Appellate

  • July 03, 2024

    Broiler Chicken Buyers' Attys Get $51.6M Fees In Antitrust Suit

    An Illinois federal judge overseeing sprawling antitrust litigation against broiler chicken producers awarded class counsel more than $51.6 million in attorney fees in a $181 million deal for chicken buyers after the initial $57 million award was tossed by the Seventh Circuit last year, according to an order Wednesday.

  • July 03, 2024

    24 AGs Urge High Court To Preserve Ghost Gun Regs

    A coalition of 24 attorneys general urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a new federal regulation regarding the weapon parts kits consumers can purchase and use to build ghost guns — firearms without serial numbers — treating them the same way preassembled firearms are, saying the new rule is "crucial to preventing and solving violent, firearm-related offenses."

  • July 03, 2024

    Sonos Says Chevron's End Doesn't Impact Google Patent Row

    The U.S. Supreme Court's abolition of so-called Chevron deference doesn't warrant granting Google's request for the full Federal Circuit to review precedent on the U.S. International Trade Commission's patent powers, which requires "special justification" to undo, Sonos said Wednesday.

  • July 03, 2024

    Adobe Prevails As Fed. Circ. Rules Alice Dooms E-Sign Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that axed an electronic signature patent for not inventing "much of anything," saying the patent Adobe Inc. allegedly infringed merely covered a long-standing business practice of signing documents.

  • July 03, 2024

    Muldrow Revives Worker's Pregnancy Bias Suit, 3rd Circ. Says

    The Third Circuit reinstated parts of a worker's suit claiming she was forced to resign from Pennsylvania's probation board because she was denied light duty and remote assignments to accommodate her pregnancy, stating Wednesday a recent high court ruling requires another look at her case.

  • July 03, 2024

    Chevron Irrelevant To Spouse Work Permit Case, Group Says

    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that courts don't have to defer to federal agencies' interpretations of ambiguous statutes doesn't pertain to a lawsuit challenging an Obama-era program allowing work permits for spouses of highly skilled foreign workers, a nonprofit group intervening in the case told the D.C. Circuit.

  • July 03, 2024

    Fla. Court Nixes $5.5M Award In Patient Stroke Suit

    A Florida state appellate panel on Wednesday vacated a $5.5 million award in a suit accusing a cardiologist of causing a woman's incapacitating stroke due to alleged medical malpractice, saying the doctor was unfairly denied the opportunity to blame a nonparty surgeon.

  • July 03, 2024

    Restaurant Group Gets Another Shot At TM Suit Against Hotel

    The Fifth Circuit has revived a trademark infringement case in which restaurant chain Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises accused Hotel Magdalena Joint Venture of ripping off its summer-themed branding, finding that the lower court didn't apply the right standard properly.

  • July 03, 2024

    Rochester Says Chevron Ruling May Impact Telecom Fee Deal

    The city of Rochester is clashing with Verizon Wireless, Crown Castle and Extenet in New York federal court over the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning the Chevron deference amid litigation over how much the city can charge telecoms to do business.

  • July 03, 2024

    Ind. Panel OKs Coverage For Taiwanese Chemical Co. Owners

    An Indiana appeals court ruled that a Taiwanese company's owners were additional insureds and that an insurer could not stack various policies' deductibles and retentions to reduce the coverage it owed for defense costs of a chemical exposure class action.

  • July 03, 2024

    Veterans Ask High Court To Revive PTSD Benefits Claims

    Two military veterans urged the U.S. Supreme Court to remand Federal Circuit rulings that denied their benefits claims for post-traumatic stress disorder, saying the lower courts failed to properly review whether they deserved the benefit of the doubt.

  • July 03, 2024

    Revived Skinny Label Case Is A Warning For Generics

    The Federal Circuit has made clear that generic-drug companies need to pay close attention to public statements when advertising drugs that still have patent-protected uses, even if their so-called skinny labels properly avoid references to those carved-out indications, attorneys say.

  • July 03, 2024

    Panel Says Settlement Evidence Was 'Harmless' In Injury Case

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Tuesday said a trial court was right to let a hospital tell jurors about a surgeon's settlement with a man who sued over postsurgery complications, saying it is "highly probable" that the evidence didn't contribute to a jury verdict in the hospital's favor.

  • July 03, 2024

    Full Fed. Circ. Urged To Rethink Amazon Patent Program Case

    Lighting Defense Group has urged the full Federal Circuit to undo a decision that it must face a declaratory judgment suit in the home state of a company it accused of infringement through an Amazon patent program, saying the holding is in "intractable conflict" with precedent.

  • July 03, 2024

    5 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch For In July

    Republican state attorneys general will try to convince the Fifth Circuit to knock down a U.S. Department of Labor rule covering how retirement plan managers can consider environmental and social factors when picking investments, while Kellogg workers will challenge class action waivers at the Sixth Circuit. Here are five argument sessions coming up this month that benefits attorneys should keep an eye on.

  • July 03, 2024

    One Judge Not Enough For TCPA Deal's Toss, 11th Circ. Told

    An Alabama woman has said a recent Eleventh Circuit decision tossing her and other class members' $35 million settlement with GoDaddy.com should get another look from a three-judge panel because outstanding questions about which of the panel's opinions control are poised to sow confusion with the district court.

  • July 03, 2024

    Wash. Justices Say City RV Camping Ban Is Constitutional

    The Washington Supreme Court upheld a city ordinance on Wednesday banning recreational vehicles and trailers from parking on municipal streets for more than four hours, rejecting a man's argument that the law violated his constitutional travel rights by barring him from living indefinitely in his 23-foot trailer on city property.

  • July 03, 2024

    No 'Unfettered Discretion' For Zoning Boards: Mich. Justices

    The Michigan Supreme Court has held that conditionally rezoning a property is only valid if the property's proposed use is already allowed under a town's ordinances, instructing a trial court to determine whether a racing dragway is a permitted use under a township's commercial zone.

  • July 03, 2024

    Cannabis Cos. To Take Constitutional Challenge To 1st Circ.

    A group of cannabis businesses challenging the federal prohibition on marijuana gave notice of appeal Wednesday to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

  • July 03, 2024

    Doctor Who Won $12M Assault Case Can't Revive USC Claims

    A female doctor who won a $12 million verdict against a male colleague over a sexual assault at a Los Angeles County hospital affiliated with USC's Keck School of Medicine can't revive sexual harassment claims against the university and the county, a California appellate court held.

  • July 03, 2024

    'Who Does That?' 7th Circ. Pans Walmart's Price Audit Theory

    The Seventh Circuit on Wednesday revived a class action accusing Walmart of systematically posting lower prices on shelves than it actually charges, rejecting the retailer's argument that the onus is on customers to keep track of prices as they're juggling various distractions during checkout.

  • July 03, 2024

    2nd Circ. Backs NY Campaign Finance Laws Favoring Parties

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday rejected a constitutional challenge to New York state campaign finance laws that created a stricter set of rules for candidate-nominating independent bodies than for more established political parties.

  • July 03, 2024

    NC Solicitor General Faces GOP Roadblock To 4th Circ. Bench

    President Joe Biden's selection of North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park for a Fourth Circuit seat tops off a distinguished resume that includes a Harvard Law degree and a stint at Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP, but he still faces an uphill road to the bench amid pushback from Tar Heel State senators.

  • July 03, 2024

    Contentious Ala. Gender Care Case Partly Paused

    Favoring "judicial efficiency," an Alabama federal court has partially granted the Biden administration's opposed motion to stay a case challenging the state's ban on gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth while the U.S. Supreme Court reviews a similar Tennessee ban, though some briefing, including for summary judgment, was permitted to proceed.

  • July 03, 2024

    Google Defeats Online Media Patent Suit At Fed. Circ.

    A Federal Circuit panel on Wednesday backed Google LLC's win in a California federal suit accusing it of infringing patents on creating layered web-based communications like ads and websites.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law

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    Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Purdue Ch. 11 Ruling Reinforces Importance Of D&O Coverage

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, holding that a Chapter 11 reorganization cannot discharge claims against a nondebtor without affected claimants' consent, will open new litigation pathways surrounding corporate insolvency and increase the importance of robust directors and officers insurance, says Evan Bolla at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Fed. Circ. Percipient Gov't Contract Ruling Is Groundbreaking

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    The effects of the Federal Circuit's decision last month in Percipient.ai v. U.S. may be limited to commercial product and service suppliers, but it is significant for government procurement in opening the door to protests by suppliers who previously would have lacked standing and Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    After Chevron: No Deference, No Difference For SEC Or CFTC

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    The Chevron doctrine did not fundamentally alter the interplay between the courts and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the development of the securities and commodities laws — and its demise will not do so either, says Dan Berkovitz at Millennium Management.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • When Patents As Loan Collateral Can Cost You Standing

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Intellectual Tech v. Zebra Technologies shines a light on loan default provisions' implications for patent infringement litigation, as a default may inadvertently strip a patent owner of constitutional standing to sue over a patent pledged as collateral, say Joseph Marinelli and Suet L. Lee at Irwin IP.

  • Justices' Bribery Ruling: A Corrupt Act Isn't Necessarily Illegal

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    In its Snyder v. U.S. decision last week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a bribery law does not criminalize gratuities, continuing a trend of narrowing federal anti-corruption laws and scrutinizing public corruption prosecutions that go beyond obvious quid pro quo schemes, say Carrie Cohen and Christine Wong at MoFo.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.

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    In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • 6 PTAB Events To Know From The Last 6 Months

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    The first half of 2024 brought a flurry of Patent Trial and Appeal Board developments that should be considered in post-grant strategies, including proposed rules on discretionary denial and director review, and the first decisions of the Delegated Rehearing Panel, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • Key Takeaways From High Court's Substitute Expert Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Smith v. Arizona decision, holding that the confrontation clause generally bars prosecutors’ use of a substitute expert witness at trial, will have the most impact in narcotics and violent crime cases, but creative defense lawyers may find it useful in white collar cases, too, say Joshua Naftalis and Melissa Kelley at Pallas Partners.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • Parsing Justices' Toss Of Purdue's Controversial Ch. 11 Plan

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent nixing of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 proposal prevents the Sackler family from settling thousands of civil opioid lawsuits without the consent of all of the plaintiffs, and holds profound implications for bankruptcy cases, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

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