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Appellate
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September 17, 2025
2nd Circ. Won't Block Eletson Doc Transfer In Shipping Row
The Second Circuit on Wednesday declined Reed Smith LLP's emergency request to block the turnover of client files created amid its representation of Greece-based shipping company Eletson Holdings prior to an October 2024 reorganization, but agreed to refer the stay motion to a three-judge panel for consideration.
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September 17, 2025
Texas Justices Don't Touch Block Of Local Pot Amnesty Law
The Texas Supreme Court will not review an appellate panel's decision blocking the city of San Marcos from going forward with a voter-approved ordinance that limited local police from enforcing laws on low-level marijuana offenses.
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September 17, 2025
IRS-ICE Pact Allows For Mass Tax Data Swaps, DC Circ. Told
An information sharing agreement between the IRS and immigration enforcement agencies allows for disclosure of confidential tax information on a mass scale, as evidenced by an IRS official's declaration in a taxpayer group's suit, immigration advocacy groups challenging the agreement told the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday.
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September 17, 2025
8th Circ. Axes Enhancement Over Tossed Gun As Speculative
The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday vacated a nearly six-year sentence and dropped a reckless endangerment enhancement for a man in Iowa accused of discarding a loaded handgun while running from police.
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September 17, 2025
11th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Mortality Table Suit
The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday seemed open to reviving a proposed class action from married energy company retirees who claim outdated life expectancy data caused them to lose out on benefits, with judges questioning the lower court's holding that actuarial assumptions don't have to be reasonable.
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September 17, 2025
4th Circ. Told Panel's Ruling In Bestwall Ch. 11 Dangerous
A group of asbestos claimants has asked the full Fourth Circuit to reconsider a panel's ruling that Georgia-Pacific asbestos unit Bestwall could stay in Chapter 11 despite its parent being solvent, saying the opinion defies U.S. Supreme Court precedent and will enable debtors to abuse the system.
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September 17, 2025
Fed. Circ. Backs Rejection Of Sterling Silver Patent App
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday upheld the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of a bid for a patent on a silver alloy resistant to corrosion, backing the agency's finding that the application lacked enough written description.
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September 17, 2025
7th Circ. Pick Shrugs Off Conservative Group's Opposition
During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin tapped for the Seventh Circuit, fended off opposition to her nomination from conservative groups, antipathy that the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee called a "new low" for the committee.
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September 17, 2025
3rd Circ. Panel Puzzled By Economics Of NCAA Eligibility
The introduction of compensation for college athletes may have changed the economic effects of the NCAA's eligibility rules, but a Third Circuit panel wondered Wednesday whether enough analysis on the specific effects had been done to justify suspending one of those rules for a Rutgers University football player.
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September 17, 2025
Coaches Ask For Lower Court Redo On 'Sham' NFL Arbitration
Arguing that a recent Second Circuit ruling supports their position that arbitration overseen by the NFL commissioner cannot be impartial, three former NFL coaches have asked the district court judge who sent part of their proposed racial discrimination class action to arbitration two years ago to again reconsider that decision.
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September 17, 2025
Split 3rd Circ. Says Cell Search Didn't Violate Suspect's Rights
A split Third Circuit panel ruled Tuesday that a woman's protections against self-incrimination weren't violated when she allowed police officers to search her phone after requesting an attorney following her arrest for drug dealing, holding that evidence on the phone ultimately used against her was properly admitted because the search was voluntary.
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September 17, 2025
Del. High Court Probes Reviving Gellert Seitz Malpractice Case
A Delaware justice took aim at an argument she seemed to suggest wasn't fleshed out enough in appellate filings as a homebuilder's attorney urged the state Supreme Court on Wednesday to undo Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC's win in a legal malpractice case.
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September 17, 2025
Substitute Expert Testimony Is Hearsay, Mass. Justices Rule
Trial prosecutors' use of a state crime lab supervisor to introduce results of drug tests performed by a former subordinate violated the Sixth Amendment's confrontation clause, the Massachusetts high court said Wednesday, in a decision with potentially far-reaching implications for the use of forensic evidence.
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September 17, 2025
NCDOT Dodges Liability In Fatal Snowstorm Accident
The North Carolina Department of Transportation was freed Wednesday from having to contribute to wrongful death settlements of over $1.6 million after a North Carolina Court of Appeals panel found the department to be immune under the Emergency Management Act.
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September 17, 2025
Insurer Says Parkland Mass Shooting Was Multiple Occurrences
Evanston Insurance Co. told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that a lower court erred when it said the term "occurrences" in an excess policy for the Broward Sheriff's Office was ambiguous and granted a win to the insured, which argued the 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, school was one occurrence, not several.
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September 17, 2025
Pot Entrepreneur Pushes 4th Circ. To Rehear Licensing Fight
A California cannabis entrepreneur has asked the Fourth Circuit to rehear her case after a panel rejected her bid to upend Maryland's marijuana social equity licensing program, arguing that the appellate judges' ruling turned on multiple errors of law and fact.
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September 17, 2025
Fed. Circ. Revives Hard Disk Patent Suit Against Seagate
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday threw out a Pennsylvania federal jury's finding that computer hard drive manufacturer Seagate Technology did not infringe a patent on magnetic material used in computer hard disk drives, finding the lower court gave jurors an incorrect claim construction.
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September 17, 2025
Shipbuilders Ask Justices To Weigh 4th Circ. No-Poach Ruling
Shipbuilders and designers accused of conspiring to suppress industry wages urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit decision that revived a proposed class action against them, saying the allegedly untimely antitrust claims threaten ruinous damages.
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September 17, 2025
Venezuelan Bondholder Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Suit
The holder of a $43.2 million judgment against Venezuela over defaulted bonds asked the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive its suit seeking to gain control of various Miami properties controlled by a wealthy businessman accused of bribing Venezuelan officials.
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September 17, 2025
Md. Hemp Cos. Plan To Challenge Cannabis Law At 4th Circ.
A group of hemp companies challenging Maryland's cannabis policies told a federal judge Tuesday that they plan to appeal a pair of recent adverse rulings, citing in part a new federal appellate ruling that pot sellers are entitled to constitutional protections.
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September 17, 2025
4th Circ. Won't Revisit $9M Nurse Misclassification Ruling
The Fourth Circuit will not reconsider a panel decision keeping in place a $9 million judgment against a medical staffing company the U.S. Department of Labor accused of misclassifying more than 1,000 nurses as independent contractors, the appeals court said.
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September 17, 2025
Yale Health System Settles $435M Hospital Sale Suit
Yale New Haven Health Services Corp., Connecticut's largest hospital system, has reached a settlement in principle with bankrupt Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. that would resolve a $435 million contract dispute over the sale of several hospitals in the state.
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September 17, 2025
Retired Judges Speak Out On 'Threats' To Constitution
More than 40 retired federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties released an open letter Wednesday, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, saying they sought to underscore the importance of the rule of law at a time when the nation's ideals "are under historic strain."
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September 16, 2025
Dr.'s COVID Falsehoods Are Free Speech, Wash. Panel Says
A Washington state appeals court unanimously ruled Tuesday that the Washington Medical Commission overstepped its authority by punishing a doctor for COVID-19 falsehoods he published to his blog, but affirmed the commission's decision to discipline him for prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients.
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September 16, 2025
6th Circ. Backs Liability Theory In Kia, Hyundai Car Theft Suits
A split Sixth Circuit panel Tuesday held that a lower court erred in rejecting that Kia and Hyundai could be liable for victims' injuries from crashes involving vehicles stolen amid a TikTok-inspired wave of thefts, finding "theft-related accidents" could be considered "hazards that make a car's design defective.
Expert Analysis
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What Patent Claim 'Invalidity' Means In Different Forums
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.
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Reel Justice: 'Eddington' Spotlights Social Media Evidence
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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8th Circ. Rulings Show Employer ADA Risks In Fitness Tests
Two recent Eighth Circuit decisions reviving lawsuits brought by former Union Pacific employees offer guidance for navigating compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, serving as a cautionary tale for employers that use broad fitness-for-duty screening programs and highlighting the importance of individualized assessments, says Masood Ali at Segal McCambridge.
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Rebuttal
BigLaw Settlements Should Not Spur Ethics Deregulation
A recent Law360 op-ed argued that loosening law firm funding restrictions would make BigLaw firms less inclined to settle with the Trump administration, but deregulating legal financing ethics may well prove to be not merely ineffective, but counterproductive, says Laurel Kilgour at the American Economic Liberties Project.
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9th Circ. Leaves Scope Of CIPA Applicability Unclear
Three recent Ninth Circuit decisions declined to directly address whether all of the California Invasion of Privacy Act's provisions actually apply to internet activity, and given this uncertainty, companies should heed five recommendations when seeking to minimize CIPA litigation risk, say attorneys at Skadden.
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5 Ways Lawyers Can Earn Back The Public's Trust
Amid salacious headlines about lawyers behaving badly and recent polls showing the public’s increasingly unfavorable view of attorneys, we must make meaningful changes to our culture to rebuild trust in the legal system, says Carl Taylor at Carl Taylor Law.
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What Insurers Must Know About New La. Proof Of Loss Law
Insurers that comply with all the requirements under a Louisiana law effective this month may condition claim payments on receipt of proof of loss statements, but those that overlook even one prerequisite risk penalties and late payments, say attorneys at Phelps Dunbar.
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Criminal Healthcare Fraud Takeaways From 4th Circ. Reversal
After the Fourth Circuit reversed a doctor’s postconviction acquittal in U.S. v. Elfenbein last month, defense attorneys should consider three strategies when handling complex criminal healthcare matters, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: August Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses key takeaways from federal appellate decisions involving topics including antitrust, immigration, consumer fraud, birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment, and product defects.
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A Look At Justices' Rare Decision Not To Limit Agency Powers
The Supreme Court's recent denial of Alpine's cert petition in its long-running case against the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority sends a strong signal that litigation strategies dependent on the elimination of government agencies merit caution, even from a court that lately hasn't been shy about paring back agency authority, say attorneys at Venable.
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Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Vehicle valuation challenges regarding the use of projected sale adjustments continued apace in insurance class actions this quarter, where insurers have been scoring victories on class certification decisions in federal circuit courts, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.
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Series
Hiking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
On the trail, I have thought often about the parallels between hiking and high-stakes patent litigation, and why strategizing, preparation, perseverance and joy are important skills for success in both endeavors, says Barbara Fiacco at Foley Hoag.
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6 Tips On Drafting Machine Learning Patents Post-Recentive
While the Federal Circuit's decision in Recentive v. Fox narrows the scope of patent-eligible machine learning applications, there are several drafting and prosecution strategies that may help practitioners navigate Section 101 challenges, say attorneys at BCLP.
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Regulating Online Activity After Porn Site Age Check Ruling
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding an age verification requirement for accessing online adult sexual content applied a lenient rational basis standard, raising questions for how state and federal courts will determine what kinds of laws regulating online activity will satisfy this standard going forward, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.
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Opinion
3rd Circ. H-2A Decision Mistakenly Relies On Jarkesy
The Third Circuit's decision last month in Sun Valley v. U.S. Department of Labor found that the claims required Article III adjudication under the U.S. Supreme Court's Jarkesy decision — but there is an alternative legal course that can resolve similar H-2A and H-2B cases on firmer constitutional ground, says Alex Platt at the University of Kansas School of Law.