Appellate

  • July 30, 2026

    Valve Scores Quick Appeal In Gamer Arbitration Clause Fight

    A Seattle federal judge on Thursday granted Valve Corp.'s bid for a quick appeal of an order declining to halt antitrust arbitrations brought by hundreds of individual gamers, pausing the litigation for the video game developer to seek the Ninth Circuit's input on whether the arbitrations can proceed under its subscriber terms.  

  • July 30, 2026

    Disney, Cameron Get 'Avatar' Sequels IP Suit Nixed, For Now

    A California federal judge Thursday tossed an author's suit accusing the Walt Disney Co., film director James Cameron and Cameron's production company of ripping off the author's work to create "Avatar" movie sequels, saying any substantial similarities between the works should be better fleshed out should the writer amend his complaint again.

  • July 30, 2026

    Tesla Tells Justices USPTO Is 'Gutting' Patent Reviews

    Tesla Inc. has become the latest company to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review limits that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has put on patent challenges, arguing that the office is "gutting" the review system created by the America Invents Act.

  • July 30, 2026

    Health Plans Ask 2nd Circ. To Revive Celgene Cancer Drug Row

    Health plans and pharmacies backed by Cigna are asking the Second Circuit to revive a proposed class action alleging Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and its Celgene subsidiary fraudulently obtained patents, filed sham lawsuits and paid off generic-drug makers to maintain a monopoly on the blockbuster blood cancer drug Pomalyst.

  • July 30, 2026

    Wells Fargo Can't Collect $4M 'Stranger' Policy, 8th Circ. Says

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday upheld a ruling that an insurer does not have to pay out a $4 million life insurance policy to Wells Fargo Bank NA, finding the policy taken out on the now-deceased man was void because it was obtained through a scheme meant to benefit investors.

  • July 30, 2026

    2 More Circuits Reject No-Bond Rule For Interior ICE Arrests

    Split Seventh Circuit and Ninth Circuit panels ruled Thursday that noncitizens arrested in the interior U.S. cannot be detained without bond, joining four other circuits that have rejected the Trump administration's policy of subjecting these noncitizens to mandatory detention.

  • July 30, 2026

    PLO Asks Justice Sotomayor To Halt $655M Terror Judgment

    The Palestine Liberation Organization has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay enforcement of a $655.5 million terrorism judgment, saying the Second Circuit had no power to revive a decade-old award that had already become legally void.

  • July 30, 2026

    11th Circ. Revives Nonprofit's Bias Suit Over COVID Grants

    The Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday revived part of a Florida nonprofit's suit challenging the denial of two COVID-19 relief grants, finding that the group had sufficiently alleged it was discriminated against because of racial bias and its association with a pan-African movement.

  • July 30, 2026

    Wash. Justices Say University Owed Duty In Hazing Death Suit

    The Washington State Supreme Court said in a 5-4 ruling Thursday that Washington State University had a duty to protect a student who died of alcohol poisoning following a hazing ritual at an off-campus party, including by taking steps to ensure fraternities were following rules against alcohol misuse and hazing.

  • July 30, 2026

    4th Circ. Urged To Keep Trump Trans Health Orders Blocked

    A group of transgender individuals and advocacy groups urged the Fourth Circuit to uphold a nationwide injunction they won against Trump administration executive orders banning federal funding of gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 19.

  • July 30, 2026

    8th Circ. Agrees Chartreuse Color Can't Save Hose Maker's TM

    The Eighth Circuit on Thursday declined to revive a trademark that was asserted in a case brought by a water hose manufacturer against a competitor, agreeing with a federal judge who ruled the chartreuse color of the hoses was a functional feature and therefore invalidated the trademark.

  • July 30, 2026

    Fla. Panel Says Gun Selfie Was Fair Evidence In Murder Case

    A Florida state appellate court upheld a murder conviction for a man sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of a woman over several pairs of sneakers, ruling that a selfie of the shooter brandishing a handgun wasn't prejudicial in the case. 

  • July 30, 2026

    8th Circ. Revives Iowa Vape Restrictions Law

    Iowa can start enforcing a state law that restricts the sale of some e-cigarettes, after the Eighth Circuit on Thursday determined that the policy was not preempted by federal tobacco law and overturned a lower court's ruling that blocked officials from implementing it.

  • July 30, 2026

    Resolution Copper Creates $54M Trust For Ariz., NM Tribes

    Resolution Copper Co. said it established a $54 million trust that will provide annual funding to 11 Indigenous nations that have cultural and ancestral ties to a sacred Arizona worship site that's facing destruction to make way for a multibillion-dollar mining operation.

  • July 30, 2026

    Fed. Circ. OKs Samsung Win Over Patent Tied To $81M Award

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday upheld a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision invalidating a patent covering standard-essential 5G wireless network technology that Samsung was directed to pay $81 million for infringing, rejecting G+ Communications LLC's procedural and evidentiary arguments.

  • July 30, 2026

    Split NJ High Court Backs Walmart In Snowy Lot Injury Suit

    The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Walmart didn't create the "unusual circumstances" required to make it liable for injuries suffered by a customer who slipped on a snowy parking lot, drawing a sharp dissent from justices who said the majority's take shunned case law and "bedrock tort principles" and misread case law.

  • July 30, 2026

    Minn. Sued Over Dairy Expansion Environmental Review

    Advocacy groups in Minnesota are suing the state over its decision not to provide a government document that outlines the potential environmental effects of the proposed West River Dairy expansion, arguing significant impacts to air and water quality were ignored.

  • July 30, 2026

    Skechers Can't Run From Manufacturer Tax, Mass. Court Says

    Skechers must pay nearly $200,000 in back excise taxes and interest, a Massachusetts intermediate appellate court said Thursday, rejecting the shoe brand's argument that it is not a manufacturer.

  • July 30, 2026

    WDTX Jury Awards $1.5M In Lighting Patent Retrial

    A Texas federal jury has awarded Chinese company Jiaxing Super Lighting almost $1.5 million in damages from rivals found to have infringed an LED tube lamp patent, a year after the Federal Circuit ordered a new trial.

  • July 30, 2026

    5th Circ. Upholds Plea Term Requiring Mental Health Meds

    The Fifth Circuit has ruled that a Texas man still cannot overturn a special sentencing condition requiring him to take prescribed mental health medication even despite the U.S. Supreme Court granting the man's appeal and setting a new standard for exceptions to appeal waivers in plea deals.

  • July 30, 2026

    6th Circ. Orders Look At IRS Resignation Deal In Bias Suit

    An Ohio federal court must decide whether an IRS worker gave up her disability bias and retaliation claims against the U.S. Treasury Department in a resignation agreement, a split Sixth Circuit panel ruled, refusing to weigh the merits of an appeal she brought before entering the deal.

  • July 30, 2026

    2nd Circ. Revives Decongestant 'Maximum Strength' Claims

    The Second Circuit on Thursday revived claims in multidistrict litigation alleging makers of oral decongestants misled consumers by labeling their products as "maximum strength," while finding the bulk of the remaining claims were preempted by federal regulation.

  • July 30, 2026

    Mich. Justices Overrule Longtime Med Mal Filing Rule

    The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned a 20-year-old precedent that had barred many wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuits, ruling personal representatives may use the state's medical malpractice tolling statute to extend the time for filing claims after serving a required notice of intent to sue. 

  • July 30, 2026

    2nd Circ. Revives Migrant's Classwide Declaratory Relief Bid

    A New York federal court erred in decertifying a class seeking declaratory relief regarding government procedures on bond hearings for immigration detainees, the Second Circuit ruled Wednesday, finding the court improperly considered factors outside the federal procedural rule governing class actions.

  • July 30, 2026

    Kalshi Sports Offerings Appear On Shaky Ground At 6th Circ.

    A Sixth Circuit panel looked askance at Kalshi's push to have its sports event contracts shielded from state gambling regulators Thursday, pointedly questioning the prediction market giant about the difference between its offerings and traditional sports bets.

Expert Analysis

  • How Pfizer Won Fed. Circ. Patent Dispute By 1 Carbon Atom

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    The Federal Circuit's recent refusal to revive a patent in Enanta Pharmaceuticals v. Pfizer over an alleged typo creating a one-atom difference in a COVID-19 treatment application hands defendants a template for potentially converting a triable fact question into an early dispositive ruling, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • What To Know Before Justices Rule In Title IX Employee Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide whether Title IX protections extend to employees alleging sex discrimination in Crowther v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, which could have significant implications for higher education institutions and their employees, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Highlights The Cost Of Incorrect Inventorship

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Fortress Iron v. Digger Specialties, affirming that a fencing company's patents were invalid due to a missing co-inventor, is a reminder that confirming correct inventorship should be a critical part of every patent invalidity workup, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.

  • Future Of Fed Independence Shaky After Justices' Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Trump v. Cook preserved the Federal Reserve's formal independence but could invite the president to remove board members with just modest protections, leaving the central bank's autonomy uncertain and potentially setting up fresh clashes over other agencies, says Steven Schwinn at the University of Chicago.

  • Series

    Mich. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter brought several notable financial services law developments to Michigan, including a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state tax foreclosures, progress on a money transmission modernization bill package, and continued legislative momentum on cryptocurrency and mortgage lending, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • Justices' Ruling Alters Playing Field For State Subpoena Suits

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Davenport will spark more federal court challenges to state subpoenas, but procedural defenses will block some merits decisions, so plaintiffs must carefully time and manage parallel federal and state proceedings, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Looking At Drake's Diss Track Appeal Through An IP Lens

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    Though Drake's pending Second Circuit appeal over UMG's promotion of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is formally about defamation, it shows that IP considerations can help identify records showing how a work traveled, which may guide courts when deciding context, says attorney Abdul Abdullahi.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    NY Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several notable banking law developments to New York, including a proposal to align state stablecoin rules with the federal Genius Act, fresh fair lending and cybersecurity guidance from state regulators, and a significant Second Circuit holding on preemption, say attorneys at Ashurst Perkins Coie.

  • PacifiCorp Ruling Shows Limits Of Aggregate Wildfire Loss Models

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    An Oregon appeals court's recent decision in James v. PacifiCorp illustrates that in litigation involving multiple wildfires, materially different causation theories, and evidence tied to particular fires and locations, a single undifferentiated damages model is vulnerable to attack, say Paige Van Oosten and Jason Kim at Hunton and Kevin Cahill at FTI Consulting.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • A New Defense For Medicaid Fraud Cases In Texas

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    The Texas Supreme Court decision in LabCorp v. Texas last month, finding that the state's False Claims Act requires proof that an omission is material, is among the first to establish that the government's lack of reaction to the defendant's disclosures rendered alleged omissions immaterial, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • Fighting The Evidentiary Risks Of Deepfakes In Court

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    Though courts and federal rules are only slowly developing frameworks for assessing digital evidence that could have been created or generated by artificial intelligence, litigators should understand what steps they'll likely need to take to successfully challenge potentially deepfaked exhibits — and fight questions about the authenticity of their own, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Justices' Cuba Ruling Narrowly Recasts Sovereign Immunity

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    The U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed Exxon Mobil's bid for $1 billion in damages for Cuban-seized property to proceed, but the ruling's doctrinal significance is in treating the Helms-Burton Act as a later, specific and self-contained statutory displacement of the default jurisdictional immunity regime, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.

  • 'Tiger King' Funeral Clip Ruling Offers Fair Use Road Map

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    The Tenth Circuit's decision in Whyte Monkee v. Netflix that the streaming service's use of another party's funeral footage in the docuseries "Tiger King" constituted fair use lays out a framework for producers to apply the four statutory fair use factors to their own projects, says Frank D’Angelo at Loeb & Loeb.

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