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Appellate

  • September 30, 2025

    Court Must Address Bad Lawyering In Case Of Assaulted Cop

    A man who was sentenced to up to five years in prison for assaulting a police officer should have had his ineffective-counsel arguments addressed, the Georgia Court of Appeals has ruled, vacating the denial of his request for a new trial.

  • September 30, 2025

    Del. Justices Won't Revive Gellert Seitz Malpractice Case

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a homebuilder's bid to revive its legal malpractice suit against Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC over damages the builder said it suffered due to the firm's negligence in loan restructuring disputes with a bank.

  • September 30, 2025

    Hospital Urges Justices To Review 7th Circ. Medicaid Ruling

    A Chicago hospital urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up its petition for review of a Seventh Circuit ruling that had shut down its suit against the state of Illinois seeking enforcement of timely Medicaid payments, saying it's an "excellent opportunity" to address "resulting uncertainties" after a recent ruling against Planned Parenthood.

  • September 30, 2025

    Law Professors, Tech Groups Back ROSS In Westlaw IP Fight

    A tech startup appealing an adverse fair use ruling to the Third Circuit has received nearly a dozen briefs in support of its position that it did not infringe copyrighted material from Thomson Reuters' Westlaw platform to create a competing legal research tool driven by artificial intelligence.

  • September 30, 2025

    Seton Hall Whistleblower Case Is Returned To Essex County

    A New Jersey state trial court has moved a contentious whistleblower case between Seton Hall University and the school's former president back to Essex County after it was transferred to Hudson County to avoid a potential conflict of interest.

  • September 30, 2025

    Ga. Panel Won't Nix $4M Verdict In Toddler Death Suit

    A Georgia appeals court will not vacate a $4 million verdict awarded to parents who allege their 15-month-old child died because his physician did not consider that he might have swallowed a foreign object, rejecting the doctor's argument that the plaintiffs' expert was not reliable in his opinion.

  • September 30, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Trump, Baker McKenzie

    In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 reports the latest updates in President Donald Trump's suits against major news organizations over their reporting on his presidency and relationships, as well as developments in a voting machine company's suit against MyPillow's CEO over election-rigging claims.

  • September 30, 2025

    Undercover Cop's Nonwhite 'Bitmoji' May Be Bias, Court Says

    A Massachusetts police department's use of a nonwhite "bitmoji" avatar while conducting gang surveillance on Snapchat could reasonably be viewed as selective enforcement, the state's high court said on Tuesday, in a case being watched by a coalition of criminal justice, civil liberties and privacy advocates.

  • September 29, 2025

    Supreme Court Considers 7 Patent Petitions

    The U.S. Supreme Court held its first conference Monday, presenting the justices with several petitions of interest to patent practitioners before the court's new term kicks off next week.

  • September 29, 2025

    Trump Can Cut Ed Dept.'s Civil Rights Staff, 1st Circ. Rules

    The Trump administration can proceed with plans to cut certain jobs at the U.S. Department of Education after the First Circuit on Monday halted a Massachusetts federal judge's injunction that the federal government had argued showed "disregard" to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

  • September 29, 2025

    Ƶ Union Asks DC Circ. To Rehear Injunction Ruling

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's worker union on Monday urged the full D.C. Circuit to come to the rescue of an injunction that has blocked the Trump administration from enacting sweeping cuts at the agency, warning the regulator's continued existence is at stake.

  • September 29, 2025

    Colo. High Court Upholds Habitual Criminal Sentencing Law

    The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that the state's habitual sentencing statute, which allows more severe penalties for repeat offenders, complies with 2024 U.S. high court precedent as long as a jury, not a judge, looks at the defendant's criminal history.

  • September 29, 2025

    NJ Court Backs Sentence Enhancement For Domestic Abuse

    A New Jersey appeals court panel on Monday ruled in a matter of first impression that applying a sentencing enhancement for repeat domestic violence offenders is not "double counting" the latest offense, rebuffing a man's attempt to reduce his sentence for assaulting his girlfriend.

  • September 29, 2025

    NJ Panel Rejects Suit Over Deadly Warehouse Fire

    A New Jersey appellate court on Monday backed the dismissal of a proposed class action that was filed over a deadly December 2021 fire in a Hoboken commercial warehouse that killed two people.

  • September 29, 2025

    4th Circ. Rejects NCAA's Bid To Expedite Eligibility Appeal

    The Fourth Circuit declined to fast track the briefing in an appeal of an injunction that paused the NCAA's eligibility rules and gave four West Virginia University athletes another year to play football.

  • September 29, 2025

    Ga. Panel Says Insurer Not Liable For Fees In $1.5M Case

    The Georgia Court of Appeals said a trial court rightly refused to make Allstate pay attorney fees after rejecting a settlement offer from a man who was later awarded $1.5 million for crash injuries, saying the award "was not warranted" because the insurer wasn't a named party at trial.

  • September 29, 2025

    6 Copyright, TM Cases On Tap As Justices Begin New Term

    The new U.S. Supreme Court term could be an eventful one for intellectual property law, with a $1 billion copyright fight on deck between music publishers and Cox Communications that is expected to clarify the bounds of liability for internet companies over their customers’ illegal downloads. Here's a look at some of the IP cases under review as the justices begin their new term Oct. 6.

  • September 29, 2025

    Hain 'Channel-Stuffing' Securities Suit Revived By 2nd Circ.

    The Second Circuit on Monday reversed a district court's dismissal of a proposed class action accusing food and personal care company Hain Celestial of "channel-stuffing," or asking distributors to take more product than they can sell in order to cover up flagging demand, finding the class had adequately alleged actionable misrepresentations and false statements by the company.

  • September 29, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Revive Software Development IP Case

    The Sixth Circuit has declined to revive copyright infringement and trade secrets claims brought by a business communications company over a software development tool, saying the company waited too long to look into its concerns that a rival was distributing a modified version of the software.

  • September 29, 2025

    USPTO, Tech Cos. Tell Justices To OK Expired Patent Reviews

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and technology companies have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a patent owner's argument that expired patents cannot be reviewed by the patent office, saying a previous high court ruling means such reviews are permitted.

  • September 29, 2025

    First Step Act Isn't All Retroactive, Gov't Tells High Court

    The federal government has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to find that Congress never intended certain sentencing reduction provisions within the 2018 First Step Act to be applied retroactively, and to resolve a 6-4 circuit split.

  • September 29, 2025

    NC County Illegally Spent Occupancy Taxes, Justices Told

    A North Carolina county unlawfully spent occupancy tax revenue on general government services instead of tourism-related initiatives, a group of local property owners told the state's high court, urging it to uphold an appeals court ruling.

  • September 29, 2025

    10th Circ. Backs DOJ's Prosecution Of Okla. Cannabis Atty

    The Tenth Circuit has decided that the federal prosecution of an Oklahoma attorney accused of helping clients bypass the state's medical marijuana laws could proceed despite a federal policy that bars the U.S. Department of Justice from using funds to target state legal medical cannabis activity.

  • September 29, 2025

    Court Affirms Philly Policy Against Minor Traffic Stops

    A divided Pennsylvania appeals court upheld a local ordinance and executive order issued by the Philadelphia mayor ordering police in the city not to enforce minor traffic violations, ruling that the orders are not preempted by the state's vehicle code.

  • September 29, 2025

    Pa. Justices Affirm Duty To Inform Voters Of Tossed Ballots

    Pennsylvania county election offices must use the state's voter registration and tracking system to correctly notify mail-in voters if their ballots are rejected for technical reasons, so those voters can exercise their right to cast a replacement ballot, a split state Supreme Court has ruled.

Expert Analysis

  • Associates Can Earn Credibility By Investing In Relationships

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    As the class of 2025 prepares to join law firms this fall, new associates must adapt to office dynamics and establish credible reputations — which require quiet, consistent relationship-building skills as much as legal acumen, says Kyle Forges at Bast Amron.

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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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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.

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