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Appellate

  • May 15, 2025

    Asset-Rich Menendez Associate Must Pony Up $1.8M Fine

    A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday refused to adjust the payment schedule for a $1.75 million criminal fine for a New Jersey businessman who was convicted of bribing former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, citing his plentiful assets.

  • May 15, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Samsung Must Face Battery Suit In Texas

    A divided Fifth Circuit panel has revived a man's claims against South Korea-based Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. in a suit over an exploding e-cigarette battery, finding the company's marketing to industrial companies in Texas is enough of a connection to the state to grant jurisdiction.

  • May 15, 2025

    Justices Say Context Matters When Evaluating Use Of Force

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for a civil rights lawsuit against a Houston-area traffic officer who shot and killed a fleeing man, ruling that courts must weigh the full sequence of events — not just the instant a threat arises — when deciding if police used excessive force.

  • May 14, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Send Bitcoin Latinum Suit To Arbitration

    A Michigan federal judge was right to find that cryptocurrency firm Bitcoin Latinum can't send investor fraud claims to arbitration after waiting two years to seek that option, the Sixth Circuit has determined.

  • May 14, 2025

    Smartmatic Says Fox News Deleted 'Incriminating' Texts

    Fox News and its executives — including Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan — deleted "critical" and "incriminating" text messages related to the network's allegedly defamatory broadcasts about Smartmatic during the 2020 election, the voting tech company said Wednesday.

  • May 14, 2025

    DOGE Can't Dodge Limited FOIA Discovery, DC Circ. Says

    The Office of Management and Budget and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency must restart efforts to hand over thousands of pages of documents to a watchdog group seeking insight into DOGE's "secretive operations," the D.C. Circuit ruled Wednesday.

  • May 14, 2025

    Florida Appeals Court Says Pastor's Testimony Is Privileged

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday reversed convictions for a man found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor after finding that his pastor's testimony should not have been allowed at trial because it was protected by the clergy communications privilege.

  • May 14, 2025

    Fla. Court Rules Trust Wasn't Entitled To Jury Trial Over $8.9M

    A Florida state appeals court ruled Wednesday that a charitable trust wasn't entitled to a jury trial in a lawsuit alleging Brown Brothers Harriman Trust Co. improperly withheld and invested $8.9 million, saying the complaint falls "within the exclusive jurisdiction of equity."

  • May 14, 2025

    RJ Reynolds Can Keep Trial Win In Engle Case, Court Says

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday affirmed a verdict in favor of R.J. Reynolds in an Engle progeny suit over a longtime smoker's death, saying counsel's failure to use all their juror challenges invalidates an argument that a juror was unfairly selected.

  • May 14, 2025

    Chicken Price-Fixing Atty Fees Challenged Again At 7th Circ.

    A class objector in Chicago's massive consolidated suit over broiler chicken price-fixing is again urging the Seventh Circuit to vacate an attorney fee award for class counsel in a $181 million deal for chicken buyers, saying the district court erred in calculating the $51.66 million awarded on remand.

  • May 14, 2025

    Texas Appeals Court Asks If It Can Flip Arbitration Order

    A Texas appeals court questioned Wednesday whether it can flip an order compelling several whistleblowers at the center of a $14 million settlement with JPMorgan Chase Bank NA into arbitration, saying it may not have jurisdiction.

  • May 14, 2025

    Keep DOGE Out Of Social Security Data, Unions Tell Justices

    The U.S. Supreme Court has no reason to lift a ban on the Department of Government Efficiency accessing Social Security data, four unions argued in an amicus brief, backing two other unions in their bid to protect the injunction from the Trump administration's bid to defeat it.

  • May 14, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts Wash. Anti-Vaxxers' Stance In Med Board Suit

    A Ninth Circuit judge expressed skepticism on Wednesday that the federal appellate court could revive Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s suit against the Washington Medical Commission for initiating disciplinary proceedings against physicians who publicly aired anti-vaccination views, pointing out that federal courts generally "don't interfere" with ongoing state litigation.

  • May 14, 2025

    Oilify Cleared Of Infringement In Oil Field Product Patent Suit

    A Texas federal court has granted a win to the designer and distributor of a device used to separate gas and solids from oil collection in a suit accusing them of infringing a trio of patents.

  • May 14, 2025

    Ga. Justices Consider Sovereignty In Telecom Permits Case

    Georgia's justices were urged by the state Wednesday to overturn a trial court order granting summary judgment to telecommunications providers that sued to enforce prior contracts with the Georgia Department of Transportation that did not include increased permitting fees.

  • May 14, 2025

    5th Circ. Declines To Rehear SEC's Kroger Proxy Decision

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday declined to rehear conservative shareholders' case against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over a shareholder proposal from Kroger Co.'s 2023 ballot, following a November opinion that rejected the shareholders' challenge.

  • May 14, 2025

    Colo. Justices Leery Of Speaker's Motive In Anti-SLAPP Test

    The Colorado Supreme Court on Wednesday pressed a veterinary clinic on its position that courts should consider a speaker's motivations to determine if their comments involve issues of public interest, with some justices wondering if that would create too high a bar to trigger an anti-SLAPP law.

  • May 14, 2025

    Gaming Co. Asks High Court To Undo Wash. Compacts' Order

    A casino owner and operator is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a Ninth Circuit ruling that dismissed its challenge to Washington state tribal gaming compacts, arguing the case implicates an acknowledged conflict about the interplay of the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • May 14, 2025

    2nd Circ. Has Tough Questions On Nixing Medical Imaging Award

    The Second Circuit appeared divided on Wednesday on whether parties to a medical imaging joint venture could agree to designate New York courts to decide whether to vacate an arbitral award issued in Switzerland under their contract without violating an underlying treaty.

  • May 14, 2025

    Alex Jones Can't Duck $1B Sandy Hook Payout During Appeal

    Infowars host Alex Jones cannot avoid a $1.3 billion defamation judgment favoring the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre while he crafts an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in the hopes it accepts his final challenge to the record-breaking verdict, a Connecticut appeals court has ruled.

  • May 14, 2025

    Feds Say Ex-BigLaw Atty Must Start Prison In OneCoin Case

    Prosecutors asked a Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday to set a date for a former Locke Lord LLP partner to begin serving his 10-year prison sentence after he was convicted of helping to launder about $400 million in proceeds of the OneCoin cryptocurrency scheme.

  • May 14, 2025

    10th Circ. Chilly To Biotech's SEC Asset Freeze Challenge

    A panel of Tenth Circuit judges seemed skeptical Wednesday that a lower court had abused its discretion in granting a freeze of a biotech firm's assets in a suit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accusing the company and its founders of misappropriating roughly $9 million.

  • May 14, 2025

    7th Circ. Partially Revives Pregnancy Bias Suit Against Ill. DHS

    A Seventh Circuit panel on Wednesday partially reversed an Illinois federal court's decision giving the Illinois Department of Human Services a win on two former workers' claims of illegal pregnancy-related firings, saying that there are still open factual questions as to one worker.

  • May 14, 2025

    Fla. Court Won't Let State High Court Weigh Taking Query

    An en banc Florida appellate court on Wednesday refused to certify the city of Marathon's question about a factor for determining whether a taking happened to the state's high court.

  • May 14, 2025

    8th Circ. Dismisses North Dakota Native Voting Rights Dispute

    An Eighth Circuit panel vacated a North Dakota Native American voting rights dispute over whether the state's legislative body's drawing of redistricting maps violated federal law on Wednesday, saying parties don't have a private right to sue state officials over dilution claims under the Civil Rights Act.

Expert Analysis

  • What Insurers Should Know About AI Use In Litigation

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    As the use of artificial intelligence in litigation evolves, insurers should note standing court orders, instances of judges utilizing AI to determine policy definitions and the application of evidentiary standards to expert evidence that incorporates AI, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • UK Lawyers Can Access Broad US Discovery To Win Cases

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    Given its breadth, U.S. discovery can be a powerful tool in litigation in the U.K. and other jurisdictions outside the U.S., and a survey of recent cases indicates that discovery requests made in the U.S. are likely to be granted — with many applications even proceeding without contest, say lawyers at Miller & Chevalier.

  • 7 Employment Contracts Issues Facing DOL Scrutiny

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    A growing trend of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement against employment practices that limit workers' rights and avoid legal responsibility shines a light on seven unique contractual provisions that violate federal labor laws, and face agressive litigation from the labor solicitor, says Thomas Starks at Freeman Mathis.

  • Ruling Shows High Court Willing To Limit Immigration Review

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Bouarfa v. Mayorkas is the latest demonstration of the court’s readiness to limit judicial review in the immigration space, a notable break from other recent decisions that expanded judicial review of agency decisions in other areas, says Mark Fleming at WilmerHale.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Managing Litigation Side-Switching During 2nd Trump Admin

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    Now that the new presidential administration is in place, the government will likely switch positions in a number of pending cases, and stakeholders should employ strategies to protect their interests, say attorneys at Covington.

  • High Court Unlikely To Expand FSIA In Holocaust Asset Fight

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    Not surprisingly for a court where the majority are strict textualists, the U.S. Supreme Court justices appear poised to rule in favor of Hungary in Republic of Hungary v. Simon, reaffirming the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act as a narrow exception to jurisdiction, say attorneys at Lewis Baach.

  • The Fed. Circ. In 2024: 5 Major Rulings To Know

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    In 2024, the Federal Circuit provided a number of important clarifications to distinct areas of patent law – including design patent obviousness, expert testimony admissions and patent term adjustments – all of which are poised to have an influence going forward, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Mass Arbitration Procedures After Faulty Live Nation Ruling

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    Despite the Ninth Circuit's flawed reasoning in Heckman v. Live Nation, the exceptional allegations of collusive conduct shouldn't be read to restrict arbitration providers that have adopted good faith procedures to ensure that consumer mass arbitrations can be efficiently resolved on the merits, says Collin Vierra at Eimer Stahl.

  • Lessons From Two New Year's Eve Uptier Exchange Decisions

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    On the last day of 2024, two different courts issued important decisions relating to non-pro rata uptier exchanges — and while they differ, both rulings highlight that transactions effected in reliance on undefined terms in debt agreements come with increased risk, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025

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    If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.

  • Issues To Watch In 2025's ERISA Litigation Landscape

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    Whether 2024’s uptick in new Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases will continue this year will likely depend on federal courts’ resolution of several issues, including those related to excessive fees, defined contribution plan forfeitures, and pleading standards for ERISA-prohibited transaction claims, say attorneys at Groom Law.

  • Patent Ruling Sheds Light On Printed Matter Doctrine

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    Patent attorneys should pay attention to the claim language highlighted in Ioengine v. Ingenico, where the Federal Circuit held that program code was not printed matter, but essentially instructions or content, and therefore not subject to the printed matter doctrine for patent challenges, says Irah Donner at Manatt.

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