Commercial Contracts

  • March 12, 2026

    SeaWorld Broke Sesame Street License Agreement, Suit Says

    SeaWorld is flouting its obligations under a licensing agreement for the Sesame Street brand, the nonprofit behind the children's television series alleged Thursday in New York federal court, accusing the theme park giant of carrying out a "retaliation campaign" after losing an arbitration over unpaid royalties.

  • March 12, 2026

    FDIC Owns SVB Insurance Claims, Court Told

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., as receiver for Silicon Valley Bank after its historic collapse in early 2023, is entitled to recover on what could be tens of millions of dollars in financial institution bond proceeds, the FDIC's counsel told a North Carolina federal court Thursday.

  • March 12, 2026

    Ecuador Oil Co. Says No Arbitration In $650M Suit

    Ecuador's state-owned oil shipping company on Wednesday urged a Pennsylvania federal court not to force it to arbitrate its $650 million lawsuit over events at the heart of an impeachment scandal involving former Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, arguing that the case is "not a contract dispute."

  • March 12, 2026

    Insurer Asks NC Justices To Free It From Captive Carrier Row

    A Georgia insurance company told North Carolina's highest court that the state's Business Court doesn't have jurisdiction over it in a shareholder dispute over the demise of a defunct captive insurer, arguing it had nothing to do with the supposed bad acts of its individual members.

  • March 12, 2026

    Colo. Law Firm Alleges Personal Injury Firm Owes It $120K

    A Fort Collins, Colorado, trial law firm alleged in state court that a Denver personal injury firm has not paid it $120,000 in fees the trial firm says it is owed for legal work it performed for the PI firm.

  • March 12, 2026

    Chubb Unit Can't Tag Excess Insurer For $100M Settlement

    The Georgia Court of Appeals rejected an attempt by a Chubb unit to share liability with an excess insurer for coverage of a $100 million settlement between a boat manufacturer and the family of a boy who died in a boating accident.

  • March 12, 2026

    Ex-Consultants Sue Gallagher Over Nonsolicitation Clauses

    Insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher Co. shouldn't be able to enforce nonsolicitation clauses that "stifle valid competition and hinder employee mobility," a pair of former group welfare benefits consultants told a federal court this week, telling the court both clauses run afoul of North Carolina law. 

  • March 12, 2026

    Dish Blasts Disney's Bid To Pause Discovery In Sling TV Suit

    Dish Network is pushing back on a bid from the Walt Disney Co. to pause discovery for Dish's antitrust counterclaims over the programming giant's carriage licensing deals.

  • March 12, 2026

    TV Academy Foundation Sues Over CW Docuseries Clips

    The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation has sued the producers of the CW docuseries "TV We Love," accusing the team behind the show of using nearly 50 unlicensed clips from the foundation's Emmy broadcasts and its long‑running oral history project "The Interviews."

  • March 12, 2026

    NFL Alumni Argues Biotech's Suit Lacks Contractual Basis

    The National Football League's largest alumni group is angling to quash a biotech company's breach of contract lawsuit, explaining that details in the suit on the termination of their partnership for a vaccine education program are thin.

  • March 12, 2026

    Investors Sue Florida Trading 'Savant' Over Ponzi-Style Fraud

    Investors sued a self-styled foreign exchange trading "savant" claiming he solicited millions from friends and relatives that were meant to be pooled into legitimate investments but were instead funneled into a Ponzi scheme.

  • March 12, 2026

    Del. Chancery Rejects Fraud Claims In $313.5M Fertilizer Deal

    The Delaware Chancery Court has ruled that a group of investors failed to prove that executives and a private equity sponsor behind agricultural technology company Verdesian Life Sciences LLC defrauded them into investing in a 2014 acquisition, holding after trial that the claims were both time-barred and unsupported.

  • March 12, 2026

    Doc's Hands Aren't Property, Texas Panel Rules In Death Suit

    A state-employed doctor's hands are not "tangible personal property," a Texas appeals court ruled Thursday, dismissing a wrongful death suit from the family of a patient who contracted a fatal infection during her hospital stay. 

  • March 12, 2026

    Chancery Dissolves Litigation Funder Amid Partner Deadlock

    A hedge fund manager can wind down the litigation funding operation he ran with a Florida-based personal injury attorney, the Delaware Chancery Court has ruled, finding that a falling out between the two partners did not involve any wrongdoing.

  • March 12, 2026

    Tanger Asks NC Justices Not To Review COVID Coverage Suit

    Two insurers failed to establish an error justifying review from the North Carolina Supreme Court of a decision allowing Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. to seek $50 million in pandemic-related coverage, the retail outlet chain told the justices.

  • March 12, 2026

    Calif. Bar Says Internal Docs Bolster Claims Against Exam Co.

    The State Bar of California has bulked up its breach of contract and fraud suit against the administrator of its "disastrous" February 2025 bar exam, filing an amended complaint in light of information it says it learned from internal communications unearthed amid discovery.

  • March 12, 2026

    DraftKings Wants Emails Under Wraps In Voided Bet Suit

    DraftKings has asked an Indiana federal judge to redact its emails with a betting technology company while it looks to fend off a class action from bettors alleging that they were unfairly denied payouts on successful NBA wagers.

  • March 11, 2026

    Uber Must Fork Over Internal Docs In FTC Subscription Fight

    A California magistrate judge ordered Uber to produce numerous internal documents to the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday in litigation accusing the ride-share giant of enrolling consumers into its paid subscription service without consent, after the FTC accused the company of stonewalling discovery and producing only 72 documents totaling 179 pages.

  • March 11, 2026

    Eli Lilly Ordered To Arbitrate Alzheimer's Drug Feud

    An Illinois federal judge ordered Eli Lilly and Co. on Tuesday to arbitrate a dispute over millions of dollars in milestone payments allegedly owed under a collaboration agreement to develop an Alzheimer's disease drug, ruling that the drugmaker lacked standing to challenge an underlying security agreement.

  • March 11, 2026

    Korean Newspaper Can't Toss Or Stall LPGA Media Rights Suit

    A New York federal judge Wednesday denied a major Korean newspaper company's bid to toss, or alternatively stall, the Ladies Professional Golf Association's lawsuit seeking to have the media firm pay outstanding tournament sponsorship and broadcast rights payments under a guarantee.

  • March 11, 2026

    Industrial Machinery Co. Gets Contempt Finding Overturned

    A Georgia trial judge went too far by holding a crushing and screening equipment maker in contempt for breaching a court order and ordering it to pay attorney fees in a distribution agreement dispute, a state appeals court ruled.

  • March 11, 2026

    Wash. Says ICE Contractor Cannot Defend Barring Inspection

    The Washington State Department of Health said a contractor's attempts to escape an evidentiary hearing demonstrated that the company could not defend its jurisdictional claims in a lawsuit accusing it of illegally restricting access to an immigration facility.

  • March 11, 2026

    Florida Man Can Proceed With $13M Home Straw Buyer Suit

    A home seller can pursue claims he would not have sold his Miami Beach property for $13 million had he known it was going to a straw buyer planning to flip the property a year later, a Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday, reviving part of the resident's lawsuit. 

  • March 11, 2026

    Microsoft Backs Anthropic In DOD Security Risk Label Row

    Microsoft has thrown its support behind Anthropic's bid to block the Trump administration from enforcing an order designating the artificial intelligence company a supply chain risk to national security, saying an injunction would avoid disrupting the military's use of advanced AI.

  • March 11, 2026

    Calif. Wants Truck Cos., Feds' Clean Truck Pact Claims Nixed

    California officials again asked a federal judge to gut key claims from heavy-duty truck manufacturers and the federal government challenging the 2023 deal in which the manufacturers agreed to stringent state emissions standards and stiff penalties for noncompliance in the coming years.

Expert Analysis

  • If Your AI Vendor Goes Bankrupt: Tackling Privacy And 'Utility'

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    Because bankruptcies of artificial intelligence vendors will require courts to decide in the moment how to handle bespoke deals for AI tools, customers that anticipate consumer privacy concerns in asset disposition and questions about utility and critical-vendor classifications can be better positioned before proceedings, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • What Artists Can Learn From Latest AI Music Licensing Deals

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    Recent partnerships between music labels and artificial intelligence companies raise a number of key questions for artists, rightsholders and other industry players about IP, revenue-sharing, and rights and obligations, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • If Your AI Vendor Goes Bankrupt: Keeping Licensed IP Access

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    With contracting norms still evolving to account for the licensing of artificial intelligence tools, customers that need to retain access to key AI products in the event of vendor’s bankruptcy should consider four elements that could determine whether they may invoke traditional Section 365(n) intellectual property protections, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Tips For Financial Advisers Facing TRO From Former Firm

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    The Eighth Circuit's recent decision in Choreo v. Lors, overturning a lower court's sweeping injunction after financial advisers moved to a new firm, gives advisers new strategies to fight restraining orders from their old firms, such as focusing on whether the alleged irreparable harm is calculable, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • NYC Bar Opinion Warns Attys On Use Of AI Recording Tools

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    Attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools to record, transcribe and summarize conversations with clients should heed the New York City Bar Association’s recent opinion addressing the legal and ethical risks posed by such tools, and follow several best practices to avoid violating the Rules of Professional Conduct, say attorneys at Smith Gambrell.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Dispatches From Utah's Newest Court

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    While a robust body of law hasn't yet developed since the Utah Business and Chancery Court's founding in October 2024, the number of cases filed there has recently picked up, and its existence illustrates Utah's desire to be top of mind for businesses across the country, says Evan Strassberg at Michael Best.

  • Aerospace And Defense Law: Trends To Follow In 2026

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    Some of the key 2026 developments to watch in aerospace and defense contracting law stem from provisions of this year's National Defense Authorization Act, a push to reform procurement, executive orders that announced Trump administration priorities, the upcoming Artemis space mission and continuing efforts to deploy artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • 4 Quick Emotional Resets For Lawyers With Conflict Fatigue

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    Though the emotional wear and tear of legal work can trap attorneys in conflict fatigue — leaving them unable to shake off tense interactions or return to a calm baseline — simple therapeutic techniques for resetting the nervous system can help break the cycle, says Chantel Cohen at CWC Coaching & Therapy.

  • 2 Rulings Showcase Fuzzy Limits Of 'Related To' Jurisdiction

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    The Fifth and Ninth Circuits recently handed down decisions, in Sanchez Energy and Sawtelle Partners, respectively, reminding practitioners that bankruptcy court jurisdiction over lingering disputes is not guaranteed, regardless of whether confirmation orders contain specific "retention of jurisdiction" language, says Brian Shaw at Cozen O’Connor.

  • 3 Key Ohio Financial Services Developments From 2025

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    Ohio's banking and financial services sector saw particularly notable developments in 2025, including a significant Ohio Supreme Court decision on creditor disclosure duties to guarantors in Huntington National Bank v. Schneider, and some major proposed changes to the state's Homebuyer Plus program, says Alex Durst at Durst Kerridge.

  • AI Licensing Suit Exhibits Pitfalls Of Vague Contract Terms

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    Fastcase Inc. v. Alexi Technologies, a case in District of Columbia federal court, demonstrates the potential consequences of vaguely drafted contract terms amid unforeseen technological advances, but there is practical guidance parties may employ to mitigate the potential for similar contract disputes, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

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