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Appellate
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May 12, 2025
Unions Tell Justices To Protect Privacy In Social Security Case
Two unions and an advocacy group argued Monday that there's no need for the U.S. Supreme Court to make it easier for the Department of Government Efficiency to access the Social Security Administration's data on millions of Americans, claiming requiring the supposed fraud-busting team to follow protocol doesn't constitute an emergency.
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May 12, 2025
Insurer Must Pay Part Of $2M Construction Defect Settlement
A Minnesota state appellate court on Monday upheld a lower court's ruling that found an insurer must cover over $170,000 of a $2 million settlement between a marina and a contractor over alleged construction defects.
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May 12, 2025
Judiciary To Face House Members With $9.4B Budget Request
Top judiciary officials will make the case this week that they need $9.4 billion in discretionary spending for fiscal 2026, a 9.3% increase over fiscal 2025, in order to rectify past funding shortfalls and meet increasing challenges with judicial threats, among other things.
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May 12, 2025
Alcoa Retirees, Unions Tell Judge Not To Halt Benefits Order
A group of retirees and unions asked an Indiana federal judge not to pause his order requiring Alcoa USA Corp. to reinstate lifetime healthcare benefits, arguing the company isn't likely to win at the Seventh Circuit and delaying the district court's decision harms elderly class members.
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May 12, 2025
Music Labels Ask Justices To Uphold ISP's Copyright Liability
The nation's major record labels are urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to take up a petition from an internet service provider asking whether internet service providers can face "massive liability" for user copyright infringement, telling the justices that no circuit split on the question exists.
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May 12, 2025
Justice Souter Left His Mark On Arbitration, Too
Although former U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who died Thursday at the age of 85, was not known for his arbitration-related opinions, those that he wrote on the topic left a mark on the practice area that is still felt today.
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May 12, 2025
Colo. Justices Give Green Light To Exxon, Suncor Climate Suit
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday affirmed a lower court ruling allowing the city and county of Boulder's climate change tort against Exxon Mobil Corp. and Suncor Energy Inc. to proceed, saying that the claims aren't preempted by federal law.
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May 12, 2025
Full DC Circ. Won't Review Copyright Denial For AI-Created Art
The D.C. Circuit on Monday denied a computer scientist's request for a three-judge panel rehearing or en banc review of an order that found copyright law protects only human creations, nixing his appeal that attempted to obtain copyright for a two-dimensional artwork made by the computer scientist's artificial intelligence system.
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May 12, 2025
Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Sydnexis Eye Drop Patents
The Federal Circuit on Monday backed a series of Patent Trial and Appeal Board rulings that found claims in a trio of patents owned by Sydnexis Inc. relating to ways to treat nearsightedness were invalid.
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May 12, 2025
Will Justices Finally Rein In Universal Injunctions?
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to address for the first time Thursday the propriety of universal injunctions, a tool federal judges have increasingly used to broadly halt presidential orders and policy initiatives, and whose validity has haunted the high court's merits and emergency dockets for more than a decade.
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May 12, 2025
Florida Entrepreneur Fights Dismissal in RI Cannabis Case
A Florida entrepreneur on Friday told the First Circuit that Rhode Island cannabis regulators have mischaracterized his challenge to the state's cannabis policy, and sought a remand back to district court to pursue his constitutional challenge to the state's licensure scheme.
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May 12, 2025
2nd Circ. Sides With Subway In Russia Franchisee Arbitration
The Second Circuit on Monday affirmed two arbitration awards that allowed sandwich chain Subway International BV to sever ties with its former Russian franchise owner.
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May 12, 2025
AI Training May Need Licensing, Copyright Office Says
Using copyrighted material to train generative artificial intelligence systems may not always be excused by fair use, the U.S. Copyright Office said in a highly anticipated report addressing the issue, suggesting that licensing may be required in some instances.
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May 12, 2025
5th Circ. Pauses DOL Overtime Rule Challenge
The Fifth Circuit paused the U.S. Department of Labor's challenge to a Texas federal court decision vacating a rule that raised salary thresholds for considering employees overtime-exempt under federal wage law, the latest pause affecting Biden-era rules after the change in administration.
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May 12, 2025
Texas Justices Say Nursing Home Can Appeal $7.1M Verdict
The Texas Supreme Court has revived a nursing home's appeal of a $7.1 million injury verdict in favor of one of its employees, saying the nursing home has shown that it did not have actual notice of the judgment and is entitled to an extension to the filing deadline.
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May 09, 2025
Fla. Judge Facing Ethics Charges For Sharing Fake Recording
A judge in Broward County, Florida, has been charged for publicly sharing a fabricated, "likely" artificial intelligence-generated recording of a chief judge disparaging another judge in the midst of her 2024 campaign for reelection, according to a notice filed Friday.
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May 09, 2025
Pa. Top Court Snapshot: Cap & Trade, Prosecutor Power
The scope of powers held by the Pennsylvania governor, the attorney general, and state and local utility authorities will take center stage in Harrisburg when the state Supreme Court convenes for its May session.
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May 09, 2025
Trustees Can't Charge Fees In Tossed Ch. 13s, 2nd Circ. Says
A standing Chapter 13 trustee in the Eastern District of New York must return some $20,000 in fees from a dismissed bankruptcy, the Second Circuit ruled Friday, holding trustees are not entitled to charge a percentage fee on payments a debtor makes unless a plan is confirmed.
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May 09, 2025
2nd Circ. OKs $6.5M Verdict Over Coerced Murder Confession
The Second Circuit on Friday upheld a wrongfully imprisoned man's $6.5 million verdict against a Buffalo police officer for fabricating his confession during an episode of psychosis, saying the jury made reasonable findings based on the evidence.
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May 09, 2025
Fed. Circ. Veers From USPTO Agenda In IPR Estoppel Ruling
The Federal Circuit has cleared patent challengers to pursue grounds in district court that weren't available in inter partes reviews, which attorneys say will likely increase the amount of Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenges at a time when the agency is working toward the opposite.
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May 09, 2025
BDO Urges Justices To Hear 'Crucial' Auditor Fraud Case
BDO USA LLP is petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case that the firm warns could have "devastating" consequences for public companies' auditors, arguing in a Friday filing that the Second Circuit created a "dangerous precedent" by reviving a lawsuit brought by AmTrust Financial Services Inc. shareholders.
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May 09, 2025
Pathology Lab Urges 8th Circ. Not To Revive Antitrust Claims
Iowa Pathology Associates told the Eighth Circuit a lower court was right to toss a rival lab's case accusing it of monopolizing the market because the claims are really about the lab's failure to attract enough clients from the competing practice to achieve its expected profits.
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May 09, 2025
Split 4th Circ. Revives Naval Engineers' No-Poach Case
A split Fourth Circuit panel Friday revived a putative class action accusing major shipbuilders and naval engineering consultants of an illegal "no-poach" conspiracy, with the majority holding that just because the alleged conspirators never formalized their purported agreements in writing, it doesn't mean the conspiracy can't be unlawful.
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May 09, 2025
Texas High Court Says Writing Trumps Verbal Drilling Deal
The Texas Supreme Court handed a victory to an energy company that sold mineral rights it had acquired for about $5 million, reversing a state appeals court in a Friday opinion finding that supposed oral agreements didn't prevent the resale.
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May 09, 2025
Tech-Averse Souter Still Kept Up With The Times In IP Cases
U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter, who famously rejected facets of modernity like email and cellphones, nonetheless evinced a willingness to keep up with technology and culture in his writing on intellectual property matters, including important copyright cases on parody and peer-to-peer file sharing, attorneys said.
Expert Analysis
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Royal Canin Ruling Won't Transform Removal Jurisdiction
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Royal Canin USA v. Wullschleger means that federal district courts must now remand whenever an amended complaint excises grounds for federal jurisdiction — but given existing litigation strategy and case law trends, this may ultimately preserve, rather than alter, the status quo, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: Nov. And Dec. Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five federal court decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving takings clause violations, breach of contract with banks, life insurance policies, employment and automobile defects.
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Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year
Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.
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Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar
A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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What Insurers Should Know About AI Use In Litigation
As the use of artificial intelligence in litigation evolves, insurers should note standing court orders, instances of judges utilizing AI to determine policy definitions and the application of evidentiary standards to expert evidence that incorporates AI, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.
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Series
Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
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UK Lawyers Can Access Broad US Discovery To Win Cases
Given its breadth, U.S. discovery can be a powerful tool in litigation in the U.K. and other jurisdictions outside the U.S., and a survey of recent cases indicates that discovery requests made in the U.S. are likely to be granted — with many applications even proceeding without contest, say lawyers at Miller & Chevalier.
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7 Employment Contracts Issues Facing DOL Scrutiny
A growing trend of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement against employment practices that limit workers' rights and avoid legal responsibility shines a light on seven unique contractual provisions that violate federal labor laws, and face agressive litigation from the labor solicitor, says Thomas Starks at Freeman Mathis.
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Ruling Shows High Court Willing To Limit Immigration Review
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Bouarfa v. Mayorkas is the latest demonstration of the court’s readiness to limit judicial review in the immigration space, a notable break from other recent decisions that expanded judicial review of agency decisions in other areas, says Mark Fleming at WilmerHale.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025
Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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Managing Litigation Side-Switching During 2nd Trump Admin
Now that the new presidential administration is in place, the government will likely switch positions in a number of pending cases, and stakeholders should employ strategies to protect their interests, say attorneys at Covington.
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High Court Unlikely To Expand FSIA In Holocaust Asset Fight
Not surprisingly for a court where the majority are strict textualists, the U.S. Supreme Court justices appear poised to rule in favor of Hungary in Republic of Hungary v. Simon, reaffirming the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act as a narrow exception to jurisdiction, say attorneys at Lewis Baach.
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The Fed. Circ. In 2024: 5 Major Rulings To Know
In 2024, the Federal Circuit provided a number of important clarifications to distinct areas of patent law – including design patent obviousness, expert testimony admissions and patent term adjustments – all of which are poised to have an influence going forward, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.
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Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win
Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
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Mass Arbitration Procedures After Faulty Live Nation Ruling
Despite the Ninth Circuit's flawed reasoning in Heckman v. Live Nation, the exceptional allegations of collusive conduct shouldn't be read to restrict arbitration providers that have adopted good faith procedures to ensure that consumer mass arbitrations can be efficiently resolved on the merits, says Collin Vierra at Eimer Stahl.