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Appellate
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August 01, 2025
4th Circ. Says Court Can Hear Asbestos Spinoff's Ch. 11
The Fourth Circuit Friday found Georgia-Pacific asbestos unit Bestwall can stay in Chapter 11, saying a debtor's financial status has no bearing on whether a bankruptcy court has jurisdiction over its case.
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August 01, 2025
Hyundai, Kia Can't Get Rehearing On Cities' Car Theft MDL
The Ninth Circuit won't hold an en banc rehearing on an appeal from Hyundai Motors America Inc. and Kia America Inc. seeking to dismiss negligence claims by cities in three of seven states in multidistrict litigation over their alleged failure to install anti-theft technology in millions of vehicles.
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August 01, 2025
Widow Can't Be Spared Husband's Tax Debt, 11th Circ. Affirms
A widow is not entitled to innocent spouse relief from tax debt she shared with her husband because the underlying income belonged to her, the Eleventh Circuit said, affirming a U.S. Tax Court ruling and skirting an additional challenge to job protections for judges.
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July 31, 2025
Appeals Court Resurrects DC's Privacy Suit Against Facebook
A Washington, D.C., appeals court Thursday revived a lawsuit from the district's attorney general accusing Facebook of misleading users about how their data could be shared with Cambridge Analytica and other third-party apps, finding the lower court relied on too high an evidence standard in axing the claims.
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July 31, 2025
Justices Told State Med Mal Laws Fly In Federal Court
A Delaware federal court must apply a state statute requiring an expert affidavit in all medical malpractice suits, a hospital defendant told the U.S. Supreme Court, as key aspects of the Delaware law and similar statutes in 28 other states "should not be checked at the federal courthouse doors."
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July 31, 2025
NY Court Tosses 10-Year Sentence After Illegal Arrest
A homeless man sentenced to 10 years in prison for assaulting and trying to rob a woman in Manhattan had his conviction vacated Thursday when a New York appeals court said evidence against him never should have been allowed in court since it was gained via his illegal arrest.
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July 31, 2025
11th Circ. Says 'Urban Cowboy' Can Amend Taken Horses Suit
A divided Eleventh Circuit on Thursday granted a Georgia man whose horses were seized by Atlanta-area authorities a fresh shot at amending a lawsuit over the seizure, with the majority saying the lower court wrongly found that amending the suit was futile under the Fifth Amendment's takings clause.
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July 31, 2025
3rd. Circ. Lets Khalil Remain Free During Feds' Appeal
The Third Circuit denied the Trump administration's request to fully stay a district court order releasing pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from immigration detention, ruling that the federal government failed to show it would be irreparably harmed without a stay.
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July 31, 2025
Georgia Court Panel Revives Woman's Bus Injury Suit
A commuter who filed a personal injury lawsuit against an Atlanta-area bus company two years and two days after she was injured did not run afoul of Georgia's statute of limitations, a state appeals court ruled on Thursday, saying the law gives plaintiffs additional time when the last day would technically fall on a weekend.
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July 31, 2025
Sex Abuse Verdict Tossed Because Jury Wasn't Sworn In
A Michigan man will be given a new trial after a split state appeals panel on Thursday found that because a trial judge failed to swear in the jury that convicted him of criminal sexual conduct, a structural error occurred with the proceeding.
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July 31, 2025
Colo. Court Affirms Stalking Conviction In 'True Threat' Case
The Colorado Court of Appeals on Thursday declined to overturn the stalking and harassment convictions of a man who claimed his threatening emails to a police officer were protected First Amendment speech.
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July 31, 2025
7th Circ. Says Chemical Co. OK To Stop Paying Union Fund
A chemical distributor was allowed to stop paying into a Teamsters pension fund in 2021, and an Illinois federal judge was wrong to conclude otherwise, the Seventh Circuit said Thursday, reversing a ruling that ordered the company to pay the fund over $365,000.
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July 31, 2025
Calif. Med Mal Law Can't Apply To Ambulance Crash Suits
The California Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the state's one-year time limit for medical malpractice claims does not apply to suits over ambulance drivers' negligence, saying instead the two-year deadline for ordinary negligence governs.
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July 31, 2025
Texas Court Allows Habeas Relief In Misdemeanor Fine Case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday ruled that defendants facing only fines can be eligible for pretrial habeas corpus relief, saying complaints, preliminary convictions and appellate bonds can constitute "restraint" under state law.
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July 31, 2025
6th Circ. OKs Toss Of Trustee Removal Bid In Union Fund Row
A Sixth Circuit panel on Thursday upheld an Ohio federal court's decision finding that a trade union, three trustees of a union benefit fund, and a fund participant cannot remove two other trustees they accused of self-dealing, saying they failed to show they would face irreparable harm.
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July 31, 2025
10th Circ. Says Water Exclusion Bars Co.'s $1.75M Loss
A Kansas office building's property insurer has no duty to provide coverage for roughly $1.75 million in repairs over a broken water pipe, the Tenth Circuit ruled, rejecting the building owner's argument that an exception in one exclusion conflicted with a separate exclusion for water damage.
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July 31, 2025
11th Circ. Revives American Airlines Cuban Property Suit
The Eleventh Circuit has sent back to lower court a Miami man's suit claiming that American Airlines illegally benefited when using a Havana airport he says the Cuban government stole from his family in 1959.
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July 31, 2025
NJ Justices Clarify Pension Beneficiary Designation Process
The Garden State's Police and Firemen's Retirement System improperly distributed more than $200,000 in unpaid pension benefits to the estranged spouse of a deceased Newark police officer, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Thursday, ordering the money to be redirected to his estate.
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July 31, 2025
Anadarko Asks 5th Circ. To Back La. Suit Indemnity Win
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has asked the Fifth Circuit to uphold its indemnification win against an environmental remediation company in connection with a decade-old Louisiana kickback suit, writing that "one who makes his own bed must lie in it."
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July 31, 2025
Mich. Justices Say Employer Suit Limits Must Be Reasonable
The Michigan Supreme Court held Thursday that employment agreements that limit how much time employees have to sue their employer must be examined for reasonableness before they are enforced by courts.
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July 31, 2025
NJ Town Knocks Out Worker's $1.6M Disability Bias Win
A New Jersey appellate court scrapped a $1.6 million verdict Thursday for a township employee who said she was discriminated and retaliated against for taking leave to treat her anxiety, ruling the evidence presented at trial didn't justify the damages award.
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July 31, 2025
Fed. Circ. Judges Cast Doubts On Trump Tariff Powers
Several Federal Circuit judges raised concerns about whether President Donald Trump's tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act override constitutional and congressional authority during oral arguments Thursday in their questions to better understand the extent of the appeals court's review.
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July 31, 2025
3 Federal Circuit Clashes To Watch In August
The Federal Circuit's argument calendar for August includes Brita's effort to revive a patent suit against water filter rivals that fell short at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and a prolific inventor's bid to undo a decision clearing Coca-Cola of infringing a beverage dispenser patent.
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July 31, 2025
4th Circ. Says Brokers Owe Atty Fees Over Case Removal Row
A unanimous Fourth Circuit panel has affirmed a South Carolina federal judge's order requiring several financial firms to pay more than $63,000 in legal fees for improperly trying to remove a securities class action to federal court for a second time, but said they don't have to pay additional fees to cover the cost of the appeal.
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July 31, 2025
Witness' Use Of 'Fraud' Doesn't Cancel TV Sports Exec's Verdict
The First Circuit rejected arguments by a former executive at the cable channel for the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins that a witness' use of the word "fraud" and testimony about his lavish spending tainted the jury that convicted him of a fake invoice scheme.
Expert Analysis
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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.
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How IPR Estoppel Ruling May Clash With PTAB Landscape
Though the Federal Circuit's narrowing of inter partes review estoppel in Ingenico v. Ioengine might encourage more petitions, tougher standards for discretionary denial established by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could be a counterbalancing factor, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Texas Ruling Emphasizes Limits Of Franchisors' Liability
The Texas Supreme Court's recent ruling in Massage Heights Franchising v. Hagman, holding that a franchisor was not liable to a customer for the actions of a franchisee's employee, helps clarify the relative roles and responsibilities of the parties in such situations — and the limits of franchisors' duty of care, say attorneys at Polsinelli.