ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ

Appellate

  • May 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Judges Grapple With Funko Investors' Fraud Claims

    Ninth Circuit panelists said Friday they were "struggling" with an appeal from a group of investors in a proposed class securities fraud case against toymaker Funko, expressing skepticism that the shareholders had shown corporate leadership knowingly misrepresented the status of a software update that flopped.

  • May 23, 2025

    Report By Law Prof Filed In Ex-Atty's Bid To Win Back House

    A Florida law professor's report filed this week with the state Supreme Court calls a Tampa judge's order taking away an attorney's home "manifestly erroneous," asserting the ruling handed down more than eight years ago was made without determining whether the property had state constitutional protection from creditors.

  • May 23, 2025

    Texas Justices Answer 5th Circ. Query On State Usury Laws

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday concurred with a credit card industry firm that sued a lender over its "usurious" interest charges, telling the Fifth Circuit that state law holds that the maximum permissible interest on a loan is based on the declining principal balance, not the initial total principal amount.

  • May 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Dings PTAB Decision Upholding X-Ray Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Friday reversed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruling that claims in an X-ray patent aren't invalid as anticipated, concluding that the board's claim construction in the matter was incorrect, even though the board denied that it was construing any claims.

  • May 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Ch. 13 Plan Against Debt Bifurcation Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit rejected a mortgage lender's bid to overturn a California couple's bankruptcy plan, ruling their recalculated home value qualified them for Chapter 13 despite initial estimates exceeding the unsecured debt limit.

  • May 23, 2025

    NJ Panel Revives Ex-Nursing Director's Discrimination Suit

    A New Jersey appeals court panel on Friday revived a former Capital Health nursing director's suit alleging the state nurses association discriminated against her for receiving treatment for alcoholism, finding that the trial court could hear her complaint.

  • May 23, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says Judge Misapplied Fair Use In Copyright Case

    A Manhattan federal judge misunderstood the fair use doctrine when she dismissed a photographer's copyright lawsuit against a website that published one of her images, the Second Circuit said in a Friday ruling that directed the lower court to enter judgment in favor of the plaintiff.

  • May 23, 2025

    Prudential Urges 3rd Circ. To Back Win In 401(k) Suit

    A New Jersey district court correctly tossed a suit in which a class of workers claimed they were shorted millions of dollars in their retirement plans, Prudential told the Third Circuit, arguing that it made cautious decisions in its fiduciary process.

  • May 23, 2025

    Alex Jones Says $45.1M Sandy Hook Verdict Unconstitutional

    Infowars host Alex Jones' newest attorneys have asked a Texas appeals court to overturn a $45.1 million defamation verdict awarded to Sandy Hook families, arguing the default judgment was unconstitutionally issued after limited discovery and that the award violates Texas law limiting punitive damages compared to actual harm.

  • May 23, 2025

    Chief Justice Pauses DOGE's FOIA Discovery For Now

    Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily paused discovery Friday into whether the Department of Government Efficiency is an agency subject to Freedom of Information Act requests, giving the initiative a short reprieve as the U.S. Supreme Court considers DOGE's bid to more fully halt a purported "fishing expedition."

  • May 23, 2025

    Texas Atty Still Disbarred For Failing To Report Client's Death

    A Texas appeals court has upheld the disbarment of an attorney who was found by a jury to have engaged in professional misconduct, in part, by failing to report the death of a client he had represented in an attempt to recover the value of bounced checks.

  • May 23, 2025

    Law Prof Rebuked For Trying To End Sister's Conservatorship

    Colorado appellate judges have said a Northwestern University law professor lacked standing to request termination of a conservatorship over his sister, citing the professor stealing at least $1.5 million from his sister's inheritance and calling him "the antithesis" of a person interested in her welfare.

  • May 23, 2025

    Split DC Circ. Affirms Ax Of Ex-Trump Aide's Surveillance Suit

    A split D.C. Circuit affirmed Friday the dismissal of claims by former Trump 2016 campaign adviser Carter Page that the U.S. Department of Justice, FBI and former top officials violated privacy statutes in surveilling him as part of a Russian election interference probe.

  • May 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Urged To Force ERISA 401(k) Suit Arbitration

    A Los Angeles-based investment management company urged the Ninth Circuit to force individual arbitration of an ex-worker's proposed class action alleging 401(k) mismanagement, arguing a lower court incorrectly concluded an arbitration provision in employees' retirement plan wasn't enforceable because it waived statutory rights under federal benefits law.

  • May 23, 2025

    My So-Called Retirement: Some IP Lawyers Just Can't Quit

    When patent partner Terry Rea set out to retire, the onetime acting director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had her eyes on the independence that retirement promises — flexible hours, fewer deadlines and less stress over having lots of people counting on you.

  • May 23, 2025

    DeSantis Taps Ex-Governor's Office Atty For Appellate Seat

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday appointed his former chief deputy general counsel to the First District Court of Appeal bench in Tallahassee.

  • May 23, 2025

    Mich. Justices To Hear Law Firm's Roof 'Addition' Appeal

    Michigan's highest court said it will review whether a law firm office building's new roof was an addition to the property for the purposes of evaluating taxable value, meaning the property's value could increase beyond a 5% cap. 

  • May 23, 2025

    Philly Firm Dodges DQ Despite 'Troubling' Discovery Conduct

    Philadelphia-based construction law specialists Horn Williamson LLC can't be disqualified from a batch of negligence lawsuits against home builder Toll Brothers Inc. over "troubling" misconduct involving third-party subpoenas, a Pennsylvania Superior Court said Friday.

  • May 23, 2025

    Boston Not Liable Over School Shooting, Appeals Court Says

    The city of Boston is not liable for injuries to a high school student shot by a classmate while being dismissed early to attend a funeral, nor for the trauma experienced by his mother and younger siblings who were also in the line of fire, a Massachusetts intermediate appellate court concluded Friday.

  • May 23, 2025

    Mich. Justices Agree To Hear Insurer's PIP Benefits Appeal

    The Michigan Supreme Court has agreed to review a split lower court's finding that an auto insurer must provide personal injury protection, or PIP, benefits to a policyholder's son who was injured in an out-of-state tractor-trailer crash.

  • May 23, 2025

    Former AG Garland Returns To Arnold & Porter

    Former U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has returned to Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, where he worked early in his career, the firm announced Friday.

  • May 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Partly Revives Allstate Challenge To Tech Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Friday threw out the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's finding that Allstate failed to show the invalidity of two claims in a patent on cellphone sensors that can tell if a vehicle has accelerated or crashed, telling the board to take another look.

  • May 23, 2025

    Off The Bench: Tennis Officials, NCAA Stay On The Defensive

    In this week's Off The Bench, tennis players face pushback from the governing bodies they are accusing of antitrust violations, college basketball players claiming the NCAA exploited them want their class action revived, and a baseball player seeking one last year to play in college hits another legal roadblock.

  • May 23, 2025

    Southwest Flight Attendant Fights To Revive Nixed Sanctions

    A flight attendant urged the Fifth Circuit to reconsider its move to axe a contempt order against Southwest Airlines in her wrongful termination suit, arguing it shouldn't be scrapped just because the panel took issue with court-ordered religious liberty training for Southwest attorneys.

  • May 23, 2025

    Lindberg Urges NC Panel To Rebuff 'Ambush' Sanctions Bid

    A convicted billionaire seeking to unravel a receivership order against him has urged the North Carolina Court of Appeals not to scrap his case as a sanction for alleged procedural violations, saying the only gamesmanship afoot is opposing counsel's monthslong "radio silence."

Expert Analysis

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

    Author Photo

    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

    Author Photo

    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Series

    Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • Justices May Clarify What IP Competitors In Litigation Can Say

    Author Photo

    If the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to weigh in on Atturo Tire v. Toyo Tire, it may be able to provide guidance on the murky questions surrounding what companies enforcing their intellectual property against competitors are allowed to say in public, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How Del. Law Rework Limits Corporate Records Requests

    Author Photo

    Newly enacted amendments to a section of the Delaware General Corporation Law that allows stockholders and beneficial owners to demand inspection of Delaware corporations' books and records likely curtails the scope of such inspections and aids defendants in framing motions to dismiss at the pleading stage, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

  • A Recurring Atty Fee Question Returns To Texas High Court

    Author Photo

    As the Texas Supreme Court is poised to decide if it will once again address — in Maciejack v. City of Oak Point — when a party must segregate attorney fees it seeks to recover, litigators would be wise to contemporaneously classify fees as either recoverable or unrecoverable, say attorneys at Munck Wilson.

  • Alien Enemies Act Case Could Reshape Executive Power

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals raises fundamental questions about statutory interpretation, executive power and constitutional structure, which now lay on the U.S. Supreme Court's doorstep, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

  • An Update On IPR Issue Preclusion In District Court Litigation

    Author Photo

    Two recent Federal Circuit rulings have resolved a district court split regarding issue preclusion based on Patent Trial and Appeal Board outcomes, potentially counseling petitioners in favor of challenging not only all the claims of an asserted patent, but also related patents that have not yet been raised in district court, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

    Author Photo

    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Reaffirms Listing Elements Separately Is Key

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Regeneron v. Mylan reaffirms a critical principle in patent law: When a claim lists elements separately, the clear implication is that they are distinct elements, say attorneys at Taft.

  • Nev. Fraud Ruling Raises Stakes For Proxy Battles

    Author Photo

    Though a Nevada federal court’s recent U.S. v. Boruchowitz decision involved unusual facts, the court's ruling that board members can be defrauded of their seat through misrepresentations increases fraud risks in more typical circumstances involving board elections, especially proxy fights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

    Author Photo

    Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • NLRB Firing May Need Justices' Input On Removal Power

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's unprecedented removal of National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox spurred a lawsuit that is sure to be closely watched, as it may cause the U.S. Supreme Court to reexamine a 1935 precedent that has limited the president's removal powers, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.

  • Risks Of Today's Proffer Agreements May Outweigh Benefits

    Author Photo

    Modern-day proffer agreements offer fewer protections to individuals as U.S. attorney's offices take different approaches to information-sharing, so counsel must consider pushing for provisions in such agreements that bar the prosecuting office from sharing information with nonparty government agencies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Appellate archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!