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Appellate

  • 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.

  • July 09, 2025

    Florida Court Nixes $5.8M Ruling, Says Loans Not Securities

    Florida's Third District Court of Appeal on Wednesday reversed and remanded a roughly $5.8 million judgment in a dispute regarding loan participation agreements between a commercial lender and an investment firm, saying the agreements weren't securities and were instead "routine commercial transactions."

  • July 09, 2025

    Amazon Customer Grilled On Whole Foods Ad Suit At 9th Circ.

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared critical on Wednesday of a consumer's claim that Amazon duped Prime members by pulling its free Whole Foods grocery delivery perk, as the judges pointed to subscriber terms allowing the e-commerce giant to change the benefits package.

  • July 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs Convictions For $150M 'Psychic' Fraud

    The Second Circuit upheld Wednesday a Canadian man's 10-year prison sentence and fraud convictions stemming from a decades-long $150 million direct mailing psychic scheme that defrauded elderly victims, ruling there was sufficient evidence he intended to harm his customers who received something different from what was advertised. 

  • July 09, 2025

    10th Circ. Backs Insurance Co. In Disabled Worker's Fee Fight

    The Tenth Circuit declined to revive a disabled worker's suit claiming a life insurance company owed her attorney fees after she successfully challenged its decision to cancel her benefits, ruling that federal law doesn't allow her to sue for legal expenses if a benefit dispute doesn't go to court.

  • July 09, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Upholds Death Sentence In Murder Case

    An Arizona man who authorities say was a white supremacist lost a bid to overturn his death penalty sentence for killing his roommates — one of whom was pregnant — after a split Ninth Circuit panel found Wednesday that his trial attorney's performance did not violate his rights.

  • July 09, 2025

    Woman Claims Unwanted Insanity Defense Prejudiced Jury

    A woman who was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2023 has urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to reverse a lower court's opinion that she is not entitled to relief after the possibility of an insanity defense was introduced into her trial against her wishes.

  • July 09, 2025

    NJ Panel Revives Doctor's Fight Against Noncompete Clause

    A New Jersey appellate panel revived on Wednesday a physician's lawsuit challenging the enforceability of a restrictive covenant in his employment contract, ruling that the lower court prematurely dismissed the case without resolving key factual disputes.

  • July 09, 2025

    3rd Circ. Probes 'Disruption' By Alt-Right Ex-Prof's Speech

    A Third Circuit panel pressed the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Wednesday to show that what it called racist off-campus comments by a professor had caused such a disruption that it had to fire him, with one judge asking where they should draw the First Amendment line for free speech.

  • July 09, 2025

    2nd Circ. Pressed For Second Look At Novel Trading Dispute

    An Estée Lauder shareholder is calling for the full bench of the Second Circuit to rehear a case he argues created a "judicially sanctioned loophole" that allows corporate insiders to retain profits they made on short-swing profits.

  • July 09, 2025

    7th Circ. Nixes Rail Sharing Order Power For Subpar Service

    Federal regulators can't give themselves power to order rail carriers to share shipments with their rivals unless the incumbent railroad's service is "inadequate," a Seventh Circuit panel said in striking a Surface Transportation Board rule designed to empower such mandates when service merely fails certain reliability metrics.

  • July 09, 2025

    8th Circ. Finds 'Chicken Coop' Trade Secrets Fight Can't Fly

    The Eighth Circuit will not reinstate an Iowa restaurant operator's lawsuit seeking a declaration that it did not misappropriate the trade secrets of another restaurant of the same name in Nebraska, saying there is no federal question that federal courts can answer.

  • July 09, 2025

    Mich. High Court Affirms Short-Term Rental Deed Restrictions

    The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a private Lake Michigan community's rules bar local property owners from using their lots as short-term rentals.

  • July 09, 2025

    NJ Court Backs Real Estate Partnership In Land Dispute

    A New Jersey appeals court on Wednesday backed a lower court's ruling that a Garden State real estate partnership was the owner of a narrow strip of commercial property, concluding that decades of recorded deeds and consistent use established their rightful ownership.

  • July 09, 2025

    Water Co. Can't Charge Customers $42M, Conn. Justices Say

    State regulators lawfully rejected Eversource subsidiary Aquarion Water Co. of Connecticut's 2022 request to increase rates by $42 million to pay for plant additions, but they wrongly scuttled the utility's $1.5 million bid to recover conservation expenses, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

  • July 09, 2025

    Microsoft IT Supplier's Suit May Be Doomed, 9th Circ. Hints

    A Ninth Circuit panel picked apart a cybersecurity firm's appeal Wednesday in a case accusing Microsoft of misusing a proprietary database of login credentials recovered on the dark web, with one judge remarking that the conduct in question was "expressly permitted" by the parties' agreement.

  • July 09, 2025

    4th Circ. Won't Rehear NASCAR Charter Injunction Loss

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday declined to revisit its recent decision scrapping an injunction that had let two race teams, including one co-owned by NBA great Michael Jordan, keep their charter status while pursuing antitrust claims against NASCAR.

  • July 09, 2025

    Mich. Justices Nix Ruling On ER Doctor-Hospital Agency

    The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed an appeals court's decision tossing a woman's vicarious liability claim against William Beaumont Hospital, finding she did not need to show she relied on a specific representation from the hospital to establish an ostensible agency relationship between the hospital and her treating doctor.

  • July 09, 2025

    NJ Justices Revive Bias Suit After Altice Evidence Falls Short

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Wednesday revived an Altice USA customer's discrimination suit against the cellular provider, ruling that there is not enough evidence to show that it was a regular business practice of Altice to email customers an agreement containing an arbitration provision.

  • July 09, 2025

    7th Circ. Revives Deputy's Retaliation Suit Over Election Feud

    The Seventh Circuit reinstated a sheriff's deputy's retaliation suit claiming he wasn't promoted because he criticized his boss while attempting to unseat him as sheriff, ruling the lower court failed to credit evidence that the sheriff admitted sabotaging the deputy's career when finding the case was untimely.

  • July 09, 2025

    US Chamber Backs Anheuser-Busch's 4th Circ. Class Fight

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed Anheuser-Busch LLC's bid to flip a Virginia federal court's decision granting class certification to workers alleging the brewing giant failed to pay for mandatory pre- and post-shift work, telling the Fourth Circuit that the workers didn't clear certification standards.

  • July 09, 2025

    Supreme Court Denies Fla. Bid To Enforce Immigration Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied Florida's request to lift a block on a state law that criminalizes the entry of unauthorized immigrants into the state, leaving in place a ruling that the law is likely preempted by the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.

  • July 09, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Cements Arthrex PTAB Wins Over Medical Device IP

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed without explanation decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidating claims in a group of medical device patents challenged by Arthrex Inc.

  • July 09, 2025

    DA Willis Urges Ga. Justices To Ax Trump Case Testimony Bid

    Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to toss a subpoena seeking her testimony from the state Senate committee that was investigating her relationship with a special prosecutor during her prosecution of President Donald Trump in an election interference case, arguing the panel is "seeking to 'try' the district attorney in public."

  • July 09, 2025

    4th Circ. Rejects Machinery Co.'s 3rd Try At Trade Secrets Suit

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday shot down a Taiwanese manufacturer's third attempt to pursue claims of trade secrets theft against its North Carolina distributor, rebuffing the idea that a manufacturer can hold distributors liable for misappropriation if they sell a rival's product.

Expert Analysis

  • What's At Stake As 9th Circ. Eyes Cultural Resource Damages

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    In Pakootas v. Teck Cominco, the Ninth Circuit is faced with the long-unresolved question of whether cultural resource damages are recoverable as part of natural resource damages under the Superfund law — and the answer will have enormous implications for companies, natural resource trustees and Native American tribes, says Sarah Bell at Farella Braun.

  • Digesting A 2nd Circ. Ruling On Food Delivery App Arbitration

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    The Second Circuit recently rejected Grubhub's attempt to arbitrate price-fixing claims, while allowing Uber Eats to do so, reinforcing that even broad arbitration clauses must connect to the underlying dispute and suggesting that terms of service litigation may center on websites' design and content, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Instructions, Price Evaluation, Standing

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Caitlin Crujido at MoFo looks at three recent decisions that consider a contractor's attempt to circumvent unambiguous solicitation instructions, the fairness of an agency's price evaluation and whether a protestor that would be unable to perform even if sucessful has standing.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

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    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Defense Strategies After Justices' Personal Injury RICO Ruling

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    In Medical Marijuana v. Horn, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held that the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act can be invoked by some plaintiffs with claims arising from personal injuries — but defense counsel can use the limitations on civil RICO claims to seek early dismissal in such cases, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • Opinion

    The SEC Must Protect Its Best Tool For Discovering Fraud

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    By eliminating the consolidated audit trail's collection of most retail customer information, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may squander a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deter securities market fraud and abuse, something new Chair Paul Atkins must ensure doesn't happen, says former SEC data strategist Hugh Beck.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    The first quarter of 2025 saw the Trump administration's crypto-forward approach permeate the banking industry, including Florida banking institutions, and a Fourth District Court of Appeal decision provide a new precedent for borrower/lender standing, say attorneys at Kozyak Tropin.

  • Meta Case Brings Customer-Facing Statements Issue To Fore

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    Now that Facebook v. Amalgamated Bank has returned to California federal court after the U.S. Supreme Court in November found it improvidently granted certiorari, it will be worth watching whether customer-facing communications, such as Facebook's privacy policies, are found to be made in connection with the sale of a security, says Samuel Groner at Fried Frank.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Home Depot Ruling Tolls Death Knell For 'Silent Cyber'

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent ruling that Home Depot's insurers did not have to cover costs from a data breach hammered one more nail in the coffin of silent cyber, where coverage is sought under standard property or commercial general liability policies that were not intended to insure cyberattack claims, say attorneys at Zelle.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Texas Case Shows Why Juries Are Well-Suited To COVID Suits

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    The original jury verdict in Baylor College of Medicine v. Lloyd's, currently on appeal to the Texas Supreme Court after being overturned by an appellate panel, illustrates why COVID-19 business interruption claims with their case-specific facts need to be decided by juries, not by judges using a one-size-fits-all approach, says Jeremy Lawrence at Farella Braun.

  • Filial Consortium Claims' Future After Conn. High Court Ruling

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    While the Connecticut Supreme Court recently ruled for defendants in rejecting parents’ attempt to recover loss of companionship damages in a severe child injury case, there is still potential for the plaintiffs bar to lobby for a law that would allow filial consortium claims, Glenn Coffin at Gordon Rees.

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