4 Key Takeaways | Trade Secret Update 2024 Legal Developments and Trends
This BLOG has frequently addressed issues related to a party’s standing, in many different contexts, to commence litigation. In prior BLOG articles we have explained that in order to prosecute a lawsuit, the plaintiff must...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in dismissing a trademark infringement matter under Rule 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim, ruled that a district court “erroneously assumed the veracity” of the defendants’...more
The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit largely affirmed a multimillion-dollar award against a temp agency for misappropriation of trade secrets and unjust enrichment due to its employee’s act of obtaining proprietary...more
A pivotal decision by a New York Appellate Division court holding that earnouts based on the future revenue of a dental practice violated the NY Fee Splitting Prohibition could substantially impact the structuring of health...more
The Court of Appeals of Virginia vacated a $2 billion award in a trade secret misappropriation case based on a series of evidential errors and improper jury instructions. Pegasystems Inc. v. Appian Corporation, Case No....more
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of an unjust enrichment claim, finding that unjust enrichment claims do not necessarily rise or fall with trade secret misappropriation...more
In Riseandshine Corporation v PepsiCo Inc (SDNY-1-21-cv-06324), plaintiff Riseandshine Corporation, doing business as Rise Brewing, brought three federal and two state claims relating to trademark infringement and unfair...more
The UK Supreme Court has found that an introducer of business was not entitled to any remuneration for a valuable introduction outside of circumstances expressly provided for in the contract. This judgment highlights the...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld a jury verdict finding a dietary supplement company liable for misappropriating another company’s research and development (R&D) related to broccoli-seed extract. Caudill...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed a district court’s finding of damages in a trade secrets case under Pennsylvania’s version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. The Third Circuit explained that it is...more
A sometimes-overlooked factor in unjust enrichment claims is that the claimant must directly confer a benefit on the defendant—not indirectly, not effectively, not practically, but directly. The Florida Supreme Court made...more
On February 3, 2022, the Florida Supreme Court issued its opinion in Pincus v. American Traffic Solutions, Inc. clarifying that under Florida law, where a plaintiff has received adequate consideration in exchange for a...more
Past and present franchisees of commercial cleaning service franchisor, Jani-King, brought claims for violation of Connecticut minimum wage and anti-kickback laws, and unjust enrichment. They claimed Jani-King misclassified...more
Northern District of California Kicks Shareholder Derivative Suit Against Alphabet, Inc. For Failing to Allege Demand Futility; Rare Securities “Holder’s Claim” Trial Results in Jury Verdict for Defendants; Delaware Court of...more
In Plastic Surgery Center, P.A. v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 22274 (July 17, 2020), the Third Circuit held that an out-of-network medical provider's state law claims against an insurer were not precluded by...more
On August 20, 2020, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a $140 million jury verdict in a published opinion reiterating the important role of unjust enrichment damages in compensating victims of trade...more
Does My Video Game Violate Consumers’ Privacy Rights? The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is the first broad-based state statute aimed at enhancing personal privacy rights for consumers. Following the example set by...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that, under Texas law, a plaintiff can sustain an action for trade secret misappropriation even if the plaintiff voluntarily communicated the alleged trade secrets to the...more
On May 5, 2020, the Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed a trial court summary judgment ruling dismissing a residential contractor’s claims against an owner because the contractor was not properly licensed. In LFR Investments,...more
An Illinois state appellate court recently ruled that a customer's biometric privacy class action claims against an insured tanning salon potentially fell within two insurer's personal injury coverage. See, West Bend Mutual...more
Massachusetts state and federal courts issued a number of important product liability decisions in 2019. The Product Liability practice group at Nutter recently reviewed these cases. Highlighted below are some of the key...more
Recently, a Mississippi federal judge provided a heartening reminder that, while it may seem all too often ignored, fraud in the mass tort context can carry serious—indeed, criminal—consequences. As we discuss below, victims...more
A recent Eleventh Circuit decision took a broad view of what type of economic injury is sufficient to confer Article III standing, concluding that two dietary supplement companies’ alleged violations of a federal statute...more
In Klinek v. Luxeyard, Inc., a company sued its majority shareholder in a suit for breach of fiduciary duty arising from a pump-and-dump scheme and later settled that claim. No. 14-17-00899-C, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 9421 (Tex....more
The ruling serves as a helpful reminder that parties must enter into well-drafted contracts in proper legal form. In Philip Barton v. Timothy Gwyn-Jones & Others [2019] EWCA Civ 1999, the Court of Appeal recently allowed a...more