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Appellate
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July 07, 2025
11th Circ. Backs Fla. County In Firing Over Anti-Gay Blog
The Eleventh Circuit has affirmed a lower court decision tossing a lawsuit brought by a former Miami-Dade County communications aide who was fired for authoring a transphobic and anti-gay blog post, ruling the county's interest in effectively fulfilling its responsibilities outweighed the aide's free speech rights.
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July 07, 2025
Progressive Gets Car Value Class Cert. Overturned At 3rd Circ.
The Third Circuit on Monday reversed a lower court's decision to certify classes of Pennsylvania drivers who accuse Progressive Insurance units of breaching their contracts by systematically underestimating the actual cash value of their totaled cars, finding that the lower court misapplied the standard to determine whether common issues predominate.
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July 07, 2025
Biggest Illinois Decisions Of 2025 So Far: A Midyear Report
State and federal courts have handed down rulings in Illinois cases so far this year that have clarified standing for data breach actions in the state's courts, affirmed coverage for attorney fees and costs paid as part of a settlement, and deemed insufficient a jury instruction frequently given in Illinois personal injury cases. Here's a breakdown of some of the biggest decisions courts have handed down in Illinois cases so far in 2025.
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July 07, 2025
Personal Injury & Med Mal Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025
The social media addiction multidistrict litigation against the biggest tech companies and a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding state medical malpractice lawsuit requirements are among the cases injury and malpractice attorneys will be following closely in the second half of 2025.
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July 07, 2025
Fed. Circ. Ponders If PTAB Developments Save 'Veto' Rule Suit
A Federal Circuit judge wondered Monday if developments concerning the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director's discretionary denial process could breathe new life into advocacy groups' fight for a "veto" for small business patent owners defending themselves at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.Â
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July 07, 2025
11th Circ. Backs UBS' $6.5M Arbitration Win
The Eleventh Circuit has rejected a Puerto Rican man's bid to vacate a roughly $6.5 million arbitration award given to UBS Financial Services Inc. that stems from a long-running account contract dispute, finding there was no misconduct in the proceedings.
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July 07, 2025
4th Circ. Revives SC Builder's Bid For Condo Repair Coverage
A Charleston builder will get a second chance at recouping the money it spent repairing a condo complex that flooded after the Fourth Circuit on Monday partially vacated a pretrial win favoring its insurer, finding there are still unanswered questions about whether certain costs might be covered under its policy.
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July 07, 2025
Feds Tell 9th Circ. Ayahuasca Church Not Owed $2M In Fees
Federal officials told the Ninth Circuit on Monday that a Phoenix-based church that reached an agreement with the government to use the psychedelic ayahuasca in religious ceremonies was not entitled to more than $2 million in attorney fees.
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July 07, 2025
Mich. Top Court Won't Hear COVID-19 Immunity Appeal
A split Michigan Supreme Court has decided to leave in place an appellate panel's ruling that a state pandemic-response law shields a hospital from malpractice and negligence claims brought by a woman who was admitted for COVID-19-related stress, with dissenting justices saying they have concerns with the lower court's rationale.
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July 07, 2025
Texas Appeals Court Finds $50M Dubai Judgment Was Unfair
A Texas appeals court has found that a $50 million judgment issued by a United Arab Emirates court system against executives who allegedly fled the country after committing fraud could not stand under state law, saying the UAE court system never provided the executives adequate notice.
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July 07, 2025
EPA, Enviro Orgs. Fight Over 'Big Bill's' Impact On Funding Case
Green groups fighting to reclaim grant funding frozen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked the D.C. Circuit on Monday to reject the agency's argument that Congress's recent tax and policy bill means their lawsuit should be dismissed.
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July 07, 2025
8th Circ. Won't Rehear ND Tribe's Voting Rights Dispute
The Eighth Circuit won't rehear a bid by two North Dakota tribes to overturn its decision that vacated their challenge to two of the state's voting laws after the panel found that provisions of the Voting Rights Act don't give private citizens the right to sue over dilution claims.
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July 07, 2025
Crypto Group, Treasury Drop 11th Circ. Tornado Cash Case
Crypto think tank Coin Center Inc. and the U.S. government have ended their battle over the Biden-era blacklisting of Tornado Cash now that the U.S. Treasury Department has removed the crypto mixing service from its list of blocked entities and a federal judge has deemed the designation unlawful.
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July 07, 2025
Split 5th Circ. Upholds Block Of Texas' Migrant Arrest Law
A split Fifth Circuit panel left intact a district court order blocking the enforcement of a Texas law that allows state officials to arrest people suspected of crossing the border unlawfully and empowers local judges to order their removal.
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July 07, 2025
Newark Property Buyer Wins Appeal Over Axed $32.8M Sale
A New Jersey appellate panel on Monday upheld a trial court's ruling that a real estate investment firm properly terminated its $32.8 million purchase agreement for a mixed-use building in Newark after receiving a noncompliant estoppel certificate from one of the tenants, rejecting the seller's argument that the certificate's deficiencies were immaterial.
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July 07, 2025
Mich. Justices Say PIP Claims Can Be Revived After Transfer
Michigan's highest court has determined that those who transfer legal claims over personal injury protection benefits to third parties may still be able to pursue those claims in court if they are later transferred back, ruling against Progressive and a public transit authority.
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July 07, 2025
Energy Co. Says $7.6M Award Result Of 'Classic' Contract Law
An energy company that ended a contract with a Houston Ship Channel facility over a lack of dock space is asking an appeals court to back its $7.6 million award, writing that the lack of availability was a clear violation of its original agreement.
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July 07, 2025
Biggest Enviro Cases To Watch In 2025: Midyear Report
Law360 previews the lawsuits environmental attorneys will be watching closely during the second half of 2025, including the Trump administration's challenge to states' efforts to slow climate change, a lawsuit seeking to continue federal funding for climate change projects and product liability cases over forever chemicals in consumer goods.
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July 07, 2025
Non-Attys Eyed To Tackle Civil Justice Gap In Ga. Pilot
A Georgia Supreme Court committee has proposed the state start a pilot program to train non-attorneys to handle some legal tasks in evictions and other housing cases and consumer-debt matters, saying this "'assisted pro se' model" would improve rural and low-income people's access to civil legal services.
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July 07, 2025
Fed. Circ. Affirms Cisco's Defeat Of $371M Patent Suit
The Federal Circuit on Monday declined to revive software company Egenera's $371 million patent lawsuit against Cisco, affirming lower court findings that the communications giant didn't infringe.
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July 07, 2025
8th Circ. Says Hartford Must Pay Before Chubb In Crash Case
A Chubb insurer does not have to split the responsibility of an underlying $2 million wrongful death settlement with a Hartford unit, the Eighth Circuit has ruled, finding that the Hartford unit's commercial auto policy should pay first since the Chubb policy specifically stated that it was excess over all other insurance.
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July 07, 2025
Latham Lawyer Joins Jenner & Block's DC Appellate Practice
A former Latham & Watkins LLP appellate attorney, who spent close to four years at the firm working with complex constitutional and regulatory matters on behalf of technology and entertainment companies, has moved to Jenner & Block LLP, the firm announced Monday.
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July 07, 2025
Texas AG Paxton Drops Appeal Of $6.7M Whistleblower Award
The Texas attorney general's office has abandoned its appeal of a $6.68 million judgment awarded to a group of former deputies to Attorney General Ken Paxton who say they were fired in retaliation for reporting alleged abuses of office to the FBI.
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July 07, 2025
Arnold & Porter Adds Biden DOJ Official To DC Team
A former third-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Justice, who also held top positions in the Office of Personnel Management and served as solicitor general in his home state of Ohio, has joined Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Monday.
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July 03, 2025
Calif. Justices Say Ford Can't Arbitrate Fiesta And Focus Suits
Ford Motor Co. cannot force drivers who allege defects in their Focus and Fiesta vehicles to take their claims to arbitration, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, rejecting the automaker's argument that the dispute flows from dealership sales contracts containing arbitration provisions that it can invoke.
Expert Analysis
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How IPR Estoppel Ruling May Clash With PTAB Landscape
Though the Federal Circuit's narrowing of inter partes review estoppel in Ingenico v. Ioengine might encourage more petitions, tougher standards for discretionary denial established by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could be a counterbalancing factor, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
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Texas Ruling Emphasizes Limits Of Franchisors' Liability
The Texas Supreme Court's recent ruling in Massage Heights Franchising v. Hagman, holding that a franchisor was not liable to a customer for the actions of a franchisee's employee, helps clarify the relative roles and responsibilities of the parties in such situations — and the limits of franchisors' duty of care, say attorneys at Polsinelli.
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How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication
As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.
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Justices' Charter School Tie Delays Church-State Reckoning
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent deadlock in Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board v. Drummond, blocking the creation of the nation’s first religious charter school, preserved the separation of church and state for now, but offered little reassurance about its continued viability, says Jeffrey Sultanik at Fox Rothschild.
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When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility
As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.
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Florida Case Could Redefine Construction Defect Damages
If a Florida appellate court overturns the trial court in a pending construction contract dispute, the state could experience a seismic shift in construction defect damages, effectively leaving homeowners and developers with an incomplete remedy, says Andrew Gold at Akerman.
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2 NY Rulings May Stem Foreign Co. Derivative Suits
In recent decades, shareholders have challenged the internal affairs doctrine by bringing a series of derivative actions in New York state court on behalf of foreign corporations, but the New York Court of Appeals' recent rulings in Ezrasons v. Rudd and Haussmann v. Baumann should slow that trend, say attorneys at Cleary.
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8th Circ. Ruling Highlights Complicated Remote Work Analysis
The Eighth Circuit’s recent opinion in Kuklenski v. Medtronic USA demonstrates that the applicability of employment laws to remote workers is often a fact-driven analysis, highlighting several parameters to consider when evaluating what state and local laws may apply to employees who work remotely, say attorneys at Vedder Price.
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Class Standing Issues Still Murky After Justices Punt LabCorp
While litigants and district courts had hoped the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in LabCorp v. Davis would provide much-needed clarity on the interplay between Article III standing and class certification, the court's failure to rule on the issue leaves disagreement, confusion and uncertainty for stakeholders, says Erica Rutner at Cozen O'Connor.
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Indemnity Lessons From Mass. Construction Defect Ruling
The Massachusetts high court's decision in Trustees of Boston University v. CHA, holding that a bespoke contractual indemnity provision means that a construction defect claim is not subject to Massachusetts' statute of repose, should spur design and construction professionals to negotiate limited provisions, says Christopher Sweeney at Conn Kavanaugh.
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Series
Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.
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Justices' Ruling Lowers Bar For Reverse Discrimination Suits
The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous opinion in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, lowering the evidentiary burden for plaintiffs bringing so-called reverse discrimination claims, may lead to more claims brought by majority group employees — and open the door to legal challenges to employer diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, say attorneys at Ice Miller.
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Fed's Crypto Guidance Yank Could Drive Innovation
The Federal Reserve Board's recent withdrawal of guidance letters brings regulatory consistency and broadens banks' ability to innovate in the crypto-asset space, but key distinctions remain between the Fed's policy on crypto liquidity and that of the other banking regulators, says Dan Hartman at Nutter.
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Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways
Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.
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Statistics Tools Chart A Path For AI Use In Expert Testimony
To avoid the fate of numerous expert witnesses whose testimony was recently deemed inadmissible by courts, experts relying on artificial intelligence and machine learning should learn from statistical tools’ road to judicial acceptance, say directors at Secretariat.