PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Benefits Companion - ERISA Forfeiture Litigation
Addressing forfeiture of issues on appeal and sufficiency of the asserted prior art, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a Patent Trial & Appeal Board obviousness finding, explaining that a party does not...more
Litigators and jurists alike frequently use the terms “waiver” and “forfeiture” interchangeably in federal appellate practice. However, these are distinct concepts, and a savvy litigator will carefully consider them when...more
In a split decision, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a Patent Trial & Appeal Board patentability determination, finding that the challenger’s appeal arguments were not raised in its inter partes...more
Addressing a decision by the US International Trade Commission finding a violation of Section 337, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit agreed with the Commission on a slew of issues, including its determination...more
In a unique case blending intellectual property and criminal law, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed that a district court properly exercised jurisdiction over a motorcycle club and upheld the lower court’s...more
A commercial lease co-tenancy clause conditions a retail tenant’s opening for business or continuing operations at the designated property upon another tenant opening for business or continuing operations at the same...more
On August 16, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued its ruling in Estate of Jeremy Isadore Levine, et al. v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. 21-7036, –F.4th– (D.C. Circuit August 16, 2022), a case...more
For years, tension has existed between federal and state criminal prosecutors over forfeitures. Criminal forfeitures result from the seizure (and, if necessary, the sale) of contraband such as cash from illegal activities or...more
On May 20, in Michael Philip Kaufman v. Microsoft Corporation, the Federal Circuit issued an opinion illustrating the importance of raising claim construction disputes at trial to avoid forfeiting arguments in post-verdict...more
The recent opinion by the Appellate Division, Third Department, in In re Strom Irrevocable Trust III, 2022 NY Slip Op 01356, provides a cautionary tale to estate litigators who conduct SCPA 1404 examinations in the face of a...more
Precedential Opinions of Note - Government Must Prove Falsity Under Any Objectively Reasonable Standard - United States v. Harra (January 12, 2021), No. 19-1105 http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/191105p.pdf Unanimous...more
A business divorce may mean that the owners need to sell the business or the business’s assets. In the following case, some of the owners/officers took advantage of a sale transaction to benefit from that transaction at the...more
Google applied for a patent on video-on-demand systems. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board affirmed the examiner’s rejection of the claims as obvious, stating that Google’s responses to the examiner’s rejections were...more
In In re: Google Technology Holdings LLC, No. 2019-1828 (Fed. Cir. Nov. 13, 2020), the Federal Circuit elaborated on the policies underlying waiver and forfeiture of appellate arguments. Ultimately, the court affirmed the...more
You represent a business owner who ends up arbitrating a dispute with a supplier. After spending tons of time and money preparing for the 5-day evidentiary hearing, you look up to hear snoring from the arbitrator - he fell...more
The Louisiana Wage Payment Act (“LWPA”), La. R.S. 23:631, et seq., requires an employer who discharges an employee to promptly pay the employee the amount due under the terms of employment. The LWPA also prohibits an employer...more
Arthrex recently filed a certiorari petition with the Supreme Court in Arthrex v. Smith & Nephew Inc. (a case related to Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., which has also the subject of petitions from the U.S. government...more
Under a recent regulation interpreting the Colorado Wage Claim Act (CWCA), Colorado employers are now barred from having policies that permit accrued vacation time to be forfeited if not used within a particular time frame....more
In the spirit of the upcoming Super Bowl, it is important to keep in mind certain rules of play regarding forfeiture of arguments in federal courts of appeals. The Tenth Circuit reiterated two such rules in recent opinions....more
In an earlier blog we discussed the High Court decision in the case of Thirunavukkrasu v Brar & Brar. The High Court confirmed that taking action pursuant to the Commercial Rent Arrears Recovery regime (CRAR) would amount to...more
This month's key California employment law cases involve EEOC charges, disability discrimination, and meal breaks....more
Last month the U.S. Supreme Court simultaneously resolved a long-running dispute about procedure under Title VII and sent a message to employers that it is important to pay attention and act promptly when faced with a Title...more
Before initiating a lawsuit under Title VII, a complainant must first file a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) within 180 days of the alleged act of discrimination....more
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title VII’s charge-filing precondition to suit is not a jurisdictional requirement and is instead a procedural prescription that is subject to forfeiture, refusing to...more
The Probate & Fiduciary Litigation Newsletter compiles recent Trust & Estate cases. Our lawyers are at the forefront of this area of the law, shaping how it is handled in the Probate and Family Court. Goulston & Storrs is the...more