Commercial Contracts

  • October 15, 2024

    Judge Rejects Firm's 'Support' Framing In Racetrack Flaw Suit

    A Florida state judge on Tuesday denied an attempt by a British racetrack consultant to define its role as merely providing "support" to the construction of a track that failed during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix race in 2022.

  • October 15, 2024

    Aerospace Firm Must Hand Over Bank Accounts To Buyer

    A Colorado state judge entered an emergency order Monday forcing a Colorado aerospace company that sold its assets to California-based Interconnect Solutions Co. for $15 million to turn over its business accounts to ISC, which said the accounts are needed to perform work for customer Lockheed Martin.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues

    A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

  • October 15, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders

    Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.

  • October 15, 2024

    Justices Let Solicitor General Argue In E-Rate Fraud Case

    The Solicitor General's Office will defend private citizens' ability to sue for E-rate fraud on behalf of the government under the False Claims Act, after the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted the solicitor general's request to participate in oral arguments in an AT&T subsidiary's challenge to the law's application.

  • October 11, 2024

    With Swipe At Attys, CFPB's Chopra Defends Use Of Guidance

    At a tough-talking appearance in Utah on Friday, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra said he doesn't sweat potential legal challenges to his agency's rules and suggested some industry-side attorneys can be "leeches" who relish compliance uncertainty if it boosts their billable hours.

  • October 11, 2024

    Fla. Suit Over $79M Bezos Property Purchase Moves Forward

    A Florida state court judge on Friday denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a real estate broker of misrepresenting that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wasn't the true purchaser of a $79 million property on Miami's exclusive Indian Creek Island, causing the seller to reduce the listing price by millions.

  • October 11, 2024

    La. Sugarcane Cos. Skimped On Migrant Work Pay, Suit Says

    Mexico residents who worked for two Louisiana sugarcane businesses have lodged a proposed class against their former employers in Louisiana federal court, alleging the companies secured the wrong temporary work visas to avoid paying higher wages and failed to reimburse preemployment expenses.

  • October 11, 2024

    Google Appeals Epic Injunction To 9th Circ.

    Google is appealing a California federal judge's recent order that it allow for third-party app distribution on its Android phones, taking the company's long-running fight with Fortnite-maker Epic Games to the Ninth Circuit with just weeks before the injunction is set to take effect.

  • October 11, 2024

    RICO Suit Accuses VC Co. Of Falsely Claiming Native Ties

    Three California corporations have hit the owners and operators of a venture capital firm with a racketeering suit in federal court, accusing them of falsely claiming they have Native American ties and can procure grants and loans for development projects managed by non-Native entrepreneurs.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cornell Case Gives Justices Chance To Curb ERISA Litigation

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear a retirement fee suit from Cornell workers means new precedent is coming that could harmonize an uneven set of circuit standards for what it takes to pursue a prohibited transaction claim under federal benefits law, attorneys say.

  • October 11, 2024

    Truck Rental Platform Stole Truck Owners' Profits, Suit Claims

    A company that said it invested in a fleet of trucks to rent through a truck rental platform accused the rental platform company in a proposed class action filed in Colorado federal court Thursday of wrongfully pocketing more than $11 million obtained through sales of old rental trucks.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cable Co. CEO Says Buyer Fired Him In Violation Of Deal

    An owner of a Colorado aerospace manufacturing company is suing a buyer in state court for allegedly violating the terms of their asset purchase deal, claiming the buyer fabricated a reason to fire him as CEO in order to avoid paying half a million dollars that it would otherwise owe to his company.

  • October 11, 2024

    Huawei Judge Asks If Netgear Suit Stretches Antitrust Law

    A California federal judge expressed some skepticism Friday about allowing router maker Netgear Inc. to proceed with monopolization claims over Huawei Technologies Co.'s patents, wondering aloud whether this would amount to "saying any breach of contract claim can be turned into an antitrust case."

  • October 11, 2024

    DC's Amazon Antitrust Suit Gets January 2027 Trial Date

    The District of Columbia attorney general's newly revived antitrust lawsuit against Amazon will go to trial in January 2027, a D.C. judge decided Friday.

  • October 11, 2024

    No Coverage For Wage Disclosure Suits, Insurer Says

    An insurer said it has no duty to defend or indemnify two restaurant franchise operators accused of violating Washington's Equal Pay and Opportunities Act, telling a federal court that the allegations do not trigger coverage under an employment practices liability insurance policy.

  • October 11, 2024

    Sports Biz Seeks To Freeze Assets In Suit Over NHL Deal

    A Finland-based sports agency has asked a federal judge to enjoin a Massachusetts man from transferring or disposing of any assets while a lawsuit proceeds over a scheme he allegedly carried out to avoid paying roughly $1 million awarded to the company through arbitration.

  • October 11, 2024

    Cannabis Biz Ex-Partners Spar Over $6.4M Judgment Payout

    Two former business partners are sparring in Colorado federal court over a proposed order to hold assets related to a cannabis company to satisfy a $6.4 million judgment and whether that order can be granted in compliance with the federal Controlled Substances Act.

  • October 11, 2024

    Ex-Girardi Keese CFO Pleads Guilty In Calif. Wire Fraud Cases

    Girardi Keese's former Chief Financial Officer Christopher K. Kamon pled guilty Friday in California federal court to two counts of wire fraud, admitting that he conspired with the firm's disgraced co-founder Tom Girardi to steal millions from a client, while also stealing millions from the firm behind Girardi's back.

  • October 11, 2024

    Promises Of Metaverse Art Club Were A Sham, Investors Claim

    A group that claimed it would start a members-only art collection club in the Metaverse has been hit with a proposed class action alleging it misled investors about the value of the project and the benefits and returns investors would see.

  • October 11, 2024

    Stellantis Defeats Utah Class Cert Bid In Gearshift MDL

    A Michigan federal judge declined to certify a class of Utah drivers seeking to hold Stellantis North America liable for defective gearshifts in certain Dodges, Chryslers and Jeeps, reasoning that each of the claims would have to be evaluated to determine if drivers noticed issues in the vehicles but purchased or leased them nonetheless.

  • October 11, 2024

    Pa. Justices Won't Review Bible App Maker's Coverage Denial

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declined to hear a Bible app maker's coverage bid over a hacker's deletion of its videos and software stored on a GoDaddy Inc. server, letting stand an appeals panel's ruling in a case of first impression on what "your computers" means in a property policy.

  • October 11, 2024

    Conn. Judge OKs $5M Deal To Resolve AG's Vision Solar Case

    A Connecticut state judge approved a $5 million judgment to resolve an unfair trade practices suit Attorney General William Tong brought against Vision Solar LLC.

  • October 11, 2024

    Mich. Firm's Settlement Dispute Returns To State Court

    A Michigan federal judge ruled Friday that an attorney-client fight over how to divide settlement proceeds in a police brutality case belongs in state court, reasoning that the dispute was a matter of contract law over which he could not exercise jurisdiction.

  • October 11, 2024

    Subcontractor Owes Travelers $325K For Hotel Work Deal

    A Travelers unit is entitled to recover $325,000 for payments made against its surety bonds to settle a general contractor's claims that a subcontractor abandoned work on an Idaho hotel, a Washington federal court ruled, finding the subcontractor liable under an indemnity agreement with Travelers.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Addressing Dispositive Motions

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    Stephanie Magnell and Bret Marfut at Seyfarth examine three recent decisions from the U.S. Court of Claims and the U.S. Civilian Board of Contract Appeals that provide interesting takeaways about the nuances of motion practice utilized by the government to dispose of cases brought under the Contract Disputes Act prior to substantive litigation

  • What 2 Rulings On Standing Mean For DEI Litigation

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    Recent federal court decisions in the Fearless Fund and Hello Alice cases shed new light on the ongoing wave of challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, with opposite conclusions on whether the plaintiffs had standing to sue, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

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    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Suski ruling not only reaffirmed the long-standing principle that arbitration is a matter of contract, but also established new and more general principles concerning the courts' jurisdiction to decide challenges to delegation clauses and the severability rule, say Tamar Meshel at the University of Alberta.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

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    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Practical Private Equity Lessons From 2 Delaware Deals

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    A pair of Delaware Chancery Court cases remind private equity sponsors that specificity is crucial through the lens of deal certainty, particularly around closing conditions and agreement sections of acquisition agreements, say Robert Rizzo and Larissa Lucas at Weil Gotshal and William Lafferty at Morris Nichols.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

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    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

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    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

  • Revisiting Morals Clauses In The Age Of Deepfakes

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    Deepfakes and other forms of misrepresentation powered by artificial intelligence have complicated the traditional process of reputation management for companies entering into talent agreements with celebrities, bringing new considerations for the morals clauses that usually shield against these risks, say attorneys at Pryor Cashman.

  • 4 Tips For Drafting Earnouts To Avoid Disputes

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    Amid slowed merger and acquisition activity, buyers and sellers are increasingly turning to earnout provisions to get deals done, but these must be carefully drafted to avoid interpretative differences that can lead to later disputes, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Atmospheric Rivers: Force Majeure Or Just A Rainy Day?

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    As atmospheric rivers pummel California with intense rainfall, flooding and landslides, agencies and contractors in the state struggling to manage projects may invoke force majeure — but as with all construction risk issues, the terms of the agreement govern, and relief may not always be available, say Kyle Hamilton and Corey Boock at Nossaman.

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