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Appellate

  • September 10, 2025

    Del. Justices Urged To Reverse Ad Co. Note Conversion Nix

    An investor group attorney told three Delaware Supreme Court justices Wednesday that the Court of Chancery wrongly found last year that advertising tech company Vistar Media Inc. had a right to involuntarily cash out millions worth of matured investor notes despite noteholder claims their agreement never allowed the move.

  • September 10, 2025

    Widow Must Repay IRS Refund Interest, US Tells 4th Circ.

    An 80-year-old widow whose husband was imprisoned after hiding more than $20 million from the IRS should have to pay the agency millions of dollars for interest it mistakenly refunded the couple but which they never repaid, the U.S. government told the Fourth Circuit on Wednesday.

  • September 10, 2025

    NJ Justices Will Weigh Eminent Domain Limits In 2 Cases

    The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to hear a pair of cases probing the boundaries of eminent domain powers in the state, with one case exploring if officials can exchange taken land for other property earmarked for public use in a swap with a developer.

  • September 10, 2025

    3rd Circ. Seeks Standing Specifics In Website Tracking MDL

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday challenged both retailers and consumers over so-called session replay software capturing online shoppers' data, wanting to know if a proposed class could be more specific about what "sensitive" information was actually shared by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's and if their stores had any limits on connecting private searches with specific people.

  • September 10, 2025

    SC Residents Ask 4th Circ. To Revive Marsh Development Suit

    A group of South Carolina residents urged the Fourth Circuit to reverse the dismissal of their suit challenging a federal plan to develop tidal marshland that's allegedly already part of a state public trust that bars development.

  • September 10, 2025

    Mass. Justices Reject Former State Senator's Immunity Claim

    Massachusetts' highest court ruled Wednesday that a former state senator is not immune from prosecution for using his State House staff to work on his reelection campaigns in 2018 and 2020.

  • September 10, 2025

    $7M Ida Damage Case Settles Amid 5th Circ. Arbitration Fight

    A New Orleans property owner and its insurers have resolved a dispute over coverage for a $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim, amid a fight over whether the matter belonged in arbitration, the parties told the Fifth Circuit.

  • September 10, 2025

    DC Circ. Temporarily Reinstates Copyright Head After Firing

    The fired head of the U.S. Copyright Office has regained her position for the time being after a split D.C. Circuit faulted a lower court's analysis of whether she would be harmed if she didn't get her job back while fighting the Trump administration's dismissal of her.

  • September 09, 2025

    Barrett Says High Court Must 'Show Its Work' To Gain Trust

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett suggested Tuesday the best way for the court to respond to charges that it's issuing politically motivated rulings is by showing its work, adding that displaying an honest effort to follow the law could help revive the public's trust in the institution.

  • September 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Won't Nix Vimeo IP Loss But Clears Path For Appeal

    The Second Circuit Tuesday mostly rejected Capitol Records' bid to revisit its loss to Vimeo over lip-dub videos set to copyrighted songs, removing a footnote that could've blocked an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but leaving intact their finding that the record labels waived a key liability theory.

  • September 09, 2025

    4th Circ. Debates Whether 'Silence' In 340B Empowers States

    Two states told a Fourth Circuit panel on Tuesday that "silence" in the law governing the federal government's drug discount program permits state enforcers to step in and regulate the delivery of those drugs to their communities.

  • September 09, 2025

    5th Circ. Says ConocoPhillips Can Arbitrate FLSA Suit

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday ruled that a former ConocoPhillips safety consultant must arbitrate claims in his proposed collective action that accuses the oil and natural gas company of not paying overtime wages, saying in an unpublished opinion that the consultant entered into an agreement that incorporated an arbitration provision.

  • September 09, 2025

    Investor Tells Texas Justices UDF Claims Aren't Derivative

    The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday pressed an alternative investment firm to explain how its suit against an adviser to a fund at the center of a $100 million, decadelong Ponzi scheme would not be classified as a derivative action, asking what distinct injury allows the firm to sue individually.

  • September 09, 2025

    DC Circ. Talks 'Hypos' On Maritime Refusal To Deal Challenge

    The D.C. Circuit is set to decide whether a rule that the Federal Maritime Commission passed to deal with COVID-19 supply line shortages allows the agency to engage in illegal rate-setting after spending part of its morning hammering the parties with hypotheticals.

  • September 09, 2025

    6th Circ. Revives Prisoner's Claim Over 'Cold Fan' Punishment

    The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday partially revived a civil rights lawsuit brought by an incarcerated person in Michigan, finding that his First Amendment rights were violated and he was retaliated against for complaining about an industrial fan that blew excessively cold air into his cell.

  • September 09, 2025

    7th Circ. Doubts Proof In Chicago Cop's COVID-19 Death Case

    A Seventh Circuit panel seemed unconvinced Tuesday that a Chicago police officer's widow has enough evidence to go to trial on claims that he contracted COVID-19 and died days later because his superiors never responded to his work accommodation request.

  • September 09, 2025

    Wash. Appeals Court Won't Revive Phish Concert Assault Suit

    A Washington state appeals court declined Tuesday to renew two concert attendees' personal injury suit against Phish and Live Nation after they were injured by rocks during a 2018 show, finding they failed to show the band and venue manager could have foreseen the "random attacks."

  • September 09, 2025

    NFL Insists Ex-Raiders Coach Case Belongs In Arbitration

    The NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell have urged the Nevada Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to keep out of arbitration a lawsuit filed by former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden accusing the league of character assassination, arguing that the current ruling "would have destabilizing consequences" for contract negotiations in a number of industries.

  • September 09, 2025

    Colo. Justices Rule Interest Not Covered By $1M Med Mal Cap

    The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that the state's $1 million cap on medical malpractice damages doesn't encompass certain interest awards when the so-called good cause exception applies, in a suit accusing a doctor of causing a baby's severe brain injury.

  • September 09, 2025

    11th Circ. Won't Rehear Bakery's $15.6M Union Pension Row

    An Eleventh Circuit panel is standing by its decision to make a wholesale bakery pay up to $15.6 million after withdrawing from a union pension fund, saying Tuesday that it won't rehear the case.

  • September 09, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Jarkesy Doesn't Doom OCC Enforcement Action

    A Fifth Circuit panel has upheld industry bans and $250,000 fines against two former top executives of a failed Texas bank, rejecting their bid to overturn an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency enforcement order, finding that the OCC's in-house proceedings and ordered sanctions did not violate the executives' constitutional right to a jury trial.

  • September 09, 2025

    Atty Flashes Weed In NC High Court To Challenge Odor Test

    A defense attorney on Tuesday pulled out a bag of weed in front of North Carolina's seven justices and a courtroom full of sheriffs to illustrate the outcome of letting officers conduct warrantless searches based on the smell of pot alone, saying such a test doesn't work in the age of legalized hemp.

  • September 09, 2025

    Mich. Appeals Court Unsure It Can Force Through Stalled Bills

    A Michigan state appeals court panel wrestled Tuesday with whether courts have the power to compel members of the state's House of Representatives to deliver to the governor legislation that was passed last year by their political opponents.

  • September 09, 2025

    7 Enviro Cases To Watch At The Supreme Court

    The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a slew of environmental cases for the coming term, including jurisdiction disputes in pipeline and pollution cases, a challenge to a Washington state climate change law and Monsanto's bid to undo a $1.2 million weed killer cancer award.

  • September 09, 2025

    Pa. Panel Won't Nix Hospice Co. COVID Infection Suit

    A Pennsylvania Superior Court on Tuesday refused to throw out a suit by an elderly couple alleging a physical therapist and her employer negligently infected them with COVID-19, finding the claims are not blocked by federal health emergency laws.

Expert Analysis

  • Ruling Offers Insurers A Path To Settle Sans Insured Consent

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

  • Rebuttal

    BigLaw Settlements Should Not Spur Ethics Deregulation

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    A recent Law360 op-ed argued that loosening law firm funding restrictions would make BigLaw firms less inclined to settle with the Trump administration, but deregulating legal financing ethics may well prove to be not merely ineffective, but counterproductive, says Laurel Kilgour at the American Economic Liberties Project.

  • 9th Circ. Leaves Scope Of CIPA Applicability Unclear

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    Three recent Ninth Circuit decisions declined to directly address whether all of the California Invasion of Privacy Act's provisions actually apply to internet activity, and given this uncertainty, companies should heed five recommendations when seeking to minimize CIPA litigation risk, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • 5 Ways Lawyers Can Earn Back The Public's Trust

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    Amid salacious headlines about lawyers behaving badly and recent polls showing the public’s increasingly unfavorable view of attorneys, we must make meaningful changes to our culture to rebuild trust in the legal system, says Carl Taylor at Carl Taylor Law.

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