Commercial Contracts

  • October 29, 2024

    Financial Firm Gets $1.4M Placeholder Against Adviser

    A Connecticut state court judge has granted a financial firm's bid for a nearly $1.4 million placeholder against an exiting financial adviser during ongoing FINRA arbitration, reasoning the firm has shown a likely chance of proving the adviser siphoned customers during a transition to a new broker-dealer.

  • October 29, 2024

    Ex-Jones Day Litigator Joins Honigman In Detroit

    Honigman LLP has brought on a former Jones Day business and tort litigation associate as a business litigation practice group partner.

  • October 28, 2024

    Partner Sues Over Firm Breakup After $100M Conn. Verdict

    Ryan C. McKeen, the former CEO of a trial firm known for high-dollar verdicts, is wrongfully trying to arbitrate a dispute over the terms of the practice's breakup, his former law partner Andrew P. Garza alleged in a state court showdown between the two 50% owners and their families.

  • October 28, 2024

    ​​​​​​​Nokia Strikes Deal Ahead Of Trial In Texas Patent Co.'s Suit

    Less than two weeks before a jury trial is set to begin, intervenor Nokia of America and patent owner Wireless Alliance LLC struck a deal resolving part of a lawsuit accusing telecommunication behemoths AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile of patent infringement, according to a settlement notice filed in Texas federal court Friday.

  • October 28, 2024

    9th Circ. Nixes Arbitration In Live Nation Ticket Sale Suit

    The Ninth Circuit affirmed Monday that Live Nation and Ticketmaster can't force consumer litigation over allegedly exorbitant ticket prices into arbitration, ruling in a published opinion that the underlying arbitration agreement linking to "borderline unintelligible" arbitral rules is unenforceable.

  • October 28, 2024

    X Says Watchdog's Discovery Can't Target Musk In Libel Suit

    X Corp. fired back Monday at a left-leaning watchdog's attempt to secure information concerning how the social media platform polices its content, telling a Texas federal judge that the organization is merely trying to get a "scoop" by obtaining Elon Musk's personal messages.

  • October 28, 2024

    Investment Firm's Head Indicted For Alleged Ponzi Scheme

    Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment accusing a Utah man of carrying out a Ponzi scheme to embezzle millions of dollars from private investors who believed they were contributing to restaurant ventures.

  • October 28, 2024

    Parts Manufacturer Tells Pa. Jury Competitor Poached Stats

    A lawyer for hardware manufacturer Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corp. told a federal jury in Philadelphia on Monday that one of its competitors used performance data from Penn's products to boost its own line of parts, creating confusion among consumers.

  • October 28, 2024

    NASA Says Sensor Co.'s Contract Breach Case Should Fail

    NASA has said the U.S. Court of Federal Claims should throw out a sensor business's breach of contract suit over commercialization and licensing deals related to patented NASA technology, saying certain milestones couldn't be reached under the pact.

  • October 28, 2024

    Fidelity Investments Sued Over Money Market Fund's Fees

    Fidelity Investments has been hit with a class action suit in New York federal court alleging it charged high fees, mismanaged the administration of one of its money market funds, and failed to act in the best interests of the fund's shareholders. 

  • October 28, 2024

    FuboTV Fights To Keep Broadcast Bundling Under Scrutiny

    Sports streaming service FuboTV is pushing to keep its antitrust claims against the content distribution used by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery in court, telling a New York federal judge such arrangements "freeze out" smaller distributors.

  • October 28, 2024

    Tribe-Linked Lenders Flouted Interest Laws, Borrower Says

    A Florida man and his purported data analytic companies face a proposed class action alleging they improperly touted a relationship with a small Native American tribe as they made consumer loans with triple-digit annual interest rates.

  • October 28, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Amazon Auto-Renewal Suit Is Too Late

    The Ninth Circuit said Monday that a proposed class action accusing Amazon of duping Prime subscribers into paying for memberships in its audiobook seller, Audible, was filed after a three-year statute of limitations under New York law had expired.

  • October 28, 2024

    NY Firm Sued Over Botched $5M Art Collector Ch. 7 Dispute

    A family enmeshed in New York's art world is suing their former attorneys in relation to a dismissed bankruptcy proceeding with an art collector over a breach of contract, alleging the attorneys' incompetence lost them $5 million when they moved the case from state court to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing.

  • October 28, 2024

    Hospital Wants NC County's 'Monopoly' Suit Tossed

    Owners of an Asheville, North Carolina, hospital accused of understaffing its emergency room and driving up wait times say the county suing them for unjust enrichment is actually trying to get paid twice for healthcare its emergency responders have already provided.

  • October 28, 2024

    Mich. Firm Can't Get More Fees From Nassar Suits, Jury Finds

    A Michigan federal jury said Monday a personal injury firm already got what it was owed as local counsel for survivors of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse, rejecting the firm's claims against a Colorado firm for another $500,000.

  • October 28, 2024

    Medical Laser Co. Seeks Multiplier For Rival's 'Deceitful' Raid

    A medical laser company has asked a Boston federal judge to double or triple its $25 million verdict against a rival firm — and tack on attorney fees and $6.8 million in interest — for a "calculated and deceitful corporate raid" on its sales workforce.

  • October 28, 2024

    Farm Co. Can't Push Worker's Wage Suit To Arbitration

    A California appeals court refused to send to arbitration a farm laborer's suit accusing a farm labor contractor of shorting workers on wages, saying the company can't rely on an arbitration pact that one of its clients signed with the workers.

  • October 25, 2024

    Entergy Struggles To Challenge FERC Decision At DC Circ.

    The D.C. Circuit is set to decide whether or not utility giant Entergy will be allowed to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's rejection of a plan that would change capacity market rules, after finding that it would give Entergy too much market power.

  • October 25, 2024

    How Big Crash Verdict Revealed Blueprint For Suing Amazon

    A rare $16.2 million verdict against Amazon recently awarded by a Georgia jury is proof that a blueprint of sorts now exists for pinning liability on the retail giant in crash cases involving independent contractors, according to a veteran attorney who helped win the case.

  • October 25, 2024

    DC Circ. Could Nix OK Of $8M Equatorial Guinea Award

    The D.C. Circuit on Friday appeared willing to consider nixing enforcement of an $8 million arbitral award against Equatorial Guinea issued in a dispute over an ill-fated hospital operating contract, even as the panel spent much of a hearing focusing on the impact of a decade-old U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • October 25, 2024

    Jury Mostly Sides With Woodland Tools On False Ad Claims

    A Wisconsin federal jury has largely found in favor of gardening toolmaker Woodland Tools on allegations that competitor Fiskars Brands made false claims about the design origin and cutting power of Fiskars products including pruners and shears.

  • October 25, 2024

    Lemonade Co. Sues Brewers' Affiliate Over Deal Gone Sour

    A lemonade and nuts vendor is suing a minor league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers in Mississippi federal court, alleging that the team caved in to pressure from the Coca-Cola Co. and abruptly terminated an agreement that allowed the merchant to sell his items at home games.

  • October 25, 2024

    Failed Pot-Friendly Neobank Exec Says Court Must Hold Cash

    Dozens of "defrauded businesses" are left without the cash they deposited into a defunct cannabis-focused "neobank," the former chief executive said when urging an Oregon federal court not to earmark the remaining money left in accounts to just one ripped-off cannabis company.

  • October 25, 2024

    Lyft To Pay $2.1M FTC Fine Over Driver Earnings Claims

    Lyft Inc. will pay $2.1 million and clarify its claims about driver pay in order to settle allegations from the Federal Trade Commission that the ride-hailing company made deceptive statements about what drivers could expect to earn hourly and through special incentives, according to a Friday announcement from the agency.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Opinion

    OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Ambiguity Ruling Highlights Deference To Arbitral Process

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in Eletson v. Levona, which remanded an arbitral award for clarification, reflects that the ambiguity exception’s analysis is not static and may be applied even in cases where the award, when issued, was unambiguous, says arbitrator Myrna Barakat Friedman.

  • 2 Rulings Serve As Conversion Fee Warnings For Banks

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    A comparison of the different outcomes in Wright v. Capital One in a Virginia federal court, and in Guerrero v. Bank of America in a North Carolina federal court, highlights how banks must be careful in describing how currency exchange fees and charges are determined in their customer agreements, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.

  • Expect CFPB To Enforce Warning Against 'Coercive' Fine Print

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    The recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warning against unenforceable terms "deceptively" slipped into the fine print of contracts will likely be challenged in court, but until then, companies should expect the agency to treat its guidance as law and must carefully scrutinize their consumer contracts, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Leveling Up IP Protections For Video Game Icons' Film Debuts

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    Video game creators venturing into new realms of entertainment that include their iconic characters, such as television and film adaptations, should take specific steps to strengthen their intellectual property rights, say Joshua Weigensberg and Parmida Enkeshafi at Pryor Cashman.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Mitigating Risks Amid 10-Year Sanctions Enforcement Window

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    In response to recent legislation, which doubles the statute of limitations for actions related to certain U.S. sanctions and provides regulators greater opportunity to investigate possible violations, companies should take specific steps to account for the increased civil and criminal enforcement risk, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • Keys To Strong Parking, Storage Contracts For NYC Buildings

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    Drafting and enforcing unambiguous parking and storage unit license agreements are essential tasks for co-op and condo boards in New York City, with recent cases highlighting how prudent terms can minimize potential headaches, say Matthew Eiben and Adam Lindenbaum at Rosenberg & Estis.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

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