First Republic Executives Fail in Attempt to Recover Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan Assets
Addressing whether a federal district court had jurisdiction over an action for declaratory relief that certain trade secrets and trademarks were invalid and not infringed, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit...more
A worker was injured when he fell from a ladder while working for a subcontractor at a construction project. The injured worker sued the owner of the project, seeking damages for his injuries. The owner was defended by its...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
Plaintiff’s counsel often employ a range of strategic tactics to defeat diversity jurisdiction because they view federal court as an unfavorable forum. One such tactic is to challenge the amount in controversy—a key...more
In a lawsuit filed in California last year, Journey guitarist Neal Schon alleged that bandmate Jonathan Cain had denied him access to the group’s corporate credit card. Cain alleged in a cross-complaint that Schon’s prior...more
A review of notable cases and regulatory developments for nonprofit organizations at the federal and state levels in 2021 and 2022. Governance - Striltschuk v. Hryckowian, 202 A.D.3d 497, 160 N.Y.S.3d 56 (2022) - ...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a trial court judgment against a Texas franchisor, finding the lower court erred in excusing an untimely renewal notice of area development agreements. The Court held a...more
Addressing—for the second time—the ownership of certain trademarks after sale of the relevant business, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit concluded that the trademarks and goodwill associated with a single...more
A recent court case from Missouri’s Eastern District Court of Appeals provides insight on the intersection of declaratory judgments, legal damages, and equitable relief, particularly in disputes over complicated business...more
Federal Circuit Summary - Before Wallach, O’Malley, and Schall. Appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: PGR petitioner has standing to appeal PTAB decision, where petitioner intended to file an ANDA for...more
Koudela v. Johnson & Johnson Custom Builders, LLC, 2017 Ohio App. Lexis 5800 (December 29, 2017) - In this case, Nicolas and Monica Koudela (the “Koudelas”) entered into a construction contract with “Johnson & Johnson...more