Commercial Contracts

  • November 12, 2024

    Hertz Urges Chancery To Toss Investors' Stock Warrant Suit

    An attorney for two Hertz Inc. institutional investors told a Delaware judge Monday that the vehicle rental giant relied on an impermissible reinterpretation of a warrant agreement to reject a redemption demand purportedly triggered by the company's post Chapter 11 recapitalization.

  • November 12, 2024

    American Airlines Escapes Pandemic Early Retirement Suit

    A Texas federal court on Tuesday agreed to permanently toss a group of flight attendants' suit against American Airlines Inc. alleging they were misled into taking a less favorable retirement package during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, finding a suit dismissed earlier over the same conduct bars their claims. 

  • November 12, 2024

    Arkansas Fights Bid To Block Cherokee Casino Amendment

    Arkansas is looking to dismiss a challenge by two Cherokee Nation businesses that seeks to block an amendment revoking one of the tribal entities' casino gaming license, arguing that "the glaring obstacle" of the Eleventh Amendment bars lawsuits against states in federal court.

  • November 12, 2024

    Developers Seek Dual $15M Deals In Conn. Mixed-Use Case

    A pair of companies connected to Connecticut developers Paxton Kinol and Brandon E. Lacoff have indicated that they'd be willing to accept two settlements of $15 million each to end their accusations that investors diverted $293.5 million in sale proceeds through a self-serving transfer agreement.

  • November 12, 2024

    Consultant In $213M 'Maya' Trial Says Atty Ducked Bill

    A trial consultant company that helped the attorney for the family of Maya Kowalski, the girl at the heart of the Netflix documentary "Take Care of Maya," win a $213 million judgment against Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Inc. is now suing the Kowalskis' attorney for allegedly failing to pay his bill.

  • November 12, 2024

    Navajo Co. Says Paralegal Blocking Return Of Privileged Docs

    A Navajo Nation natural resources company is suing a former paralegal in Colorado state court to enforce a settlement requiring the return of confidential documents that she allegedly emailed to herself, accusing the paralegal of "erecting unreasonable roadblocks" to their agreement.

  • November 12, 2024

    10th Circ. Backs Arbitration Denial In Distributor's OT Suit

    The Tenth Circuit declined Tuesday to disturb a ruling that a baking company can't boot to arbitration a distributor's lawsuit alleging he was denied overtime pay, finding the worker is exempt from arbitration because he's engaged in interstate commerce even though he doesn't cross state lines.

  • November 12, 2024

    Trial Consultant Agrees To Keep Ex-Employer's Biz Info Secret

    An ex-employee for jury analysis firm Jury-X has agreed to avoid using the company's confidential information while its trade secrets lawsuit unfolds, according to a stipulation filed Tuesday in North Carolina federal court.

  • November 12, 2024

    Suit Demands Boston Boutique Return Escrowed $7M

    A Chinese company says a Boston law firm has refused to account for or return $7 million in escrowed funds that were supposed to be used to secure a line of credit, allegedly ignoring the company's requests for months, according to a complaint filed in Massachusetts state court.

  • November 12, 2024

    Prison Healthcare Co. Wellpath Hits Ch. 11 With Sale Plans

    Prison healthcare provider Wellpath has filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court, saying it has an agreement with the majority of its secured lenders for a sale plan that will trim $500 million of its more than $644 million in funded debt.

  • November 08, 2024

    8th Circ. Flips $12M Verdict Against Jagermeister's US Arm

    The Eighth Circuit has overturned a jury's verdict that Jägermeister's U.S. importer must pay a distributor $11.75 million after terminating their deal, saying Friday the jury was misinstructed and a new trial is required.

  • November 08, 2024

    1st Circ. Affirms Order Ending Jet Blue-American Partnership

    The First Circuit backed a lower court decision blocking a partnership between JetBlue and American Airlines that it found substantially diminished competition in the domestic air travel market, saying it found no error in the district judge's thorough review of the deal that could revive the venture.

  • November 08, 2024

    Crypto Co. Seeks Freeze Of $4M In Contract Fight

    A group of companies known within the cryptocurrency industry as the Bixin Group has filed for an emergency motion to freeze a bank account of Alopex Advisors LLC holding a $4 million security deposit as it pursues arbitration in Hong Kong against Alopex over an agreement to help Bixin navigate the Icelandic property and energy markets.

  • November 08, 2024

    PPG Seeks $23M Fees In Sherwin-Williams Coating IP Suit

    PPG Industries told a Pennsylvania federal judge Friday that Sherwin-Williams should pay it $23 million in attorney fees after the Federal Circuit backed a jury's verdict invalidating five paint coating patents, saying the litigation was "premised on directly contradicting" admissions Sherwin made to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • November 08, 2024

    Fla. Apparel Distributor Sues Gap Over $378M Bait-And-Switch

    A South Florida-based apparel distribution company has brought a $378 million counter-complaint against Gap Inc. in California state court, alleging the clothing retailer threatened to sabotage an initial public offering after pulling a bait-and-switch by sending millions of dollars of oversized, unsellable garments and ruin relationships with existing customers.

  • November 08, 2024

    Off The Bench: Mo. Betting, NCAA Budges, New Ohtani Drama

    In this week's Off The Bench, Missouri becomes the latest state to legalize sports betting, an antitrust class action forces more changes to the NCAA's eligibility rules, and Shohei Ohtani's historic season spurs another memorabilia lawsuit.

  • November 08, 2024

    Payments Co. Never Returned $1.5M, Tribal Authority Claims

    An Oklahoma tribal financial services authority has sued two owners of a payment processor, alleging that they defrauded the authority out of $1.5 million by confiscating funds purportedly held in reserve before the termination of their relationship.

  • November 08, 2024

    Boeing Wins Discovery Spat In African Airline's 737 Max Suit

    A Washington federal judge has sided with Boeing in a discovery dispute stemming from a lawsuit over fallout from a 737 Max deal, finding the aerospace giant has cited "tangible evidence" that a now-defunct South African airline failed to retain records "obviously relevant" to its claims that it was deceived regarding the jet's safety.

  • November 08, 2024

    Water Utility Hits PVC Pipe Makers With Price-Fixing Suit

    A public water utility on Friday hit some of the nation's largest PVC pipe manufacturers with a class action accusing them of using a commodity pricing service to exchange information and illegally fix prices, claiming the companies reaped "historic profits" at the expense of public utilities.

  • November 08, 2024

    Pawn Shop Must Face CFPB's Military Law Claims, Judge Says

    In a matter of first impression, a Texas federal judge has ruled that national pawn shop company FirstCash Inc. cannot use a "bona fide error" defense to argue that its alleged violation of the Military Lending Act was an unintentional mishap, saying the defense only applies to private borrower claims, not federal agency suits.

  • November 08, 2024

    Chancery Tosses Microchip Co.'s Tech Licensor Challenge

    A Delaware vice chancellor on Friday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Swiss microchip maker u-blox AG against tech licensor InterDigital Inc., finding among other points that u-blox was barred from moving forward with potentially unsettled claims arising from the same issues in a California federal court case.

  • November 08, 2024

    Colo. City Says Software Co. Trying To Dodge $20M Verdict

    A city in Colorado has urged a federal court to force a software developer to turn over customer contracts and other documents to prove the company is not transferring assets to avoid paying a $20 million judgment, accusing the firm of playing a "corporate shell game."

  • November 08, 2024

    Landowners Ink $6.5M Deal To Cap Inactive Gas Wells

    A group of landowners is asking a West Virginia federal court to approve a proposed settlement that would have Diversified Energy Co. more than quadruple its commitment to plugging inactive gas wells that it obtained from EQT Corp., meaning that it will cap off at least 2,600 wells in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee by 2035.

  • November 08, 2024

    US Exec To Sell Homes In Settlement With Swedish Airgun Co.

    The chief executive of a North Carolina airgun company left in shambles over allegations of gross mismanagement has agreed to fork over $950,000 by selling two residences as part of a settlement ending the contentious yearlong litigation brought by his Swedish partner.

  • November 08, 2024

    3rd Circ. Unsure Progressive Can Undo Car Value Suit Cert.

    A Third Circuit panel on Friday grappled with whether an adjustment that Progressive Specialty Insurance Co. did every time it calculated the value of a totaled vehicle was enough to warrant class certification for a lawsuit claiming the adjustment was unfair, or if classwide treatment was inappropriate when each class member could have a different outcome of that assessment.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs

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    In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

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