A Seventh Circuit opinion has convinced the Fifth Circuit to reverse its decision forcing Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. to face a lawsuit over burn injuries a man suffered when one of the company's batteries exploded in his pocket, suggesting the company didn't do a great job making its case the first time around.
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

5th Circ. Finds 'Truffle,' Reverses Samsung Battery Suit

By Jonathan Capriel

A Seventh Circuit opinion has convinced the Fifth Circuit to reverse its decision forcing Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. to face a lawsuit over burn injuries a man suffered when one of the company's batteries exploded in his pocket, suggesting the company didn't do a great job making its case the first time around.

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Judge Temporarily Blocks German Patent Case Against BMW

By Elliot Weld

A Texas federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against a patent company from pursuing legal action against carmaker BMW in German court, after BMW said the company was making an "unprecedented" legal move by pursuing an injunction in German court related to U.S. patents.

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Analysis

The Top Trademark Decisions Of 2025

By Theresa Schliep

The U.S. Supreme Court vacated a trademark infringement award that reached nearly $47 million and found nonparties couldn't be on the hook for the amount, while the Federal Circuit reproached a trademark tribunal for its handling of a man's attempt to register the F-word. Here are Law360's picks for the biggest trademark decisions of 2025.

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ENFORCEMENT

Ex-Goldman Banker Can't Dodge Ghana Bribery Charges

By Stewart Bishop

A New York federal judge on Wednesday shot down a former Goldman Sachs banker's bid to escape charges over a purported scheme to bribe Ghanaian officials to greenlight a power plant deal, rejecting defense claims of improper sealing and speedy trial violations.

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Brief

Convicted Oil Trader Will Appeal 15-Month FCPA Sentence

By Brian Steele

A former Freepoint Commodities LLC and Arcadia Fuels Ltd. oil trader has told a federal court that he intends to appeal his 15-month prison sentence and $300,000 fine after a jury found him guilty of bribing an official at Brazilian oil giant Petroleo Brasileiro SA.

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LITIGATION

Justices Asked To Hear $50M Zimbabwe Immunity Feud

By Caroline Simson

Two Mauritian mining companies are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve whether countries that agree to arbitrate an international dispute are also waiving their right to assert sovereign immunity in subsequent litigation to recognize a foreign judgment confirming an arbitral award.

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Trade Court OKs Commerce's Moroccan Fertilizer Duty Redo

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Department of Commerce correctly subjected phosphate fertilizer from a Moroccan exporter to a slightly lower duty rate in a revised determination after its initial result was remanded for a procedural error, according to a recent opinion by the U.S. Court of International Trade.

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Court Remands Commerce Ruling On Vietnam Steel Duties

By Kevin Pinner

The U.S. Department of Commerce did not properly substantiate its 2023 findings that imports of Vietnamese steel products were flouting duties imposed on South Korea, India and China, the U.S. Court of International Trade said, remanding the agency's determinations.

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Trade Court Remands Pipe Fitting Duty Scope For 2nd Time

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. must better explain how it deemed certain products outside the scope of a 30-year-old antidumping duty order on Chinese pipe fittings for a second time, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled, finding the government's analysis insufficient.

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Judge Tosses Suit Fighting Rail Project's Buy America Waiver

By Tom Lotshaw

A D.C. federal judge said an Alstom unit had no viable path to challenge a Buy America waiver allowing a Siemens unit to supply trains for Brightline West's high-speed passenger rail project linking Las Vegas and Southern California.

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CORRECTED: Trade Court Nixes Injunction In Trump Tariff Suit

By Dylan Moroses

The U.S. Court of International Trade has denied a preliminary injunction in a suit challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs after auto part retailers failed to convince the court that the relief was necessary to preserve their potential right to refunds.

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EXPERT ANALYSIS

Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

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LEGAL INDUSTRY

Surveys, Awards & More: Law360's 2026 Editorial Calendar

Law360 publishes several award series throughout the year, including ones that highlight top-performing attorneys and practice groups. Here, find all you need to know about our awards and surveys, including due dates, FAQs, and the questions we'll ask so you can prepare ahead of time.

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Bonus Spotlight

Bonus News: Glenn Agre, Bursor & Fisher Reveal 2025 Levels

By Andrea Keckley

Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP told its associates in a memo last week that it would be issuing year-end bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $115,000 and special bonuses ranging from $6,000 to $25,000 based on seniority, with the chance to receive premiums above the year-end bonuses based on "​​extraordinary dedication and/or performance."

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Jackson Walker Wants Settlements Heard Before Romance Trial

By Adrian Cruz

Following a Texas federal judge's decision to hold off on reviewing malpractice settlements with former bankruptcy clients, Jackson Walker LLP asked the court to reconsider, as the pending motions could save parties time and money.

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Analysis

Circuit-By-Circuit Guide To 2025's Most Memorable Moments

By Jeff Overley

Federal circuit courts in 2025 strained under a crush of Trump administration lawsuits, as judges directed animated language at litigants and even their fellow judges. And while the president only added a handful of appellate jurists, they had outsize impacts on circuit benches as they joined the cadre of conservatives seated in his first term.

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CFTC's Pham Will Head To Crypto Co. MoonPay After Exit

By Aislinn Keely

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's acting Chair Caroline Pham is set to join cryptocurrency payments firm MoonPay as its top lawyer following her impending departure from the commission, MoonPay announced Wednesday.

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Sterne Kessler Draws Scolding, But No Sanctions Midtrial

By Elliot Weld

A Delaware federal judge said Wednesday she wasn't happy with the tone used by attorneys defending a radiopharmaceutical company from patent infringement claims and that she does not condone the attorneys' conduct in improperly contacting three inventors named in a patent at issue, but she declined to issue the severe sanction of kicking them off the case.

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After Questioning Judge Nominee, Sen. Kennedy Wants More

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Wednesday pressed a judicial nominee for Indiana on statements he's made as an ordained elder on sexuality and marriage.

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Judge's Contact With 'Tiger King' Ex-Atty Won't Disqualify Him

By Ivan Moreno

A Tenth Circuit judge on a panel reviewing a copyright infringement claim against Netflix over a video clip included in its "Tiger King" docuseries can stay on the case after inadvertently contacting a former attorney for the plaintiffs, the parties told the appellate court in separate letters.

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Pentagon Must Justify JAG Firings Under New NDAA

By Courtney Bublé

Under the annual defense policy bill that was sent to the president's desk on Wednesday, the Pentagon will have to explain its firings of military lawyers — a provision that comes after the Trump administration controversially dismissed its top military lawyers at the beginning of the year.

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Feature

The Spiciest Quotes From Massachusetts Courts In 2025

By Chris Villani

Massachusetts courts were replete with high-stakes cases throughout the year, with memorable lines from lawyers and judges alike, including jabs, thoughtful reflections and one defendant "blinded by love."

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Promo that reads 2025 MVPs Promo that reads Law360 Pulse Compensation Report

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

ArentFox Schiff

Arnold & Porter

Boies Schiller

Bursor & Fisher

Caldwell Cassady

Caldwell Law Office

Covington & Burling

Crowell & Moring

Debevoise & Plimpton

Finnegan

GST LLP

Gibson Dunn

Glenn Agre

Gupta Wessler

HSF Kramer

Holwell Shuster

Irell & Manella

Jackson Walker LLP

Jones Day

Kirkland & Ellis

Knobbe Martens

Koffsky & Felsen

Kroger Gardis

Latham & Watkins

Libby Hoopes

McCarter & English

McDonald Carano

Mitchell Silberberg

Morrison & Foerster

Neville Peterson

Norton Rose

Paul Weiss

Peiffer Wolf

Quarles & Brady

Rusty Hardin

Squire Patton

Stearns Weaver

Steptoe LLP

Sterne Kessler

Stranch Jennings

Thompson Coe

Troutman

WilmerHale

Winton & Chapman

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

AT&T Inc.

Above the Law

Advanced Accelerator Applications SA

Alstom SA

American Bar Association

American Petroleum Institute Inc.

Apple Inc.

BP PLC

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

Burke Inc.

Citigroup Inc.

Eicher Motors Ltd.

Exxon Mobil Corp.

Freepoint Commodities LLC

Google LLC

Honeywell International Inc.

Instagram Inc.

Jack Daniel's Properties Inc.

Johnson & Johnson

LG Chem Ltd.

Lantheus Holdings Inc.

Learning Resources Inc.

Major League Baseball Inc.

Meta Platforms Inc.

Mosaic

Motorola Mobility LLC

NFL Enterprises LLC

Netflix Inc.

Oregon Catholic Press

Petrobras

Reddit Inc.

SAP AG

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

SeAH Steel

Shell PLC

Southwest Airlines Co.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

The Mosaic Co.

TikTok Inc.

Verizon Communications Inc.

YouTube Inc.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Executive Office of the President

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Railroad Administration

Federal Trade Commission

International Chamber of Commerce

International Trade Commission

Interpol

Judicial Conference of the United States

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

National Institutes of Health

National Labor Relations Board

New York Department of Financial Services

U.S. Army

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District & Bankruptcy Courts of Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut

U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

U.S. Senate

U.S. Supreme Court

United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana