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Appellate
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May 21, 2024
Quarry Not Liable For Dirt Bike Accident, NJ Panel Says
The owner of a New Jersey quarry long used by all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts cannot be held liable for injuries a dirt biker sustained after he struck a steel cable on the property, a state appeals court has ruled, saying the landowner installed the cable for legitimate, not malicious, purposes.
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May 21, 2024
Feds Tell 5th Circ. To Ignore Park Skirmish In Razor Wire Row
The federal government urged the Fifth Circuit to ignore a series of events surrounding concertina wire fencing Texas has erected along the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing the fight over a park has no bearing on whether a district court was wrong in refusing to ban border patrol agents from cutting the barrier.
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May 21, 2024
Wawa, Sherwin-Williams Beat Paint Slip-And-Fall Suit
Gas station chain Wawa Inc. and paint maker Sherwin-Williams Co. can't be held liable for injuries a New Jersey man sustained after slipping on a yellow parking lot line, a state appeals court ruled, calling the plaintiff's expert report "speculative and unsupported" by the facts.
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May 21, 2024
Full 5th Circ. Urged To Rethink Blocking Student Loan Rule
The U.S. Department of Education has asked the full Fifth Circuit to reconsider a recent preliminary injunction a three-judge panel ordered blocking changes to a program providing student loan forgiveness to borrowers defrauded by higher education institutions. It said the panel wrongly held that the department doesn't have the authority to determine whether a borrower has a valid defense to repayment.
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May 21, 2024
MetLife Workers Tell 3rd Circ. Higher Premiums Give Standing
A group of MetLife Group Inc. retirees insisted to the Third Circuit on Tuesday that they would have had lower health insurance premiums had MetLife not kept millions in pharmacy rebates, and that MetLife's actions gave them standing to sue — or at least to seek more information on how the company should spend the money.
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May 21, 2024
Fla. Scientist Fights Contempt Ruling In Data Theft Suit
A Florida Everglades scientist urged a state appeals court Tuesday to reverse a contempt ruling against him over violating an injunction to preserve computer data from his prior job, saying that the order was ambiguous and that the lower court wrongly appointed opposing counsel to prosecute the violation.
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May 21, 2024
Ship Engineers Take Case Against Shipbuilders To 4th Circ.
A pair of naval engineers are challenging a Virginia federal judge's decision to toss their proposed class action accusing a collection of shipbuilding military contractors of entering into secret "no-poach" agreements, asking the Fourth Circuit to take up their appeal in a new filing.
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May 21, 2024
Fed. Circ. Sides With PTAB In Cloud Computing Fight
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a decision from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board that a patent covering a cloud computing environment that was challenged by Microsoft wasn't patentable because it was obvious.
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May 21, 2024
Ga. Court Says No Medical Expert Needed In Patient Fall Suit
A Georgia appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a suit seeking to hold a physician and a medical assistant liable for a patient's injuries suffered in a fall during an appointment, saying because the claim against the assistant is ordinary negligence, the suit was wrongly dismissed for lack of medical expert testimony.
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May 21, 2024
Wash. Justices Seem Split On Funds Getting Biz Tax Breaks
The Washington Supreme Court appeared divided on Tuesday over whether precedent means a group of funds are eligible for a business tax deduction on investment income, with one justice suggesting a previous ruling did not mesh with state tax law.
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May 21, 2024
Texas Court Questions Luxottica On 'Playing Favorites' In Sale
A Texas appellate court on Tuesday asked whether an eyewear conglomerate was "playing favorites by not disclosing" alleged fraud by its franchisees in a sale of two stores to other franchisees, questioning Luxottica's assertion it had to keep its hands off the transaction.
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May 21, 2024
NY High Court Upholds State Abortion Coverage Mandate
New York's highest court on Tuesday upheld a state law requiring employee health plans to cover medically necessary abortions, finding a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court decision didn't change the state court's determination that an exemption process in the law was constitutional.
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May 21, 2024
6th Circ. Won't Restart GM Engineer's Age Bias Suit
The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday backed General Motors' defeat of an engineer's lawsuit claiming he was harassed and transferred to less lucrative jobs because he's over 50, ruling he failed to show that a supervisor's sporadic comments created a hostile work environment.
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May 21, 2024
FSU Asks NC Justices To Favor Fla. Suit In ACC Fee Fight
The Florida State University board of trustees has asked North Carolina justices to do what the Tar Heel state's Business Court did not and halt the Atlantic Coast Conference's lawsuit over media rights contracts in favor of letting parallel litigation in Florida play out.
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May 21, 2024
AT&T Unit Asks High Court To Take Up E-Rate FCA Dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court needs to step in and decide a circuit split over whether FCC reimbursements under the E-rate program count as "claims" under the False Claims Act, said an AT&T subsidiary, urging the justices to ignore a relator who it said is trying to "muddy that clear conflict."
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May 21, 2024
Counties Not 'Persons' In Texas Opioid MDL Appeal
A Texas appeals panel found Tuesday that counties are not considered "persons" under the state's common law and therefore are not subject to the Texas Medical Liability Act's requirement that they serve expert reports to pharmacy defendants in the state's opioid multidistrict litigation.
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May 21, 2024
Circuit Split Could Still Derail FCC Subsidies, High Court Told
Free market groups urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to review their challenge to the Federal Communications Commission's subsidy programs, saying the Fifth Circuit could create a circuit split "at any time" by rejecting the fee-based system.
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May 21, 2024
22 States Tell 11th Circ. Corp. Transparency Act Goes Too Far
The federal Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutionally displaces state authority and its enforcement would economically harm states and their residents, attorneys general from 22 states told the Eleventh Circuit, urging it to uphold a ruling that struck down the law.
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May 21, 2024
High Court Ethics Bill In 'High Consideration,' Schumer Says
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Tuesday that a bill to institute an ethics code for the U.S. Supreme Court was in "high consideration" to come before the full Senate for a vote, following the report last week that an upside-down flag, which has become a symbol for former President Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen, was flown outside Justice Samuel Alito's house after the attack on the U.S. Capitol a month later.
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May 21, 2024
4th Circ. Told Justices' Ruling Dooms Bid To Delay $811M Fine
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision finding the agency's funding structure constitutional to head off a bid by immigrant bond companies accused of abusive bonding practices to delay an $811 million judgment.
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May 21, 2024
9th Circ. Rejects Quick Section 230 Appeal In Casino App MDL
The Ninth Circuit refused to weigh in Tuesday on whether the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 shields Google, Apple and Meta from consolidated multidistrict litigation over allegedly illicit "social casino" game apps on their platforms, finding that deciding the issue on an interlocutory appeal would be a premature, advisory opinion.
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May 21, 2024
DC Circ. Won't Let Fla. Halt Wetlands Permits Decision
The D.C. Circuit on Monday refused Florida's request to pause a lower court's ruling that stripped the state of its federally delegated authority to administer a Clean Water Act permitting program until its appeal is resolved, rejecting its argument that the decision is likely to be reversed.
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May 21, 2024
ND Men Say Justices Should Agree With State In VRA Dispute
Two local Republican Party officials are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court's decision that gave a quick win to North Dakota over newly created voting subdistricts, arguing that Secretary of State Michael Howe's recent change of opinion in the litigation should alone resolve the issue.
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May 21, 2024
Split Fed. Circ. Revives IP Suit Against Nokia Over Standing
A split Federal Circuit on Tuesday threw out a lower court decision that found an inventor's company didn't have standing to sue Nokia, Cisco and ADVA over a fiber optic patent, saying it was unclear if the company had the rights to the patent.
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May 21, 2024
NC Panel Cans Atty's 'Grossly Excessive' Fees In Wage Suit
A North Carolina appeals court rejected a real estate agent's bid to be awarded nearly $500,000 in attorney fees after winning an unpaid wages lawsuit, reasoning Tuesday that state wage law doesn't require that fees be granted to a prevailing party.
Expert Analysis
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Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year ranging from salvage vehicle titling to rate discrimination based on premium-setting software.
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Why High Court May Have Rejected IP Obviousness Appeal
Attorneys at Womble Bond analyze possible reasons the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Vanda Pharmaceuticals' request to review the Federal Circuit’s reasonable expectation of success standard for determining obviousness, including that the court was unpersuaded by the company's argument that Amgen v. Sanofi places a bind on drug developers.
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Opinion
Time To Fix NYC's Broken Property Assessment System
A New York appellate court's decision to revive Tax Equity Now New York v. City of New York may force the city to revamp its outdated and unfair real estate tax assessment system, which could be fixed with a couple of simple changes, says Seth Feldman at Romer Debbas.
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Ill. Justices' Ruling Answers Corporate Defamation Questions
The Illinois Supreme Court's recent unanimous decision in Project44 v. FourKites provides needed certainty and direction for lower courts considering defamation cases involving communications to corporate officers from third parties outside the corporation, which could result in fewer unwarranted motions to dismiss in trial courts and nonmeritorious appeals, says Phillip Zisook at Schoenberg Finkel.
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As Arbitrator Bias Claims Rise, Disclosure Standards Evolve
The growth in post-award challenges based on arbitrators' alleged conflicts of interest has led to the release of new guidance and new case law on the topic — both supporting the view that professional familiarity alone does not translate to a lack of impartiality, say attorneys at Skadden.
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6th Circ. Bias Ruling Shows Job Evaluations Are Key Defense
In Wehrly v. Allstate, the Sixth Circuit recently declined to revive a terminated employee’s federal and state religious discrimination and retaliation claims, illustrating that an employer’s strongest defense in such cases is a documented employment evaluation history that justifies an adverse action, says Michael Luchsinger at Segal Mccambridge.
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Social Media Free Speech Issues Are Trending At High Court
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision examining what constitutes state action on social media can be viewed in conjunction with oral arguments in two other cases to indicate that the court sees a need for more clarity regarding how social media usage implicates the First Amendment, say attorneys at Kean Miller.
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The Fed. Circ. In April: Hurdles Remain For Generics
The Federal Circuit’s recent Salix v. Norwich ruling — where Salix's brand-name drug's patents were invalidated — is a reminder to patent practitioners that invalidating a competitor's patents may not guarantee abbreviated new drug application approval, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.
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Bankruptcy Ruling Shifts Lease Rejection Claim Calculation
A New York federal court’s recent ruling in In re: Cortlandt provides guidance on how to calculate a landlord's damages claim when a bankruptcy debtor rejects a lease, changing from an approach that considers the remaining rent due under the lease to one that considers the remaining time, say Bethany Simmons and Noah Weingarten at Loeb & Loeb.
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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10b-5 Litigation Questions Follow Justices' Macquarie Ruling
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Macquarie v. Moab that pure omissions are not actionable under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b–5(b), creating a slightly higher bar for plaintiffs and setting the stage for further litigation over several issues, say Steve Quinlivan and Sean Colligan at Stinson.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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What Calif. Eviction Ruling Means For Defaulting Borrowers
A California appellate court's recent decision in Homeward Opportunities v. Taptelis found that a defaulting borrower could not delay foreclosure with an improperly served notice of pendency of action, but leaves open a possibility for borrowers to delay eviction proceedings merely by filing lawsuits, say Anne Beehler and Krystal Anderson at Holland & Knight.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Court Clerk Error Is No Excuse For A Missed Deadline
Two recent Virginia Court of Appeals decisions in which clerical errors led to untimely filings illustrate that court clerks can be wrong about filing deadlines or the date an order was entered, underscoring the importance of doing one's own research on filing requirements, says Juli Porto at Blankingship & Keith.