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May 08, 2024
Arendi Seeks Revival Of Google, Oath IP Rows At Fed. Circ.
Arendi SARL has urged the Federal Circuit to revive its two data system patent lawsuits alleging infringement by Google and Oath Holdings, arguing in part that the lower court erred when it failed to find the patents eligible.
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May 08, 2024
Mich. Justices Unsure New Mandate Altered Old Auto Policies
Michigan Supreme Court justices appeared divided Wednesday over whether an overhaul of the state's compulsory car insurance scheme affected pre-existing policies or applied only to policies issued after the reforms went into effect.
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May 08, 2024
Split 6th Circ. Says Digital Media TM Case Has To Stay In Tenn.
The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday held that a trademark fight between two companies that digitally preserve home movies, photos and other media will have to play out in a Tennessee federal court, after the panel split over how many customers are enough to extend jurisdiction in the trademark dispute.
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May 08, 2024
Black & Decker's Stud Finder Patent Win Gets Fed. Circ. OK
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday upheld a decision clearing Stanley Black & Decker Inc. in a stud finder patent suit by rival Zircon Corp., backing the U.S. International Trade Commission's finding that Zircon didn't show it has a domestic industry of products protected by the patents.
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May 08, 2024
6th Circ. Questions FERC's Moves On Ohio Utility Grid Perk
A Sixth Circuit panel on Wednesday questioned the role of a rate perk given to transmission companies for choosing to join a regional transmission organization as it weighed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision to yank the incentive for several Ohio utilities while preserving it for others.
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May 08, 2024
Lyft Driver Asks Calif. Justices To OK Intervening In PAGA Suit
An attorney for a Lyft driver who sued the company under the Private Attorneys General Act urged the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to find her client has standing to intervene in a competing PAGA Lyft case that reached a settlement, saying the deal threatened to "extinguish" her client's rights.
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May 08, 2024
Pa. Panel Scrutinizes Missteps In 2020 Election Machine Fracas
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Wednesday brought up apparent missteps by both sides of a fight stemming from third-party inspections of a conservative county's voting machines, started by the county commissioners falling in with the hunt for fraud in the 2020 election and the state pushing back.
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May 08, 2024
Credit Suisse Urges Mich. Panel To Reverse Biz Loss Denial
A Credit Suisse attorney pressed the Michigan Court of Appeals on Wednesday to clarify how the state's tax laws account for losses from real estate mortgage investment conduits, saying a lower court incorrectly denied its attempt to carry forward $21.3 million in losses.
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May 08, 2024
Sorority Fails To Get Fed. Circ. To Revive TM Case
A one-line Federal Circuit ruling Wednesday upheld a decision shooting down a popular sorority's efforts to obtain a trademark registration covering the acronym "ZTA" for use in the consumer goods market.
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May 08, 2024
Wash. Justices Decline Personal Injury Atty's Fee Split Spat
Washington's high court has declined to hear a personal injury lawyer's challenge to his old firm's fee-splitting agreement, letting stand a state appellate court's ruling that the contract had "clear and unequivocal language" compelling him to pass on half the fees he earned from the firm's former clients after his departure.
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May 08, 2024
Fed. Circ. Denies Siemens' Bid For Navy Energy Audit Costs
The Federal Circuit ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Navy doesn't owe a Siemens unit $5.7 million for costs the company incurred to investigate potential energy savings measures at two military installations, saying a related contract clearly didn't cover those costs.
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May 08, 2024
Duke Doctor Partially Resuscitates NC Firing Suit
The North Carolina state appeals court has partially revived a fired Duke University hospital resident's lawsuit alleging that health care system officials terminated him because of his depression after an inadequate firing-review process that violated an employment contract.
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May 08, 2024
Sens. Call For Revamp Of SEC's Nixed Stock Buyback Rules
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission should "promptly" reissue disclosure rules vacated by the Fifth Circuit last year so that companies are required to publicly disclose more information on their share repurchase plans, a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators told the agency's leader on Monday.
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May 08, 2024
AMC Objector Says Chancery Settlement Lacked Due Process
An AMC Entertainment Inc. stockholder who opposed a class settlement that the company reached with other shareholders to end Chancery Court litigation over a controversial share conversion told Delaware's Supreme Court Wednesday that the deal should be unwound for lack of due process.
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May 08, 2024
Fed. Circ. Judge Troubled By Government's Visa Fraud Sting
A Federal Circuit judge on Wednesday said he was troubled by the federal government's argument that it has no liability to foreign students who paid thousands of dollars to attend a fake university the government set up to ensnare visa fraudsters.
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May 08, 2024
6th Circ. Partially Remands Sanofi's Tenn. Lake Pollution Suit
The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday revived parts of a Sanofi unit's lawsuit against a Tennessee landfill owner that allegedly improperly closed the dump and caused water contamination on the other company's property.
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May 08, 2024
Trashing Of IP Case Wrongly Cut Atty Fees, Del. Justices Told
An attorney for a client who saw all claims against him dropped before trial in a suit focused on allegedly purloined trash-handling trade secrets urged Delaware's Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse the Chancery Court's purported failure to hear his attorney fee claim.
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May 08, 2024
Calif. Justices Weigh Striking Anti-Tax Ballot Initiative
California Supreme Court justices sought to understand Wednesday if a measure approved for the November ballot that would make it harder to raise taxes would eliminate lawmakers' ability to tax and would illegally revise — rather than amend — the state constitution.
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May 08, 2024
4th Circ. Says Purpose Of Inmate Labor Affects Classification
The primary purpose of prisoners' work at a Baltimore County recycling plant should determine whether a group of incarcerated people were employees under federal law, a Fourth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday, rejecting the county's view that any amount of rehabilitative-oriented work spared it from minimum wage obligations.
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May 08, 2024
9th Circ. Says Calif. Can Give Gun Buyer Info To Researchers
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday declined to revive a constitutional challenge to a California law requiring the state to provide biographical information about firearm purchasers and those with carry-conceal permits to accredited research institutions studying gun violence, saying the information at issue isn't highly personal and doesn't implicate the right to privacy.
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May 08, 2024
Robins Kaplan File Flub Bad Look For Both Sides, Panel Says
A Manhattan appeals panel expressed concern Wednesday that Robins Kaplan LLP had poked through an opposing party's Dropbox database that was accidentally shared in investor litigation, while also criticizing the other side for failing to catch the error.
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May 08, 2024
4th Circ. Asks If High Court Ruling Bars Credit Suisse Tipster
A Fourth Circuit panel questioned Wednesday whether a U.S. Supreme Court ruling prevented it from reviving a whistleblower case by a former Credit Suisse employee alleging the bank helped U.S. citizens evade taxes after paying a $2.6 billion criminal penalty.
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May 08, 2024
Ga. Doctor, Urology Clinic Want New Trial In $15M Death Case
Attorneys for a Georgia doctor and urology clinic urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday to set aside a $15 million jury verdict and order a new trial in a wrongful death case filed by the wife of an 80-year-old man who died following a November 2016 prostate surgery.
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May 08, 2024
8th Circ. Grapples With What Triggers An EFAA 'Dispute'
The Eighth Circuit seemed skeptical Wednesday of Chipotle's argument that the date of a worker's alleged sexual assault is the linchpin for determining whether a law limiting mandatory arbitration shields her lawsuit, but receptive to the notion that a "dispute" could have occurred before she filed the case in court.
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May 08, 2024
Vape Fluid Co. Urges Justices To Take Up FDA Challenge
Lotus Vaping Technologies LLC is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its appeal of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's denial of its application to market bottled flavored e-cigarette fluids, saying the case provides an appropriate vehicle to examine the FDA's policies.
Expert Analysis
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Zero-Point Offender Eligibility May Hinge On Meaning Of 'And'
Some white collar defendants’ eligibility for the new zero-point offender sentencing adjustment comes down to whether the word “and” really means “and” — a question the U.S. Supreme Court is set to resolve in its upcoming Pulsifer v. U.S. decision, which could affect thousands of incarcerated people, say Brandon McCarthy and Nikita Yogeshwarun at Katten.
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Valeant Ruling May Pave Way For Patent-Based FCA Suits
The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in Silbersher v. Valeant marks a significant development in False Claims Act jurisprudence, opens new avenues for litigation and potentially raises the stakes for patent applicants who intend to do business with the government, say Joshua Robbins and Rick Taché at Buchalter.
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A Former Bankruptcy Judge Talks 'Undue Hardship'
Former U.S. bankruptcy judge Robert Gordon reflects on his journey from student borrower to judicial observer, highlighting the challenges faced by modern students burdened with student loan debt and advocating for reform in bankruptcy laws, particularly regarding the "undue hardship" element of discharge.
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Recent Rulings Add Dimension To Justices' Maui Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund established new factual criteria for determining when the Clean Water Act applies to groundwater — and recent decisions from the Ninth and Tenth Circuits have clarified how litigants can make use of the Maui standard, says Steven Hoch at Clark Hill.
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Strategies For Single-Member Special Litigation Committees
The Delaware Supreme Court's recent order in the Baker Hughes derivative litigation allowing testimony from a single-member special litigation committee highlights the fact that, while single-member SLCs are subject to heightened scrutiny, they can also provide unique opportunities, says Josh Bloom at MoloLamken.
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10th Circ. Ruling Means More Okla. Oilfield Pollution Litigation
By applying Oklahoma's statutory definitions of pollution to a private landowner's claim for negligence for the first time, the Tenth Circuit's recent decision in Lazy S Ranch v. Valero will likely make it harder to obtain summary judgment in oilfield contamination cases, and will lead to more litigation, say attorneys at GableGotwals.
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Race Bias Defense Considerations After 11th Circ. Ruling
In Tynes v. Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Eleventh Circuit affirmed that the McDonnell Douglas test for employment discrimination cases is merely an evidentiary framework, so employers relying on it as a substantive standard of liability may need to rethink their litigation strategy, says Helen Jay at Phelps Dunbar.
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How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts
Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.
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Fed. Circ. In Feb.: Using Prior Products To Invalidate A Patent
The Federal Circuit's recent Weber v. Provisu ruling, that prior-product operating manuals constituted printed publications that can be used to invalidate patents in an inter partes review proceeding, makes it easier for a petitioner to invalidate a patent, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.
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7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves
As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.
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What's At Stake In Pending Fed. Circ. Design Patent Test Case
The full Federal Circuit recently heard argument in LKQ v. GM Global, a case concerning patent obviousness in the aftermarket for auto parts; the court's decision will likely influence how design patents are obtained, enforced and challenged, and affect the broader innovation ecosystem, says Larry DeMeo at Hunton.
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Series
Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.
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Perspectives
Compassionate Release Grants Needed Now More Than Ever
After the U.S. Sentencing Commission's recent expansion of the criteria for determining compassionate release eligibility, courts should grant such motions more frequently in light of the inherently dangerous conditions presented by increasingly understaffed and overpopulated federal prisons, say Alan Ellis and Mark Allenbaugh at the Law Offices of Alan Ellis.
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Args In APA Case Amplify Justices' Focus On Agency Power
In arguments last week in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve, the U.S. Supreme Court justices paid particular importance to the possible ripple effects of their decision, which will address when a facial challenge to long-standing federal rules under the Administrative Procedure Act first accrues and could thus unleash a flood of new lawsuits, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.
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After TikTok, Tiptoeing Toward Patent Transfer Alignment
Following the Fifth Circuit's TikTok decision, which aimed to standardize transfer analysis in patent cases, the Federal Circuit and Texas federal courts facing transfer requests have taken small steps to consider the practical realities of patent litigation, reinforcing the intensely factual focus of the analysis, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.