In an employment discrimination case, whether an employer is successful in getting a dismissal often depends on whether it can show it had an “honest belief” in a non-discriminatory reason for the employment decision. ...more
Morals based on a real court decision. My law partner Jon Yarbrough alerted me to a recent court decision that is full of little gems for employers. I thought I'd break the decision down into "true fables," each with a...more
You find out an employee launches a false complaint of discrimination or harassment and you terminate them for their dishonesty. There’s no harm in that, right? Think again. There has been a recent trend of cases where courts...more
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals (which covers Pennsylvania) recently handed a victory to employers that struggle with employees who misuse Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave — particularly intermittent FMLA leave. ...more
The seventh edition of The E-Discovery Digest focuses on recent decisions addressing the scope and application of the attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine, spoliation, and discovery responses....more
A recent Fourth Circuit ruling in a case handled by Mintz Levin provides some comfort to employers concerned about terminating an employee who they believe has made a false complaint of discrimination. In Villa v. CaveMezze...more
In the Third Circuit, an employer’s honest belief that an employee committed misconduct can now serve as a defense to a retaliation claim under the FMLA. With the recent decision in Capps v. Mondelez Global, LLC the Third...more
Florida’s private-sector Whistleblower Act (“FWA”) protects only those employees who can show an actual violation of a law, rule, or regulation, a federal district court has held. Graddy v. Wal-Mart Stores East, LP, No....more
On February 25, 2016, the Court of Appeal for the Fifth Appellate District held that employees can prove disability discrimination without having to show the employer acted intentionally or in bad faith. The Court held that...more
Delaware courts tackled a number of issues of importance in 2015. The Delaware Supreme Court clarified prior inconsistent case law by reiterating that deference must be given to decisions made by disinterested directors. It...more
From the impacts of U.S. Supreme Court Omnicare and Halliburton cases to the uptick in Securities Act class actions, litigation partners Scott Musoff and Susan Saltzstein discuss the latest securities litigation developments....more
After reflecting upon the events of the past twelve months, Patent Docs presents its ninth annual list of top patent stories. For 2015, we identified twenty stories that were covered on Patent Docs last year that we believe...more
The Family and Medical Leave Act provides laudable protections to employees and their families. But FMLA leave is sometimes abused. That abuse drives up costs for employers and creates red tape and administrative hassles for...more
As the most extreme example of an implied waiver, the "at issue" doctrine can waive privilege protection if a litigant affirmatively raises an issue that implicates privileged communications. Some courts hold that...more
The United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in Commil v. Cisco held that a good-faith belief of a patent’s invalidity, standing alone, is insufficient to provide a defense to a claim of inducing another’s infringement...more
In a sharply divided opinion, the Supreme Court has determined that a party may be liable for inducing the infringement of a patent even if it has a good faith belief that the patent is invalid. The decision, Commil USA, LLC...more
A U.S. patent is “presumed” valid. That means a patent owner does not need to prove the patent is valid in a suit for infringement. And, as the U.S. Supreme Court just explained in Commil United States, LLC v. Cisco Systems,...more
On May 26, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Sys., Inc. that an alleged infringer's belief regarding patent validity cannot be used as evidence in a defense to an induced infringement claim. In so...more
In a 6-2 decision this week, the United States Supreme Court in Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc., 575 U.S. ____ (2015) held that an accused infringer’s good-faith belief of patent invalidity is not a defense to a claim...more
The Decision in Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc. - On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a party’s good-faith belief in the invalidity of a patent is not a defense to a claim that the party has...more
The Supreme Court issued its long-anticipated decision in Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc. on Tuesday holding that a patent infringement defendant’s good faith belief that the patent in suit is invalid is not a defense...more
The U.S. Supreme Court (Justice Kennedy writing for the majority) has now eliminated a defense that has been available to parties accused of actively inducing patent infringement under 35 USC § 271(b). The Court held that a...more
On May 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Commil USA LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc., 575 U. S. ____ ( 2015), rejecting the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals’ recognition of a defense to induced patent...more
Following last year’s decision in Limelight Networks, Inc. v. Akamai Technologies, Inc. et al., 572 U.S. ____ (2014) (holding that a finding of induced infringement requires that all infringing acts be performed by a single...more
In Commil USA LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc. (No. 13-896), the Supreme Court held that an accused inducer's belief that an asserted patent is invalid is not a defense to induced patent infringement. The decision reverses a...more