Butler's Thursday Tips #5 | What is Appellate Law?
If I won my case, why do I need to worry about an appeal?
The Florida Third District Court of Appeal recently ruled that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in striking Plaintiff’s causation expert in a medical malpractice case. In Berta Fertil v. University of Miami,...more
On July 30, 2024, the Court of Appeals of Virginia overturned a two billion dollar (yes, billion with a ‘b’) jury verdict in the Appian v. Pegasystems trade secret lawsuit. Although the Court of Appeals upheld the verdict of...more
The path to bringing claims against local governmental entities, such as cities and counties, is one filled with obstacles that can deliver a fatal blow to the uninformed claimant’s claim. The creation of California’s...more
Cell phones have now been around for decades. Along the way, they have grown up, became “smart” and are now indispensable to daily life, offering limitless options to communicate, shop and entertain ourselves. How prominent...more
On May 23, 2024, the New York Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by former shareholders of a fantasy sports company (the “Company”) against its directors and other defendants...more
A recent decision by a San Francisco federal district court judge imperils the way many significant patent portfolios are developed. In Sonos v. Google, Judge William Alsup held that two patents asserted by Sonos against...more
Can you get a court to stop someone from sharing customer/client lists in Arkansas? As explained in this blog post, it depends. But often the question is debatable and hiring an attorney experienced in unfair competition...more
On March 4, 2024, a federal trial court in New York immediately banned a slew of debt relief service providers from charging and/or collecting any advance fees for debt relief services, finding that the defendant’s initial...more
Asserting claims derivatively on behalf of an LLC, as opposed to directly on behalf of an LLC member, can be tricky business for even experienced litigators. The requirements for derivative claims have been explored in...more
With the expansion in the size and scope of the Court of Appeals of Virginia on January 1, 2022, civil litigators in Virginia have an increased likelihood of a full appeal of virtually any trial court decision. However, since...more
Florida litigators are well aware of the power of a properly used proposal for settlement and the potentially devastating consequences of rejecting such a proposal. Such proposals are powerful tools designed to facilitate...more
The California Supreme Court has issued its much-anticipated decision in Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills, Inc., determining whether Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims can be dismissed as unmanageable. The Court...more
In Westminster Am. Ins. Co. a/s/o Androulla M. Toffalli v. Bond, No. 538 EDA 2023, 2023 Pa. Super. LEXIS 626, 2023 PA Super 272, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania (Appellate Court) recently discussed the impact of silence on...more
In Parker v. Filip, a trust owned a limited partnership interest and the partnership owned real property in Fayette County, Texas. No. 14-23-00372-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 6976 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] August 31, 2023,...more
On November 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of New Hampshire decided Brown v. Secretary of State, a 3–2 decision that held that partisan gerrymandering (the act of drawing voting districts in a way that favors one political party...more
Q: I was involved in a now closed receivership. I want access to some of the records of the entity that was in receivership and some emails and information I believe was sent to the receiver or her counsel....more
The Texas Legislature created a statute to protect parties’ rights to freedom of speech and to petition the courts: the Texas Citizen’s Participation Act (TCPA). See Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. §§ 27.001-.011....more
The discovery rule applies to latent injuries, such that the statute of limitations does not begin to run until the plaintiff knows of or should have known of the injury. In Western World Ins. Group v. KC Welding, LLC, No....more
Governor Gavin Newsom just signed into law a bill which provides that California trial court proceedings are not automatically suspended during the appeal of an order dismissing or denying a petition to compel arbitration....more
Q: In a receivership I just wrapped up, the court approved by final account and report and awarded me final fees. Because there were insufficient funds in estate to pay my fees in full, the court ordered the defendant to pay...more
Deposition transcripts, like other pretrial discovery materials, do not become public records until they’re filed with the court. Before they are filed with the court, they routinely dwell in obscurity, shielded from public...more
Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in its third opinion in the case, reversed a lower court’s decision allowing patients challenging United Behavioral Health’s (UBH) internal mental health coverage...more
In May 2021, Money and Dirt covered a case published by California’s Second Appellate District — Tsasu LLC v. U.S. Bank Trust, N.A. — holding that under Code of Civil Procedure section 764.060 (part of California’s Quiet...more
Walgreens Medicaid Fraud Case Kicked Back to Trial Court - On August 15, 2023, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued an opinion reversing a district judge’s dismissal of False Claims Act (FCA) claims...more
On August 14, 2023, in a “landmark” ruling, a Montana state court held that youth plaintiffs had standing to assert constitutional claims against the State of Montana, its governor and state agencies for “ignoring” the impact...more