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Appellate
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July 11, 2025
Widow Asks 4th Circ. For Innocent Spouse Tax Relief
An 80-year-old widow whose husband went to jail for filing false tax returns asked the Fourth Circuit to overturn a U.S. Tax Court ruling finding her liable for interest payments related to the couple's millions of dollars in tax debt.
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July 11, 2025
Calif. Panel Says Arbitration Provider Immune From Fraud Suit
An arbitration provider is immune from a logistics company's suit accusing it of not properly vetting its arbitrators, including one who oversaw a wage and hour suit against the company, a California appeals panel ruled, affirming a lower court's decision to nix the case.
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July 11, 2025
11th Circ. Won't Reinstate Worker's ERISA Arbitration Award
A divided Eleventh Circuit panel refused to restore a former water treatment company director's arbitration award of about $129,000 on claims that he should've been offered severance when demoted to a consultant, saying an arbitrator erroneously decided a federal benefits law claim the worker never raised.
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July 11, 2025
11th Circ. Revives Black Worker's Promotion Bias Suit
The Eleventh Circuit revived a Black worker's suit alleging a Georgia county wouldn't promote her to a more senior tax appraisal position out of racial discrimination, ruling that a jury needs to determine whether she was held to higher standards of qualifications than her non-Black peers.
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July 11, 2025
7th Circ. Tosses Korean Samsung Arm From Vape Battery Suit
The Seventh Circuit won't revive a minor's claims against South Korea-based Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. over his injuries from an exploding vape battery, saying there's too much of a "disconnect" between the company's marketing of batteries for use in battery packs and finished products and the sale of an individual battery like the one in this case.
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July 10, 2025
$33M Sonos Appeal Has Fed. Circ. Asking: What's Up, Alsup?
A Federal Circuit panel struggled Thursday to piece together the different interpretations of what U.S. District Judge William Alsup decided before upending Sonos Inc.'s $32.5 million jury verdict against Google LLC, with one judge claiming disbelief that there could be such a "fundamental disconnect" between the companies' understandings.
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July 10, 2025
Penn Hospital Can't Escape Record $207M Med Mal Judgment
A Pennsylvania appeals court on Thursday affirmed a record $187 million verdict and subsequent $207 million judgment in a suit accusing the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania of causing a newborn's catastrophic birth injuries, saying the award did not "shock the conscience" given the evidence presented at trial.
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July 10, 2025
9th Circ. Sides With Civil Aid Attys In H-2A Farm Docs Dispute
A Ninth Circuit panel said Thursday that a lower court overstepped its authority by restricting a civil legal aid organization from using for advocacy purposes information that was gathered during discovery in a class of seasonal farmworkers' now-settled forced labor case against a Washington fruit grower.
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July 10, 2025
9th Circ. Upholds Converse's Win In Website Chat Wiretap Suit
The Ninth Circuit has refused to revive a proposed class action accusing Converse Inc. of allowing a third-party vendor to intercept website visitors' chats, finding that there was "no evidence" that the sneaker maker had violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act.
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July 10, 2025
Trump Taps Holland & Hart Partner For Montana Bench
President Donald Trump announced on social media Thursday he has chosen a Holland & Hart LLP partner and veteran government attorney to serve on the federal bench in Montana.
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July 10, 2025
Fed. Circ. Backs Novartis PTAB Win Over Shilpa MS Patent
The Federal Circuit on Thursday issued a one-word order affirming a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision invalidating claims in a Shilpa Pharma Inc. patent that it has accused Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. of infringing with the drugmaker's multiple sclerosis drug.
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July 10, 2025
Uber, Instacart Fight Seattle's Driver Rights Law At 9th Circ.
A Ninth Circuit panel appeared split on Thursday while hearing Uber and Instacart's challenge to a Seattle city ordinance regulating deactivation of app-based worker accounts, with the judges seemingly at odds on whether the law forced commercial speech while still unconvinced of a First Amendment violation.
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July 10, 2025
Pa. High Court Takes Up Appeal Over Criminal Gun Rights
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of a man who is accused of attempted murder and weapons charges and consider whether the weapons charges are at odds with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen.
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July 10, 2025
Florida Restaurateur Can't Get Shrimp TM, Fed. Circ. Affirms
The Federal Circuit on Thursday refused to revive an author and restaurateur's bid to register a trademark for "Yucatán Shrimp" at his Florida eatery named after his crime novels, backing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's finding that the mark would be merely descriptive.
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July 10, 2025
Golfer's Defamation Suits Not Up To Par, 11th Circ. Says
The Eleventh Circuit won't revive a pair of defamation suits by golfer Patrick Reed against media outlets he accused of defaming him by reporting accusations of cheating and criticism of his association with a Saudi Arabia-backed golf organization.
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July 10, 2025
Island Community Gets NJ High Court Ruling To Switch Towns
A barrier island community has met all legal requirements to formally separate from a Garden State township and join a neighboring borough, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday, ending a decade-long legal battle over local governance, geography and fairness in public services.
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July 10, 2025
AT&T's $181M Patent Loss Gets Tough Look At Fed. Circ.
A Federal Circuit panel had hard questions for an attorney looking to safeguard Finesse Wireless' $181 million verdict against AT&T and Nokia for infringing a pair of radio interference patents, with one judge in particular seemingly taking issue Thursday with the infringement findings.Â
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July 10, 2025
8th Circ. Won't Pause ND Tribes' Voting Rights Decision
The Eighth Circuit on Thursday denied a bid by two North Dakota tribes to stay its decision to vacate a challenge to two of the state's voting laws while the ruling is appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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July 10, 2025
Unions Defend Block On DOGE's Social Security Data Access
The full Fourth Circuit should affirm a Maryland federal judge's decision to block the White House's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security Administration data, two unions and a retirees' advocacy group argued, saying that dissolving the injunction would violate their members' right to privacy.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Expert Analysis
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Jurisdictional Issues At Play In 9th Circ.'s FCA Trade Case
A decision by the Ninth Circuit in Island Industries v. Sigma Corp. could result in the U.S. Court of International Trade’s exclusive jurisdiction over trade-related FCA cases, a big shift in the enforcement landscape just as tariffs take center stage in trade policy, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.
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Deregulation Memo Presents Risks, Opportunities For Cos.
A recent Trump administration memo providing direction to agencies tasked with rescinding regulations under an earlier executive order — without undergoing the typical notice-and-review process — will likely create much uncertainty for businesses, though they may be able to engage with agencies to shape the regulatory agenda, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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4th Circ. 'Actionable Inaccuracy' Finding Deepens FCRA Split
The Fourth Circuit's March finding in Roberts v. Carter-Young Inc. that an actionable inaccuracy under the Fair Credit Reporting Act can be both legal and factual widens an existing circuit split and should prompt furnishers to review their processes for investigating readily verifiable information, say attorneys at Blank Rome.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery
The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.
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Breaking Down 4th Circ. 'Actual Knowledge' Ruling For Banks
A recent decision from the Fourth Circuit finding that banks must have "actual knowledge" to be found liable for losses arising from an automated clearinghouse transfer warns that the more financial institutions know about a name mismatch issue for any particular transaction, the more liability they may face, say attorneys at Katten.
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Strategies To Limit Inherent Damage Of Multidefendant Trials
As shown by the recent fraud convictions of two executives at the now-shuttered education startup Frank, multidefendant criminal trials pose unique obstacles, but with some planning, defense counsel can mitigate the harm and maximize the chances of a good outcome, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.
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Patent Takeaways In Fed. Circ.'s 1st Machine Learning Ruling
The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Recentive Analytics v. Fox, a case of first impression affirming the invalidity of patents that applied general machine learning methods to conventional tasks, serves as a cautionary guide for patent practitioners navigating the complexities of machine learning inventions, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.
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AT&T Decision May Establish Framework To Block FCC Fines
The Fifth Circuit's recent decision in AT&T v. FCC upends the commission's authority to impose certain civil penalties, reinforcing constitutional safeguards against administrative overreach, and opening avenues for telecommunications and technology providers to challenge forfeiture orders, say attorneys at HWG.
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Series
Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.
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Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook
The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.
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High Court's Ruling May Not Stop Ghost Gun Makers
In Bondi v. VanDerStok, a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Gun Control Act applies to untraceable "ghost gun" kits under certain circumstances — but companies that produce these kits may still be able to use creative regulatory workarounds to evade government oversight, says Samuel Bassett at Minton Bassett.
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Justices' Labcorp Questions Explore Class Cert. Tensions
At the recent oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings v. Davis, the justices' questioning highlighted a fundamental tension between constitutional standing requirements, the procedural framework of Rule 23, and the practical challenges of managing large, diverse classes in complex litigation, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.
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Immunity Waiver Ruling A Setback For Ch. 7 Trustees
While governmental units should welcome the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in U.S. v. Miller restricting the reach of the Bankruptcy Code's sovereign immunity waiver, Chapter 7 trustees now have a limited ability to maximize bankruptcy estates, says Dan Prieto at Jones Day.
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Wash. Justices' Moonlight Ruling Should Caution Employers
The Washington Supreme Court's recent decision in David v. Freedom Vans, which limited when employers can restrict low-wage workers from moonlighting, underscores the need for employers to narrowly tailor restrictive covenants, ensuring that they are reasonable and allow for workforce mobility, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
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What To Watch For As High Court Mulls NRC's Powers
If successful, Texas’ challenges to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s authority — recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court and currently pending before a Texas federal court — may have serious adverse consequences for aspiring NRC licensees, including potential nuclear power plant operators, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.