Appellate

  • July 08, 2025

    Teva Challenge To J&J Antipsychotic Patent Fails At Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday rejected Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.'s challenge to the validity of claims in a Johnson & Johnson unit's patent covering a lucrative schizophrenia drug, disagreeing with the generic-drug maker that one of the patent's claims should be presumed obvious.

  • July 08, 2025

    VA Worker Can't Revive Scooter Storage Accommodation Suit

    The Seventh Circuit upheld the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' defeat of a lawsuit claiming the agency unlawfully revoked a disabled employee's reserved parking space during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the VA's offer of an alternative spot wasn't unreasonable just because he couldn't lock his mobility scooter overnight.

  • July 08, 2025

    Aviation Co. Asks Justices To Clarify TM Jury Trial Rights

    A personal airplane manufacturer involved in a trademark dispute with a luxury charter-plane company has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether parties in infringement cases forfeit their right to a jury trial when seeking an accounting of profits as the monetary remedy instead of damages.

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump Tariff Fights Put Spotlight On Major Questions Doctrine

    Challenges to President Donald Trump's global tariffs have brought renewed attention to the U.S. Supreme Court's major questions doctrine, including observations that lower courts have so far inconsistently applied this approach when scrutinizing a range of agency actions.

  • July 08, 2025

    Poultry Farm Urges NC Justices To Reject Animal Cruelty Case

    A North Carolina poultry farm lambasted a chicken welfare group as allegedly seeking a "third bite at the proverbial apple" by petitioning the state's highest court to revive its animal cruelty case, saying the state's animal protection statute doesn't apply to commercial farmers.

  • July 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Asked To Rehear Carnival Cruise Sex Assault Case

    A teenage passenger has urged the Eleventh Circuit to reconsider its ruling absolving Carnival Corp. of liability for her onboard sexual assault, arguing that the cruise line knew of over 100 prior passenger-on-passenger assaults but failed to take simple steps like implementing curfews or adding security to protect minors.

  • July 08, 2025

    4th Circ. Revives Medical Device Co.'s Claim In Contract Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday revived a medical device maker's breach of contract claim alleging a company it hired to manage its patents globally overcharged for services, sending the case back to a Virginia federal court.

  • July 08, 2025

    NC Atty Says Mistrial Order Puts Career At Risk In Appeal Bid

    A property restoration company and its trial attorney told the North Carolina Court of Appeals that the attorney did not engage in "serious misconduct," and urged it to toss components of a lower court's mistrial order.

  • July 08, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Pause Ex-Naval Engineers' No-Poach Ruling

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday sent a revived class action alleging that shipbuilding military contractors used no-poach agreements to suppress wages back to district court, rejecting the contractors' motion for a stay while they prepare to send a certiorari petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • July 08, 2025

    FinCEN To Appeal Block Of Trump's Border Cash Biz Order

    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, its director and others on Tuesday filed a notice of their plan to appeal a California federal judge's decision to temporarily block the Trump administration's order singling out cash-moving businesses along the southwest border for heightened anti-money laundering reporting.

  • July 08, 2025

    Exclusion's Use Of 'The' Supports Alt. Reading, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit said an exclusion barring coverage for intellectual property infringement claims didn't necessarily relieve an insurer from covering defense expenses an oil and gas company incurred in an IP theft lawsuit, finding the exclusion's use of "the" led to a pro-coverage, reasonable meaning.

  • July 08, 2025

    BCBS Of Mich. Wants Yacht Company's ERISA Fight Tossed

    A Michigan Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate urged a federal court to toss a yacht company's suit alleging mismanagement of its employee health plan, arguing its allegations that out-of-network claims were mishandled were time-barred and failed to state a claim for violating federal benefits law.

  • July 08, 2025

    DEA Tells DC Circ. To Toss Ayahuasca Church's Petition

    Federal drug enforcers urged the D.C. Circuit on Tuesday to toss a petition brought by an Iowa church seeking a religious exemption to use a psychedelic in its rites, saying there was no legal basis to the organization's allegations that the agency took too long to process its application.

  • July 08, 2025

    Pa. Panel Grants Immunity To Nursing Board In Exam Dispute

    A Pennsylvania appellate court on Tuesday narrowly rejected a lawsuit filed by an ex-nurse who contends a state board violated her rights by ordering her to undergo a mental health exam, finding instead that the board members are entitled to quasi-judicial immunity.

  • July 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Affirms Tax Fraud Conviction, 4-Year Sentence

    The Eleventh Circuit upheld a Georgia woman's tax fraud conviction and four-year-plus prison sentence, rejecting her claims that the judge overseeing her case was biased, that her lawyer was ineffective and that a hearing should have been held on whether she was competent to stand trial.

  • July 08, 2025

    Conn. Atty Convicted In Shooting Denied Bond, For Now

    The Connecticut Appellate Court will not immediately allow former Cramer & Anderson LLP partner Robert L. Fisher Jr. to be released on bond while he challenges his March manslaughter conviction for shooting an attacker in his law firm's parking lot, but it will review a lower court's decision to keep him jailed.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. 'Trail Immunity' Blocks Suit Over Bicyclist's Death

    A California appeals court has refused to revive a woman's suit against East Bay Regional Park District over her husband's death, rejecting her argument that the state's "trail immunity" doesn't apply to paved trails.

  • July 08, 2025

    Ex-DC Prosecutors Rip Pick Of Emil Bove For 3rd Circ.

    In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, a group of former federal prosecutors in Washington panned Emil Bove as a "dangerous" pick for the Third Circuit and criticized his record as a prosecutor as that of a loyal follower of President Donald Trump.

  • July 08, 2025

    Medical Co. Wants High Court To Review Rushed Patent Case

    A medical device maker has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear it out on claims that a North Carolina federal judge rushed the case to trial and violated the Fifth Amendment right to due process by shortening the amount of time for discovery.

  • July 08, 2025

    3rd Circ. Probes Constitutionality Of NJ Judicial Privacy Law

    A Third Circuit panel on Tuesday dug into the constitutionality of a New Jersey judicial privacy statute, with data brokers, a data protection company and the state debating whether the law provides a vital safeguard or imposes too-burdensome restrictions on the publication of publicly available information.

  • July 08, 2025

    Fla. Panel Fights Judge's Bid To Ax Fake-Recording Charges

    A Florida judicial ethics panel has said a judge in Broward County cannot escape ethics charges stemming from her 2024 election campaign, when she allegedly publicly shared a fabricated recording of a chief judge disparaging another judge.

  • July 08, 2025

    3rd Circ. Gives Philly Bus Driver Fresh Chance At FMLA Suit

    The Third Circuit on Tuesday reinstated a former Philadelphia bus driver's lawsuit alleging public transit authority SEPTA bucked the Family and Medical Leave Act when it fired him for missing work due to his sickle cell anemia.

  • July 08, 2025

    Trump Admin Backs Off Plan To Revisit Biden Asbestos Ban

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday told the Fifth Circuit it's not going to revise a Biden-era rule strengthening restrictions on asbestos use, and asked the court to restart litigation challenging the Biden rule.

  • July 08, 2025

    High Court Allows Trump's Gov't Cuts And Restructuring

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration can move forward with its plans for large-scale layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, lifting a California federal judge's order that had paused the efforts while a legal challenge continues.

  • July 08, 2025

    The Biggest Copyright Rulings Of 2025: A Midyear Report

    Two California judges were the first to deliver crucial rulings about what constitutes fair use in training generative artificial intelligence models — a question expected to test the boundaries of the copyright doctrine amid the emergence of the groundbreaking technology. Here is Law360's list of the biggest copyright decisions so far this year.

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • How To Address FCA Risk After 4th Circ. Ruling On DEI Orders

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    Following the Fourth Circuit's ruling in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, which freed the administration to enforce executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, government contractors should take stock of potentially unlawful DEI programs, given their heightened risk under the False Claims Act, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Del. Dispatch: Open Issues After Corp. Law Amendments

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    Recent amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law represent a significant change in the future structuring of boards and how the First State will approach conflicted transactions, but Delaware courts may interpret the amendments narrowly, limiting their impact, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • What Del. Supreme Court LKQ Decision Means For M&A Deals

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent decision in LKQ v. Rutledge greatly increases the enforceability of forfeiture-for-competition provisions, representing an important affirmation of earlier precedent and making it likely that such agreements will become more common in M&A transactions, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • How High Court's Cornell Decision Will Affect ERISA Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cunningham v. Cornell, characterizing prohibited transaction exemptions as affirmative defenses, sets the bar very low for initiating Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation, and will likely affect many plan sponsors with similar service agreements, says Carol Buckmann at Cohen & Buckmann.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    The first quarter of 2025 was filled with the refinement of old theories in the property and casualty space, including in vehicle valuation, time to seek appraisal and materials depreciation, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling May Aid Consistent Interpretation Of ADA

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    In Tudor v. Whitehall Central School District, the Second Circuit joined the majority of circuits by holding that an employee's ability to perform their job without an accommodation does not disqualify them from receiving one, marking a notable step toward uniform application of the Americans with Disabilities Act nationwide, says Michelle Grant at Wilson Elser.

  • EPA's Proposed GHG Reform Could Hinder Climate Regulation

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    The Trump administration will reconsider the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's landmark 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding, which could leave the U.S. federal government with no statutory authority whatsoever to regulate climate change or greenhouse gas emissions, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • Fed. Circ. In March: Forfeiting Claim Construction On Appeal

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Wash World v. Belanger last month confirms the importance of fair notice to the district court when determining forfeiture of an argument on appeal in the context of patent claim construction, allowing appellants to better gauge the appropriate framing of arguments that may be presented, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • 1st Circ. Ruling May Slow SEC Retail Investment Advice Cases

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    The First Circuit's recent ruling, finding the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission did not substantiate its $93.3 million fine against a retail investment adviser, may raise the threshold on materiality findings in these cases and add a speed bump resulting in fewer such actions, say attorneys at Weil.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

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    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

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