Commercial Contracts

  • July 07, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    In Delaware in the past week, a vice chancellor awarded just $1 in damages to a China-tied company looking to secure a $50 million stake in SpaceX while also slamming the fund's manager for acting "insincerely," Tyson Foods won $55 million in damages in a suit claiming the owner of two poultry rendering plants Tyson acquired hid that it relied on a "disfavored" practice of recovering "unappetizing remnants of butchered chickens," and a suit over a one-site bank's 11-aircraft fleet was moved into the discovery phase.

  • July 07, 2025

    Fla. Condo Says Chubb Insurer Lowballed Hurricane Claim

    A nonprofit Florida condominium owner is urging a federal court to reject a Chubb subsidiary's final summary judgment bid against the nonprofit's hurricane coverage suit, arguing that the insurer offered only $23,801 for property damage that eventually resulted in the nonprofit receiving an award of more than $7.2 million.

  • July 07, 2025

    Judge Blocks Demolition Contract Switch At Pa. Power Plant

    A demolition contractor that claimed to have been locked out of the former Homer City Generating Station in Western Pennsylvania can resume work and regain access to the equipment and scrap materials the company took as payment for the job, a state court judge has ruled.

  • July 04, 2025

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

    The past week in London has seen the owner of Crystal Palace and the troubled Olympique Lyonnais football clubs sue its current chief executive John Textor, Fieldfisher faces a claim by Georgian businessman Zaza Okusahvili, and a dispute partner at Travers Smith file a personal injury claim against the firm.

  • July 03, 2025

    Calif. Justices Say Ford Can't Arbitrate Fiesta And Focus Suits

    Ford Motor Co. cannot force drivers who allege defects in their Focus and Fiesta vehicles to take their claims to arbitration, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, rejecting the automaker's argument that the dispute flows from dealership sales contracts containing arbitration provisions that it can invoke.

  • July 03, 2025

    NY Landlord Sues Walmart, Others In Del. Alleging Fraud

    A New York City landlord sued Walmart Inc. and the bankruptcy successor to Bonobos Inc. in Delaware's Court of Chancery late Thursday, asserting hundreds of million in claims and compensatory and punitive damages under both Delaware and New York law arising from an allegedly fraudulent transfer of a Fifth Avenue retailer's lease and obligations.

  • July 03, 2025

    Merchants' Suit Against Bank And Payment Co. Gets Trimmed

    An Ohio federal judge has trimmed two online merchants' claims that bank Pathward Financial Inc. and its partner payment company PayNetWorx LLC misrepresented fees and their compliance with card network rules, saying certain contracts may hold the bank liable for the payment company's alleged fraud but may bar some other claims.

  • July 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Cuts Chicken Price-Fixing Atty Fees Again

    A Seventh Circuit panel reduced a $51.6 million fee award for class counsel who took on alleged price-fixing among the country's biggest producers of broiler chickens to about $47 million Wednesday, saying the district court made one easily-correctable error.

  • July 03, 2025

    NY Co. Looks To Halt Arbitration Over $280M Loan Deal

    A New York real estate company has sued an Australian finance broker in federal court, seeking emergency relief to halt an ongoing $11.2 million arbitration in Singapore stemming from an allegedly fraudulent scheme related to a $280 million loan for a luxury condo project in Tribeca.

  • July 03, 2025

    Genentech's $122M MS Drug Royalties Case Ends In Mistrial

    A California federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors reached an impasse in Genentech Inc.'s $122 million breach of contract case over patent royalties from sales of Biogen MA Inc.'s multiple sclerosis medicine, telling the parties she's open to Genentech's suggestion that they forgo a jury for the retrial.

  • July 03, 2025

    Anthem Dodges Most Claims In Lab's $3.8M Insurance Suit

    A federal judge has dismissed a lab's $3.8 million suit against Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut over nearly 3,000 unpaid insurance claims related to medical testing, finding the majority were barred by anti-assignment provisions, ERISA preemption and contractual time limits.

  • July 03, 2025

    50 Cent Faces Uphill Battle To Stop Release Of Horror Film

    A California federal judge appeared ready Thursday to reject 50 Cent's efforts to stop the release of a horror film that allegedly uses the rapper's name and likeness without authorization, saying he's "skeptical" of the request and unclear about how the rapper's reputation would be harmed by the film's release. 

  • July 03, 2025

    Fla. Court Rejects Oral Pact Cutting Loan Interest To 7%

    A Florida state appeals court has sided with a Nevada-based lender, reversing an oral agreement to reduce interest on a $2.6 million loan from 25% to 7%, saying such agreements must be in writing.

  • July 03, 2025

    Circuit-By-Circuit Recap: Justices Send Message To Outliers

    It was a tough term at the U.S. Supreme Court for two very different circuits — one solidly liberal, one solidly conservative — that had their rulings overturned in eye-popping numbers. But it was another impressive year for a relatively moderate circuit that appears increasingly simpatico with the high court.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Moments That Shaped The Universal Injunction Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court voted along ideological lines when it hindered the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationwide pauses on presidential policies, but that outcome didn't seem like a foregone conclusion during oral arguments earlier this year. What do the colloquies suggest about the justices' thinking? Here are some moments that may have swayed them.

  • July 03, 2025

    Cannabis Co. Nectar Sues Chicago Atty For $500K

    A Chicago attorney and his business partner are accused of defrauding Oregon-based cannabis company Nectar in a federal lawsuit that claims they promised to secure an Illinois license for the company but instead walked away with hundreds of thousands of dollars.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

  • July 03, 2025

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Biggest Rulings From Mass. High Court So Far In 2025

    Massachusetts' top court has tackled a controversial housing initiative, the thorny issue of qualified immunity for public employees and even a high-profile murder case in the first six months of 2025.

  • July 02, 2025

    The Biggest Patent Rulings Of 2025: A Midyear Report

    A ruling by the full Federal Circuit invited greater scrutiny of patent damages testimony, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting director established new criteria for rejecting patent challenges. Here's a look at the top patent decisions from the first half of 2025.

  • July 02, 2025

    Charter Company On The Hook For Bruce Willis Flight Mishap

    A Texas appeals court panel on Wednesday mostly kept intact a decision finding a private jet company tasked with transporting Bruce Willis on the hook for repairs after the plane had problems starting, saying that contract language made the company responsible for repairs.

  • July 02, 2025

    Genentech's $122M IP Fight Against Biogen In Jury's Hands

    Genentech Inc. wrapped a California federal trial Wednesday over claims that Biogen MA Inc. wrongly withheld $122 million in royalties for supplies of Biogen's multiple sclerosis drug, reminding jurors that Biogen's own internal projections showed it owing royalty payments in the years after the main patent expired in December 2018.

  • July 02, 2025

    2nd Circ. Affirms NY Court Can't Nix Swiss Arbitration Loss

    The Second Circuit on Wednesday affirmed that an arbitral award issued by a Swiss tribunal to a Singapore company in a dispute over a medical imaging joint venture cannot be vacated in New York, concluding in a published opinion that the court lacks the power to do so.

  • July 02, 2025

    Tyson Wins $55M In Del. After Poultry Rendering Plants Trial

    A Delaware judge awarded $55 million in damages Wednesday to Tyson Foods Inc. arising from its $866 million acquisition of poultry rendering plants in Georgia and Alabama, finding after trial that American Proteins Inc. concealed past recycling of slaughter wastewater sludge and fraudulently induced the deal.

  • July 02, 2025

    Amazon Judge Presses FTC On Bid For 'Bad Faith' Finding

    As the Federal Trade Commission insisted Wednesday that Amazon should be punished with a bad faith finding for mislabeling documents as privileged in a case over the company's Prime subscription practices, a Washington federal judge questioned why the agency wasn't "made whole" when the court granted its sanctions bid.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.

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