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Appellate
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September 25, 2025
Pa. Justices Say Child Arbitration Invalid Despite Parents' OK
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday that parents signing waivers at attractions like trampoline parks cannot bind their children or spouses to arbitration, in twin injury suits seeking to hold Sky Zone liable for two minors' injuries.
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September 25, 2025
CashCall Urges Justices To Overturn $134M Ƶ Award
CashCall is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Ninth Circuit order that left the loan company on the hook for $134 million in restitution to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, despite the firm's insistence that conflicting precedent deprived it of its right to a jury trial.
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September 25, 2025
Rap Song Can't Be Used To Prove Rap Sheet, NY Court Says
A criminal defendant's rap song should not have been allowed as evidence that he enabled a murder, a New York state appeals court ruled, granting a new trial in a case that saw Brooklyn prosecutors put one of their own on the stand on a moment's notice as a slang expert.
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September 25, 2025
Mining Cos. Look To Revive $50M Zimbabwe Award Suit
Two Mauritian mining companies will look to challenge a D.C. Circuit decision nixing their lawsuit to enforce an 11-year-old, $50 million arbitral award against Zimbabwe stemming from an ill-fated mining deal, according to documents made public this week.
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September 25, 2025
NJ Justice Hints 'Essential' A Key Term In Benefits Case
New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Rachel Wainer Apter asked Thursday if a worker can be considered an "essential employee" under an executive order but not under a COVID-19 law governing workers' compensation, as the court considered a school district's bid to deny the designation to a deceased teacher.
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September 25, 2025
NY Court Vacates Guilty Plea Over Impossible Plea Agreement
A New York state appeals court on Thursday vacated a plea agreement after finding it contained a requirement that a defendant complete a substance abuse program despite not being eligible for enrollment.
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September 25, 2025
Chicago Man Forged Signatures Of Federal Judges, Feds Say
A Chicago man has been indicted for forging the signatures of two Illinois federal judges on various court filings in an attempt to get around an order restricting his ability to file new cases, according to an announcement made by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.
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September 25, 2025
Amazon Denied Quick Appeal Of Massive Antitrust Class Cert.
The Ninth Circuit has rejected a petition from Amazon seeking permission to immediately appeal an order certifying a class of roughly 300 million consumers in a sweeping antitrust case accusing the e-commerce giant of inflating prices through its merchant policies.
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September 25, 2025
Fed. Circ. Snubs Patent Atty's Bid To Join Toddler Mat IP Case
The Federal Circuit on Thursday denied an attorney's bid to appear in a patent infringement case over toddler dining mats, in which the lower court found that his misrepresentation of prior art during prosecution was "purposeful, deliberate, and egregious."
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September 25, 2025
6th Circ. Backs Rock Singer's Win In Arson Coverage Dispute
The Sixth Circuit on Thursday affirmed that rock singer John Falls can still recoup a portion of the $2.5 million that a Hanover Insurance unit was ordered to pay for music equipment that was lost in an arson at a House of Blues recording studio.
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September 25, 2025
Pa. Justices Say Gov't Must Show Proof Of 'High-Crime Areas'
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that police detention of a person based in part on their presence in a "high-crime area" must be supported by proof that the area is actually high in crime, but declined to create strict rules or tests to make that designation.
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September 25, 2025
Pa. Justices Allow Utilities To Deny Rivals' Billing For Add-Ons
Electricity distributors in Pennsylvania can apply add-ons to their customers' bills for things like smart thermostats, line insurance and tree trimming while denying the same "on-bill billing" service to third-party electricity providers, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
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September 25, 2025
6th Circ. Rejects GOP's Challenge To Michigan Voter Rolls
The Sixth Circuit rejected the Republican National Committee's bid to purge ineligible voters from Michigan's voter rolls on Thursday, finding the party lacked standing.
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September 25, 2025
Pa. Justices Reject 'Key Witness' Test In Forum Swap
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday that litigants shouldn't have to prove that out-of-town witnesses are "key" to their case to get a suit moved to a more convenient forum for them, unwinding a lower court's finding that raised the bar for seeking a "forum non conveniens" transfer.
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September 25, 2025
Pa. High Court Backs Two-Lab Rule For Medical Pot Products
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a state rule requiring medical marijuana businesses to test their products at two separate laboratories, finding that the state law's emphasis on public safety empowered regulators to impose the requirement.
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September 25, 2025
Mich. High Court To Decide If Four Years Makes A Speedy Trial
The Michigan Supreme Court will review whether a man sentenced to up to 15 years for domestic violence was denied the right to a speedy trial due to a four-year wait between his arrest and his case going before a jury.
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September 25, 2025
AstraZeneca Asks High Court To 'Unscramble' Drug Price Law
As legal losses pile up for drug manufacturers in their fight to overturn the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation program, pharma giant AstraZeneca is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if the program infringes on its constitutional rights.
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September 25, 2025
DC Court Upholds Transfer Tax On Long-Term Leaseback
The $39 million sale of a Washington, D.C., property and a long-term deal to lease it back to the seller constituted two separate taxable transactions, an appeals court said Thursday, rejecting a claim for a $1 million refund.
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September 25, 2025
NCAA Urges 4th Circ. To Move Fast On W.Va. U. Eligibility Suit
The NCAA's appeal of the injunction allowing four West Virginia University football players to immediately return to competition needs an expedited schedule, at the risk of district courts granting even more athletes eligibility while cases are still being argued, the NCAA told the Fourth Circuit on Wednesday.
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September 25, 2025
Calif. Panel Rejects Prisoner's Racial Bias Discovery Motion
A California state appeals court has determined that an incarcerated Samoan man did not sufficiently allege he was discriminated against when brokering a plea agreement with state prosecutors, ruling that he should not have been granted limited discovery to prove his claims under a state racial justice law.
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September 25, 2025
NJ Amusement Park Co. Won't Get Hearing On Shore Project
New Jersey appeals court found Thursday that a Jersey Shore amusement park owner isn't entitled to a hearing before an agency that approved a grant making way for a luxury housing and retail development on the site of a nearby parking lot.
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September 25, 2025
NJ Panel Tosses Suit Over West Windsor Industrial Project
A New Jersey appellate court on Thursday backed the permanent dismissal of a suit filed by two West Windsor residential property owners over the township's approval of a zoning ordinance for a more than 5 million-square-foot commercial and industrial project.
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September 25, 2025
DC Circ. Backs Whistleblower In IRS Award Dispute
A whistleblower who received millions of dollars in awards for helping the IRS nab prominent Wall Street firms that helped offshore hedge funds evade taxes was wrongly blocked from receiving millions more, the D.C. Circuit ruled.
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September 25, 2025
Pa. Justices Affirm Pittsburgh's 'Jock Tax' Is Unconstitutional
Pittsburgh's 3% fee imposed on the income of nonresident professional athletes is unconstitutional and violates the state's uniformity clause, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirmed Thursday.
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September 25, 2025
Full Fed. Circ. Won't Reconsider IPR Estoppel Decision
The full Federal Circuit on Thursday rejected a rehearing petition from Ioengine LLC, which was appealing the invalidation of its flash drive patents in a case that set precedent on estoppel.
Expert Analysis
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3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases
Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.
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NCAA Settlement Kicks Off New Era For Student-Athlete NIL
A landmark settlement stemming from 15 years of litigation between schools and the NCAA reflects a major development in college athletics by securing compensation for usage of student-athletes' names, images and likenesses, and schools hoping to take advantage of new opportunities should take proactive steps to comply with new rules, say attorneys at Manatt.
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7th Circ. Insurance Ruling Resolves Major Jurisdictional Issue
The Seventh Circuit recently confirmed in StarStone Insurance v. Chicago that attorney fees and costs paid as part of a settlement are covered — while unexpectedly raising and answering a question of first impression about federal jurisdiction over foreign entities, says Lara Langeneckert at Barnes & Thornburg.
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DOJ May Rethink Banning Firearms For Marijuana Users
In light of various federal circuit court decisions and an executive order from President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of Justice enforcement policy now may be on the verge of changing decidedly in favor of marijuana users' gun rights, and could foreshadow additional marijuana-friendly reforms, says Jacob Raver at Dentons.
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EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges
Though the Eastern District of New York’s recent U.S. v. Sun decision upheld Foreign Agents Registration Act charges against a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, its recognition of an affirmative legislative policy to exempt some officials may help defendants charged with related conspiracies, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard
District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Fla. Workers' Comp Ruling Ups Bar For Emotional Injury Suits
A Florida appellate court’s recent opinion in Steak 'N Shake v. Spears requires that employees solely claiming emotional distress seek workers’ compensation before suing their employers, closing a potential loophole and reducing the potential proliferation of such disputes in Florida courts, says Rob Rogers at Kirwin Norris.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Spearin, Overpayments, Jurisdiction
Edward Arnold at Seyfarth examines three recent decisions addressing the limits of the Spearin doctrine in design-build contracts, the government's ability to recoup overpayments after a termination for convenience, and the Contract Disputes Act's strict and nonwaivable jurisdictional rules.
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What Calif. Appeals Split Means For Litigating PAGA Claims
After two recent California state appeals court rulings diverged on whether a former employee with untimely individual claims under the Private Attorneys General Act can maintain a representative action, practitioners' strategic agility will be key to managing risk and achieving favorable outcomes in PAGA litigation, say attorneys at Buchalter.
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Series
Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.
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NY Case Shows How LLC Agreements Can Be Amended
The New York Court of Appeals in Behler v. Tao recently held that a merger clause contained in an amended limited liability company agreement superseded and extinguished an alleged oral agreement between the parties, highlighting the importance of determining early how and when an LLC agreement may be amended, says Kerrin Klein at Olshan Frome.
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If Justices Accept, Maxwell Case May Clarify Meaning Of 'US'
If the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to take up Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal, it could clarify the meaning of “United States” in the context of plea agreements, and a plain language interpretation of the term would offer criminal defendants fairness and finality, say attorneys at Kudman Trachten.
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The State Of Play In Copyright Protection For Floor Plans
With questions over copyright protections for floor plans potentially teed up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, attorneys in the real estate industry should take steps to clarify and strengthen clients' rights and reduce the risk of litigation, says Dylan I. Scher at Quinn Emanuel.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech
New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.
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Opinion
Legacy Of 3 Justices Should Guide Transgender Rights Ruling
Three Republican-appointed U.S. Supreme Court justices — Anthony Kennedy, Sandra Day O'Connor and David Souter — gave rise to a jurisprudence of personal liberty that courts today invoke to protect gender-affirming care, and with the court now poised to decide U.S. v. Skrmetti, it must follow the path that they set, says Greg Fosheim at McDermott.