Commercial Contracts

  • July 13, 2026

    Portofino Says Citadel Used Dismissal To Fuel Press Campaign

    Portofino Technologies has accused Citadel Securities of using its decision to drop its trade secrets lawsuit against the Swiss cryptocurrency trading firm as an opportunity to drum up bad press about Portofino, and papering over the fact that a $6 million judgment it won in the dispute is a "pyrrhic victory."

  • July 13, 2026

    Court Economist Says Epic-Google Deal Isn't Evidence-Based

    U.S. District Judge James Donato has already told Epic and Google that he's "not going to keep" going back and forth with them about changes they want to an injunction he has to issue following Epic's antitrust trial win against Google, and now a court-appointed expert has informed him she has issues with the proposed changes as well.

  • July 13, 2026

    IBM Gets Win On Mainframe Patent Infringement Claims

    A Swiss company infringed IBM patents covering its mainframe software, a Western District of Texas judge found Monday, although he declined for now to give the tech giant a win on the trade secrets component of its case.

  • July 13, 2026

    WebAI Says Ex-Engineers Recast Firing As Fraud Claims

    WebAI Inc. has told a North Carolina federal court that a complaint by former engineers alleging an executive's conduct jeopardized huge deals is merely an attempt by disgruntled employees to conjure a multicount lawsuit from a lawful employment separation.

  • July 13, 2026

    Michigan Jury Rejects Truck Buyers' Claims Against Navistar

    After more than eight hours of deliberation, a Michigan federal jury announced a verdict Monday in favor of truck manufacturer Navistar, which was defending itself against claims by two trucking companies over delayed delivery of trucks, finding the evidence did not show Navistar committed fraud or breach of contract.

  • July 13, 2026

    Staffing Co. Fights Coverage Denial For Labor Violation Row

    A staffing company accused of failing to provide laborers with required employment notices and assignment-related disclosures in violation of Illinois law said it is entitled to a defense under its commercial lines policies, telling a federal court that its insurer wrongfully refused coverage for the proposed class action.

  • July 13, 2026

    Under Armour Beats Most Claims In Ex-Supplier's Suit

    Athletic apparel company Under Armour dodged claims that its marketing of bioceramic powder products as FDA-approved cost its former business partner money, with a Pennsylvania federal judge ruling Monday that there was no obvious link between the statements and the plaintiffs' losses.

  • July 13, 2026

    2nd Circ. Upholds Cumulus' Data-Tying Order Against Nielsen

    Nielsen cannot condition media company Cumulus' access to national radio ratings data on buying its local offerings, under a Second Circuit panel decision Monday upholding, and unpausing, a district court preliminary injunction, concluding that a 10-fold price increase for the standalone product likely amounted to anticompetitive coercion.

  • July 13, 2026

    SEC Says Crypto Service Agreement Is Investment Contract

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a Texas federal judge to find that service agreements offered by two crypto mining fraudsters count as investment contracts, and thus securities, saying the court should grant judgment as a matter of law.

  • July 13, 2026

    Toyota Should Be Freed From IP Suit, Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge has recommended allowing Toyota to avoid allegations it infringed a half dozen vehicle infotainment patents, saying the automaker already has a license to the intellectual property.

  • July 13, 2026

    Hyundai Urges Arbitration Of Emergency Braking Claims

    Hyundai has urged a California federal judge to send a proposed class action over its allegedly faulty automatic emergency braking system into arbitration, arguing that the drivers accepted an arbitration provision when they agreed to the terms and conditions of its Bluelink services to obtain optional integrated connectivity features. 

  • July 13, 2026

    Software Co.'s Lack Of 'Diligence' Dooms Late TM Suit Update

    A North Carolina federal judge has faulted a software company's "lack of diligence" in submitting proper paperwork to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and notifying the court its trademark was canceled as the judge denied the company's request to amend its lawsuit against a European rival.

  • July 13, 2026

    Solar Co. Loses Challenge To Validity Of Conn. Panel Seats

    A Connecticut state court judge has turned away a solar developer's argument that three commissioners were sitting illegally on the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority when they ruled in favor of an Avangrid Inc. unit as part of a dispute over a power purchase agreement.

  • July 13, 2026

    Ex-Viking Plastics CEO Seeks Advancement In Del. Chancery

    Former Viking Plastics CEO Kelly Goodsel has asked the Delaware Chancery Court to order VPI Acquisition LLC to advance his legal fees in litigation accusing him of fraud during the company's $40 million sale, arguing the purchase agreement mandates this because the claims stem directly from his service as chief executive.

  • July 13, 2026

    7th Circ. Revives Teva Suit Over Eli Lilly Generic Drug Block

    The Seventh Circuit on Monday revived a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Eli Lilly, ruling that an earlier legal settlement under which Eli Lilly agreed not to block the approval and marketing of Teva Pharmaceuticals' generic version of its osteoporosis drug Forteo didn't necessarily expire when the underlying patents did.

  • July 13, 2026

    Gaming Co. Settles Usurious Loan Suit Against BHG Financial

    A couple who sought financing from nationwide lender BHG Financial LLC to open an esports gaming café has settled a lawsuit alleging the loan agreement was usurious and contained "unconscionable terms," according to an order in North Carolina federal court.

  • July 13, 2026

    NC Co.'s $9.8M Indemnity Payment Not Covered, Insurers Say

    A building products manufacturer is not entitled to coverage after reimbursing its financial adviser $9.8 million for defense and settlement costs incurred in litigation over a take-private transaction, the company's excess directors and officers insurers told a North Carolina federal court.

  • July 13, 2026

    Equipment Co. Sues Pa. Railroad Over Abrupt Access Block

    A Pittsburgh industrial equipment company says a short-line railroad adjacent to its property has suddenly stopped a decades-long practice of allowing it to use an access road alongside the tracks, closing off access to the company's loading docks, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court.

  • July 13, 2026

    Cannabis Co. Says Mich. City Forced Illegal License Waiver

    A marijuana dispensary in Michigan's Upper Peninsula told a federal court that a Michigan municipality changed cannabis licensing rules midway through the process and committed fraud and breach of contract.

  • July 13, 2026

    DHS Revives Plan For NJ Immigrant Detention Center

    The U.S. government told a federal judge that it's actually still considering plans to turn a New Jersey warehouse into an immigrant detention center, a week after it reported it no longer intended to pursue the challenged project.

  • July 13, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court last week handled disputes involving corporate control, post-closing competition, executive departures, arbitration awards and shareholder litigation.

  • July 10, 2026

    WhatsApp Users Must Arbitrate Claims Over Private Messages

    A California federal judge has ordered WhatsApp users suing the messaging platform in a proposed class action over alleged privacy violations to arbitration, rejecting their argument that the underlying arbitration agreements improperly short-circuit certain of state law claims.

  • July 10, 2026

    Toyota Industries' $436M Forklift Emissions Deal Gets Signoff

    A California federal court on Friday officially signed off on Toyota Industries Corp.'s approximately $436 million settlement to resolve a proposed class action alleging that it and other entities misled customers about the true emissions levels of Toyota forklift engines.

  • July 10, 2026

    Google Accused Of Plundering Car Photos To Train AI Ad Tool

    Google harvested thousands of copyrighted images of vehicles to train its artificial intelligence image generator and to integrate the tool into its ad business, where it reaps a "substantial amount of revenue," according to a lawsuit filed by automotive photography company Evox Productions in California federal court.

  • July 10, 2026

    Del. Justices Nix $16M Fee Award In SpaceX Investment Fight

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Friday erased a $16 million fee award stemming from a dispute over a fund manager's handling of a failed $50 million SpaceX investment, concluding that although the fund manager committed a limited breach of a "duty of candor," shifting all litigation expenses to him was unwarranted.

Expert Analysis

  • Fiduciary Duty Risks In Continuation Vehicle Transactions

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    Continuation vehicle transactions have become prominent in private equity, but conflicts may arise due to transaction structures and implicate fiduciary duties, with a recent Delaware case highlighting several procedural considerations for sponsors, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • $100M Clean Air Act Ruling Transforms Parent Co. Liability

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    A Michigan federal court's recent decision in U.S. v. EES Coke Battery, holding a company liable for Clean Air Act violations at a plant owned by its subsidiary, weakens the legal shield between businesses and their corporate parents, and has started a legal battle that may last for years, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • CFIUS' Mandate Misses Foreign Risk In Project Subcontracts

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    Recent calls for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review equity transactions like the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal miss a consequential oversight gap — CFIUS' inability to review the subcontracting layer of U.S. infrastructure projects, says Thibaut Giret at Alstef Group.

  • Looking At Drake's Diss Track Appeal Through An IP Lens

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    Though Drake's pending Second Circuit appeal over UMG's promotion of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is formally about defamation, it shows that IP considerations can help identify records showing how a work traveled, which may guide courts when deciding context, says attorney Abdul Abdullahi.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • How Rated Note Feeders Help Insurers Tap Private Credit

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    With insurer investments comprising nearly a third of the private credit market, rated note feeders offer insurers a compelling way to access private credit yields through debt instruments by balancing key features of debt investment with the structural and economic profiles of private credit funds, say attorneys at Akin.

  • How Reincorporating In Texas May Alter Earnout Disputes

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    While the DExit debate has focused on shareholder suits, far less attention has been paid to what reincorporating in Texas means for M&A disputes, making it particularly important to understand the nuances between Delaware and Texas earnout jurisprudence, say attorneys at Selendy Gay.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • Structuring Space Nuclear Deals For Regulatory Risk

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    With the White House's recent focus on space nuclear power, a highly important question for companies that want to build orbital reactors, lunar surface systems or critical components is whether the transaction documents can handle foreign investment constraints, export controls and treaty-linked liability, says Kristie Blase at Frazer + Blase.

  • Texas Business Court Rulings Show Deal Terms Paramount

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    As the courts within the Texas Business Court system have begun reaching the substantive merits of the cases before them, they are persuasively demonstrating they will not only enforce the terms of transactions as written, but will also embrace a holistic approach to complex transaction documentation interpretation, says Christopher Pace at Winston Taylor.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several noteworthy financial services developments to California, including activity around a commercial finance oversight bill, the former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head's appointment to lead a new consumer agency, and a ruling reinforcing viable bank-fintech partnerships, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Quantum Readiness May Paradoxically Raise Contractor Risk

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    The organizations best positioned for the cryptographic system migration deadlines and other requirements under President Donald Trump’s recent quantum executive orders will be those able to inventory their cryptographic dependencies while protecting their vulnerability road map from adversaries, says Jesse Lemon at The Beckage Firm.

  • Justices Stand On Statutory Specifics In Cisco And Landor

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    With its June 23 decisions in Cisco Systems Inc. v. Doe and Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the U.S. Supreme Court doubled down on the critical point that the statute invoked in a federal claim must authorize a private lawsuit and the remedy sought, says Patrick Judd at Phelps Dunbar.

  • How Montgomery Ruling Will Affect Cos. Across Supply Chain

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court's May 14 decision in Montgomery v. Caribe Transport II, the immediate focus has been on freight brokers and negligent carrier-selection claims, but the ripple effects may extend to shippers, logistics providers, insurers, transportation managers and other participants in the supply chain, say attorneys at Quintairos Prieto.

  • Legal Risks Of Using AI To Screen Psychedelic Trial Patients

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    Though using artificial intelligence to preemptively identify drug trial participants likely to experience placebo effects could produce clearer research results, sponsors will need to be ready for the new legal questions these methods raise about informed consent, accountability for algorithmically derived criteria, and potential bias in data training sets, says Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell.

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