Commercial Contracts

  • November 26, 2024

    CGL Carrier Seeks $1.2M In Inter-Insurer Injury Dispute

    A general liability insurer told a Michigan federal court that a professional liability insurer owes $1.2 million toward a $1.5 million settlement reached in an underlying lawsuit involving their mutual insured, a cardiovascular practice located in a Detroit hospital, arguing that the professional liability policy covered the claim.

  • November 26, 2024

    Law Firms' Tobacco Fee-Sharing Showdown Revived In Texas

    A split Texas appeals panel has remanded a dispute between an attorney and an ex-attorney over a fee-sharing agreement in tobacco litigation, finding that the contract was ambiguous and that a trial court was wrong to conclude otherwise.

  • November 26, 2024

    MLBPA, FanDuel Ink Licensing Deal After Settling Legal Spat

    The Major League Baseball Players Association, FanDuel and OneTeam Partners on Tuesday announced that they are teaming up on a product and marketing licensing agreement, a move that comes just weeks after FanDuel was dropped from an MLBPA lawsuit over the alleged use of players' photos to promote sports gambling.

  • November 26, 2024

    Newman's Own's Quick IP Win Bid Meets Skeptical Judge

    A Connecticut Superior Court judge on Tuesday appeared skeptical of Newman's Own Foundation's early win request in a licensing feud with two of late actor Paul Newman's daughters, criticizing the charity for using the wrong court proceeding to challenge the daughters' rights to sue while hinting a trial is likely needed.

  • November 26, 2024

    X Corp. Says InfoWars Social Media Accounts Can't Be Sold

    The parent company that owns X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, told a Texas bankruptcy judge that the Chapter 7 trustee in the case of right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones can't sell X accounts tied to Jones and his InfoWars business because they are the property of the social media company.

  • November 26, 2024

    7th Circ. Says Insurer Must Defend $3.4M Faulty Work Row

    An architectural design firm's commercial general liability insurer must defend it and its owner against faulty work claims seeking more than $3.4 million in damages, the Seventh Circuit ruled, after the Illinois Supreme Court overturned prior appellate precedent siding with insurers in such disputes.

  • November 26, 2024

    Ropes & Gray Atty Is Kirkland's Latest Debt Finance Hire

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced the latest of several recent additions to its debt finance group on Monday, a Ropes & Gray LLP partner with a host of multibillion-dollar deals under his belt.

  • November 26, 2024

    Chemical Co. Demands Defense Coverage In PFAS Foam MDL

    Specialty chemical company Clariant Corp. is suing five of its insurers in the North Carolina Business Court seeking defense costs in a host of underlying mass tort lawsuits over forever chemicals found in firefighting foam products.

  • November 26, 2024

    DraftKings Wants Damages In NFLPA's Licensing Suit Axed

    DraftKings Inc. wants partially tossed a suit launched by the NFL Players Association alleging the sports betting giant failed to make good on a licensing agreement related to nonfungible tokens, saying that the players are not entitled to any damages but that as a threshold matter, the maximum potential damages should be capped.

  • November 25, 2024

    Drake Says UMG Paid To Boost Kendrick Lamar's Diss Track

    Universal Music Group conspired with Spotify to blast Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" single to the top of the airwaves by using bots, pay-to-play agreements and other shady tactics at the expense of Drake and other artists, the Canadian rapper alleged Monday in a Manhattan court filing.

  • November 25, 2024

    Geico, Travelers To Pay NY $11.3M To Settle Data Security Row

    New York's financial services regulator and attorney general revealed Monday that they've hit Geico and Travelers with $11.3 million in penalties for the auto insurers' alleged failure to adequately secure driver's license numbers, birth dates and other personal information that was compromised as part of a hacking campaign targeting online rate quote tools.

  • November 25, 2024

    SEC Secured Historic $8.2B Enforcement Haul In 2024

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission obtained $8.2 billion in civil penalties and disgorgement via successful enforcement actions in 2024, the highest amount in the history of the agency despite a significant decline in total enforcement actions, the SEC has announced. 

  • November 25, 2024

    Uber Negligence Case Can Be Arbitrated, NY High Court Says

    New York's highest court affirmed on Monday that a woman who was struck by a car upon exiting an Uber in Brooklyn must pursue her negligence claims in arbitration, after a divided panel upheld the rideshare company's "clickwrap" arbitration agreement.

  • November 25, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Reverse Amber Heard's Loss In Coverage Suit

    The Ninth Circuit upheld an insurer's favorable ruling Monday in its legal dispute with actress Amber Heard, affirming that she had no right to independent counsel paid for by New York Marine and General Insurance Co. in a defamation suit by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.

  • November 25, 2024

    Pitt Ordered To Disclose Docs Jolie Says Will Prove Abuse

    A California judge overseeing a dispute between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie over a multimillion-dollar French winery ruled Monday that Pitt must disclose documents and communications that Jolie says will prove he sought to cover up his domestic violence against her and their children.

  • November 25, 2024

    Gov't Defends EB-5 Rule That Hikes Up Petition Fees

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency pushed for an early win in Texas federal court against a suit challenging increases for filing fees for petitions related to USCIS' EB-5 immigrant investor program.

  • November 25, 2024

    Credit Bureaus Freed From VantageScore Antitrust Suit

    An Illinois federal judge has ruled there is no evidence the three major credit bureaus conspired with the Fair Isaac Corporation to engage in a monopoly, reasoning there was no impetus for them to do so, but also found that credit score buyers sufficiently backed some of their antitrust claims against FICO. 

  • November 25, 2024

    Conn. Athlete Training Firm Ends Feud With Ohio Ex-Worker

    A Connecticut company that orchestrates military-style team-building events for corporations and university athletic teams on Monday settled a short-lived employment lawsuit with an Ohio man it had accused of attempting to poach or meddle with its collegiate accounts in at least seven states.

  • November 25, 2024

    Judge Bemoans 'Chaotic' Contracts In Jack Nicklaus IP Case

    The New York state judge presiding over golf legend Jack Nicklaus' intellectual property lawsuit on Monday signaled he may not be able to untangle a set of contradictory contracts, which could lead to a trial over who can use the "Golden Bear's" name and likeness.

  • November 25, 2024

    Colo. Judge Won't Keep SJSU Trans Athlete From Tournament

    A Colorado federal judge on Monday refused to prohibit a San Jose State University transgender volleyball athlete from competing, shutting down a bid from a group of female players in the sport hoping to secure a preliminary injunction against the Mountain West Conference.

  • November 25, 2024

    Hormone Therapy Co. Jilted Actress Over Image Use, Suit Says

    A commercial actress has accused a hormone treatment company and its affiliates of improperly using her image and likeness in promotional materials touting its therapies, telling a Texas state court the business "blatantly misappropriated" her personal brand.

  • November 25, 2024

    Construction Co. Seeks Coverage For $1.9M Email Spoof

    A construction company told an Alaska federal court that a Travelers unit acted in bad faith by refusing to provide directors and officers coverage for an email spoofing scheme that caused the company to wire roughly $1.9 million of a partner construction company's funds to an "imposter."

  • November 25, 2024

    Tesla Nears Deal In Trade Secret Suit Against EV Rival Rivian

    Tesla said in a notice filed in California state court that it would be settling its lawsuit accusing rival electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive of recruiting its employees, who allegedly took Tesla's trade secrets with them to the defendant to use for its plans to release an electric truck.

  • November 25, 2024

    TMX Moves For Emergency Block On $52M Pa. Fine Hearing

    An affiliate of TMX Finance asked a Texas federal court to pause Pennsylvania regulators' efforts to enforce the state's anti-usury laws against it, claiming it faced a "Hobson's choice" of responding to an enforcement proceeding whose legality was being questioned, or waiving its arguments and facing a $52.7 million fine.

  • November 25, 2024

    Final Buzzer Sounds On NBA Fraud Case With Doc's Sentence

    A Manhattan federal judge hit a Seattle-area doctor with five years in prison Monday for joining with the ringleader of the NBA's $5 million health billing fraud ring to submit fake invoices, the final sentencing in the sprawling case.

Expert Analysis

  • Rare Robinson-Patman Ruling Exhibits Key Antitrust Risk

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    A rare federal court decision under the Robinson-Patman Act, which prohibits certain kinds of price discrimination, highlights the antitrust risks faced by certain suppliers and is likely to be cited by future plaintiffs and enforcement officials calling for renewed scrutiny of pricing and discounting practices, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Beware Shifting Provisions In Middle-Market Loan Documents

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    In recent years, many credit facility provisions previously considered to be market standard have been negotiated, often turning in favor of borrowers, demanding renewed diligence from workout officers and restructuring counsel operating in the middle market, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May

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    A look at recent cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court provide guidance on how to succeed on appeal by clarifying the obviousness analysis of design patents, the finality of a judgment, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Shows Lies Must Go To Nature Of Bargain

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Milheiser decision, vacating six mail fraud convictions, clarifies that the key question in federal fraud cases is not whether lies were told, but what they were told about — thus requiring defense counsel to rethink their strategies, say Charles Kreindler and Krista Landis at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Adopting 7 Principles May Improve Voluntary Carbon Markets

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    The Biden administration's recently issued joint policy statement on improving the integrity of voluntary carbon markets may help companies using carbon credits to offset their emissions withstand scrutiny by government agencies, the public and investors, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Managing Legal Risks After University Gaza Protests

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    Following the protests sparked by the war in Gaza, colleges and universities should expect a long investigative tail and take steps to mitigate risks associated with compliance issues under various legal frameworks and institutional policies, say Wiley's Diana Shaw and Colin Cloherty.

  • Debate Over CFPB Definition Of Credit Is Just Beginning

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has recently worked to expand the meaning of credit, so anyone operating on the edges of the credit markets, or even those who assumed they were safely outside the scope of this regulatory perimeter, should pay close attention as legal challenges to broad interpretations of the definition unfold, says John Coleman at Orrick.

  • Abu Dhabi Ruling Hints At More Arbitration-Friendly Approach

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    The international and comparative rationale an Abu Dhabi onshore court used to decide that an arbitration agreement referencing a defunct arbitration center was still enforceable suggests that the UAE judiciary may be adopting a more flexible, pro-arbitration framework and stabilizing Dubai's arbitration landscape, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

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    Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

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