Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Appellate
-
July 10, 2025
Fed. Circ. Judges Get Tough With Phillips 66 In Retrial Spat
The Federal Circuit tangled with Phillips 66 on Wednesday over the "talismanic significance" of a lower court judge declaring the oil and gas giant had made prejudicial arguments in an infringement case over oil refinery patents.
-
July 10, 2025
Feds Want Cheesesteak Shop Owner's Tax Sentence Restored
Prosecutors urged a Pennsylvania federal judge to reimpose a nearly two-year sentence on a Philadelphia cheesesteak shop owner who was convicted of paying employees off the books, a request that comes two months after the Third Circuit vacated his prison term.
-
July 10, 2025
Fla. High Court Revives Ex-Steak 'N Shake Worker's Bias Suit
The Florida Supreme Court backed the reinstatement Thursday of an ex-Steak 'n Shake worker's disability bias suit claiming he was fired after suffering a back injury, ruling he didn't need to invoke the state's civil rights law in his presuit bias charge to pursue his claims in court.
-
July 10, 2025
4th Circ. Pauses Air Quality Suit As EPA Rethinks W.Va. Plan
The Fourth Circuit on Thursday granted a request to pause West Virginia's ozone regulation lawsuit so the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can reconsider the state's air quality compliance plan.
-
July 10, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Geico Win In COVID Auto Rebate Class Action
The Ninth Circuit affirmed Geico's victory in a certified class action alleging it owed additional refunds to drivers who overpaid their auto insurance premiums during COVID-19 stay-home orders, ruling on Wednesday that Geico charged rates that were previously approved by California's insurance commissioner, which bars the plaintiff's state Unfair Competition Law claim.
-
July 10, 2025
Okla. Gov.'s Brother Seeks High Court Review Of Tribal Ticket
Keith Stitt, brother of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a decision that denied his appeal of a speeding ticket issued on tribal lands, arguing that the state never intended to accept a landmark ruling on the restoration of proper criminal jurisdiction in Indian Country.
-
July 10, 2025
2nd Circ. Won't Touch Morgan Stanley Deferred Comp Ruling
The Second Circuit refused to upend part of a lower court's ruling that former Morgan Stanley financial advisers' deferred compensation fell within the reach of federal benefits law, saying the financial firm couldn't clear the high bar necessary to undo the decision.
-
July 10, 2025
Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Sink EPA Pesticide Seed Exemption
Green groups on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is violating federal law by failing to regulate pesticide-coated crop seeds.
-
July 10, 2025
8th Circ. Backs EEOC Win In Deaf Bias Row With Trucking Co.
The Eighth Circuit declined on Thursday to upend decisions in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in its lawsuit accusing a trucking company of refusing to hire a driver because he's deaf, rejecting the employer's argument that the applicant wasn't qualified for the job.
-
July 10, 2025
Pa. Court Says DA Can Refile Murder Charge In Fatal Stabbing
A split appeals court in Pennsylvania has ruled that the commonwealth may refile charges against a woman for murdering her former girlfriend during an altercation, overturning a state trial court's finding that there was not enough evidence to bring the case.
-
July 10, 2025
11th Circ. Revives Case Over $3.1M Glassware Verdict Debt
The Eleventh Circuit has revived a case over $3.1 million in debt resulting from a jury verdict finding that two glass companies had copied the designs of another business, saying a lower court was wrong to find that the infringing companies' bankruptcy had wiped the debt out.
-
July 10, 2025
11th Circ. Tosses Satellite Co.'s $829K Finder's Fee Suit
The Eleventh Circuit said Wednesday that a $829,000 award in favor of a satellite technology company should be tossed, writing that a Florida federal court didn't have jurisdiction over the case.
-
July 10, 2025
IRS Leaker Fairly Sentenced To 5 Years, Gov't Tells DC Circ.
The judge who sentenced an IRS contractor for leaking thousands of wealthy people's tax returns to the media, including those of President Donald Trump, kept an open mind when she decided to deliver the maximum five-year prison term, the government told the D.C. Circuit, arguing the sentence was fair.
-
July 10, 2025
Fla. Atty Suspended After Conviction In Embezzlement Case
The Florida Supreme Court has suspended a lawyer who was found guilty at a June retrial of embezzling from an Orlando law firm where she worked as a paralegal before acquiring her law license.
-
July 10, 2025
Jazz Looks To Block Avadel From Asking For Sleep Drug OK
Jazz Pharmaceuticals wants a Delaware federal judge to block Avadel CNS Pharmaceuticals from seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its Lumryz drug to treat the sleep disorder idiopathic hypersomnia, after the Federal Circuit sent the case back to the lower court.
-
July 10, 2025
11th Circ. Keeps County Win In Prison Promotion Bias Row
The Eleventh Circuit kept intact a Georgia district court's decision to toss a county prison counselor's suit claiming she was passed over for promotion because of her gender, ruling Thursday that she lacked evidence to support a discrimination claim.
-
July 10, 2025
6th Circ. Sinks Ex-Christian School Dean's Racial Bias Claims
A Christian school's onetime dean of students cannot have his dismissed race and sex discrimination lawsuit revived because his former position falls under a ministerial exception that bars employment claims, the Sixth Circuit has found.
-
July 10, 2025
Conn. Panel Will Again Hear Ex-Alex Jones Atty's Ethics Case
The Connecticut Appellate Court will hear former Alex Jones attorney Norm Pattis' second appeal of his already-reduced, two-week suspension for allowing a former associate to send Sandy Hook medical records to other Jones attorneys who had not signed a confidentiality order.
-
July 10, 2025
Senate Tees Up 6th Circ. Nom Vote As 1st Of 2nd Trump Term
The first judicial confirmation of the second Trump administration was readied on Thursday, with the U.S. Senate voting 51-43 to end debate on the nomination of Whitney Hermandorfer to the Sixth Circuit.
-
July 10, 2025
DOL Urges 9th Circ. To OK Toss Of HP 401(k) Forfeiture Suit
The U.S. Department of Labor urged the Ninth Circuit to reject HP Inc. workers' bid to revive a proposed class action alleging forfeited employee 401(k) plan contributions were mismanaged, arguing a lower court properly tossed the case for failure to state a claim for violating federal benefits law.
-
July 10, 2025
10th Circ. Affirms Sentence In $1B Energy Tax Credit Scheme
A leader of a renewable-energy scheme that illicitly sought $1 billion in tax credits failed to persuade the Tenth Circuit to overturn his conviction by arguing that jurors were biased when his lawyer was identified as having helped Michael Jackson beat child molestation charges.
-
July 10, 2025
Dems Say 3rd Circ. Nominee Urged DOJ To Ignore Courts
Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee on Thursday unveiled 150 pages of documents, which they say substantiate whistleblower allegations against Third Circuit nominee Emil Bove and raise concerns about his conduct during his tenure at the U.S. Department of Justice.
-
July 09, 2025
2nd Circ. Axes Conviction Over False Text-To-Vote Memes
The Second Circuit on Wednesday overturned the conspiracy conviction of a onetime Twitter influencer who worked to convince Democrats in November 2016 they could cast votes for president by text message, saying there was scant proof he coordinated with others.
-
July 09, 2025
California Court Allows Worker To Pursue 'Headless' PAGA Suit
A California appeals court panel held Monday that a worker who dismissed his individual claims against his former employer for civil penalties under California's Private Attorneys General Act can still pursue claims solely on behalf of other aggrieved employees in a so-called headless PAGA action.
-
July 09, 2025
EPA Violated ESA With Nitrogen, Soot Standards, Group Says
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency violated the Endangered Species Act when it approved air quality standards for two pollutants without properly analyzing their effects on animals and plants, the Center for Biological Diversity told the D.C. Circuit Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
-
Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw
Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.
-
How Justices Rule On Straight Bias May Shift Worker Suits
Following oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, in which a heterosexual woman sued her employer for sexual orientation discrimination, the forthcoming decision may create a perfect storm for employers amid recent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, say attorneys at Proskauer.
-
How Del. Supreme Court, Legislature Have Clarified 'Control'
The Delaware Supreme Court's January decision in In re: Oracle and the General Assembly's passage of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law this week, when taken together, help make the controlling-stockholder analysis clearer and more predictable for companies with large stockholders, say attorneys at Baker Botts.
-
Service By Token Is Transforming Crypto Litigation Landscape
As the Trump administration advocates a new course of cryptocurrency regulation, courts in the U.S. and abroad are authorizing innovative methods of process service, including via nonfungible tokens and blockchain messaging, offering practical solutions for litigators grappling with the anonymity of cyber defendants, says Jose Ceide at Salazar Law.
-
Fed. Circ. In Feb.: Lessons On Cases With Many Patent Claims
The Federal Circuit's decision in Kroy IP v. Groupon last month establishes that inter partes review petitioners cannot rely on collateral estoppel to invalidate patent claims after challenging a smaller subset, highlighting the benefit that patent owners may gain from seeking patents with many claims, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.
-
PG&E Win Boosts Employers' Defamation Defense
A California appeals court's recent Hearn v. PG&E ruling, reversing a $2 million verdict against PG&E related to an ex-employee’s retaliation claims, provides employers with a stronger defense against defamation claims tied to termination, but also highlights the need for fairness and diligence in internal investigations and communications, say attorneys at Kaufman Dolowich.
-
Justices' False Statement Ruling Curbs Half-Truth Liability
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Thompson v. U.S. decision clarified that a federal statute used to prosecute false statements made to bank regulators only criminalizes outright falsehoods, narrowing prosecutors’ reach and providing defense counsel a stronger basis to challenge indictments of merely misleading statements, says Tamara de Silva at De Silva Law Offices.
-
Jurisdiction Argument In USAID Dissent Is Up For Debate
A dissent refuting the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent order directing the U.S. Agency for International Development to pay $2 billion in frozen foreign aid argued that claims relating to already-completed government contract work belong in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims – answering an important question, but with a debatable conclusion, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
-
Firms Still Have Lateral Market Advantage, But Risks Persist
Partner and associate mobility data from the fourth quarter of 2024 shows that we’re in a new, stable era of lateral hiring where firms have the edge, but leaders should proceed cautiously, looking beyond expected revenue and compensation analyses for potential risks, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
-
Opinion
We Must Allow Judges To Use Their Independent Judgment
As two recent cases show, the ability of judges to access their independent judgment crucially enables courts to exercise the discretion needed to reach the right outcome based on the unique facts within the law, says John Siffert at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.
-
Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons
In this month's review of class actions appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses three federal appellate court decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving antitrust allegations against coupon processing services, consumer fraud and class action settlements.
-
High Court Water Permit Ruling Lacks Specificity
The enforcement impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may not be significant, because while the ruling makes clear that certain water permit provisions must instruct permittees on how to achieve stated goals, it doesn’t clarify the level of necessary instruction, says Daniel Deeb at ArentFox Schiff.
-
The Central Issues Facing Fed. Circ. In Patent Damages Case
The en banc Federal Circuit's pending review of EcoFactor v. Google could reshape how expert damages opinions are argued, and could have ripple effects that limit jury awards, say attorneys at McAndrews Held.
-
Series
Performing Stand-Up Comedy Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether I’m delivering a punchline on stage or a closing argument in court, balancing stand-up comedy performances and my legal career has demonstrated that the keys to success in both endeavors include reading the room, landing the right timing and making an impact, says attorney Rebecca Palmer.
-
Series
Adapting To Private Practice: From SEC To BigLaw
As I adjusted to the multifaceted workflow of a BigLaw firm after leaving the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, working side by side with new colleagues on complex matters proved the fastest way to build a deep rapport and demonstrate my value, says Jennifer Lee at Jenner & Block.