Appellate

  • April 08, 2026

    7th Circ. Questions Internet Scammer's Phone Search Appeal

    A Seventh Circuit judge seemed skeptical Wednesday of a Chicago area fraudster's argument that federal border protection agents needed a warrant before searching his cell phones for evidence of romance, mystery shopper and other scams that he received a nine-year prison sentence for leading.

  • April 08, 2026

    Trump Asks NY's Top Court To Toss AG's 'Flawed' Fraud Case

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked New York's highest court to throw out New York Attorney General Letitia James' "deeply flawed" civil fraud judgment entirely after a lower appellate court tossed what it called an "excessive" $489 million penalty against the president, his sons and his real estate companies.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mich. Panel Sides With Disabled Man In City Council Dispute

    A disabled Michigan man can submit his comments to the Inkster City Council via email and have them read into the official record, a Michigan court affirmed Wednesday.

  • April 08, 2026

    NY Panel Backs DLA Piper's $482K Fee Win In Malpractice Suit

    A New York appellate court affirmed Tuesday the dismissal of a Chinese software company's legal malpractice suit against DLA Piper, along with a $482,000 sanctions order against the company and its counsel, noting that the company's frivolous claims also drew a $635,000 sanctions ruling in "mirror" federal court litigation.

  • April 08, 2026

    Full 1st Circ. Hesitant To Undo Cop's Suspension For FB Post

    The full First Circuit seemed unmoved Wednesday by a police officer's argument that his free speech rights were trampled when he was suspended for making a private Facebook post critical of George Floyd.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Zeroes In On Ecobee Jury Instruction Beef

    Judges on the Federal Circuit suggested that a lower court's jury form and instructions could undo at least some of an $11.5 million award against ecobee Technologies in a smart thermostat infringement row with Ollnova Technologies, particularly in light of the Federal Circuit's 2025 decision in a fight between Optis and Apple.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mich. Justices Told Youth Murder Sentence Cruel And Unusual

    An attorney for a man sentenced to 50 to 75 years in prison for second-degree murder told the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday that the "de facto life sentence" was cruel and unusual because someone convicted of the more serious crime of first-degree murder would be eligible for parole decades earlier.

  • April 08, 2026

    4th Circ. Revives Widow's Sewage Cleanup Clash With NC City

    A split Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday revived a widow's suit alleging she was coerced into giving up her claims against the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, after her home was flooded with raw sewage, finding she had enough evidence to take the case to trial.

  • April 08, 2026

    Judge Says 9th Circ. OK'd 'Annihilation' Of Sacred Lands

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday issued an amended opinion in its ruling to allow a 2,500-acre land exchange within Arizona's Tonto National Forest, which includes a partial dissent from U.S. Circuit Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson, who said the decision will "completely annihilate sacred Native lands."

  • April 08, 2026

    Mass. Justices Divided Over $325M Pro Soccer Stadium Project

    Justices on Massachusetts' highest court on Wednesday appeared split on whether a $325 million professional women's soccer stadium currently being built on part of Boston's historic Franklin Park is subject to a requirement for legislative approval of plans to convert parks to a new use.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fiat Chrysler Loses 'Absurd' Arb. Bid In Defect Suit At 9th Circ.

    A Ninth Circuit panel has rejected Fiat Chrysler's request to send a certified class action over allegedly defective Jeep and Dodge headrests to arbitration, finding that FCA's theory would lead to "absurd" results in which third parties with "no connection whatsoever to the underlying arbitration agreement" could force arbitration.

  • April 08, 2026

    Fla. Panel Says Pump Station Contract Recitals Aren't Binding

    A Florida state appeals court issued a split opinion Wednesday upholding a lower court decision favoring a commercial developer in a dispute over the construction of a pump station, ruling a city can't rely on the introductory language of a contract to avoid paying cost reimbursements.

  • April 08, 2026

    Mich. Appeals Panel Hears Challenge To School Aid Waiver

    A Michigan appellate panel heard arguments Wednesday over whether a school safety funding provision unlawfully forces districts to waive legal privileges in the event of a mass casualty investigation, with school districts saying the law is unconstitutionally vague and the state countering that it applies only to entities, not individuals. 

  • April 08, 2026

    NC High Court Asked to Review Castle Doctrine Killing Case

    A North Carolina man who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter following a dispute with a friend on his property has asked the state's highest court to review his case, claiming that recently decided precedent about how to instruct juries in castle doctrine cases would have changed the outcome of his trial.

  • April 08, 2026

    TD Bank Beats Whistleblower's Appeal For Shielded Info

    A New Jersey state appeals court on Wednesday backed a lower court's holding that TD Bank does not have to produce information it's seeking to shield from a whistleblower, finding that the disclosure of the information would have violated federal law.

  • April 08, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 6 Noteworthy Decisions From March

    JPMorgan Chase & Co. narrowed but couldn't escape a suit from workers who said their health plan paid too much for prescription drugs, Genworth Financial Inc. unwound a class at the Fourth Circuit, and the Sixth Circuit breathed new life into proposed class actions against FedEx and Kellogg. Here, Law360 looks at these and three other notable decisions from March in ERISA cases.

  • April 08, 2026

    Pa. Panel Splits Bellwether Pediatrician Sex Abuse Trial

    A Pennsylvania appeals court has reversed an order consolidating four civil cases against a hospital and pediatrics association related to sexual abuse allegations against a now-incarcerated doctor, saying putting the four cases together in one trial would prejudice the defendants and likely confuse the jury.

  • April 08, 2026

    $37M Award For Whistleblowers Nixed In Medicaid Fraud Row

    A Texas state appeals court did away with an order awarding three whistleblowers a $37 million share of the state's settlement resolving Medicaid fraud allegations against Xerox, finding their respective cases over the alleged scheme were based on publicly available information.

  • April 08, 2026

    Google Search Judge Mulls If Mandates Will Need More Fixes

    A D.C. federal judge wondered aloud Wednesday if the continuously evolving technological landscape will necessitate even more changes down the line to his order in a U.S. Department of Justice monopolization case requiring Google to prop up its rivals with syndicated search results and data.

  • April 08, 2026

    Shutterstock, Photographer Clash Over DMCA Safe Harbor

    A landscape photographer and Shutterstock have filed dueling bids for summary judgment in a copyright lawsuit in Manhattan federal court over whether the stock photo company can be held liable for allegedly infringing images uploaded by its users, or whether the claims are barred by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe harbor protections.

  • April 08, 2026

    NY, RealPage Spar Over Justices' Conversion Therapy Ruling

    The New York Attorney General's Office contested RealPage Inc.'s argument that the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against a Colorado conversion therapy ban bolsters its First Amendment suit against the state, disputing the company's characterization of the high court's holding.

  • April 08, 2026

    Where Dormant Commerce Clause Cannabis Cases Stand

    Lawsuits across the country challenging the constitutionality of state and local cannabis licensure programs continue to move through the federal appellate courts, with judges reaching different conclusions on a topic with broad implications for marijuana regulation.

  • April 08, 2026

    Appeals Court Wipes Out PacifiCorp Wildfire Liability Verdict

    A verdict that made power utility PacifiCorp liable to a class of property owners around Oregon from Labor Day 2020 wildfires must be overturned because of a faulty jury instruction, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday.

  • April 08, 2026

    1st Circ. Mulls If Puerto Rico Restructuring Shields Officials

    The First Circuit wrestled Wednesday with whether to overturn a ruling that Puerto Rico's debt restructuring does not block civil rights lawsuits against the commonwealth's officials as individuals, giving no clear indication as to how the panel may rule.

  • April 08, 2026

    ERISA Trumps Tennessee PBM Laws, 6th Circ. Says

    The Sixth Circuit backed a trial court's conclusion that Tennessee laws regulating pharmacy benefit managers conflict with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, ruling the state law's requirement that "any willing provider" be accepted to PBMs' networks impermissibly dictates how the plans are designed.

Expert Analysis

  • Texas AG Wields Consumer Protection Law Against Tech Cos.

    Author Photo

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted technology companies using the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a broadly worded statute that gives the attorney general wide latitude to pursue claims beyond traditional consumer protection, creating unique litigation risks, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • Emerging Themes In Nevada High Court Civil Litigation

    Author Photo

    The Nevada Supreme Court issued a series of significant civil rulings in 2025 that reflect recurring themes: a restrained approach to personal jurisdiction, heightened expectations of professionalism, close scrutiny of trial conduct, and a willingness to enforce contractual provisions that other jurisdictions might reject, says Michael Lowry at Wilson Elser.

  • What To Know As Courts Rethink McDonnell-Douglas

    Author Photo

    Although the U.S. Supreme Court declined the latest opportunity to address the viability of the McDonnell-Douglas burden-shifting framework used in employment discrimination and retaliation claims, two justices and courts around the country are increasingly seeking to abandon it, which could potentially lead to more trials and higher litigation budgets, say attorneys at Jackson Lewis.

  • A Primer On Law Enforcement Self-Defense Doctrine

    Author Photo

    In the wake of several shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, misconceptions persist about what the laws governing police use of force actually permit, and it’s essential for legal practitioners to understand the contours of the underlying constitutional doctrine, says Markus Funk at White & Case.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • How Specificity, Self-Dealing Are Shaping ERISA Litigation

    Author Photo

    Several recent cases, including the U.S. Supreme Court's forthcoming ruling in Anderson v. Intel, illustrate the competing forces shaping excessive fee litigation, with plaintiffs seeking flexibility, courts demanding specificity, fiduciaries facing increased scrutiny for conflicts of interest, and self-dealing amplifying exposure, says James Beall at Willig Williams.

  • Contract Disputes Recap: Terminations Galore

    Author Photo

    Three recent decisions from the Federal Circuit and the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals provide valuable insights about sticking to a contract's plain language, navigating breach of contract claims, and jurisdictional limits on reinstatement of a canceled contract, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Opinion

    Minn. Can Still Bring State Charges In Absence Of Fed Action

    Author Photo

    After two fatal shootings by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota's role isn't waiting to see if the federal government brings criminal charges, but independently weighing state homicide charges and allowing the judiciary to decide whether the subject conduct falls within the narrow protections of supremacy clause immunity, says Sheila Tendy at Tendy Law.

  • State Of Insurance: Q4 Notes From Illinois

    Author Photo

    In 2025's last quarter, Illinois’ appellate courts weighed in on overlapping homeowners coverages for water-related damages, contractual suit limitation provisions in uninsured motorist policies, and protections for genetic health information in life insurance underwriting, while the Department of Insurance sought nationwide homeowners' insurance data from State Farm, says Matthew Fortin at BatesCarey.

  • How 2 Tech Statutes Are Being Applied To Agentic AI

    Author Photo

    The application of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the California Invasion of Privacy Act to agentic artificial intelligence is still developing, but recent case law, like Amazon's lawsuit against Perplexity in California federal court, provides some initial guidance for companies developing or deploying these technologies, say attorneys at Weil.

  • Defense Strategy Takeaways From Recent TCPA Class Actions

    Author Photo

    Although recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act decisions do not establish any bright-line tests for defeating predominance based on an argument that class members provided consent for the calls, certain trends have emerged that should inform defense strategies at class certification, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

    Author Photo

    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.

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 Appellate archive.