Commercial Contracts

  • April 01, 2024

    Philip Morris Loses Chancery Bid To Join Reynolds-ITG Suit

    Philip Morris' "inexcusable," years-long inaction doomed its request to intervene for a cut of millions of dollars in profit adjustments, headed toward a Chancery Court trial later this year, in a dispute between two other tobacco giants over how much each party owes under a settlement with Florida, a Delaware vice chancellor ruled Monday.

  • April 01, 2024

    Kirkland Atty Escapes Malpractice Suit Over Loan Docs

    A Kirkland & Ellis LLP attorney has secured an early win in a legal malpractice case alleging he botched an estate planning matter and lost his client millions in a later divorce, with a New Jersey federal court finding the client couldn't prove "proximate causation" of alleged damages in light of her subsequent divorce settlement.

  • April 01, 2024

    Clifford Chance Adds 2 Insurance, Antitrust Experts In NY

    Clifford Chance LLP has picked up two attorneys for its expanding insurance and antitrust groups, adding a specialist in private equity with more than 15 years of experience and a property and casualty loss expert.

  • April 01, 2024

    Aramark Accuses Aetna Of 'Gamesmanship' In Benefits Fight

    Aramark said Aetna sued it over an arbitration pact in Connecticut as a tactical response to Aramark's Texas suit claiming the insurer cost it millions by approving shoddy health benefit claims, and urged a federal judge to ship Aetna's suit to Texas as well.

  • April 01, 2024

    Canadian Trucking Co. Seeks US Bankruptcy Recognition

    Canadian truck dealers the Pride Group on Monday asked a Delaware judge for U.S. recognition of the Canadian insolvency proceedings it began in the face of a more than $90 million claim from Mitsubishi over an alleged loan default.

  • March 29, 2024

    Hogan Lovells Vet's High Court Debut A Study In Contrasts

    Several weeks ago, when a Hogan Lovells lawyer finally delivered U.S. Supreme Court arguments after 20 years at the firm, she parsed arcane arbitration issues and her words weren't widely heard outside the courtroom. But weeks later and back at the high court podium, her words were heard nationwide when she pointedly spotlighted a judge's use of "anonymous blog posts" in a bombshell abortion ruling.

  • March 29, 2024

    UTA's Atty Hit With $125M Suit Over 'Pathological Liar' Remark

    United Talent Agency's attorney has been accused of defaming MediaLink founder Michael Kassan by calling him a "pathological liar" in the press, according to a suit filed in Los Angeles County, the latest development in a fierce dispute that has seen UTA and Kassan accuse each other of fraud.

  • March 29, 2024

    BofA Unfairly Charges Fees For Others' Bad Checks, Suit Says

    Bank of America is the latest financial institution to face a class action alleging it wrongfully charged customers a fee when they deposited checks that then bounced.

  • March 29, 2024

    Weed Investors' Money Shift Cost Co. Millions, Suit Says

    A Michigan entrepreneur has hit his ex-partner with a $5 million lawsuit, accusing him of wrecking plans to buy a 10-acre marijuana grow facility near Ann Arbor by poaching the lead investors so he could fund his own Colorado cultivation.

  • March 29, 2024

    Dem Cites 'Secret' Report Against Ticketmaster 'Rebates'

    A major congressional critic of Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and Ticketmaster highlighted an expert report from a long-running lawsuit as further proof of the ticketing juggernauts' "rampant, corrupt and abusive practices," although assertions that the report was secret and only newly unearthed may be overblown.

  • March 29, 2024

    L3Harris Accuses Moog Of Delays In Subdeals Worth $77.9M

    L3Harris Technologies Inc. has hauled fellow defense contractor Moog Inc. into Florida federal court, alleging that Moog failed to timely deliver critical satellite parts under several subcontracts worth $77.9 million, despite the U.S. government requiring expedited delivery for national defense purposes.

  • March 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Critical Of Treasure Hunter's Insurance Appeal

    A Ninth Circuit panel expressed doubt Friday that a treasure hunter could get an insurer to pay him a $7.5 million settlement over a soured shipwreck salvaging expedition, suggesting his ex-partners' refusal to hand over vital maps was an intentional act to keep him from striking gold — not an accident covered by insurance.

  • March 29, 2024

    HJ Sims Honoring Books And Records Settlement, Court Told

    The daughter of a seven-decade employee of Herbert J. Sims & Co. Inc. has withdrawn a books and records suit against the investment bank and its owner, The Teksys Corp., telling a Connecticut state court that she is now satisfied that the defendants have abided by the terms of a November settlement.

  • March 29, 2024

    Nikola Says Convicted Ex-CEO Plotting Illegal Board Takeover

    Electric truck manufacturer Nikola Corp. sued its former CEO and convicted felon Trevor Milton in Arizona federal court Friday, accusing him of scheming with unqualified loyalists to regain control of the company by flouting securities laws, infringing Nikola's trademarks and breaching agreements.

  • March 29, 2024

    Lowe's Lies 'Destroyed' Vendor's Business, NC Suit Says

    A home accents company alleged that Lowe's sought to "destroy" it with "bogus" complaints about product quality and the business' financial health, costing it tens of millions of dollars while usurping its business model.

  • March 29, 2024

    10th Circ. Says Insurance Payout Deal In Jet Sale Is Invalid

    An aircraft seller does not owe a purchaser $500,000 in insurance proceeds intended to cover repairs to the aircraft's permanent engines and the installation of temporary engines, the Tenth Circuit affirmed, saying an agreement to pay the proceeds was invalid because of a mutual mistake of fact.

  • March 29, 2024

    Klehr Harrison Exits Athlete-Poaching Claims, Citing Conflict

    Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg LLP has ended its representation of sports memorabilia brokers ensnared in two sports agencies' battle in Pennsylvania federal court over a contract with former Detroit Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay, citing concerns about an unspecified conflict of interest.

  • March 29, 2024

    Epiq Says Chubb Owes Costs In Clergy Abuse Data Leak Case

    Epiq Corporate Restructuring LLC has sued Chubb-affiliated insurers in Connecticut federal court seeking to be reimbursed for $2.5 million in settlement costs and roughly $1.8 million for its defense of litigation over Epiq's disclosure of sex abuse survivors' names in a Chapter 11 case.

  • March 29, 2024

    Dentons Europe Says Houston Co. Owes $4.7M In Legal Fees

    International law firm Dentons Europe CS LLP has accused a Houston-area company, self-described as a leader in kidnap and ransom resolution and crisis response, of failing to pay more than $4.7 million in legal fees in connection with the development of a port in Africa.

  • March 29, 2024

    DraftKings Rips Former Exec's 'Lies' In Ongoing Fanatics Spat

    Former DraftKings executive Michael Hermalyn lied in his opposition last week to its preliminary injunction request, just as he had during his departure to rival Fanatics and throughout a trade secrets and breach of contract suit against him, the company has told a Massachusetts federal court in defending its injunction request.

  • March 29, 2024

    Lawmakers Call For Robinson-Patman Act Revival

    A group of lawmakers is urging the Federal Trade Commission to reinvigorate enforcement of the Robinson-Patman Act, a Roosevelt-era wholesale pricing statute that fell out of use in the 1970s, to help small businesses and stem the power of dominant grocery chains.

  • March 29, 2024

    5 Appellate Arguments Benefits Attys Should Watch In April

    A defense contractor will square off with the government over pension obligations, workers at an auto parts retailer and Georgetown University staffers will look to revive suits claiming their retirement savings were mismanaged, and a ban on gender-affirming care for minors will get an en banc review. Here are five argument sessions that should be on benefits attorneys' radar in April.

  • March 28, 2024

    Penile Implant Doc Awarded $18.3M After Trade Secrets Trial

    A California federal judge on Thursday awarded more than $18.3 million in royalties and damages to a urologist who won a jury trial verdict last year over a competitor's theft of penile implant trade secrets.

  • March 28, 2024

    Telecom Co. Wants Rival Sanctioned In Contract Row

    Florida telecom Local Access LLC is again seeking sanctions against the Chicago-based rival it's suing over a contract dispute, claiming that Peerless Network destroyed records and refuses to turn over revenue information it's been seeking since 2017, even after a Florida federal judge directed the company to do so.

  • March 28, 2024

    United Airlines Beats Class Cert. Bid In COVID Refund Suit

    Passengers who say United Airlines used the COVID-19 pandemic as cover for refusing to reimburse them for cost-cutting cancelations cannot pursue their case as a class because their claims turn on too many individual questions, an Illinois federal judge determined Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Key Elements Of The Proposed Credit Card Competition Act

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    Attorneys at Troutman Pepper examine the most noteworthy provisions in the recently proposed Credit Card Competition Act, including changes to payment card network access, Federal Reserve Board review, who would qualify as a covered institution, and routing restrictions.

  • The NIL Legislation Race: CAEFA And Ted Cruz's Draft Bill

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    Christina Stylianou and Gregg Clifton at Lewis Brisbois compare legislation pertaining to the name, image and likeness rights of college student-athletes, including the College Athlete Economic Freedom Act and Sen. Ted Cruz's draft bill that would restrict an athlete's eligibility to compete if an NIL agreement violates their university's student code of conduct.

  • Developers Are Testing Defenses In Generative AI Litigation

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    In the rapidly growing field of generative artificial intelligence law in the U.S., there are a few possible defenses that have already been effectively asserted by defendants in litigation, including lack of standing, reliance on the fair use doctrine, and the legality of so-called data scraping, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Brand Owners Beware: AI-Generated Ad Content Poses Risks

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    Since the Association of National Advertisers recently updated its master media buying services template agreement, brand owners should consider how their contracted agencies are using artificial intelligence to create and implement campaigns and media purchases, say Kyle-Beth Hilfer and John Miranda at Cowan Liebowitz.

  • Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

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    X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

  • A Higher Bar For Surviving Summary Judgment In SC Courts

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    The South Carolina Supreme Court's recent decision in Kitchen Planners v. Friedman, rejecting a lower court's usage of the mere scintilla standard for allowing cases to proceed, suggests that the mere existence of an alleged factual dispute between parties will no longer be sufficient to thwart a well-supported motion for summary judgment, says Denver Smith at Butler Snow.

  • Key Strike Considerations For Automotive Industry Suppliers

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    As the UAW's labor contracts with Detroit's Big Three automakers expire, and the possibility of a strike looms, automotive industry suppliers face a number of possible legal and operational issues — and should have strategic action plans in place to deal with contracts, liquidity, the post-strike environment and more, say experts at Alvarez & Marsal.

  • Ore. Warranty Ruling Complicates Insurance Classification

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    The Oregon Court of Appeals' recent TruNorth v. Department of Consumer and Business Services holding that a service contract — commonly referred to as an extended warranty — covering commercial property is subject to the state's consumer service contract laws raises regulatory questions for contract obligors, sellers and administrators, say attorneys at Locke Lord.

  • ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

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    While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Festival Of Litigation Could Arise From 'Electric Zoo' Fiasco

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    Over Labor Day weekend, thousands of electronic dance music fans were displeased with the organization of the New York City-based Electric Zoo festival, which quickly elicited comparisons to the 2017 Fyre Festival — and three kinds of litigation could ensue from the debacle, say attorneys at Seiden Law.

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • A Closer Look At Another HBCU Race Bias Suit Against NCAA

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    The National Collegiate Athletic Association's Academic Performance Program has become a lightning rod for scrutiny, as seen in the recently filed class action McKinney v. NCAA — where statistics in the complaint raise questions about the program's potential discriminatory impact on student-athletes at historically Black colleges and universities, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • 5 Takeaways From SEC's First Marketing Rule Action

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent settlement — the first under the amended marketing rule — with Titan Global on charges that the fintech company misled investors shows investment advisers that they should expect close scrutiny of marketing materials and that their questions will only be answered through SEC enforcement, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Texas Produced Water Ruling Helps Clarify Oil, Gas Leases

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    A Texas state appeals court's recent opinion in Cactus Water Services v. COG Operating, holding that the mineral lessee under an oil and gas lease owns the water extracted during oil and gas production, is a first step toward clarity on an issue that has divided the midstream industry, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Pa. Case Highlights Complexity Of Oil And Gas Leases

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    A Pennsylvania state court's recent decision in Douglas Equipment Inc. v. EQT Production Co. is a reminder that oil and gas leases are rather strange creatures — morphing from something akin to a traditional surface lease to a mineral property conveyance the moment oil and gas is produced, says Christopher Rogers at Frost Brown.

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