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Appellate
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July 11, 2025
11th Circ. Won't Reinstate Worker's ERISA Arbitration Award
A divided Eleventh Circuit panel refused to restore a former water treatment company director's arbitration award of about $129,000 on claims that he should've been offered severance when demoted to a consultant, saying an arbitrator erroneously decided a federal benefits law claim the worker never raised.
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July 11, 2025
11th Circ. Revives Black Worker's Promotion Bias Suit
The Eleventh Circuit revived a Black worker's suit alleging a Georgia county wouldn't promote her to a more senior tax appraisal position out of racial discrimination, ruling that a jury needs to determine whether she was held to higher standards of qualifications than her non-Black peers.
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July 11, 2025
7th Circ. Tosses Korean Samsung Arm From Vape Battery Suit
The Seventh Circuit won't revive a minor's claims against South Korea-based Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. over his injuries from an exploding vape battery, saying there's too much of a "disconnect" between the company's marketing of batteries for use in battery packs and finished products and the sale of an individual battery like the one in this case.
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July 10, 2025
$33M Sonos Appeal Has Fed. Circ. Asking: What's Up, Alsup?
A Federal Circuit panel struggled Thursday to piece together the different interpretations of what U.S. District Judge William Alsup decided before upending Sonos Inc.'s $32.5 million jury verdict against Google LLC, with one judge claiming disbelief that there could be such a "fundamental disconnect" between the companies' understandings.
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July 10, 2025
Penn Hospital Can't Escape Record $207M Med Mal Judgment
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Thursday affirmed a record $187 million verdict and subsequent $207 million judgment in a suit accusing the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of causing a newborn's catastrophic birth injuries, saying the award did not "shock the conscience" given the evidence presented at trial.
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July 10, 2025
9th Circ. Sides With Civil Aid Attys In H-2A Farm Docs Dispute
A Ninth Circuit panel said Thursday that a lower court overstepped its authority by restricting a civil legal aid organization from using for advocacy purposes information that was gathered during discovery in a class of seasonal farmworkers' now-settled forced labor case against a Washington fruit grower.
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July 10, 2025
9th Circ. Upholds Converse's Win In Website Chat Wiretap Suit
The Ninth Circuit has refused to revive a proposed class action accusing Converse Inc. of allowing a third-party vendor to intercept website visitors' chats, finding that there was "no evidence" that the sneaker maker had violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act.
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July 10, 2025
Trump Taps Holland & Hart Partner For Montana Bench
President Donald Trump announced on social media Thursday he has chosen a Holland & Hart LLP partner and veteran government attorney to serve on the federal bench in Montana.
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July 10, 2025
Fed. Circ. Backs Novartis PTAB Win Over Shilpa MS Patent
The Federal Circuit on Thursday issued a one-word order affirming a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision invalidating claims in a Shilpa Pharma Inc. patent that it has accused Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. of infringing with the drugmaker's multiple sclerosis drug.
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July 10, 2025
Uber, Instacart Fight Seattle's Driver Rights Law At 9th Circ.
A Ninth Circuit panel appeared split on Thursday while hearing Uber and Instacart's challenge to a Seattle city ordinance regulating deactivation of app-based worker accounts, with the judges seemingly at odds on whether the law forced commercial speech while still unconvinced of a First Amendment violation.
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July 10, 2025
Pa. High Court Takes Up Appeal Over Criminal Gun Rights
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a man who is accused of attempted murder and weapons charges and consider whether the weapons charges are at odds with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen.
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July 10, 2025
Florida Restaurateur Can't Get Shrimp TM, Fed. Circ. Affirms
The Federal Circuit on Thursday refused to revive an author and restaurateur's bid to register a trademark for "Yucatán Shrimp" at his Florida eatery named after his crime novels, backing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's finding that the mark would be merely descriptive.
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July 10, 2025
Golfer's Defamation Suits Not Up To Par, 11th Circ. Says
The Eleventh Circuit won't revive a pair of defamation suits by golfer Patrick Reed against media outlets he accused of defaming him by reporting accusations of cheating and criticism of his association with a Saudi Arabia-backed golf organization.
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July 10, 2025
Island Community Gets NJ High Court Ruling To Switch Towns
A barrier island community has met all legal requirements to formally separate from a Garden State township and join a neighboring borough, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday, ending a decade-long legal battle over local governance, geography and fairness in public services.
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July 10, 2025
AT&T's $181M Patent Loss Gets Tough Look At Fed. Circ.
A Federal Circuit panel had hard questions for an attorney looking to safeguard Finesse Wireless' $181 million verdict against AT&T and Nokia for infringing a pair of radio interference patents, with one judge in particular seemingly taking issue Thursday with the infringement findings.Â
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July 10, 2025
8th Circ. Won't Pause ND Tribes' Voting Rights Decision
The Eighth Circuit on Thursday denied a bid by two North Dakota tribes to stay its decision to vacate a challenge to two of the state's voting laws while the ruling is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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July 10, 2025
Unions Defend Block On DOGE's Social Security Data Access
The full Fourth Circuit should affirm a Maryland federal judge's decision to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security Administration data, two unions and a retirees' advocacy group argued, saying that dissolving the injunction would violate their members' right to privacy.
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July 10, 2025
Fed. Circ. Judges Get Tough With Phillips 66 In Retrial Spat
The Federal Circuit tangled with Phillips 66 on Wednesday over the "talismanic significance" of a lower court judge declaring the oil and gas giant had made prejudicial arguments in an infringement case over oil refinery patents.
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July 10, 2025
Feds Want Cheesesteak Shop Owner's Tax Sentence Restored
Prosecutors urged a Pennsylvania federal judge to reimpose a nearly two-year sentence on a Philadelphia cheesesteak shop owner who was convicted of paying employees off the books, a request that comes two months after the Third Circuit vacated his prison term.
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July 10, 2025
Fla. High Court Revives Ex-Steak 'N Shake Worker's Bias Suit
The Florida Supreme Court backed the reinstatement Thursday of an ex-Steak 'n Shake worker's disability bias suit claiming he was fired after suffering a back injury, ruling he didn't need to invoke the state's civil rights law in his presuit bias charge to pursue his claims in court.
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July 10, 2025
4th Circ. Pauses Air Quality Suit As EPA Rethinks W.Va. Plan
The Fourth Circuit on Thursday granted a request to pause West Virginia's ozone regulation lawsuit so the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can reconsider the state's air quality compliance plan.
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July 10, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Geico Win In COVID Auto Rebate Class Action
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Geico's victory in a certified class action alleging it owed additional refunds to drivers who overpaid their auto insurance premiums during COVID-19 stay-home orders, ruling on Wednesday that Geico charged rates that were previously approved by California's insurance commissioner, which bars the plaintiff's state Unfair Competition Law claim.
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July 10, 2025
Okla. Gov.'s Brother Seeks High Court Review Of Tribal Ticket
Keith Stitt, brother of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision that denied his appeal of a speeding ticket issued on tribal lands, arguing that the state never intended to accept a landmark ruling on the restoration of proper criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country.
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July 10, 2025
2nd Circ. Won't Touch Morgan Stanley Deferred Comp Ruling
The Second Circuit refused to upend part of a lower court's ruling that former Morgan Stanley financial advisers' deferred compensation fell within the reach of federal benefits law, saying the financial firm couldn't clear the high bar necessary to undo the decision.
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July 10, 2025
Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Sink EPA Pesticide Seed Exemption
Green groups on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is violating federal law by failing to regulate pesticide-coated crop seeds.
Expert Analysis
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The Central Issues Facing Fed. Circ. In Patent Damages Case
The en banc Federal Circuit's pending review of EcoFactor v. Google could reshape how expert damages opinions are argued, and could have ripple effects that limit jury awards, say attorneys at McAndrews Held.
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Series
Performing Stand-Up Comedy Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether I’m delivering a punchline on stage or a closing argument in court, balancing stand-up comedy performances and my legal career has demonstrated that the keys to success in both endeavors include reading the room, landing the right timing and making an impact, says attorney Rebecca Palmer.
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Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From SEC To BigLaw
As I adjusted to the multifaceted workflow of a BigLaw firm after leaving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, working side by side with new colleagues on complex matters proved the fastest way to build a deep rapport and demonstrate my value, says Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block.
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How Fed. Circ. Ruling Complicates Patent Infringement Cases
The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Kroy IP Holdings v. Groupon may make defending patent infringement claims more challenging, time-consuming and expensive — but it has also complicated similar patent infringement proceedings involving the same patents and their appeals, say attorneys at Norton Rose.
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The Revival Of Badie Arbitration Suits In Consumer Finance
Plaintiffs have recently revived a California appellate court's almost 30-year-old decision in Badie v. Bank of America to challenge arbitration requirements under the Federal Arbitration Act, raising issues banks and credit unions in particular should address when amending arbitration provisions, say attorneys at Orrick.
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Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession
For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.
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1st Circ. IMessage Ruling Illustrates Wire Fraud Circuit Split
The First Circuit’s recent decision that text messages exchanged wholly within Massachusetts but transmitted by the internet count as interstate commerce spotlights a split in how circuits interpret intrastate actions under the federal wire fraud statute, perhaps prompting U.S. Supreme Court review, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy
This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.
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Justices' Revival Ruling In Bias Suit Exceeds Procedural Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Waetzig v. Halliburton allowed the plaintiff in an age discrimination lawsuit to move to reopen his case after arbitration, but the seemingly straightforward decision on a procedural issue raises complex questions for employment law practitioners, says Christopher Sakauye at Dykema.
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Cleanup Claim Characterization Key For Timeliness Inquiry
The Tenth Circuit's recent ruling in Atlantic Richfield Co. v. NL Industries, determining that ARCO's contribution claim was timely, highlights the importance of accurately characterizing a claim for recoupment of environmental cleanup costs as a cost-recovery action or contribution to avoid dismissal or recharacterization of the claim, say attorneys at Spencer Fane.
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A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.
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A Closer Look At Money Laundering Sentencing Issues
Federal money laundering cases are on the rise, often involving lengthy prison sentences for defendants who have little to no criminal history, but a closer look at the statistics and case law reveal some potentially valuable arguments that defense attorneys should keep in their arsenal, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.
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Justices Likely To Issue Narrow Ruling In $1.3B Award Dispute
After last week's argument in Devas v. Antrix, the Supreme Court appears likely to reverse the holding that minimum contacts are required before a federal court may exercise personal jurisdiction over a foreign state and remand the case for further litigation on other important constitutional questions, say attorneys at Cleary.Â
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Pleading Rules At Stake In High Court Hamas Banking Case
While a case between victims of Hamas terrorist attacks and a Lebanese bank, recently argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, appears to ask a narrow question of which civil procedure rules apply to requests to reopen final judgments, how the justices rule could drastically change pleading strategies for future plaintiffs, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.
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What's At Stake In High Court Transgender Care Suit
The outcome of U.S. v. Skrmetti will have critical implications for the rights of transgender youth and their access to gender-affirming care, and will likely affect other areas of law and policy involving transgender individuals, including education, employment, healthcare and civil rights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.