Appellate

  • August 19, 2024

    Colo. Justices Take Up Firm's Malicious Prosecution Defense

    The Colorado Supreme Court said Monday it would hear a Denver law firm's appeal arguing that winning a dispositive motion in an earlier suit protects against a later malicious prosecution claim from the target of the first case.

  • August 19, 2024

    Feds Trim Sentencing Request For Atty In Email Fraud Case

    Massachusetts federal prosecutors have shaved 11 months off of a nine-year sentencing request for an Illinois attorney who was convicted of collecting proceeds from an email fraud scheme, after the First Circuit vacated three of the lawyer's six counts on venue grounds.

  • August 19, 2024

    4th Circ. Cuts Liberty Loose In Medicare Reimbursement Row

    A North Carolina widow can't revive a proposed class action accusing Liberty Mutual of failing to reimburse Medicare for her deceased husband's medical costs, the Fourth Circuit said Monday, finding she wasn't injured and therefore lacked standing to sue.

  • August 19, 2024

    Chinese Exile's Daughter Wants Ch. 11 Sanctions Overturned

    The daughter of bankrupt Chinese exile Miles Guo and her New Jersey-based attorney are asking the Second Circuit to overturn a bankruptcy judge's $83,370 discovery sanction, calling the discovery requests in question unclear and the sanction excessive.

  • August 19, 2024

    2nd Circ. Keeps Macquarie Suit Alive After High Court Remand

    The Second Circuit on Monday once again greenlighted an investor lawsuit accusing Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. of hiding the expected impact of a high-sulfur fuel ban on its oil storage business, saying that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Macquarie's favor had little impact on the circuit court's earlier ruling that the case should move forward. 

  • August 19, 2024

    UnitedHealthcare Says Humana Can't Access Its Records

    UnitedHealthcare has asked the Texas high court to review a decision requiring it to turn over Medicare plan documents for the state's teachers to a competing insurer, arguing that recent updates to the Public Information Act were too broadly interpreted by a lower appellate court.

  • August 19, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Sides With DirecTV In Nexstar Fee Spat

    A New York state appeals court upheld DirecTV's summary judgment win against Nexstar in a spat over station licensing fees, even giving the satellite TV giant more than it won in the trial court by ruling that the judge there incorrectly denied some of DirecTV's claims.

  • August 19, 2024

    Colo. Justices To Weigh On Minimum Wage Claims' Timing

    The Colorado Supreme Court said Monday it will clear up whether the Colorado Wage Claim Act's shorter statute of limitations applies to claims brought under the state's Minimum Wage Act.

  • August 19, 2024

    Free Speech Group Says NY Official Must Face NRA's Suit

    A former New York state official isn't immune from the National Rifle Association's suit claiming she violated the group's rights by pressuring financial institutions to cut ties with it, a free speech group told the Second Circuit on Monday, citing a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the dispute.

  • August 19, 2024

    Roku Takes Dispute Over ITC Powers To Supreme Court

    Roku is telling the U.S. Supreme Court that the U.S. International Trade Commission doesn't have the power to ban the import of patent-infringing software if those patents only have a limited connection to products on sale in the market.

  • August 19, 2024

    Retirees Ask 2nd Circ. To Reboot IBM Pension Fight

    A proposed class of IBM retirees alleging the business lowballed their pension payments by using outdated mortality data to calculate benefits urged the Second Circuit to revive its suit, arguing a New York federal court wrongly determined its claims were brought too late.

  • August 19, 2024

    'Mere Speculation' Thwarts PTAB Appeal, Fed. Circ. Says

    The Federal Circuit has blocked an optical filter maker from appealing a failed Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenge to a rival's patent, ruling that the company lacked standing to appeal because it presented only "mere speculation" that it might be sued again.

  • August 19, 2024

    Net Neutrality Akin To Federal Law Rewrite, 6th Circ. Told

    A pair of think tanks told the Sixth Circuit it should reject the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules in part because the agency's decision to hold back its legal authority in some areas, like rate regulation, shows why the regime lacks statutory authority in the first place.

  • August 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Sends Northrop Pension Disclosure Row To Trial

    The Ninth Circuit revived a class claim Monday from a group of Northrop Grumman retirees who said they were kept in the dark about how much they would get in pension benefits, ruling their allegations that the defense contractor shirked its disclosure duties were filed on time.

  • August 19, 2024

    Even Kids Use 'Unfair' Like CFPB Policy Does, 5th Circ. Told

    Scholars from top law schools urged the Fifth Circuit to reverse a Texas federal court's decision to strike a policy expanding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's antidiscrimination oversight capabilities, arguing that even "schoolchildren" could agree with the agency's legal position.

  • August 19, 2024

    2nd Circ. Squashes Nepalese Man's Asylum Bid

    The Second Circuit on Monday shot down a request for asylum from a Nepalese man, finding he'd failed to show he had a legitimate fear of being persecuted in his home country.

  • August 19, 2024

    Pennsylvania Litigation Highlights Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    Pennsylvania courts have been the scene of several explosive cases in the first half of 2024, including one that produced an astronomical $2.25 billion verdict against Bayer AG unit Monsanto in the Roundup mass tort unfolding in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

  • August 19, 2024

    5th Circ. Won't Upend BP Win In Deepwater Cleanup Suit

    The Fifth Circuit won't grant an extension on discovery deadlines to a worker who alleges he was harmed by exposure to toxins during the cleanup of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, saying the discovery he seeks wouldn't be enough to save his suit against BP Exploration & Production Inc. and BP America Production Co.

  • August 19, 2024

    Builders Want 6th Circ. Nix Of NLRB Captive Meeting Memo

    The National Labor Relations Board general counsel's memorandum saying so-called captive audience meetings are unlawful is a "censorship scheme," the Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan argued to the Sixth Circuit, seeking reversal of a lower court ruling that tossed the group's First Amendment claims.

  • August 19, 2024

    Ford Can't Show Judge Is Biased In Crash Case, Driver Says

    Victims of a car crash urged the North Carolina state appeals court to reject a bid by Ford to get a trial court judge booted from a vehicle safety lawsuit, arguing the carmaker hasn't shown the judge is biased by bringing up statements he made years ago as a private attorney who took on the company.

  • August 19, 2024

    Trump's Immunity Appeal May Delay Sentencing, DA Says

    Prosecutors will not oppose Donald Trump's request to delay sentencing in his New York hush money case, currently set for next month, while he seeks to dismiss his conviction in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's presidential immunity ruling, agreeing that an immediate appeal may upend the proceedings anyway.

  • August 16, 2024

    Justices Reject Biden Bid To Reinstate Gender Identity Rule

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday refused for now to lift lower court orders blocking the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing its new interpretation of Title IX intended to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination based on gender identity, handing a win to several Republican-led state challengers.

  • August 16, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Quells Fears Over Double-Patenting Overreach

    A recent Federal Circuit decision finding patent claims licensed by Allergan were not invalid for obviousness-type double patenting provided relief to attorneys who were concerned the court had made it easier to invalidate patents that had extended expiration dates to make up for regulatory delays.

  • August 16, 2024

    The Biggest Texas Rulings Of 2024: A Midyear Report

    Texas has seen a bevy of major decisions, including a $1.4 billion settlement with Facebook over alleged biometric data collection, a ruling banning gender-affirming care for minors, and the conclusion of a long-running securities case against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Here's some of the biggest decisions so far this year.

  • August 16, 2024

    11th Circ. Partially Reverses Rental Car Co.'s Win In Fee Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has revived a class of consumers' breach of contract claims against a Florida rental car company over allegedly deceptive damaged vehicle costs but affirmed a lower court's finding that the lead plaintiffs did not suffer any actual damages.

Expert Analysis

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • NY Ruling Offers A Foreclosure Road Map For Lenders

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    A New York appellate court recently upheld a summary judgment ruling in favor of a commercial lender's foreclosure in U.S. Bank v. 1226 Evergreen Bapaz, illustrating the proofs lenders will need to prosecute a foreclosure action, especially where the plaintiff is an assignee of the originating lender, say attorneys at Sherman Atlas.

  • What Chevron's End Means For How Congress Does Business

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, overturning the Chevron doctrine, will have a far-reaching impact across the entire public policy life cycle, beginning with how Congress writes its laws and extending through agency implantation and judicial review, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Preserving Payment Rights

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    Stephanie Magnell and Zachary Jacobson at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions that together illustrate the importance of keeping accurate records and adhering to contractual procedures to avoid inadvertently waiving contractual rights to cost reimbursements or nonroutine payments.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Alice Step 2 Trends Show Courts' Extrinsic Evidence Reliance

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    A look at recent trends in how district courts are applying Step 2 of the Alice framework shows that courts have increasingly relied on extrinsic evidence to help determine whether a claimed invention is "well-understood, routine, and conventional," says Jonathan Tuminaro at Sterne Kessler.

  • Opinion

    OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • How Calif. Ruling Alters Worker Arb. Agreement Enforcement

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    The California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ramirez v. Charter Communications should caution employers that while workers’ arbitration agreements will no longer be deemed unenforceable based on their number of unconscionable provisions, they must still be fair and balanced, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor.

  • Opinion

    After Jarkesy, IRS Must Course-Correct On Captive Insurance

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision has profound implications for other agencies, including the IRS, which must stop ignoring due process and curtailing congressional intent in its policing of captive insurance arrangements, says Peter Dawson at the 831(b) Institute.

  • The Rise Of State And Local Environmental Leadership

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    While Congress is deadlocked, and a U.S. Supreme Court with a hostility toward the administrative state aggressively dismantles federal environmental oversight, state and local governments are stepping up with policies to shape a more sustainable future for all species, says Jonathan Rosenbloom at Albany Law School.

  • Questions Linger About DTSA's Scope After Motorola Ruling

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Motorola v. Hytera, which held that the Defend Trade Secrets Act applies extraterritorially, does not address whether an act that furthers misappropriation must be committed by the defendant in order to satisfy the law's extraterritoriality requirement, say Ilissa Samplin and Grace Hart at Gibson Dunn.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Slowing Down AI In Medical Research

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning the Chevron doctrine may inhibit agencies' regulatory efforts, potentially slowing down the approval and implementation of artificial intelligence-driven methodologies in medical research, as well as regulators' responses to public health emergencies, say Ragini Acharya and Matthew Deutsch at Husch Blackwell.

  • What High Court TM Rulings Tell Us About Free Speech

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    Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings show tension between free speech and trademark law, highlighting that while political mockery is protected, established brands may be forced to adapt to evolving cultural values, says William Scott Goldman at Goldman Law Group.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

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