Commercial Contracts

  • December 03, 2024

    4 Mass. State Court Rulings You May Have Missed In Nov.

    An age discrimination case was undone by the fine print of an employment agreement, while an "utterly inadequate" document search led to a five-figure sanctions order, among other notable recent decisions in Massachusetts state court.

  • December 03, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Circle K's Win In Gas Pricing Row

    The Ninth Circuit upheld Circle K Stores' win against retail gas stations that accused the convenience chain of setting high gas prices in bad faith, finding Tuesday that Circle K's prices were "within the range" of those charged by its competitors and lower than at least one refiner.

  • December 03, 2024

    Timeshare Co. Argues Jury Never Should've Seen Fraud Suit

    A company selling timeshares in Atlantic City, New Jersey, told a state appeals court Tuesday that a consumer fraud suit never should have reached a jury, arguing that an evidence rule bars the claims.

  • December 03, 2024

    Fla. Court Urged To OK 'Offensive' $645K Deal In Firm's Ch. 11

    A law firm debtor urged a Florida bankruptcy court Tuesday to approve a $645,000 settlement in its Chapter 11 to resolve a proposed fraudulent misrepresentation class action in state court against a former Miami insurance attorney, who called the potential deal "offensive" and said it's possible he'll be sued again.

  • December 03, 2024

    Tech Giants Seek Firm's Communications With Elusive Client

    Apple and Amazon want Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to turn over texts and emails with a client who disappeared from a putative class action against the tech giants, to determine whether the plaintiff consented to the case continuing in his absence.

  • December 02, 2024

    Trial Begins In Trader Joe's Vendor's Fight With Poultry Supplier

    Employees of a poultry producer cracked vulgar jokes about the quality of the meat while packaging raw chicken tainted with bone fragments, a Washington-state grocery store vendor told a federal jury on Monday, blaming the meatpacker for the demise of the Chili Lime Chicken Burgers previously made exclusively for Trader Joe's.

  • December 02, 2024

    Judge Isn't Seeing 'Good Faith' Compliance In Probiotic Feud

    A Maryland federal judge said Monday that a drug company is, yet again, failing to make "good faith substantial compliance" with the terms of an injunction that followed a $15 million jury verdict in a dispute over a proprietary probiotic formula.

  • December 02, 2024

    McDonalds Can't Nix $10B Bias Suit Despite 'Close Call'

    A California federal judge has refused to hand a summary judgment win to either party in Byron Allen's $10 billion lawsuit alleging that McDonald's Corp. discriminates against Black-owned media companies, finding that the discrimination allegations are a "close call" involving factual disputes that must be decided at trial.

  • December 02, 2024

    Kyrie Irving Owes $400K For Retreat Services, Therapist Says

    A psychotherapist sued Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving in New York state court alleging he owes nearly $400,000 for services she provided for a North Dakota retreat this past summer, including additional counseling services after one of the participants tragically died during the event.

  • December 02, 2024

    Insurer Says Telecom Co. Can't Ax Marshall Fire Coverage Suit

    Liberty Mutual urged a Colorado federal court to allow it to proceed with a lawsuit against a Lumen Technologies subsidiary over coverage for underlying litigation linking the 2021 Marshall Fire to an unmoored telecommunications line, arguing that the insurer had clear standing to bring the suit.

  • December 02, 2024

    Filmmaker Says He Didn't Infringe IP With Beirut Documentary

    An independent filmmaker and his company have launched a suit in Ohio federal court seeking a declaration that they never infringed any copyright owned by a nonprofit while making a documentary about the 1983 U.S. Marine barracks bombings in Beirut.

  • December 02, 2024

    Bank, Payment Processor Look To Sink Chargeback Fee Suit

    Esquire Bank NA and a payment processor it sponsors have asked a New York federal judge to toss all but one of an online merchant's proposed class action claims over a fee provision in their contract, arguing as a mediation date looms that most of the merchant's claims are either duplicative or inapplicable.

  • December 02, 2024

    ByteDance Says Ex-Worker Can't Avoid Counterclaims

    TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, says a former engineer shouldn't be able to dodge its counterclaims in a dispute stemming from his termination, arguing that just because he wants to drop his allegations doesn't mean those counterclaims are moot.

  • December 02, 2024

    DOJ, AGs Back Block Of ESPN Sport Streaming JV At 2nd Circ.

    The Justice Department and a group of Democratic state attorneys general are backing a lower court injunction against a sports-only streaming service from ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, telling the Second Circuit the sports giants can't claim they have a right to refuse dealing with rivals after joining forces.

  • December 02, 2024

    Remediation Co. Says Anadarko Can't Support Coverage Bid

    An environmental remediation company urged a Texas federal court to deny Anadarko Petroleum Corp.'s bid for an early win in a dispute over coverage for a decade-old Louisiana kickback suit, saying the oil producer failed to show that it's entitled to a defense and indemnity.

  • December 02, 2024

    Musk Asks Court To Halt OpenAI's Conversion To For-Profit

    Elon Musk sought a preliminary injunction asking a California federal court to stop OpenAI from transitioning into a for-profit enterprise, arguing the plaintiffs and the public would be harmed whether as competitors, donors, investors, consumers, taxpayers, citizens or "simply as people" worried about AI rushing unsafe products into the marketplace.  

  • December 02, 2024

    JPMorgan, Tesla Agree To End $162M Suit Over Musk Tweet

    JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Tesla told a New York federal judge on Monday the parties have agreed to voluntarily end JPMorgan's suit alleging Tesla owes it $162 million over expired stock warrants after Tesla CEO Elon Musk mulled taking the company private in an August 2018 tweet.

  • December 02, 2024

    Ex-Luxottica Worker's Pension Claims Must Be Heard In Court

    A New York federal judge agreed to revive in-court proceedings on a Luxottica ex-worker's claims in a federal benefits lawsuit that she made on behalf of her pension plan, but held firm on the court's earlier decision to compel individual arbitration of other claims.

  • December 02, 2024

    Ark. Governor Wants Out Of Cherokee Casino License Row

    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is asking a federal district court to be removed as a defendant and for an overall dismissal of a challenge to a state amendment that revoked a Cherokee Nation business' casino license, arguing the Oklahoma tribe doesn't have any property interest in the case.

  • December 02, 2024

    Pot Co. Says Ex-Director Shared Secrets With Ex-Partner

    Cannabis cultivator Curaleaf Inc. and a subsidiary are suing a former director of operations, accusing him of sharing confidential information with a former business partner, among other alleged contract breaches.

  • December 02, 2024

    NJ Siblings Say Fox Rothschild Must Face Malpractice Suit

    Two siblings have called on a New Jersey state court to reject Fox Rothschild LLP's bid to exit their malpractice suit alleging a lawyer now at the firm bungled a 1984 property deed and 1993 trust belonging to their late stepfather, depriving them of a lucrative land parcel.

  • November 27, 2024

    Deloitte Posed As Consultant To Steal Vax Software, Suit Says

    An inventor has accused Deloitte Consulting LLP in New York federal court of stealing her proprietary vaccination management system and securing a multimillion-dollar government contract for rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, saying the firm colluded with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to pilfer the technology.

  • November 27, 2024

    Drake Says UMG Boosted Lamar's False 'Pedophile' Claim

    Despite knowing Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" single falsely accused Drake of being a "certified pedophile," Universal Music Group chose to boost the song across radio airwaves by potentially making illicit payments to iHeartMedia, the Canadian rapper alleged in Texas court the same day he made similar allegations in Manhattan.

  • November 27, 2024

    Ford Can't Throw Out $13M IP Verdict, InterMotive Says

    California-based vehicle technology supplier InterMotive Inc. has urged a Michigan federal judge not to touch a $13 million verdict it won after a jury found Ford profited from the misappropriation of a trade secret related to its interface module, saying the jurors made their decision based on sufficient evidence.

  • November 27, 2024

    Stephenson Harwood Says Trade Export Co. Owes $100K In Fees

    U.K.-based Stephenson Harwood LLP has sued an Alabama trade export company that specializes in Latin America, saying it owes more than $100,000 in legal fees after the law firm pursued arbitration on the company's behalf against London-based accountancy firm Parker Lloyd Ltd.

Expert Analysis

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.

  • Key Territory-Split Licensing Lessons For Life Sciences Cos.

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    Territory-split deals can allow life sciences companies to maximize products' potential across a range of geographic areas, but these deals also present unique challenges requiring highly bespoke structures that can make or break the value of an asset, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Opinion

    In Visa Case, DOJ Continues To Misapply The Sherman Act

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    The recent U.S. Department of Justice debit market monopolization case against Visa fuels concerns that a misguided Biden administration DOJ is inappropriately expanding its interpretation of the Sherman Antitrust Act beyond the demonstrable economic effects that business conduct has on consumers, says Shubha Ghosh at Syracuse University.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

  • Key Legal Considerations After Supply Chain Disruptions

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    After U.S. supply chain disruptions — like the recent port workers' strike, and Hurricanes Helene and Milton — stakeholders should look to contractual provisions to mitigate losses, and keep in mind that regulators will be watching closely for unfair shipping practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Why Secured Lenders Must Mind The Gap In UCC Searches

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    If not adequately addressed, the Uniform Commercial Code filing indexing gap can interfere with a lender's expected lien priority, but taking appropriate preclosing actions and properly timing searches can eliminate this risk, says Robert Wonneberger at Barclay Damon.

  • The Fed. Circ. In October: Aetna And License-Term Review

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision that Aetna's credit card licensing agreement with AlexSam did not give the insurer immunity from patent infringement claims serves to warn licensees to read their contracts carefully, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • Reading Tea Leaves In Fed. Circ. Deep Dive On Review Scope

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    Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer investigates why a recent Federal Circuit opinion spent six pages explaining its unsurprising conclusion on proper scope of review — that no deference need be afforded to the trial court in a case dismissed for failure to state a claim.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

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