Commercial Contracts

  • August 11, 2026

    Microsoft Heads Accused Of Lying To Investors On AI Strategy

    Microsoft leadership routinely touted the success of the company's artificial intelligence products and its multibillion-dollar partnership with OpenAI even as the tech giant violated copyright laws to train its large language models and fell behind other AI developers, according to a shareholder stock-drop suit filed Monday in Washington federal court.

  • August 11, 2026

    7th Circ. Says Ind. Railroad Can't Levy Fees For Telecom Lines

    Indiana railroad easements don't give rail companies the right to charge for access to the air above them or the ground below them, the Seventh Circuit has ruled in an opinion that means telecoms that installed fiber cables under a CSX Transportation easement won't be paying licensing fees.

  • August 11, 2026

    Crabbers Say Seafood Co. Is Part Of Dungeness Price 'Cartel'

    A proposed class of crabbers urged a California federal judge to reject an Oregon seafood company's bid to escape their lawsuit alleging a conspiracy to cap prices paid to fishermen for Dungeness crab in the Pacific Northwest.

  • August 11, 2026

    Video Tech Co. Advances IP Suit Against Ex-Business Partner

    A New York federal judge has allowed a video production technology company to pursue trade secret claims accusing a onetime business partner of using confidential information behind its robotic camera system to develop competing technology.

  • August 11, 2026

    Cumulus Can't Yet Enforce Tying Injunction Against Nielsen

    The Second Circuit may have upheld a preliminary injunction blocking Nielsen from making Cumulus Media buy its local offerings to gain access to its national radio ratings data, but a New York federal judge says that injunction can't be enforced until the circuit court decides whether it will rehear the case en banc.

  • August 11, 2026

    Del. Chancery Keeps Power Plant Duty Claims Alive

    The Delaware Chancery Court on Tuesday largely refused to dismiss the remaining claims in a lawsuit accusing Strategic Value Partners LLC and GenOn Holdings Inc. of engineering the transfer of a Pennsylvania power plant opportunity away from insolvent Heritage Power companies and their creditors.

  • August 11, 2026

    Microsoft Fights Gamer Suit Over 'Garden-Variety' Valve Deal

    Microsoft has urged a Washington federal judge to toss PC gamers' proposed class action accusing the tech giant of forging an illegal price-matching pact with video game developer Valve Corp., saying the plaintiffs' counsel has spent years arguing contrary claims that Valve bullied publishers into accepting its terms.

  • August 11, 2026

    Rebel Wilson Seeks To Boost Cross Suit Against Producers

    A California state court judge at a Tuesday hearing said he would give more thought to whether Rebel Wilson can file a third amended cross-complaint against producers of her musical film "The Deb," who accused the actress of defamation after Wilson's attorney disputed that the proposed complaint contained "inflammatory" language.

  • August 11, 2026

    Fox Rothschild Sidesteps NJ Crash Litigation Funding Suit

    Fox Rothschild LLP has escaped a New Jersey state lawsuit brought by a couple who alleged it tried to collect high-interest loans they were unlawfully steered into taking out from the firm's litigation funder client during a lawsuit over a car crash.

  • August 11, 2026

    Plumbing Co. To Pay $13.75M To End ESOP Suit

    A plumbing subcontracting company will pay $13.75 million to settle workers' class action alleging its co-founders sold company shares to an employee stock ownership plan at an inflated price and later repurchased them for far less, according to a filing in California federal court.

  • August 11, 2026

    Hemp Co. Vireo Aims To Toss Ownership Contract Claims

    Hemp and THC beverage maker Vireo Growth Inc. and its affiliates are asking a Minnesota federal court to toss the bulk of a suit alleging that Vireo failed to deliver on a partnership and interest contract, saying the plaintiffs' claims are largely based on a contract that was never signed or executed.

  • August 11, 2026

    Trump's Capital One Suit Tests Vast Debanking Powers

    President Donald Trump's lawsuit against Capital One NA is a high-profile test of a bank's broad powers to unilaterally close accounts, an issue that has been "devastating" for companies, law firms and others booted from banks based on opaque compliance concerns, experts say.

  • August 10, 2026

    Dutch Co. Wants To Shuffle Golf Course Dispute To Arbitration

    A Dutch company contracted by a Louisiana golf course developer asked a federal judge Monday to send its dispute with the company to the Netherlands Arbitration Institute, arguing that the terms of their disagreement are clearly covered by the arbitration provision in their contract.

  • August 10, 2026

    JB Hunt Says Broker Role Clears It Of Liability For Fatal Crash

    J.B. Hunt has urged an Arizona federal judge to reject a lawsuit seeking to hold it vicariously liable as the alleged statutory employer of the commercial trucker involved in a 2023 head-on collision that killed two people and seriously injured three children.

  • August 10, 2026

    CREXi Can't Stay CoStar Case For Quinn Emanuel DQ Appeal

    A California federal court rejected a bid Monday from Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc., or CREXi, for a stay in CoStar's copyright case while CREXi looks to undo the disqualification of its attorneys from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP.

  • August 10, 2026

    9th Circ. Backs City Of Tacoma In Pension Liability Rate Fight

    A Ninth Circuit panel sided with the city of Tacoma, Washington, in a pension fund dispute Monday, holding that a lower court correctly upheld an arbitrator's reassessment of the city's liability after it withdrew from the Western Metal Industry Pension Fund following the expiration of underlying collective bargaining agreements.

  • August 10, 2026

    Cannabis Clients Sue Atty Over Missed Deadline In $5.7M Suit

    Los Angeles cannabis entrepreneurs are suing their former attorney for legal malpractice in California state court, claiming that she caused the permanent end of their $5.7 million fire damage lawsuit against a landlord who they say allowed a "local transient" to start a fire on a neighboring property.

  • August 10, 2026

    AbbVie, Novartis Seek To Block Ill. 340B Drug Discount Law

    AbbVie Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals are urging an Illinois federal court to block a state law that took effect Friday barring pharmaceutical manufacturers from trying to impose restrictions on 340B contract pharmacy arrangements, arguing in a pair of suits that the law is unconstitutional.

  • August 10, 2026

    Muddy Waters Wants Claim Cut From $14M Whistleblower Suit

    Investment research service Muddy Waters LLC and its founder want a breach of contract claim cut from a suit alleging they stiffed a purported former partner out of his share of a $14 million whistleblower award from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, saying the claim "crosses the line from pleading in the alternative to pleading in incoherence."

  • August 10, 2026

    Okla. Co. Says Rig Seizure Claims Don't Need Redo

    An Oklahoma-based oil drilling company urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to disturb a D.C. Circuit ruling ordering Venezuela's state-owned oil company to face long-pending expropriation allegations, saying an underlying circuit split is too narrow to warrant the high court's attention.

  • August 10, 2026

    IBM Defeats Software Co. In Copyright Fight At 2nd Circ.

    A software company failed to persuade the Second Circuit to undo a federal judge's decision allowing IBM to dodge a copyright suit, with the appellate court on Monday agreeing the case was time-barred.

  • August 10, 2026

    Falwell Family Accused Of Self-Dealing In Miami Hotel Suits

    A business partner of Jerry Falwell Jr. sued the former Liberty University president and his family in Florida state court for alleged insider transactions in a Miami Beach hotel company, saying he was stripped of his membership status in the operating agreement and that development rights were transferred without consent.

  • August 10, 2026

    H.I.G. Can't Block Calif. Suit Over $17.5M Health Deal

    The Delaware Chancery Court on Monday refused to block two former behavioral health facility owners from pursuing a California securities fraud suit against private equity firm H.I.G. Capital LLC and its affiliates, finding the companies had not shown the dispute must be litigated in Delaware.

  • August 10, 2026

    Brad Pitt Beats Oligarch Firm's Winery Funds Claim

    A Los Angeles judge on Monday dismissed a cross-complaint filed against Brad Pitt by a Russian oligarch's company in the legal battle over his ex-wife Angelina Jolie's sale of her portion of a French winery, finding the court lacks jurisdiction over allegations that Pitt diverted funds from the winery.

  • August 10, 2026

    U. Of Colo. Alum Drops 'Email For Life' Suit Amid Extension

    An alumnus of the University of Colorado Boulder who had urged a Colorado state judge to stop the university's board of regents from cutting off graduates' access to their university email addresses has dropped his lawsuit.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips For Financial Advisers Facing TRO From Former Firm

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Choreo v. Lors, overturning a lower court's sweeping injunction after financial advisers moved to a new firm, gives advisers new strategies to fight restraining orders from their old firms, such as focusing on whether the alleged irreparable harm is calculable, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • Aerospace And Defense Law: Trends To Follow In 2026

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    Some of the key 2026 developments to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law stem from provisions of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a push to reform procurement, executive orders that announced Trump administration priorities, the upcoming Artemis space mission and continuing efforts to deploy artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • 2 Rulings Showcase Fuzzy Limits Of 'Related To' Jurisdiction

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    The Fifth and Ninth Circuits recently handed down decisions, in Sanchez Energy and Sawtelle Partners, respectively, reminding practitioners that bankruptcy court jurisdiction over lingering disputes is not guaranteed, regardless of whether confirmation orders contain specific "retention of jurisdiction" language, says Brian Shaw at Cozen O’Connor.

  • 3 Key Ohio Financial Services Developments From 2025

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    Ohio's banking and financial services sector saw particularly notable developments in 2025, including a significant Ohio Supreme Court decision on creditor disclosure duties to guarantors in Huntington National Bank v. Schneider, and some major proposed changes to the state's Homebuyer Plus program, says Alex Durst at Durst Kerridge.

  • AI Licensing Suit Exhibits Pitfalls Of Vague Contract Terms

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    Fastcase Inc. v. Alexi Technologies, a case in District of Columbia federal court, demonstrates the potential consequences of vaguely drafted contract terms amid unforeseen technological advances, but there is practical guidance parties may employ to mitigate the potential for similar contract disputes, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Series

    Playing Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    An instinct to turn pain into purpose meant frequent trips to the tennis court, where learning to move ahead one point at a time was a lesson that also applied to the steep learning curve of patent prosecution law, says Daniel Henry at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: January Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five rulings from October and November, and identifies practice tips from cases involving consumer fraud, oil and gas leases, toxic torts, and wage and hour issues.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Judicial Use Informs Guardrails

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Maritza Dominguez Braswell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado discusses why having a sense of how generative AI tools behave, where they add value, where they introduce risk and how they are reshaping the practice of law is key for today's judges.

  • Navigating Battery Validation Risk In The EV Supply Chain

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    Vehicle electrification has moved battery system supply chains from a background component into the center of the automotive universe — and for legal teams, battery validation is now a driver of contractual disputes, regulatory exposure and even shareholder litigation, say Samuel Madden at Secretariat Advisors and Vanessa Miller at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 5 Tips From Ex-SEC Unit Chief

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    My move to private practice has reaffirmed my belief in the value of adaptability, collaboration and strategic thinking — qualities that are essential not only for successful client outcomes, but also for sustained professional satisfaction, says Dabney O’Riordan at Fried Frank.

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