Commercial Contracts

  • July 13, 2026

    IBM Gets Win On Mainframe Patent Infringement Claims

    A Swiss company infringed IBM patents covering its mainframe software, a Western District of Texas judge found Monday, although he declined for now to give the tech giant a win on the trade secrets component of its case.

  • July 13, 2026

    WebAI Says Ex-Engineers Recast Firing As Fraud Claims

    WebAI Inc. has told a North Carolina federal court that a complaint by former engineers alleging an executive's conduct jeopardized huge deals is merely an attempt by disgruntled employees to conjure a multicount lawsuit from a lawful employment separation.

  • July 13, 2026

    Michigan Jury Rejects Truck Buyers' Claims Against Navistar

    After more than eight hours of deliberation, a Michigan federal jury announced a verdict Monday in favor of truck manufacturer Navistar, which was defending itself against claims by two trucking companies over delayed delivery of trucks, finding the evidence did not show Navistar committed fraud or breach of contract.

  • July 13, 2026

    Staffing Co. Fights Coverage Denial For Labor Violation Row

    A staffing company accused of failing to provide laborers with required employment notices and assignment-related disclosures in violation of Illinois law said it is entitled to a defense under its commercial lines policies, telling a federal court that its insurer wrongfully refused coverage for the proposed class action.

  • July 13, 2026

    Under Armour Beats Most Claims In Ex-Supplier's Suit

    Athletic apparel company Under Armour dodged claims that its marketing of bioceramic powder products as FDA-approved cost its former business partner money, with a Pennsylvania federal judge ruling Monday that there was no obvious link between the statements and the plaintiffs' losses.

  • July 13, 2026

    2nd Circ. Upholds Cumulus' Data-Tying Order Against Nielsen

    Nielsen cannot condition media company Cumulus' access to national radio ratings data on buying its local offerings, under a Second Circuit panel decision Monday upholding, and unpausing, a district court preliminary injunction, concluding that a 10-fold price increase for the standalone product likely amounted to anticompetitive coercion.

  • July 13, 2026

    SEC Says Crypto Service Agreement Is Investment Contract

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked a Texas federal judge to find that service agreements offered by two crypto mining fraudsters count as investment contracts, and thus securities, saying the court should grant judgment as a matter of law.

  • July 13, 2026

    Toyota Should Be Freed From IP Suit, Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge has recommended allowing Toyota to avoid allegations it infringed a half dozen vehicle infotainment patents, saying the automaker already has a license to the intellectual property.

  • July 13, 2026

    Hyundai Urges Arbitration Of Emergency Braking Claims

    Hyundai has urged a California federal judge to send a proposed class action over its allegedly faulty automatic emergency braking system into arbitration, arguing that the drivers accepted an arbitration provision when they agreed to the terms and conditions of its Bluelink services to obtain optional integrated connectivity features. 

  • July 13, 2026

    Software Co.'s Lack Of 'Diligence' Dooms Late TM Suit Update

    A North Carolina federal judge has faulted a software company's "lack of diligence" in submitting proper paperwork to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and notifying the court its trademark was canceled as the judge denied the company's request to amend its lawsuit against a European rival.

  • July 13, 2026

    Solar Co. Loses Challenge To Validity Of Conn. Panel Seats

    A Connecticut state court judge has turned away a solar developer's argument that three commissioners were sitting illegally on the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority when they ruled in favor of an Avangrid Inc. unit as part of a dispute over a power purchase agreement.

  • July 13, 2026

    Ex-Viking Plastics CEO Seeks Advancement In Del. Chancery

    Former Viking Plastics CEO Kelly Goodsel has asked the Delaware Chancery Court to order VPI Acquisition LLC to advance his legal fees in litigation accusing him of fraud during the company's $40 million sale, arguing the purchase agreement mandates this because the claims stem directly from his service as chief executive.

  • July 13, 2026

    7th Circ. Revives Teva Suit Over Eli Lilly Generic Drug Block

    The Seventh Circuit on Monday revived a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Eli Lilly, ruling that an earlier legal settlement under which Eli Lilly agreed not to block the approval and marketing of Teva Pharmaceuticals' generic version of its osteoporosis drug Forteo didn't necessarily expire when the underlying patents did.

  • July 13, 2026

    Gaming Co. Settles Usurious Loan Suit Against BHG Financial

    A couple who sought financing from nationwide lender BHG Financial LLC to open an esports gaming café has settled a lawsuit alleging the loan agreement was usurious and contained "unconscionable terms," according to an order in North Carolina federal court.

  • July 13, 2026

    NC Co.'s $9.8M Indemnity Payment Not Covered, Insurers Say

    A building products manufacturer is not entitled to coverage after reimbursing its financial adviser $9.8 million for defense and settlement costs incurred in litigation over a take-private transaction, the company's excess directors and officers insurers told a North Carolina federal court.

  • July 13, 2026

    Equipment Co. Sues Pa. Railroad Over Abrupt Access Block

    A Pittsburgh industrial equipment company says a short-line railroad adjacent to its property has suddenly stopped a decades-long practice of allowing it to use an access road alongside the tracks, closing off access to the company's loading docks, according to a lawsuit filed in Pennsylvania state court.

  • July 13, 2026

    Cannabis Co. Says Mich. City Forced Illegal License Waiver

    A marijuana dispensary in Michigan's Upper Peninsula told a federal court that a Michigan municipality changed cannabis licensing rules midway through the process and committed fraud and breach of contract.

  • July 13, 2026

    DHS Revives Plan For NJ Immigrant Detention Center

    The U.S. government told a federal judge that it's actually still considering plans to turn a New Jersey warehouse into an immigrant detention center, a week after it reported it no longer intended to pursue the challenged project.

  • July 13, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court last week handled disputes involving corporate control, post-closing competition, executive departures, arbitration awards and shareholder litigation.

  • July 10, 2026

    WhatsApp Users Must Arbitrate Claims Over Private Messages

    A California federal judge has ordered WhatsApp users suing the messaging platform in a proposed class action over alleged privacy violations to arbitration, rejecting their argument that the underlying arbitration agreements improperly short-circuit certain of state law claims.

  • July 10, 2026

    Toyota Industries' $436M Forklift Emissions Deal Gets Signoff

    A California federal court on Friday officially signed off on Toyota Industries Corp.'s approximately $436 million settlement to resolve a proposed class action alleging that it and other entities misled customers about the true emissions levels of Toyota forklift engines.

  • July 10, 2026

    Google Accused Of Plundering Car Photos To Train AI Ad Tool

    Google harvested thousands of copyrighted images of vehicles to train its artificial intelligence image generator and to integrate the tool into its ad business, where it reaps a "substantial amount of revenue," according to a lawsuit filed by automotive photography company Evox Productions in California federal court.

  • July 10, 2026

    Del. Justices Nix $16M Fee Award In SpaceX Investment Fight

    The Delaware Supreme Court on Friday erased a $16 million fee award stemming from a dispute over a fund manager's handling of a failed $50 million SpaceX investment, concluding that although the fund manager committed a limited breach of a "duty of candor," shifting all litigation expenses to him was unwarranted.

  • July 10, 2026

    McCarter & English Doesn't Owe Insurers $21.3M, Judge Told

    Two Phoenix insurers are demanding an unreasonably high damages award on contract and malpractice claims against McCarter & English LLP and a onetime partner for alleged failings amid commercial loan transactions, a defense finance expert told a Connecticut court, calling the multimillion-dollar figure "speculative."

  • July 10, 2026

    DOJ Defends Nurse Wage-Fixing Conviction At 9th Circ.

    The U.S. Department of Justice urged a Ninth Circuit panel to reject a Las Vegas home nursing executive's appeal of its first-ever criminal wage-fixing conviction, defending its trial characterization of a leniency deal with a cooperating company and the inclusion of the executive's statement likening nurses to prostitutes.

Expert Analysis

  • What Kalshi Cases Reveal About State Authority, Regulation

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    Prediction markets like Kalshi have ignited complex legal battles that get to the heart of how novel financial products intersect with traditional state enforcement authority, and courts are already beginning to divide over whether federal law preempts state enforcement authority restricting these offerings, say attorneys at Holtzman Vogel.

  • What US Arms Sales Reforms Mean For Defense Industry

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    A recent executive order with the goal of increasing U.S. arms sales transparency, speed and government-industry collaboration carries both promise and risk for the defense industry as the government seeks to leverage the private sector and use commercial products for defense purposes, say attorneys at Fluet.

  • How Recent Del. Rulings Clarify M&A Deal Fraud Carveouts

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    Two recent Delaware decisions have provided clarity regarding when a party can or cannot rely on representations made during the course of an M&A transaction, particularly on the scope and enforceability of antireliance provisions, and on representations they knew or should have known were false, says Anthony Boccamazzo at Olshan Frome.

  • Aligning Microsoft Tools With NYC Bar AI Recording Guidance

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    The New York City Bar Association’s recently issued formal opinion, providing ethical guidance on artificial intelligence-assisted recording, transcription and summarization, raises immediate questions about data governance and e-discovery for companies that use Microsoft 365 and Copilot, say Staci Kaliner, Martin Tully and John Collins at Redgrave.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from January and identifies practice tips from cases involving allegations of violations of consumer fraud regulations, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, employment law and breach of contract statutes.

  • 5 Different AI Systems Raise Distinct Privilege Issues

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    A New York federal court’s recent U.S. v. Heppner decision, holding that a defendant’s use of Claude was not privileged, only addressed one narrow artificial intelligence system, but lawyers must recognize that the spectrum of AI tools raises different confidentiality and privilege questions, says Heidi Nadel at HP.

  • After Learning Resources: A Practical Guide For US Importers

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Feb. 20 decision in Learning Resources v. Trump, U.S. importers and consumers on whom tariffs were imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act can seek relief through existing administrative procedures or a yet-to-be-determined bespoke refund mechanism, and should plan for more changes in the tariff landscape, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Opinion

    AI-Assisted Arbitration Needs Safeguards To Ensure Fairness

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    As tribunals and arbitral institutions increasingly use artificial intelligence tools in their decision-making processes, ​​​​​​​clear disclosure standards and procedural safeguards are necessary to ensure that efficiency gains do not erode the fairness principles on which arbitration depends, says Alexander Lima at Wesco International.

  • Logistics Update: What Immigrant Driver Rule Means For Cos.

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    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's new final rule restricting issuance of commerical driver's licenses for nondomiciled drivers will have immediate operational implications for motor carriers, but the broader effects will ripple through relationships between service providers and their sources of freight, including brokers and shippers, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    Playing Piano Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing piano and practicing law share many parallels relating to managing complexity: Just as hearing an entire musical passage in my head allows me to reliably deliver the message, thinking about the audience's impression helps me create a legal narrative that keeps the reader engaged, says Michael Shepherd at Fish & Richardson.

  • AI-Generated Doc Ruling Guides Attys On Privilege Risks

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    A New York federal court's ruling, in U.S. v. Heppner, that documents created by a defendant using an artificial intelligence tool were not privileged, can serve as a guide to attorneys for retaining attorney-client or work-product privilege over client documents created with AI, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Leadership Strategy After Day 1

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    For law firm leaders, ensuring a newly combined law firm lives up to its promise, both in its first days of operation and well after, includes tough decisions, clear and specific communication, and cheerleading, says Peter Michaud at Ballard Spahr.

  • How US Liability Law Is Becoming The Primary Regulator Of AI

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    Comprehensive federal AI regulation remains fragmented and uncertain — but U.S. courts, applying long-standing doctrines of liability and responsibility, are actively shaping how AI systems are designed, deployed and governed, and companies are aligning their AI practices because courts may hold them accountable if they do not, says Alexander Lima at Wesco International.

  • How Blockchain Could Streamline Real Estate Transactions

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    As U.S. real estate markets face pressure to adopt digital frameworks, blockchain technology offers a credible solution for consolidating execution, payment and recording into a single record, with a unified ledger potentially replacing fragmented processes with digitally authenticated events, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Monetizing EV Charging Stations For Long-Term Success

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    An electric vehicle charging station's longevity hinges on monetizing operations through diverse revenue streams, contractual documentation of charge point operators' and site hosts' rights and responsibilities, and ensuring reliability and security of facilities, says Levi McAllister at Morgan Lewis.

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