Appellate

  • August 28, 2025

    Appeals Court Reverses $2.1M Injunction Against Oil Broker

    A Texas state appeals court reversed a temporary injunction barring a crude oil broker from transferring $2.1 million in assets it was paid for oil supplied by its partner, saying the trial court incorrectly determined that the company faced insolvency.

  • August 28, 2025

    Court Blocks Bid To Keep Everglades Detention Center Open

    A Florida federal judge denied a bid to halt a preliminary injunction requiring the government to cease operations at an Everglades immigration detention center, ruling no new evidence was shown that its detainees are dangerous or why a facility must be placed in that particular location. 

  • August 28, 2025

    Sonos Gets Fed. Circ. To Revive IP From $33M Google Verdict

    A California federal judge wrongly invalidated claims of Sonos Inc. speaker patents after its $32.5 million jury trial win over Google LLC, the Federal Circuit said Thursday as it largely reversed the judge's holding.

  • August 28, 2025

    Tribal Members Seek 5th Circ. Redo In San Antonio Park Row

    Two members of a Native American church are asking the Fifth Circuit to rehear its appeal, which looks to block the restoration of a San Antonio park, saying that if left uncorrected, the opinion will leave religious believers vulnerable and sow confusion among district courts.

  • August 28, 2025

    Drug Use, Crimes Not Reasons To Escape $760K Bite Judgment

    An Indiana appeals court on Thursday refused to vacate a $760,000 default judgment against a woman who was sued for failing to supervise her dog when it mauled a neighbor, saying that the drug use and criminal proceedings she blames for missing notice of the suit are not excusable neglect.

  • August 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Reinstates Copyright Suit Over Liturgical Song

    The Ninth Circuit has revived a copyright suit by a songwriter who claimed that elements of his liturgical song were copied by a Christian songwriter, ruling that even though some evidence was rightly excluded, there were still triable elements to the case.

  • August 28, 2025

    Ill. High Court Says Murder Case Can't Be Given To New Judge

    A divided Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that appeals courts in the state are not allowed under the high court's rules to send cases back to trial with instructions to reassign the case to a new judge without proving either bias or prejudice from the prior judge.

  • August 28, 2025

    Ga.'s Chief Justice Warns Of AI's Risks To Trial Evidence

    As generative artificial intelligence tools have become widely accessible, Georgia's chief justice said Thursday he's worried about how the technology can be used to manipulate and distort evidence presented in court and what the judiciary can do to prevent that. 

  • August 28, 2025

    1st Circ. OKs Terminating Ex-Pharma VP's Disability Benefits

    The First Circuit said Synta Pharmaceuticals' benefits administrator may terminate the benefits of a former executive after deeming that his significant weight loss, six-day-a-week pickleball hobby, and travels to far-flung places like Africa showed he was no longer disabled.

  • August 28, 2025

    PBGC Must Reconsider Bakery Union's $132M Bailout Bid

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. must formally reexamine whether union bakery drivers can collect $132 million from a federal pension rescue program, a New York federal judge said Thursday after lifting a stay on the order following the Second Circuit's decision to reject the agency's rehearing bid.

  • August 28, 2025

    Fla. Justices Reject Carole Baskin's Defamation Appeal

    The Florida Supreme Court declined Thursday to take up the appeal of a decision reviving defamation claims against "Tiger King" star Carole Baskin over statements on YouTube claiming her missing husband's former assistant embezzled $600,000.

  • August 28, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Upend Toss Of Flu Vaccine Injury Claim

    The Federal Circuit won't revive a man's vaccine injury claim after it was rejected by a special master at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, finding the decision that his injuries were caused by a separate infection was not arbitrary or capricious.

  • August 27, 2025

    DOJ Throws Lifeline To J&J At 3rd Circ. After $1.6B FCA Loss

    A district judge made multiple errors in an opinion and jury instructions underpinning a staggering False Claims Act verdict tied to Johnson & Johnson's drug marketing practices, and a fresh look is needed "under a correct view of the law," the U.S. Department of Justice told the Third Circuit on Wednesday.

  • August 27, 2025

    2nd Circ. Says Afghan Central Bank Immune From Attachment

    A divided Second Circuit panel upheld a lower court's decision rejecting plaintiffs' attempt to confirm a prejudgment attachment order concerning "blocked" funds held by the Afghan central bank, holding that the funds are immune from seizure under federal law.

  • August 27, 2025

    DC Circ. Told Quick Removals For Parolees Rightly Blocked

    The D.C. Circuit should not allow the Trump administration to "destroy" the promise that the federal government made to immigrant parolees during the Biden administration by subjecting them to expedited removal, an advocacy group told the appellate court.

  • August 27, 2025

    Quinn Emanuel Fights Uphill To Collect On LA's $280K Bill

    A Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorney on criticized a California appellate panel's tentative ruling affirming a court's order that the firm cannot collect roughly $280,000 in legal bills from Los Angeles County, saying Wednesday it gives "short shift" to the firm's arguments and "myopically" misses "the forest for the trees, frankly."

  • August 27, 2025

    Pipe Importer Wants $26M Fraud Ruling Paused For Appeal

    A New Jersey-based pipe importer asked the Ninth Circuit to pause a decision affirming a $26 million fraud judgment entered against it for making false statements on customs forms to avoid paying tariffs while it appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • August 27, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Special Master In NFL Concussion Fee Fight

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday upheld a lower court decision that rejected awarding a law firm $3,000 in fees for representing a retired NFL player in his concussion injury litigation against the league, finding a special master properly applied Pennsylvania's lien law.

  • August 27, 2025

    Ameritas Urges Ga. Justices To Void 'Life Wager' Policy

    Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. urged the Supreme Court of Georgia Wednesday to hold that a trust that purchased a woman's investor-backed life insurance policy years after it was written can't collect after her death, warning the court that allowing the trust to do so would provoke "a run" of third-party policies in the state.

  • August 27, 2025

    4th Circ. Upholds Va. County's 'Sensitive Places' Gun Bans

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday upheld a Virginia county's ban on guns in public parks and left in place its ban near county-permitted events, leaning on U.S. Supreme Court dicta on school gun bans and ruling that plaintiffs hadn't shown enough to sustain their facial challenge to the restrictions.

  • August 27, 2025

    2nd Circ. Partially Revives Suit Over Peloton COVID-19 Sales

    A split Second Circuit panel Wednesday revived a shareholder suit accusing Peloton of intentionally misleading investors to believe that its pandemic-era spike in demand was sustainable, finding that three statements at issue in the complaint are actionable.

  • August 27, 2025

    MSN Warns Justices Of 'Double Standard' In Entresto Appeal

    MSN Pharmaceuticals is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to step in after the Federal Circuit barred its generic version of Novartis' blockbuster cardiovascular drug Entresto, saying the circuit court used a broad construction of the patent to find infringement and a narrow version to uphold validity.

  • August 27, 2025

    Hospice Care Co. Can't Duck Claims It Covered Up Death

    A Texas appeals court has thrown out wrongful death and negligence claims against a hospice care provider in a suit alleging its employees are liable for a man's death from fentanyl overdose, but allowed claims that they covered up the cause of death by falsifying patient records to proceed.

  • August 27, 2025

    Ex-Software Co. Execs' Win Upheld In Retirement Plan Fight

    The Eleventh Circuit has ruled software company NCR Corp.'s "top hat" retirement plans didn't allow the company to issue lump-sum payments to plan participants as alternatives to promised life annuities, affirming former company executives' win in the contract breach suit alleging they were shortchanged payouts from the plans.

  • August 27, 2025

    Negligence Suit Over Arrest On Stale Warrant Gets New Life

    A Fourth Circuit panel Wednesday vacated a South Carolina county clerk's summary judgment win against allegations that her negligence resulted in a man being arrested twice over the same unpaid child support dispute, kicking the case back to trial court for new proceedings.

Expert Analysis

  • Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

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    With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

  • How Justices' Ruling Limits Options To Challenge DHS Orders

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    In Riley v. Bondi, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that a 30-day deadline for challenging deportation orders begins when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issues a final administrative review order, opening the door for the government to effectively bar circuit court review in future similar cases, says Kevin Gregg at Kurzban Kurzban.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Purdue Case Could Transform Patent Obviousness Analyses

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    If accepted for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, Purdue Pharma v. Accord Healthcare — concerning whether Purdue's abuse-deterrent opioid formulation patents were invalid as obvious — could significantly shift how courts weigh secondary considerations in patent obviousness analyses, say attorneys at Lathrop.

  • NM Cyber Ruling Will Spur Litigation As Coverage Remedy

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    In Kane v. Beazley, the New Mexico Court of Appeals recently found that a cyber liability provision insuring security breaches included coverage for funds transfer fraud, implicitly and incorrectly motivating policyholders to commence litigation to avoid contractual limitations on cyber coverages, say attorneys at Zelle.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Texas' Cactus Ruling Clarifies 'Produced Water' Rules

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    The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Cactus Water Services v. COG Operating, holding that mineral interest lessees have the rights to water extracted alongside oil and gas, should benefit industry players by clarifying the rules — but it leaves important questions about royalties unresolved, say attorneys at Yetter Coleman.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • How Political Divisions Are Stalling Pa. Energy Development

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    Despite possessing the nation's second-largest natural gas reserves and a legacy of energy infrastructure, Pennsylvania faces a fragmented and politically charged path to developing the energy resources it will need in the future, thanks to legislative gridlock, divided public opinion and competing energy interests, says Andrew Levine at Stradley Ronon.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • What High Court's Tenn. Trans Care Ruling Means Nationally

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in U.S. v. Skrmetti, upholding a Tennessee ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors, is fairly limited in scope and closely tailored to the specific language of Tennessee's law, but it may have implications for challenges to similar laws in other states, say attorneys at Hall Render.

  • Justices Rewrite Rules For Challenging Enviro Agency Actions

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    Three recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas, Oklahoma v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and EPA v. Calumet Shreveport Refining — form a jurisprudential watershed in administrative and environmental law, affirming statutory standing and venue provisions as the backbone of coherent judicial review, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • High Court ACA Ruling May Harm Preventative Care

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood last week, ruling that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary has authority over an Affordable Care Act preventive care task force, risks harming the credibility of the task force and could open the door to politicians dictating clinical recommendations, says Michael Kolber at Manatt.

  • Opinion

    Subject Matter Eligibility Test Should Return To Preemption

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    Subject matter eligibility has posed challenges for patentees due to courts' arbitrary and confusing reasoning, but adopting a two-part preemption test could align the applicant, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the courts, says Manav Das at McDonnell Boehnen.

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