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Appellate
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November 20, 2024
DOJ Settles With Atty Who Reported Judge's Sexual Misconduct
A former Alaska federal prosecutor who made allegations of sexual misconduct against then-U.S. District Judge Joshua Kindred has reached an undisclosed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice resolving claims she suffered retaliation for speaking up, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said Wednesday.
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November 20, 2024
DC Circ. Judge Blasts 'Bogus' Bid To Nix Discrimination Rule
One judge on a D.C. Circuit panel ripped into an insurance trade group Wednesday over its contention that it is mounting a facial challenge to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule expanding what is considered a discriminatory housing practice.
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November 20, 2024
Prison Phone Cos. Say FCC Reg Fight Belongs In 5th Circ.
There should have been no lottery to decide where to place an appeal challenging the Federal Communications Commission's new caps on rates charged for prison phone calls — the matter belongs in the Fifth Circuit, a pair of prison phone service providers told the First Circuit.
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November 20, 2024
9th Circ. Judge Asks How Loper Bright Impacts EPA Fine Case
A Ninth Circuit judge wondered on Wednesday what weight the court should give the Environmental Protection Agency's view in a chemical wholesaler's appeal of an $850,000 fine in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision, suggesting the justices might next end agency deference in regulatory interpretation.
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November 20, 2024
2nd Circ. Doubts Error In Tenant Screener's FHA Suit Win
A Second Circuit panel appeared skeptical Wednesday that a Connecticut federal judge used the wrong analysis to find that a tenant screener's criminal history reporting practices do not violate the Fair Housing Act, grilling counsel for the federal government about the lower court's process.
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November 20, 2024
GM Can't Get Full 6th Circ. Redo Of Duramax Emissions Case
The full Sixth Circuit on Wednesday left untouched a divided panel's recent decision partly reviving drivers' claims alleging General Motors deceptively marketed Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra vehicles as being more environmentally friendly than they actually were, but two dissenting judges said the case warranted en banc review.
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November 20, 2024
Tribe Fights Ore. Irrigation District At 9th Circ. Over Water Use
The Yurok Tribe has joined with fishing and conservation groups in asking the Ninth Circuit to deny an irrigation district's bid to certify questions to the Oregon Supreme Court over the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's authority to control water use under state law.
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November 20, 2024
Texas Court Tosses $800K Verdict In Bar Shooting Suit
A Texas appeals court has thrown out a jury's $816,000 verdict in a suit blaming a bar for serving alcohol to an underage man who later shot two patrons multiple times, saying there was insufficient evidence that the attack was foreseeable.
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November 20, 2024
Hospital's Med Mal Win Axed By Mich. Appeals Panel
A divided Michigan Court of Appeals panel has revived a medical malpractice lawsuit against a Michigan hospital, finding that the patient established a genuine fact dispute regarding her reasonable belief that the gynecologist treating her was acting as the hospital's agent.
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November 20, 2024
Judge Opens Path For Ex-Yale Student's Asylum Bid
A Connecticut federal judge has illuminated a potential path for an expelled Yale student to send his sex assault accuser's name to immigration officials, suggesting that submitting a state trial transcript would "not seem to run afoul" of a magistrate judge's ban on otherwise naming the woman.
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November 20, 2024
11th Circ. Says No Coverage For Holding Co. In $11.7M Row
The Eleventh Circuit unanimously affirmed Wednesday that an insurer doesn't have to cover underlying litigation against a holding company by investors who wanted to revoke an $11.7 million buy-in, because claims were made before the policy was active.
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November 20, 2024
Fed. Judges Still Seek New Bench Seats Amid Dems' Loss
The Federal Judges Association is urging the House to pass the bipartisan bill that would expand the federal courts in order to meet rising caseloads, even as the Biden administration appears to be cooling on the idea it once supported.
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November 20, 2024
Fla. Couple Ask To Revive Suit Over Unclaimed Property
A Florida couple asked the Eleventh Circuit Wednesday to revive their proposed class suit against the state's chief financial officer over a law that allows officials to hold unclaimed money indefinitely, arguing that it is a taking without just compensation because the state never pays interest on the amount held.
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November 20, 2024
CPSC Misunderstands Magnet Risks For Kids, Court Told
An attorney for the magnet industry told the Tenth Circuit on Wednesday that consumer safety regulators wrongly focused on the size of magnets when trying to protect children from the danger of swallowing them, when the real danger of high-powered magnets comes from swallowing multiple magnets, regardless of size, not single magnets that may be small enough to swallow.
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November 20, 2024
DC Circ. Skeptical Of Texas AG's Bid To Revive X Probe
A D.C. Circuit panel seemed skeptical Wednesday of the Texas attorney general's claims that Media Matters lacks a valid claim to challenge the state enforcer's investigation into the media watchdog's reporting about the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, but one judge expressed uncertainty about the suit's readiness for judicial review.
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November 20, 2024
FERC Says There's No Need To Ref Mich. Grid Upgrade Fight
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission defended its decision that Michigan Electric Transmission Co. failed to establish that shared ownership of new grid updates needed to serve a Michigan solar farm was necessarily precluded, telling the D.C. Circuit the electric utility hasn't shown how it's harmed.
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November 20, 2024
6th Circ. Revives 401(k) Fund Suit Against Parker-Hannifin
A split panel of the Sixth Circuit on Wednesday revived a proposed class action against Parker-Hannifin Corp. from workers who alleged mismanagement of their employee retirement plan, finding a lower court erred in dismissing claims that high-fee and poorly performing investment offerings in the plan violated federal benefits law.
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November 20, 2024
Gas Bill Challenge Finds Little Purchase With Colo. Justices
Colorado Supreme Court justices questioned Wednesday why a state regulator-backed plan to charge customers for extra natural gas ahead of a snowstorm was unreasonable, appearing to dash a company's challenge to its utility bill.
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November 20, 2024
Split Ohio Supreme Court OKs Power Co.'s Herbicide Use
The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday reversed an early win for landowners in a case against Ohio Edison Co. that had sought to stop the company from using herbicide on their property to clear space for power lines.
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November 20, 2024
Colo. Justices Doubtful Students' COVID Fee Suit Will Survive
Colorado's justices were skeptical Wednesday that Colorado State University students seeking fee refunds for coronavirus campus shutdowns can bring an unjust enrichment claim, with one justice saying the students' attorney is advocating for an "enormous" extension of existing law.
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November 20, 2024
En Banc DC Circ. Eyes Court Power Over FEC
The D.C. Circuit's decision to sit for its first en banc rehearing since 2021 might signal that the court is inclined to reconsider an oft-challenged precedent barring judges from second-guessing federal election regulators when they decline to take enforcement actions, experts say.
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November 20, 2024
Michigan Hospital Can't Escape Amputee's Malpractice Claims
A Michigan appeals court refused to throw out an expert opinion proffered by a patient who alleges that doctors and staffers at a Michigan hospital are responsible for the loss of his right hand, but said the trial court must fully evaluate whether the expert is qualified under state Supreme Court precedent.
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November 20, 2024
11th Circ. Told Everglades Project Will Reduce Water Supplies
Several Florida sugar growers urged the Eleventh Circuit Wednesday to reverse a decision allowing an Everglades flood control project to proceed, saying a lower court wrongly accepted a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impact analysis that will result in water supply loss to the surrounding area.
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November 20, 2024
10th Circ. Questions Sunoco Bid To Nix $180M Royalty Ruling
Tenth Circuit judges on Wednesday weighed Sunoco Inc.'s latest bid to undo a $180 million judgment for withholding late interest payments on oil royalties to Oklahoma landowners, and sharply questioned the company's argument that the class action should never have been certified.
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November 20, 2024
Foley Shouldn't Face Data Breach Claims, Calif. Panel Says
A California appellate panel affirmed the dismissal of Accellion Inc.'s cross-complaint against law firm Foley & Lardner LLP in an insurance company's lawsuit claiming the software-maker should be held liable for a $1 million ransomware attack that targeted the law firm, finding that Accellion's cross-claims are untimely.
Expert Analysis
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Ore. Insurance Litigation Is Testing The Bounds After Moody
Despite the Oregon Supreme Court’s attempt to limit application of its 2023 decision in Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union, which for the first time awarded extracontractual damages stemming from alleged negligent claims handling, recent litigation shows Oregon insurance companies face greater exposure, says Sarah Pozzi at Cozen O’Connor.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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Series
After Chevron: Don't Let Loper Lead To Bank Compliance Lull
Banking organizations are staring down a period of greater uncertainty over the next few years as the banking agencies and industry navigate the post-Chevron world, but banks must continue to have effective compliance programs in place even in the face of this unpredictability, say Lee Meyerson and Amanda Allexon at Simpson Thacher.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Enron Law Is Still Threat To Execs After Justices' Jan. 6 Ruling
While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Fischer v. U.S. decision is a setback for prosecutors’ obstruction charges against Jan. 6 defendants, it also represents a strong endorsement of the post-Enron Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s original purpose, serving as a corporate compliance reminder for executives, say Michael Peregrine and Ashley Hoff at McDermott.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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How 3 Recent High Court Rulings Could Shape Fintech Policy
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decisions in Jarkesy, Loper Bright and Corner Post provide fintech companies with new legal strategies to challenge regulatory actions, but agency reactions to these rulings and inconsistent judicial interpretations could bring compliance challenges and uncertainties, says Amy Whitsel at FS Vector.
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Maryland 'Rain Tax' Ruling May Offer Hope For Tax Credits
A Maryland state appellate court's recent decision in Ben Porto v. Montgomery County echoes earlier case law upholding controversial stormwater charges as a valid excise tax, but it also suggests that potential credits to reduce property owners' liability could get broader in scope, says Alyssa Domzal at Ballard Spahr.
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Series
After Chevron: New Lines Of Attack For FCA Defense Bar
Loper Bright has given defense counsel new avenues to overcome the False Claims Act elements of falsity and scienter, as any FCA claim based upon ambiguous statutory terms can no longer stand solely on agency regulations to establish the statute's meaning, which is itself necessary to satisfy the FCA's basic requirements, says Elisha Kobre at Bradley Arant.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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Navigating The Murky Waters Of Patent Infringement Damages
Recent cases show that there is no easy way to isolate an infringed patent’s value, and it would serve all sides well for courts to thoroughly examine expert opinions of this nature and provide consistent guidance for future cases, say Manny Caixeiro and Elizabeth Manno at Venable.
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Series
After Chevron: Delegation Of Authority And Tax Regulators
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service will face higher standards following Loper Bright’s finding that courts should determine whether agency rules meet the best possible interpretation of the tax code, as well as the scope of the authority delegated by Congress, says Edward Froelich at McDermott.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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Series
After Chevron: What Loper Bright Portends For The NLRB
While the U.S. Supreme Court has a long history of deferring to the National Labor Relations Board's readings of federal labor law, the court's Loper Bright v. Raimondo decision forces courts to take a harder look at the judgment of an agency — and the NLRB will not be immune from such greater scrutiny, says Irving Geslewitz at Much Shelist.
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Series
After Chevron: NRC Is Shielded From Loper Bright's Effects
While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Loper Bright v. Relentless decision brought an end to Chevron deference, Congress' unique delegation of discretionary authority to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will likely insulate it from the additional judicial scrutiny that other federal agencies will face, say Ryan Lighty and Scott Clausen at Morgan Lewis.