Commercial Contracts

  • November 05, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Lending Co. Can't Arbitrate In Snowflake MDL

    The Ninth Circuit ruled that online consumer lending platform LendingTree and an insurance comparison subsidiary cannot compel arbitration of a cybersecurity suit within multidistrict litigation over a breach of data held by cloud storage company Snowflake since the websites' design elements prevented "mutual assent" to their terms.

  • November 05, 2026

    WB Must Face Claims 'The Pitt' Violates 'ER' Rights Deal

    Warner Bros. Television cannot dodge a lawsuit alleging it breached a decades-old agreement with late author Michael Crichton by producing the hit medical drama "The Pitt," a California appeals court ruled, saying the suit adequately alleges the series could be considered a derivative work of the earlier hit series "ER."

  • November 05, 2026

    Toshiba, DTE Are Worlds Apart On Bond For $394M Judgment

    Toshiba Corp. urged a Michigan federal judge Thursday to limit its appeal bond to $37 million rather than the $549 million sought by two Michigan utilities, arguing that a state law capping appeal bonds should apply as the company challenges a $394 million judgment over a botched power plant overhaul.

  • November 05, 2026

    Chancery Won't Allow Redo Of Fight Over Fund's $9M In Cash

    The Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday declined to revise rulings in a yearslong dispute over a distressed credit fund's records and more than $9 million of withheld cash, disagreeing with arguments that the fund's former managers and controllers had been improperly swept into the orders.

  • November 05, 2026

    FTC Claims Amazon Inflated Ad Auction Prices By 250%

    The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states have revealed new allegations against Amazon in their sprawling antitrust fight in Washington federal court over online search advertising auctions, including new details alleging Amazon secretly raised advertising prices by as much as 250% to increase its revenue by $87 million worldwide.

  • November 05, 2026

    Ex-Sales Leader Violated 'Secrecy' Pact, J&J Ortho Unit Says

    Johnson & Johnson's orthopedic device unit DePuy Synthes alleged in New Jersey federal court that a former national sales leader's move to a rival violates several of his employment agreements, asking the court to order expedited discovery and block him from contacting any of its customers.

  • November 05, 2026

    New Tech, Diluted Noncompetes Drive Up Trade Secret Cases

    Artificial intelligence tools are making it easier for employees to take off with valuable trade secrets when they switch employers, while noncompete agreements are becoming more difficult to enforce, a combination that is spurring an increase in trade secret cases, experts told Law360.

  • November 05, 2026

    Research Firm Sues To Enforce Ex-Analyst's Noncompete

    Advisory firm Forrester Research says a former principal analyst violated a decade's worth of noncompete and other provisions in employment and stock award agreements to jump to a vice president role at a direct competitor, then tried to hide his new position for months.

  • November 05, 2026

    Aetna Loses Arb. Bid In Hospitals' Inpatient Pay Policy Row

    Aetna Health Inc. can't force two hospital operators to arbitrate their challenge to its inpatient reimbursement policy, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, finding the suit seeks equitable relief and thus falls under an exemption in the insurer's arbitration agreements.

  • November 05, 2026

    No Early Win For Atty In $450K Malpractice Suit

    A Connecticut state court judge has rejected a once-prominent local attorney's dismissal bid in a lawsuit from a former client who says his failure to comply with discovery orders led to a default judgment that cost her $450,000, saying the evidence she has produced so far provides a reasonable foundation for her claims.

  • November 04, 2026

    1st Circ. Revives Temu Suit Against IP Atty, Citing Jurisdiction

    The First Circuit has revived Chinese e-commerce company Temu's lawsuit accusing an intellectual property attorney of lying to secure settlements with a pair of clients, finding that the lower court failed to consider jurisdictional questions.

  • November 04, 2026

    Attys Consider Corporate Implications Of Blue Texas

    Texas attorneys have already started weighing new strategies in the wake of Texas' historic blue shift, led by a new attorney general and a new governor who have pledged to bring more industry regulation and consumer protections to the Lone Star State.

  • November 04, 2026

    Woman Tells 11th Circ. Sexual Assault Gag Clause Is Invalid

    A woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by her former intimate partner asked the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday to overturn a $2.7 million judgment against her for breaching a confidential agreement with the ex-partner, arguing the question of the contract's validity is one for a jury.

  • November 04, 2026

    Fla. Jury Hears Suit Over Pact To Sell Mike Tyson-Brand THC

    A Florida state court trial commenced Wednesday in a dispute involving a company licensed to sell Mike Tyson-brand cannabinoid products, with former business partners telling jurors differing accounts on whether a valid agreement splitting ownership was formed. 

  • November 04, 2026

    Delta Can't Toss Flyers' Windowless 'Window' Seat Fee Suit

    Delta Air Lines Inc. cannot shutter a proposed breach of contract class action brought by flyers who accuse it of charging premium fees for windowless seats that are misleadingly advertised as having windows, a New York federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying their claims are not preempted by federal law.

  • November 04, 2026

    Anthem Fights Rework Of Neurosurgery Group Antitrust Case

    A pair of Anthem units are pushing back against a Long Island, New York, neurosurgery practice's bid to file an amended complaint accusing the insurer of driving down reimbursement rates, telling a New York federal court the changes fail to fix the problems that resulted in a previous dismissal.

  • November 04, 2026

    Colo. Co. Accused Of Misusing $400K Loan For HHS Deal

    A Colorado public benefit corporation breached a loan agreement by failing to use the $400,000 loan for its intended purpose and instead diverting the loan to settle a nearly $600,000 civil penalty with a federal government agency, according to a lender's lawsuit in Colorado state court.

  • November 04, 2026

    5th Circ. Backs 'Geek Therapy' Co. In Roleplay Game IP Battle

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday sided with a "geek therapy" company in a suit claiming it infringed the intellectual property rights of a role-playing game developer after their partnership soured, saying a licensing agreement allowed the company to use the content of the game.

  • November 04, 2026

    NJ Justices Skeptical Court Can Void Jersey City Sewer Pact

    The New Jersey Supreme Court appeared skeptical Wednesday that it had the authority to void a decades-old settlement agreement requiring Jersey City to pay for the water treatment costs of nine municipalities, with justices questioning whether they were being asked to overrule the state's sewage authority law.

  • November 04, 2026

    Insurers Must Face Roofer's Contract Claims, Split Panel Says

    A split North Carolina state appeals court on Wednesday revived 41 lawsuits brought by a commercial roofing contractor accusing insurers of wrongfully refusing to pay out storm damage repair claims that homeowners assigned under their policies, saying the company adequately pled valid assignments of rights.

  • November 04, 2026

    Brands Urge 5th Circ. Not To Revive X's Ad Boycott Suit

    Mars, CVS, Nestlé and other brands have told the Fifth Circuit a lower court was right to toss X Corp.'s advertising boycott case, arguing the social media platform sued only because it lost customers to competitors after being acquired by Elon Musk.

  • November 04, 2026

    Lender Says Del. Court Wrongly Voided $20M Loan Liens

    A lender urged the Delaware Supreme Court on Wednesday to revive its claim to $20.4 million in security interests tied to loans to collapsed technology company Bitwise Industries, saying a contract protected it even if the company's executives lacked authority to pledge real estate as collateral.

  • November 04, 2026

    Hemp Vape Maker Ditches Most Claims In THC Content Suit

    A Texas federal judge has dismissed most of the claims from a smoke shop and its owners alleging Delta Munchies LLC misrepresented the THC content of its vape products, leaving only a breach of implied warranty claim to go forward.

  • November 03, 2026

    Dems Interrogate McDonald's CEO On AI-Driven Pricing

    U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Becca Balint and other Democrats sent a letter to McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski, pressing him on the company's use of artificial intelligence-driven pricing recommendations and how it assesses potential harm to consumers and competition.

  • November 03, 2026

    Justin Sun Says Trump-Tied Crypto Firm Deserves Sanctions

    Billionaire Justin Sun urged a California federal judge to sanction World Liberty Financial in litigation over his $45 million investment in the Trump-tied crypto firm, saying the company cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars when it "violated one of the most basic requirements" of the court.

Expert Analysis

  • 8th Circ. Ruling Limits Receiver Insurance Recovery Rights

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent ruling in King v. Texas Insurance illustrates a practical limit on receivership powers: A receiver may marshal insurance proceeds belonging to the estate but cannot expand the insured's contractual rights or make policy proceeds collectible unless the coverage triggers are satisfied, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Series

    Mentalism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Convincing strangers I can read their minds may seem like an unusual second career for a legal practitioner, but both disciplines share several important requirements, including trust and preparation, says Warren Biro at Manatt.

  • Why And How To Build A Neurodiversity-Informed Practice

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    By better understanding neurodiversity and implementing simple accommodations for clients with autism, ADHD or learning differences, attorneys can build stronger relationships with those who may otherwise struggle to obtain and benefit from legal services, while developing good habits that will benefit everyone they represent, says Ting Cheung at Sanford Heisler.

  • Meta Smart Glasses Suit Will Test Privacy Law For Bystanders

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    In a consolidated suit over how Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses handle personal video footage, a recently proposed class of unwittingly recorded bystanders highlights questions over whether privacy laws and product disclosures adequately address the risks wearable recording devices pose to nonusers, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • New DNA Screening Standard Has No Clear Playbook

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    Although the government has not yet released promised guidance intended to support its new standards for screening mail-order DNA, companies should not read this as a reprieve from the Oct. 13 compliance deadline because the delay shifts enforcement risk to statutes that need no new authority, including false statements, the False Claims Act and fraud, says Ashwin Ram at Buchalter.

  • HSR Compliance Lessons Abound In Proposed $250M Deal

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    The U.S. Justice Department's recently proposed $250 million Hart-Scott-Rodino Act settlement with KKR sheds light on additional safeguards that companies can put into place to mitigate risk as they prepare for their next deal, including implementation of a robust document process, say attorneys at White & Case.

  • The Patent Circuit: Marking Duties For Licensed Tech

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in VDPP v. Volkswagen provides clarity on how the patent statute's marking provision applies to licensed technology, but expressly leaves open the question of how exactly patentees can make reasonable efforts to ensure licensees' marking compliance, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Mapping The Shifting Landscape Of Algorithmic Pricing Laws

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    As state legislative activity and federal developments abound in algorithmic pricing practice, companies steering through this regulatory patchwork should consider a number of key issues, including status, use and exemptions, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Testing AI's Promise For Large-Scale Document Review

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    Our document-review comparison of attorneys' responsiveness and issue coding decisions versus predictions generated by artificial intelligence across 1,600 documents suggests that these tools can offer a reasonable and reliable basis for improved discovery workflows, provided lawyers understand where guardrails are needed, say attorneys at Redgrave.

  • AI Meeting Recaps Pose New Discovery And Privilege Risks

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    The New York City Bar Association’s recent ethics opinion, cautioning attorneys not to record nonclient conversations with artificial intelligence tools, reflects an emerging view that AI meeting recaps are now a distinct business record category, meaning counsel should set meeting-level controls and apply framework-level updates, says William Wright at Faegre Drinker.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: September Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses six recent rulings involving pecuniary loss in false price comparison advertising, privity in an insurance fee class, antitrust standing, immigration class representatives, retirement beneficiary class commonality, and Rule 23(f) appeals in Fair Labor Standards Act claims.

  • Wireless Patent Suits Offer Lessons For Data Center Industry

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    As the data center patent litigation wave begins to crest, the industry can gain insight into what's to come by looking to the wireless and telecommunications industries, giving operators and suppliers concrete reasons to revisit their agreements and establish clear allocations of patent risk, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • 4 Tips On Expert Gatekeeping From J&J Talc Deal

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    Johnson & Johnson's successful campaign to exclude plaintiff-side oncologist testimony about whether its talcum powder caused ovarian cancer, which prompted the recent resolution of 70,000 claims, offers lessons on how product liability defendants can reshape risk calculation by rigorously applying expert admissibility rules, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • Tracking Texas: When A Promissory Note Is Not A Security

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    The Texas Business Court's recent application of the so-called family-resemblance test in Thompson v. Anchor Capital offers a useful road map for Texas business owners and lenders navigating the intersection of commercial lending and securities law and determining when promissory notes can be classified as securities, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Playing Bid Whist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a child, I viewed bid whist as a family tradition and a source of friendly card game competition, but as a lawyer, I see it as a tool that has helped me cultivate skills like communication, teamwork, risk assessment and composure, says Keyonn Pope at Riley Safer.

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