Commercial Contracts

  • October 13, 2026

    Dolby Loses Bid To Ax InterDigital Patent From Disney Case

    A California federal judge has denied Dolby's motion seeking to invalidate an InterDigital video patent that is at issue in a related infringement suit against Disney over its streaming services, ruling that Dolby failed to show that the patent covers only an abstract idea.

  • October 13, 2026

    Colo. Court Orders Contempt Citation Over $4.4M Hemp Debt

    A businessman who allegedly skipped out on a hemp seeds contract and now has an outstanding $4 million judgment against him must explain to a Colorado state court why he shouldn't be penalized for not answering questions regarding his income, bank accounts and assets, a judge said on Tuesday.

  • October 13, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs Ginnie Mae On Reverse Mortgage Liens

    A unanimous Fifth Circuit panel affirmed a lower court's ruling in favor of Ginnie Mae in a suit Texas Capital Bank brought over the extinguishment of its lien on reverse mortgage assets, saying there is a "sound statutory basis to conclude" that Ginnie Mae has authority over the entire mortgage once an issuer defaults.

  • October 13, 2026

    Nvidia Faces Suit Over AI Training Music Data

    An independent music licensing company has brought a lawsuit accusing Nvidia of infringing its copyrights to train its artificial intelligence models, days after dropping a nearly identical suit in the same court.

  • October 13, 2026

    Conn. Atty Sues Ga. Firm Over Fees From Sig Sauer Suit

    An attorney who has been helping clients sue Sig Sauer Inc. for years over pistols that allegedly discharge without a trigger pull is suing a Georgia firm that he says recruited him for one such case, saying he was removed from the case and is likely to be cut out of his share of attorney fees.

  • October 13, 2026

    In AI Race, Trade Secret Suits Become Popular Safeguard

    Fierce competition for artificial intelligence engineers and the relative paucity of intellectual property protections for AI technologies have companies turning to trade secret litigation as a powerful tool they can wield against competitors and former employees, attorneys say.

  • October 13, 2026

    Bay Point Sues Del. Fund For Books And Records

    Bay Point Capital Partners II LP has sued a Delaware investment fund and its general partner in the Delaware Chancery Court, seeking access to financial records and other documents after Bay Point acquired a limited partnership interest through a foreclosure earlier this year.

  • October 13, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Pressed To Undo $61M IP Verdict Against Samsung

    A nonprofit representing tech giants including Amazon, Google and Intel told the Federal Circuit on Friday the court should overturn a $61 million jury verdict against Samsung for infringing a single standard-essential 5G patent.

  • October 13, 2026

    Boston Not Required To Recut Uncashed 1998 Check

    A Rhode Island company can't force the city of Boston to reissue a $150,000 check from 1998 that got lost for a quarter of a century, an intermediate Massachusetts appellate court ruled Tuesday.

  • October 13, 2026

    Interscope Sues Summer Walker For $50M Over Record Deal

    Interscope Records sued R&B star Summer Walker in Los Angeles state court, seeking at least $50 million and alleging she failed to deliver two albums and an EP before invoking California law to exit her recording agreement on the grounds that it was no longer enforceable.

  • October 13, 2026

    Ex-AmTrust Atty Says Insurer Targeted Older Employees

    A former staff attorney for AmTrust Financial Services Inc. is suing his former employer in New Jersey state court, alleging that his firing was the result of a deliberate, yearslong campaign to purge the litigation department of older attorneys.

  • October 13, 2026

    Indicted Ex-Housing Boss Pleads 5th In Bond Fracas

    The indicted former leader of two Connecticut housing authorities invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination Tuesday during a civil hearing in state court that sought to bar him from using his home to secure a $500,000 federal appearance bond.

  • October 13, 2026

    Sen. Justice Must Cover Coal Cos.' $25M Surety Bond Debt

    U.S. Senator Jim Justice must pay a surety more than $25 million after he personally promised to cover collateral and past-due premiums owed by his coal companies if they failed to stay current on their payment obligations, the Sixth Circuit ruled.

  • October 13, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court last week saw stockholders challenge Nvidia Corp.'s roughly $20 billion deal with artificial intelligence chipmaker Groq Inc., Hertz Global Holdings Inc.'s electric vehicle strategy and more than $1.5 billion in Humana Inc. stock buybacks.

  • October 13, 2026

    US Steel Says Insurers Must Cover $120M Mill Cleanup

    U.S. Steel said several insurers must indemnify the steelmaker for costs it has incurred investigating and cleaning up contamination from a long-demolished Minnesota steel plant, telling a Pennsylvania state court the insurers have refused to pay out multiple layers of policy.

  • October 13, 2026

    Justices Turn Away Ex-Ruby Tuesday Execs' Benefits Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected former Ruby Tuesday executives' bid for review of their claims that Regions Bank underpaid them after their deferred compensation benefits were liquidated in bankruptcy, turning away a case the ex-executives said presented a circuit split.

  • October 09, 2026

    Iberdrola Loses Bid To Revive Mass. Power Plant Fraud Suit

    A New York appellate court has declined to revive an Iberdrola unit's lawsuit accusing the funders of a Massachusetts power plant project of tricking the energy company into largely completing construction before interfering in the contract to avoid funding the work.

  • October 09, 2026

    Texas Homeowners Lose Appeal In Harvey Flood Suit

    A Texas appellate court ruled Friday that the companies behind a housing development had no duty to prevent the catastrophic flooding associated with Hurricane Harvey, handing a defeat to homeowners in a suit that appeared to pose a novel issue given the historic storm.

  • October 09, 2026

    Calif. Hotels Give Chinese Bank Path To $209M In Awards

    A California federal judge has refused to dismiss a Chinese bank's lawsuit seeking to enforce about $209 million in arbitral awards against a businessperson, ruling that hotels he bought in the state give the court jurisdiction over the case even though he doesn't live in the U.S.

  • October 09, 2026

    Amazon Can't Push Back FTC Antitrust Trial

    A Washington federal judge refused Friday to delay the Federal Trade Commission antitrust trial accusing Amazon.com Inc. of creating an artificial pricing floor in online retail, forcing the company to try to navigate a potential timing overlap in parallel state court litigation from the California attorney general.

  • October 09, 2026

    Pot Farm Seeks Review Of 6th Circ. Federal-Illegality Ruling

    A Michigan cannabis farm is asking the Sixth Circuit to reconsider a recent holding that contracts in the federally illegal marijuana industry are unenforceable, saying the ruling would cause "unimaginable instability" in jurisdictions with legalized cannabis.

  • October 09, 2026

    Pepsi Bottler Hit With $630K Lien Over 23-Month Project

    A California contractor told a Colorado state court judge Thursday that the company is seeking to foreclose on a mechanics' lien of nearly $630,000 after being wrongfully terminated from a $7.6 million contract by a Pepsi subsidiary.

  • October 09, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 6 Notable Decisions From September

    The Tenth and Seventh circuits issued published opinions in two union retirement disputes, while the Sixth Circuit found that the Commonwealth of Kentucky's lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers does not belong in state court, citing colorable federal preemption arguments. Here's more on those decisions and three other notable rulings involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act that came down in September.

  • October 09, 2026

    Anti-SLAPP Law Doesn't Tank Firm Breakup Case, Judge Says

    A Connecticut trial attorney and his new firm cannot invoke the state's anti-SLAPP law to dismiss claims brought by his former law partner, a state court judge held Thursday in one of multiple lawsuits stemming from Connecticut Trial Firm LLC's dissolution less than two years after it gained prominence with a record-setting personal injury verdict.

  • October 09, 2026

    Insurers Can't Avoid $5.3M Motel Damage Suit, Court Told

    A real estate development company urged a Washington federal court to reject its insurers' bid to avoid a suit seeking $5.3 million in coverage for damage to a motel that was supposed to be converted into affordable housing, saying the carriers' arguments concerning improper service are meritless.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Taekwondo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Taekwondo has taught me to recognize when to fight for a position and when to focus on finding a solution, and that the best outcomes are often achieved by solving problems — all of which has improved my work as a bankruptcy lawyer, mediator and Subchapter V trustee, says Amy Denton Mayer at Berger Singerman.

  • 3rd Circ. Hotel Ruling Flags Key Issues In Dynamic Pricing

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    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Cornish-Adebiyi v. Caesars Entertainment relies on allegations that competitors used nonpublic data to set real-time rates considered exorbitant, highlighting both the potential risks and substantial benefits of utilizing emerging technologies, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Early Action Can Benefit Distressed Restaurant Franchisees

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    As rising costs put increased pressure on restaurants, as evidenced by recent bankruptcy filings by Popeyes, Farmer Boys and Applebees franchisees, distressed businesses should move early to preserve profitable locations, reject uneconomic obligations, manage brand defaults and choose the appropriate restructuring path, says Christopher Caplinger at Kean Miller.

  • How 'Most Favored Nation' Regime Affects Biopharma Deals

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    As M&A activity surges in the biopharma space, companies will need to account for the Trump administration's most-favored-nation pricing proposals — durable in concept, if unsettled in detail — when drafting deals, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

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    While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

  • Prepping To Use Crypto Collateral Under Ohio Ownership Law

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    Ohio's digital asset law should ease the path to using cryptocurrency as collateral, and as the October effective date approaches, lenders should update their loan documentation and diligence processes to take advantage of the new control-based perfection rules, say attorneys at Kegler Brown.

  • Managing OSHA Mental Illness Logs After 5th Circ. Vacatur

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    Employers with facilities in multiple states need to carefully weigh their recordkeeping procedures following the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cannot require employers to log work-related mental illness, as inconsistent logs across facilities may raise other issues, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Expect More Probes After 3rd Circ. Algorithmic Pricing Ruling

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    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Cornish-Adebiyi v. Caesars Entertainment, allowing algorithmic price-fixing claims to proceed past motions to dismiss, may serve as a road map for how to contend with increased litigation risk in this developing area of antitrust law, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    After 2026's second quarter, there is more authority rejecting class certification on total loss valuation theories from courts at the federal circuit, federal district and state appellate level — along with a resolution of a novel issue of depreciation on a wildfire claim, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

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    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • Other Transaction Authority May Change Military Construction

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    Early use of the Pentagon’s expanded authority to use other transaction agreements for defense construction projects suggests it may become a consequential change that draws new entrants into the marketplace, so participants should be cognizant of how it differs from the familiar Federal Acquisition Regulation model, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Award Enforcement Is Just Step 1

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    In Qatar National Bank v. South Sudan and Bank of South Sudan, a D.C. federal court recently confirmed a $1 billion arbitral award, but the judgment itself remains only the entrance to the asset-recovery exercise, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.

  • Series

    Going To Hardcore Shows Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While government contracts law and the hardcore scene may seem entirely unrelated, in my experience, both are about community, focus, being prepared for the unexpected and managing chaos, says Isaac Natter at Fluet.

  • How New Counter-Drone Rule Will Reshape Event Security

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    A new interim final rule on counter-unmanned aircraft systems creates one of the most structured regulatory frameworks yet adopted for mitigating unauthorized drone activity, with implications for law enforcement, airport and stadium operators, drone companies, and public event organizers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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