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Appellate

  • June 30, 2025

    9th Circ. Nixes Suit Against Allianz Over $6B Fraud Sentence

    A man can't bring securities fraud claims against Allianz SE after one of the German financial services giant's former businesses pled guilty to investment fund fraud and was ordered to pay roughly $6 billion, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding he failed to sufficiently allege Allianz SE itself acted fraudulently.

  • June 30, 2025

    Detainees Say Alien Enemies Act Meant For 'Large Scale' War

    A group of Venezuelans facing deportation over accusations of gang affiliation told the Fifth Circuit on Monday that the nation's founders didn't intend for a rarely invoked 1798 law to be used for anything other than "large-scale" war.

  • June 30, 2025

    Supreme Court May Shape Future Of ISP Liability In Cox Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday to take on a $1 billion battle between major music publishers and Cox Communications Inc. could set new liability boundaries for internet service providers that have faced significant damages for allegedly not curbing users who repeatedly download songs illegally.

  • June 30, 2025

    NY Court Grants Man New Trial, Allows Affirmative Defense

    A man convicted of murder for his role in a robbery that left one victim dead should have been allowed to present evidence that he didn't know his codefendants were planning a crime when he drove them to the scene, a New York state appeals court said, granting him a new trial.

  • June 30, 2025

    DC Circ. Tosses Conn. LPTV Station's Licensing Challenge

    A D.C. Circuit panel rejected a Connecticut television licensee's challenge to the eligibility criteria used to determine which stations qualify for small-market protections provided under a federal law aimed at safeguarding local and rural broadcasting.

  • June 30, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Mixed PTAB Rulings On Computing IP

    The Federal Circuit on Monday backed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's finding that Amazon was able to show a Swarm Technology computer processing patent was invalid but refused to throw out a separate patent.

  • June 30, 2025

    Texas Panel Says Suit Challenging Abortion Travel Is Unripe

    A split Texas appeals court panel found Monday that several anti-abortion groups lack standing to sue the city of San Antonio for allegedly earmarking money to pay for out-of-state abortion travel, saying the money had not gone out yet and the groups' claims were not ripe.

  • June 30, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Supreme Court was kept busy this past week with litigants' attempts to challenge its previous decisions, as well as those of Delaware's Court of Chancery, which included an argument that the state's high court incorrectly ruled in favor of energy company Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP by rejecting the Chancery's decision upholding class claims branding the call-in of public shares unfair. In case you missed it, here's the latest from the Delaware Chancery Court.

  • June 30, 2025

    Supreme Court Passes On FSIA Terrorism Exception Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to revive litigation filed by victims of nonlethal terrorist attacks seeking to hold Iran and Syria accountable as alleged state sponsors of terrorism, nixing a petition that sought clarity on the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act's terrorism exception.

  • June 30, 2025

    Del. Justices Uphold State Sale Of Long-Dormant Stock

    Rejecting a doctor's claim that the risk of a state seizure and sale of his long-unchecked stock was "inherently unknowable," Delaware's Supreme Court preserved on Monday a lower court's finding that the statute of limitations barred his attempt to reclaim securities purportedly worth some $600,000 when sold.

  • June 30, 2025

    6th Circ. Says Venue Unclear In $28M Ford Supplier Dispute

    The Sixth Circuit on Monday ordered a Michigan federal court to reconsider whether a $28 million auto parts supplier dispute over the halting of orders for electric vehicle parts belongs in the U.S. or Mexico, finding the companies' evolving documents and conflicting venue clauses create too much ambiguity.

  • June 30, 2025

    Ex-Defender Tells 4th Circ. Bias Hearing Would've Been Futile

    A former assistant public defender looking to revive her bias suit fought Monday to convince the Fourth Circuit that it would have been futile to wait for a final hearing on her sexual harassment claim through the judiciary's internal complaint process before quitting, citing in part her boss's alleged favoritism of the accused party.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Won't Disturb 10th Circ. Oklahoma PBM Law Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the state of Oklahoma's challenge to a Tenth Circuit decision that found parts of a recently enacted law regulating pharmacy benefit managers were preempted by federal benefits laws and Medicare Part D, cementing an industry group's win in the case.

  • June 30, 2025

    Texas Justices Scrap New-Trial Order For 3 SpaceX Contractors

    Comments to a jury alleging attorneys planned a "shakedown" do not warrant a new trial for three men awarded less in damages than they hoped after their truck was hit in a crash caused by a commuting SpaceX engineer, the Texas Supreme Court said Friday, saying the men's counsel did not seek redress at the time.

  • June 30, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Rethink Tossed Pregnancy Bias Suit

    The Fourth Circuit has said it would not reconsider the dismissal of a lawsuit in which a former medical center worker claimed she was denied fair accommodation and fired due to pregnancy bias.

  • June 30, 2025

    Top State & Local Tax Cases Of 2025: Midyear Report

    From the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of a group of Catholic charities seeking an unemployment tax exemption to the New York Supreme Court ruling on the state's rule governing the application of P.L. 86-272, it's been a busy first half of the year for state and local tax. Here, Law360 looks at some of the top state and local tax cases of the past six months.

  • June 30, 2025

    Fla. Man Gets New Sentence Due To Ineffective Atty

    A Florida man convicted of molestation charges will be resentenced after an appeals court Friday agreed that his appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to object to an erroneously calculated sentence pronounced without the defendant present.

  • June 30, 2025

    Pa. Judges Reduce $4.65M Bus Death Verdict To $500K

    A panel of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Monday reduced a $4.65 million verdict in favor of the family of a woman killed when she was hit by a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority bus down to $500,000, saying the verdict is subject to a statutory limit in the state's sovereign immunity law.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Decline Appeal Over State Law Question Certification

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined accepting a petition for certiorari attacking the Ninth Circuit's "uniquely standardless approach" for asking state supreme courts to answer questions of state law, in an appeal over putative class action claims that two life insurers violated California statutes concerning benefit denials.

  • June 30, 2025

    Sotomayor Urges Tenn. To Address Jury Instruction Issue

    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that Tennessee's high court should fix a logical knot that she says makes it impossible to get a verdict of voluntary manslaughter in the state, in a statement on Monday that came alongside the court's refusal to review a second-degree murder case centering on jury instructions.

  • June 30, 2025

    Trump Admin Appeals Perkins Coie Case To DC Circ.

    The Trump administration announced in D.C. federal court on Monday that it's not giving up on its effort to punish Perkins Coie LLP through an executive order, even after losing four court rulings that found its actions in this and three similar cases are unconstitutional.

  • June 30, 2025

    Immigrant Groups Urge DC Circ. To Stop IRS-ICE Info Deal

    Tax privacy law bars the IRS from sharing taxpayer addresses with immigration authorities, even to facilitate criminal investigations, immigrant advocacy groups told the D.C. Circuit, urging it to stanch an information-sharing deal that claims to help the government probe immigrants who have avoided deportation.

  • June 30, 2025

    Mich. Justices Won't Revisit Voter Intimidation Robocall Case

    The Michigan Supreme Court has said it will not reexamine a case against conservative provocateurs charged with leading a misinformation campaign urging Black Detroiters not to vote by mail in the 2020 election, leaving in place an order finding their actions could be considered voter intimidation.

  • June 30, 2025

    Ripple To Abandon Appeal After NY Judge Rebuffed SEC Deal

    Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse has said the blockchain firm plans to drop its appeal in its landmark case with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, ending the matter after the New York federal judge overseeing the case refused to sign off on a settlement that would've truncated a court-ordered $125 million penalty.

  • June 30, 2025

    Justices Decline To Hear Ex-Tesla Worker's Whistleblower Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a petition filed by a former Tesla employee who claimed he was retaliated against for reporting various forms of alleged misconduct at a Nevada factory to both company management and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • How To Address FCA Risk After 4th Circ. Ruling On DEI Orders

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    Following the Fourth Circuit's ruling in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, which freed the administration to enforce executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, government contractors should take stock of potentially unlawful DEI programs, given their heightened risk under the False Claims Act, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Del. Dispatch: Open Issues After Corp. Law Amendments

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    Recent amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law represent a significant change in the future structuring of boards and how the First State will approach conflicted transactions, but Delaware courts may interpret the amendments narrowly, limiting their impact, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • What Del. Supreme Court LKQ Decision Means For M&A Deals

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent decision in LKQ v. Rutledge greatly increases the enforceability of forfeiture-for-competition provisions, representing an important affirmation of earlier precedent and making it likely that such agreements will become more common in M&A transactions, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • How High Court's Cornell Decision Will Affect ERISA Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cunningham v. Cornell, characterizing prohibited transaction exemptions as affirmative defenses, sets the bar very low for initiating Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation, and will likely affect many plan sponsors with similar service agreements, says Carol Buckmann at Cohen & Buckmann.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    The first quarter of 2025 was filled with the refinement of old theories in the property and casualty space, including in vehicle valuation, time to seek appraisal and materials depreciation, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling May Aid Consistent Interpretation Of ADA

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    In Tudor v. Whitehall Central School District, the Second Circuit joined the majority of circuits by holding that an employee's ability to perform their job without an accommodation does not disqualify them from receiving one, marking a notable step toward uniform application of the Americans with Disabilities Act nationwide, says Michelle Grant at Wilson Elser.

  • EPA's Proposed GHG Reform Could Hinder Climate Regulation

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    The Trump administration will reconsider the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's landmark 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding, which could leave the U.S. federal government with no statutory authority whatsoever to regulate climate change or greenhouse gas emissions, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • Fed. Circ. In March: Forfeiting Claim Construction On Appeal

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Wash World v. Belanger last month confirms the importance of fair notice to the district court when determining forfeiture of an argument on appeal in the context of patent claim construction, allowing appellants to better gauge the appropriate framing of arguments that may be presented, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • 1st Circ. Ruling May Slow SEC Retail Investment Advice Cases

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    The First Circuit's recent ruling, finding the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission did not substantiate its $93.3 million fine against a retail investment adviser, may raise the threshold on materiality findings in these cases and add a speed bump resulting in fewer such actions, say attorneys at Weil.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

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    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

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