Commercial Contracts

  • July 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Vacates Orrick Win In Stock Transfer Deal Dispute

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court's finding that Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP can't be held liable in a battle over a stock transfer agreement gone awry, ruling that California law does allow a party to the transfer to pursue equitable indemnity in the case.

  • July 29, 2026

    USC Says Caltech Can't Claim Ownership In Multiplexing IP

    The University of Southern California sued a former professor in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday claiming he and two other inventors impermissibly assigned their rights in multiplexing technology, allegedly developed using USC's resources, to Caltech, which claims sole ownership over it and sued other entities for patent infringement.

  • July 29, 2026

    Trail Cam Co. Says T-Mobile Broke Tech Migration Promises

    T-Mobile is trying to plow forward with a plan to shift Tactacam-branded "trail cameras" that operate on cellular networks to a new technology even though all the tests have failed, which could make millions of cams useless, according to the company that owns those cameras.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Regulator To Appeal $100M OppFi 'Rent-A-Bank' Loss

    California's financial services regulator has appealed a state judge's ruling that it cannot pursue millions in fines against Opportunity Financial for alleged "rent-a-bank" predatory lending, after the judge rejected the regulator's allegation that OppFi was the "true lender" for loans that the company argued originated from an out-of-state partner.

  • July 29, 2026

    10th Circ. Trims $20M Judgment In Wyo. Coal Royalty Row

    A Tenth Circuit panel said a Wyoming federal judge erred when she ordered Bridger Coal Co. to recalculate royalty payments to Wildcat Coal LLC going back to 1986 in a dispute over payments between 2016 and 2020.

  • July 29, 2026

    TaskUs Trims Claims From Coinbase Breach Suit

    A New York federal judge has trimmed claims from a suit alleging a Texas-based Coinbase vendor called TaskUs failed to protect the personal information of Coinbase customers from a bribery-fueled data compromise scheme involving TaskUs employees.

  • July 29, 2026

    Novo Faces Narrowed Investor Suit Over Obesity Drug Claims

    A New Jersey federal judge narrowed a proposed securities class action against Novo Nordisk, preserving claims that it misled investors about the CagriSema obesity drug's tolerability and a flexible protocol used in a clinical trial.

  • July 29, 2026

    Forum Clause Dooms ITC Trade Secret Case Against BMW

    A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has made an initial finding to close a trade secret investigation into BMW's imports of infotainment screens targeted by a California technology company, citing an agreement between the parties saying their disputes had to be hashed out in Germany.

  • July 29, 2026

    King & Spalding Told To End 'Shenanigans' In Bid To Exit Case

    The individual defendants in a $300 million fraud lawsuit have accused King & Spalding LLP of appellate "shenanigans" while it seeks to exit the case due to an alleged ethics conflict, claiming the firm has falsely denied representing corporate clients despite an attorney's appearance suggesting otherwise.

  • July 29, 2026

    Insurers Owe $10M For Ethanol Kickback Award, Ag Co. Says

    The owner of an agricultural management company said liability insurers owed more than $10 million in damages for what he and the company paid toward an arbitration award in a dispute alleging a pay-to-play kickback scheme, saying the insurers improperly applied exclusions and appointed ill-prepared counsel.

  • July 29, 2026

    Glazer Sues In Chancery For More Comerica Merger Records

    A Comerica Inc. stockholder has asked the Delaware Chancery Court to order the bank to turn over additional books and records tied to its merger with Fifth Third Bancorp, alleging the company has improperly withheld key documents needed to investigate whether directors and executives breached their fiduciary duties during the sale process.

  • July 29, 2026

    Manufacturer Can't Recoup Coverage For Gas Leak Losses

    A semiconductor manufacturer is not entitled to additional coverage for losses it incurred after a hydrogen chloride gas leak at one of its facilities, a Texas appellate court ruled, saying the company failed to show it suffered damages that exceeded its policies' deductible and were unrelated to excluded corrosion.

  • July 29, 2026

    Apple, Amazon Beat Bid To Revive IPhone Sales Antitrust Suit

    A Washington federal judge has declined to reinstate a proposed class action accusing Apple and Amazon of illegally limiting iPhone and iPad sales, standing by her previous conclusion that Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP failed to promptly seek the approval of two substitute plaintiffs after the original lead consumer abandoned the case.

  • July 29, 2026

    PBS Station Sues Data Co. Over 70 Years Of Archived Footage

    A St. Louis public television station has sued a data storage company in Colorado state court to recover 50 terabytes of irreplaceable archival footage and programming spanning seven decades, alleging the company has wrongfully refused to return the data after the station's cloud storage provider ceased operations.

  • July 29, 2026

    Aterian Loses Dismissal Bid In P.J. Mechanical Suit

    The Delaware Superior Court has refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing private equity firm Aterian Investment Partners of improperly draining millions of dollars from a holding company to avoid paying earnout obligations owed to the former owners of P.J. Mechanical, finding that the founders plausibly alleged that Aterian intentionally interfered with their contract.

  • July 29, 2026

    NC Attorney General's Clash With HCA Cleared For Trial

    The North Carolina Business Court has cleared a path to trial in the state attorney general's suit accusing HCA Healthcare of letting the quality of care at Mission Hospital in Asheville languish.

  • July 29, 2026

    Lowe's Coverage Row, NASCAR Team Tiff: NC Midyear Report

    The North Carolina courts are teeing up for a busy second half of 2026, including readying for a multimillion-dollar insurance trial with Lowe's and speeding through discovery in a high-profile trade secrets dispute involving former NFL coach Joe Gibbs' championship NASCAR team.

  • July 28, 2026

    Randy Quaid Loses Bid To Undo $3.5M Calif. Property Ruling

    Actor Randy Quaid and his wife cannot overturn a $3.5 million judgment awarded to a California couple who bought a Santa Barbara property that once belonged to the Quaids, an appeals court ruled Tuesday, finding substantial evidence supporting claims that the Quaids' false ownership assertions damaged the property's marketability.

  • July 28, 2026

    Baldoni's Studio Owes NYT $170K For Failed Defamation Suit

    "It Ends With Us" director and star Justin Baldoni's production company must pay The New York Times more than $170,000 after it defeated the studio's defamation claims, a New York state judge has ruled, saying the newspaper is entitled to recoup its legal fees.

  • July 28, 2026

    Ill. Judge Questions Construction Rental Antitrust Case

    An Illinois federal judge seemed skeptical Tuesday that a construction equipment rental benchmarking service that allegedly facilitates an illegal rate-fixing scheme among major rental companies includes the sort of enforcement mechanism that would prevent their independent implementation of that data.

  • July 28, 2026

    Texas Judge Calls Late Bid To Disqualify Atty 'Dilatory Tactic'

    A Texas federal judge on Tuesday denied a request to disqualify an attorney representing the former chief executive of a real estate company related to the late mogul Gene Phillips, saying the attempt to knock out the attorney came way too late in the game.

  • July 28, 2026

    SocGen Beats DC Landlord's Suit Over Failed $29M Loan

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit by a property owner that claimed Société Générale Financial Corp. wrongfully backed out of a planned $29 million loan to refinance a Washington building, ruling that the parties' signed term sheet was only a preliminary negotiating document and not a binding promise to lend.

  • July 28, 2026

    HR Giant Rippling Stole Startup's AI Trade Secrets, Suit Says

    Human resources services provider Rippling stole confidential information about Runlayer's artificial intelligence platform technology to develop its own competing product, the startup claims in litigation filed Tuesday in New York federal court.

  • July 28, 2026

    BofA Must Face Consumer Suit Over Autopay Double Charges

    An Illinois federal judge has ruled that Bank of America NA cannot avoid facing a majority of the claims in a lawsuit accusing the bank of not adjusting automatic payments on credit cards when customers manually pay off their statement balance in the middle of a billing cycle, finding a consumer established standing and showed evidence of a deceptive practice.

  • July 28, 2026

    Penske Accused Of Scheming To Buy Golden Globes

    The Hollywood Foreign Press Association sued Penske Media Corp. in California federal court Tuesday, accusing the company and owner Jay Penske of orchestrating a scheme to fraudulently acquire the Golden Globe Awards as part of a bid to dominate the market.

Expert Analysis

  • Del. Blackbaud Ruling Signals A New Era For Cyberinsurance

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    The recent Delaware Supreme Court ruling in Travelers v. Blackbaud shows that cyberinsurance is moving into a second maturity phase, in which insurers will increasingly attempt to recover their payments from vendors and insureds will face new pressure to justify cyber incident reimbursements, say Steven Teppler at Mandelbaum Barrett and Jade Davis at Shumaker.

  • Opinion

    AI Presents A Make-Or-Break Moment For Outside Counsel

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    The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by corporate legal departments is forcing a long-overdue reset of the relationship between inside and outside counsel, and introducing a significant opportunity to shed frustrating inefficiencies and strengthen collaboration for firms willing to embrace the shift, says Intel Chief Legal Officer April Miller Boise.

  • State Carbon Cost Disparities Are Pivotal In Data Center Siting

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    When choosing U.S. data center locations, developers must carefully consider the patchwork of state and regional carbon emission pricing regimes that are layered on top of the federal permitting framework, creating compliance cost differentials that could add up to billions of dollars, say attorneys at Davis Graham.

  • Series

    Watching Hallmark Movies Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    I realize you may be judging me for watching, and actually enjoying, Hallmark Channel movies, but the escapism and storylines actually demonstrate qualities and actions that lead to an efficient, productive and positive legal practice, says Karen Ross at Tucker Ellis.

  • Keys To Federal Carbon Compliance In Data Center Siting

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    Recent statements from the White House and state governors about making data centers pay for their own power infrastructure have underlined the importance of choosing locations, generation technologies and deal structures to optimize carbon, permitting and compliance costs, say attorneys at Davis Graham.

  • Why The Road To Final Four Runs Through The Courthouse

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    As universities navigate a new college sports landscape in which courts decide eligibility, injunctions shape rosters and contract precision determines competitive stability, they should professionalize their NIL contracting, plan for emergency relief, and prepare for eligibility and damages disputes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • 5 Tips For Navigating Your Firm's All-Attorney Summit

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Law firm retreats should be approached strategically, as they present valuable opportunities to advance both the firm's objectives and attorneys' professional development through meaningful participation, building and strengthening internal relationships, and proactive follow-up, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • How Bankrupt Cos. Can Seek Refunds For Illegal Tariffs

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    In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision striking down President Donald Trump's International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs as illegal, some companies may have strong prospects for recovering refunds from the government, and trustees in bankruptcy may have a significant role to play in seeking such recovery, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • 5 Gov't Contractor Tips Following Anthropic Risk Designation

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    The Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk is an unprecedented action that raises significant legal questions, and with government contractors already receiving directives and inquiries concerning their use of Anthropic products and services, there are several strategies contractors can use to manage risk, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Duke Energy Settlement Raises Key Antitrust Questions

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    The recent federal court settlement in Duke Energy v. NTE Carolinas II comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's failure to address a Fourth Circuit decision in the matter, calling into question the core purpose and effect of antitrust laws, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

  • How Data Centers Can Prep For Legal Challenges Amid War

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    Amid conflict in the Middle East, data centers may now be exposed to state-level kinetic threats, creating significant legal, regulatory and contractual implications, so operators should update their legal and operational frameworks in order to withstand future disruptions and meet the regulator expectations, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Series

    Coaching Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching youth soccer for my 7-year-old son's team has sharpened how I communicate with clients, prepare witnesses, work within teams and think about leadership, making me a more thoughtful and effective lawyer in many ways, says Joshua Holt at Smith Currie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: The Human Element

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    Law school teaches you to quickly apply intellect and logic when handling a legal issue, but every fact pattern also involves a person, making the ability to balance expertise with empathy critical to the growth of relationships with clients, colleagues and adversaries, says Rachel Adcox at Adcox Strategies.

  • Time Limit Case Highlights How Justices Apply Federal Rules

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    In Coney Island Auto Parts Unlimited v. Burton, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the minority in a circuit split on when a litigant can seek relief from an allegedly void judgment — but the decision's most important lessons may be about the high court's interpretive approach to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Avoid The Unexpected When Drafting License Agreements

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    The Delaware Court of Chancery's recent decision in Commave v. Zevrain raises several practice points for attorneys drafting commercial contracts, underscoring the importance of considering anti-assignment provisions, specific exclusions and potential carveouts when drafting license agreements or other commercial contracts, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

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