Commercial Contracts

  • November 22, 2024

    Service Fees Not 'Incidental' To Debt Collection, 11th Circ. Told

    Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC urged the Eleventh Circuit on Friday to reverse two Florida lower court judgments finding it violated debt collection practices with a fee to process phone or internet payments, saying it's not an illegal "incidental" charge because the borrower is paying for an optional service.

  • November 22, 2024

    Procter & Gamble Unit's Hair Oil Causes Hair Loss, Suit Says

    The Procter & Gamble Co. and its unit Mielle Organics LLC are deceptively marketing their brand of hair oil as being safe to use, even though it has caused hair loss in some users, a putative class action filed Thursday in Illinois federal court alleged. 

  • November 22, 2024

    Kraft, Others Say No Need To Stay Atty Fees After $53.3M Win

    Kraft, Kellogg, Nestle and General Mills have urged an Illinois federal judge not to delay deciding attorney fees following their $53.3 million judgment against egg producers and industry groups, saying further stalling would only prolong the already 13-year-old case.

  • November 22, 2024

    Chemical Co.'s PFAS Coverage Suit In SC Gets Tossed

    A South Carolina federal court tossed BASF Corp.'s suit seeking coverage for thousands of underlying allegations that the chemical manufacturer's firefighting foam caused pollution and injury, finding Friday that a parallel suit in New Jersey state court favors abstention.

  • November 22, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Says Artist's Timeline Doesn't Add Up

    Norfolk Southern said it should still get an early win over an artist who sued the company for allegedly covering over murals on a railroad bridge, even after a federal magistrate found the sham affidavit doctrine didn't apply when the artist changed his story during depositions spanning two lawsuits.

  • November 22, 2024

    Navajo Co. Dismisses Case Alleging Paralegal Took Docs

    A natural resources company owned by the Navajo Nation has dismissed a lawsuit against a paralegal it accused of failing to turn in her computer for removal of its privileged documents, after the paralegal said she had already arranged to surrender her device before the lawsuit was even filed.

  • November 22, 2024

    1st Circ. Affirms Volvo Win In Dealers' Maintenance Pay Suit

    The First Circuit affirmed a pretrial win granted to Volvo in a suit brought by two dealerships claiming the carmaker was underpaying them for maintenance they perform under prepaid service plans.

  • November 22, 2024

    Off The Bench: NBA Ices Media Flap, Paul-Tyson Netflix Suit

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NBA settles a high-profile suit regarding its new media rights deal, and Netflix's buggy presentation of the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight draws a proposed class action.

  • November 22, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen cash-strapped Thurrock Borough Council bring a £40 million ($50 million) negligence claim against 23 other local authorities over its solar investments from a not-for-profit local government body, AstraZeneca sue a fire safety company following a blaze at its Cambridge headquarters last year, and a director who was convicted in 2016 for corporate manslaughter face action by Manolete Partners. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • November 21, 2024

    Sports Site Gets Video Privacy Suit Moved To Arbitration

    A California federal judge has sent to arbitration a putative class action accusing a high school sports streaming service of unlawfully sharing users' video-viewing information with third parties such as Meta Platforms Inc., finding that the plaintiff had agreed to these terms when he first signed up for an account on the site. 

  • November 21, 2024

    Cherokee Look To Block Voter Group In Casino Mandate Row

    Two Cherokee Nation businesses suing Arkansas over a constitutional amendment revoking one of the tribal entities' casino gambling licenses want a federal judge to deny a bid to intervene in their suit by the group responsible for placing a ballot question before voters that repealed the license.

  • November 21, 2024

    Feds Coined 'Catchphrase' To Convict LA Pol, 9th Circ. Told

    Mark Ridley-Thomas' attorney on Thursday urged the Ninth Circuit to overturn the former California politician's bribery conviction for scheming to indirectly donate $100,000 to his son's nonprofit and secure him a university position, saying prosecutors coined the "catchphrase" "funneling" to obfuscate that no bribe actually occurred.

  • November 21, 2024

    Weed Co. Must Pay $5M To Entrepeneur In Investor Dispute

    A marijuana consulting firm must pay $5 million to a former business partner after allegedly derailing plans to purchase a marijuana grow facility in Michigan by convincing the main investors to put their money into a Colorado weed business instead.

  • November 21, 2024

    Settlement Doesn't Void Injury Coverage Ruling, Judge Says

    A Colorado federal court refused to set aside its September ruling that an oil and gas production company isn't owed coverage by an electrical drilling company for a worker's underlying injury lawsuit, saying the parties' settlement negotiations don't justify vacating a valid court order.

  • November 21, 2024

    Nurse Staffing Exec Can't Trim Fraud Charge In Antitrust Case

    A Nevada federal court has refused to dismiss fraud charges against a home healthcare staffing executive accused of fixing nurses' wages and hiding a probe of the scheme when selling the business, and also refused to exclude statements the executive made during an FBI interview.

  • November 21, 2024

    NBA Veteran Who Cooperated In $5M Fraud Case Avoids Jail

    A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday allowed former NBA center Melvin Ely to avoid prison for taking $36,000 of illegal payouts in pro basketball's $5 million health billing fraud ring, crediting his decision to cooperate in the sprawling criminal case.

  • November 21, 2024

    Rebel Wilson Unlikely To Duck 'The Deb' Defamation Suit

    A Los Angeles judge suggested Thursday that he'll likely keep alive a defamation suit accusing actress Rebel Wilson of spreading baseless lies about producers of the musical film "The Deb," saying it seems the matter is a "private business dispute" not protected by California's anti-SLAPP statute.

  • November 21, 2024

    Bettor Wants Class Cert. In Suit Over DraftKings' Voided Bet

    A man suing DraftKings over a canceled NBA wager he says would have put $150,000 in his pocket has asked an Indiana federal court to certify a class of 99 bettors, including himself, affected by the axed transaction.

  • November 21, 2024

    $1.5M Georgetown Tuition Refund Deal Closer To Final OK

    A D.C. federal judge appears poised to give final approval to a $1.5 million settlement resolving claims over Georgetown University's move to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, but his skepticism that a graduate student outside the settlement class should score a $1,000 service award dissuaded him from granting final approval Thursday.

  • November 20, 2024

    Canadian Court Revives Award In $7M Coffee Franchise Fight

    An appeals court in Ontario has revived a CA$10 million ($7.1 million) arbitral award issued in a franchising dispute stemming from the expansion of an Israeli coffee bar chain into Canada, rejecting a lower court's conclusion that the arbitrator had breached his duty of disclosure.

  • November 20, 2024

    NC Judge Trims Suit Against Investor Over Fla. Restaurant

    A North Carolina state court judge has trimmed a lawsuit that a restaurateur brought against an investor over funding of a restaurant in the heart of Miami Beach, dismissing claims of breach of settlement agreement, fraudulent inducement and deceptive trade practices but declining to toss the complaint altogether.

  • November 20, 2024

    Wash. Judge Questions Startup's Amazon Antitrust Claims

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday suggested that antitrust claims might not survive in a startup's complaint against Amazon Web Services involving a dispute over higher-speed internet connections in the Middle East that allowed the startup to cater to its customer Epic Games.

  • November 20, 2024

    Attys Get $9K After Seeking $578K For Defending Safeway

    A California federal judge awarded about $8,800 in fees to two firms that requested $578,000 after defending Safeway from a contractor's 2021 lawsuit, saying Wednesday that the figure shouldn't come as a surprise because the attorneys simply pointed to a request-for-proposal document to defeat the suit's breach of contract allegations.

  • November 20, 2024

    Gas Bill Challenge Finds Little Purchase With Colo. Justices

    Colorado Supreme Court justices questioned Wednesday why a state regulator-backed plan to charge customers for extra natural gas ahead of a snowstorm was unreasonable, appearing to dash a company's challenge to its utility bill.

  • November 20, 2024

    Colo. Justices Doubtful Students' COVID Fee Suit Will Survive

    Colorado's justices were skeptical Wednesday that Colorado State University students seeking fee refunds for coronavirus campus shutdowns can bring an unjust enrichment claim, with one justice saying the students' attorney is advocating for an "enormous" extension of existing law.

Expert Analysis

  • How DOJ's Visa Debit Monopolization Suit May Unfold

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recently filed Section 2 monopolization suit against Visa offers several scenarios for a vigorous case and is likely to reveal some of the challenges faced by antitrust plaintiffs following the U.S. Supreme Court's split 2018 American Express decision, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • There's No Crying In Property Valuation Baseball Arbitration

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    The World Series is the perfect time to consider how the form of arbitration used for settling MLB salary disputes — in which each side offers competing valuations to an arbitrator, who must select one — is often ideal for resolving property valuation disputes, say Sean O’Donnell at Herrick Feinstein and Mark Dunec at FTI Consulting.

  • Navigating Fla.'s Shorter Construction Defect Claim Window

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    In light of recent legislation reducing the amount of time Florida homeowners have to bring construction defect claims, homeowners should be sure to understand their rights and responsibilities regarding maintenance, repairs and inspections set forth in developer-drafted documents, say Brian Tannenbaum and Nicholas Vargo at Ball Janik.

  • Why Diversity Jurisdiction Poses Investment Fund Hurdles

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    Federal courts' continued application of the exacting rules of diversity jurisdiction presents particular challenges for investment funds, and in the absence of any near-term reform, those who manage such funds should take action to avoid diversity jurisdiction pitfalls, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Webuild Ruling Complicates Arb. Award Enforcement In US

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    A Delaware federal court's recent decision in Sociedad Concesionaria Metropolitana de Salud v. Webuild, if read literally, could undercut the United States' image as a proarbitration jurisdiction by complicating creditors' efforts to enforce awards against property in this country, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Bristol-Myers Win Offers Lessons For Debt Security Holders

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    A New York federal judge's recent dismissal of a $6.4 billion lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb, due to plaintiff UMB Bank's lack of standing, serves as an important reminder to debt security holders to obtain depositary proxies before pursuing litigation, say attorneys at Milbank.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • How To Avoid Risking Arbitration Award Confidentiality In NY

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    Though a Second Circuit decision last year seemed to create a confidentiality safe harbor for arbitration awards that had no ongoing compliance issues, a recent New York federal court ruling offers further guidance on the meaning of "ongoing compliance issues," says Matthew Iverson at Nelson Mullins.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

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