Commercial Contracts

  • September 22, 2025

    Amex Can't Push 'Illusory' Arbitration Over 'Anti-Steering' Rule

    A putative class of businesses does not have to arbitrate claims that American Express violated antitrust laws by effectively preventing merchants that accept credit cards from incentivizing customers to use lower-fee cards, after a Massachusetts federal court ruled it will not "close its eyes" to the "illusory" arbitration agreement.

  • September 22, 2025

    Social Media Co. Calls For Disqualification Of Influencer's Atty

    A social media optimization company has moved to disqualify a social media influencer's attorney from a copyright infringement suit in Texas federal court, saying attorneys from the same firm had previously met with the company in meetings where confidential information was discussed.

  • September 19, 2025

    Judge Won't Enforce Injunction Against Pot Co. Shareholder

    A Colorado state judge denied a Canadian cannabis company's request for a preliminary injunction against an investor Friday, finding that the injunction request was too broad, and many of the requests needed to be litigated elsewhere.

  • September 19, 2025

    Film Co. Founders Accused Of $1.2M Con For Fake Pot Co.

    A Los Angeles film company and its founders are accused of fraudulently taking $1.2 million from a private equity fund, spending it on luxury properties, artwork and their existing ventures, but never putting a dime of the loan on its intended purpose, launching a "booming cannabis empire," according to a lawsuit filed in California state court.

  • September 19, 2025

    Call For Gov't Cut Of University Patent Cash Spurs Concern

    Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's comments that the government should get as much as half of the revenue that universities generate from patents developed with federal funding have caused worry among industry groups and attorneys, who say it would inhibit efforts to commercialize publicly funded inventions.

  • September 19, 2025

    PTAB Invalidates Johns Hopkins Patent In Keytruda Fight

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has invalidated an anti-cancer therapy patent owned by Johns Hopkins University, handing a win to challenger Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC in a larger fight relating to Merck's Keytruda treatment.

  • September 19, 2025

    DC Judge Cuts Proud Boys Atty's Bill To Researcher

    A D.C. federal judge reduced the amount an attorney who represented Proud Boys members in their Jan. 6 criminal trial owes to a researcher who sued him over unpaid work, dropping a jury's award of $77,000 to just $30,000.

  • September 19, 2025

    Surgery Center Wins Contract Fight With Spine Doc

    A Colorado federal jury Thursday sided with Arete Surgical Centers LLC in a contract fight with a spine surgeon in which each party accused the other of violating a settlement agreement over an earlier dispute, awarding the center just over $300,000.

  • September 19, 2025

    Shareholders Urge Sanctions Over Telecom Tower Seizures

    Majority shareholders of a Latin American telecommunications tower operator should be sanctioned for ignoring a court order to hand over documents related to an action the company lodged in Guatemala, a group of minority shareholders have told a New York federal judge.

  • September 19, 2025

    India Can't Challenge Immunity Ruling In $111M Award Suit

    Canada's highest court has refused to review a Quebec appellate court's decision shutting down India's sovereign immunity defense in litigation to enforce a $111 million arbitral award to investors and shareholders in Devas Multimedia Services and reinstating a $37.5 million seizure order.

  • September 19, 2025

    Co. Tied To Lehman Ex-Restructuring Chief Faces Loan Suit

    A holding company linked to Lehman Brothers' post-2008 era restructuring professional defaulted on a commercial loan secured by a large office building and now owes a reinsurer about $19.5 million, according to a lawsuit brought in North Carolina's business court.

  • September 19, 2025

    NFL Warns Arb. Ruling Could Disrupt Sports Dispute Process

    The NFL has asked the Second Circuit for a rehearing on its finding that the league provides arbitration "in name only" because its process lacks neutrality, arguing that the decision will disrupt long-standing procedures across professional sports and undermine a league's authority to resolve disputes.

  • September 19, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs Insurer In Damaged Blood Plasma Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit backed an insurer's early win in a coverage dispute over $820,000 in blood plasma that was declared a total loss thanks to a shipping holdup, holding that the "plain language" of its policy clearly excluded claims for delays.

  • September 19, 2025

    Hagens Berman Seeks To Limit Sanctions For AI Mistakes

    A Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP partner should face only limited sanctions and the firm shouldn't be sanctioned at all over a contract attorney's use of artificial intelligence to generate legal briefs in a proposed class action against online platform OnlyFans since its attorneys did not act in bad faith, the firm told a California federal judge.

  • September 19, 2025

    Philly Pizzeria Owner Says Coup-Minded Partner Stole Dough

    The co-owner of a South Philadelphia pizzeria took dough from the joint enterprise's bank account and made plans to slice his partner out of the venture, according to a Pennsylvania state court complaint.

  • September 19, 2025

    Off The Bench: Briefings On Trans Ban, New Kalshi Conflicts

    In this week's Off The Bench, the U.S. Supreme Court receives initial briefs from West Virginia and Idaho regarding their bans on gender identity-based participation in school sports, Kalshi is taken to court by another state over its event contract offerings, and Washington, D.C.'s National Football League team takes a major step toward returning to its namesake city.

  • September 19, 2025

    Firm Says Newsmax Wants 'Haircut' On Fees In Dominion Suit

    Todd & Weld LLP said Newsmax has refused to pay outstanding billings for the Boston-based boutique's work in defending the cable news channel from a Dominion Voting Systems defamation suit.

  • September 19, 2025

    Fired Public Housing CEO Sues NC City, Alleging Racial Bias

    The former CEO of a North Carolina city's public housing authority has hit the city and authority board with a race discrimination and breach of contract suit, alleging in North Carolina federal court that the defendants violated her work contract because she's an African American woman.

  • September 19, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen brokerage firm ADS Securities file a fresh claim against German entrepreneur Lars Windhorst, AmTrust and Endurance Worldwide Insurance tackle an ongoing £50 million ($67 million) dispute over a failed litigation and insurance scheme, and Howard Kennedy LLP sue the son of a diamond tycoon over a £3.1 million legal bill. 

  • September 18, 2025

    AMG Must Face $85M Fintech Collapse Suit, Customers Say

    Account holders and customers of fintech platforms urged a Colorado federal judge Wednesday to reject AMG National Trust Bank's bid to exit litigation attempting to hold it liable for monetary losses related to the collapse of fintech middleman Synapse, arguing AMG's motion is based on faulty data from a consulting group.

  • September 18, 2025

    Kong Toy Owners Blame Each Other For Deal Breach

    After more than three weeks, the co-owners of dog toy maker Kong Co. LLC ended their bench trial over violated company agreements with closing arguments Thursday, with one side claiming they were being forced out while the other arguing they were being ripped off.

  • September 18, 2025

    Texas Co. Sues Over Unpaid Work On NJ Mall Gaming Site

    An Austin, Texas, company is claiming in New Jersey state court that a client is hiding behind a web of companies to avoid paying $500,000 for a job to furnish and install lighting features at an interactive gaming attraction in New Jersey's American Dream mall.

  • September 18, 2025

    Wash. Panel Calls Gas Station Co.'s Insurance Delay Risky

    Whether gas station operator Gull Industries Inc. is entitled to legal defense costs from Granite State Insurance Co. in long-running litigation over the company's environmental liability may ultimately boil down to timing, Washington state appellate judges suggested at a hearing Thursday.

  • September 18, 2025

    NC Judge Trims Feud Over Middle School Dance Team Name

    The parties fighting over the rights to the name of a youth dance team were urged by a North Carolina federal judge on Thursday to resolve the disagreement on their own, after he streamlined the claims against each other and admonished them for the lengths they already have traveled to secure the team name.

  • September 18, 2025

    Former NRA President's Suit Split, Partially Moved To Va.

    A lawsuit by the former president of the National Rifle Association alleging breach of contract against the gun rights organization was split by a federal judge Thursday, with Florida state law claims being kept in the Sunshine State and its contract-related claim moved to Virginia.

Expert Analysis

  • Reviving A Dormant Criminal Statute In Antitrust Prosecution

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    The U.S. Department of Justice is poised to revive a dormant misdemeanor statute to resolve bid-rigging charges against a foreign national, providing important context to a recent effort to entice foreign defendants to take responsibility for pending charges or face the risk of extradition, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

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    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

  • Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

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    Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • Series

    Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

  • Digesting A 2nd Circ. Ruling On Food Delivery App Arbitration

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    The Second Circuit recently rejected Grubhub's attempt to arbitrate price-fixing claims, while allowing Uber Eats to do so, reinforcing that even broad arbitration clauses must connect to the underlying dispute and suggesting that terms of service litigation may center on websites' design and content, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

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    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Precision In Jurisdiction Clauses

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    The High Court recently held that a contract requiring disputes to be heard by U.K. courts superseded arbitration agreements between long-time business affiliates, reinforcing the importance of drafting precise jurisdiction clauses that international commercial parties in multiagreement relationships will use to resolve prior disputes, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • Strategizing For Renewable Energy Project Success In Texas

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    The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has long been a key market for renewable energy projects, but rising financial and regulatory uncertainty means that developers and investors must prepare for inflation and policy risks, secure robust insurance coverage, and leverage tax equity transferability to ensure success, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 4th Circ. Health Data Ruling Opens Door To State Law Claims

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    In Real Time Medical v. PointClickCare, the Fourth Circuit recently clarified that state law claims can rest in part on violations of a federal law that prohibits electronic health information blocking, expanding legal risks for health IT companies and potentially creating exposure to a range of competitive implications, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

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