Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Appellate
-
February 05, 2025
Goldstein, Saying He's Mired In Debt, Asks To Redo Bail Terms
Prominent U.S. Supreme Court attorney and SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein has a negative net worth of more than $3.3 million and is mired in debt to his attorneys, he said in a filing Wednesday seeking to modify the conditions of his release ahead of a trial on federal criminal tax evasion charges.
-
February 05, 2025
Appellate Group Of The Year: Hogan Lovells
Hogan Lovells argued eight cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2024, secured key victories for manufacturers of abortion medication and shut down a 21 million-member class action for Google, earning the firm a spot among the 2024 Law360 Appellate Groups of the Year.
-
February 05, 2025
Justices' Ruling Nixes Md. Court's FLSA Order, 4th Circ. Told
A Maryland federal court's decision imposing a stricter standard for an employer to claim an overtime exemption is no longer valid after the U.S. Supreme Court said the heightened evidence standard isn't necessary, an international food distributor told the Fourth Circuit.
-
February 05, 2025
Calif. Panel Revives Malpractice Suit Against Insurer Attys
A California state appeals court revived an Allstate policyholder's legal malpractice suit against his insurer-appointed attorney, saying the policyholder sufficiently alleged the attorney's drafting of an underlying settlement in a wrongful death suit caused him damages.
-
February 05, 2025
NC Software Co. Says DQ Of Rival's Atty Shouldn't Stall Trial
An attorney being kicked off a bitter copyright case over source code shouldn't delay the fast-approaching trial, a U.S. software company told a North Carolina federal judge, arguing that its Dutch rival is trying to use the loss of its preferred counsel as a stalling tactic.
-
February 05, 2025
11th Circ. Backs Navy Win In IT Worker's Promotion Bias Suit
The Eleventh Circuit upheld the U.S. Navy's defeat of a civilian tech employee's suit claiming he was passed over for several promotions because he was Hispanic and in his 50s, saying he failed to show that supervisors considered his age or race when making decisions.
-
February 05, 2025
Pa. Dept.'s Switch On Abortion Funding Leaves Court Unsure
A Pennsylvania appellate court struggled Wednesday with how to handle a challenge to the state's ban on using Medicaid funding for abortions, after the state's health regulator switched sides to agree with the suing providers and the commonwealth's justices stopped Republican lawmakers from defending the ban.
-
February 05, 2025
Maryland Judge Blocks Trump Birthright Citizenship Order
A Maryland federal judge on Wednesday issued a nationwide injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship.
-
February 04, 2025
Russian Bank Can't Ditch Jet Crash Suit, 2nd Circ. Agrees
The Second Circuit on Tuesday agreed with a lower court's finding that Sberbank of Russia must face Anti-Terrorism Act litigation related to the 2014 downing of a commercial airliner over eastern Ukraine, rejecting the bank's argument that it's entitled to sovereign immunity.
-
February 04, 2025
9th Circ. Revives FCA Suit Over Military Meds Deliveries
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday revived a whistleblower lawsuit accusing Express Scripts Inc. of defrauding the U.S. Department of Defense out of billions of dollars in unnecessary medications for military personnel, saying the lawsuit wasn't barred by any public disclosures of the alleged fraud.
-
February 04, 2025
Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action
February is off to a rip-roaring start in several circuits, and there's plenty more action ahead, including a moment of truth for judiciary policymaking that has managed to anger both the defense and plaintiffs bars. We'll explore all that in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing, which also includes an appellate quiz pegged to recent presidential news.
-
February 04, 2025
OpenSky Defends Patent Challenge After Verdict Against Intel
A company found using the patent review process to try to extort money from VLSI Technology LLC and Intel Corp. after a $2.18 billion jury verdict against the chipmaking giant is arguing it shouldn't have to pay legal fees, saying its efforts to revive a meritorious patent challenge is simply part of a "potentially profitable business model."
-
February 04, 2025
Walmart's Win In Fatal Shooting Suit Backed By Calif. Court
A California state appellate court on Tuesday upheld a defense verdict for Walmart in a suit accusing the retailer of negligently storing handgun ammunition that purportedly allowed a man to steal several boxes and go on a crime spree, killing two people.
-
February 04, 2025
Meta Can't Be Sued For Church Mass Shooting, 4th Circ. Says
The Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday that Meta can't be held liable for allegedly aiding in the radicalization of the shooter who killed nine people at a South Carolina church in 2015, saying a federal law granting immunity to third-party internet content providers applies to the claims.
-
February 04, 2025
Judge Explains Biogen Class Cert. Ruling After 1st Circ. Order
A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday said he was reminded of a grade school lesson in long division as he explained his reasoning behind granting class certification and cutting short the class period in a suit against drugmaker Biogen Inc. on the orders of the First Circuit.
-
February 04, 2025
Fed. Circ. Grapples With Extensions On Reissued Patents
The Federal Circuit is set to decide when a reissued patent actually expires after fielding arguments Tuesday morning from Merck and the generic-drug makers who are trying to break the pharmaceutical giant's hold on a blockbuster drug that counteracts the effects of anesthesia.
-
February 04, 2025
FCC Drops 5th Circ. Defense Of Nonbinary Gender Category
The Federal Communications Commission will no longer defend a nonbinary gender category on its employment diversity forms amid challenges brought by religious broadcasters in the Fifth Circuit, where judges grilled the FCC on Tuesday about its authority to collect and publish industry data on employee diversity.
-
February 04, 2025
5th Circ. Mulls If Green Orgs. Have Injury In Injection Well Case
A Fifth Circuit panel pondered whether environmental groups will suffer an injury adequate to challenge underground injection wells in Louisiana, asking during oral arguments Tuesday whether the groups can bring a legal claim for an event 50 years down the road.
-
February 04, 2025
Ill. Panel Upholds Barge Worker's $3.3M Jury Award
An Illinois state appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a $3.31 million jury award and a directed verdict in favor of a man who was severely injured while working on a barge crew, saying it was an appropriate sanction for the defendant's attorney revealing the substance of trial testimony to a witness.
-
February 04, 2025
Del. Justices Nix Fairness Ruling In TripAdvisor Nevada Move
Citing in part aversion to "speculative litigation," Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed a ruling that kept in play potential stockholder damage claims in connection with the proposed reincorporation in Nevada of TripAdvisor and its parent, finding that business judgment deference should govern the court challenge.
-
February 04, 2025
Swimmers Again Seek Cert., With 9th Circ's Reversal In Hand
Professional swimmers have again asked a California federal judge to certify hundreds of competitors accusing swimming's international governing body of organizing a group boycott against an upstart league, now armed with a Ninth Circuit decision that both revived their case and said class certification was improperly denied.
-
February 04, 2025
5th Circ. Asks Why EPA Stalled Denial Of Texas Ozone Plan
A Fifth Circuit panel pushed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday to specify why it had dragged its feet before denying Texas' Clean Air Act implementation plans, asking during oral arguments how long the agency can "sit on" the plans.
-
February 04, 2025
Senate Confirms Pam Bondi To Be AG
The U.S. Senate voted 54-46 on Tuesday to confirm Pam Bondi to be attorney general.
-
February 04, 2025
4th Circ. Reverses Disability Suit Win For Cox Enterprises
The Fourth Circuit reversed a win for Cox Enterprises Inc. on Tuesday in an ex-worker's federal benefits lawsuit alleging he was wrongly denied long-term disability benefits, citing a failure by the plan's administrator to discuss conflicting evidence regarding the ex-worker's capability to return to work.
-
February 04, 2025
Lindberg Fights NC Charging Order Against His Florida Co.
Convicted mogul Greg Lindberg has told the North Carolina state appeals court that an insurer he's accused of defrauding can't collect a $524 million judgment against him by going after his out-of-state holding company, arguing that the trial court has no power over him or his business in Florida.
Expert Analysis
-
The Fed. Circ. In 2024: 5 Major Rulings To Know
In 2024, the Federal Circuit provided a number of important clarifications to distinct areas of patent law – including design patent obviousness, expert testimony admissions and patent term adjustments – all of which are poised to have an influence going forward, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.
-
Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win
Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.
-
Mass Arbitration Procedures After Faulty Live Nation Ruling
Despite the Ninth Circuit's flawed reasoning in Heckman v. Live Nation, the exceptional allegations of collusive conduct shouldn't be read to restrict arbitration providers that have adopted good faith procedures to ensure that consumer mass arbitrations can be efficiently resolved on the merits, says Collin Vierra at Eimer Stahl.
-
Lessons From Two New Year's Eve Uptier Exchange Decisions
On the last day of 2024, two different courts issued important decisions relating to non-pro rata uptier exchanges — and while they differ, both rulings highlight that transactions effected in reliance on undefined terms in debt agreements come with increased risk, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.
-
Public Corruption Enforcement In 2024 Has Clues For 2025
If 2024 activity is any indication, the U.S. Supreme Court will likely continue to rein in expansive prosecutorial theories of fraud in the year to come, but it’s harder to predict what the new administration will mean for public corruption prosecutions in 2025, says Cathy Fleming at Offit Kurman.
-
Issues To Watch In 2025's ERISA Litigation Landscape
Whether 2024’s uptick in new Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases will continue this year will likely depend on federal courts’ resolution of several issues, including those related to excessive fees, defined contribution plan forfeitures, and pleading standards for ERISA-prohibited transaction claims, say attorneys at Groom Law.
-
Patent Ruling Sheds Light On Printed Matter Doctrine
Patent attorneys should pay attention to the claim language highlighted in Ioengine v. Ingenico, where the Federal Circuit held that program code was not printed matter, but essentially instructions or content, and therefore not subject to the printed matter doctrine for patent challenges, says Irah Donner at Manatt.
-
Calif. Justices' Options In Insurance Exhaustion Case
Fox Paine v. Twin City Fire Insurance may serve as the California Supreme Court's opportunity to firmly establish precedent with respect to a strict adherence to excess insurance policies' exhaustion provisions when the language is clear and explicit, says Aiden Spencer at Langsam Stevens.
-
Justices Could Stitch Up ERISA Circuit Split With Cornell Case
In Cunningham v. Cornell, scheduled for oral arguments next week, the U.S. Supreme Court has the opportunity to provide uniform pleading standards for Section 1106(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, the lack of which has vexed circuit courts and benefits counsel for years, says Scott Tippett at Offit Kurman.
-
Considering The Status Of The US Doctrine Of Patent Misuse
A recent Ninth Circuit decision and a U.K. Court of Appeal decision demonstrate the impact that the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment has had on the principle that post-patent-expiration royalty payments amount to patent misuse, not only in the U.S. but in English courts as well, say attorneys at Covington.
-
Series
Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.
-
Looking Back At 2024's Noteworthy State AG Litigation
State attorneys general across the U.S. took bold steps in 2024 to address unlawful activities by corporations in several areas, including privacy and data security, financial transparency, children's internet safety, and other overall consumer protection claims, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
-
Opinion
No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.
A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.
-
The Compliance Trends And Imperatives On Tap In 2025
The corporate ethics and compliance landscape is rapidly evolving, posing challenges from conflicting stakeholder expectations to technological disruptions, and businesses will need to explore human-centered, data-driven and evidence-based practices, says Hui Chen at CDE Advisors.
-
Opinion
Congress Should Finally Add Clarity To Section 101
With both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate introducing bills to provide guidance on what qualifies as patentable subject matter under the Patent Act, Congress will hopefully put an end at last to 10 years of uncertainty surrounding the question, says David Carstens at Carstens Allen.