Commercial Contracts

  • March 27, 2024

    Jury Convicts Ex-LA Official Chan In City Hall Bribery Scandal

    A California federal jury on Wednesday convicted former Los Angeles deputy mayor Raymond Chan of racketeering conspiracy, honest services wire fraud and bribery stemming from his role linking corrupt public officials with wealthy developers in the so-called CD-14 Enterprise.

  • March 27, 2024

    6th Circ. Won't Rethink $25M Crash Award Against Nissan

    Nissan North America Inc. still can't offload a $25 million award against it for a fatal crash onto a brake supplier, as the Sixth Circuit panel that ruled against it has said it will not reconsider its ruling, and the full court has declined to take up the matter. 

  • March 27, 2024

    Meta Settles Fired Worker's COVID Vax Religious Bias Suit

    Facebook parent company Meta has agreed to settle a Washington federal suit brought by a former project manager who claimed he was illegally fired after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 because of his religious beliefs.

  • March 27, 2024

    Cannabis Retailer Sues To Revive Union Decertification Bid

    A western Massachusetts cannabis retailer has asked a state court to reinstate an employee's petition to decertify a budding local of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which was dismissed by a state labor board following a settlement of separate prohibited practices complaints.

  • March 26, 2024

    Columbia Beats Bulk Of Students' Ranking Stats Suit, For Now

    A New York federal judge on Tuesday largely threw out Columbia University students' proposed class action claiming the institution intentionally gave inaccurate data to U.S. News & World Report, but he also gave some of the former student plaintiffs the chance to tweak their complaint.

  • March 26, 2024

    Walmart Wins Bid To Ax Capital One Credit Card Agreement

    Walmart can terminate its agreement with Capital One, a New York federal judge ruled Tuesday, agreeing with Walmart that the plain meaning of the contract allows the retail behemoth to ax the agreement if its credit card partner doesn't meet certain customer service standards.

  • March 26, 2024

    Ex-LA Deputy Mayor's Fate In Bribery Trial Goes To Calif. Jury

    Former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan connected corrupt public officials to wealthy developers for years as part of the "CD-14 Enterprise" racketeering conspiracy, a federal prosecutor told California federal jurors in closing arguments Tuesday, saying their shared goal was ensuring they "get money, keep power and avoid the Feds."

  • March 26, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Tanker Can't Be Used To Enforce $10M Debt

    The Ninth Circuit affirmed on Monday that a nearly 800-foot crude oil tanker could not be seized to enforce some $10 million in arbitral awards against a defunct gas shipping company, ruling that the plaintiffs couldn't prove the tanker's owner had helped to hide the shipping company's assets.

  • March 26, 2024

    Oil Cos. Say Partner Kept Them In The Dark On New Facilities

    A group of Colorado oil and gas companies have accused a Texas energy company they partnered with of secretly building and running pipelines and other infrastructure to support North Dakota oil and gas wells, cutting the Colorado companies out of their share. 

  • March 26, 2024

    Insurer Wants $29M Treble Damages Ruling Reversed In NC

    An insurer has asked a North Carolina state appeals court to overturn a nearly $29 million ruling penalizing it for failing to defend an employee who crashed a company truck, killing his colleague, citing a policy exclusion for employee injury cases it said the trial court ignored.

  • March 26, 2024

    Conn. Fertility Doctor Says Law Doesn't Support Distress Claim

    A retired fertility doctor facing a lawsuit for allegedly impregnating a patient with his own sperm wants a Connecticut state court judge to dismiss a claim for negligent infliction of emotional distress, arguing that the accusation amounts to medical malpractice and the plaintiff failed to clear a mandatory procedural hurdle.

  • March 26, 2024

    AI Weapons Detector Faces Investor Suit After Gov't Probes

    Evolv Technologies, which makes metal detectors that purportedly use artificial intelligence to detect weapons, is facing a proposed shareholder class action in Massachusetts federal court alleging that false claims about its products' abilities to screen for types of tactical knives and guns led to federal investigations and share declines.

  • March 26, 2024

    Mitsubishi Seeks $88.9M From Canadian Truck Sellers In US

    Mitsubishi's commercial financing arm has asked federal judges in Connecticut, Illinois and New York to issue at least $89 million in judgments against two individuals in Canada, saying the men in question breached promises to stand behind credit lines extended to two companies that sell tractor trailers and lease equipment.

  • March 26, 2024

    Turf Co. Secures Dismissal Of Funds' Contributions Row

    Benefits funds affiliated with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades can't move ahead with their claims that a turf installer didn't pay contributions, a California federal judge ruled, saying the funds didn't include the calculation for payment in their allegations.

  • March 26, 2024

    Geico Alleges $5.6M Billing Scam Targeted NY Insurance Cos.

    The insurance giant Geico has sued a New Jersey man and three medical imaging companies in New York federal court, accusing them of a $5.6 million scheme to submit fraudulent bills for unnecessary or otherwise useless tests on auto accident victims.

  • March 26, 2024

    Auto Parts Co. Must Continue Shipping To FCA, Judge Rules

    A Michigan judge has ordered a Fiat Chrysler supplier to continue delivering parts while a pricing dispute plays out in court, finding that the automaker showed its reputation would suffer if it was forced to idle plants because of a part shortage.

  • March 26, 2024

    Sony Ducks $500M PlayStation Patent Suit In Del.

    A Delaware federal court has sided with Sony in a $500 million patent infringement suit brought by Genuine Enabling Technology LLC over PlayStation consoles, marking a close to the case.

  • March 26, 2024

    Girardi Fraud Trial Moved To Aug. 6

    A California federal judge has agreed to postpone disgraced California plaintiffs attorney Tom Girardi's trial to Aug. 6, setting the proceedings to begin 16 months later than originally required at the outset of the case.

  • March 26, 2024

    Ill. Judge Needs More Info To OK $57M Chicken Antitrust Fee

    An Illinois federal judge overseeing a sprawling antitrust litigation against broiler chicken producers said he couldn't rule on class counsel's renewed bid for a $57 million attorney fee award thrown out by the Seventh Circuit last year without more information on one of the firm's graduated fee arrangements in a similar 2015 antitrust case, which wasn't disclosed in the first go-around.

  • March 26, 2024

    GM Supplier Deal Missing 'Crucial' Info, Stymying Dismissal Bid

    A Michigan federal judge on Monday said it was too soon to consider tossing a South Korean producer's suit alleging a supplier failed to pay for electric-vehicle engineering services to make parts for General Motors, stating too much information is missing about the companies' agreement.

  • March 26, 2024

    REIT Exec Tells 2nd Circ. To Toss $3.2M Judgment

    The co-founder of a real estate investment trust told the Second Circuit to toss the $3.2 million judgment awarded in a former partner's 2014 suit, arguing that related jury instructions were "too confusing and prejudicial."

  • March 26, 2024

    Ailing Health Co. Steward Owes Attys $600K, Firm Says

    A small Boston law firm that represented Steward Health Care System in a variety of cases says the beleaguered healthcare provider has strung it along with promises to pay fees that now total more than $600,000.

  • March 25, 2024

    Something In The Way Of Nirvana Logo Trial, Judge Told

    Counsel for a former record company employee who claims he created Nirvana's "smiley face" logo urged a California federal judge Monday to let him immediately appeal a ruling denying his ownership claim, and argued the band's copyright suit against designer Marc Jacobs over the logo should be delayed in the meanwhile.

  • March 25, 2024

    Merchants Hit AmEx With Antitrust Claims Over Its Fee Rules

    American Express faces a proposed merchant class action alleging it violated federal antitrust law by barring businesses from taking certain measures to keep their credit card swipe costs down.

  • March 25, 2024

    Calif. Judge Sick Of VLSI, Intel Filing Without Permission

    A California federal judge has chastised VLSI and Intel for overflowing the court with endless "repetitive and unhelpful" briefs, which they were never authorized to file.

Expert Analysis

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • Negotiating AI-Life Sciences Partnerships To Minimize IP Risk

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    When life sciences companies and AI companies form partnerships to foster innovation, the parties should align interests as well as mitigate intellectual property risks by strategically identifying and addressing the unique AI-related legal issues, such as training data, AI model and output, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • How Calif. Privacy Law Changes Affect Asset Managers

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    Asset managers need to understand the important ways in which the California Consumer Privacy Act applies to their work, despite a recent update to the law that exempts information subject to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, say Kevin Angle and Catherine Skulan at Ropes & Gray.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Timeliness, Evidence, Fact-Finding

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    Edward Arnold and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth Shaw look at three recent opinions from three stages of government contract claims litigation about avoiding untimeliness by ticking procedural boxes, supporting factual positions at the summary judgment stage and how the appellate boards review default terminations.

  • Indivior Ruling May Affect Rebate Wall Litigation

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    A New Jersey federal court's recent decision in Indivior v. Alvogen, in which a claim that an alleged rebate wall anti-competitively blocked generic competition survived summary judgment, may provide a blueprint for successfully challenging other drug rebating practices, say Peter Herrick and Monsura Sirajee at O'Melveny.

  • Perspectives

    Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

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    Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

  • An Emerging Copyright Paradox For AI-Generated Content

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    It is becoming increasingly clear that something of a double-edged sword now exists with regard to copyrights and artificial intelligence — though it may not be possible to secure or convey copyrights in AI-generated content, the same content may result in claims of copyright infringement, says Samuel Lewis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Key Considerations For Negotiating Sponsor Guaranties

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    As both creditors and borrower groups shift their negotiating positions regarding sponsor guaranties, practitioners should refresh their understanding of common law suretyship defenses and their associated waivers so that they can watch for contract terms that are overly or insufficiently broad, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • Canada Emoji Ruling Considers Digital-Age Contract Realities

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    In South West Terminal v. Achter Land & Cattle, a Canadian court recently held that a thumbs-up emoji was just as valid as a signature, illustrating a common situation in the digital age and setting forth a rational framework for addressing contract disputes in U.S. courts and elsewhere, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.

  • Effectual Relief Questions Linger After Section 363 Ruling

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    In the months since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in MOAC Mall Holdings, courts and practitioners must grapple with the issue of what effectual relief courts may grant upon an appeal of an unstayed sale order, says Monique Jewett-Brewster at Hopkins Carley.

  • Cannabis Cos. Must Heed PFAS Risks In Products, Packaging

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    Cannabis businesses and ancillary service providers will have to grapple with evolving PFAS enforcement, litigation and regulations – most recently enacted in Minnesota – and take steps to mitigate risks posed by forever chemicals in their products and packaging, say Malina Dumas and Amy Rubenstein at Dentons.

  • SEC v. Ripple Labs Decision Could Change Crypto Regulation

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    The distinction drawn by federal securities laws between a transaction and an asset is key to understanding the remarkable recent decision from a New York federal court in SEC v. Ripple Labs — a ruling that could mark a turning point in the nation's fraught regulatory relationship with cryptocurrency, says Joseph Hall at Davis Polk.

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