Coverage Litigation Leapfrog: Why Venue Matters and How to Avoid Pre-emptive Strike Actions
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 267: Listen and Learn -- UCC 2-207 ("The Battle of the Forms")
Podcast: IP Life Sciences Landscape: Aiding Orange and Purple Book Patent Owners in Developing PTAB Survival Skills
Meritas Capability Webinar - Controlling Where to Fight and Who Pays for it?
A key term of any franchise agreement is the venue selection clause as this page has previously explained. This issue was at the forefront of Convenience Stores Leasing & Management, LLC’s (“CSLM”) August 2024 suit...more
A federal court in Wisconsin recently transferred a franchisor’s breach of contract lawsuit to Indiana, the location of the franchisee, even though the parties’ supply agreement contained a Wisconsin forum selection clause....more
A district court in Arizona granted a franchisor’s motion to transfer venue to Missouri pursuant to the terms of the franchise agreement. S&G Elite LLC (“S&G”) and ST National Franchising, LLC (“Franchisor”) entered into a...more
A federal court in Virginia recently granted a motion brought by equipment suppliers DET Diesel Emission Technologies, LLC and Synergy Catalyst, LLC, together doing business as “Recore,” to enforce a forum selection clause...more
Whether in employment agreements or business transactions, drafters often include certain clauses within these documents to protect their client if litigation arises (e.g., arbitration clauses, forum- selection clauses)....more
A long line of cases in the EDVA demonstrates that defendants seeking to transfer venue out of the EDVA under 28 U.S.C. 1404(a) face an uphill climb if the plaintiff is a Virginia resident....more
A federal court in Nevada recently transferred a franchisor’s trademark infringement lawsuit to Illinois, the location of the franchise, declining to rule on the franchisor’s motion for preliminary injunction. Hofbräuhaus of...more
When negotiating supply contracts, the logistics of possible future litigation may not be top of mind. No one wants to talk about the details of their divorce while they are still in the honeymoon stage. And while the topic...more
A few years back, in a post entitled What the Commercial Division Has Done for Us Lately, we commented on a 2019 report from the Commercial Division Advisory Council, which extolled “The Benefits of the Commercial Division to...more
A federal district court in California granted a franchisor’s motion to transfer venue of claims brought by non-California franchisees to Texas. The ruling was based on a forum selection clause in the franchise agreements....more
As an update to our blog post on June 2, 2021, the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed an Oregon court’s ruling that a venue clause in a Chinese liability policy required that a coverage dispute between an additional insured and...more
DePuy Synthes Sales Inc. v. Howmedica Osteonics Corp., 28 F.4th 956 (9th Cir. 2022) - Summary: Motion to transfer venue was properly denied where forum-selection clause in employment agreement was void under California...more
This month, the Ninth Circuit’s decision in DePuy Synthes Sales v. Howmedica Osteonics held that a U.S. district court in California properly invalidated a foreign choice-of-law and forum selection provision under California...more
The common train of thought when litigating as an out-of-state defendant is that it is best to be venued in federal court so as to eliminate any advantage an in-state plaintiff might have with a local jury. Typically, foreign...more
With insurance policies being governed by state law, and interpretation varying from state to state, where your lawsuit is venued matters. There is a cyclical history of insurers and policyholders strategically filing suits...more
The principles of jurisdiction and venue are paramount when determining not only where a proceeding will be conducted, but also which particular laws will govern the proceeding. ...more
Analysis of Southeastern Concrete Constructors, LLC v. W. Sur. Co., No. 2D20-2475, 2021 WL 2557297, (Fla. 2d DCA June 23, 2021) - One frequent consideration on the minds of those drafting construction contracts is the...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM. Below are summaries of recent legal developments of interest to franchisors. Post-Termination Injunction: Noncompete Covenants - California Federal Court Enforces...more
On April 1, 2021, the Ninth Circuit became the third circuit court to conclude that a forum-selection clause in an ERISA 401(k) plan is enforceable. The Ninth Circuit thus denied a petition for mandamus seeking to overturn a...more
Takeaway: Big Corporations can be sued anywhere they conduct business, no matter how insignificant the local sales are compared to the national sales....more
Can part-time work by one defendant in plaintiff's chosen forum preclude transfer for forum nonconveniens when the alleged malpractice and death occurred in another county, and the plaintiff and the vast majority of witnesses...more
Business transactions come with the risk that litigation may arise at some point in the life of the parties' dealings. Transactions involving hemp—whether pertaining to its growth, production, or sale—are not immune. In...more
A district court has ruled that the exclusive statute for determining venue in patent cases, 28 U.S.C. § 1400(b), did not override the parties prior agreement on where suit could be brought. The court also ruled that transfer...more
Interpreting Bristol-Myers : Are Unnamed Members of Nationwide Class Actions ‘Parties’? If So, When? In 2017, the Supreme Court decided Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California (BMS), holding that a...more
In June 2019, David Dunwoody (“Dunwoody”) left his position as President of EnVen Energy Corporation (“EnVen”) amidst a scandal centering around his alleged involvement in a kickback scheme. Dunwoody sued EnVen, the oil...more