Commercial Contracts

  • June 05, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Tribal Smoke Shop Owner's RICO Suit

    Officials with the Colorado River Indian Tribes must face a lawsuit brought by a smoke shop owner who claims they wrongfully evicted his business and stole its inventory, the Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion, saying tribal employees aren't automatically shielded by sovereign immunity.

  • June 05, 2026

    Hotel Investment Firm Settles SEC Claims Of $86M Fraud

    A hotel investment firm and its founder have settled claims brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accusing the company of raising about $86 million through "deceptive conduct," with a Texas federal judge signing off on the settlement Friday.

  • June 05, 2026

    Musicians Say UMG, Warner Stiffed Them On AI Licensing

    The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada claims Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group violated its members' collective bargaining agreement by licensing sound recordings to two artificial intelligence companies without compensating the musicians involved, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in New York federal court.

  • June 05, 2026

    Texas Justices To Weigh Timeliness Of Railcar Damage Suit

    The Texas Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a roughly $10 million verdict issued against a company that let corrosion deteriorate railcars it had rented, with the court set to weigh whether the suit was filed in time.

  • June 05, 2026

    Developers Say Bank Shared Financials On Debt Buyer Site

    A pair of well-known Boston real estate developers claimed in a lawsuit Friday that Eastern Bank and debt marketplace DebtX publicly disclosed personal financial statements they had submitted in support of a commercial real estate loan.

  • June 05, 2026

    Ex-Mich. Hockey Team Exec Loses Appeal In Team Sale Suit

    A Michigan appeals court panel has declined to revive former Muskegon Lumberjacks executive Michael McCall's lawsuit seeking a cut of the minor league hockey team's sale, reasoning that McCall did not actually broker the deal. 

  • June 05, 2026

    4th Circ. Upholds Sanctions For Late Copyright Damages Info

    The Fourth Circuit affirmed a ruling that excluded a software company's damages evidence and granted summary judgment to its competitor, saying in a published opinion Friday that the plaintiff's repeated failure to disclose its damages calculation justified sanctions that effectively doomed its copyright, false advertising and contract claims.

  • June 05, 2026

    Colo. Panel Says Medical POA Doesn't Extend To Arbitration

    A medical power of attorney does not let an agent agree to arbitration unless that power is expressly granted, a Colorado appeals panel held, affirming a nursing home's loss in its bid to force arbitration in a negligence and wrongful death suit.

  • June 05, 2026

    CoStar Gets Antitrust Suit Paused Pending Transfers

    A Virginia federal judge granted commercial real estate information company CoStar's request to pause a brokerage's proposed antitrust class action due to pending transfer motions.

  • June 05, 2026

    Citizens Says $470K In Sanctions Overdue In Contempt Bid

    Citizens Financial told a Pennsylvania federal court Friday a contractor that unsuccessfully sued the bank over a worker's undetected theft is late paying nearly $470,000 in sanctions, arguing the former plaintiff has to pay up even as its appeal is pending.

  • June 05, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen the U.K.'s oldest Indian restaurant launch an appeal against King Charles III's property company in an effort to stop its eviction, trustees of a bankrupt former EY tax partner file a claim against his wife, and 37 leading insurers bring a lawsuit against agrichemical company Syngenta over an insurance dispute. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 04, 2026

    Swipe-Fee Class Opposes Rethink For Sanctioned Injury Firm

    Personal injury firm Betz & Baril PLC and its referral partner ClickFunds have no grounds to seek reconsideration or clarification on a New York federal judge's sanctions for misleading would-be class members in long-running antitrust litigation against Visa and Mastercard, the merchant class said Thursday.

  • June 04, 2026

    Atkore Inks Additional $50M Deal In PVC Pipe Antitrust Row

    Atkore Inc. has reached another settlement in litigation claiming it conspired with other polyvinyl chloride pipe producers to fix prices, this time agreeing to pay $50 million to a class of end-user plaintiffs, according to a motion for preliminary approval of the deal filed Thursday in Illinois federal court.

  • June 04, 2026

    Alibaba's Money-Back Guarantees Are 'Illusory,' Shoppers Say

    Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding makes "illusory" money-back guarantee and refund promises if shipped items are damaged or missing, despite it having "unfettered discretion" to choose whether to provide refunds regardless of the evidence provided by customers, according to a proposed class action in California federal court. 

  • June 04, 2026

    DR Horton, Forestar Push To End Delaware Lot Deal Suit

    Real estate developer Forestar Group Inc. and its directors urged the Delaware Chancery Court on June 4 to toss a shareholder suit accusing home builder D.R. Horton Inc. of using its control of Forestar to obtain residential lots at below-market prices, arguing the pension fund behind the case skipped a required step before suing.

  • June 04, 2026

    2nd Circ. Rejects Bid To Rehear $16B YPF Argentina Ruling

    The Second Circuit will not review its decision this year reversing a New York judge's $16 billion judgment against Argentina arising from its nationalization of YPF SA, the country's largest oil and gas exploration company, despite arguments that the ruling was "profoundly misguided."

  • June 04, 2026

    Texas Oil Exec Mulacek Hits Ch. 11 With $210M Judgment Debt

    Empire Petroleum Corp. Chairman Philippe Mulacek filed a Chapter 11 petition Thursday, pausing enforcement efforts against him over a more than $210 million judgment in a long-running Texas federal court fight with Swiss financier Carlo Civelli.

  • June 04, 2026

    Flyers Ask Full 5th Circ. To Rehear CrowdStrike IT Outage Suit

    Airline passengers have asked the full Fifth Circuit to review a panel decision rejecting their proposed class action alleging the cybersecurity firm behind 2024's crippling global IT outage should be held liable for stress and physical injuries they suffered while stranded by delayed or canceled flights.

  • June 04, 2026

    Miami F1 Track Flaw Suit Settles At Start Of Trial

    After trying and failing to boot the judge overseeing a case over the construction of a track that failed during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix race in 2022, a British racetrack consultant avoided a trial with a last-minute settlement.

  • June 04, 2026

    CBD Oil Co., Hemp Farm Spar Over $1.7M Contract Suit

    A Washington hemp farm is suing CBD oil processor AgroRefiner LLC, alleging it breached a contract to buy 2.5 million pounds of biomass and owes $14.7 million, while AgroRefiner has filed counterclaims alleging that the biomass didn't meet the standards of the agreement.

  • June 04, 2026

    Insurer Says Background Check Missed Worker's Arson Case

    A North Carolina-based staffing agency and its background-check contractor allegedly failed to flag that a job applicant for a Scranton, Pennsylvania, warehouse was awaiting trial on arson-related charges, and the warehouse's insurer claims in a federal lawsuit that makes them liable for the damages after that worker set a fire at his new job.

  • June 04, 2026

    Realty Rival, Directors Barred From Poaching Brokerage Staff

    Two former sales directors for a real estate brokerage must stop recruiting former coworkers for a rival company that hired them, North Carolina's business court has said, finding the new employer should also be barred from meddling with more of the brokerage's employment contracts.

  • June 04, 2026

    USW Drops Saint-Gobain Retiree Healthcare Change Suit

    The United Steelworkers union has dropped its lawsuit over materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain's changes to union retirees' healthcare plans, less than a week after losing a bid for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order.

  • June 04, 2026

    Live Nation Remedies Discovery To Wait On New Trial Motions

    A New York federal judge said that state attorneys general will have to wait on discovery to bolster their bid for a Live Nation Entertainment Inc. breakup, preferring to first tackle the live music giant's bid to upend jury findings faulting the company for monopolizing the industry.

  • June 04, 2026

    Judge Won't Rethink Insurer's Duty To Cover Data Center Row

    A California federal judge refused to allow Navigators Specialty Insurance Co. to file a reconsideration motion for a prior ruling that dismissed the insurer's claims in its coverage suit against a client company taken into arbitration over a California data center project.

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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