Appellate

  • October 17, 2024

    Cisco Foe Takes Computer Security Patent Feud To Fed. Circ.

    A cybersecurity startup that saw its multibillion-dollar patent win against Cisco erased is pinning the failure, in part, on a new judge's "eleventh-hour, sua sponte claim construction" and is asking the Federal Circuit to overturn it.

  • October 17, 2024

    Pa. Appeals Court Stops Damaged Philly Building's Demolition

    A Pennsylvania appellate court has tossed a lower court order that required the demolition of a seven-story Philadelphia apartment building that had a partial façade collapse in September 2022.

  • October 17, 2024

    6th Circ. Can't Ax Captive Audience Memo, NLRB Atty Says

    A Michigan federal judge properly tossed a challenge to a memo that outlined why National Labor Relations Board general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo thinks so-called captive audience meetings are illegal, Abruzzo told the Sixth Circuit, saying the memo isn't the kind of agency action that's reviewable in federal courts.

  • October 17, 2024

    Oregon Appeals Court Says E-Cig Rules Violate Free Speech

    Oregon's intermediate appellate court ruled Wednesday that a state law governing how e-cigarettes and cannabis vapes can be packaged violated guarantees of free speech enshrined in the state's constitution.

  • October 17, 2024

    Contractor Tells Fed. Circ. Navy Improperly Canceled Deal

    A contractor urged the Federal Circuit to abandon a lower court finding that the U.S. Navy reasonably canceled an agreement for it to provide engineering services for a Florida naval air station, saying in a filing Wednesday that a termination memorandum the government submitted to the court appears to be "fraudulent."

  • October 17, 2024

    3rd Circ. Undoes Arbitration Denial In Experian Row

    The Third Circuit on Thursday clarified its standard for when courts should order discovery into whether a dispute should be arbitrated, in an opinion that said a New Jersey woman had admitted she signed an arbitration agreement with an affiliate of Experian that could apply to her Fair Credit Reporting Act lawsuit.

  • October 17, 2024

    Mich. Urges 6th Circ. To Toss Enbridge's Line 5 Countersuit

    Michigan's governor has told the Sixth Circuit she and another state official are immune from Enbridge Energy LP's lawsuit over efforts to shut down a natural gas and oil pipeline because the dispute implicates state sovereignty issues that place it beyond federal jurisdiction.

  • October 17, 2024

    Disney Can't Get Quick Appeal In Actor's Political Firing Suit

    A California federal judge refused to sign off on Walt Disney Co.'s bid to immediately challenge a decision that kept a suit alive from a former Star Wars actor who said she was fired for expressing her political views, saying an appeal to the Ninth Circuit would be premature.

  • October 17, 2024

    Athletes 'Easily' Clear 3rd Circ. Employee Test, Atty Says

    The lead attorney who persuaded the Third Circuit to hold that college athletes may be employees under federal wage law said Thursday that his clients are clearly employees under the test the court set out, drawing a favorable comparison to work-study participants.

  • October 17, 2024

    Ex-Defender Returns To 4th Circ. With Sex Bias Case

    A former North Carolina public defender appealed her bias case against the judiciary to the Fourth Circuit for a second time after a North Carolina federal judge refused to reconsider his ruling that she did not provide adequate notice to her ex-employer before filing suit.

  • October 17, 2024

    Justices Told Woman Can't Dispute Levy For Paid-Off Tax

    A Third Circuit decision allowing a woman to challenge her tax liabilities in a property-seizure proceeding should be overturned, the Internal Revenue Service told the U.S. Supreme Court, saying her case became moot after the agency withheld her tax refunds to pay off her debt.

  • October 17, 2024

    5th Circ. Tosses Policyholder's Hurricane Coverage Suit

    The Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a National Flood Insurance Program policyholder's suit seeking coverage for at least $100,000 in hurricane damage to a Mississippi beachfront property, saying it was time-barred and failed to allege any extracontractual duties.

  • October 17, 2024

    States, Industry Urge DC Circ. To Scrap Truck GHG Rule

    Dozens of states and industry groups are imploring the D.C. Circuit to pull the plug on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule setting greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles, arguing it mandates a transition to electric vehicles that the agency has no authority to push.

  • October 17, 2024

    House Resolution Introduced To Laud Hispanics In Legal Field

    A Florida representative in the U.S. Congress earlier this week introduced a resolution to designate Oct. 15, 2024, as a day to "honor the diaspora of Hispanic culture, and the representation of Hispanics in the legal profession and the judiciary."

  • October 16, 2024

    $3.6M Ruling Against Merchant Cash Advance Co. Reversed

    An Ohio appellate court on Wednesday reversed a trial court's ruling allowing First Financial Bank to recover roughly $3.6 million from a merchant cash advance company, ruling — in a matter of first impression — that under Ohio law, a transferee of funds from a deposit account is protected from conversion claims unless collusion is involved.

  • October 16, 2024

    Cos. Slam Spain's Bid For DC Circ. Redo Over $395M Suits

    Three investment companies have opposed Spain's request for a rehearing in the D.C. Circuit over the appeals court's ruling that district courts have jurisdiction to enforce about $395 million in arbitral awards issued against the country after it rolled back economic incentives for renewable energy projects.

  • October 16, 2024

    Feds, Md. Tell 4th Circ. Beltway Lane Expansion Is Fully Vetted

    Federal and Maryland state transportation officials have told the Fourth Circuit that they thoroughly vetted air pollution, traffic congestion and other environmental concerns before approving an estimated $4 billion highway expansion project outside Washington, D.C., arguing that environmental groups have no grounds to sue to block the project.

  • October 16, 2024

    11th Circ. Won't Nix OK Of Guatemalan Power Plant Award

    The Eleventh Circuit refused Wednesday to vacate an arbitral award issued following a dispute over an ill-fated Guatemalan power plant construction project, rejecting arguments that the tribunal improperly turned a blind eye to alleged corruption underlying the project.

  • October 16, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives Mexican Dad's Bid To Challenge Removal

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed an immigration judge's decision denying a Mexican citizen's cancellation of removal bid, but ruled that the Board of Immigration Appeals' application of an incorrect standard for reopening the father's removal proceedings warranted a remand.

  • October 16, 2024

    Justices Torn On Interpretation Of Veterans Benefits Law

    U.S. Supreme Court justices questioned Wednesday whether two veterans expected more than legally required from a lower court that only granted limited review of the denial of their disability benefits claims, while challenging the government's denial in equal measure.

  • October 16, 2024

    Photog Tells 9th Circ. Miles Davis Tattoo Was Not Fair Use

    A photographer wants the Ninth Circuit to undo a California federal jury's finding that cleared celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D of claims she infringed a copyrighted photo of Miles Davis that he took, saying she failed to adequately show fair use.

  • October 16, 2024

    2nd Circ. Scrutinizes Conn. Restrictions On AR-15s

    A Second Circuit panel put the phrase "dangerous and unusual" under a microscope Wednesday as three judges considered dual challenges to Connecticut's post-Sandy Hook bans on assault rifles and large-capacity magazines, working to parse out whether the state's restrictions are allowed under U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • October 16, 2024

    Ex-Davis Polk Atty Drops Appeal Of Bias Verdict Loss

    A former Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP associate on Tuesday dropped his appeal of a jury verdict clearing the firm and two lawyers of liability in a suit alleging he was fired in retaliation for airing concerns about racial bias and diversity.

  • October 16, 2024

    11th Circ. Says No Claim For Taking Until Permit Is Denied

    The Eleventh Circuit ruled Wednesday that Fane Lozman — houseboat owner, activist and thorn in the side of the Riviera Beach, Florida, city government — cannot yet bring his claims for a regulatory taking of his property against the city because he has not applied for a permit or zoning variance.

  • October 16, 2024

    En Banc DC Circ. Will Revisit Campaign Finance Appeal

    The full D.C. Circuit will revisit an appeal implicating the court's authority to review the Federal Election Commission's decisions on campaign finance complaints when those decisions rest on commissioners' so-called prosecutorial discretion.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy

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    The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.

  • How 3rd Circ. Raised Bar For Constitutional Case Injunctions

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    The Third Circuit's decision in Delaware State Sportsmen's Association v. Delaware Department of Safety & Homeland Security, rejecting the relaxed preliminary injunction standards many courts have used when plaintiffs allege constitutional harms, could portend a shift in such cases in at least four ways, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • The Fed. Circ. In June: More Liability For Generic-Drug Makers

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    The Federal Circuit’s June ruling in Amarin v. Hikma will likely result in more allegations of induced infringement by generic drugs postapproval, with more of those cases proceeding to at least the summary judgment stage instead of being cut off at the outset, say Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray at Knobbe Martens.

  • 7th Circ. Ruling Expands CFPB Power In Post-Chevron Era

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Townstone Financial interprets the Equal Credit Opportunity Act broadly, paving the way for increased CFPB enforcement and hinting at how federal courts may approach statutory interpretation in the post-Chevron world, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • Series

    After Chevron: ERISA Challenges To Watch

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    The end of Chevron deference makes the outcome of Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulatory challenges more uncertain as courts become final arbiters of pending lawsuits about ESG investments, the definition of a fiduciary, unallocated pension forfeitures and discrimination in healthcare plans, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.

  • Menendez Corruption Ruling Highlights Attorney Proffer Risks

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    The recent admission of slides used in a preindictment presentation as evidence during U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption trial highlights the potential pitfalls of using visual aids in attorney proffers, and the increasing importance of making disclaimers regarding information presented at the outset of proffers, say Carrie Cohen and Savanna Leak at MoFo.

  • Opinion

    Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis

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    For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.

  • Analyzing Advance Notice Bylaws On 'Clear' Or 'Cloudy' Days

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    In Kellner v. AIM ImmunoTech, the Delaware Supreme Court recently clarified the framework for judicial review of advance notice bylaws adopted, amended or enforced on "clear" or "cloudy" days, underscoring the responsibility of boards to ensure that their scope does not overreach or prevent the possibility of a contested election, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling May Limit Discovery In Int'l Arbitration

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    The Second Circuit's recent Webuild v. WSP decision, affirming a discovery order's nullification in arbitration between Webuild and the government of Panama, demonstrates courts' unwillingness to find that arbitral tribunals in investor-state cases fall within the scope of the discovery statute, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Takeaways From High Court's Tribal Health Admin Cost Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent determination that the government must reimburse two Native American tribes for administrative healthcare costs will help tribes maintain equal footing with the Indian Health Service when administering programs, and continues a pattern of how the current court aligns on tribal concerns, say attorneys at Lewis Roca.

  • Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar

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    At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • High Court's Expert Ruling May Help Health Fraud Defendants

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Diaz v. U.S. appears to give the government a powerful new tool in calling its own agents as expert witnesses, but it could also benefit defense counsel in criminal healthcare fraud and other white collar criminal cases that arise in complex legal or regulatory environments, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Patent Lessons From 5 Federal Circuit Reversals In June

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    A look at June cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court highlights a potential path for branded drugmakers to sue generic-drug makers for off-label uses, potential downsides of violating a pretrial order offering testimony, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

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