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Appellate
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June 05, 2024
Google Cleared From Suit Over Animal Abuse YouTube Videos
A California appeals panel has tossed a nonprofit's suit alleging that Google LLC breached its contract by allowing animal abuse videos on YouTube, saying Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act blocks all its claims.
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June 05, 2024
Microsoft Blasts Gamers' Bid To Add To Activision Appeal
Microsoft Corp. says the Ninth Circuit should reject a "bevy of additional, extra-record 'facts'" seeking to hold up the recent layoffs of 1,900 Activision and Xbox employees as proof that the tech giant's acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. was anticompetitive.
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June 05, 2024
Biden Asylum Halt Contradicts Border Wire Suit, Texas Says
Texas tore into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, saying a new executive order that halts asylum claims from immigrants who cross the border illegally directly contradicts the agency's argument before the Fifth Circuit over Texas' use of concertina wire fencing at the border.
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June 05, 2024
Ga. Panel Sides With State In County Fire Contract Fight
A Georgia Court of Appeals panel on Wednesday backed the state's Department of Behavioral Health in a dispute over a fire-protection services contract with a county government, ruling the department couldn't be held liable for canceling the contract because it has no statutory power to enter into it.
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June 05, 2024
Chubb Needn't Cover $14.5M Mold Deal, 11th Circ. Says
A $14.5 million consent judgment that a Florida woman secured against her condominium's property manager over what she alleged was mold exposure cannot be enforced against a pair of Chubb insurers, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed, saying the manager's carriers did not breach their duty to defend.
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June 05, 2024
Del. Justices Uphold Chancery's Toss Of Auto Parts Deal Suit
Delaware's Supreme Court has refused to reverse the Court of Chancery's 2023 dismissal of a stockholder suit accusing Chicago-based factory and automotive parts venture Distribution Solutions Group Inc. of failing to disclose conflicts surrounding and costs of a three-way merger in late 2021.
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June 05, 2024
Samsung Escapes Illinois Suit Over Exploding Vape Battery
An Illinois state appeals court has freed South Korea-based Samsung SDI Co. Ltd. from a suit alleging it sold a lithium-ion battery that exploded in a man's pocket, finding the man failed to provide any evidence that the company directed its wares at Illinois.
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June 05, 2024
4th Circ. Says SC Agency Must Give Google Ad Docs
A South Carolina agency must respond to Google's document request after the Fourth Circuit ruled Wednesday that the state waived its sovereign immunity by joining a case accusing the tech giant of monopolizing key digital advertising technology.
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June 05, 2024
Ga. Trump Election Case On Hold For DA DQ Appeal
The Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday temporarily halted proceedings in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants while it reviews a trial judge's ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis to continue prosecuting the case.
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June 05, 2024
Medtronic Can't Pause FCA Claims For 1st Circ. Detour
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday declined to pause a long-pending False Claims Act and whistleblower retaliation case against medical device maker Medtronic so it can appeal a recent ruling, saying the court and the parties need to "get it moving."
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June 05, 2024
Federal Judges Facing Scrutiny For Clerk-Hiring Boycotts
The federal judiciary must take a look at its judges' hiring practices in the wake of some jurists' public refusal to hire students from certain law schools over on-campus political activity over the Israel-Hamas war, a nonprofit government watchdog said Wednesday.
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June 05, 2024
From Small Town To 11th Circ., Nominee Pledges 'Open Mind'
A nominee for an Eleventh Circuit seat on Wednesday discussed his small-town upbringing, award-winning career as a prosecutor and the "obligation" he feels to be a role model for others considering a career in the law, saying he would approach cases with an "open mind" if confirmed to the federal appeals court.
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June 05, 2024
Ohio Panel Revives Cancer Scientist's Misconduct Probe Suit
An Ohio appellate court revived parts of a cancer research scientist's suit accusing Ohio State University of mishandling a probe into his conduct sparked by a New York Times article the scientist said defamed him, ruling his claims the school failed to follow its own policy should continue.
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June 05, 2024
Pa. Panel Erases $8.3M Atty Fee Win In Chlorine Leak Case
The Pennsylvania Superior Court has overturned an $8.3 million attorney fee award in a lawsuit over chlorine gas damage to a chemical plant and its workers, but preserved a nearly $14.3 million judgment in favor of the plant's owner.
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June 05, 2024
Houston Law Firm Can't Arbitrate 'Excessive' Fees Claims
A homeowners' association can proceed with its lawsuit against Vethan Law Firm PC in a Texas state court over allegedly "needless and excessive fees" because the firm failed to prove the existence of an arbitration agreement, a Texas state appellate court has ruled.
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June 05, 2024
1st Circ. May Undo Tribal Casino Bribery Convictions
First Circuit judges hinted Wednesday that jurisdictional flaws and other issues could reverse the bribery convictions of an architect and tribal chairman in connection with a proposed $1 billion casino in southeastern Massachusetts.
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June 05, 2024
Black Jurors Wrongly Excluded From Fla. Trial, 11th Circ. Told
A Florida attorney on Wednesday urged an Eleventh Circuit panel to revive his federal complaint against the city of Orlando, saying the wrong statute of limitations standard was used to dismiss a lawsuit alleging his civil rights were violated when opposing lawyers had Black jurors removed from his personal injury trial against the city.
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June 05, 2024
3rd Circ. Debates Length Of Breaks In $7M Wage Case
A Third Circuit panel tried on Wednesday to pin down when the U.S. Department of Labor and an in-home care agency believed that employees were off-duty or just traveling between jobs, and whether the company's lack of travel-time records left it open to a $7 million judgment based on government estimates.
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June 05, 2024
4th Circ. Affirms Insurer's Win In Couple's Home Damage Suit
A West Virginia couple wasn't entitled to a new trial in a property damage coverage dispute, the Fourth Circuit ruled Wednesday, saying a lower court did not abuse its discretion or err in excluding the couple's expert witness and allowing the insurer's expert to testify.
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June 05, 2024
7th Circ. Affirms Toss Of Mexican National's Widow Petition
The Seventh Circuit upheld U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' decision to deny a Mexican woman's bid for a visa as the widow of a U.S. citizen, saying the agency properly faulted her for misrepresenting her continued relationship with her ex-husband.
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June 05, 2024
5th Circ. Private Funds Ruling Could Rewrite SEC Agenda
The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday vacated U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulations that would have required private fund advisers to provide detailed disclosures to investors, in a sweeping decision that could upend the regulator's approach to promised rules on climate, artificial intelligence and crypto assets.
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June 04, 2024
Judiciary Panel Clears 1st MDL Rule, Eyes 'Mouthpiece' Amici
Top rulemaking gatekeepers for the federal judiciary Tuesday capped off seven years of strife in the defense and plaintiffs bars by backing a milestone measure aimed at optimizing multidistrict litigation, and then promptly greenlighted an entirely different war of words over new efforts to ferret out amicus briefs from "paid mouthpieces" masquerading as independent experts.
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June 04, 2024
Mitch McConnell Slams 7th Circ. Nom's 'Sheer Incompetence'
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tore into Seventh Circuit nominee U.S. District Judge Nancy L. Maldonado on the Senate floor Tuesday, criticizing her case backlog and saying that she has distinguished herself "with sheer incompetence."
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June 04, 2024
PE Firm Tells 5th Circ. It Got Pushed Out Of EV Co. Acquisition
Texas-based private equity company Ancor Holdings LP says it got pushed out of an acquisition deal by another private equity group it brought in as backup, arguing in oral arguments at the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday that a binding letter of intent means it's entitled to future profits.
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June 04, 2024
Monsanto Tries To Flip $1B PCB Losses As Plaintiffs Press On
Monsanto is moving to capitalize on a Washington state appellate victory it claims casts doubt on more than $1.1 billion in PCB poisoning verdicts, while plaintiffs are staking out positions to defend — and even build on — their blockbuster wins.
Expert Analysis
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NC Rulings Show Bankruptcy Isn't Only For Insolvent Debtors
Two recent rulings from a North Carolina bankruptcy court show that lack of financial distress is not a requirement for bankruptcy protection, particularly in the Fourth Circuit, but these types of cases can still be dismissed for other reasons, say Stuart Gordon and Alexandria Vath at Rivkin Radler.
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A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA
In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.
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Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
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10 Years After Alice, Predictability Debate Lingers
A decade after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Alice ruling, critics continue to argue that the subject matter eligibility framework it established yields inconsistent results, but that contention is disproved by affirmance data from the Federal Circuit, district courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, say Dennis Abdelnour and David Thomas at Honigman.
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Cannabis Ruling Lights Path For Bankruptcy Protection
A recent Massachusetts bankruptcy appellate court ruling in Blumsack v. Harrington leaves the door open for those employed in the cannabis industry to seek bankruptcy relief where certain conditions are met, but rescheduling marijuana as a Schedule III drug may complicate matters, say Jane Haviland and Kathryn Droumbakis at Mintz.
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This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
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Questions Persist After Ruling Skirts $925M TCPA Award Issue
After an Oregon federal court's recent Wakefield v. ViSalus ruling that the doctrine of constitutional avoidance precluded it from deciding whether a $925 million Telephone Consumer Protection Act damages award was constitutionally sound, further guidance is needed on when statutory damages violate due process, says Michael Klotz at O'Melveny.
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Discord Stock Case Toss Means Little For Fraud Defendants
A Texas federal court’s recent dismissal of fraud charges related to a "pump and dump" scheme on Discord is an outlier after the U.S. Supreme Court scrapped the right-to-control theory of fraud last year, and ultimately won't deter the government from pursuing routine securities prosecutions, says William Johnston at Bird Marella.
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Clarifying Legal Elements To Support A Genocide Claim At ICJ
Reporting on South Africa’s dispute against Israel in the International Court of Justice largely fails to clearly articulate what a case for genocide alleged in the context of war requires — a technical analysis that will evaluate several key factors, from the scale of the devastation to statements by officials, say Solomon Shinerock and Alex Bedrosyan at Lewis Baach.
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Policy Misrepresentations Carry Insurance Rescission Risks
The Second Circuit's recent decision in Medical Mutual v. Gnik, finding that material misrepresentation in a clinic's insurance applications warranted policy rescission, is a clear example of the far-reaching effects that misrepresentations can have and provides a reminder that policyholders should employ relatively straightforward steps to decrease risks, say attorneys at Hunton.
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Back Labels In False Ad Cases Get Some Clarity In 9th Circ.
Courts in the Ninth Circuit have recently delivered a series of wins to advertisers, making clear that any ambiguity on the front of a product's package can be resolved by reference to the back label — which guarantees defendants a powerful tool to combat deceptive labeling claims, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.
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What Bankruptcy Deadline Appeal May Mean For Claimants
If the Third Circuit reverses a recent appeal made in In re: Promise Healthcare, litigation claimants within the circuit will not be able to rely on the proof of claim process to preserve the claim — but if the court affirms, the U.S. Supreme Court may need to step in to resolve the circuit split on this issue, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Why Fed. Circ. Should Resolve District Split On Patent Statute
A split exists among district courts in their analysis of when marking cannot be done on a patented article due to its character, and the Federal Circuit should consider clarifying the analysis of Section 287(a), a consequential statute with important implications for patent damages, say Nicholas Nowak and Jamie Dohopolski at Sterne Kessler.
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Employers Beware Of NLRB Changes On Bad Faith Bargaining
Recent National Labor Relations Board decisions show a trend of the agency imposing harsher remedies on employers for bad faith bargaining over union contracts, a position upheld in the Ninth Circuit's recent NLRB v. Grill Concepts Services decision, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.