Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Commercial Contracts
-
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.
-
August 20, 2024
Paddle Maker Says USA Pickleball Whiffed With Dismissal Bid
Joola, a pickleball paddle maker left with $70 million worth of uncertified equipment it cannot sell, has urged a federal judge not to toss its breach of contract suit against the self-proclaimed U.S. governing body for the sport, arguing the defendant is trying to rewrite the complaint to fit its needs.
-
August 20, 2024
Under Armour Looks To End Case From Ex-Supplier
Under Armour Inc. asked a Pennsylvania federal court to end a former supplier's claims that it blocked competition for recovery-enhancing clothing, saying the company is not a competitor and has no evidence supporting its antitrust or other claims.
-
August 20, 2024
NFL Hangs Onto Victory In Sunday Ticket Antitrust Fight
A California federal judge on Tuesday entered judgment in favor of the NFL against all claims by a class of Sunday Ticket television package subscribers, including their bid seeking to block the league from engaging in anticompetitive conduct, more than two weeks after he upended a jury's $4.7 billion antitrust verdict against the league.
-
August 20, 2024
Colorado County Says Aetna Owes $1.1M In Rebates
Aetna Life Insurance Co. is withholding more than $1 million in pharmacy rebates from a Colorado county under an inapplicable early termination clause after local leaders switched to United Healthcare for health insurance services in 2023, according to a federal lawsuit.
-
August 20, 2024
LOT Polish Airlines Objects To DOJ-Boeing 737 Max Plea Deal
LOT Polish Airlines has urged a Texas federal judge to reject Boeing's plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, saying the deal deprives restitution to airline customers that incurred millions in losses because Boeing defrauded regulators about the 737 Max 8's development.
-
August 20, 2024
Ga. Power Says Factory Redo Can't Free Nestle From Service
Georgia's largest electricity provider tried to convince the state's high court Tuesday that a pet food manufacturer can't use its factory renovations to skirt a nearly 50-year-old state law requiring large electricity consumers to be wedded to a single provider in perpetuity.
Expert Analysis
-
What Transactional Attys Must Know About Texas Biz Courts
As Texas prepares to launch its new business courts, transactional attorneys — especially those involved in commercial, securities and internal governance matters — should keep several issues in mind when considering use of the state's business court system to facilitate deals and settle disputes, say attorneys at Katten.
-
Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
-
Behind Court Challenges To The FTC's Final Noncompete Rule
The Federal Trade Commission's recent final rule banning noncompetes may not go into effect any time soon amid a couple of Texas federal court challenges seeking to bar the rule's implementation, which will likely see appeals all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, says Michael Elkins at MLE Law.
-
Can Chatbot Interactions Lead To Enforceable Contracts?
The recent ruling in Moffatt v. Air Canada that found the airline liable for the representations of its chatbot underscores the question of whether generative artificial intelligence chatbots making and accepting offers can result in creation of binding agreements, say attorneys at McDermott.
-
The Opportunities, Risks And Rewards Of AI Acquisitions
As artificial intelligence acquisitions become an increasing area of focus for investors and technology buyers, entities should pay special attention to target identification, due diligence and more when structuring and executing a transaction with a company that has an AI-centric business model, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.
-
Legal Issues To Watch As Deepfake Voices Proliferate
With increasingly sophisticated and accessible voice-cloning technology raising social, ethical and legal questions, particularly in the entertainment industry and politics, further legislative intervention and court proceedings seem very likely, say Shruti Chopra and Paul Joseph at Linklaters.
-
Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse
Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.
-
Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance
A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.
-
Businesses Should Take Their AI Contracts Off Auto-Renew
When subscribing to artificial intelligence tools — or to any technology in a highly competitive and legally thorny market — companies should push back on automatic renewal contract clauses for reasons including litigation and regulatory risk, and competition, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.
-
What To Know About NIGC's Internal Review Process
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
If the National Indian Gaming Commission disapproves of a tribal management contract for gaming operations, it's important to properly go through the commission's internal hearing mechanism before litigating in federal court, or else an action may be dismissed for failure to exhaust administrative remedies, says Rebecca Chapman at the University at Buffalo School of Law.
-
What The Justices' Copyright Damages Ruling Didn't Address
While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Warner Chappell v. Nealy clarified when a copyright owner may recover damages in jurisdictions that apply the so-called discovery rule, it did not settle the overriding question of whether the Copyright Act even permits applying the rule, say Ivy Estoesta and William Milliken at Sterne Kessler.
-
Series
Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.
-
A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System
As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.
-
7 Effects Of DOL Retirement Asset Manager Exemption Rule
The recent U.S. Department of Labor amendment to the retirement asset manager exemption delivers several key practical impacts, including the need for managers, as opposed to funds, to register with the DOL, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
-
Del. Rulings Make Clear That 'Arbitrator' Isn't A Magic Word
Recent decisions by the Delaware Chancery Court clarify that calling a process an "expert determination" or "arbitration" in a purchase agreement is not sufficient to define it as such, so practitioners must consider how to structure dispute resolution provisions to achieve their clients’ desired result, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.