Commercial Contracts

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • August 07, 2024

    Advocates Tell 9th Circ. To Revive Invisalign Monopoly Suit

    Competition advocates are backing the revival of a class action accusing the makers of Invisalign of monopolizing the market for clear dental aligners, telling the Ninth Circuit in a new amicus brief that a district court summary judgment ruling for Align Technology creates a dangerous precedent for refusal-to-deal cases.

  • August 07, 2024

    SEC Accuses Urban Commons REIT Founders Of $70M Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has accused the founders of the Urban Commons real estate investment trust of running a pair of fraud schemes involving investments in U.S.-based hotels that the regulator said collectively cost investors $70 million.

  • August 07, 2024

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: The Battles Making Summer Sizzle

    A 1983 championship basketball team's intellectual property rights and a public feud between Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and its insurer are among the legal battles that have kept North Carolina Business Court judges and Tar Heel state private practice attorneys busy this summer. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.

  • August 07, 2024

    Fund Seeks Forced Sale Of Long-Stalled Baltimore Project

    A Boston-based investment fund that backs development projects in disadvantaged communities is seeking to recoup $13 million it poured into a stalled mixed-use project in Baltimore, including through a forced sale, according to a complaint filed in Massachusetts state court.

  • August 07, 2024

    Lender Says Mogul's Privacy Concerns Stymying Trial Prep

    Attorneys for a lending agent pursuing a $127 million judgment from an auto parts mogul asked a Michigan federal judge Tuesday to deny the mogul and his bankrupt company's attempts to keep key documents private, saying the inability to share relevant information with their clients is hindering their ability to prepare for trial.

  • August 07, 2024

    WWE Accuser May Be Liable For Defamation, Doctor Says

    The woman who accused World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. and former executives including ex-CEO Vince McMahon of sexually trafficking and abusing her may be liable for defaming a celebrity doctor that she targeted with a bid for discovery in Connecticut Superior Court, according to a complaint from Dr. Carlon Colker and his company.

  • August 07, 2024

    2nd Circ. Affirms Yale's Win In COVID-19 Tuition Refunds Fight

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday affirmed Yale University's win in a student's proposed class action challenging the university's refusal to issue tuition refunds after switching to virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the student's implied contract with Yale gave the university discretion to respond to such "force majeure" public-health events.

  • August 07, 2024

    6 Swipe Fee Plaintiffs 'Arbitrarily' Picked For 2025 Trial

    Six retailers including department store giant Target will go to trial in 2025 on claims that Visa and Mastercard overcharged them, a Manhattan federal judge said Wednesday, explaining that he arbitrarily chose from among 60 plaintiffs in a long-running, multibillion-dollar antitrust battle.

  • August 07, 2024

    Chancery Urges Bickering Journey Bandmates To Open Arms

    Attorneys for deadlocked Journey band members Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon should keep the focus on "counseling rather than litigating" and go to trial in September only if they can't find another way to resolve their dispute over company management, a Delaware Chancery Court judge said Wednesday.

  • August 07, 2024

    5th Circ. Grapples With 'Ridiculous' $100M Arbitration

    A Fifth Circuit panel struggled to make sense out of a "ridiculous" arbitration proceeding that produced four contradictory arbitration awards in a legal malpractice dispute, one awarding $100 million, pressing both sides during oral arguments Wednesday to give answers about how the "spectacle" unfolded.

  • August 07, 2024

    CFPB Backs Homeowners In Nationstar Mortgage Fee Suit

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau asked a Washington federal court to allow it to file a brief in support of a proposed class action accusing Nationstar Mortgage of illegally charging fees whenever homeowners request payoff statements for their loans.

  • August 07, 2024

    5th Circ. Tosses Passengers' Suit Over Southwest TSA Fees

    The Fifth Circuit has sided with Southwest Airlines Co. in a suit alleging it breached passengers' contracts by giving them travel credits instead of refunds for Transportation Security Administration security fees, finding the claims were correctly preempted by the Airline Deregulation Act.

Expert Analysis

  • How Retail Tenants Can Avoid Paying Rent Prematurely

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    When negotiating leases for spaces in shopping centers, retail tenants should ensure that the language specifies they only need to begin paying rent when the center is substantially occupied as a whole, as it can be difficult to modify leases that are executed without co-tenancy requirements or termination rights, say Joshua Bernstein and Benjamin Joelson at Akerman.

  • Policy Misrepresentations Carry Insurance Rescission Risks

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Medical Mutual v. Gnik, finding that material misrepresentation in a clinic's insurance applications warranted policy rescission, is a clear example of the far-reaching effects that misrepresentations can have and provides a reminder that policyholders should employ relatively straightforward steps to decrease risks, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Analyzing New EU Measure To Prevent Reexports To Russia

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    Niels Ersbøll, Alexander Italianer and Laura Beuls at Arnold & Porter offer a comprehensive overview of the European Union's new rule requiring export agreements to contain a clause prohibiting the reexport of goods to Russia, and discuss what companies should do to ensure compliance.

  • 3 Tech Sourcing Best Practices That Are Relevant For AI

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    It might be tempting to think that sourcing artificial intelligence tools requires a completely new set of skills, but the best practices that lead to a good deal are much the same as traditional technology procurement, says Mia Rendar at Pillsbury.

  • Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues

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    Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • A Snapshot Of The Evolving Restrictive Covenant Landscape

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    Rachael Martinez and Brooke Bahlinger at Foley highlight recent trends in the hotly contested regulation and enforcement of noncompetition and related nonsolicitation covenants, and provide guidance on drafting such provisions within the context of stand-alone employment agreements and merger or acquisition transactions.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Handling Customer Complaints In Bank-Fintech Partnerships

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    As regulators mine consumer complaint databases for their next investigative targets, it is critical that fintech and bank partners adopt a well-defined and monitored process for ensuring proper complaint handling, including by demonstrating proficiency and following interagency guidance, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Trump's NY Civil Fraud Trial Spotlights Long-Criticized Law

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    A New York court’s recent decision holding former President Donald Trump liable for fraud brought old criticisms of the state law used against him back into the limelight — including its strikingly broad scope and its major departures from the traditional elements of common law fraud, say Mark Kelley and Lois Ahn at MoloLamken.

  • What NAR Settlement Means For Agent Commission Rates

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    If approved, a joint settlement agreement between the National Association of Realtors and a class of home sellers will likely take the onus off home sellers to compensate buyers' agents, affecting considerations for all parties to real estate transactions, say attorneys at Jones Foster.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • How 3 Unfolding Cases Could Affect The Energy Industry

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    Three judicial decisions now in the pipeline — Texas' challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's methane regulations, Delaware's climate suit against big energy companies, and a case before the Supreme Court of Texas on royalty lease interpretation — could have important implications for the energy industry, say Michelle Scheffler and Rachael Cox at Skadden.

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