Commercial Contracts

  • October 31, 2024

    Toast Releases Steakhouse Funds Amid Ownership Spat

    Restaurant point-of-sale provider Toast has agreed to release more than $312,000 to the current manager of a Brazilian steakhouse in Boston's Seaport District amid litigation stemming from an ownership dispute.

  • October 31, 2024

    Blank Rome Adds Commercial Real Estate Expert In DC

    The former president and general counsel of Edge Funds Management LLC has joined Blank Rome LLP as an of counsel in the real estate group.

  • October 30, 2024

    Judge Stops Arbitration Of Connecticut Trial Firm Breakup

    A Connecticut Superior Court judge has issued an emergency order temporarily restraining the CEO of a law firm known for high-dollar trial verdicts from arbitrating a dispute over the practice's breakup after onetime partner Andrew P. Garza filed suit late last week.

  • October 30, 2024

    Alleged Kickback Plotters Can Waive Conflict Over Attorney

    A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday concluded that a lab testing company owner charged with participating in a kickback scheme to defraud Medicare and a man who pled guilty to participating in a connected conspiracy could waive any conflicts that might arise from both using the same attorney.

  • October 30, 2024

    Defunct Insurer Says Broker Sabotoged Investment Coverage

    A defunct specialty insurer has accused a broker of sabotaging its innovative investment theft protection program, telling a Florida federal court the broker not only failed to sell a single policy but also abruptly canceled its agreement amid negotiations with a separate broker, damaging the insurer's reputation and costing it millions of dollars.

  • October 30, 2024

    Cigna Wants $16.1M, Florida Labs Seek $5.1M In Benefits Feud

    Cigna should pay $5.1 million for harming three Florida laboratories by wrongfully declaring thousands of substance abuse treatment tests medically unnecessary, the labs told a Connecticut jury Wednesday, while Cigna asked to recoup $16.1 million in payouts to the labs for what it called "wasteful" tests.

  • October 30, 2024

    4th Circ. Mulls Shipping Honeywell Royalty Fight To Fed. Circ.

    The Fourth Circuit grappled Wednesday with whether a fight over royalty payments between technology conglomerate Honeywell and its Japan-based rival had its roots in patent or contract law, which could dictate whether the appeal stays put or gets kicked over to the Federal Circuit.

  • October 30, 2024

    TD Bank Hit With Suit Over 'Cash-Like' Advance Loans

    TD Bank was hit with a proposed class action accusing the bank of violating its cardholder agreement by considering undisclosed transactions "cash-like," and keeping the policies around what is considered a cash advance hidden from consumers while charging fees and interest.

  • October 30, 2024

    Ex-Ford Models CEO Can't Arbitrate Sex Misconduct Suit

    A California appeals court won't let the former CEO of Ford Models send a woman's suit brought under a state sex trafficking law to arbitration, saying her allegations don't fall within the scope of the arbitration agreement she signed.

  • October 30, 2024

    Ex-Takeda Exec. Gets Nearly 4 Years For Fake Invoice Scam

    A former Takeda Pharmaceuticals executive was sentenced Wednesday to 46 months in prison for stealing millions from the drug company through a fake invoice scam that a Boston federal judge characterized as "utterly unnecessary and pointless" and carried out for no other reason than to fund a luxurious lifestyle.

  • October 30, 2024

    Yale Researcher's Suit Over Loss Of 'Life's Work' Transferred

    A Connecticut state court judge in Fairfield is passing on a researcher's lawsuit accusing Yale School of Medicine of destroying two decades of research worth $28 million, transferring the case to the complex litigation docket in Hartford.

  • October 30, 2024

    Cannabis Fertilizer Co. Can Mostly Bar Rival's IP Theft In Ads

    A Seattle federal judge has curtailed a fertilizer manufacturer's use of a rival's name in marketing its cannabis-focused products, saying he found it "problematic" that the company's messaging suggests using both products in tandem.

  • October 30, 2024

    Auctioneer Fights Transfer Of Defamation Suit Against Braves

    An auction house pushed back Tuesday on the Atlanta Braves' bid to dismiss or transfer a suit over the team's claims that the auctioneer was selling phony memorabilia, including a home plate allegedly tagged by Hank Aaron after hitting his record home run, arguing that the team should be held accountable by Texas courts.

  • October 30, 2024

    Treasure Hunter Urges Atty DQ In Fla. Shipwreck Suit

    A member of an ocean salvage company urged a Florida federal court Wednesday to disqualify counsel applying to represent his opponent in a lawsuit over a claim to a Spanish galleon's sunken treasure, saying the attorney previously represented the company in a separate dispute involving the same wreckage.

  • October 30, 2024

    O'Neill Brand Owner Says La Jolla Flouted Pre-Sale Deal

    The owner and maker of O'Neill sportswear accessories is suing La Jolla Sport in California federal court over claims it breached a longstanding agreement that requires the company to provide certain due diligence information so the plaintiff can finalize a planned sale of the O'Neill brand.

  • October 30, 2024

    Anadarko Seeks Win In Kickback Defense Coverage Suit

    Anadarko Petroleum Corp. urged a Texas federal court to hand it an early win in its suit seeking defense and indemnity from an environmental remediation company in a decade-old Louisiana kickback lawsuit.

  • October 30, 2024

    Pot Co. Cookies Sued Over Breach Of Settlement Agreement

    A licensee of the Cookies brand of cannabis products is suing the parent company and its affiliates in Los Angeles court, alleging they have breached a recent settlement agreement by refusing to pay for the licensee's remaining Cookies-branded products.

  • October 30, 2024

    Diversified Energy Closes $106M Buy Of East Texas Assets

    Oil and gas producer Diversified Energy Co. PLC said Wednesday that it has completed the $106 million acquisition of natural gas assets in eastern Texas from Crescent Pass Energy in a cash-and-stock deal.

  • October 29, 2024

    Bell Owes $16M In Trade Secrets Row With Vendor, Jury Finds

    A Texas jury on Tuesday largely found in favor of Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. in a suit claiming that it used a former vendor's trade secrets to prep a replacement supplier, concluding that Bell breached its contract with the vendor but that the Fort Worth, Texas-based aerospace manufacturer hadn't stolen intellectual property.

  • October 29, 2024

    Retired Fed. Circ. Judge Backs Invisalign In Monopoly Cases

    Retired Federal Circuit Judge Paul R. Michel warned the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday that reversing a lower court's decision to toss a pair of class actions accusing Invisalign of monopolizing the clear braces and teeth scanners market by illegally refusing to deal with a rival would increase patent owners' legal uncertainties.

  • October 29, 2024

    ByteDance's Sanctions Bid Against Ex-Worker Delays Trial

    A California federal judge delayed a trial in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by an engineer formerly at TikTok's parent company ByteDance, directing the parties on Tuesday to instead submit briefing on the defendants' motion to terminate the case as a sanction for the plaintiff's alleged destruction of evidence and perjury.

  • October 29, 2024

    Lye Buyers Can't Save Rejected $38.5M Antitrust Settlement

    A New York federal judge refused Tuesday to change her mind about rejecting a $38.5 million class settlement between direct chemical buyers and three manufacturers accused of colluding to inflate the price of lye.

  • October 29, 2024

    Pet Toy Co. Parent Says Management Rights Fight Isn't Stale

    The parent company for pet toy maker Kong Co. has urged a Colorado state judge not to cast aside a suit seeking a declaration of its management rights in Kong, arguing in a brief that the dispute is alive even if its complaint raises the past.

  • October 29, 2024

    Pa. Seeks State Takeover Of Embattled Hospital System

    Pennsylvania urged a state court to appoint a receiver for a hospital system after its operator, Prospect Medical Holdings Inc., allegedly violated an asset purchase agreement by spending millions of dollars on its investors instead of healthcare system management.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ga. Court Says Apt. Must Face Shooting Death Suit

    The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court ruling holding that an apartment complex company's attempt to waive its liability for third-party crimes in a lease agreement with a tenant who was shot and killed is void and unenforceable under Peach State law.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Addressing Dispositive Motions

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    Stephanie Magnell and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Claims and the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals that provide interesting takeaways about the nuances of motion practice utilized by the government to dispose of cases brought under the Contract Disputes Act prior to substantive litigation

  • What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation

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    Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Suski ruling not only reaffirmed the long-standing principle that arbitration is a matter of contract, but also established new and more general principles concerning the courts' jurisdiction to decide challenges to delegation clauses and the severability rule, say Tamar Meshel at the University of Alberta.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Practical Private Equity Lessons From 2 Delaware Deals

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    A pair of Delaware Chancery Court cases remind private equity sponsors that specificity is crucial through the lens of deal certainty, particularly around closing conditions and agreement sections of acquisition agreements, say Robert Rizzo and Larissa Lucas at Weil Gotshal and William Lafferty at Morris Nichols.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

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