Texas

  • August 20, 2024

    Energy Department Says Dishwasher Case Lacks Jurisdiction

    The U.S. Department of Energy says anyone who wants to challenge a new rule governing how efficiently household appliances need to manage water usage must do so in a circuit court, claiming a Texas federal court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case.

  • August 20, 2024

    Lender's $13M Atty Fee Reserve Bid In Eiger Ch. 11 Plan Nixed

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Tuesday mostly sided with life science company Eiger BioPharmaceuticals in estimating a secured lender's future claims, saying at a hearing that Eiger's Chapter 11 reserve for the claim should include two years worth of interest and agreeing that $1 million should be earmarked for legal fees, not the lender's requested $13 million sum.

  • August 20, 2024

    FCC Says No To 8 Nonprofit Stations In Texas

    The Federal Communications Commission says it is not approving eight applications for new low power FM stations because the Christian entities that applied for them appear to actually all be part of the same organization, which does not qualify as an educational nonprofit.

  • August 20, 2024

    Terrorized Air Passenger Case Tossed For Failure To Amend

    Fifteen passengers can no longer pursue claims against American Airlines and regional carriers for negligently allowing a worker to tap into their private information so he could fuel a monthslong harassment campaign, a Connecticut federal judge ruled, saying the plaintiffs failed to meet a filing deadline.

  • August 20, 2024

    SharkNinja Urges Mass. Court To Reject Dyson Patent Claims

    SharkNinja is asking a federal judge in Massachusetts to deem it has not infringed five patents held by rival vacuum-maker Dyson, three months after Dyson brought a patent infringement claim against SharkNinja in Texas over the same patents.

  • August 20, 2024

    Steward Health, Landlord Spar Over Ch. 11 Hospital Sales

    Bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health Care has filed an adversary suit against the landlord for 30 of its hospitals, Medical Properties Trust, saying the landlord is throwing a wrench in the sale process for the facilities and trying to hoover up all the proceeds.

  • August 20, 2024

    LOT Polish Airlines Objects To DOJ-Boeing 737 Max Plea Deal

    LOT Polish Airlines has urged a Texas federal judge to reject Boeing's plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, saying the deal deprives restitution to airline customers that incurred millions in losses because Boeing defrauded regulators about the 737 Max 8's development.

  • August 20, 2024

    Texas Franchisee Accuses Party City Of Monopolizing Market

    An operator of Party City franchise stores accused the party supply retailer's parent company of monopolizing the party goods market, saying the company seeks to drive its competitors, including franchisees, out of business through its use of unfair competition, illegal price-fixing and bad faith business practices.

  • August 20, 2024

    Texas Judge Blocks FTC's Impending Ban On Noncompetes

    A Texas federal judge on Tuesday permanently blocked the Federal Trade Commission's looming ban on noncompete agreements in employment contracts, setting aside the regulation with a conclusion that it's beyond the agency's authority.

  • August 20, 2024

    Albright Won't Let Meta Patent Row Move To California

    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas says the presence of some Texas-based Meta employees involved in developing its Quest headsets outweighs the tech company's bid to eject out of his court a lawsuit over patents once issued to a failed mobile fitness brand.

  • August 20, 2024

    Local Chamber Can't Keep CFPB Case In Texas, Agency Says

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau told a Texas federal judge that the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce has, at most, a flimsy connection to a challenge to a new $8 credit card late fee rule, renewing its call to dismiss the local chamber and transfer the case in its latest brief.

  • August 20, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Flips Samsung's Win In 'Slide To Unlock' Patent Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived part of a small smartphone company's patent suit against Samsung over its "swipe to unlock" feature, saying that one of Neonode Smartphone's core patent claims was more definite in its scope than the lower court gave it credit for.

  • August 20, 2024

    Pathology Trade Group 2nd To Sue FDA Over Lab-Test Rule

    A molecular pathology trade group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, challenging a recent final rule to regulate laboratory-developed tests as medical devices and arguing the agency has abused its power — the second such case filed in recent months. 

  • August 20, 2024

    A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's 2024 Women In Law Report

    The legal industry continues to see incremental gains for female lawyers in private practice in the U.S., according to a Law360 Pulse analysis, with women now representing 40.6% of all attorneys and 51% of all associates.

  • August 20, 2024

    These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships

    The legal industry still has a long way to go before it can achieve gender parity at its upper levels. But these law firms are performing better than others in breaking the proverbial glass ceiling that prevents women from attaining leadership roles.

  • August 20, 2024

    BNSF Urges 5th Circ. To Nix Colorblind Conductor's ADA Suit

    BNSF Railway Co. urged the Fifth Circuit to reject a colorblind conductor's bid to revive his disability bias suit claiming he was illegally fired for failing a vision test, arguing that the former employee's impairment disqualified him for the job.

  • August 20, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    A nearly record-breaking attorney fee got the nod in Delaware last week, along with Chancery Court settlements involving an international private jet service and a chain of trampoline parks. New disputes involved a famous burger restaurant chain, a computer-chip maker, a now-defunct genomic science company, and a historic manor house in west London.

  • August 20, 2024

    Atty's Use Of 'Gallo' Ruffles Feathers At Competing Law Firm

    A Texas law firm says an attorney in the Lone Star State is confusing the public by using "Gallo," the Spanish word for rooster, in marketing his legal services despite the firm's trademark rights for using the word in that context.

  • August 19, 2024

    Frost & Sullivan Shouldn't Beat Data Breach Suit, Judge Says

    A magistrate judge on Monday recommended a Texas federal court trim but not toss a putative class action accusing consulting firm Frost & Sullivan Inc. of failing to protect its employees and clients from a data breach last year, rejecting the firm's contention that a former employee lacked standing to sue.

  • August 19, 2024

    DOJ Says No Arthrex Problem In SpaceX Hiring Bias Probe

    The U.S. Department of Justice is urging a Texas federal judge to side with the administrative law judge overseeing the immigration bias investigation against SpaceX, saying the company is using its constitutional attack against the framework of the proceeding as a distraction.

  • August 19, 2024

    Texas Says Biden's River Barrier Claims Insist On Jury Trial

    Texas told the Fifth Circuit that a federal judge got it wrong by denying its right to jury trial in a fight over the state's use of a border barrier in the Rio Grande, saying in a Monday brief that the government's claims carry a right for a jury trial.

  • August 19, 2024

    MOVEit MDL Judge's Call For Order Met With Atty Squabbles

    A federal judge's effort to streamline multidistrict litigation over a 2022 data breach involving Progress Software's MOVEit file transfer tool instead led to a lengthy and contentious joint filing in which the parties accused one another of gamesmanship.

  • August 19, 2024

    5th Circ. Publishes Reminder Of New En Banc Time Rule

    The Fifth Circuit reminded attorneys this week that it is now limiting uninterrupted argument time to five minutes during en banc oral proceedings.

  • August 19, 2024

    UnitedHealthcare Says Humana Can't Access Its Records

    UnitedHealthcare has asked the Texas high court to review a decision requiring it to turn over Medicare plan documents for the state's teachers to a competing insurer, arguing that recent updates to the Public Information Act were too broadly interpreted by a lower appellate court.

  • August 19, 2024

    Even Kids Use 'Unfair' Like CFPB Policy Does, 5th Circ. Told

    Scholars from top law schools urged the Fifth Circuit to reverse a Texas federal court's decision to strike a policy expanding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's antidiscrimination oversight capabilities, arguing that even "schoolchildren" could agree with the agency's legal position.

Expert Analysis

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Misplaced Info, Trade-Offs, Proteges

    Author Photo

    James Tucker at MoFo examines three recent decisions concerning the consequences of providing solicited information in the wrong section of a bid proposal, the limits of agency discretion in technical merit, best-value trade-off evaluations, and the weight of the experience and capabilities of small businesses in mentor-protégé joint venture qualification.

  • Class Action Law Makes An LLC A 'Jurisdictional Platypus'

    Author Photo

    The applicability of Section 1332(d)(10) of the Class Action Fairness Act is still widely misunderstood — and given the ambiguous nature of limited liability companies, the law will likely continue to confound courts and litigants — so parties should be prepared for a range of outcomes, says Andrew Gunem at Strauss Borrelli.

  • Jarkesy Ruling May Redefine Jury Role In Patent Fraud

    Author Photo

    Regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jarkesy ruling implicates the direction of inequitable conduct, which requires showing that the patentee made material statements or omissions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the decision has created opportunities for defendants to argue more substantively for jury trials than ever before, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

    Author Photo

    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

    Author Photo

    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • Defamation Suit Tests Lanham Act's Reach With Influencers

    Author Photo

    Recently filed in the Northern District of Texas, Prime Hydration v. Garcia, alleging defamation and Lanham Act violations based on the defendant's social media statements about the beverage brand, allows Texas courts and the Fifth Circuit to take the lead in interpreting the act as it applies to influencers, says attorney Susan Jorgensen.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Navigating The Murky Waters Of Patent Infringement Damages

    Author Photo

    Recent cases show that there is no easy way to isolate an infringed patent’s value, and it would serve all sides well for courts to thoroughly examine expert opinions of this nature and provide consistent guidance for future cases, say Manny Caixeiro and Elizabeth Manno at Venable.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

    Author Photo

    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • 3 Healthcare FCA Deals Provide Self-Disclosure Takeaways

    Author Photo

    Several civil False Claims Act settlements of alleged healthcare fraud violations over the past year demonstrate that healthcare providers may benefit substantially from voluntarily disclosing potential misconduct to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, say Brian Albritton and Raquel Ramirez Jefferson at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Opinion

    Congress Must Increase Small Biz Ch. 11 Debt Cap

    Author Photo

    Congress must act to reinstate Subchapter V, which recently sunsetted when the debt threshold to qualify reverted from $7.5 million to just over $3 million, meaning thousands of small businesses will no longer be able to use the means of reorganization, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • How Loper Bright Weakens NEPA Enviro Justice Strategy

    Author Photo

    The National Environmental Policy Act is central to the Biden administration's environmental justice agenda — but the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo casts doubt on the government's ability to rely on NEPA for this purpose, and a pending federal case will test the strategy's limits, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Series

    After Chevron: ERISA Challenges To Watch

    Author Photo

    The end of Chevron deference makes the outcome of Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulatory challenges more uncertain as courts become final arbiters of pending lawsuits about ESG investments, the definition of a fiduciary, unallocated pension forfeitures and discrimination in healthcare plans, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.

  • Justices' Intent Witness Ruling May Be Useful For Defense Bar

    Author Photo

    At first glance, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Diaz v. U.S. decision, allowing experts to testify to the mental state of criminal defendants in federal court, gives prosecutors a new tool, but creative white collar defense counsel may be able to use the same tool to their own advantage, say Jack Sharman and Rachel Bragg at Lightfoot Franklin.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Texas archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!