Commercial Contracts

  • September 05, 2024

    Placid Oil Tells 5th Circ. It's Clear Of Contamination Claims

    Placid Oil told a Fifth Circuit panel that previous bankruptcy proceedings cleared it of contamination claims on a Louisiana property, saying during oral arguments Thursday that language in the contract calling it a party to the surface lease agreement didn't count as an assignment.

  • September 05, 2024

    'Regrettable Mistake' Can't Bar Subrogation Bid, Insurer Says

    An insurer for a Hardee's restaurant urged a North Carolina state appeals court to revive its subrogation action over a December 2019 fire, after it said its counsel made a "regrettable mistake" in naming a related brokerage as the plaintiff rather than the insurer itself.

  • September 05, 2024

    Marvel Illegally Coerced Silence, 'X-Men '97' Writer Says

    Former "X-Men '97" series head writer has hit Marvel Animation Studio LLC with a lawsuit in California state court, seeking to invalidate a nondisparagement provision he claims Marvel coerced him into signing amid his alleged "forced ouster" this year.

  • September 05, 2024

    Lloyd's Looks To Ditch Cadwalader's Coverage Suit In NC

    A Lloyd's of London syndicate is urging the North Carolina Business Court to toss a Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP lawsuit seeking coverage for a 2022 data breach, saying the law firm failed to include three other carriers included on the insurance policy at issue.

  • September 12, 2024

    Squire Patton Hires Disputes Pro From Eversheds Sutherland

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP has said that a former trainee who specializes in commercial disputes has returned to the firm as a partner in its office in Birmingham, as it continues to expand its litigation practice across the U.K.

  • September 05, 2024

    7-Eleven Owners Not Company Workers, Mass. Justices Say

    The top court in Massachusetts ruled Thursday that 7-Eleven franchise owners aren't employees because they don't perform services for the corporation that licensed them the franchises.

  • September 05, 2024

    Ex-Siemens Exec Concedes Trade Secret Caper Merits Prison

    A former executive of Siemens Energy Inc. has told a Virginia federal judge that he recognizes that a period of incarceration is merited after he pled guilty to stealing trade secrets from General Electric Co. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to undercut their bids to build a gas turbine plant.

  • September 12, 2024

    Bird & Bird Recruits M&A Partner In Frankfurt Amid Growth

    Bird & Bird LLP has hired a business expert as a partner in Frankfurt as the firm bolsters its growing corporate practice internationally, with a keen eye on its new office in Japan.

  • September 04, 2024

    'I Was Blown Away': Tiny Harris Says MGA Stole Group's Look

    Tameka "Tiny" Harris testified Wednesday in California federal court that she was taken aback the first time she saw MGA Entertainment's line of O.M.G. dolls because she believed they ripped off the OMG Girlz pop group she created, and said a survey of her Instagram followers confirmed her reaction.

  • September 04, 2024

    UBS Financial Gets Wrapped Up In Cash Sweep Class Action

    UBS Financial Services has been hit with a proposed class action suit alleging it prioritized its own financial interests and those of its affiliated banks over customers by using its cash sweep program to direct customers' uninvested cash balances into accounts that disproportionately benefited the investment bank.

  • September 04, 2024

    Leech Tishman Combines With Calif. Firm Nelson Hardiman

    Leech Tishman is set to add California-based healthcare and life science law firm Nelson Hardiman's 17 attorneys to its Los Angeles office this fall and will do business in the Golden State under the combined name Leech Tishman Nelson Hardiman, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • September 04, 2024

    10th Circ. Partially Nixes Insurer Win In Liposuction Death Suit

    The Tenth Circuit on Wednesday revived a health provider's bad faith claim against its insurer over coverage for a $60 million judgment stemming from a woman's fatal liposuction surgery, finding the claim fell within a four-year period of limitations for insurance bad faith claims.

  • September 04, 2024

    SEC Fines NJ Financial Cos. For Whistleblowing Violations

    New Jersey-based brokerage Nationwide Planning Associates Inc. and two affiliated investment advisers have agreed to collectively pay $240,000 to settle allegations that they prevented their clients from acting as whistleblowers, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday.

  • September 04, 2024

    Nonsolicits Don't Need Geographic Terms, Ga. Justices Say

    The Supreme Court of Georgia said on Wednesday that restrictive covenants don't need to contain an explicit territorial component for them to be deemed reasonable under state law, reviving a marketing organization's attempt to enforce a nonsolicitation provision in its contracts with independent agents.

  • September 04, 2024

    Produce Co. With Bankrupt Parent Settles $1M Payment Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has dismissed a $1.3 million payment dispute between Canadian produce distributors and the U.S. arm of a vegetable wholesaler, after the parties reached a deal to resolve the litigation.

  • September 04, 2024

    Pet Toy Co. President Has No Voting Power, Founder Says

    The founder of pet-toy maker Kong Co. has asked a Colorado state judge to declare the company's president has no equity or voting interest, as part of a sprawling internal dispute over management of the company.

  • September 04, 2024

    Judge Says EB-5 Investors, Fund Must Disclose More Info

    An Illinois federal judge told a group of Chinese investors and a development fund on Wednesday they both must provide additional information in a suit accusing the fund of making off with $13.2 million intended for the development of a Hawaii resort.

  • September 04, 2024

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Blackbeard IP Fight, Firm Data Breach

    As summer winds down, the North Carolina Business Court tackled usage rights pertaining to footage and artifacts from Blackbeard's shipwreck while grappling with uncovering the details of a cyberattack that exposed the data of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.

  • September 04, 2024

    NC Brewery, Broker Settle Flood Coverage Row

    A North Carolina brewery and its insurance broker have reached an agreement in a dispute over flood coverage mere days before the action was set to go to trial, according to a notice filed in federal court, moving the case toward dismissal.

  • September 04, 2024

    4th Circ. Says Trade Secrets Verdict Wrongly Based On Va. Law

    The Fourth Circuit wants a Virginia federal court to take another crack at a trade secrets dispute brought by an industrial equipment supplier against a former employee who founded and operated two competitors while working for it, concluding a jury's verdict was based on the wrong laws.

  • September 04, 2024

    PVC Pipe Makers Accused Of Price-Fixing

    A Tennessee farmer has hit the country's biggest PVC pipe manufacturers with a proposed price-fixing class action, claiming that since at least 2021 they've been colluding through a reporting agency to raise prices for consumers.

  • September 04, 2024

    McCarter & English Rips Challenge To Malpractice Win In NJ

    McCarter & English LLP panned a pharmaceutical company's attempt to undo the firm's victory in a malpractice case last month, telling a New Jersey state court that issues the company raised in its motion to reconsider had "no impact" on the decision granting the firm a win.

  • September 04, 2024

    Wash. Contractors Must Face Suit Over Off-Site Death

    A Washington appeals panel has revived a wrongful death suit alleging a contractor and subcontractor are responsible for the death of a worker in a forklift accident, saying they may have had a duty to the worker even though the accident didn't happen on the worksite itself.

  • September 11, 2024

    Hausfeld Snaps Up Litigation Pro From Covington In London

    Hausfeld LLP has hired a partner from Covington & Burling LLP in London to boost its profile in commercial disputes, after its office in the U.K. capital recently underwent changes in leadership.

  • September 04, 2024

    Concrete Co. Owes Workers $370K, Wash. Panel Says

    A Washington appeals court refused to overturn a state agency's determination that a concrete company owes workers more than $370,000 in wages for working at a disposal site, saying the work was sufficiently related to a public works project to trigger the state's prevailing wage law.

Expert Analysis

  • Setting Goals For Kicking Corruption Off FIFA World Cup Field

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    The unprecedented tri-country nature of the 2026 men's World Cup will add to the complexity of an already complicated event, but best practices can help businesses stay on the right side of anti-corruption rules during this historic competition, say Sandra Moser and ​​​​​​​Emily Ahdieh at Morgan Lewis.

  • Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert

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    As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Do Not Overstate Fla. Condo Termination Ruling's Impact

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    A close look at the unique language at issue in Avila v. Biscayne, in which a Florida appellate court deemed a condo termination to be invalid, shows that the case is unlikely to significantly affect other potential terminations, say Barry Lapides and Edward Baker at Berger Singerman.

  • Drafting Calif. Cannabis Management Services Agreements

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    Meital Manzuri and Alexis Lazzeri at Manzuri Law explore the ways in which management services agreements function in the California commercial cannabis industry, and highlight a few specific terms and conditions that are crucial when drafting these agreements.

  • In Energy Disputes, Good Arbitration Clauses Are Key

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    Recent trends have spawned many complex energy disputes that cross jurisdictional boundaries — but arbitration offers an optimal forum for resolving such matters, especially when arbitration provisions in contracts are tailored for the energy sector, say Scott Marrs at Akerman and Andrew Barton at the American Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution.

  • Series

    Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

  • Could 'General Average' Apply To The Key Bridge Crash?

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    While the owner and operator of the vessel that struck Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge have sought legal protection under the Limitation of Liability Act, they could choose to invoke the long-standing principle of general average, if supported by the facts of the crash and the terms of their contracts with cargo owners, says Julie Maurer at Husch Blackwell.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic

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    Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals

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    Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.

  • Expect An Increase In Robinson-Patman Act Enforcement

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    Recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission and prominent lawmakers should be viewed as a harbinger of renewed scrutiny of price discrimination in all industries and a sign that Robinson-Patman Act investigations and enforcement actions are likely to see an uptick, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    The FTC's Noncompete Rule Is Likely Dead On Arrival

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    The Federal Trade Commission's April 23 noncompete ban ignores the consequences to the employees it claims to help — but the rule is unlikely to go into effect provided the ideological makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court remains the same, say Erik Weibust and Stuart Gerson at Epstein Becker.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: April Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses three notable circuit court decisions on topics from the Class Action Fairness Act to consumer fraud — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including CAFA’s local controversy exception and Article III standing to seek injunctive relief.

  • 9th Circ. Arbitration Ruling Could Have Int'l Implications

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    In Patrick v. Running Warehouse, the Ninth Circuit's recent matter-of-fact invocation of an unusual California rule in a domestic arbitration context raises choice of law questions, and could make California law a strategic option for some international arbitration parties, says Jerry Roth at FedArb.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • FTC Noncompete Ban Signals Rising Labor Focus In Antitrust

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    The Federal Trade Commission’s approval this week of a prohibition on noncompete agreements continues antitrust enforcers’ increasing focus on labor, meaning companies must keep employee issues top of mind both in the ordinary course of business and when pursuing transactions, say attorneys at Skadden.

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