Commercial Contracts

  • June 03, 2024

    Chicago Restaurant Biz Can Fix Testimony Without Sanctions

    A Cook County judge on Monday refused to order the management group behind celebrated Chicago eatery Maple & Ash to produce thousands of documents that it claims are subject to attorney-client privilege as a sanction for misstating when an engagement letter was signed in sworn testimony, saying the issue was concerning but deeming the relief sought inappropriate.

  • June 03, 2024

    Las Vegas Newspaper Fights Rival's Bid To Set Trial Date

    The Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Las Vegas Sun are at each other's throats over setting a trial date in a yearsold dispute accusing the Review-Journal, formerly owned by the now-deceased conservative and billionaire Sheldon Adelson, of trying to drive its more liberal rival out of business.

  • June 03, 2024

    Title Insurer Says Ga. Firm Must Repay $158K For Deed Error

    A title insurance company said a Georgia law firm must reimburse it $158,000 for negligently issuing a title insurance policy on a real estate closing, telling a Georgia federal court that it is entitled to contractual and common law indemnity for its losses.

  • June 03, 2024

    Bookstores Can't Step Into FTC's Antitrust Fight With Amazon

    A Washington federal judge on Monday declined to allow booksellers to intervene in the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust suit against Amazon to raise concerns about the digital retailer's book sales and agreements with publishers, but invited them to seek permission to file an amicus brief instead.

  • June 03, 2024

    'Luxury' Wasn't Part Of Mansion Deal, 3rd Circ. Told

    An attorney for a luxury home-building company asked the Third Circuit on Monday to throw out a six-figure judgment against the company for allegedly falling short on its promise to construct a high-end house for two Western Pennsylvania homeowners, arguing the customers' suit was not based on promises made in the contract but on vague marketing statements.

  • June 03, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery pushed out tons of decisions last week, along with a second round of new rules and letters of concern over pending changes to the state's corporate law code. The court's docket was as busy as ever, with new cases involving Tesla CEO Elon Musk, FTX cryptocurrency claims, and more. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.

  • June 03, 2024

    Printing Co. Loses Bid To Revive Tesla Screen Defect Suit

    The Fourth Circuit has thrown out a printing company's lawsuit alleging Tesla refused to permanently fix a defective touch screen, with a panel ruling the defect wasn't present when the vehicle was sold, as required by the standards of a breach of warranty lawsuit.

  • June 03, 2024

    Jury Trials Dwindle In State Courts; Fall Started Before COVID

    Jury trials have continued to "vanish" from state courts, despite seeing a slight bump following the pandemic shutdowns, with 2021 seeing fewer than half the number of jury trials as 2019 and one-third the number held in 2007, according to a new report from the National Center for State Courts.

  • June 03, 2024

    Jane Street Blasts Trading Firm's Defense In Trade Secret Row

    Trading firm Jane Street Group LLC has urged a Manhattan federal judge to toss the counterclaims and affirmative defenses of two ex-employees and Millennium Management LLC in a trade secret suit, saying each is either "redundant" or has "little to no alleged facts to support" it.

  • June 03, 2024

    Holland & Knight Hires 3 Ex-Loeb Partners In LA

    Holland & Knight announced on Monday the hiring of three former finance partners at Loeb & Loeb, including its vice chair, for its Los Angeles office.

  • May 31, 2024

    Live Nation Confirms Data Breach Days After Consumer Suit

    Live Nation confirmed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing Friday that there was "unauthorized activity" in a third-party database and that a hacker claimed to have Ticketmaster consumer data for sale on the dark web, days after a lawsuit alleged the companies failed to secure customer data.

  • May 31, 2024

    Texas Justices Won't Take On City Insurance Coverage Fight

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to review a trial court's decision rejecting a municipal insurance risk pool's attempt to evade the city of Hidalgo's lawsuit seeking to recover millions of dollars for damage sustained in Hurricane Hanna in July 2020. 

  • May 31, 2024

    Fiji Water Beats $2M Breach-Of-Contract Verdict On Appeal

    California appellate justices on Thursday dismissed Carolina Beverage's $2 million jury win in a contract case accusing Fiji Water of violating their distribution deal by selling Fiji directly to retailers, finding that the agreement wasn't constructively terminated because Carolina Beverage continued to deliver Fiji products to retailers, pursuant to their contract.

  • May 31, 2024

    'You Didn't Do It': Antitrust Judge Rips Apple's Doc Production

    A California federal judge deciding whether Apple complied with her ban on App Store anti-steering rules ordered Apple for a second time Friday to produce documents, telling Apple's counsel "the whole point" is to get documents relevant to Apple's decision-making regarding its new 27% fee "and you didn't do it."

  • May 31, 2024

    Chinese Nationals Nabbed In $12M Counterfeit Apple Scam

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that five Chinese nationals are accused of running a massive scheme to return thousands of counterfeit iPhones, iPads and other Apple products in exchange for genuine devices, costing the tech company at least $12.3 million in losses.

  • May 31, 2024

    Online Lenders Invoked Calif. Tribe As Usury Cover, Suit Says

    Two online lenders that purport to be run by a Native American tribe in California face claims they violated both federal law barring racketeering and Illinois consumer financial protection laws by lending to the state's residents at excessive rates.

  • May 31, 2024

    Subaru Drivers Reach Class Deal Over Defective Fuel Pumps

    A group of Subaru of America Inc. drivers asked a New Jersey federal judge Thursday to greenlight a settlement resolving proposed class claims that they bought or leased cars containing defective fuel pumps, saying the deal would provide "concrete, real-world benefits" via reimbursements and extended warranties.

  • May 31, 2024

    Kioti Execs Siphoned $7.7M Through Service Scheme, Suit Says

    Former executives for the maker of Kioti tractors and mowers siphoned away nearly $7.7 million from the company through an exploitative and self-dealing scheme with a financial services business, the manufacturer said in a North Carolina Business Court complaint filed Friday.

  • May 31, 2024

    Texas Justices To Take On Parking Garage Easement Suit

    The Texas Supreme Court agreed Friday to review a Texas appellate court's decision granting judgment to a garage owner who refused to allow the tenants and employees of a downtown office building continue parking in the garage despite a written parking easement.

  • May 31, 2024

    DC Judge Takes Dim View Of Proposed 'Surfside' TM Deal

    A D.C. federal judge has refused to enforce a scrapped settlement in a trademark dispute between a Mexican restaurant operator and a distilling company over the name "Surfside," saying there wasn't ever an enforceable deal.

  • May 31, 2024

    3rd Circ. Preview: Labor Battles Heat Up In June

    Several cases are heating up the Third Circuit argument calendar in June, including a home care company's attempt to duck a $7 million payout to thousands of workers who claimed the company violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by not compensating them for travel time.

  • May 31, 2024

    Jilted FTX Claim Buyer Sues Crypto Trader In Chancery

    An affiliate of Connecticut hedge fund Silver Point Capital has sued a crypto trading firm and a buyer of FTX bankruptcy claims in Delaware Chancery Court, alleging that they breached a sale agreement for "a highly unique and lucrative customer claim" with a face value of $10 million in the FTX bankruptcy case.

  • May 31, 2024

    NY Appeals Court Backs Trimming Of 50 Cent Liquor Spat

    A New York appeals court has said a lower court rightly dismissed some components of a suit brought by a fine liquors company owned by rapper 50 Cent, allowing Jim Beam and its parent company to escape the rapper's claims they aided a fraud and rejecting his request for punitive damages and attorney fees.

  • May 31, 2024

    COVID Test Contract Suit 'Cries Out' For Jury, NC Judge Says

    A fight between two companies over a doomed distribution deal for COVID-19 tests has gone from "ships passing in the night" to not even "sailing in the same ocean," a North Carolina Business Court judge said, paring the case for trial.

  • May 31, 2024

    Off The Bench: NCAA Transfers Freed, Atty Plays Cards Right

    In this week's Off the Bench, the NCAA agrees to more historic rule changes while experts examine its post-House settlement future, and a patent lawyer looks back at his transformation into a poker champion.

Expert Analysis

  • Clemson's ACC Exit Fee Suit May Have Major Consequences

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    Clemson University's recent suit in South Carolina state court against the Atlantic Coast Conference, which challenges the ACC's $140 million exit fee and its ownership of member schools' media rights, would likely have enormous ramifications for ACC members in the event of a definitive court ruling, say William Sullivan and Alex Anderson at Pillsbury.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • A Key Pitfall Of Restricted Subsidiaries In Loan Agreements

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    In loan agreements, the treatment afforded to non-loan party restricted subsidiaries' EBITDA presents subtle, but serious threats to lenders that require thoughtful attention in underwriting and drafting, say David Ebroon at JPMorgan Chase and ​​​​​​​Jared Zajac at Cadwalader.

  • This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener

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    As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.

  • New Proposal Signals Sharper Enforcement Focus At CFIUS

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    Last week's proposed rule aimed at broadening the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' enforcement authority over foreign investments and increasing penalties for violations signals that CFIUS intends to continue expanding its aggressive monitoring of national security issues, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • How Companies Can Use Big Data As A Strategic Asset

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    Artificial intelligence technology powered by big data has the potential to create radical improvements to business operations, but if big data is improperly protected or monetized, this same information can give competitors similar advantages, or at the very least undermine a company's edge, say Gary Weinstein and Hudson Peters at Faegre Drinker.

  • How Retail Tenants Can Avoid Paying Rent Prematurely

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    When negotiating leases for spaces in shopping centers, retail tenants should ensure that the language specifies they only need to begin paying rent when the center is substantially occupied as a whole, as it can be difficult to modify leases that are executed without co-tenancy requirements or termination rights, say Joshua Bernstein and Benjamin Joelson at Akerman.

  • Policy Misrepresentations Carry Insurance Rescission Risks

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Medical Mutual v. Gnik, finding that material misrepresentation in a clinic's insurance applications warranted policy rescission, is a clear example of the far-reaching effects that misrepresentations can have and provides a reminder that policyholders should employ relatively straightforward steps to decrease risks, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Analyzing New EU Measure To Prevent Reexports To Russia

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    Niels Ersbøll, Alexander Italianer and Laura Beuls at Arnold & Porter offer a comprehensive overview of the European Union's new rule requiring export agreements to contain a clause prohibiting the reexport of goods to Russia, and discuss what companies should do to ensure compliance.

  • 3 Tech Sourcing Best Practices That Are Relevant For AI

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    It might be tempting to think that sourcing artificial intelligence tools requires a completely new set of skills, but the best practices that lead to a good deal are much the same as traditional technology procurement, says Mia Rendar at Pillsbury.

  • Weisselberg's Perjury At Trial Spotlights Atty Ethics Issues

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    Former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg’s recent guilty plea for perjury in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial should serve as a reminder to attorneys of their ethical duties when they know a client has lied or plans to lie in court, and the potential penalties for not fulfilling those obligations, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • A Snapshot Of The Evolving Restrictive Covenant Landscape

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    Rachael Martinez and Brooke Bahlinger at Foley highlight recent trends in the hotly contested regulation and enforcement of noncompetition and related nonsolicitation covenants, and provide guidance on drafting such provisions within the context of stand-alone employment agreements and merger or acquisition transactions.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

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