Florida

  • April 05, 2024

    Walmart's Self-Checkout Patents Survive BJ's PTAB Attacks

    Retail chain BJ's Wholesale Club was unable to persuade judges on an administrative patent board to knock out any claims from a pair of patents covering a self-checkout app that Walmart's Sam's Club brand is suing the rival over in Florida federal court.

  • April 05, 2024

    Fla. Men Admit To Illegally Sending Aircraft Parts To Russia

    Two Florida residents pled guilty this week in Arizona to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act by illegally exporting controlled aviation technology to Russia.

  • April 05, 2024

    Sprint's $4.5M Nextel Trademark Win Upheld At 11th Circ.

    Sprint Communications Inc. maintained a trademark on its line of walkie-talkie devices and deserved a $4.5 million jury award against an imitator for its unlawful use of the device name and distinctive "chirp" noise, according to an Eleventh Circuit panel ruling.

  • April 05, 2024

    IP Firm Sues Florida Attorney For Using Soundalike Name

    Georgia-based intellectual property firm Bekiares Eliezer LLP has sued an attorney in Florida federal court, alleging he marketed his services with a name similar to its "Founders Legal" brand.

  • April 05, 2024

    11th Circ. Backs Auto Co.'s Win In Disability Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has refused to reinstate a worker's suit accusing an auto parts manufacturer of firing him because of his gastrointestinal issues, saying he couldn't rebut the company's argument that he was fired for falling asleep at work.

  • April 04, 2024

    Judge Punts 'Warning Shot' Condo Sale Bid In Giuliani Ch. 11

    A New York bankruptcy judge held off on deciding if Rudy Giuliani must sell his Florida condo Thursday, cautioning attorneys for the former New York City mayor that the official committee of unsecured creditors might take more extreme steps in the Chapter 11 case if its concerns over Giuliani's expenses aren't addressed.

  • April 04, 2024

    Fla. Judge Won't Dismiss Suit Claiming Restaurant EB-5 Fraud

    A Florida state judge on Thursday declined to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a Miami restaurant group of mismanaging immigrant investors' funds, finding that the investors had successfully alleged fraud against the former manager of the investment company.

  • April 04, 2024

    Jury Clears Exec From Penalties In Captive Insurance Case

    An insurance executive and three of his companies won't face tax penalties for promoting an illegitimate insurance arrangement, a Florida federal jury ruled Thursday.

  • April 04, 2024

    Crypto Bank, Chair Blast FTX Investors' 'Gatling Gun' Claims

    A crypto bank and its chairman have urged a Florida federal judge to toss a second amended complaint from FTX investors alleging they helped Sam Bankman-Fried abscond with $8 billion in customer assets, saying the investors "employ a Gatling gun approach to pleading."

  • April 04, 2024

    Texts Were Intentionally Deleted In Hotel Suit, Investors Say

    Two investors have urged a Florida state court to impose severe penalties on the managers of a hotel enterprise after WhatsApp text messages in a $15 million lawsuit were allegedly deleted intentionally, saying the communications were critical to proving that their equity interests were wrongly taken from them.

  • April 04, 2024

    BitMEX Can't Ax Investor Suit After 2nd Circ.'s Binance Ruling

    A New York federal judge has refused to toss a proposed class action accusing cryptocurrency platform BitMEX and its executives of using their "God access" to customer accounts to manipulate trades and liquidate the accounts, finding that under the Second Circuit's recent Binance ruling, the transactions occurred in the U.S.

  • April 04, 2024

    Judge Axes Experts In Chiquita MDL, With More On The Way

    A Florida federal judge presiding over a long-running multidistrict litigation against Chiquita Brands rejected expert witnesses offered by both Chiquita and plaintiffs who accuse the banana grower of financially supporting a defunct Colombian paramilitary group that allegedly killed their relatives.

  • April 04, 2024

    Higher Ed Groups Warn Of 'Radical Shift' In Suicide Liability

    Four colleges and a slew of higher education advocacy groups have urged the Eleventh Circuit to reject an argument that Atlanta's Emory University should be liable for the suicide of a student, warning that a ruling against the school could bring about a "radical shift" in the university-student relationship.

  • April 04, 2024

    Ex-BigLaw Atty's Defamation Injunction Bid Meets Skepticism

    The Florida federal judge overseeing a $150 million defamation case between an ex-Greenberg Traurig LLP partner and a social media personality accused of mounting a harassment campaign against him declined, for now, to issue an injunction against alleged cyberstalking and indicated the petition may be better suited for state court.

  • April 04, 2024

    W.Va. Plaintiff Drops Telemarketing Claim Against Fla. Firm

    A West Virginia woman who alleged in a putative class action that law firms had bombarded her and others with unwanted legal advertising phone calls has announced a joint dismissal with one of the firms involved.

  • April 04, 2024

    Trump Can't Duck Secret Doc Charges On Immunity Grounds

    The Florida federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against Donald Trump rejected his bid Thursday to dismiss the criminal indictment against him, saying the charges don't make any reference to the Presidential Records Act that the former president said grants him immunity.

  • April 04, 2024

    HK Lender Gets $8M Arbitral Awards Against Fla. Atty OK'd

    A Florida federal court has ruled to confirm and enforce international arbitral awards totaling more than $8 million against a Florida attorney and his longtime client, finding the pair should have opposed the awards favoring a Hong Kong-based lender no more than three months after the case wrapped up in 2019.

  • April 04, 2024

    MV Realty Abusing Ch. 11 Process, Bankruptcy Court Told

    State prosecutors, federal agencies and consumer advocates have told a Florida bankruptcy judge that MV Realty is using the Chapter 11 process to avoid enforcement and enshrine a set of predatory agreements designed to extract millions in junk fees from homeowners over the next 40 years.

  • April 04, 2024

    Ex-CEO Reaches Legal Fee Agreement With Trump-Tied SPAC

    A Delaware vice chancellor has signed off on an agreement between Donald Trump-tied Digital World Acquisition Corp. and its former CEO to have the venture pay his legal costs related to federal probes and litigation in multiple states.

  • April 04, 2024

    Surfside, Fla., Condo Collapse Victims To Get Additional $4.8M

    A Florida judge signed off Thursday on an additional $4.8 million distribution to the victims of the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium after the receiver overseeing the defunct condominium association told the court the association had fewer financial obligations and tax liabilities than expected. 

  • April 03, 2024

    Israel-Hamas War No Excuse To Skip Discovery: Ch. 11 Judge

    A Florida bankruptcy judge on Wednesday penalized an Israeli creditor pursuing a roughly $13 million Chapter 11 claim against a California-based air purifier maker, finding the conflict between Israel and Hamas is not a valid excuse for repeatedly missing discovery deadlines.

  • April 03, 2024

    Fla. Magistrate Nixes Recusal Bid In CBD Co. Securities Suit

    A Florida federal magistrate judge has shot down an effort to have her disqualified from a securities fraud case against a CBD company for remarks she allegedly made during a March settlement conference, saying the plaintiffs' arguments in favor of recusal were "legally insufficient" to establish bias.

  • April 03, 2024

    Microsoft Notches Fed. Circ. Win In 3D Imaging Patent Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed a ruling from an administrative tribunal that wiped out most of a patent issued to a Florida radiologist and his ex-Lockheed Martin business partner, whose company is suing Microsoft over its line of HoloLens AR headsets.

  • April 03, 2024

    FIS Didn't Lie To Itself About Short-Lived Merger, Execs Say

    Fidelity National's top brass recently urged a Florida federal court to toss an investor's lawsuit over a $46 billion market cap drop resulting from spinning off a payment business it had acquired a few years prior, arguing the company can't "be deceived by its own statements," which a pension fund alleged artificially inflated share prices.

  • April 03, 2024

    Bank Wraps Up Ex-VP's Age Discrimination Suit

    A community bank reached an agreement with a former senior vice president to end his age bias lawsuit accusing the bank of forcing him into a rigorous interview process and then replacing him with someone 20 years his junior, the parties told a Florida federal court Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Ghosting In BigLaw: How To Come Back From Lack Of Feedback

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    Junior associates can feel powerless when senior colleagues cut off contact instead of providing useful feedback, but young attorneys can get back on track by focusing on practical professional development and reexamining their career priorities, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.

  • Opinion

    Thoughts On Prosecutorial Discretion After Trump Indictments

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    Prosecutorial best practices and a look at the alleged offenses show that the criminal charges against former President Donald Trump in the hush-money and classified document cases are ill-advised — and threaten to erode the separation between the criminal justice system and the political process, says Scott Coffina at Pietragallo Gordon.

  • Would Biden Airline Service Order Raise 'Major Questions'?

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    President Joe Biden's recent pledge to require airlines to compensate passengers for delays and cancellations could run afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court's recently expounded "major questions" doctrine — but that will depend on what kind of action the administration takes, and how federal courts choose to apply the doctrine, says Roger Clark at Signature Resolution.

  • Opinion

    States Must Fight Predatory Real Estate Listing Agreements

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    As momentum against long-term real estate listing agreements continues to grow, states should take action to render existing agreements unenforceable and discourage future unfair and deceptive trade practices in real estate, says Elizabeth Blosser at the American Land Title Association.

  • Steps To Success For Senior Associates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Adriana Paris at Rissman Barrett discusses the increased responsibilities and opportunities that becoming a senior associate brings and what attorneys in this role should prioritize to flourish in this stressful but rewarding next level in their careers.

  • How To Avoid A Zombie Office Building Apocalypse

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    With national office vacancy rates approaching 20%, policymakers, investors and developers will need to come together in order to prevent this troubling trend from sucking the life out of business districts or contaminating the broader real estate market, say Ryan Sommers and Robyn Minter Smyers at Thompson Hine.

  • Legal Profession Must Do More For Lawyers With Disabilities

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    At the start of Disability Pride month, Rosalyn Richter at Arnold & Porter looks at why lawyers with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in private practice, asserting that law firms and other employers must do more to conquer the implicit bias that deters attorneys from seeking accommodations.

  • Scope Of Fla. Anti-ESG Law: What We Know And Don't Know

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    Florida's ambitious new law restricting the use of ESG factors takes effect July 1, and even businesses not directly affected should study H.B. 3, as it may be the harbinger of more expansive restrictions to come in Florida and elsewhere, says Bessie Daschbach at Hinshaw.

  • NBA Players Must Avoid Legal Fouls In CBD Deals

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    The NBA’s recently ratified collective bargaining agreement allows athletes to promote CBD brands and products, but athletes and the companies they promote must be cautious of a complex patchwork of applicable state laws and federal regulators’ approach to advertising claims, says Airina Rodrigues at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • PGA, LIV Tie-Up Might Foreshadow Future Of Women's Soccer

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    The pending merger between PGA Tour and LIV Golf is entirely consistent with the history of American professional sports leagues that faced upstart competitors, and is a warning about the forthcoming competition between the National Women's Soccer League and the USL Super League, says Christopher Deubert at Constangy Brooks.

  • Justices' Retrial Ruling Will Be Key In Complex Venue Cases

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Smith v. U.S. decision, holding that defendants first tried in an improper venue may be reprosecuted in a different jurisdiction, raises several issues for criminal cases involving complex venue questions, particularly those concerning the use of technology or products located in different districts, says Matthew Koerner at Perkins Coie.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Pass Bipartisan Immigration Reform Bill

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    By reforming visa allocation, expediting asylum processing, creating new employment visas and creating a path forward for individuals lacking permanent legal status, the recently introduced Dignity Act presents an opportunity for much-needed reform and deserves support from both sides of the aisle, says Laura Reiff at Greenberg Traurig.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Exposing Their Firms To Cyberattacks

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    Attorneys are the weakest link in their firms' cyberdefenses because hackers often exploit the gap between individuals’ work and personal cybersecurity habits, but there are some steps lawyers can take to reduce the risks they create for their employers, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy & Protection.

  • What's Notable In Fla. Data Privacy Law Targeting Big Tech

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    The recently enacted Florida Digital Bill of Rights seems aimed at Google, Amazon and Apple, but service providers for these companies may still find themselves assisting with FDBR compliance and should be aware of the law's high applicability bar, exemptions and other requirements, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Foreign Investment In Real Estate Is Getting More Complicated

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    Increasing federal scrutiny and a proliferation of new state laws targeting foreign investment in real estate may complicate or prevent transactions even by U.S. companies or funds that have shareholders or limited partners from China and other countries of concern, say attorneys at Akin.

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