Weekly Brief: Patent Jury Awards, Law Firm Hiring, Scalia's Hat
A nearly decade-long legal battle in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently concluded with a significant jury verdict, underscoring the potentially severe consequences of trade secret theft...more
New York’s two-year 2025-2026 legislative session hit its midpoint in June, with lawmakers wrapping up the first year by passing a slew of workplace-related bills that now await action from Governor Hochul. As federal labor...more
A Supreme Court decision in April made it easier for plaintiffs to keep ERISA prohibited transaction claims in play longer, and just days later a rare ERISA trial resulted in a huge win for a class of 401(k) plan...more
The Georgia legislature has passed a sweeping tort reform package aimed at reducing litigation costs, curbing excessive jury awards, and increasing transparency in civil lawsuits in Georgia state and superior courts....more
Public companies can face significant liability based on past operations. While most industrial companies have long-term experience evaluating potential remediation obligations imposed by laws such as the federal...more
A Massachusetts jury found that a Boston hospital retaliated against a former employee – but a court ruling just capped the plaintiff’s attorney fee recovery at less than half of what she sought. Why? Because the employer...more
After receiving a jury verdict awarding $452 million in damages against a rival company for misappropriation of trade secrets, the prevailing party, Insulet Corp., may have to choose between portions of the damages award or...more
The house doesn’t always win—a federal jury awarded nearly $25 million in damages to a class of consumers in Washington State after a district court in Larsen v. PTT, LLC determined that certain “social casino” games operated...more
The Georgia General Assembly convened on January 13, 2025, marking the start of what is expected to be a pivotal year for tort reform in the state. With Governor Brian Kemp and legislative leaders making legal system reforms...more
Perhaps one of the most quintessential concerns for corporate defendants in the last decade is that of nuclear verdicts. In just a decade, from 2013 to 2022, there were 115 verdicts of $100 million or more. The Institute for...more
The Louisiana Supreme Court sent a concerning message to tort reform supporters when it surprisingly reversed its own earlier decision, which lowered an almost $19-million judgment awarded to a commercial truck driver...more
Released yearly in December, the American Tort Reform (ATR) Foundation publishes its annual “Judicial Hellhole” rankings for the upcoming year. The Hellholes represent the worst of the worst jurisdictions to defend tort...more
The Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals recently delivered its opinion in Triad Hunter, LLC v. Eagle Natrium, LLC, affirming significant jury awards for Triad Hunter, a natural gas producer, in a dispute over brine cavern...more
The American Tort Reform Foundation (ATR) has published its 2023-2024 Judicial Hellholes Executive Summary. This annual report highlights prominent jurisdictions across the United States known for enabling iniquitous...more
A Nevada state court handed down a monumental verdict in a case involving alleged contamination of an “alkaline water” health drink, with a jury awarding $5 billion in punitive damages. This decision follows a series of...more
As we previously reported, a Los Angeles jury awarded one of the largest verdicts in history in a sexual assault case in June 2024, doling out a massive $900 million verdict in favor of a plaintiff in a suit against...more
In today’s legal landscape, the defense industry faces the unprecedented challenge of Nuclear Verdicts®. They pose a financial threat to businesses and individuals alike. It is vital for defense attorneys to embrace a...more
What is a Nuclear Verdict®? We have all heard news of juries awarding incomprehensible piles of money in lawsuits where the injuries and the verdict just don’t seem to add up. These cases may leave you scratching your head...more
Garced v. United Cerebral Palsy of Phila., 307 A.2d 103 (Pa. Super. 2023) - This matter involved a plaintiff’s claim that he developed reactive airway disease syndrome (RADS) from exposure to the fogging disinfectant...more
Philadelphia is famously known for Rocky, soft pretzels, and infamously, for snowballing Santa Claus , but it is now becoming notable for Nuclear Verdicts®. In 2023, the five highest jury verdicts in Pennsylvania were...more
Chamblee Ryan, P.C. v. JBS Carrier, Inc., No. 12-23-00125-CV (Tex. App. — Tyler June 12, 2024) - Brief Summary - Plaintiff, JBS Carriers, Inc. (“JBS”), sued Chamblee Ryan, P.C. (the “defendant”) for legal malpractice related...more
Here’s an interesting case from the California Court of Appeals dealing with a unique issue that can arise in beverage distribution contracts – can a supplier “constructively terminate” a distribution agreement through its...more
On May 20, 2024, US District Court Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald rejected a popular over-the-counter eyedrop seller’s bid for a new trial and granted a pricing injunction impacting two large wholesale membership clubs following...more
On April 18, 2024, a jury in Seattle, Washington, determined that a not-for-profit hospital system employer would be required to pay nearly $100 million for time clock rounding and meal period violations, raising concerns for...more
Earlier this month, I previewed a Federal Circuit oral argument in In re: California Expanded Metal Products Co., No. 2023-1140, where the district court vacated a jury award of a 12 percent royalty and denied a motion for an...more