Appellate

  • March 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Dings Antibody Patent App For Lacking Description

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed a decision from top U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officials in a highly watched and technical dispute over an antibody patent application, concluding that preambles for so-called Jepson claims need sufficient written descriptions.

  • March 13, 2025

    2nd Circ. Won't Revive Saks, Luxury Brands No-Poach Case

    A Second Circuit panel refused Thursday to revive an antitrust suit from former Saks Fifth Avenue employees over the retailer's alleged agreements with Gucci, Louis Vuitton and other luxury fashion houses to not hire workers from its stores.

  • March 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. OKs Injunction Against Innova's Car Circuit Testers

    The Federal Circuit decided Thursday to keep an injunction in place stopping sales of Innova Electronics Corp.'s car-testing devices amid allegations those devices infringe a patent by rival Power Probe Group Inc.

  • March 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Bid For Increased Costs From DHS Build

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday revived a construction contractor's claim for additional costs under a contract to construct a utilities plant at U.S. Department of Homeland Security headquarters, finding the government's building specifications were inadequate.

  • March 13, 2025

    Ga. Judge Slams 'Meaningless' Reading Of Open Records Act

    A Georgia appellate judge took his colleagues to task Thursday for not backing a local newspaper publisher's effort to force a city to hand over its police records, writing that a majority opinion that declined to fully resolve the dispute "substitute[s] our policy preferences for the policy choices of the legislature."

  • March 13, 2025

    Ga. Court Nixes Reinstatement Of Officer Who Beat Jail Inmate

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court decision that reinstated to his job a former Athens-Clarke County police officer who was found to have beaten a person incarcerated in county jail, ruling there was enough evidence to justify the officer's firing for the assault.

  • March 13, 2025

    Karen Read Loses Double Jeopardy Bid In Federal Court

    Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman who stands accused of killing her boyfriend with her SUV, will not be able to avoid a retrial in state court after a federal judge on Thursday denied her bid to escape two charges that jurors supposedly rejected during deliberations.

  • March 13, 2025

    Pa. Justices Let Convicted Doctor Reapply For License

    A former University of Pittsburgh Medical Center radiologist who lost his license for unlawfully prescribing Vicodin can seek reinstatement less than 10 years after his 2019 suspension thanks to a change in state law defining a drug trafficking offense, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

  • March 13, 2025

    Full Fed. Circ. Probes Basis For $20M Google Patent Verdict

    The en banc Federal Circuit on Thursday closely scrutinized the damages evidence underlying EcoFactor's $20 million thermostat patent trial victory against Google, with some judges suggesting that it doesn't support the testimony given by EcoFactor's expert witness.

  • March 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Ends Idaho Abortion Law Row After Mutual Dismissal

    A Ninth Circuit panel has dropped an appeal from Idaho claiming the state's strict abortion ban doesn't conflict with a federal law protecting emergency abortions, after the Trump administration announced its decision to drop the Biden-era legal challenge. 

  • March 13, 2025

    Mich. High Court Unsure Of GOP Role In Poll Worker Parity

    Michigan Supreme Court justices mulled whether the Republican Party has standing to seek better representation of its party in the election workforce on Thursday while hinting mootness could present a wrinkle in the two-year-old case.

  • March 13, 2025

    Cavanagh Selected As Mich. Supreme Court's Chief Justice

    Justice Megan K. Cavanagh will become the Michigan Supreme Court's chief justice when Justice Elizabeth T. Clement steps down next month, the court announced Thursday. 

  • March 13, 2025

    Colo. Panel Keeps Workers' Comp Law Out Of Contractor Suit

    An independent contractor cannot use Colorado's workers' compensation law to limit the damages awarded to a colleague for his negligence claim over an on-the-job injury, a state appeals panel ruled Thursday, saying that the two worked together, but not for each other.

  • March 13, 2025

    6th Circ. Won't Rehear Ex-Electric Co. Exec's Severance Suit

    The Sixth Circuit will not rethink its panel decision upholding the dismissal of a severance suit brought by American Electric Power Services Corp.'s former chief digital officer who claimed he was shortchanged on his way out the door, according to a Thursday order.

  • March 13, 2025

    Rink Can't Escape Skater's Party Injury Claim, Ill. Panel Says

    An Illinois skating rink was incorrectly handed a pre-trial win over accusations that its failure to keep a floor supervisor on duty during a backward-skating round caused a man's injury during a birthday party, a state appellate panel said Wednesday.  

  • March 13, 2025

    Full 4th Circ. Urged To Rethink Drug Price-Fixing Class Action

    The Fourth Circuit's dismissal of a proposed class action accusing drug companies of conspiring to inflate the price of a drug for Huntington's disease has deepened a circuit split on proving injury under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a group of reimbursement recovery entities has said in asking the full court to rethink the ruling.

  • March 13, 2025

    Colo. Appeals Court Affirms $2.6M Award To Car Crash Victim

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel on Thursday declined to throw out a jury's $2.6 million economic damages award to a car accident victim following arguments that her experts didn't explicitly state her medical expenses were of "reasonable value," finding the jury had enough information to reach their decision.

  • March 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Ex-Uber Exec's Conviction Over Data Breach

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday affirmed a former Uber security executive's conviction for attempting to cover up a data breach from government investigators, rejecting his challenges to the jury instructions and strength of the evidence.

  • March 13, 2025

    Del.'s Divisive Corporate Law Rework Passes In State Senate

    Divisive amendments to Delaware's general corporation law cleared the state Senate Thursday with multiple questions but little debate and without dissenting votes, and will now be sent to the House amid warnings that failure to approve could weaken the state's standing as a top corporate charter hub.

  • March 13, 2025

    Mich. Justices Struggle With Line-Drawing For Rental Use

    Michigan Supreme Court justices on Thursday said they were struggling with where to draw the line for when homes can be rented short-term as property owners along a Lake Michigan neighborhood urged the state's top court to reverse a lower court's decision that said a restrictive covenant barred all vacation rentals.

  • March 13, 2025

    Swimsuit Pics App Maker Can't Revive Suit Against Facebook

    California appellate justices on Wednesday refused to revive an app developer's contract breach suit alleging Facebook rescinded its commitment to provide third-party developers with access to user data, rendering his app for finding users' swimsuit photos unworkable, after concluding Facebook's terms expressly said it could limit developers' access to data.

  • March 13, 2025

    5th Circ. Sides With NLRB On Reconsidered Exxon Ruling

    The National Labor Relations Board didn't overstep by wiping out and rethinking a decision involving an Exxon Mobil unit after learning a member had a stake in the company, the Fifth Circuit said, enforcing the board's ruling that the company sabotaged negotiations with a union.

  • March 13, 2025

    5th Circ. Asks If Enforcement Delay Affects CTA Challenge

    The Fifth Circuit has asked for supplemental briefing in a challenge against the Corporate Transparency Act, asking whether the case is affected by the U.S. Treasury Department's recent decision to suspend enforcement of reporting rules for domestic companies.

  • March 13, 2025

    Solicitor General Pick, 2 More DOJ Noms Go To Full Senate

    The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted out of committee the nomination of President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, Dean John Sauer, to be solicitor general and two other nominees for major U.S. Department of Justice roles, all along party lines.

  • March 12, 2025

    Calif. Asks Justices To Ax Fuel Groups' Clean Air Waiver Suit

    California asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to uphold the D.C. Circuit's ruling that biofuel and fossil fuel industry players don't have standing to challenge the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act waiver allowing the Golden State to set standards limiting greenhouse gas emissions for vehicles.

Expert Analysis

  • Trending At The PTAB: Insights From 2024 Fed. Circ. Statistics

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    Looking at stats from the Federal Circuit's decisions in 219 Patent Trial and Appeal Board appeals last year sheds light on potential trends and strategy considerations that could improve appeals' chances of success, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Will Independent Federal Agencies Remain Independent?

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    For 90 years, members of multimember independent federal agencies have relied on the U.S. Supreme Court's 1935 ruling in Humphrey's Executor v. U.S. establishing the security of their positions — but as the Trump administration attempts to overturn this understanding, it is unclear how the high court will respond, says Harvey Reiter at Stinson.

  • High Court Sentencing Case Presents Legal Fork In The Road

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    On Feb. 25, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Esteras v. U.S. about the factors trial courts may consider when imposing a sentence of imprisonment after revoking supervised release, and the justices’ eventual decision may prioritize either discretion or originalism, says Michael Freedman at The Freedman Firm.

  • Del. Justices' D&O Ruling Clarifies 'Related' Claim Analysis

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    In its recent decision in the Alexion Pharmaceuticals coverage case, the Delaware Supreme Court adopted a "meaningful linkage" standard for relatedness analysis, providing further guidance to Delaware policyholders on how to navigate those directors and officers insurance disputes, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five federal appellate court class certification decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving breach of life insurance contracts, constitutional violations of inmates and more.

  • Defense Strategies For Politically Charged Prosecutions

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    Politically charged prosecutions have captured the headlines in recent years, providing lessons for defense counsel on how to navigate the distinct challenges, and seize the unique opportunities, such cases present, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Series

    Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.

  • Axed ALJ Removal Protections Mark Big Shift For NLRB

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    A D.C. federal court's recent decision in VHS Acquisition Subsidiary No. 7 v. National Labor Relations Board removed long-standing tenure protections for administrative law judges by finding they must be removable at will by the NLRB, marking a significant shift in the agency's ability to prosecute and adjudicate cases, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • NC COVID Ruling May Have Greater Coverage Implications

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    While the North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 comes too late for most insureds to benefit, it should nonetheless have coverage implications far beyond COVID-19 claims, say attorneys at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • 3 Potential Developments That May Alter US Patent Rights

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    The Federal Circuit's upcoming decision in EcoFactor v. Google, pending legislation before Congress and the appointment of a new U.S Patent and Trademark Office director all have significant potential to strengthen or weaken patent rights, say attorneys at McKool Smith.

  • 11th Circ. TCPA Ruling Signals Erosion Of Judicial Deference

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    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently came to the rescue of the lead generation industry, striking down new regulations that were set to go into effect on Jan. 27, a decision consistent with federal courts' recent willingness to review administrative decisions, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • How Ill. Ruling Could Influence Future Data Breach Cases

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    The Illinois Supreme Court's recent decision in Petta v. Christie Business Holding, which was based solely on standing, establishes an important benchmark for the viability of Illinois-based lawsuits arising out of data security incidents that defendants can cite in future cases, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • The Rising Need For The Selective Prosecution Defense

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    In a political climate where criminal and civil prosecution on the basis of political affiliation, constitutionally protected speech or other arbitrary classification is increasingly likely, existing precedent shows why judges should be more open to allowing a selective prosecution defense, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Corp. Transparency Act's Future Under Treasury's Bessent

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    The Corporate Transparency Act’s ultimate fate faced uncertain terms at the end of 2024, but new U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's statements and actions so far demonstrate that he does not intend to ignore the law, though he may attempt to make modifications, say attorneys at Taylor English.

  • Serta Ruling Further Narrows Equitable Mootness In 5th Circ.

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    The Fifth's Circuit recent Serta bankruptcy decision represents a further hardening of its view of the equitable mootness doctrine, and may set up a U.S. Supreme Court review of the doctrine in the near future, say attorneys at Cleary.

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