Appellate

  • July 30, 2025

    Husband's Rape Conviction Upheld By Ohio Appeals Court

    An appeals court panel in Ohio has refused to overturn the conviction of a man accused of raping his wife, after the state's Supreme Court reversed an initial decision by the lower appellate court to vacate the conviction for lack of evidence.

  • July 30, 2025

    'Peace Promoter's' Bitcoin Sentencing Upheld At 1st Circ.

    A church founder and self-described "peace promoter" must serve an eight-year sentence, the First Circuit affirmed, rejecting his argument that the U.S. Department of the Treasury overstepped its bounds by charging him with tax evasion and a slew of other crimes tied to a Bitcoin operation he founded in 2014.

  • July 30, 2025

    Insurer Atty 'Error' Dooms Arbitration Bid In Fla. Injury Suit

    A Florida appellate court on Wednesday agreed with a trial court that a West Palm Beach prep school has abandoned its right to arbitrate cheerleading injury claims brought by a student by filing a response to the complaint, rejecting the school's argument that its insurer-provided lawyer was unauthorized to represent it.

  • July 30, 2025

    Justices Urged To OK Bankruptcy Courts As Tax Debt Venues

    Bankruptcy courts are authorized to decide the amount and legality of nondischargeable tax claims, an Indiana couple told the U.S. Supreme Court in a bid to overturn a Seventh Circuit ruling to the contrary.

  • July 30, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Says 70-Acre Casino Land Fight Must Continue

    The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria are fighting a bid by a fellow California tribe to pause their challenge to the U.S. Department of the Interior's decision to take 70 acres into trust for a casino project while a sovereign immunity order is appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

  • July 30, 2025

    Unauthorized Blood Draw Upends Fatal Crash Sentence In Pa.

    In a precedential ruling, the Pennsylvania Superior Court held that the rights of a man convicted of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of alcohol were violated because hospital staff took it upon themselves to conduct a blood draw without a warrant from law enforcement.

  • July 30, 2025

    11th Circ. Considers If TCPA's Fax Provisions Are 'Procedural'

    A doctor who sued two medical providers for allegedly sending more than 14,000 unsolicited fax advertisements in 2022 urged the Eleventh Circuit to overturn a district court's denial of class certification, arguing the lower court wrongly found users of online fax services lack standing to sue under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. 

  • July 30, 2025

    Union Pension Fund Asks 8th Circ. To Strike GE's $230M Win

    A Missouri federal judge used the wrong approach when weighing GE's eligibility for a pension law exemption intended for construction employers, a union pension fund told the Eighth Circuit, saying the approach let GE skirt $230 million in pension obligations by painting an exaggerated picture of its construction employment.

  • July 30, 2025

    3rd Circ. Says Quote From Earlier Case Doesn't Nix Sentence

    A federal judge who gave a Dominican citizen a stiffer sentence after a second arrest improperly failed to warn the defendant that he would quote from the first sentencing, but the Third Circuit on Wednesday denied a do-over because the defendant didn't show that having notice would have changed the outcome.

  • July 30, 2025

    RJR Gets New Trial, Undoing $8.1M Engle Progeny Verdict

    A Florida appeals panel on Wednesday upended an $8.1 million judgment against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. in an Engle progeny case, finding the trial court abused its discretion by instructing the jury on the Engle case's fraudulent concealment and conspiracy findings when this case did not involve those claims.

  • July 30, 2025

    Dem Senators Press 9th Circ. Pick On Gender Role Beliefs

    Eric Tung, a partner at Jones Day and nominee for the Ninth Circuit, faced questions from Democratic senators during his nomination hearing Wednesday about his views on gender roles, based on remarks he gave to the Yale Daily News in 2004, when he was in college.

  • July 30, 2025

    Housing Groups Want $30M Grant Case Kept In District Court

    A coalition of housing advocacy groups challenging the termination of $30 million in federal antidiscrimination grants asked the First Circuit on Wednesday to let the Massachusetts federal district court keep jurisdiction over the case, if only to keep it alive long enough to figure out next steps.

  • July 30, 2025

    4th Circ. Backs Farm Worker's $2.5M Award For Amputation

    The Fourth Circuit affirmed a $2.5 million jury verdict favoring a former North Carolina farm worker who lost his lower leg to a grain silo auger, finding the farm tried to raise new arguments on appeal that were never before the district court.

  • July 30, 2025

    2nd Circ. Hands Clerk Another Shot At Free Speech Firing Suit

    A Second Circuit panel reinstated a suit Wednesday from a court clerk who claimed she was fired for aiding an investigation into an ethics complaint against her former boss, ruling the lower court incorrectly found that her duties as a government worker shielded her from constitutional protection.

  • July 30, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Urged To Undo Samsung Win In Patent Fight

    The owner of a touch screen patent has urged the Federal Circuit to revive its infringement lawsuit against Samsung, saying a Michigan federal judge got it wrong when analyzing who the patent belonged to when the case was filed.

  • July 30, 2025

    Ga. Law Firm Fights Bid To Keep Fee Fight Out Of Arbitration

    Georgia law firm Herman Jones LLP has pushed back on a former client's claim that it waived arbitration in a dispute over unpaid legal fees, arguing the trial court should not have had to rule on a free speech motion before sending the case to arbitration.

  • July 30, 2025

    Calif. Residents Urge Justices To Take Up Jury Trial Question

    A group of Humboldt County, California, property owners is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the group's appeal over the dismissal of its Seventh Amendment claim for a jury trial in a suit against the county alleging the county wrongly targeted the owners for illegal cannabis growth, saying the justices should reject the county's argument that the question is not ripe.

  • July 30, 2025

    DWI Test Legal Despite Old Notice, Texas Appeals Court Says

    A Texas appellate panel has found that a state trial court made a mistake in deciding to suppress blood test evidence showing a woman was drunk when she crashed into a parked trailer on an early morning in 2023.

  • July 30, 2025

    Grassley 'Offended' By Trump's Blue Slip Criticism

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday he was "surprised" and "offended" by President Donald Trump's post Tuesday night urging him to get rid of so-called blue slips, which are essentially vetoes for home state senators over U.S. attorney and district court nominee picks.

  • July 29, 2025

    Ex-LA Officer Can't Revive Suit Over COVID-19 Testing Costs

    A California appellate court Monday refused to revive a former Los Angeles police officer's suit claiming that he was denied due process when he was fired after refusing to comply with the city's COVID-19 policies, finding that the officer wasn't fired until after he made his case to the city.

  • July 29, 2025

    Axos Wants Justices To Undo Auditor's $1.5M Retaliation Win

    BofI Federal Bank, now operating as Axos Bank, has taken its dispute with a former auditor to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to vacate a Ninth Circuit decision upholding a $1.5 million jury verdict in favor of the auditor, who claimed he was fired for whistleblowing.

  • July 29, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Rejection Of Man's HPV Vaccine Claims

    A man who claimed vaccines he received as a teen, including one meant to guard against HPV, caused him to develop inflammatory bowel disease will receive no payments under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the Federal Circuit ruled on Tuesday, affirming a determination that his theory that vaccines caused his illness is unsupported.

  • July 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Allows Challenge To Nonprofit Political Pro Bono Ban

    The Fifth Circuit said Monday a free speech nonprofit has the right to sue members of the Texas Ethics Commission in an attempt to conduct pro bono work for a political organization, saying the commissioners do not have sovereign immunity in their official roles and must face the suit.

  • July 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Urged To Rehear Alaskan Willow Project Ruling

    Alaskan Native and environmental advocacy groups are asking the Ninth Circuit for a rehearing on its ruling to uphold the federal government's decision to evaluate only alternatives for the ConocoPhillips Willow project that they say will result in full development of the Arctic oil reservoir.

  • July 29, 2025

    Haynes Boone Power Team Keeps Winning At Fed. Circ.

    Debbie McComas and Angela Oliver have emerged as the duo to beat at the Federal Circuit, as the Haynes Boone partners have taken victories in each of the seven patent appeals between them they've argued this year.

Expert Analysis

  • Digesting A 2nd Circ. Ruling On Food Delivery App Arbitration

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    The Second Circuit recently rejected Grubhub's attempt to arbitrate price-fixing claims, while allowing Uber Eats to do so, reinforcing that even broad arbitration clauses must connect to the underlying dispute and suggesting that terms of service litigation may center on websites' design and content, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.

  • Bid Protest Spotlight: Instructions, Price Evaluation, Standing

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    In this month's bid protest roundup, Caitlin Crujido at MoFo looks at three recent decisions that consider a contractor's attempt to circumvent unambiguous solicitation instructions, the fairness of an agency's price evaluation and whether a protestor that would be unable to perform even if sucessful has standing.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

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    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Defense Strategies After Justices' Personal Injury RICO Ruling

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    In Medical Marijuana v. Horn, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held that the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act can be invoked by some plaintiffs with claims arising from personal injuries — but defense counsel can use the limitations on civil RICO claims to seek early dismissal in such cases, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • Opinion

    The SEC Must Protect Its Best Tool For Discovering Fraud

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    By eliminating the consolidated audit trail's collection of most retail customer information, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may squander a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deter securities market fraud and abuse, something new Chair Paul Atkins must ensure doesn't happen, says former SEC data strategist Hugh Beck.

  • Series

    Florida Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    The first quarter of 2025 saw the Trump administration's crypto-forward approach permeate the banking industry, including Florida banking institutions, and a Fourth District Court of Appeal decision provide a new precedent for borrower/lender standing, say attorneys at Kozyak Tropin.

  • Meta Case Brings Customer-Facing Statements Issue To Fore

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    Now that Facebook v. Amalgamated Bank has returned to California federal court after the U.S. Supreme Court in November found it improvidently granted certiorari, it will be worth watching whether customer-facing communications, such as Facebook's privacy policies, are found to be made in connection with the sale of a security, says Samuel Groner at Fried Frank.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Home Depot Ruling Tolls Death Knell For 'Silent Cyber'

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent ruling that Home Depot's insurers did not have to cover costs from a data breach hammered one more nail in the coffin of silent cyber, where coverage is sought under standard property or commercial general liability policies that were not intended to insure cyberattack claims, say attorneys at Zelle.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Texas Case Shows Why Juries Are Well-Suited To COVID Suits

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    The original jury verdict in Baylor College of Medicine v. Lloyd's, currently on appeal to the Texas Supreme Court after being overturned by an appellate panel, illustrates why COVID-19 business interruption claims with their case-specific facts need to be decided by juries, not by judges using a one-size-fits-all approach, says Jeremy Lawrence at Farella Braun.

  • Filial Consortium Claims' Future After Conn. High Court Ruling

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    While the Connecticut Supreme Court recently ruled for defendants in rejecting parents’ attempt to recover loss of companionship damages in a severe child injury case, there is still potential for the plaintiffs bar to lobby for a law that would allow filial consortium claims, Glenn Coffin at Gordon Rees.

  • 4th Circ. Health Data Ruling Opens Door To State Law Claims

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    In Real Time Medical v. PointClickCare, the Fourth Circuit recently clarified that state law claims can rest in part on violations of a federal law that prohibits electronic health information blocking, expanding legal risks for health IT companies and potentially creating exposure to a range of competitive implications, say attorneys at BCLP.

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