Appellate

  • March 26, 2024

    Golf Pro Out Of Bounds In Atty Fee Stay Bid, 11th Circ. Told

    Media companies have urged the Eleventh Circuit to reject pro golfer Patrick Reed's bid to block their award of attorney fees after defeating the player's defamation suit alleging that journalists' criticism of his recruitment to the Saudi-backed LIV Tour hurt his health and career.

  • March 26, 2024

    REIT Exec Tells 2nd Circ. To Toss $3.2M Judgment

    The co-founder of a real estate investment trust told the Second Circuit to toss the $3.2 million judgment awarded in a former partner's 2014 suit, arguing that related jury instructions were "too confusing and prejudicial."

  • March 26, 2024

    NY Lawyer Disbarred As Result Of $1.2M Theft Conviction

    A New York appeals court on Tuesday disbarred former Gordon & Silber partner Arthur Cohen, who was sentenced to prison in October for siphoning about $1.2 million from the now-defunct law firm.

  • March 26, 2024

    Wash. Appeals Court Reinstates Nurse's Sex Harassment Suit

    A trial court jumped the gun when it tossed a lawsuit from a nurse who said a University of Washington-owned air ambulance outfit transferred her after she complained about sexual harassment, a state appeals court ruled, saying a reasonable jury could find in her favor.

  • March 26, 2024

    2nd Circ. Revives Gender Bias Case Against Grocery Chain

    A district court applied too harsh a standard when it dismissed a fired manager's sex bias suit against a supermarket chain, the Second Circuit said Tuesday, in a ruling that sought to "demystify" the test for assessing whether some discrimination claims can move to trial.

  • March 26, 2024

    NC Justices Find BofA Mortgage Fraud Suit Filed Too Late

    The North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that homeowners accusing Bank of America NA of fraud in a mortgage modification program filed their claims too late, finding they knew or should have known about the alleged fraud when their homes were foreclosed upon — four to seven years before they sued.

  • March 26, 2024

    High Court Wary Of Bid To Limit Abortion Pill Access

    The U.S. Supreme Court seemed skeptical Tuesday of efforts by anti-abortion groups to severely limit access to the abortion medication mifepristone, with several justices appearing unconvinced that the groups had the right to sue over the Food and Drug Administration's regulation of the pill.

  • March 25, 2024

    In High Court Sentencing Case, It's Everyone V. Gibson Dunn

    As the U.S. Supreme Court scrutinizes severe sentencing of repeat offenders, one view is backed by the Biden administration, defense bar groups, incarceration reformers and a household name among appellate advocates. And then there's the view backed by a few lawyers at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

  • March 25, 2024

    4th Circ. Sides With Trump Jr. In Ex-Coal CEO's Libel Suit

    A Fourth Circuit panel on Monday upheld Donald Trump Jr.'s win against former coal company CEO and U.S. Senate candidate Don Blankenship's defamation suit, saying there's no evidence Trump Jr. acted with actual malice when he called Blankenship a "felon" — instead of a person convicted of a federal misdemeanor — on social media.

  • March 25, 2024

    Something In The Way Of Nirvana Logo Trial, Judge Told

    Counsel for a former record company employee who claims he created Nirvana's "smiley face" logo urged a California federal judge Monday to let him immediately appeal a ruling denying his ownership claim, and argued the band's copyright suit against designer Marc Jacobs over the logo should be delayed in the meanwhile.

  • March 25, 2024

    Meta Defends Axon Reading To DC Circ. In Privacy Deal Fight

    Meta Platforms Inc. on Friday insisted to the D.C. Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on structural constitutional challenges supports the social media giant's efforts to block the Federal Trade Commission from pursuing changes to a $5 billion privacy settlement.

  • March 25, 2024

    Conn. Justice Chides Legislature In Landlord Lien Case

    Bemoaning what he perceived as an unclear statute and its unilluminating legislative history, Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Steven D. Ecker on Monday lamented having to make a significant policy decision about whether a city or a landlord should be financially liable for tenants displaced after fire damaged a large apartment.

  • March 25, 2024

    COVID 'Cure' Claims Can't Sustain Fraud Suit, 9th Circ. Rules

    A biopharmaceutical company's "enthusiastic" statements to Fox News and others about a potential COVID-19 cure do not amount to fraud and cannot sustain a shareholder lawsuit accusing the company and its top executives of deceiving the market by pretending that a breakthrough was much more consequential than it actually was, the Ninth Circuit ruled on Monday.

  • March 25, 2024

    Full 10th Circ. Stands By Revival Of Valero Pipeline Leak Suit

    The full Tenth Circuit refused to budge from a panel's February decision that partly revived an Oklahoma cattle ranch's lawsuit seeking to hold Valero Energy Corp. liable for a pipeline leak that allegedly contaminated the ranch property.

  • March 25, 2024

    Bank Groups Ask 5th Circ. To Block CFPB Card Late-Fee Rule

    Bank trade groups on Monday escalated their fight against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's credit card late-fee rule, asking the Fifth Circuit to intervene and stay the regulatory measure after a Texas federal judge declined to act on their request for an immediate injunction last week.

  • March 25, 2024

    NC Justices Undo Stacking Auto Insurance Coverage

    The North Carolina Supreme Court has overruled 30 years of intermediate appellate court adherence to "stacking" underinsured motorist policies, ruling the plain language of a state law only allows that type of coverage to be combined among policies on a vehicle involved with a collision.

  • March 25, 2024

    Ohio Bus Agency Keeps Win In Passenger Injury Suit

    A bus passenger can't pursue a lawsuit against an Ohio transit system on claims she fell and sustained injuries on one of its buses after the driver suddenly hit the brakes, a state appeals court ruled, saying the quick stop was necessary to prevent a crash.

  • March 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Says NJ City Can't Stop Sale Of Failed Project's Sites

    The Third Circuit tossed a New Jersey city's challenge of a bankruptcy court ruling that allowed the two local properties of a failed affordable housing project to be sold to a third party, according to an unpublished opinion Monday.

  • March 25, 2024

    IHS Fears Budget Cuts Over Tribal Healthcare Funding Case

    Federal government attorneys told the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that Indian Health Services might be forced to cut its budget by 40% if two Native American tribes prevail in their bids to uphold rulings that ordered they be reimbursed millions in administrative healthcare costs.

  • March 25, 2024

    Fla. Hospital Can't Avoid Suit Over Unexplained Fractures

    A Florida appeals court has revived a man's claims against a hospital over unexplained fractures he sustained while unconscious and recovering from a drug overdose, saying he can proceed on a theory that the injuries couldn't have happened without negligence.

  • March 25, 2024

    Gorsuch Irked At Having To Decide $3K Furlough Dispute

    Justice Neil Gorsuch expressed incredulity that the U.S. Supreme Court has to resolve a Pentagon employee's $3,000 dispute stemming from a furlough decision, remarking Monday on the "extraordinary" lengths the government has gone to in fighting the case.

  • March 25, 2024

    SEC Says Justices Should Skip Musk's Gag-Order Grievance

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to pass on Elon Musk's complaint that an agency-imposed gag order violates his free speech rights, arguing the Tesla CEO entered the agreement willingly and has presented no legal justification for backing out.

  • March 25, 2024

    Colo. Justices Say Insurer's Vintage Car Exclusion Holds Up

    Colorado's justices on Monday ruled that specialty insurance policies for vintage cars can limit uninsured motorist coverage when they work "in tandem" with a policy for a regular-use vehicle, with the court finding that antique car policies warrant "different treatment."

  • March 25, 2024

    What To Watch As Opioid Litigation Goes To Ohio High Court

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday will become only the second state high court to hear oral arguments on whether the opioid epidemic is a public nuisance, the controversial legal theory underpinning numerous suits across the country including a $650 million award that two Ohio counties won against Walmart, CVS and Walgreens.

  • March 25, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Dissent Raises Alarm Over IP Safe Harbor Use

    A California federal judge rightly dismissed Edwards Lifesciences Corp.'s infringement suit against Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., the Federal Circuit held Monday, with a dissent arguing such a holding would "create future mischief."

Expert Analysis

  • Texas Insurance Ruling Could Restore Finality To Appraisal

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    The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Rodriguez v. Safeco, determining that full payment of an appraisal award precludes recovery of attorney fees, indicates a potential return to an era in which timely payment undoubtedly disposes of all possible policyholder claims, says Karl Schulz at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC

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    The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Zero-Point Offender Eligibility May Hinge On Meaning Of 'And'

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    Some white collar defendants’ eligibility for the new zero-point offender sentencing adjustment comes down to whether the word “and” really means “and” — a question the U.S. Supreme Court is set to resolve in its upcoming Pulsifer v. U.S. decision, which could affect thousands of incarcerated people, say Brandon McCarthy and Nikita Yogeshwarun at Katten.

  • Valeant Ruling May Pave Way For Patent-Based FCA Suits

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in Silbersher v. Valeant marks a significant development in False Claims Act jurisprudence, opens new avenues for litigation and potentially raises the stakes for patent applicants who intend to do business with the government, say Joshua Robbins and Rick Taché at Buchalter.

  • A Former Bankruptcy Judge Talks 'Undue Hardship'

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    Former U.S. bankruptcy judge Robert Gordon reflects on his journey from student borrower to judicial observer, highlighting the challenges faced by modern students burdened with student loan debt and advocating for reform in bankruptcy laws, particularly regarding the "undue hardship" element of discharge.

  • Recent Rulings Add Dimension To Justices' Maui Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund established new factual criteria for determining when the Clean Water Act applies to groundwater — and recent decisions from the Ninth and Tenth Circuits have clarified how litigants can make use of the Maui standard, says Steven Hoch at Clark Hill.

  • Strategies For Single-Member Special Litigation Committees

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent order in the Baker Hughes derivative litigation allowing testimony from a single-member special litigation committee highlights the fact that, while single-member SLCs are subject to heightened scrutiny, they can also provide unique opportunities, says Josh Bloom at MoloLamken.

  • 10th Circ. Ruling Means More Okla. Oilfield Pollution Litigation

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    By applying Oklahoma's statutory definitions of pollution to a private landowner's claim for negligence for the first time, the Tenth Circuit's recent decision in Lazy S Ranch v. Valero will likely make it harder to obtain summary judgment in oilfield contamination cases, and will lead to more litigation, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Race Bias Defense Considerations After 11th Circ. Ruling

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    In Tynes v. Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed that the McDonnell Douglas test for employment discrimination cases is merely an evidentiary framework, so employers relying on it as a substantive standard of liability may need to rethink their litigation strategy, says Helen Jay at Phelps Dunbar.

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

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    Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.

  • Fed. Circ. In Feb.: Using Prior Products To Invalidate A Patent

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    The Federal Circuit's recent Weber v. Provisu ruling, that prior-product operating manuals constituted printed publications that can be used to invalidate patents in an inter partes review proceeding, makes it easier for a petitioner to invalidate a patent, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • What's At Stake In Pending Fed. Circ. Design Patent Test Case

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    The full Federal Circuit recently heard argument in LKQ v. GM Global, a case concerning patent obviousness in the aftermarket for auto parts; the court's decision will likely influence how design patents are obtained, enforced and challenged, and affect the broader innovation ecosystem, says Larry DeMeo at Hunton.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Perspectives

    Compassionate Release Grants Needed Now More Than Ever

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    After the U.S. Sentencing Commission's recent expansion of the criteria for determining compassionate release eligibility, courts should grant such motions more frequently in light of the inherently dangerous conditions presented by increasingly understaffed and overpopulated federal prisons, say Alan Ellis and Mark Allenbaugh at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.

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