Commercial Contracts

  • August 05, 2024

    Petrobras Manipulating US Law For $2B, 5th Circ. Hints

    A Fifth Circuit judge accused a Brazilian state-owned oil company subsidiary of "hiding behind the corporate structure," saying during oral arguments on Monday that subsidiary Petrobras America Inc. was seemingly manipulating American law for treble damages totaling nearly $2 billion stemming from allegations of bribery.

  • August 05, 2024

    Fanatics Wants Disputed Deal With Cardinals Rookie Sealed

    Seeking to protect "sensitive, nonpublic commercial information" about its breach of contract suit against NFL rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., Fanatics asked a New York state court Monday to seal all unredacted parts of the complaint and of several related filings, including Harrison's motion to dismiss the suit.

  • August 05, 2024

    Ivory Coast Can't Enforce $12M Award In Fla., Oil Co. Says

    A Nigerian oil company sued by the Ivory Coast to enforce a $12 million arbitration award over a distribution joint venture has told a Florida federal court that the lawsuit must be dropped, saying the oil company has no ties to the Sunshine State.

  • August 05, 2024

    Pomerantz To Lead Suit Over Ad Tech Co.'s Microsoft Ties

    Pomerantz LLP beat out several other firms on Monday to lead a proposed shareholder class action alleging that shares of ad tech company Perion Network declined nearly 40% after its strategic partner Microsoft Bing "unilaterally" changed its search advertising pricing.

  • August 05, 2024

    Marriott Says NYC Hotels' Housing Of Migrants Violated Deal

    Marriott International Inc. has accused a hotel company in Jamaica, Queens, of breaching a contract by repurposing two properties for migrant housing while refusing to "de-identify" itself with the global hotel brand.

  • August 05, 2024

    4th Circ. Revives Duke Monopoly Suit, Orders New Judge

    The Fourth Circuit on Monday revived Florida-based NTE Energy Services' lawsuit accusing Duke Energy of squeezing it out of the market in North Carolina, concluding that the lower court should have looked at the big picture of the allegations.

  • August 05, 2024

    5th Circ. Remands $25M Dispute Over Winter Storm Losses

    A Fifth Circuit panel is sending a $25 million dispute between a power trader and a power seller over price-hedging deals that saw losses during Winter Storm Uri back to a district court to determine if the federal court had jurisdiction over the matter.

  • August 05, 2024

    Mattel Beats $46M Contract Suit Over Reality Show Idea

    A California jury has entered a verdict for Mattel Inc. in a $46 million contract suit brought against it by the company of "Lone Survivor" producer Norton Herrick alleging that the toy-maker stole its idea for a reality show in which inventors pitch toys to child judges, concluding there was no contract breach.

  • August 05, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Sunken treasure, rock band discord, a wrestling competition, and more news about Elon Musk — all in all, a colorful week in Delaware's Court of Chancery. The First State's famous court of equity also pushed forward on disputes involving a famous social media app, Delaware's largest hospital system, an artificial intelligence company and a budding commodity futures exchange.

  • August 05, 2024

    Musk Accuses OpenAI Of Fraud, RICO Over Business Model

    Elon Musk on Monday accused OpenAI Inc. and its leaders of violating several laws related to fraud, conspiracy, contract violations and false advertising by claiming he was wrongly told the company would remain a nonprofit, in a suit filed in California federal court.

  • August 05, 2024

    CooperSurgical Says Lab Hid Flawed IVF Product Tests

    Fertility technology company CooperSurgical Inc. has accused a Massachusetts testing lab of failing to follow proper procedures and misrepresenting the results of quality assurance testing on a product used in the in vitro fertilization process, leading to a recall.

  • August 02, 2024

    5th Circ. Upholds Challenge To Surprise Medical Billing Rule

    The Fifth Circuit on Friday affirmed wins for plaintiffs challenging provisions of a federal surprise medical billing rule that relate to payment fights between out-of-network providers and health insurers, agreeing with a Texas federal judge that the rule places "a thumb on the scale" in insurers' favor.

  • August 02, 2024

    Boeing Wins Trim Of Rival Engineering Co.'s IP Case, For Now

    A Washington federal judge has significantly trimmed an aerospace engineering firm's suit accusing Boeing of stealing patented technology, agreeing with Boeing that many of the claims are inadequate to proceed at this stage, but giving the firm the opportunity to amend them.

  • August 02, 2024

    CFPB Claim 'Strays Too Far' In Snap Finance Suit, Judge Says

    A Utah federal judge allowed Snap Finance to escape some claims brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that alleged the lease-to-own consumer finance company intentionally misled customers with "virtually every step" of its consumer experience, saying that its lease agreements cannot be considered "credit."

  • August 02, 2024

    Bike Co. Says It's Lost 'Millions' From Royalty Deal Breaches

    A Colorado bicycle company has sued machinery manufacturer Gates Corp. in Denver District Court for allegedly breaking promises under a joint licensing and distribution deal, claiming Gates may be trying to dodge millions of dollars in royalty payments by encouraging rival bicycle makers to use the Colorado company's invention for free.

  • August 02, 2024

    Panel Says Co. Forfeited $12.7M Claim Over Rail Project

    A Colorado Court of Appeals panel has found that a construction company overstated how much it was owed from a public project to build a new Denver rail line and can't seek any remedy for that $12.7 million claim, according to an opinion that applied provisions of a public works law for the first time.

  • August 02, 2024

    Justices Urged To Hear Standing Issue For Patent Licensors

    The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to give its take on whether the terms of a decade-old loan can be used to create issues over legal standing and exclusionary rights in a lawsuit tied to radio frequency developed in the mid-2000s.

  • August 02, 2024

    US Soccer's Antitrust Suit Settlement Talks May Be Stalling

    Settlement talks between the U.S. Soccer Federation and Relevent Sports LLC appear to be stalling in the sports promoter's antitrust suit against soccer's American governing body over its alleged monopoly on professional matches.

  • August 02, 2024

    Boeing's New CEO To Steer Daunting Safety Culture Rebound

    Boeing's selection of an engineer and longtime aerospace industry executive as its next CEO demonstrates an eagerness to correct course amid daunting legal and regulatory troubles, as victims' families relentlessly press for Boeing to face a criminal trial over the two 737 Max 8 crashes.

  • August 02, 2024

    HFZ Capital Cops To $86M Fraud Charges, Blames Ex-Chief

    Defunct real estate firm HFZ Capital Group pled guilty in an $86 million criminal case Friday, admitting that its former top executive Nir Meir evaded New York City property taxes and stole funds from commercial and residential building projects.

  • August 02, 2024

    Ex-CFO Of Embattled PE Firm Sues In Del. For Legal Fees

    The former chief financial officer of 777 Partners LLC has sued the private equity firm in Delaware's Court of Chancery, seeking advancement of his legal fees in connection with a fraud investigation and at least 20 civil lawsuits related to the company's business.

  • August 02, 2024

    Monitor Says HCA Possibly Flouted Promises In Hospital Deal

    The independent monitor tasked with ensuring HCA Healthcare has complied with an agreement that cemented its $1.5 billion acquisition of a North Carolina health system has said the for-profit network may have deviated from those promises, according to a new report.

  • August 02, 2024

    Off The Bench: NFL Reversal, Drone Spying, UFC Deal Tossed

    In this week's Off The Bench, a bombshell ruling wipes out a $4.7 billion antitrust verdict against the NFL, Canada takes it on the chin for Olympic drone spying, and a nine-figure settlement to address UFC wage suppression is rejected.

  • August 02, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen insurance broker Marsh sue the collapsed Greensill Bank, the former chair of the Islamic Students Association of Britain pursue a defamation case against the Jewish Chronicle, Berkshire Hathaway and Lloyd's face action from a shipping company, and alleged fraudster Ronald Bauer hit a loan company with a claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • August 01, 2024

    Lewis Brisbois Slams RICO Claims Alleging 'Sham' Suits

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has urged a California federal judge Tuesday to toss Chinese investors' accusations that its attorneys filed lawsuits to cover their failure to read "draconian" contract terms that led the investors to lose their $92.5 million stake in a $2.5 billion Los Angeles mixed-used development.

Expert Analysis

  • Can Chatbot Interactions Lead To Enforceable Contracts?

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    The recent ruling in Moffatt v. Air Canada that found the airline liable for the representations of its chatbot underscores the question of whether generative artificial intelligence chatbots making and accepting offers can result in creation of binding agreements, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • The Opportunities, Risks And Rewards Of AI Acquisitions

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    As artificial intelligence acquisitions become an increasing area of focus for investors and technology buyers, entities should pay special attention to target identification, due diligence and more when structuring and executing a transaction with a company that has an AI-centric business model, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Legal Issues To Watch As Deepfake Voices Proliferate

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    With increasingly sophisticated and accessible voice-cloning technology raising social, ethical and legal questions, particularly in the entertainment industry and politics, further legislative intervention and court proceedings seem very likely, say Shruti Chopra and Paul Joseph at Linklaters.

  • Insurance Types That May Help Cos. After Key Bridge Collapse

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    Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, businesses that depend on the bridge, the Port of Baltimore and related infrastructure for shipment and distribution of cargo should understand which common types of first-party insurance coverage may provide recoveries for financial losses, say Bert Wells and Richard Lewis at Reed Smith.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Businesses Should Take Their AI Contracts Off Auto-Renew

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    When subscribing to artificial intelligence tools — or to any technology in a highly competitive and legally thorny market — companies should push back on automatic renewal contract clauses for reasons including litigation and regulatory risk, and competition, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.

  • What To Know About NIGC's Internal Review Process

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    If the National Indian Gaming Commission disapproves of a tribal management contract for gaming operations, it's important to properly go through the commission's internal hearing mechanism before litigating in federal court, or else an action may be dismissed for failure to exhaust administrative remedies, says Rebecca Chapman at the University at Buffalo School of Law.

  • What The Justices' Copyright Damages Ruling Didn't Address

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Warner Chappell v. Nealy clarified when a copyright owner may recover damages in jurisdictions that apply the so-called discovery rule, it did not settle the overriding question of whether the Copyright Act even permits applying the rule, say Ivy Estoesta and William Milliken at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • 7 Effects Of DOL Retirement Asset Manager Exemption Rule

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    The recent U.S. Department of Labor amendment to the retirement asset manager exemption delivers several key practical impacts, including the need for managers, as opposed to funds, to register with the DOL, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Del. Rulings Make Clear That 'Arbitrator' Isn't A Magic Word

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    Recent decisions by the Delaware Chancery Court clarify that calling a process an "expert determination" or "arbitration" in a purchase agreement is not sufficient to define it as such, so practitioners must consider how to structure dispute resolution provisions to achieve their clients’ desired result, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Protecting IP May Be Tricky Without Noncompetes

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    Contrary to the Federal Trade Commission's view, trade secret law cannot replace noncompetes' protection of proprietary information because intellectual property includes far more than just trade secrets, so businesses need to closely examine their IP protection options, say Aimee Fagan and Ching-Lee Fukuda at Sidley.

  • A Look At FERC's Plan To End Reactive Power Compensation

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    A recent notice of proposed rulemaking indicates that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is likely to eliminate compensation for reactive power within the standard power factor range — causing significant impacts for the electric power industry, which relies on income from providing this service, say Norman Bay and Matthew Goldberg at Willkie and Vivian Chum at Wright & Talisman.

  • 8 Legal Issues Influencing Investors In The Creator Economy

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    The rapidly expanding digital creator economy — funding for which more than doubled in the U.S. in the first quarter — comes with its own set of unique legal issues investors must carefully consider before diving in, say Louis Lehot and Alan Pate at Foley & Lardner.

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