Commercial Contracts

  • October 15, 2024

    Ex-'Top Chef' Hopeful Sues Over Ouster From Food Hall

    A former celebrity chef who worked for a new Pittsburgh food hall is suing his ex-partner in Pennsylvania state court, claiming he was ousted for no good reason and is owed money for years of work setting up the business.

  • October 15, 2024

    Judge Rejects Firm's 'Support' Framing In Racetrack Flaw Suit

    A Florida state judge on Tuesday denied an attempt by a British racetrack consultant to define its role as merely providing "support" to the construction of a track that failed during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix race in 2022.

  • October 15, 2024

    Aerospace Firm Must Hand Over Bank Accounts To Buyer

    A Colorado state judge entered an emergency order Monday forcing a Colorado aerospace company that sold its assets to California-based Interconnect Solutions Co. for $15 million to turn over its business accounts to ISC, which said the accounts are needed to perform work for customer Lockheed Martin.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues

    A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

  • October 15, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders

    Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.

  • October 15, 2024

    Justices Let Solicitor General Argue In E-Rate Fraud Case

    The Solicitor General's Office will defend private citizens' ability to sue for E-rate fraud on behalf of the government under the False Claims Act, after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the solicitor general's request to participate in oral arguments in an AT&T subsidiary's challenge to the law's application.

  • October 11, 2024

    With Swipe At Attys, CFPB's Chopra Defends Use Of Guidance

    At a tough-talking appearance in Utah on Friday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said he doesn't sweat potential legal challenges to his agency's rules and suggested some industry-side attorneys can be "leeches" who relish compliance uncertainty if it boosts their billable hours.

  • October 11, 2024

    Fla. Suit Over $79M Bezos Property Purchase Moves Forward

    A Florida state court judge on Friday denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a real estate broker of misrepresenting that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wasn't the true purchaser of a $79 million property on Miami's exclusive Indian Creek Island, causing the seller to reduce the listing price by millions.

  • October 11, 2024

    La. Sugarcane Cos. Skimped On Migrant Work Pay, Suit Says

    Mexico residents who worked for two Louisiana sugarcane businesses have lodged a proposed class against their former employers in Louisiana federal court, alleging the companies secured the wrong temporary work visas to avoid paying higher wages and failed to reimburse preemployment expenses.

  • October 11, 2024

    Google Appeals Epic Injunction To 9th Circ.

    Google is appealing a California federal judge's recent order that it allow for third-party app distribution on its Android phones, taking the company's long-running fight with Fortnite-maker Epic Games to the Ninth Circuit with just weeks before the injunction is set to take effect.

  • October 11, 2024

    RICO Suit Accuses VC Co. Of Falsely Claiming Native Ties

    Three California corporations have hit the owners and operators of a venture capital firm with a racketeering suit in federal court, accusing them of falsely claiming they have Native American ties and can procure grants and loans for development projects managed by non-Native entrepreneurs.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cornell Case Gives Justices Chance To Curb ERISA Litigation

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear a retirement fee suit from Cornell workers means new precedent is coming that could harmonize an uneven set of circuit standards for what it takes to pursue a prohibited transaction claim under federal benefits law, attorneys say.

  • October 11, 2024

    Truck Rental Platform Stole Truck Owners' Profits, Suit Claims

    A company that said it invested in a fleet of trucks to rent through a truck rental platform accused the rental platform company in a proposed class action filed in Colorado federal court Thursday of wrongfully pocketing more than $11 million obtained through sales of old rental trucks.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cable Co. CEO Says Buyer Fired Him In Violation Of Deal

    An owner of a Colorado aerospace manufacturing company is suing a buyer in state court for allegedly violating the terms of their asset purchase deal, claiming the buyer fabricated a reason to fire him as CEO in order to avoid paying half a million dollars that it would otherwise owe to his company.

  • October 11, 2024

    Huawei Judge Asks If Netgear Suit Stretches Antitrust Law

    A California federal judge expressed some skepticism Friday about allowing router maker Netgear Inc. to proceed with monopolization claims over Huawei Technologies Co.'s patents, wondering aloud whether this would amount to "saying any breach of contract claim can be turned into an antitrust case."

  • October 11, 2024

    DC's Amazon Antitrust Suit Gets January 2027 Trial Date

    The District of Columbia attorney general's newly revived antitrust lawsuit against Amazon will go to trial in January 2027, a D.C. judge decided Friday.

  • October 11, 2024

    No Coverage For Wage Disclosure Suits, Insurer Says

    An insurer said it has no duty to defend or indemnify two restaurant franchise operators accused of violating Washington's Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, telling a federal court that the allegations do not trigger coverage under an employment practices liability insurance policy.

  • October 11, 2024

    Sports Biz Seeks To Freeze Assets In Suit Over NHL Deal

    A Finland-based sports agency has asked a federal judge to enjoin a Massachusetts man from transferring or disposing of any assets while a lawsuit proceeds over a scheme he allegedly carried out to avoid paying roughly $1 million awarded to the company through arbitration.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cannabis Biz Ex-Partners Spar Over $6.4M Judgment Payout

    Two former business partners are sparring in Colorado federal court over a proposed order to hold assets related to a cannabis company to satisfy a $6.4 million judgment and whether that order can be granted in compliance with the federal Controlled Substances Act.

  • October 11, 2024

    Ex-Girardi Keese CFO Pleads Guilty In Calif. Wire Fraud Cases

    Girardi Keese's former Chief Financial Officer Christopher K. Kamon pled guilty Friday in California federal court to two counts of wire fraud, admitting that he conspired with the firm's disgraced co-founder Tom Girardi to steal millions from a client, while also stealing millions from the firm behind Girardi's back.

  • October 11, 2024

    Promises Of Metaverse Art Club Were A Sham, Investors Claim

    A group that claimed it would start a members-only art collection club in the Metaverse has been hit with a proposed class action alleging it misled investors about the value of the project and the benefits and returns investors would see.

  • October 11, 2024

    Stellantis Defeats Utah Class Cert Bid In Gearshift MDL

    A Michigan federal judge declined to certify a class of Utah drivers seeking to hold Stellantis North America liable for defective gearshifts in certain Dodges, Chryslers and Jeeps, reasoning that each of the claims would have to be evaluated to determine if drivers noticed issues in the vehicles but purchased or leased them nonetheless.

  • October 11, 2024

    Pa. Justices Won't Review Bible App Maker's Coverage Denial

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to hear a Bible app maker's coverage bid over a hacker's deletion of its videos and software stored on a GoDaddy Inc. server, letting stand an appeals panel's ruling in a case of first impression on what "your computers" means in a property policy.

  • October 11, 2024

    Conn. Judge OKs $5M Deal To Resolve AG's Vision Solar Case

    A Connecticut state judge approved a $5 million judgment to resolve an unfair trade practices suit Attorney General William Tong brought against Vision Solar LLC.

  • October 11, 2024

    Mich. Firm's Settlement Dispute Returns To State Court

    A Michigan federal judge ruled Friday that an attorney-client fight over how to divide settlement proceeds in a police brutality case belongs in state court, reasoning that the dispute was a matter of contract law over which he could not exercise jurisdiction.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • DC Circ. Ruling Heightens HHS Contract Pharmacy Challenges

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    The D.C. Circuit's recent ruling that the Section 340B program does not bar manufacturers from restricting deliveries of discounted drugs to contract pharmacies represents a second strike against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' current contract pharmacy policy and raises the stakes surrounding an upcoming Seventh Circuit ruling on the same issue, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Trending At The PTAB: Real Party In Interest And IPR

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    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s recent Luminex v. Signify decision, finding a complaint seeking indemnification may be treated as a public demand sufficient to establish a real party-in-interest, shows that the board continues to apply a broad and expansive definition to that term, say Yicong (Eve) Du and Yieyie Yang at Finnegan.

  • How Employers, Attorneys Can Respond To Noncompete Ban

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    As the Federal Trade Commission's recently issued noncompete ban faces ongoing legal challenges, now is a good time for employers to consider whether they want to take a wait-and-see approach before halting use of noncompetes and for practitioners to gain insight into other tools available to protect their clients' business interests, says Jennifer Platzkere Snyder at Dilworth Paxson.

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