Commercial Contracts

  • July 30, 2025

    State Farm Ordered To Pay $54.6M Over Vehicle Valuations

    State Farm must pay more than $54.6 million across two class actions for underpaying the value of totaled vehicles via a "typical negotiation" deduction, a Washington federal court ruled, noting the plaintiffs provided "undisputed" evidence that State Farm violated the state's Consumer Protection Act.

  • July 30, 2025

    Comscore Says Box Office Data TRO In Antitrust Suit Is Bunk

    Media analytics giant Comscore has accused the film distribution and data company that's suing it for box office data monopolization of "gamesmanship," telling a California federal judge it had every right to cancel its contract with Atlas Distribution Co.

  • July 30, 2025

    6th Circ. Unsure It Can Toss Papa John's Leaked Audio Suit

    The Sixth Circuit grappled Wednesday with the fate of a lawsuit that the founder of Papa John's brought against a marketing agency alleging it leaked comments that led to his resignation, with one judge questioning the appellate court's jurisdiction to decide if a valid confidentiality agreement existed.

  • July 30, 2025

    Anesthesia Giant Keeps Poaching Claims In Antitrust Row

    A New York federal judge refused Tuesday to nix counterclaims from North America's largest anesthesia provider, facing a Syracuse hospital's antitrust allegations, accusing the hospital of illegally recruiting away dozens of its clinicians and thus interfering with its employment agreements.

  • July 30, 2025

    Peru Docs Bid In Toll Road Project Feud Improper, Court Told

    Asset manager Brookfield, law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP and Scotiabank are fighting efforts by Peru to force them to turn over documents in a feud stemming from an allegedly corrupt toll road project, arguing that the country is attempting an end-run around a previously unsuccessful petition.

  • July 30, 2025

    Software Co. Says Founder Can't Escape $9M Award

    Software investment company The Resource Group International Ltd. on Monday asked a New York federal judge not to let its former chairman, Invisalign inventor Zia Chishti escape a $9 million arbitration award against him, arguing it's too late to challenge the judgment now that it's been confirmed by the court.

  • July 30, 2025

    Traders Say Sanctioned Firm Can't Swap Plaintiff In $2.5M Suit

    A company facing trade sanctions cannot swap out another entity as a plaintiff in its suit targeting a crude oil sales firm's owners as it looks to collect $2.5 million based on an arbitral award, the owners have argued in Connecticut state and federal court.

  • July 30, 2025

    $1.6M UHC Reimbursement Suit Kicked Back To State Court

    A lawsuit alleging that United Healthcare of North Carolina Inc. underpaid a hospital system by at least $1.6 million in reimbursements does not belong in federal court, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Monday.

  • July 30, 2025

    Amazon Denied 'Mini-Trial' Against Shoppers' Proposed Class

    A Washington state federal judge summarily refused Wednesday to let Amazon interrogate the expert witness backing a bid for class action status covering tens of millions of consumers, finding that the proposal for evidentiary hearing, with cross-examination, is unneeded.

  • July 30, 2025

    Truist Triggered Employee Exodus, Not Ex-Execs, Court Told

    Three former executives who helmed the real estate finance arm of Truist Financial Corp. and their new employer are seeking a pretrial win in the bank's poaching case, telling a North Carolina state court judge they aren't to blame for Truist's alleged bad business decisions.

  • July 30, 2025

    Judge Unsure Of Broad Liability Shield Theory In Fraud Suits

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday pressed an attorney representing automation equipment manufacturers in fraudulent transfer suits on if their argument that their system of layered automated credit payments frees them from liability would allow every business to get around an act designed to prevent fraud in the construction industry.

  • July 30, 2025

    Atty Sues Leech Tishman Over Referral Amid Girardi Scandal

    An attorney at Hunt Ortmann Palffy Nieves Darling & Mah Inc. has sued Leech Tishman Nelson Hardiman in California state court for allegedly refusing to pay her a $300,000 referral fee after she convinced her CEO father to hire the firm to represent him.

  • July 29, 2025

    Posner Wage Theft Claims Should Be Revived, 7th Circ. Told

    A former staffer for retired U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Posner has asked the Seventh Circuit to review federal court rulings in his loss of wage theft claims against the ex-judge, arguing an Indiana federal judge permitted a botched discovery process and prematurely dismissed claims while fact issues remained.

  • July 29, 2025

    $32M Verdict Holds Up In Curaleaf Pot Farm Dispute

    A Michigan federal judge on Tuesday said he was "waving goodbye" to a years-old case as he denied Curaleaf units' bid to unravel a $32 million verdict in favor of a marijuana farm that alleged the companies breached a sales contract, finding the jury had enough evidence to support its decisions.

  • July 29, 2025

    UnitedHealth Urges 6th Circ. To Affirm ERISA Preemption

    UnitedHealth Group Inc. urged the Sixth Circuit to affirm the dismissal of a man's claims that UnitedHealth defrauded him into reimbursing the health insurance giant for $25,000, arguing that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 completely preempts such claims brought under state law.

  • July 29, 2025

    No Coverage For $2.5M Herbicide Damage Row, Court Says

    An AIG unit has no duty to cover an air services company in a contractor's lawsuit alleging that its aerial application of herbicides caused $2.5 million in expenses to fix grass damage, a New York federal court ruled Tuesday, finding no coverage under both of the company's policies.

  • July 29, 2025

    Mexican Media Co. Wants Fox's Soccer Licensing Suit Tossed

    A Mexican media company facing contract breach claims from Fox Cable Network Services LLC over soccer broadcasting rights called on a California federal judge Monday to dismiss the case, asserting that the U.S. media giant's case is too thin and that litigation already underway in Mexico should take precedence.

  • July 29, 2025

    Some OpenAI Defenses Nixed In 'Over-Litigated' Musk Suit

    A California federal judge briefly took Elon Musk and OpenAI to task on Tuesday, in an order summarily nixing some of the ChatGPT-maker's affirmative defenses against the billionaire's lawsuit challenging plans to change its corporate structure.

  • July 29, 2025

    Leagues, Fanatics Seek Exit From Trading Card Antitrust Suit

    The NFL, MLB, NBA and Fanatics have urged a New York federal court in separate filings to toss an antitrust lawsuit that accuses the organizations of monopolizing the trading card market, arguing the complaint fails to establish an unlawful conspiracy to restrain the market.

  • July 29, 2025

    6th Circ. Upholds Blue Cross Win In Mich. Tribal Fraud Dispute

    A Sixth Circuit panel has affirmed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's defeat of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians' lawsuit alleging the insurer caused the tribe's health plan to overpay for treatment.

  • July 29, 2025

    Insurer Says Misrepresentations Void Real Estate Co.'s Policy

    Material misrepresentations in a commercial real estate firm's insurance renewal application mean the insurer has no duty to defend the firm or a former director against a $6.5 million claim related to the sale of a client's properties, the insurer told an Indiana federal court.

  • July 29, 2025

    Whitman Breed Says $6.5M Lease Current Despite Atty Exits

    A member of Connecticut law firm Whitman Breed Abbott & Morgan LLC on Tuesday testified that all payments are current under a $6.5 million lease governing its Greenwich headquarters, disputing a landlord's bid for a $3.8 million asset freeze to ensure future payments amid a wave of attorney exits.

  • July 29, 2025

    NC Engineer Says Green Energy Co. Withheld Stock Options

    A former engineer at a North Carolina climate technology company sued his ex-employer, claiming the company and its board refused to let him exercise his stock options after he left for another green energy business.

  • July 29, 2025

    Pharma Co. Blasts Adversary For Nudging Judge Assignment

    A pharmaceutical solutions group has assailed its opponent's "hurry-up-court" motion nudging the appointment of a new judge after the previous judge overseeing their contract fight retired, saying its adversary "has only itself to blame" for the alleged delays that have put off a final resolution.

  • July 29, 2025

    Only Franchisees Can Sue Franchisors, NJ Justices Say

    The New Jersey Supreme Court on Tuesday held that a coalition of car dealerships can't sue Ford Motor Co. under the state's franchising law, ruling the plain language of the law only allows for franchisees to bring a cause of action against franchisors.

Expert Analysis

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • 4th Circ. Health Data Ruling Opens Door To State Law Claims

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    In Real Time Medical v. PointClickCare, the Fourth Circuit recently clarified that state law claims can rest in part on violations of a federal law that prohibits electronic health information blocking, expanding legal risks for health IT companies and potentially creating exposure to a range of competitive implications, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • 5 Key Licensing Considerations For AI Innovations

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    As businesses increasingly integrate artificial intelligence technology into their operations, they must prepare to address complex intellectual property challenges and questions surrounding licensing AI-based innovations, which require careful consideration of ownership, usage rights and regulatory compliance, says Lestin Kenton at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Series

    Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

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    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • How The CRE Industry Is Adapting To Tariff Uncertainty

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    Amid uncertainty about pending tariffs and their potential ripple effects, including higher material costs, supply chain delays and tighter margins, commercial real estate industry players are focusing on strategic planning and risk mitigation, says Daniel Diaz Leyva at Day Pitney.

  • Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

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    Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

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    As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

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    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

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    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • Perfecting Security Interests In Renewable Energy Tax Credits

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    The ability to transfer renewable energy tax credits has created new opportunities for developers, investors and lenders, but it also raises important questions regarding when and how the security interests in these credits are perfected — questions that must be answered definitively to protect credit claims and transactions, says Harry Teichman at Stinson.

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