Commercial ContractsRSS

  • December 10, 2009

    $9M Real Estate Contract Judgment Put On Hold

    A federal judge has denied a raft of motions filed by two real estate developers seeking to toss or hold off a $9 million jury award against them for unlawfully dissolving a partnership to develop residential property in Kansas, but stayed enforcement of the judgment pending an appeal.

  • December 10, 2009

    Exxon Franchisees Decry Company's Pricing Policies

    Up in arms over ExxonMobil Oil Corp.’s pricing practices, roughly 100 gas station operators in New Jersey have accused the oil titan of manipulating the wholesale gas market and all but driving the franchisees into the ground.

  • December 10, 2009

    7th Circ. Clears BP Of Wrongdoing In Franchising Spat

    A federal appeals court has denied the appeal of a gas station owner who claimed BP Products NA Inc. terminated his franchise agreements in violation of the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act, noting that BP found he had been actively engaged in bribery and fraud.

  • December 10, 2009

    'Precious' Movie Contract Fight Heads To 2nd Circ.

    The Weinstein Co. LLC is appealing a federal judge's dismissal of its contract lawsuit against Smokewood Entertainment Group LLC over distribution rights to the critically acclaimed film now widely known as “Precious.”

  • December 10, 2009

    Claims Survive In 'Instant-On' Trade Secrets Spat

    A federal judge has refused to dismiss several claims in a trade secrets and contract case brought by Phoenix Technologies Ltd. against DeviceVM over "instant-on" computer software, saying the claims are not preempted by the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

  • December 10, 2009

    Dillard's Opposes General Growth's Ch. 11 Plan

    Dillard's Inc. has objected to bankrupt mall owner General Growth Properties Inc.'s reorganization plan, saying that it impairs the retailer's contractual rights to its occupancy of dozens of GGP-owned malls in the South and West.

  • December 9, 2009

    Hedge Fund Appeal Of Citibank CDS Suit Fails

    A U.K.-based hedge fund accusing Citibank NA of abusing a credit default swap agreement has failed to overturn a lower court ruling that entitled the bank to $10 million in disputed collateral and barred the fund from asserting breach of contract claims.

  • December 9, 2009

    5th Circ. Turns Volume Down On Royalty Suit V. Sony

    A federal appeals court has affirmed the dismissal of nearly all copyright infringement and breach of contract claims brought against Sony BMG Music Entertainment Inc. and rapper Lil’ Flip by a music producer who accuses the record company of withholding royalty payments and using his songs without permission on two albums.

  • December 9, 2009

    No Deal Yet In P-Diddy Super Bowl Party Spat

    A party promoter and a posh talent booking agency are not close to a settlement in a contract fight over a never-realized Super Bowl bash that was to be hosted by music mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, according to a settlement memorandum that was mistakenly filed on the public docket.

  • December 9, 2009

    Lehman Sues Wintrust Over Contract Breach On Loans

    Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. is accusing Wintrust Mortgage Corp. of breaching contracts and shirking its obligation to buy back mortgage loans originated by its merger partner, SGB Corp.

  • December 8, 2009

    Eaton Found Liable For Old CBS Switchgears

    A federal judge has given Eaton Corp. a nasty jolt, finding that the power management company is liable under contract for old and allegedly defective metal-clad switchgears acquired in a $1.1 billion deal with CBS Corp. in 1993.

  • December 8, 2009

    Global Seeks To Resume FairPoint Contract Case

    Global NAPs Inc. has urged a New York bankruptcy court to lift an automatic stay on litigation to allow it to continue its contract case against debtor FairPoint Communications Inc., which has allegedly threatened to terminate interconnection of Global’s communications network with FairPoint’s local exchange network in Vermont on Dec. 9.

  • December 8, 2009

    GMAC's Claims Mostly Set For Trial In Dealership Spat

    A federal judge has preserved for trial a slew of claims in a suit filed by GMAC LLC, which seized $11.8 million in vehicles from a struggling Washington Pontiac dealership and then sued the company for breaching their financing agreement.

  • December 8, 2009

    St. Paul Loses Bid For Docs In Injury Coverage Spat

    A federal judge has struck down St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co.’s bid to compel Houston Casualty Co. to produce documents and information in the insurers’ injury coverage dispute, rejecting St. Paul’s claim that Houston Casualty’s responses to its interrogatories were insufficient.

  • December 8, 2009

    3rd Circ. Affirms Verdict V. LGIA In Contract Suit

    A federal appeals court has upheld a jury verdict that found LG International America Inc. breached a contract with Intercon Enterprises Inc. by failing to make sufficient sales commission payments after Intercon agreed to steer new customers over to LGIA’s fiber-optic cable business.

  • December 8, 2009

    Amerada Hess Settles Royalty Suit For $5M

    Royalty interest owners in the Bravo Dome Carbon Dioxide Unit in New Mexico have asked a federal court to approve a nearly $5 million settlement of their breach of contract class action against Amerada Hess Corp. over the company's alleged failure to pay royalties.

  • December 8, 2009

    Judge Nixes 'Egg-Sharing' Antitrust Suit For 3rd Time

    A federal judge has dismissed for the third time a proposed class action brought by an organization representing human egg donors who say the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology engaged in “egg-sharing” without donor consent, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to prove racketeering or anti-competitive conduct.

  • December 8, 2009

    Sirius XM Hit With Antitrust Action Over Merger

    Sirius XM Radio Inc. has been slapped with a putative class action alleging it has breached subscriber contracts and abused its monopoly on the market for satellite digital radio service since the 2008 merger of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Radio Holdings Inc. from which it was created.

  • December 8, 2009

    GE Unit Seeks Enforcement Of $3M Award Over Contract

    An Italian division of GE Oil & Gas has asked a federal judge to confirm and enforce a $3 million arbitration award granted to the company in a contract dispute over the sale of generator equipment to a Turkish energy company.

  • December 7, 2009

    Judge Won't Reform Pact In Torched Restaurant Spat

    A federal judge has trimmed General Electric Credit Union’s breach of contract suit against National Fire Insurance Co. of Hartford, granting the defendant’s motion to cut a claim urging the court to reform the contract at issue.