Appellate

  • September 11, 2025

    Moelis Says Pact Spurring Del. Corp. Law Rework Is Lawful

    Attorneys for Moelis & Co. have told Delaware's justices that a stockholder agreement that solidified Ken Moelis' control of the investment bank was either valid or lawfully obtainable by other means before the Court of Chancery struck it down last year, with time to challenge key provisions long since expired.

  • September 11, 2025

    Russia To Seek Guidance From Justices In $50B Award Suit

    Russia said Thursday it will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a D.C. Circuit decision reviving its bid to escape litigation to enforce $50 billion in arbitral awards against it, arguing the appellate decision "cements an irreconcilable conflict" with the Second and Fifth circuits.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insulin Makers Ask 2nd Circ. To Rethink Collusion Claims

    Sanofi-Aventis US, Eli Lilly & Co., Novo Nordisk Inc. and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP are asking for a rehearing after a Second Circuit panel revived a proposed class action from safety-net hospitals and clinics accusing the companies of increasing insulin drug costs by agreeing to limit participation in a discount program.

  • September 11, 2025

    11th Circ. Seeks Additional Briefing In Mortality Table Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit has requested additional briefing on what the term "actuarial equivalence" meant when the Employee Retirement Income Security Act was enacted in an appeal by married utility company retirees who filed a class suit claiming their pension benefits were lowballed due to outdated mortality tables used in conversions.

  • September 11, 2025

    3rd Circ. Won't Toss Talc Co. Whittaker Clark & Daniels' Ch. 11

    Defunct talc supplier Whittaker Clark & Daniels properly filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2023 and its bankruptcy case should not be dismissed, the Third Circuit has ruled, siding against talc claimants who argued the company already being in receivership precluded it from filing for bankruptcy.

  • September 11, 2025

    Insurers Claim 'Collusion' In Ga. School's $345M Abuse Deal

    Five insurance companies urged the Georgia Court of Appeals Thursday to let them off the hook for a $345 million settlement between a private school and nearly two dozen men who said they were sexually abused as students, alleging the deal was "tainted by collusion" and well outside the bounds of their respective policies.

  • September 11, 2025

    Ga. Panel Sends Officer Crash Suit Back For Notice Review

    The Georgia Court of Appeals Thursday said a trial court must reconsider whether a woman who sued the city of Savannah after a police officer allegedly injured her by causing her husband's motorcycle to topple sideways provided the city with an adequate ante litem notice.

  • September 11, 2025

    7th Circ. Backs $183M FCA Award Over Eli Lilly Drug Rebates

    The Seventh Circuit refused on Thursday to unwind a whistleblower's $183 million trial win against Eli Lilly in a false claims case targeting more than a decade of drug rebate miscalculations, saying a jury reasonably found that the company knowingly "hid the truth" about how much it charged for Medicaid-covered drugs.

  • September 11, 2025

    Panel Says $4.5M Wrongful Death Award Lacked Evidence

    A panel of the Michigan state appeals court on Wednesday undid a $4.5 million default judgment against a bus driver who ran over a man in Detroit, finding the estate of the man did not provide enough evidence to support the damages amount.

  • September 11, 2025

    Texas Justices Wary Of Letting Developers Out Of $75M Bond

    Texas Supreme Court justices seemed hesitant Thursday to buy an argument from Greystar Development & Construction LP that it and other defendants on the hook for a $406 million judgment only need to collectively pay a $25 million bond for their appeal, saying the statute seemingly compels each individual defendant to pony up.

  • September 11, 2025

    Ga. Law Bars Broad Media Access To Executions, Court Told

    Georgia officials Thursday told a state appellate court it should reject a nonprofit news organization's bid to force greater media access to executions, arguing the outlet is trying to rely on the type of third-party standing that was scrapped earlier this year by the state's Supreme Court.

  • September 11, 2025

    NC Justices Ponder How Much Of Firm Value Atty's Ex Gets

    North Carolina's top court hinted Thursday that a solo attorney's ex-wife may be able to claim at least a morsel of his law firm's worth in their divorce, as the justices pondered whether to draw a distinction between two types of business value known as personal and enterprise goodwill.

  • September 11, 2025

    BofA Wants Quick 4th Circ. Appeal In 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

    Bank of America wants to appeal a North Carolina federal court's denial of its dismissal bid in a proposed class action filed on behalf of 401(k) participants alleging the bank misspent forfeitures from workers' retirement plan.

  • September 11, 2025

    23 States Back High Court Stay Of FTC Dem's Reinstatement

    Florida and 22 other states have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to grant the Trump administration's request to block a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission from serving on the commission while she challenges her firing.

  • September 11, 2025

    LifePoint Must Face Workers' 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

    A Tennessee federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action against LifePoint Health Inc. from participants in the healthcare company's employee 401(k) plan who alleged their retirement savings were dragged down by excessive recordkeeping and administrative fees, concluding allegations were sufficiently backed up to proceed to discovery.

  • September 11, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Lets Ruling On Canada's Cherry Patent Stand

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday declined a request by a group of cherry growers to reinstate a court order that a patent covering the Staccato cherry variety owned by the Canadian government was invalid, saying a district judge had not acted improperly by reversing the order.

  • September 11, 2025

    US Attorneys, Judicial Noms Advance Amid Senate Tensions

    Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, faulted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday, for getting in the way of efforts by him and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the committee's ranking Democrat, to expedite the confirmation of U.S. attorney nominees. 

  • September 11, 2025

    4th Circ. Seems Wary Of Backing Freeze On Trump DEI Orders

    A Fourth Circuit panel appeared reluctant Thursday to uphold an injunction blocking parts of President Donald Trump's executive orders that aimed to cut grants and rein in diversity programs among federal contractors, posing tough questions to the groups who claim the orders are unconstitutional.

  • September 11, 2025

    Fla. Doc Can Pursue Defamation Claims Against CNN, Cooper

    A Florida appeals court has reversed an order throwing out a pediatric doctor's suit against CNN, Anderson Cooper and reporters for the network, saying a jury should decide whether they defamed him through the use of unadjusted mortality rates at his hospital.

  • September 11, 2025

    Pa. Justices Seek Fair Process For Picking Tax Appeals

    Pennsylvania's Supreme Court grappled Thursday with whether a school district's tax assessment appeals ran afoul of prior rulings upholding the uniformity clause of the state Constitution, suggesting that any criteria for choosing appeals might favor one kind of property over another.

  • September 11, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says 9/11 MDL Firm Must Wait To Appeal Sanctions

    Sanctions imposed against a New York firm for leaking a document in violation of a protective order in the multidistrict litigation over the Sept. 11 attacks are too closely tied to the merits of the case for an appellate panel to consider tossing them, the Second Circuit has determined.

  • September 11, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says Kik Scans Don't Violate Fourth Amendment

    Messaging applications like Kik are allowed to search users' conversations as part of due diligence into suspected cases of child sexual abuse material without violating users' Fourth Amendment rights, the Second Circuit has found.

  • September 11, 2025

    Montana Tribe Members Ask To Join Justices' Tariff Suit Review

    Members of the Blackfeet Nation have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to join its review of cases challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs, telling the justices that their arguments' inclusion in the matter is essential to support tribal rights under federal law.

  • September 11, 2025

    IRS Forfeits Opposition In $37M Easement Dispute, Court Told

    Two partnerships seeking to reinstate their combined $37 million tax deductions for donating adjoining Georgia conservation easements told the Eleventh Circuit that the IRS has effectively forfeited its opposition to their claim that the U.S. Tax Court made valuation errors in reducing their tax breaks.

  • September 11, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Keeps Google, Amazon Patent Fights In Calif.

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday refused to send back to Texas federal court a pair of suits from a software company accusing Google and Amazon of patent infringement, refusing to undo findings that California was the better venue.

Expert Analysis

  • Fed. Circ. In July: Instability In IPR Requirements

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Shockwave v. Cardiovascular last month provided an important, albeit short-lived, clarification to the type of evidence that can be used in an inter partes review challenge, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • 9th Circ. Qualified Immunity Ruling May Limit Phone Searches

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    Though the Ninth Circuit affirmed police officers’ qualified immunity claims in Olson v. County of Grant earlier this year, it also established important Fourth Amendment precedent on the use of cellphone extractions that will apply more broadly in criminal investigations and prosecutions, say attorneys at The Norton Law Firm.

  • Series

    Coaching Cheerleading Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    At first glance, cheerleading and litigation may seem like worlds apart, but both require precision, adaptability, leadership and the ability to stay composed under pressure — all of which have sharpened how I approach my work in the emotionally complex world of mass torts and personal injury, says Rashanda Bruce at Robins Kaplan.

  • 9th Circ.'s Kickback Ruling Strengthens A Prosecutorial Tool

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision last month in U.S. v. Schena, interpreting the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act to prohibit kickback conduct between the principal and individuals who do not directly interact with patients, serves as a wake-up call to the booming clinical laboratory testing industry, say attorneys at Kendall Brill.

  • Ruling Puts 11th Circ. At Odds With Bankruptcy Courts

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    While an Eleventh Circuit majority recently found in BenShot v. 2 Monkey Trading and Lucky Shot USA that corporate debtors, like individuals, face certain exceptions to discharge under a nonconsensual Subchapter V plan, the ruling not only reverses the lower court, but opposes the holdings of many other bankruptcy courts, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • How New Texas Law Targets ESG Proxy Advice

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    A recently enacted Texas law represents a major shift in how proxy advisory services are regulated in Texas, particularly when recommendations are based on nonfinancial factors like ESG and DEI, but legal challenges underscore the statute’s broader constitutional and statutory implications, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • 5th Circ. Ruling Signals Strife For Employers Navigating ADA

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    While the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision in Strife v. Aldine Independent School District demonstrates that speed is not a perfect shield against workers' Americans with Disabilities Act claims, it does highlight how courts may hold employers liable for delays in the interactive accommodation process, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: How To Make A Deal

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    Preparing lawyers for the nuances of a transactional practice is not a strong suit for most law schools, but, in practice, there are six principles that can help young M&A lawyers become seasoned, trusted deal advisers, says Chuck Morton at Venable.

  • 11th Circ. Ruling Shows Federal Question Jurisdiction Limits

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    The Eleventh Circuit's recent decision in AST Science v. Delclaux shows why it is extremely difficult for litigants to maintain a state law cause of action in federal court under Supreme Court precedent, says Paul Avron at Berger Singerman.

  • 4th Circ. Clarifies Employer Duties For ADA Accommodations

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    The Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Tarquinio v. Johns Hopkins indicates that an employer's obligation to provide accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act may never arise if an employee obstructs the process, underscoring that ADA protections depend on cooperation between both parties, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • From Clerkship To Law Firm: 5 Transition Tips For Associates

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Transitioning from a judicial clerkship to an associate position at a law firm may seem daunting, but by using knowledge gained while clerking, being mindful of key differences and taking advantage of professional development opportunities, these attorneys can flourish in private practice, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • 9th Circ.'s Trade Secrets Ruling Is A Win For DTSA Plaintiffs

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Quintara v. Ruifeng shifts the balance in federal trade secret litigation toward a more flexible, discovery-driven process, meaning that plaintiffs may be more likely to pursue claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act, and early motions to strike or dismiss will face steep odds, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Associates Can Earn Credibility By Investing In Relationships

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    As the class of 2025 prepares to join law firms this fall, new associates must adapt to office dynamics and establish credible reputations — which require quiet, consistent relationship-building skills as much as legal acumen, says Kyle Forges at Bast Amron.

  • How 6th Circ. Ruling Deepens Split On Broker Liability

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    A growing divide in Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act jurisprudence is ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, after the Sixth Circuit last month found in Cox v. Total Quality Logistics that brokers can be held liable for negligent hiring, says Gregory Reed at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Trending At The PTAB: IPR Memo And Its Fed. Circ. Backdrop

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    There are new rules for when and how evidence other than patents or printed publications can be considered in inter partes reviews, and while this change is intended to reflect current Federal Circuit precedent, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's memo seems to acknowledge tension with last month's Shockwave decision, say attorneys at Finnegan.

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