First Republic Executives Fail in Attempt to Recover Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan Assets
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s dismissal of a declaratory judgment action, explaining that declaratory judgment jurisdiction does not “arise merely on the basis that a party learns...more
This case addresses declaratory judgments of non-infringement in relation to subject-matter jurisdiction and the district court’s refusal to exercise discretionary jurisdiction. Background - In June 2020, Mitek Systems,...more
Biosimilar Litigations include litigations relating to biosimilar/follow-on products of CDER-listed reference products. Litigations between biosimilar applicants/manufacturers and reference product sponsors as well as...more
Mitek Systems Inc. v. United Services Automobile Association, Appeal No. 2023-1687 (Fed. Cir. June 12, 2025) In our Case of the Week, the Federal Circuit examined the limits of declaratory judgment jurisdiction for a...more
The Court of Appeals’ opinion in N.C. Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. v. Young, (No. COA24-594) addresses how a court is likely to assess the duty to defend and the duty to indemnify under an insurance contract, and the interplay...more
Honeywell International Inc. has taken a proactive stance against what it describes as "unwarranted and unfounded" patent litigation by filing a declaratory judgment action in the Western District of North Carolina against...more
A bipartisan coalition of 28 AGs have filed a lawsuit against 23andMe Holding Co. and 23andMe, Inc. (collectively “23andMe”) to protect human genetic data collected by the company from being sold without consumers’ consent as...more
Federal contractors understandably associate litigation at the Court of Federal Claims (COFC) with recovering monetary damages. Appealing denied claims to the COFC (along with the Boards of Contract Appeals) is the exclusive...more
Ninth Circuit holds that custom Ford Mustang called “Eleanor,” which appeared in four films from 1974 to 2000, is not entitled to character copyright protection under Towle test and that licensor of custom car design did not...more
In a significant federal jurisdiction ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit clarified the jurisdictional standards applicable to “mixed actions”—lawsuits that combine requests for both coercive relief (like...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s denial of copyright protection for a car that had a name but no anthropomorphic or protectable characteristics. Carroll Shelby Licensing, Inc. v....more
On May 12, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a pivotal decision addressing the timing of contribution claims under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA),...more
On March 3, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York granted a lender’s motion for declaratory judgment to order a borrower to recognize the effect of a non‑judicial UCC foreclosure sale. The court...more
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has held that a malpractice claim was “deemed made” against an insured law firm when it received from its former client’s new counsel a letter directing the law firm to preserve records related...more
On May 2, 2025, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in AdHealth Limited v. PorterCare Adventist Health Systems affirming the lower court’s summary judgment ruling that a hospital’s excess liability insurance...more
As a father of three children, I have become intimately familiar with this defense to all manner of allegations (which, yes, often involve property damage). When it comes to coverage disputes, you often see insureds making...more
The Supreme Court recently declined to review a Federal Circuit decision that could have significant implications for patent owners that rely on the Amazon Patent Evaluation Express (“APEX”) program....more
In Halderman v. Ivy, the decedent’s will stated: “I give, devise and bequeath my 66.977 acres located on FM 1848 in Freestone County, Texas, including all livestock and farm equipment located thereon to my two children . . ....more
We’ve written about accountant liability. We’ve written about bookkeeper liability. A carefully crafted complaint can state viable claims for either. But business appraiser liability?...more
In 2011, a local water district in Nevada entered into a lease agreement with Paradise Canyon, LLC to provide shares of water for irrigating the Wolf Creek Golf Club. The lease agreement granted Paradise Canyon a right of...more
On April 1, 2025, United States District Judge Jed S. Rakoff granted Defendants Marut Enterprises LLC and Brett Marut’s (collectively, “Defendants”) motion to dismiss and entered final judgment against Foto Electric Supply...more
“Defendants [California card rooms] operate, participate in, and facilitate illegal gambling,” according to a complaint filed on April 1, 2025, by the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians (the Rincon Band) and the Santa Ynez Band...more
On April 7, an earned wage access (EWA) provider filed a complaint seeking declaratory relief against the New York Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in U.S. SDNY. The plaintiff requested relief from the OAG’s enforcement...more
The Central District of California denied a defendant’s motion to dismiss or transfer plaintiff’s first-filed declaratory judgement action based on defendant’s later-filed patent infringement suit in Wisconsin. Though suit...more
Marie Sharp’s Fine Foods, Ltd., a Belize condiment and jam manufacturer, and Eve Sales Corp., a New York-based purchaser of Marie Sharp’s branded products, filed an anticipatory declaratory judgment and breach of contract...more