Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Appellate
-
July 02, 2024
11th Circ. Reverses $500K Insurer Benefit In Climber's Death
The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday reversed a lower court decision saying Reliance Standard Life Insurance had to pay $500,000 in benefits to the sons of a mountaineer who died ascending a peak in Pakistan, ruling that the life insurer wasn't unreasonable in determining that the climber didn't die by accident.
-
July 02, 2024
Immigration Attys Cautiously Optimistic After Chevron Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that courts no longer have to defer to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes could help some immigrants fight removal orders while serving as a buffer against partisan challenges to executive immigration actions.
-
July 02, 2024
IT Workers Say Chevron's End Dooms Spouse Work Permits
Ex-information technology workers told the D.C. Circuit that the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning decades-old precedent instructing judges about when they can defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law buoys their challenge to an Obama-era program allowing work permits for some spouses of highly skilled foreign workers.
-
July 02, 2024
4th Circ. Nixes Black Lung Benefits For American Energy Miner
The Fourth Circuit on Monday upended an award of black lung benefits to the widow of a miner who worked for American Energy LLC, saying it was the widow's responsibility to prove that coal dust exposure, more than smoking, is what caused his respiratory disease.
-
July 02, 2024
Wash. Court OKs Anti-Masker's School Recall Sanctions
Washington appellate judges said Tuesday an Evergreen State man waited too long to appeal $30,000 in sanctions and ruled the trial court was justified in pinning most of the blame on him — instead of his attorneys — for filing baseless recall petitions to dissuade school board members from complying with a state COVID-19 mask mandate.
-
July 02, 2024
Ga. Justices Say COVID Order Tolls Med Mal Repose Statute
The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday said that a judicial emergency order handed down during the COVID-19 pandemic can be used to toll the state's five-year medical malpractice statute of repose.
-
July 02, 2024
Contractor Says Chevron Reversal 'Upends' Navy Deal Suit
A military contractor seeking to undo the U.S. Navy's contract with a competitor for support services at European bases has told the Federal Circuit that the U.S. Supreme Court's recent overturning of the so-called Chevron doctrine "upends" the underlying decision in its suit.
-
July 02, 2024
Charter Justified Firing Of Lactating Worker, 10th Circ. Says
A Tenth Circuit panel on Tuesday sided with Charter Communications over an employee who alleged she was fired for seeking reasonable accommodations to pump breast milk at work, with the panel finding Charter supplied a legitimate reason for her termination.
-
July 02, 2024
4th Circ. Won't Rethink Google Ad Subpoena Decision
The Fourth Circuit denied a request on Tuesday to reconsider its ruling finding that a South Carolina agency must respond to Google's document request for a case accusing the tech giant of monopolizing key digital advertising technology.
-
July 02, 2024
Conn. Justices Send Trade Secrets Row Back To Trial Court
The Connecticut Supreme Court ordered a "limited" new trial Tuesday in a trade secrets case that pit Dur-A-Flex Inc. against numerous companies tied to research chemist Samet Dy, its former employee, finding error in the lower court's rulings on issues including damages and the enforceability of Dy's noncompete agreement.
-
July 02, 2024
Georgia Wants 11th Circ. To Undo Blocks On Election Law
The state of Georgia has urged the Eleventh Circuit to undo the enjoining of two provisions of the state's controversial 2021 election law, including a ban on handing out food and drinks to voters waiting in line that the state called a "prophylactic" against electoral interference.
-
July 02, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Rethink Hospitality Co.'s Virus Coverage Suit
The Ninth Circuit said Tuesday it would not rehear an international restaurant and nightclub operator's COVID-19 property insurance coverage appeal against a Liberty Mutual unit.
-
July 02, 2024
Even If There's A Better Reading, Follow Arbitrator, 9th Circ. Says
The Ninth Circuit has affirmed an arbitration award requiring two venture capital funds to dissolve in a suit alleging the funds' general partners breached their fiduciary duty, saying "even if there is a better interpretation, the arbitrator's interpretation controls, 'however good, bad, or ugly.'"
-
July 02, 2024
6th Circ. Takes Up Fuel Pump Appeal GM Pledged To Drop
The Sixth Circuit has agreed to hear General Motors' bid to undo certification of seven state classes of drivers who say GM sold diesel-powered trucks with faulty fuel pumps, although the automaker recently agreed to a $50 million settlement that includes a promise to abandon the appeal.
-
July 02, 2024
Justices Told Fed. Circ. Nullified Limits On PTAB Evidence
Manufacturer Provisur Technologies Inc. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Federal Circuit decision reviving rival Weber Inc.'s challenge to Provisur's food slicer patents, saying the appellate court flouted precedent that limits the evidence available in Patent Trial and Appeal Board cases.
-
July 02, 2024
2nd Circ. Won't Revive Broadway Producer's Blacklisting Suit
The Second Circuit declined Tuesday to undo the tossing of an antitrust lawsuit brought by a Broadway producer who accused a stage workers union of illegally putting him on a "do not work" list, ruling that the union is shielded from liability since it acted in legitimate self-interest.
-
July 02, 2024
Samsung Doesn't Owe $4M In Arbitration Fees, 7th Circ. Says
The Seventh Circuit has ruled that Samsung need not pay $4 million in individual arbitration fees for 35,000 consumers claiming the electronics giant illegally collected their biometric data, saying Monday that under their purchase agreement terms the consumers could have advanced the fees if they wanted their claims arbitrated.
-
July 02, 2024
Enbridge, Tribes Spar Over Payout In Pipeline Trespass Row
Enbridge Energy told the Seventh Circuit a recent ruling that resulted in a tribe receiving a nearly $400 million payout for trespassing does not apply to the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe's current trespass challenge, arguing the district court recognized that this case presents a different set of facts.
-
July 02, 2024
Ind. High Court Say Firefighter's Fall Suit Can Go Forward
The Indiana Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the green light to a firefighter's injury suit over him falling through a gap in a wall while responding to a fire, saying the state's "First Responder Rule" doesn't preempt his claim because the alleged negligence that caused the fire is not the cause of his injury.
-
July 02, 2024
Justices Revive FERC Solar Fight, Citing Chevron Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the D.C. Circuit to rethink its approval of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decision granting market benefits for a small-scale solar energy project in Montana following the justices' blockbuster decision upending judicial deference to regulatory agencies.
-
July 02, 2024
Butterball Must Face NC Worker's Assault Suit In State Court
The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that a lawsuit accusing turkey processor Butterball of failing to stop a worker's assault can't be resolved administratively because the injuries didn't occur in the course of the employee's work.
-
July 02, 2024
Bond-Rigging Suit Revived Over Judge's Wife's Stock Conflict
The Second Circuit on Tuesday revived a proposed class action accusing big banks of rigging corporate bonds, ruling that the New York federal judge who previously dismissed the suit should have recused himself due to his wife's ownership of Bank of America stock.
-
July 02, 2024
Fla. Bar Drops Kennedys Ethics Case Over Unlawful Practice
The Florida Bar has dropped an ethics complaint against Kennedys CMK and three of its attorneys over allegations the firm improperly presented the lawyers as permitted to practice law in the Sunshine State.
-
July 02, 2024
Mich. Justices Pass Up 'Most Famous' Atty's Malpractice Case
The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place an appellate ruling that said comments by self-proclaimed "America's most famous trial lawyer" during a press conference can be used in a malpractice suit brought against him by a former client.
-
July 02, 2024
Ga. Justices Say Atty Ethics Rules Only Apply To Legal Work
A Georgia lawyer did not violate attorney ethics rules when she allegedly mishandled trust funds since she was managing those funds only as a fiduciary and not as a lawyer, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
Expert Analysis
-
What Have We Learned In The Year Since Warhol?
In the almost year since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith, which was widely seen as potentially chilling to creative endeavors, seven subsequent decisions — while illuminating to some extent — do not indicate any trend toward a radical departure from prior precedents in fair use cases, says Jose Sariego at Bilzin Sumberg.
-
The Practical Effects Of Justices' Arbitration Exemption Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Bissonnette v. LePage Bakeries, that a transportation worker need not work in the transportation industry to be exempt from the Federal Arbitration Act, may negatively affect employers' efforts to mitigate class action risk via arbitration agreement enforcement, say Charles Schoenwetter and Eric Olson at Bowman and Brooke.
-
Binance Ruling Spotlights Muddled Post-Morrison Landscape
The Second Circuit's recent decision in Williams v. Binance highlights the judiciary's struggle to apply the U.S. Supreme Court's Morrison v. National Australia Bank ruling to digital assets, and illustrates how Morrison's territorial limits on the federal securities laws have become convoluted, say Andrew Rhys Davies and Jessica Lewis at WilmerHale.
-
Practical Pointers After Fed. Circ. Double-Patenting Decision
With the Federal Circuit recently denying a full court review of In re: Cellect, a decision regarding obviousness-type double-patenting, affected patent family holders should evaluate their rights through both patent prosecution and future litigation lenses to minimize risks, say Austin Lorch and Jeff Wolfson at Haynes Boone.
-
Sorting Circuit Split On Foreign Arbitration Treaty's Authority
A circuit court split over whether the New York Convention supersedes state law barring arbitration in certain disputes — a frequent issue in insurance matters — has left lower courts to rely on conflicting decisions, but the doctrine of self-executing treaties makes it clear that the convention overrules state law, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.
-
Corp. Transparency Act Could Survive 11th Circ. Several Ways
If the Eleventh Circuit upholds an Alabama federal court’s injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act, the anti-money laundering law could persist as a narrower version that could moot some constitutional challenges, but these remedies would likely generate additional regulatory or statutory ambiguities that would result in further litigation, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
-
Del. Match.com Ruling Maintains Precedent In Time Of Change
Despite speculation that the Delaware Supreme Court could drive away corporations if it lowered the bar for business judgment review in its Match.com stockholder ruling, the court broke its recent run of controversial precedent-busting decisions by upholding, and arguably strengthening, minority stockholder protections against controller coercion, say Renee Zaytsev and Marc Ayala at Boies Schiller.
-
The Future Of BIPA Insurance Litigation After Visual Pak
A recent Illinois appellate court decision, National Fire Insurance v. Visual Pak, may have altered the future of insurance litigation under the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act by diametrically opposing a prominent Seventh Circuit ruling that found insurance coverage for violations of the act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
-
Macquarie Ruling Raises The Bar For Securities Fraud Claims
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week in Macquarie Infrastructure v. Moab Partners — holding that a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule does not forbid omissions in company disclosures unless they render other statements false — is a major setback for plaintiffs pursuing securities fraud claims against corporations, say attorneys at Skadden.
-
Patent Lessons From 8 Federal Circuit Reversals In March
A number of Federal Circuit patent decisions last month reversed or vacated underlying rulings, providing guidance regarding the definiteness of a claim that include multiple limitations of different scopes, the importance of adequate jury instruction, the proper scope of the precedent, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.
-
NC Rulings Show Bankruptcy Isn't Only For Insolvent Debtors
Two recent rulings from a North Carolina bankruptcy court show that lack of financial distress is not a requirement for bankruptcy protection, particularly in the Fourth Circuit, but these types of cases can still be dismissed for other reasons, say Stuart Gordon and Alexandria Vath at Rivkin Radler.
-
A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA
In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.
-
Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
-
10 Years After Alice, Predictability Debate Lingers
A decade after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Alice ruling, critics continue to argue that the subject matter eligibility framework it established yields inconsistent results, but that contention is disproved by affirmance data from the Federal Circuit, district courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, say Dennis Abdelnour and David Thomas at Honigman.
-
Cannabis Ruling Lights Path For Bankruptcy Protection
A recent Massachusetts bankruptcy appellate court ruling in Blumsack v. Harrington leaves the door open for those employed in the cannabis industry to seek bankruptcy relief where certain conditions are met, but rescheduling marijuana as a Schedule III drug may complicate matters, say Jane Haviland and Kathryn Droumbakis at Mintz.