Suit

    A Connecticut attorney's former client has effectively admitted that she is the one responsible for delays in responding to discovery requests in a fraudulent transfer suit that ultimately cost her $450,000, the attorney said in seeking summary judgment in a malpractice suit that she brought against him in state court.

  • September 26, 2024

    NC Medical Equipment Maker Can't Ditch Unfair Biz Suit

    The North Carolina Business Court has denied a medical equipment maker's bid to get a win based on the pleadings in a fraudulent concealment and unfair trade practices lawsuit alleging that it stole the business model and a pregnancy support garment design from a rival.

  • September 26, 2024

    4th Circ. Judge Thrashes Vets' Argument In Citibank Fee Suit

    A Fourth Circuit judge on Thursday ripped military members' argument that they must be allowed under a military-members-lending law to proceed in federal court with a proposed class action alleging Citibank charged illegal fees, with the judge stressing that the statute is silent on forbidding arbitration.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Addressing Dispositive Motions

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    Stephanie Magnell and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Claims and the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals that provide interesting takeaways about the nuances of motion practice utilized by the government to dispose of cases brought under the Contract Disputes Act prior to substantive litigation

  • What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation

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    Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Suski ruling not only reaffirmed the long-standing principle that arbitration is a matter of contract, but also established new and more general principles concerning the courts' jurisdiction to decide challenges to delegation clauses and the severability rule, say Tamar Meshel at the University of Alberta.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Practical Private Equity Lessons From 2 Delaware Deals

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    A pair of Delaware Chancery Court cases remind private equity sponsors that specificity is crucial through the lens of deal certainty, particularly around closing conditions and agreement sections of acquisition agreements, say Robert Rizzo and Larissa Lucas at Weil Gotshal and William Lafferty at Morris Nichols.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

  • Revisiting Morals Clauses In The Age Of Deepfakes

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    Deepfakes and other forms of misrepresentation powered by artificial intelligence have complicated the traditional process of reputation management for companies entering into talent agreements with celebrities, bringing new considerations for the morals clauses that usually shield against these risks, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

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