Commercial Contracts

  • April 30, 2025

    Energy Cos., Texans Seek To Dodge $230M Project Feud

    Guatemalan and Texas energy companies and several Texas residents are pushing to join a petition from oilfield services company Schlumberger NV to try to avoid being dragged into an arbitration through which US Oil of Guatemala aims to seek $230 million in damages over an allegedly mismanaged hydrocarbon project in Guatemala.

  • April 30, 2025

    Agri Stats Gets Say In DOJ's Poultry Worker Wage-Fixing Case

    A Maryland federal court allowed Agri Stats Inc. to intervene Wednesday in the U.S. Department of Justice's case accusing Wayne-Sanderson Farms and George's Inc. of suppressing wages, after the government said the poultry companies need to stop using the agricultural data firm.

  • April 30, 2025

    Amazon's Suit Over Soured Solar Deals Survives Dismissal

    Amazon can sue a California-based private equity company and firms tied to a pair of Golden State solar energy developments for allegedly trying to sabotage the projects after signing long-term power purchase deals, a Washington state judge has ruled, rejecting jurisdictional arguments from the defendants.

  • April 30, 2025

    3rd Circ. Preview: NJ To Defend ICE Contractor Law In May

    The Third Circuit's argument lineup for May will see the state of New Jersey defend a law barring its immigration detention centers from contracting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while Rutgers University seeks to keep its victory over claims it falsely inflated its business school's ranking.

  • April 30, 2025

    Fla. Lender Urges 11th Circ. To OK Arbitration In Fee Suit

    A Florida credit union urged an Eleventh Circuit panel Wednesday to overturn a lower court order denying arbitration in a proposed class action over wrongly assessed overdraft fees, saying failure to preregister with the American Arbitration Association isn't grounds for a default.

  • April 30, 2025

    DraftKings Wants MLB Players' IP Case Sent To 3rd Circ.

    Sports betting company DraftKings Inc. told a Pennsylvania federal judge Wednesday that she was wrong to allow an MLB players organization's suit over unlicensed use of athletes' likenesses to proceed, arguing that the Third Circuit should weigh in on potentially novel legal issues that could quickly end the case.

  • April 30, 2025

    Biotech Co. Throws Flag On NFL Alumni's Bid To Toss Suit

    A biotechnology company accusing the National Football League's largest alumni club of breaking a contract in retaliation for being questioned about its use of government funds told a Georgia federal court Tuesday the company would add details to its suit to head off the club's bid to have the suit thrown out.

  • April 30, 2025

    Honeywell, Sourcing Co. End Scuffle Over Soured Supply Deal

    Honeywell has dropped its lawsuit accusing a sourcing company of making up quality concerns to bail on a contract for medical-grade gloves, according to a notice filed in the North Carolina Business Court.

  • April 30, 2025

    McDonald's Operator Loses Assault Suit Coverage Appeal

    Two insurers were correct to deny coverage for a former Pittsburgh-area McDonald's franchisee in a lawsuit accusing it of failing to stop a supervisor from sexually harassing and assaulting underage employees, since the litigation that sent it into bankruptcy fell under exceptions to the insurance policies, a Third Circuit panel ruled Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2025

    Amazon Can't Claw Back 'Inadvertent' Discovery Docs

    A Seattle federal judge has ruled that documents Amazon.com Inc. produced as part of three proposed antitrust class actions may not be clawed back, finding that despite the online retailer's claims that they were produced "inadvertently," there was no indication the document-sharing was a mistake.

  • April 30, 2025

    Barclay Damon Continues Growth With Morrison Cohen Hire

    Barclay Damon LLP is continuing the momentum its headcount growth made in 2024, announcing Tuesday that it has hired an employee benefits attorney from Morrison Cohen LLP in New York City.

  • April 30, 2025

    Boston Hospital Fends Off Doctor's Whistleblower Claims

    A Massachusetts state court judge on Tuesday tossed whistleblower, contract and wrongful termination claims brought by a doctor who alleged that Boston Medical Center ousted him in retaliation for his expert witness testimony contradicting his colleagues in child abuse cases.

  • April 30, 2025

    Allstate Settles Law Firm's Wrecked Car Fee Coverage Suit

    A settlement has been reached in a Georgia law firm's proposed class action against Allstate Insurance Co. over allegations that it failed to pay title transfer fees and license registration fees to insured people who incurred total loss claims.

  • April 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Backs $1.6M Pipeline Project Arbitration Award

    The Fifth Circuit on Tuesday unanimously affirmed a more than $1.6 million arbitration award covering stand-by costs an underground drilling company incurred on a subcontract for a pipeline construction firm, saying in a published opinion that the construction company failed to show that an arbitration panel exceeded its authority.

  • April 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Hints Exclusivity Could End Tata's $168M Woe

    A Fifth Circuit panel asked whether Tata Consultancy Services had taken trade secrets to solely build a product for a specific customer, questioning Tuesday whether to keep intact a $168 million judgment finding Tata stole an IT company's technology concerning source code and life insurance software documentation.

  • April 29, 2025

    Duke Energy Rival Tells Justices Not To Review Monopoly Suit

    Independent power producer NTE Energy is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to review a decision that revived its monopoly suit against Duke Energy, saying the North Carolina-based company is asking the justices to issue an advisory opinion answering a hypothetical question.

  • April 29, 2025

    Deal Terms An Issue In $60M Mortgage Loan Sale Con Case

    A Washington federal judge suggested on Tuesday that she might hold off on interpreting the terms of a multimillion-dollar mortgage loan sale agreement at issue in a racketeering suit, since a contractual dispute involving the same deal is slated for a bench trial before her in October.

  • April 29, 2025

    'Alvin And The Chipmunks' Owner Says Arbitrator Overstepped

    The owner of the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" franchise is urging a California federal court to vacate a $2.2 million arbitral award favoring its international distributor based on the arbitrator's alleged "egregious errors," including inflating the damages owed over a rejected Nickelodeon deal.

  • April 29, 2025

    Sports Illustrated Owner Ends TM Row With Former Publisher

    Sports Illustrated's owner has agreed to permanently end its trademark dispute against its former publisher over claims that the publisher tore apart a long-standing licensing agreement while sabotaging the brand and holding hostage valuable intellectual property, according to a stipulation filed Tuesday in New York federal court. 

  • April 29, 2025

    Amazon Can't Shake Return Policy Suit, Wash. Judge Rules

    A Washington federal judge refused Tuesday to dismiss claims accusing Amazon of unlawfully recharging consumers under its "advanced refund" return policy, ruling that the e-commerce giant could face tort and quasi-contract liability alongside breach of contract allegations.

  • April 29, 2025

    Insurers Say 9th Circ. Extended Tribal Jurisdiction Too Far

    A group of insurers again urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit decision ordering them to litigate COVID-19 coverage claims in Suquamish Tribal Court, saying Tuesday that the lower court's conception of tribal sovereignty is so broad that even the tribe is unwilling to defend it.

  • April 29, 2025

    Kroger-Owned Chain Fights To Keep UFCW Suit Alive

    The Kroger-owned grocery chain King Soopers urged a Colorado federal judge Tuesday to preserve its lawsuit against a United Food and Commercial Workers local, saying the company can prove that the union is placing unlawful pressure on it to bargain with multiple locals at once.

  • April 29, 2025

    4th Circ. Rules Honeywell Royalty Fight Belongs In Fed. Circ.

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday found that a fight over royalty payments between technology conglomerate Honeywell and its Japan-based rival should be kicked to the Federal Circuit, which has jurisdiction over all patent-related lawsuits.

  • April 29, 2025

    BNSF Says Tribe's $400M Trespass Win Unjustly Taps Profits

    BNSF Railway Co. has urged the Ninth Circuit to derail the nearly $400 million a trial judge ruled it owes for years of illegally running oil cars across a Washington tribe's land, saying the disgorgement judgment goes after legitimate profits far removed from where the trespassing occurred.

  • April 29, 2025

    NCAA Says NY Case's Demise Dooms NC State '83 Team's Suit

    The NCAA told North Carolina's business court that a New York federal judge's decision to throw out a proposed antitrust class action against it brought by former men's basketball players should also doom a similar suit brought by the 1983 North Carolina State University men's basketball national championship team.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

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    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • A Legal Perspective On NYC's Retail Real Estate Evolution

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    As New York City's retail market begins to show signs of resilience after the challenges of recent years, landlords must be cognizant of legal implications from shifting trends toward shorter-term leases and pop-up stores, says Andrea Gendel at Pryor Cashman.

  • The Fed. Circ. In October: Anti-Suit Injunctions And SEPs

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    The Federal Circuit's holding in Ericsson v. Lenovo, a complex global case involving standard-essential patents, will likely have broad consequences for practitioners, including by making it easier to obtain an anti-suit injunction, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • How CFIUS' Updated Framework Affects Global Investors

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    The recent change to the monitoring and enforcement regulations governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will broaden administrative practices around nonnotified transaction investigations, increase the scope of information demands from the committee and accelerate its ability to impose mitigation on parties, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Service Providers Must Mitigate 'Secondary Target' Risks

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    A lawsuit recently filed in an Illinois federal court against marketing agency Publicis over its work for opioid manufacturers highlights an uptick in litigation against professional service providers hired by clients that engaged in alleged misconduct — so potential targets of such suits should be sure to conduct proper risk analysis and mitigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • OpenAI's Patent Pledge Is Not All It Seems

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    A recent statement that OpenAI won't assert its own patents is more of an aspiration than an obligation, and should prompt practitioners to think deeply about the underlying legal mechanisms of patent and contract law when determining the effectiveness of similar nonassertion pledges, say attorneys at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • FERC's Reactive Power Compensation Cutoff Is No Shock

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    While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's recent final rule ending compensation for reactive power provided within the standard power factor range will mean less revenue for some generators, it should not come as a surprise, since FERC has long signaled its interest in this shift, says Linda Walsh at Husch Blackwell.

  • Opinion

    Feds May Have Overstepped In Suit Against Mortgage Lender

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Rocket Mortgage goes too far in attempting to combat racial bias and appears to fail on the fatal flaw that mortgage lenders should be at arm's length from appraisers, says Drew Ketterer at Ketterer & Ketterer.

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