Commercial Contracts

  • June 05, 2024

    Houston Law Firm Can't Arbitrate 'Excessive' Fees Claims

    A homeowners' association can proceed with its lawsuit against Vethan Law Firm PC in a Texas state court over allegedly "needless and excessive fees" because the firm failed to prove the existence of an arbitration agreement, a Texas state appellate court has ruled.

  • June 05, 2024

    1st Circ. May Undo Tribal Casino Bribery Convictions

    First Circuit judges hinted Wednesday that jurisdictional flaws and other issues could reverse the bribery convictions of an architect and tribal chairman in connection with a proposed $1 billion casino in southeastern Massachusetts.

  • June 05, 2024

    Texas Atty Accuses Ex-Partner Of 'Unilaterally Doubling' Comp

    A Houston-area attorney is suing Bergquist Law Firm PLLC and its owner for nearly $7 million for "unrelenting" violations of their partnership agreement and fiduciary duties.

  • June 05, 2024

    ACC Fires Back At Clemson Dismissal Bid In Exit Fee Fight

    The Atlantic Coast Conference is looking to keep Clemson University locked in a North Carolina state court lawsuit over media rights and exit fees, saying the school is rehashing arguments raised by Florida State University in a parallel case that were already rejected.

  • June 05, 2024

    4th Circ. Affirms Insurer's Win In Couple's Home Damage Suit

    A West Virginia couple wasn't entitled to a new trial in a property damage coverage dispute, the Fourth Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying a lower court did not abuse its discretion or err in excluding the couple's expert witness and allowing the insurer's expert to testify.

  • June 04, 2024

    PE Firm Tells 5th Circ. It Got Pushed Out Of EV Co. Acquisition

    Texas-based private equity company Ancor Holdings LP says it got pushed out of an acquisition deal by another private equity group it brought in as backup, arguing in oral arguments at the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday that a binding letter of intent means it's entitled to future profits.

  • June 04, 2024

    Atty's Argentine Uber Debut Fight Lands At Calif. High Court

    Barring fraudulent concealment claims under the so-called economic loss doctrine would create "perverse incentives" for people to draw others into contracts and "have their way with them," the California Supreme Court was told Tuesday by counsel for an Argentinian attorney suing Uber on allegations it hid crucial information from him.

  • June 04, 2024

    Mexican Co. Asks Justices To Resolve Foreign Service Q's

    A Mexican film distributor is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve a technical question relating to service of process on foreign parties, as it fights a Ninth Circuit decision enforcing an arbitral award favoring a Los Angeles-based film production company over a 2020 movie that starred Jessica Chastain.

  • June 04, 2024

    Paramount Hit With $142.5M 'Lucha Libre' Lawsuit

    Paramount and Univision have been hit with a $142.5 million copyright lawsuit over allegedly continuing to broadcast masked "Lucha Libre" fights on Pluto TV, over a year after ending a licensing deal with a California company that markets the videos in the U.S.

  • June 04, 2024

    Bread Financial Wants Suit Over Spinoff's 'Death Spiral' Axed

    Financial services company Bread Financial Holdings Inc. and its CEO have asked an Ohio federal judge to toss a proposed investor class action over the alleged "death spiral" of a now-bankrupt spinoff company, saying the suit actually details Bread's "good faith efforts" to establish the spinoff as a successful independent venture.

  • June 04, 2024

    Fla. Biz Owners Indicted On Grant-Writing Fraud Conspiracy

    Two northern Florida business owners have been federally indicted on fraud conspiracy-related charges in connection to a scheme in which they allegedly stole nearly $3 million from minority-owned companies by promising grant-writing services that were never delivered.

  • June 04, 2024

    Construction Co. Says $1B Texas Chemical Plant Bill Unpaid

    The construction company behind a multimillion-dollar chemical processing facility near the Texas coast has accused the plant's owner of refusing to pay it for its work, despite making changes to the original scope of the facility that caused extra construction costs and delays.

  • June 04, 2024

    Ex-NFL Player Settles With Former Partner In Colo. Reptile Biz

    Former NFL player Chadwick Brown has settled a lawsuit with his former business partner in a Colorado reptile shipping company less than a month before trial, resolving allegations that Brown tried to strip the former partner of his stake in the company, according to a recently filed notice in state court.

  • June 04, 2024

    BofA Gets First Nod For $21M Wire Fee Settlement

    A North Carolina federal judge gave an early nod Tuesday to a $21 million settlement between Bank of America NA and the proposed class of its customers who accused it of slapping $15 "junk fees" on their incoming wire transfers, with $7 million of the deal going to class counsel.

  • June 04, 2024

    Bally Sports Parent Reaches Multiyear Fubo Carriage Deal

    The bankrupt owner of Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks told a Texas judge Tuesday that it has reached a multiyear agreement with fuboTV to continue that company's carriage of the debtor's channels on its streaming platform, adding to its roster of new distribution deals as a hearing on its Chapter 11 plan nears.

  • June 04, 2024

    CFPB Cautions Firms Against Contractual 'Fine Print Tactic'

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday warned banks and other financial services firms against trying to "trick" consumers with unenforceable waivers in their customer contracts, saying their use of certain contractual terms and conditions can open them up to supervisory or enforcement action.

  • June 04, 2024

    Nurse Staffing Exec Wants Antitrust, Fraud Charges Separated

    An indicted home health care staffing executive asked a Nevada federal court to separate the antitrust charge against him for allegedly fixing nurses wages from claims that he concealed the conspiracy and government probe when selling the business for more than $10 million.

  • June 04, 2024

    Developer, Buyer Settle $10M Miami Condo Dispute

    A German citizen and a developer have settled their dispute over a $9.6 million deal to buy a highly customized duplex condominium unit in a new Miami high rise, according to a notice filed in Florida federal court Monday.

  • June 04, 2024

    Houston IP Firm Settles Trade Secrets Case With Ex-Law Clerk

    Houston-based intellectual property law firm Lloyd & Mousilli PLLC and a former law clerk accused of stealing confidential information while working virtually from California reached a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the firm in a Texas federal court.

  • June 04, 2024

    Ex-Restoration Co. Execs 'Teeter' On Contempt, Judge Says

    The former presidents of a property restoration company have staved off civil contempt after narrowly convincing a North Carolina Business Court judge that they merely misunderstood an injunction curbing their business activities as opposed to flagrantly disregarding it.

  • June 03, 2024

    Voir Dire With No Judge Present Persists In State Courts

    Data released Friday by the National Center for State Courts revealed that voir dire conducted by lawyers with no judge present in the room persists in 7% of state court trials, but has been virtually eliminated in federal courts.

  • June 03, 2024

    Michaels Stole Paint-By-Number IP, Company Says

    A paint-by-number company told a jury Monday during opening arguments in Texas federal court that arts and crafts corporation Michaels Stores Inc. used the company's trademarks to create a competing product, saying it only learned of the phony product after a customer called in praising it.

  • June 03, 2024

    11th Circ. Backs Freeze Of Grants For Black Women Only

    In a split decision Monday, the Eleventh Circuit said that a Georgia federal judge should have blocked a Black-led venture capital firm from awarding grants to businesses owned only by Black women, opining that the practice was "substantially likely" to violate federal law barring racial discrimination in the writing of contracts.

  • June 03, 2024

    Ex-Biopharma Co. Prez Accused Of Defecting With Secrets

    Biopharmaceutical firm United Therapeutics Corp. has accused a former executive of violating an employment agreement by taking ideas to a rival company to develop a competing lung treatment.

  • June 03, 2024

    USDA Proposes Another Rule To Protect Chicken Farmers

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed a rule Monday to make changes to the way poultry farmers are compensated, as the agency looks to address alleged abuses by the large processing companies that also supply the chickens.

Expert Analysis

  • Antitrust Enforcement Initiatives To Watch In 2024

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    The U.S. Department of Justice is likely to prioritize information-sharing prosecutions in 2024, following last year's withdrawal of safe harbors, as well as labor market enforcement after trial losses forced a pullback in 2023, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Law Firm Strategies For Successfully Navigating 2024 Trends

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    Though law firms face the dual challenge of external and internal pressures as they enter 2024, firms willing to pivot will be able to stand out by adapting to stakeholder needs and reimagining their infrastructure, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

  • The Most-Read Legal Industry Law360 Guest Articles Of 2023

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    A range of legal industry topics drew readers' attention in Law360's Expert Analysis section this year, from associate retention strategies to ethical billing practices.

  • HHS Advisory Highlights Free Product Inducement Risks

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    A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advisory opinion highlights concerns that valuable free products and other inducements may influence patients and providers to choose one manufacturer’s product over another, notwithstanding that such free healthcare products may be a benefit, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Attorneys' Busiest Times Can Be Business Opportunities

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    Attorneys who resolve to grow their revenue and client base in 2024 should be careful not to abandon their goals when they get too busy with client work, because these periods of zero bandwidth can actually be a catalyst for future growth, says Amy Drysdale at Alchemy Consulting.

  • In The World Of Legal Ethics, 10 Trends To Note From 2023

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    Lucian Pera at Adams and Reese and Trisha Rich at Holland & Knight identify the top legal ethics trends from 2023 — including issues related to hot documents, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — that lawyers should be aware of to put their best foot forward.

  • Del. Dispatch: The 2023 Corporate Cases You Need To Know

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    Corporate and mergers and acquisitions litigation has continued at a fevered pace this year, with the Delaware courts addressing numerous novel issues with important practical implications, including officer exculpation and buyer aiding-and-abetting liability, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Termination and Accrual

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    Edward Arnold and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth Shaw examine three recent decisions that illustrate why contractors should consider, during the bidding process, impediments to their ability to meet contract requirements, and the need to track the accrual dates of individual claims that may arise during performance to avoid being time-barred.

  • The Year In FRAND: What To Know Heading Into 2024

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    In 2023, there were eight significant developments concerning the fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory patent licensing regime that undergirds technical standardization, say Tom Millikan and Kevin Zeck at Perkins Coie.

  • How Attorneys Can Be More Efficient This Holiday Season

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    Attorneys should consider a few key tips to speed up their work during the holidays so they can join the festivities — from streamlining the document review process to creating similar folder structures, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • What DOD Commercial Product Rule Means For Contractors

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    A recent amendment to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, along with forthcoming changes to the definition of what constitutes a subcontract, will offer some relief for commercial products and services contractors, but the U.S. Department of Defense should do more to reduce regulatory burdens, say Daniel Ramish and Jonathan Shaffer at Haynes Boone.

  • How Int'l Student-Athlete Law Would Change The NIL Game

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    Recently proposed legislation to allow international student-athletes the opportunity to profit from their name, image and likeness without violating their F-1 nonimmigrant student visa status represents a pivotal step in NIL policy, and universities must assess and adapt their approaches to accommodate unique immigration concerns, say attorneys at Phelps Dunbar.

  • A Former Bankruptcy Judge Talks 2023 High Court Rulings

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    In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued four bankruptcy law opinions — an extraordinary number — and a close look at these cases signals that changes to the U.S. Bankruptcy Code will have to come from Congress, not the courts, says Phillip Shefferly at the University of Michigan Law School.

  • Series

    Children's Book Writing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a children's book author has opened doors to incredible new experiences of which I barely dared to dream, but the process has also changed my life by serving as a reminder that strong writing, networking and public speaking skills are hugely beneficial to a legal career, says Shaunna Bailey at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 5 Steps For Healthcare Companies After Biden's AI Order

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    Rather than simply monitoring for the issuance of agency guidelines on artificial intelligence in the wake of President Joe Biden's October executive order, health and life sciences companies should take action now and begin building internal operational and technical infrastructures designed to govern the use of AI, says Joy Sharp at Faegre Drinker.

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