Commercial Contracts

  • August 26, 2026

    Blake Lively's 'Blunderbuss' $8M Atty Fee Bid Nets $407K

    A New York federal judge Wednesday awarded Blake Lively $407,452 in attorney fees and court costs in her defamation dispute with her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni, significantly less than the $8 million she had requested, citing her "blunderbuss approach" and flaws in records she submitted.

  • August 26, 2026

    Chemical Co. Reps Can't Dissolve $1.9M Trade Secret Verdict

    A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a request by three chemical sales representatives to undo a $1.9 million jury verdict for their former employer in a trade secret dispute, ruling that Silver Fern Chemical Inc. clearly demonstrated that they took confidential customer information that was valuable and not readily accessible elsewhere.

  • August 26, 2026

    Texas Appeals Court Affirms Injured Oil Worker's Loss

    An oil worker who was paralyzed when a wellhead fell on him failed to persuade a Texas appellate court to revive his negligence suit against the safety training contractor he blamed for the accident, with the court saying he presented no evidence that the company's training caused his injury.

  • August 26, 2026

    Mass Tort Firm Galindo Law Can Use Cash In Ch. 11

    A bankruptcy judge said he would give interim approval to Galindo Law Firm's package of first-day motions Wednesday, allowing it to use cash on hand to fund operations, after the Texas mass tort firm resolved a lender's objection.

  • August 26, 2026

    9th Circ. Panel Won't Revisit Boeing's $72M Trade Secret Loss

    A Ninth Circuit panel has rejected Boeing's bid for a panel rehearing of its August 2025 decision reinstating a $72 million jury verdict for electric jet startup Zunum Aero Inc. in a trade secret dispute, spurning the aerospace giant's fresh argument that the case belongs in the Federal Circuit because of the patent counterclaims involved.

  • August 26, 2026

    Detroit Can't Fully Shake Telecom's Fiber Access Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has allowed a telecommunications carrier to pursue claims that Detroit discriminated against it over access to city-controlled fiber conduit, while dismissing state constitutional, antitrust and mandamus counts. 

  • August 26, 2026

    Crypto CEO Says Investors Lack Proof In Refund Fraud Suit

    The CEO of Power Block Coin LLC, which does business as SmartFi, asked the Pennsylvania federal court for a win in a suit alleging he refused to fulfill their "buyback guarantee" of SmartFi tokens, saying the investors cannot even show they personally bought the tokens.

  • August 26, 2026

    Coffee Seller's Tax Suit Counterclaims Belong In Calif.

    The founder of a California coffee equipment manufacturer asked a Colorado state court judge Monday to dismiss the bulk of counterclaims from the founder of a Colorado coffee equipment provider who allegedly hid his company's true tax designation on a loan application to push through a merger.

  • August 26, 2026

    Mother Of Musk's Child Calls xAI Contract Breach Claim Faulty

    The mother of one of Elon Musk's children has told a Texas federal judge that fees xAI racked up in New York litigation cannot form the basis for the company's lawsuit in the Lone Star State, asking the court to dismiss xAI's lawsuit.

  • August 26, 2026

    Chancery Lets Investor Defend SpaceX Fund In Florida

    The Delaware Chancery Court on Wednesday granted investor Alessandro Possati a limited default judgment allowing him to act on behalf of an investment partnership in related Florida litigation, while declining to make broader findings that could affect his remaining fiduciary duty claims.

  • August 26, 2026

    Joe Gibbs Racing Beats Ex-Director's Cyber Trespass Claims

    Joe Gibbs Racing's former competition director can't pursue counterclaims alleging the NASCAR super team violated state and federal cyber hacking statutes when it allegedly accessed "off-limits" information on his devices during a forensic review, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Wednesday in their high-profile trade secrets dispute.

  • August 26, 2026

    Ex-Josh Cellars Exec Balks At Bid For Lit Funding Probe  

    Companies behind the Josh Cellars wine brand should be banned from probing a former executive's litigation funding deal during a November trademark royalties trial, the executive told a Connecticut state court Tuesday, arguing his cash sources are irrelevant to his attempt to seek more than $4 million through contract and fiduciary duty claims.

  • August 26, 2026

    Boeing Beats Bid For More Depos In Moon Mission IP Suit

    A Colorado aerospace company cannot conduct additional depositions in its lawsuit accusing The Boeing Co. of stealing patented technology for a NASA moon exploration program, a Washington federal magistrate judge ruled.

  • August 26, 2026

    Colo. Developer Says Xcel Delayed Providing Service

    A residential developer based in Denver has accused utility Public Service Co. of Colorado in state court of causing its business more than $25 million in damages after repeatedly failing to provide electrical power for the developer's projects.

  • August 26, 2026

    Trucking Groups Urge Full 5th Circ. To Mull Penske Liability

    Trucking industry groups contend the Fifth Circuit unjustifiably expanded liability for upstream motor carriers when it recently held that trucking services giant Penske Logistics LLC could be held vicariously liable for a fatal 2018 Texas collision caused by a motor carrier that Penske knew nothing about.

  • August 26, 2026

    FCA Says Autoliv Still Missing The Mark In Air Bag Scrap

    FCA US LLC has urged a Detroit federal judge to dismiss Autoliv's amended countercomplaint in their contract dispute, saying that the automotive safety supplier acknowledged in its latest filing that it missed the deadline to request a price increase for an FCA-driven air bag redesign.

  • August 26, 2026

    Fla. Firm Must Face Fiduciary Breach Suit Over Property Deal

    A Florida state appeals court on Wednesday reversed an order dismissing a lawsuit brought by a property company alleging that Hoffman Larin & Agnetti PA and one of its attorneys aided and abetted a breach of fiduciary duty while representing a third party claiming an interest in a property owned by the company.

  • August 26, 2026

    Consultant Says Tribal Corp. Can't Rewrite Contract Claim

    A Colorado consulting company and its founder urged a federal judge to toss a tribal business corporation's contract claim in a trade secrets dispute, arguing the company still cannot revive the claim by asking the court to rewrite an agreement that names a different employer.

  • August 26, 2026

    Conn. Gallery Beats Buyer's $165K Keith Haring Art Claims

    A Greenwich, Connecticut-based art gallery has prevailed on a buyer's claims that it sold him a fake Keith Haring chalk drawing for $165,000 after vouching for its authenticity.

  • August 26, 2026

    Ex-Coal Exec Asks Court To Toss Bribery Conviction

    A former coal executive convicted of authorizing bribes to an arm of the Egyptian government in a closely watched Foreign Corrupt Practices Act trial is seeking a new trial or to have his indictment tossed, arguing the government misused his criminal proffer agreement to wrongly hamstring his defense.

  • August 26, 2026

    Pot Distributor Again Files Counterclaims In Contract Dispute

    A cannabis distributor has filed renewed counterclaims against its former consulting partner and a rival distributor, alleging that the rival deliberately interfered with an exclusivity agreement with the consulting partner.

  • August 26, 2026

    AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile Defeat Asus Patent Case In EDTX

    An Eastern District of Texas jury on Wednesday cleared AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile of claims by Asus Technology Licensing Inc. and other companies that the carriers infringed a group of wireless communications patents.

  • August 25, 2026

    9th Circ. Panel Largely Upholds Block On Feds' Grant Terms

    A divided Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday mostly upheld an injunction blocking the Trump administration from imposing new grant restrictions on transportation and housing funding for dozens of local governments, concluding federal agencies likely overstepped their authority by barring the money from being used to promote "gender ideology" or "illegal immigration."

  • August 25, 2026

    DPAs At Hand For Argentine Media Co. Bosses In FIFA Case

    Brooklyn federal prosecutors said they intend to enter into deferred prosecution agreements with the owners of Argentine sports marketing agency Full Play Group SA, a company that was convicted at trial of bribing Latin American soccer officials in exchange for lucrative media rights to tournaments, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

  • August 25, 2026

    DC Circ. Won't Revive Standard General's FCC Bias Suit

    The D.C. Circuit does not believe that the Federal Communications Commission took part in a racist conspiracy to kill Standard General hedge fund manager Soo Kim's $8.6 billion merger with broadcaster Tegna and has affirmed the dismissal of his lawsuit claiming such.

Expert Analysis

  • 3rd Circ. Hotel Ruling Flags Key Issues In Dynamic Pricing

    Author Photo

    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Cornish-Adebiyi v. Caesars Entertainment relies on allegations that competitors used nonpublic data to set real-time rates considered exorbitant, highlighting both the potential risks and substantial benefits of utilizing emerging technologies, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Early Action Can Benefit Distressed Restaurant Franchisees

    Author Photo

    As rising costs put increased pressure on restaurants, as evidenced by recent bankruptcy filings by Popeyes, Farmer Boys and Applebees franchisees, distressed businesses should move early to preserve profitable locations, reject uneconomic obligations, manage brand defaults and choose the appropriate restructuring path, says Christopher Caplinger at Kean Miller.

  • How 'Most Favored Nation' Regime Affects Biopharma Deals

    Author Photo

    As M&A activity surges in the biopharma space, companies will need to account for the Trump administration's most-favored-nation pricing proposals — durable in concept, if unsettled in detail — when drafting deals, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

    Author Photo

    While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

  • Prepping To Use Crypto Collateral Under Ohio Ownership Law

    Author Photo

    Ohio's digital asset law should ease the path to using cryptocurrency as collateral, and as the October effective date approaches, lenders should update their loan documentation and diligence processes to take advantage of the new control-based perfection rules, say attorneys at Kegler Brown.

  • Managing OSHA Mental Illness Logs After 5th Circ. Vacatur

    Author Photo

    Employers with facilities in multiple states need to carefully weigh their recordkeeping procedures following the Fifth Circuit’s recent decision that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cannot require employers to log work-related mental illness, as inconsistent logs across facilities may raise other issues, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Expect More Probes After 3rd Circ. Algorithmic Pricing Ruling

    Author Photo

    The Third Circuit's recent decision in Cornish-Adebiyi v. Caesars Entertainment, allowing algorithmic price-fixing claims to proceed past motions to dismiss, may serve as a road map for how to contend with increased litigation risk in this developing area of antitrust law, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Being In A Band Made Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Playing shows in storied New York City venues and rehearsing with my bandmates in poorly ventilated rooms helped develop the professional qualities I rely on as a litigator, including an ability to collaborate with strong-minded equals and the determination to treat each client with singular focus, says Eliad Shapiro at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

    Author Photo

    After 2026's second quarter, there is more authority rejecting class certification on total loss valuation theories from courts at the federal circuit, federal district and state appellate level — along with a resolution of a novel issue of depreciation on a wildfire claim, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Surviving A Long Trial

    Author Photo

    Most of law school trial advocacy is geared toward the sprint of trying a short case, but beyond managing a cross-examination or closing argument, effectively handling the marathon of a lengthy trial requires the ability to maintain composure, organization and credibility with the jury, says Mihir Elchuri at Hirschler.

  • Other Transaction Authority May Change Military Construction

    Author Photo

    Early use of the Pentagon’s expanded authority to use other transaction agreements for defense construction projects suggests it may become a consequential change that draws new entrants into the marketplace, so participants should be cognizant of how it differs from the familiar Federal Acquisition Regulation model, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: Award Enforcement Is Just Step 1

    Author Photo

    In Qatar National Bank v. South Sudan and Bank of South Sudan, a D.C. federal court recently confirmed a $1 billion arbitral award, but the judgment itself remains only the entrance to the asset-recovery exercise, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square.

  • Series

    Going To Hardcore Shows Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    While government contracts law and the hardcore scene may seem entirely unrelated, in my experience, both are about community, focus, being prepared for the unexpected and managing chaos, says Isaac Natter at Fluet.

  • How New Counter-Drone Rule Will Reshape Event Security

    Author Photo

    A new interim final rule on counter-unmanned aircraft systems creates one of the most structured regulatory frameworks yet adopted for mitigating unauthorized drone activity, with implications for law enforcement, airport and stadium operators, drone companies, and public event organizers, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Avoiding Sponsor Conflicts As NCAA Patch Rule Takes Effect

    Author Photo

    A new rule allowing schools to add corporate sponsor patches to athletes' uniforms may create a conflict with students' individual name, image and likeness agreements with competing brands, requiring negotiated contract provisions to reduce the legal risks, says Evan Rosenberg at Morritt Hock.  

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here