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Appellate

  • August 08, 2025

    Costco Judgment Reversed Over Expert Report Rule Misstep

    The Eleventh Circuit has reversed a Florida federal court's judgment for Costco Wholesale Corp. that nixed a $155,000 jury award in a shopper's slip-and-fall lawsuit, finding the lower court misinterpreted a rule as requiring the shopper's treating physician to file an expert written report in order to testify.

  • August 08, 2025

    PPG Wins ERISA Life Insurance Fight After 4th Circ. Remand

    A West Virginia federal judge on Friday handed a win to PPG Industries Inc. in a dispute over retiree life insurance, ruling after a bench trial that the paint and coatings company was allowed to use a merger to transfer benefit management to an entity that later terminated coverage.

  • August 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Sides With Amazon In Whole Foods Prime Perk Case

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday refused to revive a California consumer's lawsuit over Amazon's decision to discontinue its free Whole Foods delivery perk for Prime members, pointing to subscriber terms reserving the e-commerce company's right to eliminate benefits.

  • August 08, 2025

    EV Makers Challenge New Fuel Economy Rule In DC Circ.

    An electric vehicle industry group is challenging the Trump administration's rollback of Biden-era fuel economy standards, claiming that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's freeze on compliance notifications is threatening the business models of American electric automakers.

  • August 08, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Undoes LG's $14M Trial Loss, Invalidating Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Friday scrapped a $14 million judgment against LG Electronics Inc. for infringing a Mondis Technology Ltd. patent covering a computer display technology, deeming the patent invalid based on an inadequate written description.

  • August 08, 2025

    Iowa PBM Law Challengers Seek Wider Block At 8th Circ.

    Employers and benefit plans challenging an Iowa law aiming to limit pharmacy benefit managers' power to set drug prices will seek Eighth Circuit review of a district court judge's decision from July that temporarily blocked parts of the new policy as preempted by federal benefits law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Brokerage Urges 10th Circ. To Revive NAR Antitrust Suit

    A residential brokerage startup is heading to the Tenth Circuit to appeal the toss of its antitrust suit against the National Association of Realtors and several major brokerages, which were accused in Utah federal court of conspiring to block the startup from accessing NAR multiple listing services because it offered lower buyer-broker commissions.

  • August 08, 2025

    DC Circ. Ends Alien Enemies Contempt Probe Against Admin.

    A split D.C. Circuit put an end Friday to potential criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump administration over the possibility that it violated a court order barring the removal of a group of migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.

  • August 08, 2025

    DA Willis Blasts Election Case Probe Testimony Fight As Moot

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told the Georgia Supreme Court that a 2024 subpoena seeking her to testify about her personal relationship with the lead prosecutor in the prosecution of President Donald Trump and others in an election interference case is moot due to a change in the state's law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Why DOJ's US Attorney Moves Are Reaching Critical Point

    The Trump administration's strategy of extending U.S. attorney appointments using a pair of laws that allow for interim and acting prosecutors has sparked a constitutional tug-of-war between the executive, legislative and judicial branches that could end up in the U.S. Supreme Court or spur congressional action.

  • August 08, 2025

    Transit Cos. Get Woman's $1.7M Tripping Verdict Undone

    A New Jersey appeals panel has vacated a $1.7 million verdict in favor of a woman who sued Delaware River Port Authority and Port Authority Transit Corp. after she tripped and fell at a train station, saying the trial court wrongly permitted an inadmissible lay opinion that tainted the verdict.

  • August 08, 2025

    Split 2nd Circ. Says Asylum Termination Bars Resident Status

    Noncitizens whose asylum status was terminated after criminal convictions are no longer eligible to seek green cards, a split Second Circuit panel said in a ruling issued for cases brought by immigrants from Egypt and Guatemala.

  • August 08, 2025

    Mich. Panel Clears Way For Historic School's Demolition

    A Michigan appellate panel upheld a lower court's decision not to block the demolition of a century-old school building designed by a famous architect, rejecting arguments from a community organization that alleged a school district "rubber-stamped" recommendations or hid conversations about the district's decisions to destroy the building.

  • August 08, 2025

    NY Says 1676 Order Can't Help Tribe In Eel Fishing Regs Row

    The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is fighting a Supreme Court bid by the Unkechaug Nation to undo a Second Circuit decision rejecting its challenge to the state's regulations on eel fishing harvests, arguing that a 1676 British colonial governor's order is not federal law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Trump Gets Explanation Of 2nd Circ. Refusal To Sub In Feds

    The Second Circuit said Friday that President Donald Trump's bid to substitute the federal government for him as a defendant in his defamation fight with writer E. Jean Carroll came too late, dealing him a blow after his $83.3 million jury trial loss.

  • August 08, 2025

    Pennsylvania Litigation Highlights Of The 1st Half Of 2025

    In the first half of 2025, Pennsylvania judges have created a federal and state court split in a $175 million verdict against Monsanto in Philadelphia's Roundup mass tort, reduced the tax fraud sentence of a member of the family behind an iconic Philadelphia cheesesteak shop and permanently barred a college apparel company from copying Penn State trademarks. 

  • August 08, 2025

    New Jersey Litigation Highlights For The 1st Half Of 2025

    More than halfway through 2025, the New Jersey legal community has seen the state lose its case against one of the most politically connected figures to never hold office, as well as the federal government dropping its case against two former technology executives accused of bribing foreign officials. Here are some of the biggest decisions and ongoing cases to watch for the rest of the year.

  • August 07, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says Trial Atty With Brain Disease Not 'Ineffective'

    The Second Circuit on Thursday affirmed the convictions of a former New York City law enforcement union president along with its ex-financial adviser for defrauding members out of $500,000, rejecting among contentions that one defense lawyer's abilities were impaired at trial by a fast-moving neurodegenerative disease.

  • August 07, 2025

    Trump Admin Asks Justices To Halt ICE Arrest Limits In LA

    The Trump administration on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a California federal court's order temporarily blocking the government from conducting immigration arrests in the Los Angeles area without probable cause, arguing that it threatens officials' ability to enforce immigration laws.

  • August 07, 2025

    Mass. Court Clairifies Sentencing For Large Capacity Firearms

    A Massachusetts appeals court clarified sentencing for unlawful possession of large capacity firearms and feeding devices Thursday, explaining the sentence for a non-licensed offender must have a maximum of at least 2.5 years, ordering resentencing of a man who faced up to one year and one day.

  • August 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Attys Can't Get $920K Fees For $8K Trial Win

    The Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court's decision Thursday to deny a request of over $920,000 in attorney fees from the creator of two strategic problem-solving charts following her jury trial win of $8,000 in a copyright infringement case, saying the district court property articulated the reasons for the denial.

  • August 07, 2025

    Insurers Say Property Co.'s $7M Ida Claim Must Be Arbitrated

    A lower court order forcing a New Orleans property owner to arbitrate its $7 million Hurricane Ida damage claim against its domestic insurers should be reinstated, a group of carriers told the Fifth Circuit on Thursday, saying the New York Convention mandates the enforcement of the policy's arbitration provision.

  • August 07, 2025

    NY Court Affirms Assault Conviction, But Raises Jury Issue

    A man convicted of assaulting a woman in his home with a hammer saw his convictions largely upheld by a New York state appellate court panel Thursday, but dissenting judges said that he deserved a new trial on grounds that an anonymous jury was used improperly.

  • August 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Homeowners' 'Reverse Mortgage Loan' Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel has revived a proposed class action against a company offering homeowners cash in exchange for a slice of their home equity, finding a Washington couple has shown their arrangement amounted to a reverse mortgage loan subject to special statutory requirements.

  • August 07, 2025

    Colo. Court Backs Landlord's Right To 'Fees On Fees'

    In the first Colorado appellate decision to consider whether a prevailing party may recover attorney fees incurred to enforce a contractual fee-shifting provision, a state appellate panel ruled Thursday that a Denver coffee shop's landlord is entitled to an award of such fees.

Expert Analysis

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Reel Justice: 'Oh, Hi!' Teaches Attys To Return To The Statute

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    The new dark comedy film “Oh, Hi!” — depicting a romantic vacation that turns into an inadvertent kidnapping — should remind criminal practitioners to always reread the statute to avoid assumptions, meet their ethical duties and finesse their trial strategy, says Veronica Finkelstein at Wilmington University School of Law.

  • Patent Ambiguity Persists After Justices Nix Eligibility Appeal

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    The Supreme Court recently declined to revisit the contentious framework governing patent eligibility by denying certiorari in Audio Evolution Diagnostics v. U.S., suggesting a necessary recalibration of both patent application and litigation strategies, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Justices' Decision Axing Retiree's ADA Claim Offers Clarity

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's holding in Stanley v. City of Sanford that protections under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act don't extend to retirees potentially limits liability by giving employers additional support to challenge complaints, and highlights the need for proactive policy management to mitigate risk, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • Fed. Circ. In June: Transitional Phrases In Patent Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Eye Therapies v. Slayback Pharma takes on the rarely addressed topic of transitional phrases in patent claims, providing some useful lessons regarding restating claim language and broadly distinguishing prior art, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • What To Do When Congress And DOJ Both Come Knocking

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    As recently seen in the news, clients may find themselves facing parallel U.S. Department of Justice and congressional investigations, requiring a comprehensive response that considers the different challenges posed by each, say attorneys at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Eye Drop Ruling Clarifies Importance Of Patent Phrasing

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    The Federal Circuit's recent ruling in Eye Therapies v. Slayback, rejecting the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's interpretation of "consisting essentially of," highlights the importance of using clear and consistent terms throughout a patent's filing history to shield it against future challenges, says Liliana Di Nola-Baron at Panitch Schwarze.

  • Midyear Rewind: How Courts Are Reshaping VPPA Standards

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    The first half of 2025 saw a series of cases interpreting the Video Privacy Protection Act as applied to website tracking technologies, including three appellate rulings deepening circuit splits on what qualifies as personally identifiable information and who qualifies as a consumer under the statute, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • How Justices' Ruling On NEPA Reviews Is Playing Out

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court's May decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, narrowing the scope of agencies' required reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act, the effects of the ruling are starting to become visible in the actions of lower courts and the agencies themselves, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Reverse Bias Rulings Offer Warning About DEI Quotas

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    Several recent holdings confirm that targeted or quota-based diversity programs can substantiate reverse discrimination claims, especially when coupled with an adverse action, so employers should exercise caution before implementing such policies in order to mitigate litigation risk, says Noah Bunzl at Tarter Krinsky.

  • 4th Circ. Favors Plain Meaning In Bump-Up D&O Ruling

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    The Fourth Circuit's latest denial of indemnity coverage in Towers Watson v. National Union Fire Insurance and its previous ruling in this case lay out a pragmatic approach to bump-up provisions that avoids hypertechnical constructions to limit the effect of a policy's plain meaning, say attorneys at Kennedys.

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