Appellate

  • January 28, 2025

    End To Third-Party Standing May Affect Ga. Civil Rights Suits

    The Supreme Court of Georgia on Tuesday shut down a landowner's bid to sue her county on behalf of the would-be buyer of her property, declaring that Peach State courts will no longer recognize third-party standing as a means for plaintiffs to get in the courthouse's doors in a ruling experts say could have a wide effect on future civil rights cases.

  • January 28, 2025

    DC Circ. Says Gov't Made A Mess Pulling 9/11 Planners' Pleas

    After four hours of oral arguments on the government's bid to yank back plea deals from a pair of 9/11 co-conspirators that had already been signed, the D.C. Circuit agreed on one thing Tuesday — that this was a problem that need never have landed on their laps.

  • January 28, 2025

    Sig Sauer's Strategy To DQ Experts Gets Knocked Out At 6th Circ.

    Gunmaker Sig Sauer Inc.'s legal strategy to disqualify experts who testified its P320 pistol was defectively designed suffered a blow when the Sixth Circuit ruled, in a split decision, that the witnesses could opine on if the arms manufacture should have utilized a safer build, forecasting potential outcomes in similar appeals before the Third and Tenth circuits.

  • January 28, 2025

    New City Near Atlanta Survives Ga. Justices' Review

    Georgia's Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a legal challenge to a newly created city outside Atlanta, turning back an argument from disgruntled residents that a referendum's simultaneous creation of a special tax district alongside the city violated the state's constitution.

  • January 28, 2025

    4th Circ. Raises Questions Over Health Data Access Order

    A Fourth Circuit panel focused Tuesday on whether an exception to federal law barring electronic health record companies from blocking the exchange of patient data applies to a request from Real Time Medical Systems to access nursing home data from PointClickCare.

  • January 28, 2025

    Texas Judge OKs $40M Settlement In Six Flags Expansion Suit

    A Texas federal judge indicated Tuesday that he would approve a $40 million class settlement between Six Flags Entertainment Corp. and investors accusing the amusement park operator of bungling expansion plans in China — after having previously dismissed the case twice.

  • January 28, 2025

    4th Circ. Wary Of Discrimination Claims In Pot License Row

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday expressed skepticism about claims that Maryland's cannabis regulator discriminated against out-of-state entrepreneurs when it implemented a social equity program that gave consideration to applicants who attended one of six in-state colleges.

  • January 28, 2025

    Pharma Co. Gets Final Shot To Ax NC Contract Breach Suit

    A pharmaceutical company can make another attempt to escape a software developer's suit alleging he was duped into selling his technology to the company, the North Carolina Business Court has said, months after the state's top court revived the software maker's breach of contract claims.

  • January 28, 2025

    Wash. Judge Asks If Dr.'s Ivermectin Discipline Was Political

    A Washington appellate judge asked Tuesday if a doctor who was disciplined by a medical board for prescribing the controversial drug ivermectin to COVID-19 patients was targeted for his political views, while another judge asked if "all lies" about medical information are protected speech.

  • January 28, 2025

    7th Circ. Considers Faith Of 2-Step Collective Certification

    A Seventh Circuit panel considered Tuesday whether to keep or ditch the two-step certification process for collectives, with one judge calling Eli Lilly & Co.'s decertification argument in an age discrimination suit "spectacularly wrong" and another asking how tolling could change.

  • January 28, 2025

    5th Circ. Revives Arb. Bid In Saudi Arabia Oil Project Row

    A Louisiana federal judge wrongly nixed a bid to send a dispute stemming from a Saudi Arabian oil and gas project to arbitration after the administering institution named in an underlying subcontract was dissolved, the Fifth Circuit ruled in a published opinion.

  • January 28, 2025

    Amid Big Bets, Tom Goldstein Argued 'Poker Is Not Gambling'

    A federal indictment's jarring portrayal of pioneering U.S. Supreme Court advocate Tom Goldstein as an "ultrahigh-stakes" gambler who dodged taxes has left the legal community virtually speechless. But Goldstein's status as a serious poker player was not a secret, and in past court cases, he proclaimed the card game "fundamentally dissimilar" from conventional gambling, even while preparing to wager millions on matches.

  • January 28, 2025

    Prison Phone Providers Urge 1st Circ. To Back FCC Rate Suit

    Prison telephone companies are asking the First Circuit to either move their challenge to new Federal Communications Commission prison payphone rate caps to the conservative Fifth Circuit or toss the limits themselves, saying the caps violate a congressional provision that the companies be "fairly compensated" for service in detention facilities.

  • January 28, 2025

    Nestle Plant Can Switch Power Providers, Ga. Justices Rule

    The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled Tuesday that Nestle should have been allowed to switch electricity providers from Georgia Power to Walton EMC after renovating a former warehouse facility in Hartwell, Georgia. 

  • January 28, 2025

    'Right To Hug' Case In Michigan Draws ACLU Support

    The American Civil Liberties Union and 15 other organizations urged a Michigan appeals court to hold that children have a right to in-person visits with their incarcerated parents, describing in a friend-of-the-court brief the long-lasting psychological effects of isolating child from parent.

  • January 28, 2025

    Calif. Panel Says Workers Can Be Added To $935K Wage Deal

    A California state appeals court declined to upend an order allowing the reopening of a $935,000 settlement that resolved workers' wage and hour lawsuit against an aerospace company, saying the employer failed to show that unionized employees were correctly exempted from the deal.

  • January 28, 2025

    'Godfather' Of AG Defense Retiring From Cozen O'Connor

    Bernard "Bernie" Nash, an attorney who pioneered the practice of defending companies against investigations by state attorneys general, is retiring from Cozen O'Connor and handing over the reins to his handpicked successors after nearly 50 years in private practice.

  • January 28, 2025

    Connecticut High Court Chief Justice Pick Gets Confirmed

    State lawmakers on Tuesday confirmed Connecticut Supreme Court interim Chief Justice Raheem L. Mullins to sit in the top seat for a full eight-year term, defeating concerns from some Republicans about his stance on gunmaker liability.

  • January 28, 2025

    Guns Owners Urge Justices To Throw Out NY Carry Law

    Members of the Gun Owners of America Inc. have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a New York carry law that the Second Circuit largely upheld last year, arguing that the lower appellate court's ruling "doubled down" on erroneous conclusions already vacated the last time the justices heard the case.

  • January 28, 2025

    Texas Panel Wipes Baylor's $12M COVID Insurance Verdict

    An appellate panel wiped a $12 million jury verdict in favor of Baylor College of Medicine on Tuesday, writing that it was joining "the vast majority of courts" in ruling that the university's insurance policy didn't cover COVID-19 losses.

  • January 28, 2025

    Pa. Bank Regulator Claims Co. Hid Affiliation, Misused Privilege

    A Texas debt-settlement company should be sanctioned for failing to disclose its alleged affiliation with another debt consolidator and for invoking attorney-client privilege when pressed about how its general counsel complied with a subpoena, Pennsylvania's banking regulator told a state court Tuesday.

  • January 28, 2025

    'Transformative' System Coming To Ga. Courts, Justice Says

    A new statewide case management system for Georgia's superior and state courts should be functional by the end of the year, the state's chief justice told legislators during his third State of the Judiciary address in Atlanta on Tuesday, amid warnings of judicial threats and court reporter shortages.

  • January 28, 2025

    Vivint 'Kicking Dead Horse' In $190M TM Suit, 4th Circ. Hints

    Smart home software company Vivint faced an uphill battle Tuesday trying to convince the Fourth Circuit to dismantle a nearly $190 million verdict for allegedly tricking its rival's customers into switching providers, with one judge saying Vivint's claims that the lower court misapplied state consumer protection law are fruitless.

  • January 28, 2025

    Menendez Says Any Prison Time Should Wait For Appeal

    Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez told a Manhattan federal judge ahead of his sentencing hearing Wednesday that any prison term should be delayed until after his appeal of his bribery conviction plays out, saying the Second Circuit could well rule in his favor.

  • January 28, 2025

    6th Circ. Seems Cold To Dairy Queen Franchisee's Sale Appeal

    A Sixth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday that Dairy Queen violated the terms of a franchise agreement with the owners of a dozen restaurant locations in Michigan by blocking the proposed sale of two stores.

Expert Analysis

  • How To Avoid Risking Arbitration Award Confidentiality In NY

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    Though a Second Circuit decision last year seemed to create a confidentiality safe harbor for arbitration awards that had no ongoing compliance issues, a recent New York federal court ruling offers further guidance on the meaning of "ongoing compliance issues," says Matthew Iverson at Nelson Mullins.

  • How Project 2025 Could Upend Federal ESG Policies

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    If implemented, Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's policy playbook for a Republican presidential administration, would likely seek to deploy antitrust law to target ESG initiatives, limit pension fund managers' focus to pecuniary factors and spell doom for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate rule, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • E-Signature Best Practices For Employers After Calif. Ruling

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    In Garcia v. Stoneledge Furniture, a California appellate court found an arbitration agreement invalid after an employee raised doubts about the authenticity of its e-signature, underscoring the importance of employers implementing additional measures to verify the authenticity of electronically signed documents, say Ash Bhargava and Reece Bennett at Atkinson Andelson.

  • Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In August

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    The Federal Circuit’s seven vacated or reversed cases from August provide helpful clarity on obviousness-type double patenting, written description and indefiniteness, and suggest improved practices for petitioners and patent owners in inter partes review, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Smith's New Trump Indictment Is Case Study In Superseding

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    Special counsel Jack Smith’s recently revised Jan. 6 charges against former President Donald Trump provide lessons for prosecutors on how to effectively draft superseding indictments in order to buttress or streamline their case, as necessary, says Jessica Roth at Cardozo Law School.

  • Key Insurance Implications Of Hawaii's Historic GHG Ruling

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    In Aloha Petroleum v. National Union Fire Insurance, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first state court to classify greenhouse gasses as pollutants barred from insurance coverage, a ruling likely to be afforded great weight by courts across the country, say Scott Seaman and Gar Lauerman at Hinshaw & Culbertson.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • What To Expect As Worker Bias Suit Heads To High Court

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    The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, which concerns how courts treat discrimination claims brought by majority group plaintiffs, and its decision could eliminate the background circumstances test, but is unlikely to significantly affect employers' diversity programs, say Victoria Slade and Alysa Mo at Davis Wright.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • What To Make Of Dueling Corporate Transparency Act Rulings

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    Although challenges to the Corporate Transparency Act abound — as highlighted by recent federal court decisions from Alabama and Oregon taking opposite positions on its constitutionality — the act is still law, so companies should comply with their filing requirements or face the potential consequences, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • New TCPA Rule Faces Uncertain Future Post-Loper Bright

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    The Federal Communications Commission's new rule aiming to eliminate lead generators' use of unlawful robocalls is now in doubt with the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision, and the Eleventh Circuit's Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC is poised to be a test case of the agency's ability to enforce the Telephone Consumer Protection Act post-Chevron, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • 6th Circ. Preemption Ruling Adds Uncertainty For Car Cos.

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    Automakers and their suppliers need uniformity under the law to create sufficient scale and viable markets — but the Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Fenner v. General Motors creates more uncertainty around the question of when state law consumer claims related to violations of federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards are preempted, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Can SEC's Consolidated Audit Trail Survive Post-Chevron?

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is currently in a showdown at the Eleventh Circuit over its authority to maintain a national market system and require that the industry spend billions to maintain its consolidated audit trail, a case that is further complicated by the Loper Bright decision, says Daniel Hawke at Arnold & Porter.

  • 'Minimum Contacts' Issues At Stake In High Court FSIA Case

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    In CC/Devas v. Antrix, the U.S. Supreme Court must decide whether a "minimum contacts" requirement should be implied in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, with the potential to dramatically change the legislative landscape through the establishment of a new and significant barrier to U.S. suits against foreign states, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

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