Appellate

  • June 07, 2024

    6th Circ. Finds Ethical Lapses Justify Bar On Firm's Outreach

    The Sixth Circuit said Thursday a Michigan federal judge shouldn't have faulted a law firm for attacking a proposed tax foreclosure class-action settlement in solicitation letters, but nevertheless upheld the judge's order barring contact with certain class members because of the firm's actual ethical lapses.

  • June 07, 2024

    Arizona GOP Fights Claims of Ethical Issues In Voting Dispute

    The Arizona Republican Party has every right to intervene in a challenge to a 2022 voting rights law that is headed to the Ninth Circuit, the party told a federal court, arguing that ethical concerns about its counsel raised by the state and its attorney general are "baseless" and "procedurally deficient."

  • June 07, 2024

    Justices Are Asked To Ax 9th Circ. Price Discrimination Test

    A retail trade association is coming to 5-Hour Energy's defense, calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the energy drink-maker's petition challenging a 2023 Ninth Circuit ruling that revived claims from a group of wholesalers alleging that the company engaged in illegal price-fixing advantaging Costco.

  • June 07, 2024

    Support Co. Can't Revive Suit Blaming Lindberg For Lost Biz

    A customer support company that claimed its ties to convicted insurance mogul Greg E. Lindberg cost it an important client can't revive a fraudulent concealment suit, with the Fourth Circuit ruling Friday that Lindberg wasn't obligated to disclose his criminal conduct.

  • June 07, 2024

    NBA Star Won't Raise $1.5M Fee Bid After 4th Circ. Win

    NBA star Zion Williamson told a North Carolina federal court that he's still only asking for $1.5 million in attorney fees despite having undertaken more litigation in a Fourth Circuit battle over a contract with his former agent.

  • June 07, 2024

    Uber Can Arbitrate With Paralyzed Rider, Mass. Justices Rule

    Massachusetts' highest court on Friday ruled Uber Technologies Inc. had made its terms of service clear enough to move a paralyzed rider's case to arbitration, despite a dissent from one justice who said the company should spell out the rights that riders surrender when they hail a car.

  • June 07, 2024

    Southwest Attys Get Pause On 'Punitive' Religious Training

    In finding Friday that an order for several in-house Southwest Airlines attorneys to undergo "religious liberty training" should be permanently placed on hold while an appeal of a flight attendant's Title VII trial win is pending, the Fifth Circuit said the district court had likely exceeded "the scope of the court's civil-contempt authority."

  • June 07, 2024

    6th Circ. Sides With Hemp Co. In CVS Deal Commission Row

    The Sixth Circuit has sided with hemp producers operating under Ecofibre Ltd. in a dispute with a group of businesses that sought commissions for linking the hemp companies with CVS, saying the businesses' prior concessions at the trial court dooms their new arguments on appeal.

  • June 07, 2024

    Calif. Ex-Atty Beats $330K Malpractice Judgment On Appeal

    A former attorney escaped more than $300,000 in damages when a California appellate court ruled Friday that his former client didn't follow the proper procedure before receiving a default judgment in a case that's more than a decade old.

  • June 07, 2024

    9th Circ. Says University Can Sue Over Wash. AG Hiring Probe

    A Ninth Circuit panel breathed new life Friday into a private Christian university's lawsuit accusing Washington state's attorney general of improperly investigating its anti-LGBTQ+ hiring practices, finding the possibility of potential future enforcement gives the school standing to sue.

  • June 07, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Panel Doubts Bid To Nix Actavis' $12M Deduction

    A Federal Circuit panel seemed skeptical of the government's bid to overturn a decision allowing drugmaker Actavis to deduct $12 million it spent fending off lawsuits as it secured approval to sell generics, raising the question during oral arguments Friday whether the company was being uniquely targeted.

  • June 06, 2024

    5th Circ. Presses Feds On 'Perplexing' Razor Wire Arguments

    A three-judge Fifth Circuit panel had terse words Thursday for the government's argument that the court couldn't consider new facts on Texas' use of concertina wire at the border when deciding whether to issue a new injunction preventing federal agents from removing the wire, asking how it was "supposed to even react" to that claim during oral arguments

  • June 06, 2024

    Calif. Justices OK UC Berkeley People's Park Housing Plan

    The University of California, Berkeley, can move ahead with its plans to build a housing project in the historic People's Park, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, saying a new state law wipes out opponents' claims that the university's environmental impact study failed to look at potential student noise pollution.

  • June 06, 2024

    Ex-Telemundo Worker Urges Panel To Revive Harassment Suit

    A former Telemundo advertising executive urged an Eleventh Circuit panel Thursday to reverse a lower court's ruling to dismiss her sexual harassment lawsuit against the company, saying she sufficiently alleged a hostile work environment after reporting sexual harassment by her supervisors.

  • June 06, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Revive State Farm Auto Policy Coverage Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit affirmed Thursday the dismissal of a State Farm auto policyholder's proposed class action alleging the insurer breaches its own policies by routinely denying medical expense coverage based on an ambiguous "reasonableness" standard, finding that the policyholder's interpretation of the policy would render parts of it "meaningless."

  • June 06, 2024

    Wash. High Court Will Review Gun Magazine Law

    The Washington state Supreme Court said Thursday it will review a trial court ruling that the state's ban on sales of large-capacity magazines for firearms is unconstitutional.

  • June 06, 2024

    Texas Court Revives Whataburger Customer's Injury Suit

    A Texas appellate court on Thursday refused to let Whataburger escape a lawsuit seeking to hold it liable for injuries a customer sustained after her arm was lacerated by a worker carrying a condiment tray, reinstating the customer's claims against the restaurant chain and paving the way for a trial.

  • June 06, 2024

    Wash. Justices To Review Spokane Homeless Camp Initiative

    The Washington State Supreme Court has agreed to hear a homeless advocacy group's appeal in its failed challenge to a voter-approved initiative expanding Spokane's restrictions on homeless encampments.

  • June 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Tells Insurer To Cover Teen's Treatment Center Stay

    The Ninth Circuit has upheld a Massachusetts mother's win in her fight to get her insurer to cover behavioral health treatment for her son, ruling Thursday that a Washington federal judge was correct to order the insurer to cover her son's 14-month stay in a residential treatment center.

  • June 06, 2024

    Tribes Pan ND Assembly's High Court Brief In Subpoena Row

    Two North Dakota tribes looking to undo an Eighth Circuit ruling that quashed subpoenas on North Dakota legislators and staff in underlying voting rights litigation told justices the ruling should be vacated as moot despite the lawmakers' arguments otherwise.

  • June 06, 2024

    Navy Denied IT Worker Promotions For Race, 11th Circ. Told

    A Florida-based Navy information technology worker urged the Eleventh Circuit in a hearing Thursday to reverse a lower court's decision to toss his discrimination lawsuit, saying he was passed over for promotion because he was Hispanic and older than other candidates despite being the best qualified.

  • June 06, 2024

    6th Circuit Selected For Start Of Net Neutrality Fight

    The Sixth Circuit was chosen by random drawing Thursday to consolidate, at least for now, more than half a dozen challenges to the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules.

  • June 06, 2024

    High Bar For Booking.com Price Limits, EU High Court Told

    A European Court of Justice advocate general recommended a high bar Thursday for Booking.com assertions that price parity clauses imposed on contracts with hotels are "ancillary" to, and thus protected as, legitimate business arrangements.

  • June 06, 2024

    Wash. Labor Dept. Wants To Back AG In ICE Inspections Suit

    The Washington state labor and health departments want to throw their support behind efforts in the Ninth Circuit by the state's governor and attorney general to defend a state law that allows surprise inspections at private immigration detention centers.

  • June 06, 2024

    Ga. Panel Frees Railroad From Negligent Spotting Claim

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday said a trial court wrongly refused to free CSX Corp. and CSX Transportation Inc. from a so-called negligent spotting claim in a man's lawsuit alleging he was injured while moving a CSXT railcar as part of his work for a wood products company.

Expert Analysis

  • Patent Lessons From 8 Federal Circuit Reversals In March

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    A number of Federal Circuit patent decisions last month reversed or vacated underlying rulings, providing guidance regarding the definiteness of a claim that include multiple limitations of different scopes, the importance of adequate jury instruction, the proper scope of the precedent, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • NC Rulings Show Bankruptcy Isn't Only For Insolvent Debtors

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    Two recent rulings from a North Carolina bankruptcy court show that lack of financial distress is not a requirement for bankruptcy protection, particularly in the Fourth Circuit, but these types of cases can still be dismissed for other reasons, say Stuart Gordon and Alexandria Vath at Rivkin Radler.

  • A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA

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    In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • 10 Years After Alice, Predictability Debate Lingers

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    A decade after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Alice ruling, critics continue to argue that the subject matter eligibility framework it established yields inconsistent results, but that contention is disproved by affirmance data from the Federal Circuit, district courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, say Dennis Abdelnour and David Thomas at Honigman.

  • Cannabis Ruling Lights Path For Bankruptcy Protection

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    A recent Massachusetts bankruptcy appellate court ruling in Blumsack v. Harrington leaves the door open for those employed in the cannabis industry to seek bankruptcy relief where certain conditions are met, but rescheduling marijuana as a Schedule III drug may complicate matters, say Jane Haviland and Kathryn Droumbakis at Mintz.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • Questions Persist After Ruling Skirts $925M TCPA Award Issue

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    After an Oregon federal court's recent Wakefield v. ViSalus ruling that the doctrine of constitutional avoidance precluded it from deciding whether a $925 million Telephone Consumer Protection Act damages award was constitutionally sound, further guidance is needed on when statutory damages violate due process, says Michael Klotz at O'Melveny.

  • Discord Stock Case Toss Means Little For Fraud Defendants

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    A Texas federal court’s recent dismissal of fraud charges related to a "pump and dump" scheme on Discord is an outlier after the U.S. Supreme Court scrapped the right-to-control theory of fraud last year, and ultimately won't deter the government from pursuing routine securities prosecutions, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.

  • Clarifying Legal Elements To Support A Genocide Claim At ICJ

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    Reporting on South Africa’s dispute against Israel in the International Court of Justice largely fails to clearly articulate what a case for genocide alleged in the context of war requires — a technical analysis that will evaluate several key factors, from the scale of the devastation to statements by officials, say Solomon Shinerock and Alex Bedrosyan at Lewis Baach.

  • Policy Misrepresentations Carry Insurance Rescission Risks

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Medical Mutual v. Gnik, finding that material misrepresentation in a clinic's insurance applications warranted policy rescission, is a clear example of the far-reaching effects that misrepresentations can have and provides a reminder that policyholders should employ relatively straightforward steps to decrease risks, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Back Labels In False Ad Cases Get Some Clarity In 9th Circ.

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    Courts in the Ninth Circuit have recently delivered a series of wins to advertisers, making clear that any ambiguity on the front of a product's package can be resolved by reference to the back label — which guarantees defendants a powerful tool to combat deceptive labeling claims, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • What Bankruptcy Deadline Appeal May Mean For Claimants

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    If the Third Circuit reverses a recent appeal made in In re: Promise Healthcare, litigation claimants within the circuit will not be able to rely on the proof of claim process to preserve the claim — but if the court affirms, the U.S. Supreme Court may need to step in to resolve the circuit split on this issue, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Why Fed. Circ. Should Resolve District Split On Patent Statute

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    A split exists among district courts in their analysis of when marking cannot be done on a patented article due to its character, and the Federal Circuit should consider clarifying the analysis of Section 287(a), a consequential statute with important implications for patent damages, say Nicholas Nowak and Jamie Dohopolski at Sterne Kessler.

  • Employers Beware Of NLRB Changes On Bad Faith Bargaining

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    Recent National Labor Relations Board decisions show a trend of the agency imposing harsher remedies on employers for bad faith bargaining over union contracts, a position upheld in the Ninth Circuit's recent NLRB v. Grill Concepts Services decision, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

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