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Appellate

  • September 17, 2025

    Chancery Approves $30M Match.com Spinoff Suit Settlement

    A Delaware vice chancellor approved a $30 million mediated settlement Wednesday to resolve a five-year dispute over the fairness of Match.com's 2019 reverse spinoff from Barry Diller-controlled IAC/Interactive, with stockholder attorneys taking home $6.9 million.

  • September 17, 2025

    2nd Circ. Won't Block Eletson Doc Transfer In Shipping Row

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday declined Reed Smith LLP's emergency request to block the turnover of client files created amid its representation of Greece-based shipping company Eletson Holdings prior to an October 2024 reorganization, but agreed to refer the stay motion to a three-judge panel for consideration.

  • September 17, 2025

    Texas Justices Don't Touch Block Of Local Pot Amnesty Law

    The Texas Supreme Court will not review an appellate panel's decision blocking the city of San Marcos from going forward with a voter-approved ordinance that limited local police from enforcing laws on low-level marijuana offenses.

  • September 17, 2025

    IRS-ICE Pact Allows For Mass Tax Data Swaps, DC Circ. Told

    An information sharing agreement between the IRS and immigration enforcement agencies allows for disclosure of confidential tax information on a mass scale, as evidenced by an IRS official's declaration in a taxpayer group's suit, immigration advocacy groups challenging the agreement told the D.C. Circuit on Wednesday.

  • September 17, 2025

    8th Circ. Axes Enhancement Over Tossed Gun As Speculative

    The Eighth Circuit on Wednesday vacated a nearly six-year sentence and dropped a reckless endangerment enhancement for a man in Iowa accused of discarding a loaded handgun while running from police.

  • September 17, 2025

    11th Circ. Seems Open To Reviving Mortality Table Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday seemed open to reviving a proposed class action from married energy company retirees who claim outdated life expectancy data caused them to lose out on benefits, with judges questioning the lower court's holding that actuarial assumptions don't have to be reasonable.

  • September 17, 2025

    4th Circ. Told Panel's Ruling In Bestwall Ch. 11 Dangerous

    A group of asbestos claimants has asked the full Fourth Circuit to reconsider a panel's ruling that Georgia-Pacific asbestos unit Bestwall could stay in Chapter 11 despite its parent being solvent, saying the opinion defies U.S. Supreme Court precedent and will enable debtors to abuse the system.

  • September 17, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Rejection Of Sterling Silver Patent App

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday upheld the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of a bid for a patent on a silver alloy resistant to corrosion, backing the agency's finding that the application lacked enough written description.

  • September 17, 2025

    7th Circ. Pick Shrugs Off Conservative Group's Opposition

    During her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Rebecca Taibleson, a federal prosecutor in Wisconsin tapped for the Seventh Circuit, fended off opposition to her nomination from conservative groups, antipathy that the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee called a "new low" for the committee.

  • September 17, 2025

    3rd Circ. Panel Puzzled By Economics Of NCAA Eligibility

    The introduction of compensation for college athletes may have changed the economic effects of the NCAA's eligibility rules, but a Third Circuit panel wondered Wednesday whether enough analysis on the specific effects had been done to justify suspending one of those rules for a Rutgers University football player.

  • September 17, 2025

    Coaches Ask For Lower Court Redo On 'Sham' NFL Arbitration

    Arguing that a recent Second Circuit ruling supports their position that arbitration overseen by the NFL commissioner cannot be impartial, three former NFL coaches have asked the district court judge who sent part of their proposed racial discrimination class action to arbitration two years ago to again reconsider that decision.

  • September 17, 2025

    Split 3rd Circ. Says Cell Search Didn't Violate Suspect's Rights

    A split Third Circuit panel ruled Tuesday that a woman's protections against self-incrimination weren't violated when she allowed police officers to search her phone after requesting an attorney following her arrest for drug dealing, holding that evidence on the phone ultimately used against her was properly admitted because the search was voluntary.

  • September 17, 2025

    Del. High Court Probes Reviving Gellert Seitz Malpractice Case

    A Delaware justice took aim at an argument she seemed to suggest wasn't fleshed out enough in appellate filings as a homebuilder's attorney urged the state Supreme Court on Wednesday to undo Gellert Seitz Busenkell & Brown LLC's win in a legal malpractice case.

  • September 17, 2025

    Substitute Expert Testimony Is Hearsay, Mass. Justices Rule

    Trial prosecutors' use of a state crime lab supervisor to introduce results of drug tests performed by a former subordinate violated the Sixth Amendment's confrontation clause, the Massachusetts high court said Wednesday, in a decision with potentially far-reaching implications for the use of forensic evidence.

  • September 17, 2025

    NCDOT Dodges Liability In Fatal Snowstorm Accident

    The North Carolina Department of Transportation was freed Wednesday from having to contribute to wrongful death settlements of over $1.6 million after a North Carolina Court of Appeals panel found the department to be immune under the Emergency Management Act.

  • September 17, 2025

    Insurer Says Parkland Mass Shooting Was Multiple Occurrences

    Evanston Insurance Co. told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday that a lower court erred when it said the term "occurrences" in an excess policy for the Broward Sheriff's Office was ambiguous and granted a win to the insured, which argued the 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, school was one occurrence, not several.

  • September 17, 2025

    Pot Entrepreneur Pushes 4th Circ. To Rehear Licensing Fight

    A California cannabis entrepreneur has asked the Fourth Circuit to rehear her case after a panel rejected her bid to upend Maryland's marijuana social equity licensing program, arguing that the appellate judges' ruling turned on multiple errors of law and fact.

  • September 17, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Hard Disk Patent Suit Against Seagate

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday threw out a Pennsylvania federal jury's finding that computer hard drive manufacturer Seagate Technology did not infringe a patent on magnetic material used in computer hard disk drives, finding the lower court gave jurors an incorrect claim construction.

  • September 17, 2025

    Shipbuilders Ask Justices To Weigh 4th Circ. No-Poach Ruling

    Shipbuilders and designers accused of conspiring to suppress industry wages urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit decision that revived a proposed class action against them, saying the allegedly untimely antitrust claims threaten ruinous damages.

  • September 17, 2025

    Venezuelan Bondholder Asks 11th Circ. To Revive Suit

    The holder of a $43.2 million judgment against Venezuela over defaulted bonds asked the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to revive its suit seeking to gain control of various Miami properties controlled by a wealthy businessman accused of bribing Venezuelan officials.

  • September 17, 2025

    Md. Hemp Cos. Plan To Challenge Cannabis Law At 4th Circ.

    A group of hemp companies challenging Maryland's cannabis policies told a federal judge Tuesday that they plan to appeal a pair of recent adverse rulings, citing in part a new federal appellate ruling that pot sellers are entitled to constitutional protections.

  • September 17, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Revisit $9M Nurse Misclassification Ruling

    The Fourth Circuit will not reconsider a panel decision keeping in place a $9 million judgment against a medical staffing company the U.S. Department of Labor accused of misclassifying more than 1,000 nurses as independent contractors, the appeals court said.

  • September 17, 2025

    Yale Health System Settles $435M Hospital Sale Suit

    Yale New Haven Health Services Corp., Connecticut's largest hospital system, has reached a settlement in principle with bankrupt Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. that would resolve a $435 million contract dispute over the sale of several hospitals in the state.

  • September 17, 2025

    Retired Judges Speak Out On 'Threats' To Constitution

    More than 40 retired federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties released an open letter Wednesday, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution, saying they sought to underscore the importance of the rule of law at a time when the nation's ideals "are under historic strain."

  • September 16, 2025

    Dr.'s COVID Falsehoods Are Free Speech, Wash. Panel Says

    A Washington state appeals court unanimously ruled Tuesday that the Washington Medical Commission overstepped its authority by punishing a doctor for COVID-19 falsehoods he published to his blog, but affirmed the commission's decision to discipline him for prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients.

Expert Analysis

  • DOJ Atty Firing Highlights Tension Between 2 Ethical Duties

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent firing of a prosecutor-turned-whistleblower involved in the Abrego Garcia v. Noem case illustrates the tricky balancing act between zealous client advocacy and a lawyer’s duty of candor to the court, which many clients fail to appreciate, says David Atkins at Yale Law School.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Trade In Limbo: The Legal Storm Reshaping Trump's Tariffs

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    In the final days of May, decisions in two significant court actions upended the tariff and trade landscape, so until the U.S. Supreme Court rules, businesses and supply chains should expect tariffs to remain in place, and for the Trump administration to continue pursuing and enforcing all available trade policies, say attorneys at Ice Miller.

  • Shareholder Takeaways From NY Internal Affairs Doctrine Suit

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    A May New York Court of Appeals decision in Ezrasons v. Rudd involving Barclays — affirming the state's "firmly entrenched" internal affairs doctrine — is a win for all corporate stakeholders seeking stability in resolving disputes between shareholders and directors and officers, say attorneys at Sadis & Goldberg.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

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    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 3 Rulings May Reveal Next Frontier Of Gov't Contract Cases

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    Several U.S. Supreme Court decisions over the past year — involving wire fraud, gratuities and obstruction — offer wide-ranging and arguably conflicting takeaways for government contractors that are especially relevant given the Trump administration’s focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • NCAA Settlement Kicks Off New Era For Student-Athlete NIL

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    A landmark settlement stemming from 15 years of litigation between schools and the NCAA reflects a major development in college athletics by securing compensation for usage of student-athletes' names, images and likenesses, and schools hoping to take advantage of new opportunities should take proactive steps to comply with new rules, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • 7th Circ. Insurance Ruling Resolves Major Jurisdictional Issue

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    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.

  • DOJ May Rethink Banning Firearms For Marijuana Users

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    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.

  • EDNY Ruling May Limit Some FARA Conspiracy Charges

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    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.

  • 9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

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    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.

  • Fla. Workers' Comp Ruling Ups Bar For Emotional Injury Suits

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    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.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Spearin, Overpayments, Jurisdiction

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    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.

  • What Calif. Appeals Split Means For Litigating PAGA Claims

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    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.

  • Series

    Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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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