Commercial Contracts

  • August 22, 2024

    Ameriprise Benefits Most From Cash Sweeps, Customer Says

    Ameriprise was hit with a proposed class action in Minnesota federal court by a customer over its cash sweep program that allegedly yields low interest for customers and high fees for the bank, adding to a growing list of customer and regulatory scrutiny financial institutions are facing over the account type.

  • August 22, 2024

    Memorabilia Biz Sues Atlanta Braves For Maligning Reputation

    Auctioneer Heritage Vintage Sports has accused the Atlanta Braves in a defamation lawsuit of purposely maligning its image by leaking to the press that it did not have the right to sell certain items, including memorabilia connected to Hank Aaron.

  • August 22, 2024

    DLA Piper Wants Texas High Court To Review Doc Order

    DLA Piper has asked the Texas Supreme Court to review a trial court order that would force it to hand over communications with a medical group it represented in a sale, writing that an ex-client is trying to carve out an exception to attorney-client privilege because she had hired multiple law firms.

  • August 21, 2024

    Commercial Contracts Cases Spike After COVID-Era Decline

    Commercial contracts litigation increased in 2023 after hitting its lowest point in a decade in 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report out Thursday.

  • August 21, 2024

    Finance Guru Can't Send Timeshare Fraud Suit To Arbitration

    Celebrity financial planner David L. Ramsey III and his company can't pause and arbitrate a proposed class action alleging they promoted a timeshare exit fraud scheme on his radio show, a Washington federal judge said Wednesday, finding they were not included in arbitration agreements with the timeshare owners.

  • August 21, 2024

    RTX Wants Trade Secrets Trial Closed To 'Non-US Persons'

    Defense contractor RTX is fighting with a manufacturer over whether a trade secrets trial next week over the design of a mechanical bearing used in the U.S. military's "StormBreaker" bomb should be closed off to all "non-U.S. persons."

  • August 21, 2024

    FTC Fails 1st Test Of Rulemaking Push In Noncompetes Loss

    The Federal Trade Commission suffered its first definitive loss Tuesday in the push to ban employment noncompete agreements, although the decision probably isn't the final word given a likely appeal and two other pending challenges also viewed as a test of the agency's efforts to expand its rulemaking footprint.

  • August 21, 2024

    Legal, Policy Orgs Urge Justices To Toss FCA Interpretation

    Two groups are defending AT&T subsidiary Wisconsin Bell Inc. in its challenge to the use of the False Claims Act for E-Rate program reimbursement fraud, telling the Supreme Court in amicus briefs Tuesday that the Seventh Circuit's ruling in the case would make the FCA's qui tam powers too expansive.

  • August 21, 2024

    Student Loan Trusts Rip 'Aggressive' CFPB In High Court Bid

    Fifteen Delaware student loan trusts have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to rescue them from a long-running Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement lawsuit, asking to appeal a Third Circuit decision that said the securitization vehicles were subject to the agency's authority.

  • August 21, 2024

    Full 3rd Circ. Won't Hear Distillery Investor's RICO Case

    An investor in a Pennsylvania craft distillery who accused his former business partner and a bevy of associates of racketeering, fraud and trade secret violations has failed to persuade a Third Circuit panel or the full court to take another look at his arguments about reviving the dismissed case.

  • August 21, 2024

    Texas Law Firm Cleared Of Overcharging Criminal Client

    A Texas appellate court cleared Austin law firm Minton Bassett Flores & Carsey PC of breaching its fiduciary duties and delaying a trial date to rake in more legal fees from a criminal defendant, upholding the trial court's decision to dismiss the case in a Wednesday opinion.

  • August 21, 2024

    Insurers Escape Calif. Starbucks Drive-Thru Easement Row

    A California appeals court affirmed a lower court decision, finding commercial property insurers didn't have to defend an owner who allegedly tricked one tenant into signing an easement agreement for a parking lot, neglecting to mention it would be used by a Starbucks drive-thru.

  • August 21, 2024

    Chancery Orders Genworth Suit Funding, Fee Terms Released

    Attorneys for Genworth Life Insurance Co. long-term policyholders who sued the company in Delaware's Court of Chancery over the sale of valuable subsidiaries lost a battle on Wednesday to bar the disclosure of litigation funding and fee agreements.

  • August 21, 2024

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Wrinkle In Textile Family's $17M Fight

    The fate of a $17 million trust battled over by its trustees and Atrium Health, as well as attorney fees in a $1.1 million data breach settlement were cemented by the North Carolina Business Court in the first half of August. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.

  • August 21, 2024

    3rd Circ. Affirms Health Chain Win In Pa. Hospital Sale Dispute

    The seller of a Pennsylvania hospital was in compliance with its state licensing requirements when the facility was sold, and thus, did not violate the terms of the sale agreement when the buyer needed to update its fire-safety plans to stay licensed, the Third Circuit has affirmed.

  • August 21, 2024

    Contractor, Manager Settle Hartford HealthCare No-Poach Suit

    A New Jersey company that manages a sleep clinic in a Connecticut hospital has settled a former clinic manager's lawsuit alleging the company improperly prevented him from getting a job with the hospital's new owner after it fired him.

  • August 21, 2024

    Tribe Backs $2.8M Casino Debt Suit Against Ex-Studio Mogul

    A former Hollywood heavyweight who lost $5 million to a Connecticut casino and failed to make full payments to cover his losses misunderstood the relevant law when he asked a state court to strike a breach of contract claim against him, the tribal gambling authority said.

  • August 21, 2024

    Chamberlain Hrdlicka Can't Nix $700K Award To Consultant

    A Lone Star State appellate court has sided with a cost-cutting consulting firm in preserving a $700,000 judgment it was awarded following a 2022 jury trial against Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry, rejecting the law firm's argument that its liability was limited to a far lower amount under their contract.

  • August 21, 2024

    BofA Gag Clause Suit Heads For 9th Circ. After 2nd Dismissal

    A group of consumers who sued Bank of America for allegedly using improper nondisparagement clauses in its online service agreements moved Tuesday to take their case to the Ninth Circuit after a California federal judge threw it out for a second time last month.

  • August 20, 2024

    Disney Made Right Move Dropping Arbitration Bid, Attys Say

    Disney agreed Tuesday to drop its attempt to use a Disney+ app agreement to arbitrate claims over a woman's food allergy death at a Walt Disney World restaurant, a move that attorneys say quells what was turning into a public relations disaster and preserves the validity of the arbitration agreement in other cases.

  • August 20, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives Google Chrome Users' Data Privacy Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday reversed the dismissal of a proposed class action accusing Google of surreptitiously collecting Chrome users' data, finding that the lower court had relied on the incorrect standard in determining whether a "reasonable" consumer would think they had consented to the disputed practice.

  • August 20, 2024

    Paralympic Org. Says Insurer Can't Avoid Covering Abuse Suit

    The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee urged a Colorado federal court to toss an insurer's bid to avoid coverage for a Paralympic swimmer's sexual abuse suit, saying the insurer hasn't met the high legal bar to escape its duty to defend.

  • August 20, 2024

    Realtek Suit Is Just 'Litigation Over Litigation,' IP Biz Says

    Litigation business Future Link says the latest version of an antitrust lawsuit in California federal court from Taiwanese chipmaker Realtek over claims of a conspiracy with a different Taiwanese chipmaker to fund purported "patent troll" lawsuits is just more "litigation over litigation."

  • August 20, 2024

    Duke Energy Wants 4th Circ. Rethink On Antitrust 'Haven'

    Duke Energy sought a full Fourth Circuit rehearing Monday against a panel decision reviving NTE Energy Services' antitrust lawsuit, arguing the panel upended decades of U.S. Supreme Court precedent and risked making the circuit a space for plaintiffs to "escape" those rules.

  • August 20, 2024

    Wash. Judges Won't Upend Tobacco Payout Ruling

    A Washington appellate court on Monday rejected attempts by Philip Morris and other tobacco companies to pay the state less under a 1998 master settlement agreement, upholding an arbitrator's determination that the state was enforcing a law covering payment.

Expert Analysis

  • Setting Goals For Kicking Corruption Off FIFA World Cup Field

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    The unprecedented tri-country nature of the 2026 men's World Cup will add to the complexity of an already complicated event, but best practices can help businesses stay on the right side of anti-corruption rules during this historic competition, say Sandra Moser and ​​​​​​​Emily Ahdieh at Morgan Lewis.

  • Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert

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    As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact

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    A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.

  • Drafting Calif. Cannabis Management Services Agreements

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    Meital Manzuri and Alexis Lazzeri at Manzuri Law explore the ways in which management services agreements function in the California commercial cannabis industry, and highlight a few specific terms and conditions that are crucial when drafting these agreements.

  • In Energy Disputes, Good Arbitration Clauses Are Key

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    Recent trends have spawned many complex energy disputes that cross jurisdictional boundaries — but arbitration offers an optimal forum for resolving such matters, especially when arbitration provisions in contracts are tailored for the energy sector, say Scott Marrs at Akerman and Andrew Barton at the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution.

  • Series

    Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

  • Could 'General Average' Apply To The Key Bridge Crash?

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    While the owner and operator of the vessel that struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge have sought legal protection under the Limitation of Liability Act, they could choose to invoke the long-standing principle of general average, if supported by the facts of the crash and the terms of their contracts with cargo owners, says Julie Maurer at Husch Blackwell.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic

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    Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals

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    Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.

  • Expect An Increase In Robinson-Patman Act Enforcement

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    Recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission and prominent lawmakers should be viewed as a harbinger of renewed scrutiny of price discrimination in all industries and a sign that Robinson-Patman Act investigations and enforcement actions are likely to see an uptick, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    The FTC's Noncompete Rule Is Likely Dead On Arrival

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    The Federal Trade Commission's April 23 noncompete ban ignores the consequences to the employees it claims to help — but the rule is unlikely to go into effect provided the ideological makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court remains the same, say Erik Weibust and Stuart Gerson at Epstein Becker.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: April Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses three notable circuit court decisions on topics from the Class Action Fairness Act to consumer fraud — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including CAFA’s local controversy exception and Article III standing to seek injunctive relief.

  • 9th Circ. Arbitration Ruling Could Have Int'l Implications

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    In Patrick v. Running Warehouse, the Ninth Circuit's recent matter-of-fact invocation of an unusual California rule in a domestic arbitration context raises choice of law questions, and could make California law a strategic option for some international arbitration parties, says Jerry Roth at FedArb.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • FTC Noncompete Ban Signals Rising Labor Focus In Antitrust

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    The Federal Trade Commission’s approval this week of a prohibition on noncompete agreements continues antitrust enforcers’ increasing focus on labor, meaning companies must keep employee issues top of mind both in the ordinary course of business and when pursuing transactions, say attorneys at Skadden.

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