Commercial Contracts

  • May 04, 2026

    Exxon Execs Never Pressured Profitability Analysts, Jury Hears

    Former Exxon Chief Executive Rex Tillerson testified Monday that the company's top brass never pressured employees to make the company's holdings seem more profitable than they were, telling a jury in Texas federal court that he stood by the reports the company issued to investors.

  • May 04, 2026

    Calif. Firm Accused Of Withholding Fees From Dying Partner

    The wife of a late Carpenter & Zuckerman LLP partner says the firm withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees from her husband before he died of cancer, claiming he spent his final months "pleading for funds" and living in "constant fear" that he would die without securing financial security for his family.

  • May 04, 2026

    Lee & Hayes Wins Liability Ruling In Fee Fight With Ex-Client

    An Idaho-based 3D printing firm broke a fee contract with its former legal counsel at Lee & Hayes PC, a Washington federal judge ruled Monday, rejecting the company's contention that the firm had agreed to reduce its $7.2 million contingency fee to a $3 million fixed rate.

  • May 04, 2026

    Spirit Airlines' Demise To Reshape Low-Cost Competition

    Rival airlines have scrambled to boost routes, plug service gaps and snatch up Spirit Airlines customers in the two days since the budget carrier's demise, raising alarms about what other casualties might be in store for an airline industry reeling from skyrocketing jet fuel costs.

  • May 04, 2026

    Utility Districts Violated Canada-US River Treaty, Judge Says

    A federal judge found Monday that a group of public utility districts in Washington state had breached the U.S.' Columbia River Treaty by failing to contribute their pledged share of hydroelectric power to Canada.

  • May 04, 2026

    Gas Stations Bound To Visa Swipe Fee Deal, 2nd Circ. Says

    A Second Circuit panel refused Monday to let a group of gas stations separately sue Visa and Mastercard over their swipe fees, holding the would-be plaintiffs cannot get out of a $5.6 billion antitrust settlement the credit card giants inked with merchants.

  • May 04, 2026

    Wells Fargo, Lloyd's Beat $900B Fraud Suit Over Wire Error

    A Maryland federal judge has permanently tossed a lawsuit brought by Alliance Global Capital Fund and a cheese shop that sought $900 billion in damages alleging Wells Fargo refused to redirect funds it knew were credited to the wrong account, finding a majority of the case's claims were brought too late.

  • May 04, 2026

    Construction Co. Seeks $2.9M Over Lejeune Build Delays

    A construction company has accused a demolition subcontractor in North Carolina federal court of delaying facility construction for more than 1,000 days at the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune training base, seeking roughly $2.9 million in damages.

  • May 04, 2026

    Cormidi Can't Press Trade Claims After Payments, Court Told

    Trade law and contract claims by Cormidi USA Inc., the American arm of an Italian construction and landscaping machinery-maker, have been rendered moot by Wesco Inc.'s debt payments amid a lawsuit accusing two shared executives of self-dealing, Wesco and its owner Robert Testa told a Connecticut state judge Monday.

  • May 04, 2026

    Ex-Google Worker Says Co. Can't Dodge Cancer Firing Suit

    A former Google Cloud salesman who claims the company fired him during cancer treatment to avoid a nearly $4 million life insurance payout told a Connecticut federal court that Google's latest bid to dismiss his suit should be denied.

  • May 04, 2026

    SPAC Says Investor Bought In Knowing $29M Deal Had Failed

    The sponsor of a blank check company linked to energy giant Nabors Industries Ltd. pushed back against an investor suit alleging its top brass unfairly claimed a $29 million settlement despite missing a deadline to merge with another company, arguing the investor bought shares knowing the acquisition already failed.

  • May 04, 2026

    Hospital Group Calls Anthem's Out-Of-Network Plan Unlawful

    The California Hospital Association urged a state court to block Anthem Blue Cross' implementation of a new policy that penalizes participating facilities for using nonparticipating providers, saying the plan is illegal, fraudulent and an unfair business practice.

  • May 04, 2026

    Benjamin Moore Wins $4.2M In Royalties Fight With Greek Co.

    A New Jersey federal court has awarded Benjamin Moore & Co. $4.1 million after it reversed its decision to allow counterclaims from a former authorized licensed retailer to proceed in the paint maker's suit over alleged unpaid royalties.

  • May 04, 2026

    Trump-Backed Firm Says Crypto Exec Ran Smear Campaign

    Trump family-tied crypto firm World Liberty Financial LLC hit back at crypto billionaire Justin Sun with a defamation suit Monday, claiming he bet against a token he publicly hyped as part of an alleged short-and-distort scheme.

  • May 04, 2026

    Attys Defend $85M Fee Bid Blasted By Judge In Google Deal

    Consumers who pursued an antitrust class action against Google urged the California federal judge who criticized their 98,000 hours billed as "grotesquely bloated" to approve their $85 million fee request, emphasizing Friday that they filed suit a year before state attorneys general joined the case and maintained a leading role in the litigation.

  • May 04, 2026

    Managers Of Embattled Easement Say RICO Suit Lacks Details

    Investment fund managers behind a conservation easement donation whose charitable tax deduction was embroiled in litigation asked a Georgia federal court to toss a racketeering suit against them by a pair of investors, arguing the fraud claims do not match the allegations.

  • May 04, 2026

    Broker Says It's Not To Blame For Harvard's Lack Of Coverage

    An insurance broker told a Massachusetts federal court that it had no common law duty to report claims made against Harvard University to the school's excess insurers in a suit seeking to recover legal fees Harvard expended in litigation that upended affirmative action.

  • May 04, 2026

    Buchanan Ingersoll Adds Fox Rothschild Litigator In NY, NJ

    Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC added a new litigation partner in New York and New Jersey from Fox Rothschild LLP who brings decades of experience in complex commercial disputes and high-stakes matters.

  • May 04, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court this past week handled a wide-ranging docket of deal disputes, advancement fights, stockholder suits and contract claims, with several matters turning on timing, forum limits and the remedies available when transactions or governance agreements break down.

  • May 01, 2026

    Don't 'Throw' Young Attys Under Bus, Judge Warns Musk Atty

    The California federal judge presiding over Elon Musk's challenge to OpenAI's for-profit conversion criticized Musk's attorney Marc Toberoff on Friday for eliciting "waste of time" trial testimony into Musk's $97.4 billion acquisition bid, warning Toberoff he "shouldn't throw young lawyers under the bus" by not quickly acknowledging his role.

  • May 01, 2026

    EV Battery Plant Fight Belongs In Arbitration, Ga. Panel Says

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Friday said a trial court should have ruled that arbitration was the right venue for a case over millions in allegedly unpaid bills for construction work a subcontractor performed on a Georgia electric vehicle battery facility.

  • May 01, 2026

    Calif. Firm Says AI Service Co. Tried To 'Stiff Arm' Biz Renewal

    After a California personal injury law firm experienced persistent issues with a phone system supported by artificial intelligence, it told the service provider it wouldn't renew its contract, but the provider tried to "stiff arm" the firm into renewing by harassing employees and threatening litigation, according to a federal lawsuit.

  • May 01, 2026

    Bang Energy Founder Can't Continue Suit Against Atty

    The founder of Bang Energy drinks can't proceed with a lawsuit alleging an attorney manipulated the legal system to strip his control of a real estate company, a Florida federal judge ruled, saying he can't challenge state court rulings with his lawsuit and dismissed the action as a "shotgun pleading."

  • May 01, 2026

    Winery's Ex-Lawyer Has No Rights To Wine Brand, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has entered judgment in a battle between a Napa Valley winery and an attorney who had worked with it, ruling that the attorney had no rights to the trademark on the high-end RBS wine brand.

  • May 01, 2026

    Del. Judge Leans Toward Candor In AI Tech Fight

    A Delaware vice chancellor said Friday she's inclined to find that a legal technology company's term sheet with an Italian artificial intelligence business is binding and that specific performance may be the only workable remedy in a fight over emotion-recognition technology for legal proceedings.

Expert Analysis

  • If Your AI Vendor Goes Bankrupt: Tackling Privacy And 'Utility'

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    Because bankruptcies of artificial intelligence vendors will require courts to decide in the moment how to handle bespoke deals for AI tools, customers that anticipate consumer privacy concerns in asset disposition and questions about utility and critical-vendor classifications can be better positioned before proceedings, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • What Artists Can Learn From Latest AI Music Licensing Deals

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    Recent partnerships between music labels and artificial intelligence companies raise a number of key questions for artists, rightsholders and other industry players about IP, revenue-sharing, and rights and obligations, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • If Your AI Vendor Goes Bankrupt: Keeping Licensed IP Access

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    With contracting norms still evolving to account for the licensing of artificial intelligence tools, customers that need to retain access to key AI products in the event of vendor’s bankruptcy should consider four elements that could determine whether they may invoke traditional Section 365(n) intellectual property protections, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Tips For Financial Advisers Facing TRO From Former Firm

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Choreo v. Lors, overturning a lower court's sweeping injunction after financial advisers moved to a new firm, gives advisers new strategies to fight restraining orders from their old firms, such as focusing on whether the alleged irreparable harm is calculable, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • Aerospace And Defense Law: Trends To Follow In 2026

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    Some of the key 2026 developments to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law stem from provisions of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a push to reform procurement, executive orders that announced Trump administration priorities, the upcoming Artemis space mission and continuing efforts to deploy artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • 2 Rulings Showcase Fuzzy Limits Of 'Related To' Jurisdiction

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    The Fifth and Ninth Circuits recently handed down decisions, in Sanchez Energy and Sawtelle Partners, respectively, reminding practitioners that bankruptcy court jurisdiction over lingering disputes is not guaranteed, regardless of whether confirmation orders contain specific "retention of jurisdiction" language, says Brian Shaw at Cozen O’Connor.

  • 3 Key Ohio Financial Services Developments From 2025

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    Ohio's banking and financial services sector saw particularly notable developments in 2025, including a significant Ohio Supreme Court decision on creditor disclosure duties to guarantors in Huntington National Bank v. Schneider, and some major proposed changes to the state's Homebuyer Plus program, says Alex Durst at Durst Kerridge.

  • AI Licensing Suit Exhibits Pitfalls Of Vague Contract Terms

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    Fastcase Inc. v. Alexi Technologies, a case in District of Columbia federal court, demonstrates the potential consequences of vaguely drafted contract terms amid unforeseen technological advances, but there is practical guidance parties may employ to mitigate the potential for similar contract disputes, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

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