Commercial Contracts

  • August 29, 2024

    Albright Boots $8B EV Trade Secrets Suit For Improper Venue

    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright tossed out a $7.8 billion trade secrets dispute between two electric vehicle companies, adopting a federal magistrate judge's recommendation that the case should be handled in Israel where he said both companies and the majority of the individuals related to the matter already are.

  • August 29, 2024

    JPMorgan Says Ex-Adviser Poached Clients Worth $13M

    JPMorgan Chase has accused a former adviser of attempting to solicit clients for Wells Fargo, an effort JPMorgan alleged has so far been successful in converting 16 clients worth $13 million to its competitor.

  • August 29, 2024

    Counterclaims Cut From $12.1M Home Security Contract Suit

    The home-security arm of Pennsylvania-based builder Toll Brothers has persuaded a Connecticut state court to trim some of the counterclaims from its litigation with Security Systems Inc., successfully arguing that the buyer of nearly 10,000 customer accounts hasn't shown that damages exceed the $1.5 million "attrition reserve" the company was already holding on to.

  • August 29, 2024

    4th Circ. Says CSX's Norfolk Southern Case Came Too Late

    The Fourth Circuit ruled Thursday that CSX's antitrust case against Norfolk Southern over "exclusionary" fees charged by a Virginia switching line they jointly own was filed outside the statute of limitations.

  • August 29, 2024

    Mintz Settles Suit Over Clients' $4.3M IP Legal Tab

    Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC settled a dispute over $4.3 million in legal fees and interest owed by parking meter provider Duncan Parking Technologies Inc. and its parent company, CivicSmart Inc., according to a Thursday filing.

  • August 29, 2024

    Foley & Lardner Must Face Ex-Clients' Breach-Of-Duty Action

    A Texas appellate court has reversed a decision that let Foley & Lardner LLP escape a suit filed by two partners in an oil and gas venture who allege that the firm failed to disclose conflicts of interest and misused their confidential information after representing them in several matters.

  • August 29, 2024

    Agency Says Homeowner's Appeal Question Is Too Late

    An insurance agency pushed North Carolina's Supreme Court to toss a homeowner's appeal on whether the court erred by having heightened pleadings standards for punitive damages against corporations, arguing the deadline for debating the issue had passed.

  • August 28, 2024

    CyDex Says Bexson Breached Deal By Misusing Pharma IP

    CyDex Pharmaceuticals hit Bexson Biomedical with a contract breach suit in Delaware Chancery Court accusing it of misusing a CyDex-designed molecule to develop unauthorized non-ketamine formulations, and subsequently filing a patent for those formulations, in violation of the parties' agreement.

  • August 28, 2024

    Dr.'s Suit Blames Practice's Buyer For Chaos After Sale

    A North Carolina doctor struck back in a lawsuit blaming him for business challenges following the sale of his practice to another physician, alleging in counterclaims that the purchasing physician lied about his intentions for the practice and ultimately led it to ruin.

  • August 28, 2024

    Raymond James Hit With Suit Over 'Cash Sweep' Programs

    Financial services giant Raymond James faces a proposed class action in Florida federal court alleging its so-called cash sweep programs offer interest rates "significantly lower" than those offered by competitors, in violation of federal law.

  • August 28, 2024

    Ford Buyers Fight Arbitration Bid In Faulty Transmission Case

    A class of car buyers who claim Ford Motor Co. sold vehicles with bad transmission systems asked a Massachusetts federal judge to deny the carmaker's bid to arbitrate some of the claims, arguing Ford is trying to "dramatically expand the scope" of arbitration agreements with dealerships.

  • August 28, 2024

    Landlord Says Twitter Changed Tune On Lease After Musk

    A Colorado landlord claims it was on the same page with Twitter about the terms of a lease and tenant improvement project until Elon Musk bought the company, when the social media platform suddenly "discover[ed] its new interpretation" of the lease and stopped paying rent. 

  • August 28, 2024

    Conn. Investment Firm Withheld Pay, Commissions, Suit Says

    Six former employees of Connecticut investment advisory firm Excel Wealth Management LLC have sued the company and its members in state court seeking hourly wages or commissions they claimed they were never paid, with some alleging they were terminated for speaking out about their compensation.  

  • August 28, 2024

    Venezuela Argues For Pause In Chemical Co. Seizure Suit

    Venezuela is asking the Eleventh Circuit to put litigation accusing the country of unlawfully seizing a chemical company over sham drug charges on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on an expropriation case Holocaust survivors are pursuing against the Hungarian government.

  • August 28, 2024

    No Money For Air Gun Co. Investors, NC Biz Court Told

    The court-appointed overseer of an air gun business has asked the North Carolina Business Court to overrule an attempt by two minority owners of a parent company of the business to get paid as the air gun company is dismantled, with the overseer arguing that the owners' payout isn't a priority as a dearth of funds is drained.

  • August 28, 2024

    Pa. Justices To Mull 'Click-Through' Arbitration Agreements

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania will review a ruling that so-called "click-through" terms of service for apps and online forms don't give users adequate notice that they are often waiving their rights to a jury trial, according to an order issued Tuesday.

  • August 28, 2024

    NY Firm Calls Gas Co.'s Contract And Fee Claims Duplicative

    Albany, New York-based Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP has moved to trim breach of contract and disgorgement of fees claims brought by a former client over allegedly bungled tax advice, telling a New York federal judge the claims are redundant when the ex-client is also pursuing a legal malpractice cause of action. 

  • August 28, 2024

    Disney's $8.5B India Media Merger Gets Regulatory Nod

    India's competition watchdog said in a statement Wednesday it has conditionally approved the proposed $8.5 billion merger between Disney India's media business and Reliance Industries, after the merging entities reportedly overcame regulatory concerns about their grip on broadcast rights to cricket. 

  • August 28, 2024

    Judge Tosses Boxer's Don King Suit Over Filing Deficiencies

    A federal Florida judge has stopped heavyweight boxer Mahmoud Charr's second attempt to resolve a $1 million contract dispute with legendary promoter Don King, saying the fighter and his attorney have failed to provide timely filings.

  • August 28, 2024

    NFL Concussion Litigation Funder's Case Heading For Trial

    A New Jersey federal judge has advanced a case for trial in which a litigation funder accuses a solo practitioner in the NFL concussion case of unfairly shielding assets by buying and transferring himself a house through his firm.

  • August 28, 2024

    Jones Walker Adds In-House Vet To Co-Lead Privacy, AI Team

    Jones Walker LLP has a new co-leader of its privacy, data strategy and artificial intelligence team in Atlanta who has served in prominent in-house roles at both global consulting firm Vialto Partners and EY.

  • August 27, 2024

    Miss. Seafood Co. Pleads Guilty To 'Fish Substitution' Scheme

    The largest seafood wholesaler in the Mississippi Gulf Coast and two of its managers pled guilty Tuesday to scheming with others to market and sell cheap frozen fish imports as premium and locally sourced, federal prosecutors in Mississippi announced.

  • August 27, 2024

    Ex-NBA Star Says Sports Agency Enforced Invalid Contract

    Former National Basketball Association player Nemanja Bjelica on Tuesday accused sports talent agency Wasserman Media Group LLC of trying to enforce a representation agreement he never signed after he announced his plans to retire from the league and return home to Europe.

  • August 27, 2024

    Wells Fargo Says 'Good Faith' Efforts Ax Investors' Bias Suit

    Wells Fargo & Co. urged a California federal judge Tuesday to toss a derivative lawsuit filed by a putative class of shareholders claiming the bank's board of directors failed to address its discriminatory lending and hiring practices, saying there's evidence of "good-faith" efforts to monitor compliance in those areas.

  • August 27, 2024

    'ER' Creator's Widow Says Warner Bros. Ripped Off Show

    The widow of late "ER" creator Michael Crichton on Tuesday accused Warner Bros. Television of abandoning talks to reboot the popular hospital television series, only to turn around and launch a ripped-off version called "The Pitt," a move she called a "brazen disregard" of Crichton's estate's rights.

Expert Analysis

  • Compliance Considerations For New Data Protection Law

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    Sam Castic at Hintze Law discusses how to determine if your organization is covered by the newly enacted Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, the scope of the law's restrictions, and how to go about compliance as its June 23 effective date approaches.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling Affirms NY Law's Creditor-Friendly Approach

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    The Second Circuit’s recent ruling in 245 Park Member v. HNA International provides creditors with some reason for optimism that debtors in New York may face rejection in court for aiming to keep creditors at arm’s length by transferring personal assets into an LLC, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Diving Deep Into Sweeping NY Financing Bill — And Its Pitfalls

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    A New York bill seeking to impose state usury limits onto a broader variety of financing arrangements and apply lender licensing requirements to more diverse entities would present near-insurmountable compliance challenges for lenders and retailers, say Kate Fisher and Tom Quinn at Hudson Cook.

  • When Oral Settlements Reached In Mediation Are Enforceable

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    A recent decision by the New Jersey Appellate Division illustrates the difficulties that may arise in trying to enforce an oral settlement agreement reached in mediation, but adherence to certain practices can improve the likelihood that such an agreement will be binding, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.

  • What Transactional Attys Must Know About Texas Biz Courts

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    As Texas prepares to launch its new business courts, transactional attorneys — especially those involved in commercial, securities and internal governance matters — should keep several issues in mind when considering use of the state's business court system to facilitate deals and settle disputes, say attorneys at Katten.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • Behind Court Challenges To The FTC's Final Noncompete Rule

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent final rule banning noncompetes may not go into effect any time soon amid a couple of Texas federal court challenges seeking to bar the rule's implementation, which will likely see appeals all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, says Michael Elkins at MLE Law.

  • Can Chatbot Interactions Lead To Enforceable Contracts?

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    The recent ruling in Moffatt v. Air Canada that found the airline liable for the representations of its chatbot underscores the question of whether generative artificial intelligence chatbots making and accepting offers can result in creation of binding agreements, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • The Opportunities, Risks And Rewards Of AI Acquisitions

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    As artificial intelligence acquisitions become an increasing area of focus for investors and technology buyers, entities should pay special attention to target identification, due diligence and more when structuring and executing a transaction with a company that has an AI-centric business model, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Legal Issues To Watch As Deepfake Voices Proliferate

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    With increasingly sophisticated and accessible voice-cloning technology raising social, ethical and legal questions, particularly in the entertainment industry and politics, further legislative intervention and court proceedings seem very likely, say Shruti Chopra and Paul Joseph at Linklaters.

  • Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse

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    Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Businesses Should Take Their AI Contracts Off Auto-Renew

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    When subscribing to artificial intelligence tools — or to any technology in a highly competitive and legally thorny market — companies should push back on automatic renewal contract clauses for reasons including litigation and regulatory risk, and competition, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.

  • What To Know About NIGC's Internal Review Process

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    If the National Indian Gaming Commission disapproves of a tribal management contract for gaming operations, it's important to properly go through the commission's internal hearing mechanism before litigating in federal court, or else an action may be dismissed for failure to exhaust administrative remedies, says Rebecca Chapman at the University at Buffalo School of Law.

  • What The Justices' Copyright Damages Ruling Didn't Address

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Warner Chappell v. Nealy clarified when a copyright owner may recover damages in jurisdictions that apply the so-called discovery rule, it did not settle the overriding question of whether the Copyright Act even permits applying the rule, say Ivy Estoesta and William Milliken at Sterne Kessler.

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