Commercial Contracts

  • October 01, 2024

    Lighting Co. Faces Arbitration Bid In Spat Over $100M Verdict

    Lighting company Signify North America Corp. must arbitrate its bid to get its business partner Rexel USA Inc. to cover a record-breaking personal injury verdict for a warehouse employee paralyzed by a co-worker with a history of using heroin on the job, the latter company said in a Connecticut state court lawsuit. 

  • October 01, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives FCA Claims Against Dermatology Practice

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday revived the claims of a former employee who accused a Nevada dermatology practice of retaliation under the False Claims Act and other wrongdoing, reversing the practice's early win and sending the case back for trial.

  • October 01, 2024

    Calif. Judge Won't Let Insurers Slip Mold Coverage Suit

    A California federal judge mostly refused to allow a group of insurers to escape a suit filed by the owner and operator of a 231-unit California apartment complex seeking coverage for mold under a $69 million builders risk policy.

  • October 01, 2024

    Colo. Workers' Comp. Doesn't Exempt Employer Auto Insurers

    Workers who are injured in car accidents while on the job can sue their employers' auto insurance carriers for underinsured motorist coverage, even if they have received workers' compensation benefits, Colorado's supreme court concluded, finding no state law precluded it.

  • October 01, 2024

    Amex Sued By Merchants Over 'Anti-Steering' Rule

    American Express violates federal antitrust laws by effectively preventing nearly all businesses that accept credit cards from incentivizing customers to use other cards with lower fees, a proposed class action alleges.

  • October 01, 2024

    CFPB, NY Pan Subprime Auto Lender's 'Attempt To Distract'

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the state of New York have fired back at subprime auto lender Credit Acceptance Corp.'s bid to exit its predatory lending lawsuit in New York federal court, slamming its move as a Wizard of Oz-like effort to escape scrutiny "behind the curtain."

  • October 01, 2024

    Starbucks Investor Suit Seems 'Premature,' Court Official Says

    A Washington appellate commissioner gave Starbucks another chance to end a shareholder suit accusing the company's leadership of turning a blind eye to union-busting by managers, saying the lawsuit appears "premature" since it mostly relies on unfair labor practice complaints that are still pending.

  • October 01, 2024

    Final Artwork Tossed From Nazi-Looted Hungarian Art Suit

    A D.C. federal judge has dismissed a family's claim to a 16th century sculpture believed to have been seized by Nazi officers during the German occupation of Hungary, the final artwork at issue in long-running litigation to recover an expansive art collection stolen during the Holocaust.

  • October 01, 2024

    Ex-NBA Star's Big Paydays Not Relevant In Hoops Fraud Trial

    Dwight Howard's NBA contracts exceeding $240 million over his 18-year playing career are irrelevant to charges that an Atlanta businessman defrauded the ex-basketball superstar out of $7 million, a Manhattan federal judge held Tuesday.

  • October 01, 2024

    Most TA Dispatch Claims Fall In Chancery Celadon Suit

    Alabama trucking and transport management company TA Dispatch LLC saw three of its four claims tossed Tuesday from its Delaware Court of Chancery suit seeking millions in damages from directors and officers of a transport and logistics company that went bankrupt shortly after selling TA Dispatch severely hobbled assets.

  • October 01, 2024

    Ill. Judge Won't Crack Jury's $18M Egg Price-Fixing Verdict

    An Illinois federal judge said Monday that he wouldn't disturb a jury's since-trebled $17.7 million award to Kraft and three others that claimed two of the nation's largest egg producers and two industry groups conspired to raise prices, saying the jury heard enough to support their claims.

  • October 01, 2024

    Pennsylvania Gas Leaseholders Get Royalties Suit Certified

    Hundreds of Pennsylvania landowners with natural gas leases have been certified by a federal judge as a class in their lawsuit against Range Resources, which they say took more money out of their royalty payments than their contracts permitted.

  • October 01, 2024

    NC Judge Trims Most Of $200M Apartment Complex Sale Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge tossed out the breach of contract and deceptive trade practices claims in a real estate firm's suit over a soured $200 million deal to acquire a portfolio of apartment complexes, but the court said the buyer's claims could come back later.

  • October 01, 2024

    Fla. Justices Urged To Nix Ruling Axing Malpractice Award

    A former client of The Ferraro Law Firm PA is asking the Florida Supreme Court to consider restoring its $1.5 million legal malpractice arbitration award, arguing the Third District Court of Appeal created a new pleading requirement in arbitrations.

  • September 30, 2024

    FTC's Amazon Monopolization Suit Partly Tossed, For Now

    A Washington federal judge on Monday agreed to trim the Federal Trade Commission's landmark monopolization case against Amazon and split the trial into two parts, although the order itself remains sealed, according to an entry on the case docket.

  • September 30, 2024

    Epic Judge Slams Apple's 'Bad Behavior' Managing Discovery

    A California federal magistrate judge overseeing discovery in Epic Games' antitrust compliance fight with Apple has refused to grant Apple's request to extend a compliance deadline to produce documents, slamming the tech giant for its "bad behavior" and eleventh-hour extension request and noting Apple has extensive resources to meet Monday's deadline.

  • September 30, 2024

    Siemens Will Pay $104M For Stealing GE, Mitsubishi Secrets

    Siemens Energy on Monday pled guilty to wire fraud and agreed to pay $104 million to put to rest federal prosecutors' case accusing the company of misappropriating the confidential information of General Electric and Mitsubishi, a plea deal that comes after multiple former Siemens executives pled guilty in related cases.

  • September 30, 2024

    Zelle Fraud Victims Fight Uphill To Save Contract Breach Suit

    Zelle users urged a California federal judge Monday to rethink his tentative decision to dismiss their proposed class action alleging breach of express contract and implied covenant of good faith over Bank of America's refusal to reimburse them for fraudulent transactions, arguing the bank conducted insufficient investigations before denying their claims outright.

  • September 30, 2024

    Amazon's Soured Solar Deal Suit Misses Mark, PE Firm Says

    A California-based private equity firm and firms tied to two solar projects have urged a Washington state judge to toss most of Amazon's claims in a $200 million countersuit over a power purchase deal fallout, accusing the e-commerce giant of making an "end run" around its own contracts to drain them financially.

  • September 30, 2024

    Pa. Bankruptcy Court OKs $53M Sale Of Nursing Homes

    A federal bankruptcy judge approved the proposed sale of nine western Pennsylvania nursing homes to affiliates of Kadima Healthcare Group for $53 million Monday, as part of Chapter 11 proceedings for more than a dozen facilities operating under the umbrella of Comprehensive Healthcare Management Systems.

  • September 30, 2024

    Judge Blasts Scamming Exec's 'Pathetic' Bid To Cut Sentence

    A Colorado federal judge waved away what he saw as a convicted data executive's efforts to absolve himself of responsibility during a sentencing hearing Monday, calling it "pathetic nonsense" as he sentenced him to 10 years in prison for his role in selling consumer data to scammers who preyed on the elderly and vulnerable.

  • September 30, 2024

    Bristol-Myers Beats Celgene Investors' Drug Delay Suit

    A New York federal judge on Monday tossed UMB Bank's claims that Bristol-Myers Squibb improperly delayed U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a cancer treatment to avoid paying shareholders $6.4 billion owed from a 2019 acquisition of Celgene Corp., saying the bank lacked standing to sue.

  • September 30, 2024

    Webuild Escapes Suit Over $140M Award In Delaware

    Italian construction giant Webuild has skirted a Chilean construction company's bid to enforce a $140 million arbitral award arising from a soured hospital construction project in the Chilean capital of Santiago, after a Delaware federal judge nixed the case on jurisdictional grounds.

  • September 30, 2024

    Judge Wants More Info On Yale's Ties To Fertility Doctor

    A Connecticut judge presiding over claims a fertility doctor used his own sperm to impregnate women in the 1980s asked two plaintiffs on Monday to back up their argument that Yale University and its affiliated hospital could be held liable, while the Ivy League entities sought to avert an evidence probe.

  • September 30, 2024

    NC Builder's Insurer Must Cover Death Suit, Estate Says

    The estate of a woman who died while working on a roof replacement project said it's entitled to coverage under a construction company's policy, telling a North Carolina state appeals court Monday a lower court wrongly held that the woman was an employee barred from coverage.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Prejudgment Interest Is A Game-Changer In Ill. Civil Suits

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    Civil litigation can leave plaintiffs financially strained and desperate for any recovery, especially when defendants use delaying tactics — but the Illinois Legislature's move to allow prejudgment interest has helped bring litigants to the table earlier to resolve disputes, minimizing court expenses and benefiting all parties, says Benjamin Crane at Coplan + Crane.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    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.

  • 2nd Circ. Ruling May Limit Discovery In Int'l Arbitration

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    The Second Circuit's recent Webuild v. WSP decision, affirming a discovery order's nullification in arbitration between Webuild and the government of Panama, demonstrates courts' unwillingness to find that arbitral tribunals in investor-state cases fall within the scope of the discovery statute, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • NY Ruling Offers A Foreclosure Road Map For Lenders

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    A New York appellate court recently upheld a summary judgment ruling in favor of a commercial lender's foreclosure in U.S. Bank v. 1226 Evergreen Bapaz, illustrating the proofs lenders will need to prosecute a foreclosure action, especially where the plaintiff is an assignee of the originating lender, say attorneys at Sherman Atlas.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

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    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Opinion

    OFAC Sanctions Deserve To Be Challenged Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision opens the door to challenges against the Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanctions regime, the unintended consequences of which raise serious questions about the wisdom of what appears to be a scorched-earth approach, says Solomon Shinerock at Lewis Baach.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Ambiguity Ruling Highlights Deference To Arbitral Process

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in Eletson v. Levona, which remanded an arbitral award for clarification, reflects that the ambiguity exception’s analysis is not static and may be applied even in cases where the award, when issued, was unambiguous, says arbitrator Myrna Barakat Friedman.

  • 2 Rulings Serve As Conversion Fee Warnings For Banks

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    A comparison of the different outcomes in Wright v. Capital One in a Virginia federal court, and in Guerrero v. Bank of America in a North Carolina federal court, highlights how banks must be careful in describing how currency exchange fees and charges are determined in their customer agreements, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.

  • Expect CFPB To Enforce Warning Against 'Coercive' Fine Print

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    The recent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warning against unenforceable terms "deceptively" slipped into the fine print of contracts will likely be challenged in court, but until then, companies should expect the agency to treat its guidance as law and must carefully scrutinize their consumer contracts, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

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