Commercial Contracts

  • March 04, 2024

    Justices Won't Review Concrete Co. Licensing Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a petition arguing that state courts are "eroding" the rule requiring clear evidence that a party agreed to arbitrate a particular dispute, in a case centering on an arbitral award favoring a concrete company in a licensing feud.

  • March 04, 2024

    Trump's Former Finance Chief Pleads Guilty To Perjury

    Allen Weisselberg, the longtime former financial chief of Donald Trump's real estate business empire, admitted Monday to lying under oath in the New York attorney general's civil fraud case as part of a plea deal to serve five months in jail.

  • March 01, 2024

    Google Gets Ad Tech Monopolization MDL Trimmed

    A New York federal judge on Friday threw out a number of claims in sprawling multidistrict litigation over Google's alleged monopoly in digital advertising, although the judge held that Google must continue to face limited claims from publishers and advertisers in several cases.

  • March 01, 2024

    Wash. Judge Doubts Public Was Shut Out Of Shelter Plan

    A Washington state appellate judge on Friday asked opponents of a plan to turn a hotel near Seattle into a shelter for homeless people why a pair of community meetings weren't enough to meet King County's obligation to listen to public feedback. 

  • March 01, 2024

    Gilstrap Orders Damages Retrial To Avoid $67.5M 'Train Wreck'

    Chief U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap ordered a damages retrial in infringement litigation between G+ Communications and Samsung on Friday, warning there would otherwise be a "guaranteed 'train wreck'" since both parties failed to explain what they believed the $67.5 million verdict means.

  • March 01, 2024

    Wash. Seeks Injunction To Force GEO ICE Prison Inspections

    The Washington state labor and health departments have urged a Washington federal judge to compel GEO Group to let inspectors inside a Seattle-area immigrant detention facility, saying the private prison giant will otherwise continue to block entry and keep regulators from investigating complaints about unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

  • March 01, 2024

    Cannabis Consulting Co. Says Clinic Owes $101K On Contract

    A laboratory and consulting firm that focuses on the cannabis industry alleged that a Michigan clinic owes the firm more than $100,000 for unpaid services, according to a lawsuit filed in Colorado federal court.

  • March 01, 2024

    BofA Trims Zelle Fraud Victims' Suit For Good On 3rd Try

    A California federal judge has again trimmed a lawsuit accusing Bank of America of refusing to reimburse Zelle fraud victims, narrowing the case to a breach of contract claim and denying the plaintiffs another opportunity to rework their complaint.

  • March 01, 2024

    11th Circ. Revives Alabama Life Insurance Class Action

    An Eleventh Circuit panel on Friday revived a South Carolina man's Alabama class action alleging his life insurer's costs on his $100,000 policy weren't linked to life expectancy, though the policy said they would be.

  • March 01, 2024

    Colo. Judge Says Atty Depo Is Just 'Nature Of The Beast'

    The lawyer who helped a startup founder negotiate an acquisition deal with another company must sit for a deposition in the founder's suit alleging he was taken advantage of, a Colorado federal judge ruled, saying it was the "nature of the beast" for deals lawyers to sometimes get pulled into litigation.

  • March 01, 2024

    FTC Backs Colo. Right-To-Repair Expansion

    A Federal Trade Commission representative appeared at a Colorado legislative hearing in support of a proposed "right-to-repair" law requiring manufacturers to provide documentation, software, data and certain tools to allow consumers to fix their own digital electronic equipment.

  • March 01, 2024

    Romantics Singer Can't Tune Out Atty's Copy-Paste Error

    A founding member of The Romantics can't regain control of the band's finances after his attorney mistakenly copied an opposing brief that said the singer should lose, a Michigan state appeals panel has ruled, because the lawyer had certified that she read the brief before filing. 

  • March 01, 2024

    Musk Says OpenAI, Altman Broke Co.'s Founding Principles

    Elon Musk has accused former business partner and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of setting the business' "founding agreement aflame," alleging in a California state lawsuit that he betrayed his promises to run the company as a nonprofit and make technological advances open to the public so artificial intelligence development would be "for the benefit of humanity."

  • March 01, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Pillsbury, Cleary Gottlieb

    In this week's Taxation with Representation, First Advantage Corp. acquires Sterling Check Corp., International Game Technology spins off two subsidiaries, Disney merges its media operations in India with Reliance Industries, and Atlas Energy Solutions purchases Hi-Crush.

  • March 01, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen a legal battle between confectionary heavyweight Mars Wrigley UK and a frozen food manufacturer, a trademark infringement claim by Abbott Diabetes Care over glucose monitoring meters, Mercedes-Benz Group hit with two commercial fraud disputes, and the Mediterranean Shipping Company tackle a cargo claim by an insurance company. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 29, 2024

    Amazon Cuts Deals With Mastercard, Banks In Fee MDL

    Amazon told a New York federal court Thursday that it has reached settlement agreements with Mastercard and several banks, after reaching a previous deal with Visa, over allegations that anti-competitive conduct by the card companies and banks caused the online retail giant to overpay for transaction fees.

  • February 29, 2024

    X Corp. Judge Blasts Suit Against Hate Speech Nonprofit

    A California federal judge on Thursday appeared inclined to toss X Corp.'s contract suit against a nonprofit claiming hate speech has surged on the former Twitter platform with Elon Musk's ownership, saying X's argument on damages "reduces foreseeability to one of the most vapid extensions of law."

  • February 29, 2024

    Ousted Talent Agency CEO Sues Over 'Bogus' Firing

    Talent agency Verve's former CEO William Weinstein sued his fellow co-founders in California state court Thursday, alleging they fired him in bad faith for the "bogus" cause to cut him out of his equity shares and leaked his termination to the press in violation of the confidentiality provisions of their operating agreement.

  • February 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Sends COVID-19 Coverage Row Back To Tribal Court

    A Ninth Circuit panel unanimously affirmed the Suquamish Tribal Court's jurisdiction over a COVID-19 coverage dispute, finding in a published opinion Thursday that although the tribe's insurers weren't present on its land, a consensual business relationship means tribal law applies.

  • February 29, 2024

    Atty Not Bound By Settlements In Fla. Breach Of Contract Suit

    A Florida appellate panel on Thursday reversed a lower court ruling that a Mississippi attorney violated agreements prohibiting him from publicly disparaging parties and disseminating filings in prior cases, saying he wasn't obligated to follow the settlements despite the parties' intentions of having them apply to him.

  • February 29, 2024

    Houston Judge Again Declines Recusal In Back Wages Fight

    A Texas state judge again declined to recuse himself in a dispute between a Lewis Brisbois partner and his previous law firm after the partner filed a motion accusing the judge of allowing counsel for a Houston firm to "engage in numerous attacks" against him based on his sexuality.

  • February 29, 2024

    Veil Shouldn't Be Pierced To Decode Contracts, Panel Says

    The doctrine of piercing the corporate veil shouldn't be used to interpret disputed contract terms, a split Colorado appellate panel ruled Thursday, reversing a trial court's award of more than $600,000 in a real estate fight between two longtime friends.

  • February 29, 2024

    Sofia Vergara, Contractor Near Arbitrating Most Of $1.7M Suit

    Attorneys for Sofia Vergara and a construction company told a Los Angeles judge on Thursday that they have agreed to arbitrate all but one of the company's claims that the actress and her partner owe $1.7 million for property renovations at a $26 million California mansion.

  • February 29, 2024

    STB, CSX Tell Justices To Reject Norfolk Southern Appeal

    Norfolk Southern Railway Co. has taken its contentious battle to have itself declared immune to a rival's antitrust suit to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the competitor that's suing it and the regulator who declared it not exempt are both asking the justices to leave well enough alone.

  • February 29, 2024

    FMC Rule Keeps Container Shipping Penalties In Check

    Federal regulators fired a shot across the bow to maritime giants by finalizing a long-awaited rule that clamps down on billing practices that saddled shippers and truckers with hefty penalties for failing to move cargo out of ports and return empty containers in a timely fashion.

Expert Analysis

  • CFPB, FTC Actions Show Consumer Terms Need Fresh Eyes

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    Providers of consumer financial products and services should take recent statements and actions from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Trade Commission as an invitation to review their consumer-facing disclosures to ensure that the terms are clear, easy to understand and prominently displayed, say Christina Grigorian and Eric Hail at Katten.

  • What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review

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    Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Tech M&A Due Diligence Checklist: Critical IP Areas Of Inquiry

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    Declining valuations are the backdrop of the current technology M&A landscape worldwide, and intellectual property is a key value driver from the vantage point of a potential acquiror, so when it comes to due diligence for technology acquisitions, there are several pitfalls to avoid, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Tossed FIFA Bribery Convictions May Spur New DOJ Offense

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    After a New York federal court vacated the bribery convictions of two defendants in the U.S. Department of Justice’s sprawling FIFA probe, prosecutors may continue to pursue foreign commercial corruption through other means, albeit with some limitations, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • Series

    Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Master Service Agreements Can Mitigate Manufacturing Risks

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    Terms and conditions of standard contracts between manufacturers and their suppliers may not cover the numerous geopolitical, legal and technical issues that can arise in the manufacturing process in 2023 — so a master service agreement covering everything from payment terms to dispute resolution can be an excellent alternative, says Bryan Rose at Stinson.

  • Opinion

    Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

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    Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

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    When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

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    Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

  • How Reps And Warranties Insurance Can Aid Sellers In M&A

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    Amid the current slowdown in the M&A climate, representation and warranty insurance offers sellers a number of advantages, including protection against fraud and possible leverage to insist on a no-seller-indemnity deal, say Alex Leibowitz and Eric Jesse at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Key Elements Of The Proposed Credit Card Competition Act

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    Attorneys at Troutman Pepper examine the most noteworthy provisions in the recently proposed Credit Card Competition Act, including changes to payment card network access, Federal Reserve Board review, who would qualify as a covered institution, and routing restrictions.

  • The NIL Legislation Race: CAEFA And Ted Cruz's Draft Bill

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    Christina Stylianou and Gregg Clifton at Lewis Brisbois compare legislation pertaining to the name, image and likeness rights of college student-athletes, including the College Athlete Economic Freedom Act and Sen. Ted Cruz's draft bill that would restrict an athlete's eligibility to compete if an NIL agreement violates their university's student code of conduct.

  • Developers Are Testing Defenses In Generative AI Litigation

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    In the rapidly growing field of generative artificial intelligence law in the U.S., there are a few possible defenses that have already been effectively asserted by defendants in litigation, including lack of standing, reliance on the fair use doctrine, and the legality of so-called data scraping, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Brand Owners Beware: AI-Generated Ad Content Poses Risks

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    Since the Association of National Advertisers recently updated its master media buying services template agreement, brand owners should consider how their contracted agencies are using artificial intelligence to create and implement campaigns and media purchases, say Kyle-Beth Hilfer and John Miranda at Cowan Liebowitz.

  • Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

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    X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

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