Ƶ

Appellate

  • September 11, 2025

    4th Circ. Uneasy Weighing SSA Data Case After Justices' Stay

    The full Fourth Circuit on Thursday seemed inclined to maintain the government's access to U.S. Social Security Administration records since the U.S. Supreme Court granted the same relief in an emergency order, but also noted that the justices left them bereft of a blueprint for evaluating the merits of that access.

  • September 11, 2025

    Khalil Asks 3rd Circ. To Affirm His Release From ICE Detention

    Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-Palestinian activist whom immigration officials are seeking to deport, urged the Third Circuit on Wednesday to affirm his release from immigration detention, saying a lower court got it right in several decisions that led to his release.

  • September 11, 2025

    Trump Wants Fed Gov. Cook Out Before Next Rate Meeting

    The Trump administration asked the D.C. Circuit Thursday to halt a preliminary injunction barring the removal of Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, urging the appellate court to fast-track its decision in an effort to block Cook from participating in a meeting regarding interest rates next week.

  • September 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Says News Article Doesn't Doom Biotronik FCA Suit

    The Ninth Circuit revived a False Claims Act suit alleging that Biotronik orchestrated an illicit compensation scheme to boost the implantation of its cardiac devices in patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, saying the whistleblower's complaint presents new information that is not barred by fraud allegations disclosed in an earlier news article.

  • September 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Papa John's Founder's Ex-PR Can't Arbitrate

    The Sixth Circuit ruled Wednesday that a marketing agency Papa John's founder and former CEO accused of leaking comments that led to his resignation from the pizza company's board cannot ship his lawsuit to arbitration, saying in a published opinion that the agency had defaulted on its arbitration rights.

  • September 11, 2025

    Medicare Drug Pricing Plan Survives Novartis' 3rd Circ. Appeal

    The Third Circuit ruled Thursday that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' ability to negotiate "maximum fair prices" with drugmakers doesn't violate their constitutional rights, rejecting an argument by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. that the practice amounted to a raw deal for the pharmaceutical industry.

  • September 11, 2025

    Texas Justices Debate When Eco-Devo Public Purposes End

    Texas Supreme Court justices seemed hesitant Thursday to give JPMorgan Chase Bank NA a green light to continue collecting payments on a $10 million economic development loan for a project that went belly up, asking what public purpose the payments would serve.

  • September 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs Toss Of Suit Over Alleged Jif Contamination

    A Sixth Circuit panel affirmed a lower court win for J.M. Smucker Co. on Wednesday, saying customers in a proposed class action over a Jif peanut butter recall lacked proof that their specific items were contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

  • September 11, 2025

    1st Circ. OKs Freeze Of Planned Parenthood Medicaid Funding

    The First Circuit on Thursday allowed the Trump administration to halt Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood and its affiliates, pausing a pair of lower court rulings that had blocked the funding cut.

  • September 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives 'Beauty' FX Copyright Verdict Against Disney

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived a verdict that Walt Disney Pictures vicariously infringed a digital effects company's facial-motion capture software by using it for the 2017 "Beauty and the Beast" film, saying the tech company presented sufficient evidence for jurors to find Disney could have stopped its effects contractor's infringement.

  • September 11, 2025

    Moelis Says Pact Spurring Del. Corp. Law Rework Is Lawful

    Attorneys for Moelis & Co. have told Delaware's justices that a stockholder agreement that solidified Ken Moelis' control of the investment bank was either valid or lawfully obtainable by other means before the Court of Chancery struck it down last year, with time to challenge key provisions long since expired.

  • September 11, 2025

    Russia To Seek Guidance From Justices In $50B Award Suit

    Russia said Thursday it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a D.C. Circuit decision reviving its bid to escape litigation to enforce $50 billion in arbitral awards against it, arguing the appellate decision "cements an irreconcilable conflict" with the Second and Fifth circuits.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insulin Makers Ask 2nd Circ. To Rethink Collusion Claims

    Sanofi-Aventis US, Eli Lilly & Co., Novo Nordisk Inc. and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP are asking for a rehearing after a Second Circuit panel revived a proposed class action from safety-net hospitals and clinics accusing the companies of increasing insulin drug costs by agreeing to limit participation in a discount program.

  • September 11, 2025

    11th Circ. Seeks Additional Briefing In Mortality Table Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has requested additional briefing on what the term "actuarial equivalence" meant when the Employee Retirement Income Security Act was enacted in an appeal by married utility company retirees who filed a class suit claiming their pension benefits were lowballed due to outdated mortality tables used in conversions.

  • September 11, 2025

    3rd Circ. Won't Toss Talc Co. Whittaker Clark & Daniels' Ch. 11

    Defunct talc supplier Whittaker Clark & Daniels properly filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2023 and its bankruptcy case should not be dismissed, the Third Circuit has ruled, siding against talc claimants who argued the company already being in receivership precluded it from filing for bankruptcy.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insurers Claim 'Collusion' In Ga. School's $345M Abuse Deal

    Five insurance companies urged the Georgia Court of Appeals Thursday to let them off the hook for a $345 million settlement between a private school and nearly two dozen men who said they were sexually abused as students, alleging the deal was "tainted by collusion" and well outside the bounds of their respective policies.

  • September 11, 2025

    Ga. Panel Sends Officer Crash Suit Back For Notice Review

    The Georgia Court of Appeals Thursday said a trial court must reconsider whether a woman who sued the city of Savannah after a police officer allegedly injured her by causing her husband's motorcycle to topple sideways provided the city with an adequate ante litem notice.

  • September 11, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs $183M FCA Award Over Eli Lilly Drug Rebates

    The Seventh Circuit refused on Thursday to unwind a whistleblower's $183 million trial win against Eli Lilly in a false claims case targeting more than a decade of drug rebate miscalculations, saying a jury reasonably found that the company knowingly "hid the truth" about how much it charged for Medicaid-covered drugs.

  • September 11, 2025

    Panel Says $4.5M Wrongful Death Award Lacked Evidence

    A panel of the Michigan state appeals court on Wednesday undid a $4.5 million default judgment against a bus driver who ran over a man in Detroit, finding the estate of the man did not provide enough evidence to support the damages amount.

  • September 11, 2025

    Texas Justices Wary Of Letting Developers Out Of $75M Bond

    Texas Supreme Court justices seemed hesitant Thursday to buy an argument from Greystar Development & Construction LP that it and other defendants on the hook for a $406 million judgment only need to collectively pay a $25 million bond for their appeal, saying the statute seemingly compels each individual defendant to pony up.

  • September 11, 2025

    Ga. Law Bars Broad Media Access To Executions, Court Told

    Georgia officials Thursday told a state appellate court it should reject a nonprofit news organization's bid to force greater media access to executions, arguing the outlet is trying to rely on the type of third-party standing that was scrapped earlier this year by the state's Supreme Court.

  • September 11, 2025

    NC Justices Ponder How Much Of Firm Value Atty's Ex Gets

    North Carolina's top court hinted Thursday that a solo attorney's ex-wife may be able to claim at least a morsel of his law firm's worth in their divorce, as the justices pondered whether to draw a distinction between two types of business value known as personal and enterprise goodwill.

  • September 11, 2025

    BofA Wants Quick 4th Circ. Appeal In 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

    Bank of America wants to appeal a North Carolina federal court's denial of its dismissal bid in a proposed class action filed on behalf of 401(k) participants alleging the bank misspent forfeitures from workers' retirement plan.

  • September 11, 2025

    23 States Back High Court Stay Of FTC Dem's Reinstatement

    Florida and 22 other states have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to grant the Trump administration's request to block a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission from serving on the commission while she challenges her firing.

  • September 11, 2025

    LifePoint Must Face Workers' 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action against LifePoint Health Inc. from participants in the healthcare company's employee 401(k) plan who alleged their retirement savings were dragged down by excessive recordkeeping and administrative fees, concluding allegations were sufficiently backed up to proceed to discovery.

Expert Analysis

  • How 6th Circ. Ruling Deepens Split On Broker Liability

    Author Photo

    A growing divide in Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act jurisprudence is ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, after the Sixth Circuit last month found in Cox v. Total Quality Logistics that brokers can be held liable for negligent hiring, says Gregory Reed at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Trending At The PTAB: IPR Memo And Its Fed. Circ. Backdrop

    Author Photo

    There are new rules for when and how evidence other than patents or printed publications can be considered in inter partes reviews, and while this change is intended to reflect current Federal Circuit precedent, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's memo seems to acknowledge tension with last month's Shockwave decision, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Calif. Arbitration Fee Ruling Gives Employers Slight Leeway

    Author Photo

    The California Supreme Court's decision in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County offers a narrow lifeline that protects employers from losing arbitration rights over inadvertent fee payment delays, but auditing arbitration agreements and implementing payment tracking protocols can ensure that deadlines are always met, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Ruling Offers Insurers A Path To Settle Sans Insured Consent

    Author Photo

    A recent North Carolina federal court ruling, Martin Marietta Materials v. Ace, joins other states in holding that an insurer may consider its own interests in settlement negotiations, outlining a strong strategy for insurers faced with an uncooperative insured and the threat of a large verdict, say attorneys at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Lessons From 7th Circ.'s Deleted Chat Sanctions Ruling

    Author Photo

    The Seventh Circuit’s recent decision in Pable v. Chicago Transit Authority, affirming the dismissal of an ex-employee’s retaliation claims, highlights the importance of properly handling the preservation of ephemeral messages and clarifies key sanctions issues, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • Adapting To USPTO's Tighter Inter Partes Review Rules

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent pivot regarding how it will address general knowledge in inter partes review petitions presents immediate strategic implications for petitioners, patent owners and litigants watching the contours of Patent Trial and Appeal Board practice, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Series

    Quilting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Turning intricate patterns of fabric and thread into quilts has taught me that craftsmanship, creative problem-solving and dedication to incremental progress are essential to creating something lasting that will help another person — just like in law, says Veronica McMillan at Kramon & Graham.

  • 3rd Circ. FMLA Suit Revival Offers Notice Rule Lessons

    Author Photo

    In Walker v. SEPTA, the Third Circuit reinstated a former Philadelphia bus driver's Family and Medical Leave Act lawsuit, finding the notice standard is not particularly onerous, which underscores employers' responsibilities to recognize and document leave requests, and to avoid penalizing workers for protected absences, say Fiona Ong and Leah Shepherd at Ogletree.

  • Utility Agency Suits May Rise As Calif. Justices Nix Deference

    Author Photo

    A recent California Supreme Court ruling rejecting the uniquely deferential standard of review accorded to California Public Utilities Commission decisions interpreting the Public Utilities Code will incentivize more litigation against the agency, as long as litigants can show their challenges meet certain requirements, says Thaila Sundaresan at Davis Wright.

  • 2 Appellate Rulings Offer Clickwrap Enforcement Road Map

    Author Photo

    Two recent decisions from the Fourth and Eleventh Circuits in cases involving Experian signal that federal appellate courts are recognizing clickwrap agreements' power in spite of their simplicity, and offer practical advice on how companies can sufficiently demonstrate notice and assent when attempting to enforce contractual terms, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • Fleeing Or Just Leaving Quickly? 2nd Circ. Says It Depends

    Author Photo

    The Second Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Bardakova decision adopted a new approach for determining whether a defendant who commits a crime in the U.S., and then leaves and remains abroad, intends to avoid prosecution — making it more difficult to argue against the fugitive disentitlement doctrine in most cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • What 2 Profs Noticed As Transactional Law Students Used AI

    Author Photo

    After a semester using generative artificial intelligence tools with students in an entrepreneurship law clinic, we came away with numerous observations about the opportunities and challenges such tools present to new transactional lawyers, say professors at Cornell Law School.

  • What Patent Claim 'Invalidity' Means In Different Forums

    Author Photo

    A recent Federal Circuit order allowing a patent suit to proceed despite similar claims being invalidated in an inter partes review underscores how fractured the patent litigation landscape has become, leading to critical nuances in how district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission and Patent Trial and Appeal Board treat invalidity, says Jason Hoffman at BakerHostetler.

  • Reel Justice: 'Eddington' Spotlights Social Media Evidence

    Author Photo

    In the neo-Western black comedy “Eddington” released last month, social media is a character unto itself, highlighting how the boundaries between digital and real-world conduct can become blurred, thereby posing evidentiary challenges in criminal prosecutions, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • 8th Circ. Rulings Show Employer ADA Risks In Fitness Tests

    Author Photo

    Two recent Eighth Circuit decisions reviving lawsuits brought by former Union Pacific employees offer guidance for navigating compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, serving as a cautionary tale for employers that use broad fitness-for-duty screening programs and highlighting the importance of individualized assessments, says Masood Ali at Segal McCambridge.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Appellate archive.