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Appellate
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May 17, 2024
Judge Sets Hearing For Delay In Hunter Biden's Tax Trial
A California federal judge agreed Friday to consider Hunter Biden's request to push back his $1.4 million criminal tax trial, setting a hearing to address his claim that the dates interfere with his Delaware gun trial and threaten to prevent him from getting a fair shake.
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May 17, 2024
Texas Judge Denies SpaceX's Rethink Bid In Transfer Spat
A Texas federal judge won't reconsider his decision to transfer SpaceX's constitutional challenge to the National Labor Relations Board's structure to a California court, saying on Friday that the rocket company didn't give a "compelling reason" to rethink the ruling.
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May 17, 2024
5th Circ. Won't Rethink SXSW Ticket Coverage Ruling
The Fifth Circuit will not reconsider ordering a Chubb unit to cover defense costs incurred by Texas music festival South by Southwest from a class action by ticket holders seeking refunds after Austin officials canceled the festival in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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May 17, 2024
3rd Circ. Seeks Briefing On Wesco's Impact In 401(k) Fee Suit
The Third Circuit asked a digital services business and employees who sued the company alleging it saddled their retirement plan with excessive recordkeeping fees to explain whether the workers' bid to revive their tossed suit should be kicked to a lower court in light of a recent precedential ruling.
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May 17, 2024
Many Plans Already In Front Of 11th Circ. Trans Health Ruling
The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision that a county health plan's coverage exclusion for gender transition surgery violated federal anti-discrimination law likely won't have a big impact on plans because they have already made adjustments for the U.S. Supreme Court ruling the appeals court applied, experts say.
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May 16, 2024
Buckle Up: CFPB's High Court Win Will Thaw Frozen Docket
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is walking away from the U.S. Supreme Court with its funding and rulebook intact, a victory that caps off years of constitutional wrangling over how the agency was set up and will usher in a wave of activity that has financial services attorneys bracing for impact.
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May 16, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Let Alexa Users Revive Voice Data Privacy Row
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday refused to reinstate a proposed class action alleging Amazon's Alexa software illegally collects voice data to target users with advertisements, agreeing with the lower court that the e-commerce giant had clearly disclosed the practice and the plaintiffs hadn't shown they were harmed.
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May 16, 2024
6th Circ. Still Won't Rethink Sanctions Against Trump Attys
The Sixth Circuit on Thursday once again denied a bid from former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell and other attorneys to reconsider sanctions issued against them after they challenged the 2020 presidential election results in Michigan, holding that the attorneys must seek permission for future filings given their history of "meritless motions."
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May 16, 2024
No Double Jeopardy In Philly Execs' Embezzlement Case
Two former Philadelphia nonprofit executives convicted for an embezzlement scheme weren't subject to double jeopardy when a judge rescheduled trial after several jurors left, the Third Circuit ruled Thursday, reasoning that the court had no other choice.
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May 16, 2024
DC Circ. Mulls Rolling Back Pipeline Safety Regs Over Cost
The industry group challenging a handful of pipeline safety standards told a D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday that there will be "no fight" between it and the government on one of the regulations if the court simply rules that two terms that the agency maintains have the same definition do mean the same thing.
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May 16, 2024
Convicted Insurance Mogul Says He'll Trim Empire
Convicted insurance mogul Greg Lindberg told the North Carolina Supreme Court he's relinquishing control of portions of his enterprise to fulfill a deal to restructure them with independent oversight, according to court filings.
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May 16, 2024
Thomas, Alito: Two Originalists, Two Takes On CFPB Case
U.S. Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — often birds of a feather — butted heads Thursday over the original meaning and purpose of the U.S. Constitution's appropriations clause in a decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's unique funding scheme, highlighting what experts describe as the pair's different approaches to originalism.
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May 16, 2024
Texas Court Tosses $222M Verdict In Worker Burn Death Suit
A Texas appeals panel on Thursday tossed a $222 million jury verdict in a suit alleging a piping repair company failed to properly service a faulty relief valve that caused a Kansas power plant worker's burn death, saying the Lone Star State was not the proper forum for the suit.
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May 16, 2024
3rd Circ. Shuns Teva's 'Novel' Appeal On Israeli Investor Class
The Third Circuit on Thursday turned away an appeal brought by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., saying the class certification stage was not the right time to hear arguments over the "novel" question of the applicability of U.S. securities laws to Israeli-listed shares.
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May 16, 2024
Metal Co., Supplier Will Pay $14M To Settle NJ Pollution Suit
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin unveiled a $14 million settlement Thursday between the state's Department of Environmental Protection and the once-owners of a former metal etching facility and its supplier for their alleged role in contaminating groundwater with trichloroethylene in northern Bergen County.
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May 16, 2024
High Court Told USPTO's Address Requirement Is Dangerous
A North Carolina trademark law firm is taking its fight against a new rule requiring trademark applicants to provide their home addresses all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, telling the justices that this requirement publicized "the home addresses of victims of domestic violence and stalking, as well as celebrities and other public figures."
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May 16, 2024
Fed. Circ. Grills Sherwin-Williams, PPG On Coating Patents
The judges of the Federal Circuit had tough questions for both sides Thursday as Sherwin-Williams Co. appealed a jury verdict that its beverage can coating patents are invalid due to earlier patents issued to PPG Industries Inc., which was accused of infringement.
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May 16, 2024
Trial Stream Failure Doesn't Violate Rights, Colo. Panel Finds
A Colorado state appeals court ruled Thursday that a trial that was livestreamed with inadequate audio and video did not violate the defendant's right to a public trial because there were still seats available in an open courtroom.
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May 16, 2024
Houston Hospital Must Face Patient's Improper Care Claims
A split Texas appellate court gave a patient a second shot at his lawsuit accusing Houston Methodist Hospital of botching his post-surgery care, finding Thursday that an expert report supporting the patient's allegations was adequate to survive a dismissal bid.
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May 16, 2024
Ex-Pistons Guard Denied Bail For Healthcare Scheme Appeal
A former Detroit Pistons point guard was denied bail Thursday while he appeals his conviction and 18-month prison sentence in a case where prosecutors accused ex-players of defrauding the NBA's healthcare plan.
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May 16, 2024
3rd Circ. Revives Wesco Retirees' ERISA Fee Case
The Third Circuit reinstated a proposed class action Thursday accusing Wesco Distribution Inc. of letting its employee retirement plan pay exorbitant administrative fees, ruling a trial court's "partly valid" criticisms of the suit weren't enough to warrant dismissal.
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May 16, 2024
EPA Doctor Not A Whistleblower For Slamming Lead Plan
A former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency pediatrician and epidemiologist who publicly criticized the EPA's plan to reduce lead in drinking water as inadequate is not protected by federal whistleblower law, the Federal Circuit said Thursday.
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May 16, 2024
High Court Decision Requiring A Stay Raises More Questions
The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous decision Thursday finding that federal courts must honor a request to stay a case after ordering the dispute into arbitration leaves an important subsequent question unresolved: What happens if neither party requests a stay?
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May 16, 2024
NY High Court Blocks Doctor's Hospital Shooting Injury Suit
New York's highest court on Thursday reversed a finding allowing a doctor to sue Bronx-Lebanon Hospital over his injuries from a 2017 shooting, finding that a lower appeals court was wrong to decide that a lack of evidence of the shooter's motivation rebuts the assumption that the injuries arose from his employment and fall under the state Workers' Compensation Board.
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May 16, 2024
11th Circ. Denies Ayahuasca Church's Bid For Rehearing
The Eleventh Circuit has refused to grant an en banc rehearing to a Florida church that wanted to use ayahuasca as a sacrament, leaving in place an appellate ruling that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration properly denied a religious exemption from federal law against the psychedelic substance.
Expert Analysis
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NY's Revamped Card Surcharge Ban Is Unique Among States
Newly revised New York legislation bolsters the state's ban on credit card surcharges, potentially reinvigorating similar laws across the country despite the fact that many of them have been ruled unconstitutional, say Tom Witherspoon and Audrey Carroll at Stinson.
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How VA Court Change Is Affecting Insurance Disputes
The expansion of the Virginia Court of Appeals' jurisdiction to include review of decisions involving insurance coverage stands to significantly grow the body of related case law, likely to the benefit of policyholders, as evident in the recent decision in Bowman II v. State Farm Fire and Casualty Co., say Michael Levine and Olivia Bushman at Hunton.
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Fed. Circ. Ruling Helps Clarify When Gov't Clawback Is Timely
The Federal Circuit’s examination of claims accrual in a January decision that allows the Defense Contract Management Agency to pursue overpayment claims under a cost-reimbursement contract serves as a reminder that the government can lose such claims by waiting too long to file, say Evan Sherwood and Peter Hutt at Covington.
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Don't Sit On Bankruptcy Sidelines, 5th Circ. Ruling Reminds
The Fifth Circuit’s recent In re: Louisiana Pellets decision, holding that a creditor couldn’t assert indemnification defenses in a suit brought by the trustee of a liquidation trust, highlights the risks faced by creditors and other contract parties that choose not to participate in a bankruptcy, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.
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Considering The Logical Extremes Of Your Legal Argument
Recent oral arguments in the federal election interference case against former President Donald Trump highlighted the age-old technique of extending an argument to its logical limit — a principle that is still important for attorneys to consider in preparing their cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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How High Court SEC Case Could Affect The ITC
While the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy will likely spare the U.S. International Trade Commission from major operative changes, the ITC’s ability to issue penalties for violations of its orders may change, say Gwendolyn Tawresey and Ryan Deck at Troutman Pepper.
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6th Circ. Ruling Breathes New Life Into Article III Traceability
The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Hardwick v. 3M Co. to vacate a district court's certification of one of the largest class actions in American jurisprudence for lack of Article III standing has potentially broader implications for class action practice in the product liability sphere, particularly in medical monitoring cases involving far-fetched theories of causation, say attorneys at Skadden.
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2nd Circ. Ruling Will Guide Social Media Account Ownership
The Second Circuit’s recent decision in JLM Couture v. Gutman — which held that ownership of social media accounts must be resolved using traditional property law analysis — will guide employers and employees alike in future cases, and underscores the importance of express agreements in establishing ownership of social media accounts, says Joshua Glasgow at Phillips Lytle.
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Lessons From Rare Post-Verdict Healthcare Fraud Acquittal
A Maryland federal court recently overturned a jury verdict that found a doctor guilty of healthcare fraud related to billing levels for COVID-19 tests, providing defense attorneys with potential strategies for obtaining acquittals in similar prosecutions, says attorney Andrew Feldman.
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Series
Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.
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Debt Collector Compliance Takeaways From An FDCPA Appeal
A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau amicus brief last month in an ongoing First Circuit appeal focusing on an interpretation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act can serve as a reminder for debt collectors to understand how their technologies, like bankruptcy scrubs and letter logic, can prevent litigation, says Justin Bradley at Womble Bond.
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Takeaways From 9th Circ. Nix Of Ex-GOP Rep.'s Conviction
The Ninth Circuit recently reversed the conviction of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., for lying to the FBI, showing that the court will rein in aggressive attempts by the government to expand the reach of criminal prosecutions — and deepening a circuit split on an important venue issue, say attorneys at Skadden.
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SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap
As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.
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NCAA's Antitrust Litigation History Offers Clues For NIL Case
Attorneys at Perkins Coie analyze the NCAA's long history of antitrust litigation to predict how state attorney general claims against NCAA recruiting rules surrounding name, image and likeness discussions will stand up in Tennessee federal court.
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3 Administrative Law Lessons From 5th Circ. Appliance Ruling
Showing that mundane details can be outcome-determinative, the Fifth Circuit's recent decision in Louisiana v. U.S. Department of Energy — that the government's repeal of rules affecting dishwashers and laundry machines is invalid — highlights the relationship between regulatory actions and statutory language, say Michael Showalter and Vyasa Babu at ArentFox Schiff.