Pickleball Paddle Maker Can't Shake Fraud Claims

By Tom Lotshaw

A Maryland federal judge denied a pickleball paddle maker's attempt to dodge USA Pickleball Association claims alleging that it submitted a prototype paddle for approval yet later made and sold a more powerful paddle that was never tested or approved.

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NC Hotel Bedskirt Biz Spat Pared After Rocky Trial Start

By Hayley Fowler

A North Carolina Business Court judge on Monday pared certain claims from a corporate mismanagement suit on the first day of trial after hours of testimony from a minority member who accused the majority owner of defrauding the business, following a benchslap in which the judge chewed him out for his tardiness.

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Court Rejects $5.8M Fee Bid In Puerto Rico Funds Case

By Katryna Perera

A Puerto Rico federal judge denied an investment firm's bid for $5.8 million in attorney fees after the firm brought successful countersuit claims against investors, finding that the commonwealth's corporations law, which governs the case, prohibits legal fees absent a finding of obstinacy.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jeff Montgomery

Legal fee feuds, noncompete pact breach fights and post-closing "earnout" battles piled up in Delaware's equity and commercial law venues last week, with top jurists briefing lawmakers on efforts to better manage crowded dockets and expanded benches.

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Firm Waived Arbitration When It Filed Fee Suit, Ga. Panel Says

By Chart Riggall

The Georgia Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court's order sending a fee dispute between litigation firm Herman Jones LLP and an ex-client to arbitration, ruling Monday that there's "no clearer act" waiving the arbitration provision than the firm's decision to file a lawsuit instead.

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Justices Reject Eni Natural Gas Project Feud

By Caroline Simson

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined Italian energy giant Eni's bid to review a New York appellate court decision that it says "stretched the claim preclusion doctrine beyond all constitutional bounds," in a long-running and multifaceted dispute stemming from a deal over a billion-dollar Mississippi liquefied natural gas processing facility.

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Insurer Found In Breach Of Duty In Timeshare Exit Co. Case

By Mark Payne

Insurer RSUI Indemnity Co. Inc. breached its duty to defend timeshare exit company Reed Hein & Associates LLC from class claims that it engaged in deceptive practices and defrauded customers, a Washington federal judge said in a mixed summary judgment ruling.

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5th Circ. Says Atty Fee In Architecture IP Case Wasn't Explained

By Elliot Weld

The Fifth Circuit has vacated a $500,000 attorney fee award granted to the legal team representing a realty firm that was accused of infringing copyrighted designs for a senior living facility, finding that a federal judge had not explained the calculation behind that amount.

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Fed. Circ. Revives Cell Modem Patent Case

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Monday reversed a Minnesota federal court's decision that two patents covering cellular modem technology were invalid, but refused to revive the patent owner's breach of contract claims.

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Outdoors Co. Says Investor Allowed Trademark Rights Sale

By Rachel Konieczny

A Nevada investment company and two of its officers breached their contract with Colorado-based outdoor recreation company Exxel Outdoors LLC and allowed an unauthorized sale of Exxel's trademark rights to occur without notice, it alleged in Colorado state court.

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Tempur-Pedic Maker Hits Mattress Seller With TM Suit

By Abigail Harrison

The "world-famous" trademarks Tempur-Pedic and Sealy are being violated by a small mattress seller that is continuing to use the marks well beyond the end of a retail agreement, Sealy Technology LLC told a North Carolina federal court.

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Disney Slams Dish's Antitrust Counterclaims In Sling TV Suit

By Lauren Berg

The Walt Disney Co. and ESPN urged a New York federal court to toss Dish Network's antitrust counterclaims accusing Disney of forcing it to carry less desirable channels in order to gain access to the "must-have" ESPN, saying Dish's refusal to adapt as streaming platforms evolve is not Disney's fault.

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Justices Reject Vegas Sun Bid To Revive Protective Pact

By Bryan Koenig

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to take up a Ninth Circuit decision that nixed an agreement protecting the Las Vegas Sun from the Las Vegas Review-Journal's alleged plan to drive it out of business.

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Flyers Seek TRO In Alaska-Hawaiian Merger Antitrust Suit

By Linda Chiem

Airline passengers are urging a Hawaii federal judge to preserve Hawaiian Airlines as a standalone carrier, contending in a recently revived antitrust lawsuit that Hawaiian's 2024 merger with Alaska Airlines has harmed consumers with higher fees, reduced routes and eroded frequent flyer rewards.

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Pretium's Ch. 11 Prepack Confirmed Over Opt-Out Objection

By Vince Sullivan

Pretium Packaging LLC received approval Monday in New Jersey bankruptcy court for its prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization after a judge said an opt-out mechanism for third-party releases is a permitted means of gaining consent from creditors.

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American Airlines' Contract Battle With JetBlue Stays In Texas

By Spencer Brewer

The Texas Business Court has denied a bid by JetBlue to escape a lawsuit alleging the airline neglected to pay American Airlines money it owed as a part of a profit-sharing agreement, finding the court has jurisdiction to hear the case.

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How US Liability Law Is Becoming The Primary Regulator Of AI

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.

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The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Leadership Strategy After Day 1

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.

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ABA Says Trump Attacks On Justices Cross 'Dangerous Line'

By Bonnie Eslinger

The American Bar Association on Monday condemned President Donald Trump's "personal attacks" against U.S. Supreme Court justices after Friday's 6-3 decision struck a blow to his tariff policy, saying the remarks "cross a dangerous line that threatens the safety of the judiciary and our judicial process."

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ICE Atty Whistleblower Rips 'Broken' Agent Training Program

By Dorothy Atkins

An ex-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorney testified before a Senate committee Monday that he recently resigned so he could blow the whistle on ICE-officer training cuts amid its hiring surge, slamming the truncated program for being "deficient, defective and broken" and accusing supervisors of secretly pushing "blatantly" unconstitutional orders.

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'Wackadoo': 9th Circ. Awarding Stays 'Like Candy,' Judge Says

By Jeff Overley

The Ninth Circuit is defying U.S. Supreme Court precedent and supersizing its immigration docket by freely awarding lengthy deportation reprieves, according to a new dissent that described a "Wackadoo" realm where noncitizens can safely await "the next Democrat administration."

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Feds Fight Ex-Judge's Bid For New Trial In ICE Arrest Case

By Parker Quinlan

The federal government asked a federal judge to deny acquittal and new trial motions made by a Wisconsin state judge convicted of directing a defendant in her courtroom to use a restricted staircase to avoid removal by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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2nd Circ. Chief Judge To Take Senior Status

By Courtney Bublé

Chief Judge Debra Ann Livingston of the Second Circuit will take senior status over the summer, giving President Donald Trump another appellate seat to fill.

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Brief

Snow Delays Goldstein Deliberations Until Tuesday

By Jared Foretek

The jury in SCOTUSblog founder Thomas Goldstein's tax evasion trial won't be back to deliberate until Tuesday, after snow prompted courts in the District of Maryland to close Monday.

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Analysis

How Greenberg Thinks Tariff Ruling Could Affect Dealmaking

By Al Barbarino

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling invalidating IEEPA-based tariffs gave dealmakers clarity on how to pursue potential refund rights in mergers and acquisitions, but President Donald Trump's swift announcement of new global tariffs has immediately reintroduced dealmaking uncertainty.

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Analysis

High Court Crafts Escape Hatch In Review Of Climate Torts

By Keith Goldberg

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to determine whether a climate change lawsuit against fossil fuel companies can proceed in state court, but the justices also created a potential off-ramp by questioning whether they can actually hear the case.

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