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Trials
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December 06, 2024
Conn. Panel Pares $150M From $1.44B Alex Jones Verdict
The Connecticut Appellate Court on Friday sliced $150 million from a $1.44 billion trial court judgment against Infowars host Alex Jones over his claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax, holding the state's consumer protection laws did not allow the massacre's survivors to recover for alleged harms connected to Jones' ancillary product sales.
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December 05, 2024
IP Forecast: PTAB To Hear Pfizer Fight Over COVID-19 Patents
Pfizer heads to an administrative board at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office next week to argue Moderna should not have been issued patents covering "a basic idea" like using mRNA to fight the COVID-19 virus. Here's a spotlight on that case — plus all the other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.
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December 05, 2024
Netflix Can't Get Midtrial Win In 'Our Father' Case
An Indiana federal judge on Thursday rejected Netflix's midtrial bid to escape a suit accusing it of negligently revealing the identities of the biological children of a rogue fertility doctor in the "Our Father" documentary, saying there was sufficient evidence for the jury to consider.
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December 05, 2024
Investors Sue Pegasystems In Corporate Espionage Case
Business software developer Pegasystems Inc. has been hit with allegations that it misled an asset management firm by concealing its use of illegal and unethical tactics to misappropriate competitor Appian Corp.'s trade secrets, which led to a since-overturned $2 billion Virginia state court judgment for unjust enrichment.
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December 05, 2024
Fla. Labs Say Cigna's Trial 'Confession' Erases $7.3M Verdict
Three Florida drug testing laboratories have urged a Connecticut federal court to undo a $7.3 million jury verdict for Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. over unjustified billings, arguing a new trial is warranted after the insurer allegedly made a "confession" during opening statements that it wasn't seeking damages for itself.
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December 05, 2024
DOJ Is Eyeing Foreign Patent Litigation Funding, GAO Says
The U.S. Department of Justice is examining the role foreign countries might be playing in funding patent litigation in the U.S., the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday exploring the benefits and pitfalls of the proliferation of third-party intellectual property litigation financing.
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December 05, 2024
Judge Snubs Bid For $1M Bond On $22M 'Comfy' IP Verdict
An Arizona federal judge on Wednesday rejected a retailer's bid to pay a $1 million bond while appealing a $22 million judgment against it for infringing the design patents of Cozy Comfort Co., the maker of the "Comfy" sweatshirt featured on "Shark Tank."
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December 05, 2024
Man Says NC Failed To Prove He Had Cannabis, Not Hemp
A North Carolina man is appealing his conviction for possession and intent to distribute cannabis, saying the state failed to show evidence that the material they seized from him was cannabis as opposed to legal hemp.
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December 05, 2024
Combs Demands Court Inquiry Into Copied Jail Notes
Sean "Diddy" Combs urged a Manhattan federal judge to hold a special hearing and consider dismissing his sex-trafficking indictment after staff at the Metropolitan Detention Center photographed his allegedly privileged, handwritten notes during a sweep of the prison and sent them to prosecutors, who he says used the information to argue against bail.
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December 05, 2024
Insulet Wins $452M In Trade Secret Theft Trial
A Massachusetts federal jury has awarded Insulet Corp. $452 million after concluding that a South Korean company stole its trade secrets for a wearable insulin patch pump, marking one of the largest trade secrets verdicts of the decade.
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December 04, 2024
Intel, VLSI Agree To Pause Del. IP Fight Ahead Of Texas Trial
Prodded by a federal judge in Delaware, Intel Corp. and VLSI Technology LLC agreed Wednesday to stay motions to dismiss or transfer an Intel Corp. suit over claims that it already holds licenses to patents that VLSI asserts it controls, as a similar patent battle moves forward in Texas.
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December 04, 2024
7th Circ. Asks If Feds Went Too Far In $25M Kickback Case
The Seventh Circuit questioned where it should draw the line between "perfectly legal" and improper marketing conduct Wednesday as it considered vacating a medical equipment pharmacy owner's conviction for running an alleged $25 million kickback scheme with a patient-leads broker.
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December 04, 2024
Penn State Eyes Ban, Atty Fees After Trial Win Against Retailer
The Pennsylvania State University has asked a federal court in the Keystone State to permanently block an online retailer and its owner from selling merchandise that a jury found infringed the university's trademarks, and said it is entitled to attorney fees from the "serial infringers."
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December 04, 2024
Ex-Trump Atty Chesebro Looks To Invalidate Ga. Plea Deal
Kenneth Chesebro, a former attorney for President-elect Donald Trump and one of four Trump co-defendants to strike a plea deal with Georgia prosecutors, sought to overturn his agreement in a filing on Wednesday.
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December 04, 2024
Retaliation Case Over Mostly Nude Trucker Gets Green Light
A North Carolina federal judge declined to shut down a lawsuit from a trucker who said she was unlawfully fired for complaining about a co-worker walking around in his underwear, saying she was terminated suspiciously soon after she accused him of sexual harassment.
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December 04, 2024
Takeda Exec Duped Beau Into $2M Fraud, Jury Told
A Massachusetts man is accusing his wife, a former Takeda Pharmaceuticals vice president, of playing "puppet master" by tricking him into joining a scheme to steal millions from the drug company through fake invoices.
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December 04, 2024
Timothy Hutton, Production Co. Settle Over Firing From Show
Academy Award-winning actor Timothy Hutton has settled a $3 million dispute over his ouster from the Amazon crime drama reboot "Leverage: Redemption" amid sexual assault allegations, two months before he and the show's production company had been set to square off at trial in California state court.
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December 04, 2024
Fulton County DA Must Produce Trump Election Probe Docs
A Georgia state court judge has ordered the Fulton County District Attorney's Office to turn over documents from its election interference investigation that were sent to or received from special counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. House Jan. 6 Committee to conservative nonprofit Judicial Watch.
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December 04, 2024
Jan. 6 Rioter Unlikely To Succeed On Appeal, Judge Says
A District of Columbia federal judge ordered a convicted rioter from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol to serve the remainder of his more than four-year prison term while he appeals, saying his legal arguments are substantial but unlikely to result in a reduced sentence.
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December 03, 2024
Hunter Biden's Gun, Tax Cases Axed After Presidential Pardon
Federal judges in Delaware and California on Tuesday closed the books on Hunter Biden's felony gun and tax evasion cases, just ahead of his sentencing hearings, after President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon of his son over the weekend.
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December 03, 2024
Monsanto Expert Says No PCB Link To Kids' Conditions
Monsanto began its defense case Tuesday in the latest PCB trial with an OB/GYN who said he didn't believe that any of three sisters' skin problems or premature puberty stemmed from exposure to the chemical.
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December 03, 2024
Del. Justices Mostly Uphold Mindbody Merger Suit Ruling
Delaware's Supreme Court has upheld a Court of Chancery ruling that the former CEO of Mindbody Inc. is liable for an extra $1 per share plus interest to stockholders of the fitness software company but reversed the lower court's finding that Vista Equity Partners Management LLC, which acquired Mindbody in 2019, aided and abetted the executive.
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December 03, 2024
Antitrust Judge Rips Apple's 'Meritless' Doc Privilege Claims
Apple fought uphill Tuesday to convince a California federal magistrate judge that it properly withheld 57,000 documents from Epic Games due to attorney-client privilege in their antitrust fight, with the judge eventually telling its lawyer, "I disagree with everything you're saying, and the fact you're making these meritless arguments causes me concern."
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December 03, 2024
Hyatt's Appeal Of $177M Sex Assault Verdict Fails
A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a $177 million verdict in a suit alleging that Hyatt Corp. caused a female guest's in-room sexual assault by a hotel security guard, saying the jury's $149 million punitive damages award was supported by the hotel's "conscious disregard" for its guests' rights.
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December 03, 2024
Former Officials Target DOJ, FTC Position In Epic V. Google
The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission drew criticism Tuesday from former officials who targeted the agencies' stance on Google's Ninth Circuit fight against the mandated opening of the Android Play Store, with the officials warning in an amicus brief against "compulsory sharing obligations."
Expert Analysis
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6 Factors That Can Make For A 'Nuclear' Juror
Drawing from recent research that examines the rise in nuclear verdicts, Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies identifies a few juror characteristics most likely to matter in assessing case risk and preparing for jury selection — some of which are long-known, and others that are emerging post-pandemic.
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DOJ Paths To Limit FARA Fallout From Wynn's DC Circ. Win
After the D.C. Circuit’s recent Attorney General v. Wynn ruling, holding that the government cannot compel retroactive registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the U.S. Department of Justice has a few options to limit the decision’s impact on enforcement, say attorneys at MoFo.
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Series
Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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Unpacking Executive Privilege, Contempt In Recent Cases
The U.S. House of Representatives’ recent move to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress is the latest example in a growing trend of executive privilege disputes, and serves as a warning to private citizens and corporate leaders who are in communication with the president, says Kristina Moore at Womble Bond.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases
Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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Autonomy Execs' Acquittal Highlights Good Faith Instruction
The recent acquittal of two former Autonomy executives demonstrates that a good faith jury instruction can be the cornerstone of an effective defense strategy in white collar criminal cases, in part because the concept of good faith is a human experience every juror can relate to, says Sara Kropf at Kropf Moseley.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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3 Ways To Lower Insider Trading Risk After First 10b5-1 Case
In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's insider trading prosecution against the former CEO of Ontrack based on alleged abuse of a Rule 10b5-1 safe harbor plan — designed to allow executives to sell their companies' securities without liability — companies and individuals should take steps to avoid enacting similar plans in bad faith, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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Menendez Corruption Ruling Highlights Attorney Proffer Risks
The recent admission of slides used in a preindictment presentation as evidence during U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial highlights the potential pitfalls of using visual aids in attorney proffers, and the increasing importance of making disclaimers regarding information presented at the outset of proffers, say Carrie Cohen and Savanna Leak at MoFo.
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Opinion
Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis
For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.
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Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar
At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.