Commercial Contracts

  • August 20, 2025

    FTC Sues LA Fitness Over Difficult Gym Cancellation Policies

    The Federal Trade Commission sued gym chain LA Fitness in California federal court Wednesday, alleging it employs burdensome cancellation practices, such as requiring customers to come to the gym in-person to cancel memberships or send cancellation forms through registered or certified mail. 

  • August 20, 2025

    4th Circ. Upholds Class Cert. In EQT Gas Royalty Fight

    The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's certification of a class of West Virginia landowners in their suit accusing energy company EQT Corp. of having shorted them on payments for natural gas royalties.

  • August 20, 2025

    Ga. Court Drops Greenberg Traurig Suit After Atty's Death

    The Georgia Court of Appeals said Wednesday that it will toss an appeal in a legal malpractice suit filed by a record executive against Greenberg Traurig LLP and its former music law guru Joel Katz after the parties were unable to identify a successor for Katz following his death earlier this year.

  • August 20, 2025

    Microsoft Fired Manager Despite Army Praise, Suit Says

    Microsoft removed a federal contract manager in Germany and later fired her after she pursued disability and retaliation claims, even as the U.S. Army expanded its contract with the company and praised her work, according to a complaint filed in Washington federal court.

  • August 20, 2025

    Error-Filled Pro Se Recusal Bid Draws Conn. Judge's Ire

    A Connecticut federal judge will not docket a pro se recusal request in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fraud action accusing a man of skimming nearly $1 million in investments designated for hotel repair work, saying in a minute order that the defendant otherwise has counsel and submitted a meritless, error-riddled bid.

  • August 20, 2025

    Production Co. Says Vegas Atty Botched Basketball Deal

    A Las Vegas-based production company has hit a Las Vegas attorney with a malpractice suit for allegedly giving poor legal advice in its deal to build a basketball facility in Atlanta, which led to it being sued for over $5 million in cost overruns.

  • August 20, 2025

    5th Circ. Won't Stick BP, Chevron With $11M Well Cleanup Bill

    A Fifth Circuit panel has affirmed a lower court decision dismissing a surety company's lawsuit claiming BP and Chevron need to pony up $11 million to pay for offshore decommissioning costs, saying the insurer wasn't entitled to be reimbursed.

  • August 20, 2025

    Consumers Seek Clarification On Stay In NFL, Fanatics Suit

    A proposed class of consumers accusing the NFL and its 32 teams of colluding with retailer Fanatics Inc. to monopolize online sales of league-licensed merchandise has asked a New York federal court to clarify whether a stay entered last year pending the outcome of a similar case is still in place.

  • August 19, 2025

    PE Firm Hit With Contempt, Receiver In Del. Over Legal Bills

    A magistrate in the Delaware Chancery Court has entered an order for contempt and sanctions, as well as a receivership, against private equity firm 777 Partners in its former chief financial officer's suit seeking advancement of legal fees in connection with a fraud investigation and multiple lawsuits related to the company's business.

  • August 19, 2025

    Judge Bans Texas Atty He Says Is 'Incapable Of Honesty'

    A federal judge has indefinitely suspended attorney J. Shelby Sharpe from practicing law in the Northern District of Texas after he helped supposedly erstwhile clients dodge judgments, saying the attorney is seemingly "incapable of honesty."

  • August 19, 2025

    Las Vegas Sun Asks 9th Circ. To Revisit Order Voiding Deal

    The Las Vegas Sun has urged the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its decision finding that its joint operating arrangement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal was illegal for lacking U.S. attorney general approval, arguing the Sun could collapse while its competitor maintains a monopoly in the daily newspaper market for a Nevada county.

  • August 19, 2025

    Puerto Rico Investor Says Colo. Hemp Grower Owes Over $2M

    A Puerto Rican investment firm sued a Colorado hemp producer in state court Tuesday, alleging it owes more than $2 million for unfulfilled contracts.

  • August 19, 2025

    CoStar Gets Support For 9th Circ. Antitrust Ruling Redo Bid

    A group of antitrust scholars, former government officials and a center-left technology industry coalition asked the Ninth Circuit to allow them to file amicus briefs that back CoStar Group Inc.'s request for a rehearing of a Ninth Circuit ruling that revived rival Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc.'s antitrust counterclaims.

  • August 19, 2025

    BofA Knocks Out State Law Claims In Zelle Fraud Class Action

    A North Carolina federal judge partially sustained Bank of America's objections to a magistrate judge's recommendation allowing a proposed class action over alleged fraud on the peer-to-peer payment service Zelle to proceed, finding that the suit fails to plausibly plead claims under any of the asserted state consumer protection statutes.

  • August 19, 2025

    $8M Lake Michigan Dock Damages Suit Sent To Florida

    A Michigan federal judge has said a Lake Michigan marine transportation company accusing Lockheed Martin Corp. and the U.S. Navy of causing more than $8 million of damage to its facility while testing a naval vessel must pursue the litigation in the Middle District of Florida.

  • August 19, 2025

    Insurers Pull Back From Discord Liability Coverage Fight

    Four insurers jointly have agreed to dismiss a complaint, counterclaims and crossclaims focused on insurer risks and liability related to social media site Discord Inc., now the target of multiple suits accusing the site of facilitating child exposure to graphic content, abuse and exploitation.

  • August 19, 2025

    11th Circ. Bars Salvage Claim Over Historic French Shipwreck

    The Eleventh Circuit ruled Tuesday that an underwater salvage outfit cannot recover payment for locating la Trinité, a French ship sunk off the coast of Florida in 1565, because the Sunken Military Craft Act blocks salvage rights without France's consent.

  • August 19, 2025

    Family Alleging Firm's Girardi Conflict Denied Partial Win

    A Los Angeles judge Tuesday denied a family's motion seeking judgment on declaratory relief claims in a $1.8 million malpractice lawsuit against a firm that represented it in recovering millions lost in Girardi Keese's embezzlement scandal, saying disputed facts remain in the "unusual" case.

  • August 19, 2025

    Prospect Medical Says Yale Deal Is Top Offer For Hospitals

    Hospital operator Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. has asked to assume a $435 million pre-bankruptcy agreement to sell its three Connecticut hospitals to Yale New Haven Health Services Corp., arguing it contains the "highest possible recovery" for its creditors.

  • August 19, 2025

    Suno Says Indie Artists' AI Copyright Claim A Stretch

    Artifical intelligence music generator Suno on Monday asked a Massachusetts federal judge to trim a proposed class action on behalf of independent musicians, saying the plaintiffs fail to offer any support for their novel claim that the songs generated by the tool are copyright-infringing copies.

  • August 19, 2025

    NASCAR Fights Jordan Team's 3rd Bid For Injunction

    Facing a third preliminary injunction bid from Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing team, private stock car company NASCAR told a North Carolina federal court that the team still fails to show irreparable harm and is unlikely to prevail at trial.

  • August 19, 2025

    Wisconsin Mall, Tenant Drop All Claims In Rent Dispute

    A mall and its tenant told a Georgia federal judge that they have jointly dismissed their claims over an unpaid rent dispute, ending their motions including the mall's bid to have Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP disqualified from representing the tenant due to an alleged conflict of interest.

  • August 19, 2025

    NASA Gets Sensor Co.'s Patent Deal Breach Claims Tossed

    A U.S. Court of Federal Claims judge axed an Ohio company's claims that NASA breached contracts to license and commercialize the agency's patented sensor technology, ruling that NASA fulfilled its side of the bargain before ending the agreements.

  • August 18, 2025

    Tesla Drivers Nab Class Cert. In 'Full Self-Driving' Suit

    A California federal judge Monday granted class certification in a consolidated lawsuit that accused Tesla Inc. of duping drivers into falsely believing that its cars can fully pilot themselves, but made some modifications to proposed class definitions.

  • August 18, 2025

    Mexican Co. Slams 'Grotesque' $46M Award In LNG Plant Fight

    A Mexican construction company asked a New York federal court Monday to vacate a $46 million arbitral award favoring industrial conglomerate Honeywell's subsidiary in a dispute over a contract to fabricate equipment for a liquefied natural gas plant, calling the award invalid, unjust and "grotesque."

Expert Analysis

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Business Court Bill Furthers Texas' Pro-Corporate Strategy

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    The Texas Legislature's recent bill to enhance corporate protections and expand access to the Texas Business Court by refining its jurisdictional standards is just the latest step in the state's playbook for becoming the new center of corporate America, say attorneys at Katten.

  • Lively-Baldoni Saga Highlights Insurance Coverage Gaps

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    The ongoing legal dispute involving "It Ends With Us" co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively raises coverage questions across various insurance lines, showing that effective coordination between policies and a clear understanding of potential gaps are essential to minimizing unexpected exposures, says Katie Pope at Liberty Co.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • State Law Challenges In Enforcing Arbitration Clauses

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    In recent cases, state courts in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey have considered or endorsed heightened standards for arbitration agreements, which can mean the difference between a bilateral arbitration and a full-blown class action in court, says Fabien Thayamballi at Shapiro Arato.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • A Look At Trump Admin's Shifting Strategies To Curtail CFPB

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    The Trump administration has so far carried out its goal of minimizing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's authority and footprint via an individualized approach comprising rule rollbacks, litigation moves and administrative tools, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 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.

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