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Appellate
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August 14, 2024
CPSC Foes Widen Assault On New Deal-Era Precedent
A maker of child care products is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of protections barring the president from firing U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission members without good cause, telling the justices that the powerful agency doesn't fit the narrow exceptions to the White House's otherwise unrestricted removal authority.
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August 14, 2024
DoorDash Contract Can't Shield ID Service From BIPA Claims
Identity verification service Persona Identities Inc. shouldn't have been allowed to rely on DoorDash's contract with two drivers to redirect their biometric privacy claims from court to arbitration, an Illinois appellate panel has ruled.
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August 14, 2024
1st Circ. Revives Vax Refusal Suit Against Beth Israel
The First Circuit on Tuesday revived a suit against health facility system Beth Israel Lahey Health Inc. from an office manager who was fired over her refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19, disagreeing with a lower court that said she hadn't shown a genuine religious belief meriting a vaccine exemption.
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August 14, 2024
4th Circ. Says T-Mobile Must Face 'Simply Prepaid' TM Fight
The Fourth Circuit revived a Virginia-based telecommunications company's infringement suit against T-Mobile, ruling that Simply Wireless had done enough to show it was planning to revamp its "Simply Prepaid" branding and hadn't abandoned the trademark when T-Mobile began using it.
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August 14, 2024
11th Circ. 'Flunks' Ga. School District's Redistricting Appeal
Georgia's second-largest school district "flunks" the standing tests to challenge a federal court's injunction blocking the use of an allegedly racially gerrymandered redistricting map it created, having purposefully withdrawn itself from litigation over the map, the Eleventh Circuit has ruled.
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August 14, 2024
Insurer Off Hook For Jury Award In Construction Dispute
A commercial insurer does not have to indemnify a contractor found liable for multiple structural and other problems in a home he built, a Massachusetts intermediate appellate court concluded Wednesday in a case of first impression involving what is considered "property damage" in a construction dispute.
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August 14, 2024
Surgeon Keeps Win In 'Hyperkinetic' Gallbladder Surgery Suit
A Virginia appeals panel won't revive a man's medical malpractice claims against his surgeon over complications from surgery to remove his "hyperkinetic" gallbladder, rejecting his argument that the surgeon was wrongly allowed to present evidence about the condition.
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August 14, 2024
1st Circ. Says Brazilian's Asylum Testimony Not Credible
The First Circuit denied a petition for review from a Brazilian man and his son of a Board of Immigration Appeals decision denying their bid for removal protection, finding that the decision was supported by evidence that the father lacked credibility.
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August 14, 2024
Ga. High Court Passes On Reviving Public Defender Bias Suit
The Georgia Supreme Court has declined to take up the wrongful termination case of a former public defender employee with breast cancer, leaving in place an appellate court decision that overturned a 22-year-old ruling by saying the state did not waive its sovereign immunity when it enacted the Fair Employment Practices Act.
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August 14, 2024
Lewis Brisbois, Atty Battle Over Immunity In Texas TM Case
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP and a Texas lawyer accused of ripping off the BigLaw firm's name battled over the issue of attorney immunity in post-hearing briefings Tuesday, with the firm writing that the Fifth Circuit "has made itself clear" that the lawyer can't be shielded from the case.
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August 14, 2024
Mich. Court Stands By Unitary Biz Ruling For Nationwide
A Michigan state appeals court will not reconsider its decision that insurance companies that are part of Nationwide should file their taxes as a unitary group, and denied the state Treasury Department's request for reconsideration.
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August 14, 2024
9th Circ. Appears Skeptical Of Ex-Assistant DA's Firing Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday seemed chilly to a former San Francisco assistant district attorney's claim that he was booted from his post as punishment for blowing the whistle on misconduct, with judges saying he hadn't drawn a clear connection between speaking out and getting fired.
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August 14, 2024
The Biggest Enviro Decisions Of 2024: Midyear Report
2024 has already been one of the most consequential years for environmental law, and it's only half over. The U.S. Supreme Court issued groundbreaking administrative law decisions, while lower appeals courts resolved questions about California's right to promulgate its own vehicle emissions standards, among other rulings.
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August 14, 2024
Top Immigration Cases To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2024
The remainder of this year could see courts render decisions on President Joe Biden’s efforts to curb unlawful immigration, the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and fresh challenges to immigration-related regulations. Here, Law360 looks at cases that could rock the immigration sphere in the latter half of the year.
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August 14, 2024
NY Judge Rejects Trump's 'Stale' Recusal Bid A 3rd Time
The New York judge who presided over Donald Trump's hush money trial denied the former president's third attempt to remove him from the case ahead of sentencing, ruling that the motion was "nothing more than an attempt to air grievances."
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August 13, 2024
Anesthesia Co. Says FTC Lacks Authority To Bring 'Rollup' Suit
U.S. Anesthesia Partners has told the Fifth Circuit the Federal Trade Commission lacks authority to bring its case directly in federal court without also filing an administrative case accusing the group of monopolizing the Texas anesthesiology market.
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August 13, 2024
2nd Circ. Partially Revives Retirees' JPMorgan Benefits Suit
The Second Circuit on Tuesday partially resurrected a retired JPMorgan Chase employee's putative class action claiming it failed to properly notify and inform workers after the retirement plan was converted to a cash balance plan, ruling that JPMorgan had properly notified retirees as to only some aspects of the change.
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August 13, 2024
Take Me Out Of WDTX, Tech Supplier Cries
A Chicago tech manufacturer says LinkedIn profiles aren't enough to keep it from getting away from the Western District of Texas' U.S. District Judge Alan Albright in a patent case involving microchip patents brought by an ex-Microsoft executive's private equity-funded patent litigation outfit.
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August 13, 2024
Texas Court Affirms Sole Arbitrator In Oilfield Machinery Fight
A Texas appeals court affirmed on Tuesday that arbitration over more than $1 million owed on an invoice for oilfield machinery should be heard by a sole arbitrator, ruling that a subsequent agreement between a Mexican drill rig manufacturer and a Houston company trumped the wording in their initial contract.
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August 13, 2024
8th Circ. Finds ATF's Braced Pistol Rule Arbitrary, Capricious
An Eighth Circuit panel has reversed an order denying a preliminary injunction to block enforcement of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives rule regulating pistols with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles, finding that aspects of the rule were arbitrary and capricious.
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August 13, 2024
Nvidia Urges High Court To Rein In 'Abusive' Investor Suits
Chip manufacturer Nvidia Corp. filed its opening salvo Tuesday in a bid for U.S. Supreme Court victory over investors who accuse the company of downplaying its reliance on the crypto mining market, arguing that a lower court decision allowing the case to move forward "eviscerates the guardrails that Congress erected to protect the public from abusive securities litigation."
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August 13, 2024
Full 7th Circ. Asked To Review Tossing Of Protein Pouch Fight
A Florida-based protein powder maker is asking the Seventh Circuit to reconsider its upholding of a Wisconsin federal court's decision to toss its claims over allegedly defective plastic zipper pouches on the grounds that they were filed too late.
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August 13, 2024
Va. Atty Held In Contempt, Jailed Overnight Loses Appeal
A Virginia appeals court on Tuesday tossed a false imprisonment suit accusing a sheriff of wrongly detaining a divorce attorney after she was held in civil contempt for arguing with a judge and jailed overnight, saying the sheriff acted under the auspices of the judge's legal authority.
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August 13, 2024
No Cause To Revisit Maple Leaf Standard Yet, Fed. Circ. Says
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday declined a solar industry group's push to review a decades-old, "breathtakingly deferential" precedent a panel invoked in a decision affirming the president's Trade Act authority to make existing solar safeguard tariffs more trade restrictive.
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August 13, 2024
10th Circ. Says Mine Can't Undo Worker's Black Lung Benefits
A Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday rejected a coal mining company's attempt to prevent a retired Utah miner from getting benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act, finding the miner's time working in above-ground facilities did not remove the law's presumption in his favor.
Expert Analysis
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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Series
Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.
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What 11th Circ. Fearless Fund Ruling Means For DEI In Courts
The Eleventh Circuit's recent backing of a freeze on the Fearless Fund's grants to women of color building new companies marks the latest major development in litigation related to diversity, equity and inclusion and may be used to question other DEI programs targeted at providing opportunities to certain classes of individuals, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
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Opinion
Flawed Fintiv Rule Should Be Deemed Overreach In Tech Suit
A pending federal lawsuit over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's unilateral changes to key elements of the America Invents Act, Apple v. Vidal, could shift the balance of power between Congress and federal agencies, as it could justify future instances of unelected officials unilaterally changing laws, say Patrick Leahy and Bob Goodlatte.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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High Court's Abortion Pill Ruling Shuts Out Future Challenges
The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine maintains the status quo for mifepristone access and rejects the plaintiffs' standing theories so thoroughly that future challenges from states or other plaintiffs are unlikely to be viable, say Jaime Santos and Annaka Nava at Goodwin.
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Insurers Have A Ch. 11 Voice Following High Court Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Gypsum — which reaffirmed a broad definition of "party in interest" — will give insurers, particularly in mass tort Chapter 11 bankruptcies, more opportunity to protect their interests and identify problems with reorganization plans, says George Singer at Holland & Hart.
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Justices' Bump Stock Ruling Skirted Deference, Lenity Issues
Despite presenting a seemingly classic case on agency deference, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last week in Garland v. Cargill did not mention the Chevron doctrine, and the opinion also overlooked whether agency interpretations of federal gun laws should ever receive deference given that they carry criminal penalties, say Tess Saperstein and John Elwood at Arnold & Porter.
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Emerging Trends In ESG-Focused Securities Litigation
Based on a combination of shareholder pressure, increasing regulatory scrutiny and proposed rulemaking, there has been a proliferation of litigation over public company disclosures and actions regarding environmental, social, and governance factors — and the overall volume of such class actions will likely increase in the coming years, say attorneys at Mintz.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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High Court's BofA Ruling Leaves State Preemption Questions
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Cantero v. Bank of America sheds light on whether certain state banking regulations apply to federally chartered banks, but a circuit split could still force the Supreme Court to take a more direct position, says Brett Garver at Moritt Hock.
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Next Steps After 5th Circ. Nixes Private Fund Adviser Rules
The Fifth Circuit's recent toss of key U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules regarding private fund advisers represents a setback for the regulator, but open questions, including the possibility of an SEC petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, mean it's still too early to consider the matter closed, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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Foreign Discovery Insights 2 Years After ZF Automotive
Although an Arizona federal court decision last month demonstrates that Section 1782 discovery may still be available to foreign arbitral parties, the scope of such discovery has narrowed greatly since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision in ZF Automotive, and there are a few potential trends for practitioners to follow, say attorneys at Venable.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.