Commercial Contracts

  • June 17, 2024

    Mich. Judge Unsure If Town's Pot Co. Shutdown Broke Lease

    A commercial landlord will have to go to trial on claims of unpaid rent against a combination medical marijuana grow and sign-making company, a Michigan state judge ruled, saying a jury must decide if the local government's decision to force the cannabis shop out voids the lease.

  • June 17, 2024

    Dutch Insurer Says Record Clear To Affirm $160M Arbitration

    A Dutch insurer is pushing a North Carolina federal judge to confirm a €150 million (roughly $160 million) arbitration award against insurance mogul Greg Lindberg and his companies, citing a recent order in which the court acknowledged the award as binding.

  • June 17, 2024

    Drugmaker, PE Investor Sued In Del. Over 'Unfair' Deal Terms

    Clinical-stage biotechnology firm Omega Therapeutics' board entered into an "unfair" agreement to develop a new drug with the company's controlling private equity stockholder that was heavily tilted in favor of the majority equity holder and Omega insiders, an investor alleged in a lawsuit in Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • June 17, 2024

    Exxon Investor Deal Ends Suit Over Emissions Proposal

    Activist investor Arjuna Capital has escaped Exxon Mobil Corp.'s lawsuit over a contentious greenhouse gas-related shareholder proposal the investor sought to include in the company's 2024 proxy statement after a Texas federal judge on Monday accepted the investor's promises not to resubmit the proposal.

  • June 17, 2024

    Chrysler MDL Class Can Fix 'Puzzling' State Claim Skip

    A Michigan federal judge has said he will give a class of drivers alleging Chrysler minivans have a defect that causes their batteries to explode unexpectedly an opportunity to fix their "puzzling" choice not to plead state-by-state claims in the first master complaint of the sprawling multidistrict litigation.

  • June 17, 2024

    No Coverage For Family Shareholder Row, 2nd Circ. Affirms

    A Liberty Mutual unit had no duty to defend Paraco Gas Corp. and two of its executives in a family shareholder dispute, the Second Circuit affirmed Monday, finding that all claims in the underlying suit fell within the policy's contract exclusion.

  • June 17, 2024

    Bookstores Appeal Denied Bid To Join FTC's Amazon Case

    A trade association for bookstores is appealing to the Ninth Circuit after a lower court refused its request to intervene in the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust suit against Amazon that raises concerns about the e-commerce giant's sale of books and contracts with publishers.

  • June 17, 2024

    Foreign Investors Sue Over Lost $7.7M NYC Mall Investment

    Fourteen foreign investors who lost the entirety of their $7.7 million investment in a New York City shopping mall project filed suit against two lenders, a developer and the manager of an EB-5 lender in New York federal court, saying they are owed damages.

  • June 17, 2024

    Huawei Slams Netgear's 'Tenuous' RICO Case

    Huawei has responded to a racketeering and antitrust case from a major U.S. maker of Wi-Fi routers by calling it "rife with tenuous legal and factual claims" and comparing its reworking of patent infringement allegations to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's failed antitrust case against Qualcomm.

  • June 17, 2024

    Boeing, Virgin Can't Agree To Injunction's Scope In IP Row

    Boeing and Virgin Galactic have clashed over whether Virgin can share information with outside contractors gleaned as part of a failed aircraft development contract, as Boeing's suit accusing Virgin of breaching the deal and misappropriating trade secrets moves forward in Virginia federal court.

  • June 17, 2024

    L3Harris Rips Moog's Counterclaims In $78M Contract Suit

    L3Harris Technologies Inc. urged a Florida federal court Friday to throw out breach of contract counterclaims from fellow defense contractor Moog Inc., which it has accused of failing to timely deliver critical satellite parts under several subcontracts worth $77.9 million.

  • June 17, 2024

    Split Mass. Top Court Backs Strict View Of Prompt Pay Law

    The top appeals court in Massachusetts said in a divided opinion Monday that contractors must pay overdue invoices before disputing claims under the state's prompt pay law, with two dissenting judges criticizing the majority for trying to rewrite the law "by judicial fiat."

  • June 17, 2024

    Hertz Warrant Holder Sues In Chancery For Contract Breach

    Two investment affiliates of Discovery Capital Management LP have sued Hertz Global Holdings Inc. in Delaware's Court of Chancery, alleging willful failure to redeem warrants issued in 2021 as part of the company's Chapter 11 and demanding at least $187 million plus interest.

  • June 17, 2024

    McDonald's Nears Fee Win For Beating $100M Fraud Suit

    A California state judge has tentatively granted McDonald's request for over $231,000 in fees after winning an anti-SLAPP victory against Byron Allen's suit claiming that it fraudulently pledged to increase spending on Black-owned media, but the judge asked the restaurant Monday to submit a proposed judgment to account for its work in filing the fee request.

  • June 17, 2024

    BNSF Owes Wash. Tribe $400M For Oil Shipping Trespass

    BNSF Railway Co. must pay a Washington tribe nearly $400 million for years of illegally running oil cars across tribal territory, a federal judge in Seattle ruled Monday.

  • June 17, 2024

    College Students Say Mass. COVID Liability Shield Unjust

    Three former students seeking tuition refunds are urging a Massachusetts court to rule on the constitutionality of a state law wiping away schools' liability for switching to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a statute that has all but doomed their separate federal complaints.

  • June 17, 2024

    Nursing Home Co. Owes Fees On Staffing Deal, Recruiter Says

    An international recruiter has accused the owners of nursing homes and assisted living communities in several states of failing to fork over fees for placing nurses and nursing assistants in their facilities, saying they owe over $3.4 million in outstanding fees.

  • June 17, 2024

    Justices To Decide If False Claims Act Applies To E-Rate

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review whether reimbursement requests made to the Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program for schools and libraries are "claims" under the False Claims Act.

  • June 17, 2024

    Justices Reject Dispute Over $3.1B South Korean Military Deal

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to consider the scope of commercial activities in a case brought by a brokerage firm fighting the loss of a $3.1 billion South Korean military satellite deal.

  • June 14, 2024

    Frontier Wins $48.7M In Contract Breach Row After Bench Trial

    A New York federal judge on Friday awarded Frontier Airlines nearly $48.7 million following a bench trial over a contract dispute with Irish aircraft leasing company AMCK Aviation Holdings, finding that AMCK had agreed to waive Frontier's payments while they negotiated a new agreement in the wake of COVID-19.

  • June 14, 2024

    Amazon Sued For Locking Up Audiobooks, Charging Up To 75%

    A romance novelist challenged Amazon.com Inc.'s control of up to 80% of the U.S. audiobook market Thursday in a Washington federal court proposed class action accusing the retail giant of using exclusivity restrictions to lock in independent authors, extracting up to 75% of the sales price on Audible.

  • June 14, 2024

    'Cockamamie' Live Nation Arbitration Rules Perplex 9th Circ.

    An attorney for Live Nation Entertainment Inc. argued to skeptical Ninth Circuit judges on Friday that a California district judge was wrong to remove ticket buyers' antitrust class claims from arbitration by finding the arbitration agreements unconscionable, with one judge calling the language in the agreements "drafting malpractice," "cockamamie" and "just nuts."

  • June 14, 2024

    Publishing Exec's Family Says Ohio Law Allowed His Ouster

    The board of an Ohio-based media company have said state law empowered them to oust former CEO Allan Block from his family's namesake company and urged an Ohio state court to dismiss the suit he brought over the potential sale of the company that publishes newspapers in Toledo and Pittsburgh.

  • June 14, 2024

    Mistrial Declared In Florida Student Debtor Lawsuit

    A Florida federal judge on Friday declared a mistrial in the lawsuit against a Boca Raton-based law firm accused of falsely promising to eliminate student loan debts in exchange for a fee following testimony from a former client.

  • June 14, 2024

    BP Unit Slapped With $300M Franchise Termination Suit

    A trio of entities controlled by two self-proclaimed franchise veterans filed suit in Ohio federal court against a travel center operator acquired by BP in 2023, alleging the company terminated a franchise agreement without warning and caused at least $300 million in damages.

Expert Analysis

  • No AI FRAUD Act Is A Significant Step For Right Of Publicity

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    The No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas and Unauthorized Duplications Act's proposed federal right of publicity protection, including post-mortem rights, represents a significant step toward harmonizing the landscape of right of publicity law, Rachel Hofstatter and Aaron Rosenthal at Honigman.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Unpacking The New Russia Sanctions And Export Controls

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    Although geographically broad new prohibitions the U.S., U.K. and EU issued last week are somewhat underwhelming in their efforts to target third-country facilitators of Russia sanctions evasion, companies with exposure to noncompliant jurisdictions should pay close attention to their potential impacts, say attorneys at Shearman.

  • Using Arbitration And Class Waivers As Privacy Suit Tools

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    Amid a surge in data breach class actions over the last few years, several federal court decisions indicate that arbitration clauses and class action waiver provisions can be possible alternatives to public court battles and potentially reduce the costs of privacy litigation, say Mark Olthoff and Courtney Klaus at Polsinelli.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • 5 Lessons For SaaS Companies After Blackbaud Data Breach

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    Looking at the enforcement actions that software-as-a-service provider Blackbaud resolved with state attorneys general, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission in the past year can help SaaS companies manage these increasingly common forms of data breaches, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Will Guide Social Media Account Ownership

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    The Second Circuit’s recent decision in JLM Couture v. Gutman — which held that ownership of social media accounts must be resolved using traditional property law analysis — will guide employers and employees alike in future cases, and underscores the importance of express agreements in establishing ownership of social media accounts, says Joshua Glasgow at Phillips Lytle.

  • Assessing The Future Of Colorado's Economic Loss Rule

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    The Colorado Supreme Court's decision to review a state appellate court's ruling in Mid-Century Insurance Co. v. HIVE Construction will significantly influence the future of Colorado's economic loss rule, with high stakes for the cost of doing business in the state, says David Holman at Crisham & Holman.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

  • What To Know About RWI In Acquisition And Divestiture Deals

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    As a slower pace of merger activity turns underwriters toward new industries, representations and warranties insurance policies are increasingly being written for acquisition and divestiture energy deals, making it important for contracting parties to understand how the RWI underwriting process works in this new sector, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Freight Forwarders And Common Carriers: Know Your Cargo

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    Freight forwarders and other nonprincipal parties involved in global cargo movement should follow the guidance in the multi-agency know-your-cargo compliance note to avoid enforcement actions should they fail to spot evasive tactics used in supply chains to circumvent U.S. sanctions and export controls, say attorneys at Venable.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

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    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • Key Considerations For Evaluating An AI Vendor

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    As artificial intelligence technology advances across industries, businesses can mitigate risks, while maximizing the value of their investment, by evaluating technology, expertise, support services, transparency and more when selecting an AI vendor, say Rahul Kapoor and Shokoh Yaghoubi at Morgan Lewis.

  • A Closer Look At Novel Jury Instruction In Forex Rigging Case

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    After the recent commodities fraud conviction of a U.K.-based hedge fund executive in U.S. v. Phillips, post-trial briefing has focused on whether the New York federal court’s jury instruction incorrectly defined the requisite level of intent, which should inform defense counsel in future open market manipulation cases, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.

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