Appellate

  • July 23, 2024

    Senate Dems Roll Out Bill To Codify Chevron Deference

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led a group of Democratic senators Tuesday in introducing a bill to codify the now-defunct doctrine of Chevron deference after it was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last month.

  • July 23, 2024

    Arbitrator On Pain Meds Didn't End Dispute, Ga. Panel Says

    The Georgia Court of Appeals vacated an arbitration award in an inheritance dispute between siblings after finding the award failed to resolve a "significant dispute" related to the alleged withdrawal and misuse of escrow funds.

  • July 23, 2024

    Mich. Justices Urged To Curb Suit-Restricting Job Contracts

    A fired caregiver has told the Michigan Supreme Court that employers should not be able to contractually limit employees' time to sue, arguing that job-seekers who sign such contracts are often in a vulnerable position and forced to accept unfair terms.

  • July 23, 2024

    EPA Says High Court's Chevron Ruling Doesn't Doom Air Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday told the Fifth Circuit that a U.S. Supreme Court decision eliminating judges' obligation to defer to federal agencies in rulemaking litigation does not impact its decision to reject states' ozone air pollution plans.

  • July 23, 2024

    Rising Star: Perkins Coie's Michael Huston

    Perkins Coie LLP's Michael Huston was a lead attorney on the team that helped the Boy Scouts of America persuade the U.S. Supreme Court that a delay of its bankruptcy plan, which a small group of childhood sexual assault survivors sought, would negatively affect both the organization and the survivor community, earning him a spot among the appellate law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 23, 2024

    'Surface Water' Stumps Mass. Justices In Loss For Insurers

    The top court in Massachusetts on Tuesday ruled in favor of a hospital seeking insurance coverage stemming from a severe rainstorm, saying it's unclear if water that pooled on the hospital's roof should be considered "surface water" that would trigger policy limits on flood damage.

  • July 23, 2024

    11th Circ. Should Uphold Tax Court Protection, IRS Says

    The Eleventh Circuit should uphold a U.S. Tax Court ruling that denied a widow tax relief and also rejected her claim that Tax Court judges have unconstitutional job protection, the Internal Revenue Service told the circuit court.

  • July 23, 2024

    5-Hour Energy Partner Owes No Tax On Sale, DC Circ. Says

    The D.C. Circuit found Tuesday that a Canadian citizen's $6.5 million in gains from her sale of a U.S. partnership interest in a company that sold 5-hour Energy drinks was not federally taxable as inventory income, reversing a U.S. Tax Court ruling.

  • July 23, 2024

    Chemours Loses 3rd Circ. Fight Over EPA Water Advisories

    In a precedential ruling Tuesday, the Third Circuit shot down Chemours Co.'s challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's health advisories over chemicals in drinking water, finding that the advisories couldn't be reviewed by a court.

  • July 22, 2024

    FCC, Industry Debate If Brand X Case Set Broadband In Stone

    Industry groups are pushing their case to the Sixth Circuit that the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules should be tossed because the demise of the Chevron doctrine trimmed agency's legal authority, but the FCC argues that the recent paring back of federal regulators' discretion means nothing for the agency's restrictions on broadband providers.

  • July 22, 2024

    Tesla's Autopilot Caused Calif. Man's Fatal Crash, Family Says

    The family of a Fresno, California, man who died following a car crash last year says Tesla Inc.'s Autopilot system is to blame, according to a wrongful death suit filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

  • July 22, 2024

    Michigan's Cases To Watch 2024: A Midyear Report

    Michigan's highest court is preparing to take on cases that could restore imperiled PFAS regulations, prevent employers from cutting short employees' window to file civil rights claims and expand the reach of Michigan's consumer protection law. Here are some of Michigan's most important cases to watch for the rest of the year.

  • July 22, 2024

    Mich. Justices Say Fired Safety Whistleblowers Can Sue

    Michigan's highest court revived a former Fiat Chrysler employee's lawsuit against the automaker Monday, saying that occupational safety laws don't preempt his claims that he was fired because he raised concerns about potential asbestos at his jobsite.

  • July 22, 2024

    Rail Biz Asks 4th Circ. To Revive Va. Broadband Law Fight

    The Association of American Railroads is asking the Fourth Circuit to step in and put a stop to a Virginia law that allows broadband providers easier access to railroad property, calling it a "supercharged eminent-domain scheme."

  • July 22, 2024

    San Fran Tells Justices EPA Water Regs Are Like Bad Soup

    San Francisco compared the federal government to a bad chef on Friday, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to find that a water pollution permit must include specific numerical goals rather than narrative standards the city says are too vague.

  • July 22, 2024

    FTC Tells 5th Circ. Anesthesia Co. Can't Stop Antitrust Case

    The Federal Trade Commission is telling the Fifth Circuit to dismiss U.S. Anesthesia Partners Inc.'s appeal in the FTC's antitrust case against it, saying the circuit court has no jurisdiction in the appeal because the lower court ruling at issue falls outside the scope of the collateral order doctrine.

  • July 22, 2024

    Ex-NFL Player Urges High Court To Hear Benefits Dispute

    A former NFL player urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up his lawsuit accusing the league's retirement plan of shorting him on disability benefits payments for years, saying there's a circuit court split regarding the level of deference to apply when reviewing plan administrators' decisions.

  • July 22, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Axes Claim In UNM Network Patent, Questions Others

    The Federal Circuit ruled Monday that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board wrongly upheld part of a University of New Mexico wireless communications patent challenged by network equipment maker Zyxel, and ordered the board to reconsider amended claims it had allowed.

  • July 22, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Dismissal Of Calif. Virus Coverage Suit

    The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal Monday of a California event operators' COVID-19 insurance coverage dispute after the state's Supreme Court determined in May that the virus doesn't cause the type of property damage needed to trigger coverage.

  • July 22, 2024

    Zurich Unit Needn't Cover Motorcyclist's Crash Dispute

    The Third Circuit affirmed a Zurich unit's win Monday in a dispute over coverage for a boiler company sued by a motorcyclist injured in a crash with a company employee, saying not only are the motorcyclist's claims untimely, but the company's policy excludes coverage for the accident.

  • July 22, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs Moving Video Game IP Suit To South Korea

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday said a federal judge correctly dismissed a copyright and trade secrets complaint from a South Korean video game developer against a rival because their country is a more convenient venue, rejecting plaintiff Nexon Korea Corp.'s arguments that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act should have prevented that from happening.

  • July 22, 2024

    NC State Resolves Cancer Patient's Fight To Test Building

    North Carolina State University and a professor with cancer have ended a dispute over testing a campus building that contains cancer-causing chemicals, with the school telling the state's highest court the parties are ready to move on from that part of the legal dispute.

  • July 22, 2024

    Merchants Seek Pause Of Visa, MasterCard Swipe-Fee Deal

    A group of merchants who use payment company Square's services to accept cards has asked a New York federal judge to pause the settlement of a massive swipe-fee antitrust litigation against Visa and Mastercard while they pursue a Second Circuit appeal of her ruling that they're bound by the deal. 

  • July 22, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Revives Cayuga Lake PFAS Suit

    A Finger Lakes conservation group can challenge a permit state regulators issued for a solid waste facility over possible "forever chemicals" pollution to Cayuga Lake, a New York state appeals court ruled, holding that the group has standing to try to get the permit thrown out.

  • July 22, 2024

    Scanner Maker Tells 4th Circ. Contract Ends Honeywell Suit

    Laser technology company Opto Electronics urged the Fourth Circuit to overturn a jury finding that it was liable for ripping off Honeywell International over royalties for barcode scanners, arguing that a contract between the companies foreclosed the result as a matter of law.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: FCC And Industry Must Prepare For Change

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    The Chevron doctrine was especially significant in the communications sector because of the indeterminacy of federal communications statutes, so the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the doctrine could have big implications for those regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, bringing both opportunities and risks for companies, say Thomas Johnson and Michael Showalter at Wiley.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uniform Tax Law Interpretation Not Guaranteed

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    The loss of Chevron deference will significantly alter the relationship between the IRS, courts and Congress when it comes to tax law, potentially precipitating more transparent rulemaking, but also provoking greater uncertainty due to variability in judicial interpretation, say Michelle Levin and Carneil Wilson at Dentons.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Environmental Law May Face Hurdles

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning Chevron deference could prove to be as influential as the original 1984 decision, with far-reaching implications for U.S. environmental laws, including rendering recently promulgated regulations more vulnerable to challenges, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    'Trump Too Small' Ruling Overlooks TM Registration Issues

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Vidal v. Elster, which concluded that “Trump Too Small” cannot be a registered trademark as it violates a federal prohibition, fails to consider modern-day, real-world implications for trademark owners who are denied access to federal registration, say Tiffany Gehrke and Alexa Spitz at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Colo. Ruling Adopts 'Actual Discharge' Test For The First Time

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    After a Colorado court’s recent decision in Potts v. Gaia Children, adopting for the first time a test for evaluating an actual discharge claim, employers must diligently document the circumstances surrounding termination of employment, and exercise particular caution when texting employees, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Why High Court Social Media Ruling Will Be Hotly Debated

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    In deciding the NetChoice cases that challenged Florida and Texas content moderation laws, what the U.S. Supreme Court justices said about social media platforms — and the First Amendment — will have implications and raise questions for nearly all online operators, say Jacob Canter and Joanna Rosen Forster at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Good News For Gov't Contractors In Litigation

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    The net result of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Chevron deference is that individuals, contractors and companies bringing procurement-related cases against the government will have new pathways toward success, say Joseph Berger and Andrés Vera at Thompson Hine.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Scale Tips Favor Away From HHS Agencies

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    The loss of Chevron deference may indirectly aid parties in challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' interpretations of regulations and could immediately influence several pending cases challenging HHS on technical questions and agency authority, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    After Chevron: FDA Regulations In The Crosshairs

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of the Chevron doctrine is likely to unleash an array of challenges against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, focusing on areas of potential overreach such as the FDA's authority under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • 2 Options For Sackler Family After High Court Purdue Ruling

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked Purdue Pharma's plan to shield the family that owns the company from bankruptcy lawsuits, the Sacklers face the choice to either continue litigation, or return to the bargaining table for a settlement that doesn't eliminate creditor claims, says Gregory Germain at Syracuse University.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For Nationwide Race-Based Hair Protections

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    While 24 states have passed laws that prohibit race-based hair discrimination, this type of bias persists in workplaces and schools, so a robust federal law is necessary to ensure widespread protection, says Samone Ijoma and Erica Roberts at Sanford Heisler.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Malicious-Prosecution Ruling Shows Rare Restraint

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, Ohio, declining to limit malicious-prosecution suits, is a model of judicial modesty and incrementalism, in sharp contrast to the court’s dramatic swings on other rights, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School.

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