Commercial Contracts

  • February 24, 2025

    Insurer Needn't Cover Hospital's $2.5M Virus Vax Probe Costs

    A Chubb unit has no obligation to pay an Illinois hospital for $2.5 million in legal costs associated with responding to federal and state probes into its COVID-19 vaccine distribution program, a federal court ruled, finding that the policy's $1 million regulatory claims sublimit applies.

  • February 24, 2025

    Charter Communications Keeps Trade Secrets Suit In Conn.

    A Charter Communications Inc. trade secrets lawsuit against a former Colorado-based vice president will remain in Connecticut, a federal judge ruled from the bench on Monday, greenlighting the company's request for a preliminary injunction in its home state.

  • February 24, 2025

    Colo. Justices Toss Student's COVID Refund Class Action

    A Colorado State University student seeking classwide fee refunds for campus shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic can't allege unjust enrichment after her breach of contract claims were tossed, according to a state Supreme Court decision Monday that found the student's position would "obliterate the difference" between the two claims.

  • February 24, 2025

    Texas Bank Fights To Keep $28M In Assets In Ginnie Mae Suit

    A bank told a Texas federal court that it will lose $28 million worth of collateral assets if Ginnie Mae secures a summary judgment win in a suit over a vacated first-priority lien.

  • February 24, 2025

    Placement Co. Hit With False Ads Suit Over Referral Model

    A company that places senior citizens in retirement homes was hit with proposed class claims alleging it falsely advertises free services and steers business away from communities that decline to participate in its "pay-to-play" business model. 

  • February 24, 2025

    Mich. Sales Co., Auto Parts Maker Settle $6M Commission Suit

    A Michigan-based auto sales company has reached a settlement with an Italian auto parts maker the company alleges owes $6 million in commissions for building the foreign business' relationship with General Motors.

  • February 24, 2025

    Investors Don't Have 'Shred' Of Fraud Evidence, Exxon Says

    Exxon Mobil Corp. has told a Texas federal judge that an investor class doesn't have a "shred of evidence" that the company engaged in the stock inflation scheme the investors allege.

  • February 24, 2025

    FCA Didn't Forfeit Arbitration Rights In Defect Suit, Judge Says

    An arbitrator must decide whether some drivers alleging Fiat Chrysler sold them vehicles with defective engines that shut off during use can pursue their claims, a Michigan federal judge said, finding the automaker didn't waive its right to seek arbitration by attacking the claims' merits before seeing if the drivers' purchase agreements had an arbitration clause.

  • February 24, 2025

    Law Firm Must Face Malpractice Suit Over Home Project Case

    The New Jersey Appellate Division reinstated a malpractice suit against a Garden State firm on Monday in a published decision finding that the plaintiff was allowed to assign some of the proceeds of the case to third parties ahead of time.

  • February 24, 2025

    Penn National Settles NC Hurricanes Coverage Suit

    Penn National Mutual Casualty Insurance Co. settled a property owner's insurance payout suit filed in North Carolina federal court just before the suit headed to trial.

  • February 24, 2025

    Mass. City Says Ex-Team Owners Reneged On Stadium Fees

    The city of Brockton, Massachusetts, claims in a lawsuit filed in state court that the former owners of a minor league baseball team owe the economically struggling community more than $68,000 for the use of a city-owned stadium for games and a concert last year.

  • February 24, 2025

    Supreme Court Skips Fee-Shifting, IP Web Scraping Questions

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected petitions involving fee-shifting in copyright cases, whether judges or juries should decide what can be copyrighted, and if scraping public information online should be considered hacking under the Defend Trade Secrets Act when it is done by a computer.

  • February 24, 2025

    Justices Nix Whistleblower Suit Over Arbitral Vacatur Limits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a petition that raised questions about the standards under which courts can vacate or enforce arbitral awards, in a case brought by a whistleblower who sought to challenge an arbitral award favoring his former employer.

  • February 21, 2025

    Trade Secrets Dispute Between Cell Tower Cos. Stays Alive

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Thursday narrowed a lawsuit between rival cell tower companies over the use of pricing information, dismissing trade secret claims stemming from leases that lacked confidentiality or nondisclosure provisions.

  • February 21, 2025

    Appeals Court Says No Contract Dooms Ranch Sale Challenge

    A Texas appeals court found no grounds to revive most of the rejected claims a land brokerage lodged against the owners of a 1,200-acre ranch and their real estate and escrow agents after its attempt to buy the property fell through.

  • February 21, 2025

    Eli Lilly Has Exclusivity Over Weight Loss Drug, FDA Says

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked a Texas federal court to reject a request for an injunction that would allow compounding pharmacies to produce a lucrative weight loss drug, saying the agency based its decision on sound facts and it was within its authority.

  • February 21, 2025

    Mich. Pot Cos. Say Grand Rapids' Equity Fees Are Illegal

    A group of cannabis companies is suing the city of Grand Rapids in Michigan state court, saying it is illegally charging them millions in fees through its social equity program.

  • February 21, 2025

    NFL Alums Accused Of Misusing COVID Outreach Funding

    The National Football League's largest alumni organization has been accused by a biotechnology company of trying to misuse Georgia taxpayer dollars intended for a COVID-19 vaccine education program before unlawfully breaking their contract last year.

  • February 21, 2025

    Insurers Ask High Court To Review Tribal Jurisdiction Order

    A group of insurers led by AIG unit Lexington Insurance Co. urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling ordering them to litigate COVID-19-related property insurance claims in Suquamish Tribal Court despite the insurers' contention that the coverage claims related to "off-reservation conduct."

  • February 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Atty's Ownership Claims Over Calif. Winery

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday revived an attorney's ownership claims over a California winery, finding factual disputes over an alleged oral agreement with the winery's former owner require a trial, while also upholding a jury's verdict that found a breach fiduciary duty claim against the attorney that awarded no damages.

  • February 21, 2025

    Wash. Health System Says Nurse Must Arbitrate Wage Claims

    A Washington-based healthcare system facing a proposed class and collective wage action in Seattle federal court contends the plaintiff nurse agreed to arbitrate any claims with the third-party staffing agencies he contracted with to work at its facilities.

  • February 21, 2025

    Manufacturer Not Covered For Pot Grower Claims, Court Told

    Cincinnati Insurance Co. said it has no duty to defend or indemnify a manufacturer accused of misrepresenting the capabilities of its indoor marijuana growing systems, telling a Michigan federal court Friday that underlying claims brought by a cannabis company do not trigger coverage.

  • February 21, 2025

    Swizz Beatz Says Suit Over 1MDB Funds Is Time-Barred

    Hip-hop artist Swizz Beatz has told a Manhattan federal judge that a suit claiming he received millions of dollars that were stolen in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad fraud scandal should be tossed since it was brought after the six-year statute of limitations.

  • February 21, 2025

    NJ High Court Takes Up Pharma Co. Fraud Coverage Row

    The New Jersey Supreme Court will review an appeals court's ruling against indemnification in a case of first impression on the applicability of an exclusion barring directors and officers coverage for wrongful acts "in any way involving" an insured's work for an uninsured entity, the high court announced.

  • February 20, 2025

    Amazon Says FTC 'Stonewalled' Discovery In Antitrust Case

    The Federal Trade Commission is relying on "boilerplate objections and untenable hyper-technicalities" to delay discovery in its antitrust suit against Amazon, the e-commerce giant said in a new motion in Seattle federal court, seeking to force the agency to hand over information about its case.

Expert Analysis

  • Webuild Ruling Complicates Arb. Award Enforcement In US

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    A Delaware federal court's recent decision in Sociedad Concesionaria Metropolitana de Salud v. Webuild, if read literally, could undercut the United States' image as a proarbitration jurisdiction by complicating creditors' efforts to enforce awards against property in this country, says Jeff Newton at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Bristol-Myers Win Offers Lessons For Debt Security Holders

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    A New York federal judge's recent dismissal of a $6.4 billion lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb, due to plaintiff UMB Bank's lack of standing, serves as an important reminder to debt security holders to obtain depositary proxies before pursuing litigation, say attorneys at Milbank.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • How To Avoid Risking Arbitration Award Confidentiality In NY

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    Though a Second Circuit decision last year seemed to create a confidentiality safe harbor for arbitration awards that had no ongoing compliance issues, a recent New York federal court ruling offers further guidance on the meaning of "ongoing compliance issues," says Matthew Iverson at Nelson Mullins.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Review Shipping Terms In Light Of These 3 Global Challenges

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    Given tensions in the Middle East, labor unrest at U.S. ports and the ongoing consequences of climate change, parties involved in maritime shipping must understand the relevant contract provisions and laws that may be implicated during supply chain disruptions in order to mitigate risks, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Defining All-Risk: Despite $30M Loss, Loose Bolt Not 'Damage'

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    A Massachusetts federal court’s recent ruling in AMAG Pharmaceuticals v. American Guarantee and Liability Insurance Co., denying coverage for $30 million in damages claimed when a loose bolt caused an air leak, highlights an ongoing debate over the definition of “direct physical loss or damage,” say Josh Tumen and Paul Ferland at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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