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Appellate

  • June 12, 2025

    PNC Gets Fed. Circ. To Undo Its $223M Patent Loss To USAA

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday wiped out two jury verdicts totaling nearly $223 million that United Services Automobile Association won against PNC Bank on mobile check deposit patents, finding the patents cover only abstract ideas.

  • June 12, 2025

    USPTO Tells Fed. Circ. Not To Review Ruling In Xencor Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has found that the full Federal Circuit doesn't need to review a decision rejecting Xencor Inc.'s application for an antibody patent, saying that a panel of the appellate court applied the right standard.

  • June 12, 2025

    Wash. Justice Doubts Both Sides In Election Law Fight

    A Washington Supreme Court justice said Thursday he believed a political action committee and county auditor are both wrong about the disputed meaning of a state law governing city charter amendment elections, as he and his colleagues flagged discrepancies in the parties' arguments.

  • June 12, 2025

    6th Circ. Probes County's Push To Upend Worker's ADA Win

    The Sixth Circuit had tough questions Thursday for a Tennessee county trying to upend a jury win for a worker with night blindness who said her firing violated disability bias law, with one judge saying the county relied on a decision issued before the law's definition of disability was expanded.

  • June 12, 2025

    3rd Circ. Will Reconsider Shipbuilder's Ch. 11 Reopening Bid

    The Third Circuit said Thursday that it will reconsider whether to reopen Congoleum Corp.'s 2003 Chapter 11 bankruptcy so the bankruptcy court, not a district court, can say whether Congoleum affiliate Bath Iron Works should share liability for cleaning up a polluted New Jersey river.

  • June 12, 2025

    10th Circ. Says Timer Still Ticking In Sycamore Bakery TM Suit

    The Tenth Circuit on Thursday backed a lower court decision shooting down a bid to terminate an order requiring the patriarch of a bakery business to hand over his portion of an LLC as part of a long-running feud with EarthGrains Baking Cos. Inc.

  • June 12, 2025

    NH High Court Upholds Towns Keeping Excess Tax Revenue

    The right of New Hampshire communities to retain excess statewide education property taxes for other purposes doesn't violate the state constitution's uniformity clause, the state Supreme Court ruled, partially reversing a trial court.

  • June 12, 2025

    8th Circ. Stubs Out Challenge To FDA Menthol Vape Denial

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday threw out a challenge from SWT Global Supply Inc. to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of its application to market menthol-flavored e-cigarettes, saying the agency didn't arbitrarily or capriciously find that the company's sales plan failed to meet its standards for promoting public health.

  • June 12, 2025

    Construction Co. Beats Gas Pipeline Explosion Injury Suit

    A Texas appeals court said Wednesday that a construction company could escape a negligence suit from a worker injured in a 2018 pipeline explosion, ruling that the man hadn't shown his injuries were a foreseeable result of construction activities.

  • June 12, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Brazilian Didn't Get Fair Shake In Asylum Request

    The Ninth Circuit has revived a Brazilian woman's asylum claim, saying neither the Board of Immigration Appeals nor an immigration judge appropriately considered how the danger she faced in her home country stopped her from practicing her religion freely.

  • June 12, 2025

    Athletes Revive Title IX Objections In NIL Settlement Appeal

    Eight female former and current college athletes who previously objected to the Title IX implications of the $2.78 billion settlement between the NCAA and a class of former athletes seeking past name, image and likeness pay have appealed the final approval of the settlement, granted just last Friday, to the Ninth Circuit.

  • June 12, 2025

    Deal Ends Freedom Mortgage's Appeal Of $23M Verdict

    Freedom Mortgage and a Virginia mortgage subservicer have reached a deal to resolve the mortgage company's appeal of a $23 million verdict over a subservicing agreement gone wrong, according to a Thursday filing in the Third Circuit.

  • June 12, 2025

    Fla. Court Nixes Roundup Cancer Suit's Punitive Damages Bid

    A Florida state appeals court has refused to let a plaintiff pursue punitive damages against Monsanto Co. in his suit alleging that glyphosate in the company's Roundup weedkiller caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, finding he didn't present sufficient evidence to support the damages.

  • June 12, 2025

    Detroit Can't Block Sidewalk Hazard Suit, Mich. Justices Say

    Detroit cannot claim immunity in a lawsuit over a man's injuries from tripping on a metal post embedded in a sidewalk, the Michigan Supreme Court said Wednesday, ruling that the protrusion constitutes a dangerous defect under state law.

  • June 12, 2025

    Reed Smith Pushes For 2nd Circ. Stay In $102M Award Fight

    Still seeking to represent prebankruptcy owners of international shipping company Eletson Holdings Inc., Reed Smith LLP has asked the Second Circuit to stay a bankruptcy proceeding and a district court action, arguing the reorganized Eletson, now allegedly under common control with a former adversary, has launched a "calculated effort" to seize the company's privileged client information.

  • June 12, 2025

    Wis. Children's Hospital Denied Exemption For Hospital Tower

    The Children's Hospital of Wisconsin isn't eligible for a property tax exemption for a tower built in its medical complex, as it was unused during the tax year, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled.

  • June 12, 2025

    Pa. Panel Says Borough Didn't Break Law In Condemning Mall

    A Pennsylvania appellate panel affirmed a decision backing the borough of West Mifflin's condemnation of a local mall, rejecting the property owner's argument that its due process rights were violated.

  • June 12, 2025

    Justices Say Habeas Claims Can't Be Added After Judgment

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that a prisoner may not add new claims to a habeas corpus petition once a final judgment is issued, cementing strict limits on repeat habeas filings prescribed by federal law.

  • June 12, 2025

    Justices Reverse IRS Loss In Tax Collection Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the U.S. Tax Court did not have jurisdiction to review a New Jersey woman's collection dispute with the Internal Revenue Service after the agency stopped going after her unpaid taxes, reversing an earlier IRS loss.

  • June 12, 2025

    Justices Grant Compensation Leeway To Late-Filing Vets

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Barring Act's six-year statute of limitations for certain military-related claims does not apply to combat-related special compensation, a win for a proposed class of roughly 9,000 veterans who say they deserve additional pay despite filing late.

  • June 12, 2025

    Justices Clarify Appeal Deadline In Win For Pro Se Inmate

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a pro se inmate to appeal a suit alleging harsh treatment while behind bars, reversing the Fourth Circuit in an opinion that says civil litigants do not need to file a second notice of appeal if they filed prior to a court's decision to reopen the case.

  • June 12, 2025

    High Court Levels ADA Playing Field For Disabled Students

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ruled students claiming disability discrimination in public schools should not face a higher standard of proof than plaintiffs in other Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act lawsuits.

  • June 12, 2025

    Justices Limit FTCA Defense In FBI Raid Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday held that the Constitution's supremacy clause cannot shield the federal government from Federal Tort Claims Act suits, in the process reviving a Georgia woman's claim over an FBI raid aimed at a gang member but mistakenly carried out at her home.

  • June 11, 2025

    AP Asks Full DC Circ. To Rethink White House Press Pool Ban

    The Associated Press on Tuesday asked the full D.C. Circuit to reconsider a split panel's decision reinstating the White House's directive banning the AP from the press pool covering the Oval Office, Air Force One and Mar-a-Lago, saying the "unprecedented" decision empowers the Trump administration to violate the First Amendment.

  • June 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts Kleenex Ad Fight Belongs In District Court

    Two judges on a Ninth Circuit panel doubted Wednesday that they have jurisdictional authority to revive a putative class action alleging Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s Kleenex Wet Wipes Germ Removal products mislead consumers about its ability to kill germs, saying repeatedly that the consumers' complaint has not met their burden to establish jurisdiction.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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