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Appellate

  • May 22, 2025

    Bilfinger Urges NC Justices To Skip Cargill Arbitration Case

    International construction company Bilfinger is urging North Carolina's top court not to review a decision nixing Cargill's bid to revive arbitration it initiated in a dispute stemming from a construction contract, disputing the food conglomerate's argument that the case raises novel issues.

  • May 22, 2025

    Wash. Justices Undo Landlord Win In Eviction Answer Dispute

    Washington's highest court overturned a Seattle-area landlord's eviction victory on Thursday, saying any tenant who responds to a summons with a written "notice of appearance" can't be hit with a default judgment for failing to file an answer in an unlawful detainer action.

  • May 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Pfizer Win Against Gene Therapy Patents

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday sided with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's findings that a pair of patents covering a new kind of experimental gene therapy to treat hemophilia were invalid, handing a win to patent challenger Pfizer.

  • May 22, 2025

    7th Circ. Wary Of Crypto Fund Owner's Appeal Of $231M Fine

    A Seventh Circuit panel on Thursday pressed counsel for a cryptocurrency fund operator challenging a $231 million judgment for running a Ponzi scheme to address whether he'd waived his argument that the digital tokens his funds invested in aren't "commodities" subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by not raising it in the lower court.

  • May 22, 2025

    Sen. Durbin Holds Up Florida US Attorney Nominee

    Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Thursday he will be holding up President Donald Trump's U.S. attorney nominee for the Southern District of Florida, blaming precedent set by Vice President JD Vance when he was in the Senate.

  • May 22, 2025

    Clinic Tells NC Justices Med Mal Reforms Apply To Practices

    An orthopedic clinic is urging North Carolina's highest court to free it from a family's negligent-retention claim over an allegedly faulty surgery by a doctor who later lost his license, asserting that the lower court incorrectly found that state medical malpractice statutes and subsequent reforms don't apply to medical practices.

  • May 22, 2025

    Gov't Presses High Court To Hear Activist Investor Suit

    The federal government Thursday urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case accusing a series of closed-end funds of shutting an activist investor out of its voting rights, arguing that the investor's lawsuit threatens to have an "unpredictable impact" on the private fund industry.

  • May 22, 2025

    Alaska Airlines Grilled In Wash. COVID Workers' Comp Case

    Members of Washington's highest court cast doubt Thursday about Alaska Airlines' stance in a flight attendant's COVID-19 workers' compensation case, with several justices seemingly frustrated by the employer's attempt to draw a line between covered occupational disease and sickness that develops during job-related travel.

  • May 22, 2025

    Hungarian Co. Fights Croatia Delay Bid In $236M Award Case

    A Hungarian energy company has urged a D.C. federal court to nix Croatia's bid to stay a lawsuit aimed at enforcing a $236 million arbitral award against the country a month after it lost a motion to dismiss the suit.

  • May 22, 2025

    5th Circ. Revives 'Unclean Hands' Defense In Ch. 13

    A Louisiana homeowner can head back to bankruptcy court to try to discharge a $75,000 judgment against him from a contractor who said it was stiffed, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled.

  • May 22, 2025

    Calif. Docs Bring FDA Stem Cell Regulation Fight To Top Court

    Two California clinics that provide stem cell treatments are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit panel's finding that their treatments are "drugs" subject to Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act regulations.

  • May 22, 2025

    Justices Urged To Undo Denial Of Fast Track For Gastro Drug

    Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Food and Drug Administration's decision denying fast-track approval for its gastroparesis drug tradipitant, saying it meets the statutory standard for fast-track review as a new treatment with the "potential to address unmet medical needs."

  • May 22, 2025

    Rehab Greenhouse Violated Zoning Rules, Conn. Justices Say

    A drug rehab center's attempt to operate a 2,100-square-foot plastic greenhouse as a therapy facility on a northwestern Connecticut farm was an impermissible expansion of a previous nonconforming land use, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, overturning the center's earlier appellate court victory in a zoning dispute.

  • May 22, 2025

    Florida AG Wants Block On Immigration Law Paused

    The state of Florida told the Eleventh Circuit Wednesday that a block on a state law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized immigrants should be paused, arguing that the law's challengers are trying to "push precedent past its breaking point" and have no standing to enforce federal immigration law.

  • May 22, 2025

    As Trump Wields FCA, Whistleblowers May See 'Dollar Signs'

    The Trump administration's plan to use the False Claims Act to target diversity programs and alleged civil rights fraud steers a well-worn statute into uncharted territory, and could spur significant whistleblower activity amid high-profile battles with Harvard University, BigLaw firms and other institutions, experts told Law360.

  • May 22, 2025

    Sutter Health's $228.5M Antitrust Deal Gets Initial OK

    A California federal judge on Thursday preliminarily approved Sutter Health's $228.5 million deal settling a 13-year case over claims the hospital chain boosted costs by pushing all-or-nothing networks on insurers, saying that after a trial and a Ninth Circuit reversal, "it's nice that we didn't have to try this case twice."

  • May 22, 2025

    6th Circ. Backs 3 Convictions In Toledo Drug Trafficking Ring

    The Sixth Circuit stood by the convictions and sentences of three men Ohio jurors said committed what the panel called "a host of federal crimes related to trafficking in cocaine, cocaine base, and fentanyl," finding no errors in the lower court's proceedings that would warrant vacatur or reversal.

  • May 22, 2025

    No COVID-19 Coverage For Hotel REIT, Texas Panel Affirms

    A group of insurers has no obligation to cover an Austin, Texas-based real estate investment trust's pandemic-related losses, a state appellate court ruled Thursday, finding that a contamination exclusion in the REIT's policies unambiguously bars coverage.

  • May 22, 2025

    Trip-And-Fall Jury Mistake Was Harmless, Panel Rules

    The Connecticut Appellate Court on Thursday upheld a trip-and-fall defendant's trial court win after the plaintiff claimed the jury had been given an incorrect draft copy of interrogatories that did not cover the full scope of the claims, finding that the error was "harmless."

  • May 22, 2025

    Justices Allow Trump To Fire NLRB, MSPB Members, For Now

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled two fired members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board cannot return to work while they challenge President Donald Trump's authority to fire them without cause, handing the president a win in his crusade against a 90-year-old precedent limiting his power to fire employees at independent agencies.

  • May 22, 2025

    3rd Circ. Wary Standing Exists In Business School Fraud Suit

    The Third Circuit on Thursday appeared skeptical that a former Rutgers University student could bring a proposed class action alleging the university inflated its full-time MBA program's rankings, questioning how he could have been injured if he wasn't enrolled in the program.

  • May 22, 2025

    Pa. House Rep Asks 3rd Circ. For Immunity In Robocall Suit

    Counsel for a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives told the Third Circuit on Thursday that a federal judge was wrong to conclude the lawmaker was not immune from a Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuit over recorded phone messages he sent to constituents.

  • May 22, 2025

    Ga. Attys Win Fight Over Lien Fees In Personal Injury Suit

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has upheld a nearly $500,000 attorney's lien order requiring a man to pay his former legal team attorney fees, finding Thursday that the attorneys had reasonable cause to withdraw from guiding him in a personal injury suit against Whole Foods after he rejected a $2 million settlement offer and the attorney-client relationship "deteriorated."

  • May 22, 2025

    Michigan Seeks 6th Circ. Rehearing In Enbridge Pipeline Row

    Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has asked the full Sixth Circuit to find she is protected by sovereign immunity from an Enbridge Energy lawsuit to halt her efforts to shut down an oil and natural gas pipeline.

  • May 22, 2025

    BigLaw Firms Insist Trump Deals Are Legal, Don't Alter Values

    Nine BigLaw firms including Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP have written to members of Congress defending controversial agreements they made with the Trump administration to avoid executive orders targeting the firms, according to letters obtained by Law360 on Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Potential Developments That May Alter US Patent Rights

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    The Federal Circuit's upcoming decision in EcoFactor v. Google, pending legislation before Congress and the appointment of a new U.S Patent and Trademark Office director all have significant potential to strengthen or weaken patent rights, say attorneys at McKool Smith.

  • 11th Circ. TCPA Ruling Signals Erosion Of Judicial Deference

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    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently came to the rescue of the lead generation industry, striking down new regulations that were set to go into effect on Jan. 27, a decision consistent with federal courts' recent willingness to review administrative decisions, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • How Ill. Ruling Could Influence Future Data Breach Cases

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    The Illinois Supreme Court's recent decision in Petta v. Christie Business Holding, which was based solely on standing, establishes an important benchmark for the viability of Illinois-based lawsuits arising out of data security incidents that defendants can cite in future cases, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • The Rising Need For The Selective Prosecution Defense

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    In a political climate where criminal and civil prosecution on the basis of political affiliation, constitutionally protected speech or other arbitrary classification is increasingly likely, existing precedent shows why judges should be more open to allowing a selective prosecution defense, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Corp. Transparency Act's Future Under Treasury's Bessent

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    The Corporate Transparency Act’s ultimate fate faced uncertain terms at the end of 2024, but new U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's statements and actions so far demonstrate that he does not intend to ignore the law, though he may attempt to make modifications, say attorneys at Taylor English.

  • Serta Ruling Further Narrows Equitable Mootness In 5th Circ.

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    The Fifth's Circuit recent Serta bankruptcy decision represents a further hardening of its view of the equitable mootness doctrine, and may set up a U.S. Supreme Court review of the doctrine in the near future, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Opinion

    Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice

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    A recent Third Circuit decision, contradicting a previous ruling about whether consumers of contaminated products have suffered an injury in fact, illustrates the deep confusion this U.S. Supreme Court standard creates among federal judges and practitioners, who deserve a simpler method of determining which cases have federal standing, says Eric Dwoskin at Dwoskin Wasdin.

  • Takeaways From Oral Argument In High Court Trademark Case

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    Unpacking oral arguments from Dewberry Group v. Dewberry Engineers, which the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on this year, sheds light on the ways in which the decision could significantly affect trademark infringement plaintiffs' ability to receive monetary damages, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege

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    Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.

  • 4 Potential Effects Of 3rd Circ.'s Coinbase Ruling

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    The Third Circuit's recent landmark decision in Coinbase v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the SEC's refusal to engage in rulemaking to clarify its stance on crypto enforcement was "insufficiently reasoned" could have wide-ranging impacts, including on other cases, legislation and even the SEC's reputation itself, says Daniel Payne at Cole-Frieman.

  • Disability Ruling Guides On Cases With Uncertain Causation

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    In Dime v. MetLife, a Washington federal court’s recent ruling in favor of a disability claimant instructs both claimants and insurers on the appropriate standard for establishing and making a disability determination when there is limited medical evidence explaining the disability’s cause, says Mark DeBofsky at DeBofsky Law.

  • National Bank Act Rulings Facilitate More Preemption Analysis

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    Two recent National Bank Act preemption decisions from an Illinois federal court and the Ninth Circuit provide the first applications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling in Cantero v. Bank of America, opening the potential for several circuit courts to address the issue this year, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.

  • Opinion

    New DOJ Leaders Should Curb Ill-Conceived Prosecutions

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    First-of-their-kind cases have seemingly led to a string of overly aggressive prosecutions in recent years, so newly sworn-in leaders of the U.S. Department of Justice should consider creating reporting channels to stop unwise prosecutions before they snowball, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Opinion

    Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay

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    Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.

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