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Appellate

  • May 16, 2025

    Woman Can't Get Bond After Arrest Near Border, Board Rules

    The Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed Friday that a woman who Interpol wanted to be arrested is ineligible for release on bond, rejecting her contention that she was detained near the border under a certain section of federal immigration law that allows for her release.

  • May 16, 2025

    Name Mix-Up Costs Lender Property Claim, 5th Circ. Says

    A name mix-up in a petition will cost a lending company its claim to an interest in property forfeited in a criminal fraud case, the Fifth Circuit ruled Friday, agreeing with a Texas federal judge that the drafting error was fatal.

  • May 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Nicaraguan Family's Asylum Bid

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday revived a Nicaraguan family's bid for deportation relief, saying an immigration judge improperly handled their claims of persecution stemming from a mother's participation in a 2018 march protesting the country's Ortega regime.

  • May 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Mulls DOJ Shield Of Jones Day VW Documents

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday questioned whether it could force the U.S. Department of Justice to hand over confidential Volkswagen documents it obtained through a grand jury subpoena that were part of Jones Day's internal investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal.

  • May 16, 2025

    Florida Wrongly Took Unclaimed Funds, 11th Circ. Rules

    The Eleventh Circuit on Friday revived a Florida couple's proposed class action over unclaimed property, vacating a lower court's judgment that a $26.24 insurance premium refund they were owed was assumed to be abandoned before it was transferred into state custody.

  • May 16, 2025

    Tesla Tells Justices Challenge To La. Sale Ban Should Stand

    Tesla Inc. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a petition from Louisiana regulators seeking review of its case targeting the state's ban on direct sales by automakers, saying the regulators are in fact competitors who view Tesla's business model as an existential threat.

  • May 16, 2025

    Oakland Cops Denied Immunity In Deadly High-Speed Chase

    The Ninth Circuit ruled Friday that two Oakland police officers violated the rights of innocent bystanders and are not entitled to qualified immunity following a high-speed pursuit that left one person dead and several others injured.

  • May 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Apple PTAB Win Over Location-Tracking IP

    The Federal Circuit has backed a series of Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions that found a trio of beacon technology patents were invalid, handing a win to challenger Apple.

  • May 16, 2025

    Trump Calls On Justices To Stay Block Of Gov't Restructuring

    President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to pause a California federal judge's order temporarily halting agencies from implementing an executive order to plan reorganizations and reductions in force, claiming the lower court's decision has caused confusion and wasted taxpayer dollars.

  • May 16, 2025

    Attys With 'Borrowed' Claims Can't Skip Inquiry, Lumen Says

    Telecommunications company Lumen has told the Colorado Supreme Court that attorneys still need to conduct their own "objectively reasonable inquiry" when borrowing claims from outside litigants, in the hopes of beating a shareholder suit that took allegations from other cases despite attorneys not speaking to the witnesses.

  • May 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Makes Apple Face Fintiv Payment IP Again

    The Federal Circuit revived Fintiv Inc.'s infringement suit against Apple Inc. over contactless payments Friday, saying the Texas federal judge who freed Apple viewed what evidence is acceptable too narrowly.

  • May 16, 2025

    'Minute Entry' Counts As Real Judicial Order, 2nd Circ. Rules

    A Connecticut federal judge's oral ruling and follow-up minute entry were formal orders that triggered a 30-day countdown to appeal losses in a contract dispute worth $1.7 million, a Second Circuit panel has held, saying a plastic resin producer's interpretation of the relevant local rule "rings of empty formalism."

  • May 16, 2025

    11th Circ. Troubled By Feds' Reversal On ALJ Removal Law

    Eleventh Circuit arguments on whether Walmart Inc. must face an administrative law judge over alleged immigration recordkeeping violations were derailed Friday by the court's concerns about the Trump administration's decision to no longer defend the statute protecting such judges from removal by the executive branch.

  • May 16, 2025

    DC Circ. Probes Agency Power In Labor Firings Appeal

    A D.C. Circuit panel grappled Friday with the extent of the president's power to fire federal officials with the U.S. Supreme Court's views in flux, with two judges straining to pin the government's attorney down on what divides agencies Congress can insulate and those it can't.

  • May 16, 2025

    Insurers Need Not Pay In Workplace Accident, NJ Panel Says

    A New Jersey appellate panel affirmed a lower court judgment on Friday, finding that due to policy language, insurers didn't have to cover a $1.25 million agreement between an injured and now-deceased worker and his employer that could only have been paid by the carriers.

  • May 16, 2025

    Insurer Asks 7th Circ. To Revise BIPA Coverage Ruling

    A Hanover Insurance unit urged the Seventh Circuit on Friday to revise a ruling that it must indemnify a condiment manufacturer in an underlying biometric privacy suit if notice was timely, saying the court improperly relied on a settlement that wasn't part of the trial record.

  • May 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Lil Nas X Didn't Steal Model's Instagram Poses

    The Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal of a model's lawsuit accusing Lil Nas X of copying his Instagram photos, ruling Friday that the model didn't plausibly allege the musician had "access" to the pictures, as defined by court doctrine.

  • May 16, 2025

    Full Pa. Court OKs Panel's Nix Of Tax On Real Estate Transfer

    A panel of Pennsylvania appellate judges properly ruled that a state board wrongfully imposed a real estate transfer tax on the transfer of a partnership interest in a real estate company from one trust to another, the court ruled en banc. 

  • May 16, 2025

    Sheeran Fights Supreme Court Review Of Copyright Ruling

    Ed Sheeran urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject an appeal to a decision concluding that his hit song "Thinking Out Loud" did not copy Marvin Gaye's classic "Let's Get it On," arguing the plaintiff wrongly contends that the Second Circuit improperly relied on the U.S. Copyright Office's administrative guidance after justices overturned the Chevron deference.

  • May 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds California's Employee Classification Test

    California's worker-friendly employee classification test doesn't violate the dormant commerce and equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution, the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday, upholding the lower court denial of a preliminary injunction.

  • May 16, 2025

    Texas Justices Free Walgreens From Shopper's Theft Dispute

    The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Walgreens can escape a shopper's negligent hiring claim under the state's law against strategic lawsuits against public participation, or anti-SLAPP statute.

  • May 16, 2025

    Appellate Ruling Merits New Shot At Sales Regs, Distiller Says

    A New York distillery and two Washington whiskey drinkers are asking a federal judge to reconsider the Washington state liquor board's win in a challenge to rules requiring a physical in-state presence to sell online, saying they never got to analyze the circuit ruling on which the decision was based.

  • May 16, 2025

    Mich. Court Orders Redo Of Motorist's Insurance Award

    A judge erroneously factored in a semi-paralyzed man's future care in allotting him the bulk of an insurance payout, a Michigan state appeals court said, partially reversing the decision at the request of two healthcare providers that had competing claims.

  • May 16, 2025

    Georgia Firm Can't Pursue Lien In Ex-Client's Dismissed Suit

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Friday blocked law firm Howe & Associates PC from reviving a former client's suit to pursue a lien for attorney fees.

  • May 16, 2025

    5th Circ. Asked To Undo Houston Firm's 'Absurd' PPP Denial

    A Houston firm asked the Fifth Circuit to reverse the U.S. Small Business Administration's "absurd" denial of its loan forgiveness under a COVID-19-era program, writing that a "good faith but mistaken answer" to an application question would have produced a different result under changed guidelines.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Trade Cases May Put Maple Leaf Deference On Review

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    When litigation challenging the president’s trade actions reaches the Federal Circuit, the court will have to reevaluate the Maple Leaf standard in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 Loper Bright decision limiting Chevron-like deference to cases involving statutory provisions in which Congress delegated discretionary authority to the executive branch, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • A Look At Probabilistic Tracing After High Court's Slack Ruling

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    Recent decisions following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Slack v. Pirani have increased the difficulty of pleading Securities Act claims for securities issued in direct listings by rejecting the use of statistical probabilities to establish that share purchases were traceable to a challenged registration statement, says Jonathan Richman at Brown Rudnick.

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • How To Address FCA Risk After 4th Circ. Ruling On DEI Orders

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    Following the Fourth Circuit's ruling in National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, which freed the administration to enforce executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs, government contractors should take stock of potentially unlawful DEI programs, given their heightened risk under the False Claims Act, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Del. Dispatch: Open Issues After Corp. Law Amendments

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    Recent amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law represent a significant change in the future structuring of boards and how the First State will approach conflicted transactions, but Delaware courts may interpret the amendments narrowly, limiting their impact, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • What Del. Supreme Court LKQ Decision Means For M&A Deals

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    The Delaware Supreme Court's recent decision in LKQ v. Rutledge greatly increases the enforceability of forfeiture-for-competition provisions, representing an important affirmation of earlier precedent and making it likely that such agreements will become more common in M&A transactions, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • How High Court's Cornell Decision Will Affect ERISA Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cunningham v. Cornell, characterizing prohibited transaction exemptions as affirmative defenses, sets the bar very low for initiating Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation, and will likely affect many plan sponsors with similar service agreements, says Carol Buckmann at Cohen & Buckmann.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    The first quarter of 2025 was filled with the refinement of old theories in the property and casualty space, including in vehicle valuation, time to seek appraisal and materials depreciation, says Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling May Aid Consistent Interpretation Of ADA

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    In Tudor v. Whitehall Central School District, the Second Circuit joined the majority of circuits by holding that an employee's ability to perform their job without an accommodation does not disqualify them from receiving one, marking a notable step toward uniform application of the Americans with Disabilities Act nationwide, says Michelle Grant at Wilson Elser.

  • EPA's Proposed GHG Reform Could Hinder Climate Regulation

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    The Trump administration will reconsider the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's landmark 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding, which could leave the U.S. federal government with no statutory authority whatsoever to regulate climate change or greenhouse gas emissions, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • Perspectives

    The Benefits Of Aligning States On Legal Paraprofessionals

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • Fed. Circ. In March: Forfeiting Claim Construction On Appeal

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Wash World v. Belanger last month confirms the importance of fair notice to the district court when determining forfeiture of an argument on appeal in the context of patent claim construction, allowing appellants to better gauge the appropriate framing of arguments that may be presented, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • 1st Circ. Ruling May Slow SEC Retail Investment Advice Cases

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    The First Circuit's recent ruling, finding the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission did not substantiate its $93.3 million fine against a retail investment adviser, may raise the threshold on materiality findings in these cases and add a speed bump resulting in fewer such actions, say attorneys at Weil.

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