Appellate

  • September 16, 2024

    5th Circ. Rejects Favre's Hail Mary In Sharpe Defamation Fight

    The Fifth Circuit on Monday affirmed the dismissal of Brett Favre's defamation suit against fellow former NFL star Shannon Sharpe, who called him a "sorry mofo" on air, ruling Sharpe was allowed to express his opinions about Favre's alleged involvement in a sprawling Mississippi welfare fraud scheme.

  • September 16, 2024

    Fla. Jurist Who Helped Courts Navigate COVID Joins Boutique

    A well-known former Florida judge and civil justice innovator who, among other accomplishments, helped courts stay in business during the pandemic is taking her expertise to litigation boutique Bass Law.

  • September 16, 2024

    Nothing Novel About Trump Ex-Atty's Case, Justices Told

    Former President Donald Trump urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject his former attorney Michael Cohen's bid for another look at his suit claiming he was imprisoned as payback for his memoir about his time as Trump's so-called fixer, arguing there's nothing novel about the matter.

  • September 13, 2024

    The 2024 Regional Powerhouses

    The law firms on Law360's list of 2024 Regional Powerhouses reflected the local peculiarities of their states while often representing clients in deals and cases that captured national attention.

  • September 14, 2024

    Divided Pa. High Court Revives Ballot Date Requirement

    Three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices clashed on Friday with colleagues who used jurisdiction grounds to erase a victory for challengers of an election ballot-dating rule, the minority calling for the court to wield its rarely invoked King's Bench authority to review the matter on the merits.

  • September 13, 2024

    Conn. High Court Snapshot: Firm's Bill Battle Rages In Sept.

    The Connecticut Supreme Court's September case lineup tasks the justices with helping a federal court judge decide if McCarter & English LLP can fetch punitive damages in a billing battle with an ex-client, and if parents suing Target and others can be compensated for the impairment of their relationship with their injured child. Here, Law360 previews some highlights of the high court's argument schedule for the month.

  • September 13, 2024

    Bankman-Fried Lays Blame On Trial Judge In 2nd Circ. Appeal

    FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on Friday launched an appeal of his fraud conviction over the cryptocurrency exchange's historic collapse, issuing a broadside against the judge who oversaw his trial and saying FTX's debtor counsel Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acted as an arm of the prosecution.

  • September 13, 2024

    Judiciary Panel Dems Endorse Amicus Funding Disclosure

    A plan to overhaul required financial disclosures in appellate amicus briefs has generated strong early reaction, including from two key congressional Democrats who endorsed the proposals.

  • September 13, 2024

    Ex-IT Workers Urge DC Circ. To Rethink Spousal Work Permits

    An organization of former IT workers who say they are being displaced by temporary visa holders petitioned the D.C. Circuit to take a second look at their case against an Obama-era program that authorizes some spouses of highly skilled foreign workers to get work permits.

  • September 13, 2024

    Panama's Ex-Prez Fights Alleged Wrongful Extradition

    Panama's ex-president told the Eleventh Circuit Friday that a lower court wrongly dismissed his lawsuit challenging the extradition to his home country, saying he has standing because the U.S. government violated an international treaty by sending him back to face criminal charges beyond the scope of the original request.

  • September 13, 2024

    Google, Cognizant Are Joint Employers, Union Tells DC Circ.

    The union representing workers at YouTube Music's content operation urged the D.C. Circuit to uphold a National Labor Relations Board decision that Google and contractor Cognizant jointly employ the video site's workers, saying there's a "mountain of evidence" to support the board's ruling that both companies need to bargain with the union.

  • September 13, 2024

    9th Circ. Ruling Guts Religious Protections, Apaches Say

    The U.S. Supreme Court should stop the federal government from handing over a sacred tribal site in Arizona's Tonto National Forest to a copper mining joint venture owned by Rio Tinto and BHP, the San Carlos Apache Tribe argued, saying that the decision could pose an "existential threat" to Native Americans.

  • September 13, 2024

    Fed. Judges Urged To Stop Clerks From Seeking Political Jobs

    Federal judges should prohibit their law clerks from applying for postclerkship jobs with political organizations, as that may connect the judges' chambers to political activity, a judiciary committee said in ethics guidance issued this week. 

  • September 13, 2024

    Trio Of BigLaw Mergers Expected To Drive More Deal Talks

    After months of a relatively steady pace of law firm mergers and acquisitions, the trio of proposed BigLaw tie-ups announced in recent days will likely spur more firms toward entertaining similar deal talks, experts say. Here, Law360 offers a snapshot of the proposed deals.

  • September 13, 2024

    DC Circ. Gives EPA Chance To Review Good Neighbor Plan

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will have a chance to review its Good Neighbor Plan in-house before litigating it further, according to a D.C. Circuit ruling granting the agency's request to remand the rule, so it could respond to issues raised by the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • September 13, 2024

    Neb. Court Allows Competing Abortion Measures On Ballot

    Nebraska's top court agreed on Friday to let two competing — and sharply contested — abortion initiatives on the November ballot.

  • September 13, 2024

    Ga. Lawyers Group Blast 'Chill' Of Young Thug Atty Contempt

    A Georgia criminal defense lawyers group has called on the state Supreme Court to erase the contempt conviction of an attorney representing rapper Young Thug for the lawyer's refusal to reveal how he learned about a judge's closed-door meeting with prosecutors and a witness, saying the sanction could have a chilling effect on attorneys' ability to represent criminal defendants.

  • September 13, 2024

    3rd Circ. Won't Undo Philly DA's Immunity From Cop's Suit

    The Third Circuit won't revive a Philadelphia police officer's lawsuit alleging that city District Attorney Larry Krasner violated his civil rights by hitting him with a murder charge that was ultimately tossed, finding that the officer couldn't overcome the immunity granted to prosecutors when advocating on behalf of the state.

  • September 13, 2024

    Mass. Justices Say Benefits Don't Accrue Under Leave Law

    Massachusetts' top court ruled Friday that the state's Paid Family and Medical Leave Act doesn't allow a group of state troopers to accrue certain benefits while on leave.

  • September 13, 2024

    Wash. Biz Group Dues Weren't Deductible From Gross Income

    The Better Business Bureau isn't entitled to a refund of business and occupation taxes paid to the Washington Department of Revenue in 2017, an appeals court affirmed, agreeing with the department that membership dues weren't deductible from gross income.

  • September 12, 2024

    8th Circ. Nixes $563M Verdict Against BMO Harris Over Ponzi

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday struck down a $563 million verdict against BMO Harris NA over claims that a bank it acquired had aided and abetted Thomas J. Petters' multibillion dollar Ponzi scheme, ruling that the bank should have been allowed to raise a defense that would have barred the suit in the first place.

  • September 12, 2024

    Trump Gets Counts Cut From Ga. Election Interference Case

    Donald Trump and his co-defendants in the sprawling Georgia election interference case scored a partial victory Thursday when a judge dismissed three charges from the 41-count indictment, pointing to a 134-year-old U.S. Supreme Court holding that states can't pursue criminal conduct in connection with federal matters.

  • September 12, 2024

    2nd Circ. Rejects Another Trump Bid To Halt Hush Money Case

    The Second Circuit on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump's request for an emergency order pausing his criminal hush money case, citing New York state court Justice Juan M. Merchan's decision to push his sentencing hearing from Sept. 18 until after the election.

  • September 12, 2024

    FCC Tells 6th Circ To Affirm Net Neutrality

    The Federal Communications Commission told the Sixth Circuit the agency acted well within the law when it reimposed net neutrality limits on broadband providers and urged the court to reject industry claims that the commission's authority to regulate high-speed internet service is a "major question" that only Congress may address.

  • September 12, 2024

    Towers Watson Can't Duck Bump-Up Exclusion, 4th Circ. Told

    Towers Watson's latest effort to get its directors and officers insurers to fund a $75 million settlement in a shareholder suit over its merger with Willis should be tossed, the insurers told the Fourth Circuit, saying the bump-up exclusion unambiguously applies to bar coverage.

Expert Analysis

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers certification cases touching on classwide evidence of injury from debt collection practices, defining coupon settlements under the Class Action Fairness Act, proper approaches for evaluating attorney fee awards in class action settlements, and more.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • 3 Presidential Privilege Questions After Trump Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Trump v. U.S., carving out a new evidentiary privilege for presidents, leaves unanswered several key questions concerning whether this new privilege is waivable or subject to various exceptions, says Jeremy Bates at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.

  • What To Know About Major Fla. Civil Procedure Rule Changes

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    The Florida Supreme Court recently amended the state's Rules of Civil Procedure, touching on pretrial procedure, discovery, motion and trial practice, and while the amendments are intended to streamline cases, the breadth of the changes may initially present some litigation growing pains, say Brian Briz, Benjamin Tyler and Yarenis Cruz at Holland & Knight.

  • Prior Art Takeaways From Fed. Circ. Public Disclosure Ruling

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    While the Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Sanho v. Kaijet clarified that a private sale is not a public disclosure under patent law, there remains significant room for advocacy, as the opinion lacked meaningful guidance on how to satisfy the public disclosure exception to prior art, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.

  • Perspectives

    2 High Court Rulings Boost Protections Against Gov't Reprisal

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Gonzalez v. Trevino and Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon significantly strengthen legal protections against retaliatory arrests and malicious prosecution, and establish clear precedents that promote accountability in law enforcement, say Corey Stoughton and Amanda Miner at Selendy Gay.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 3 High Court Rulings May Shape Health Org. Litigation Tactics

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    Three separate decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court's most recent term — Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy — will likely strengthen healthcare organizations' ability to affirmatively sue executive agencies to challenge regulations governing operations and enforcement actions, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • How Calif. Justices' Prop 22 Ruling Affects The Gig Industry

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    The California Supreme Court's recent upholding of Proposition 22 clarifies that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other companies in the gig industry can legally classify their drivers as independent contractors, but it falls short of concluding some important regulatory battles in the state, says Mark Spring at CDF Labor.

  • What 7th Circ. Samsung Decision Means For Mass Arbitration

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    The Seventh Circuit's recent decision in Wallrich v. Samsung highlights the dilemma faced by mass arbitration filers in the face of nonpayment of arbitration fees by the defending party — but also suggests that there are risks for defendants in pursuing such a strategy, says Daniel Campbell at McDermott.

  • Takeaways From Virginia's $2B Trade Secrets Verdict Reversal

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    The Virginia Court of Appeals' recent reversal of the $2 billion damages award in Pegasystems v. Appian underscores the claimant's burden to show damages causation and highlights how an evidentiary ruling could lead to reversible error, say John Lanham and Kamran Jamil at Morrison Foerster.

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