The New Cold War: Risk, Sanctions, Compliance Episode 25: “Can the U.S. Seize the Russian Central Bank’s Assets?”
Common Missteps When Suing the State of New Jersey and How to Prevent Them
The Supreme Court recently confirmed in a unanimous decision the requirements for personal jurisdiction over foreign states when parties seek to confirm international arbitration awards, but important questions remain. In...more
In a unanimous decision on June 5, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned a Ninth Circuit decision declining to enforce a US$ 1.3 billion arbitral award issued to Devas Multimedia Private Ltd. ("Devas"), an...more
On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision requiring a plaintiff seeking to confirm an arbitration award against a foreign state to prove minimum contacts with the...more
To resolve longstanding confusion over the scope of foreign countries' sovereign immunity in U.S. courts, Congress in 1976 passed the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act ("FSIA"). The FSIA draws a bright line: "foreign states and...more
On June 5, 2025, in a unanimous decision authored by Justice Alito, the United States Supreme Court held that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 (FSIA), 28 U.S.C. §§1330, 1602 et seq., does not require a plaintiff...more
As this term draws to a close, the U.S. Supreme Court is getting busy in reducing its inventory of pending cases. Yesterday, six of them were resolved....more
U.S. Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals - Isaac Indus v. PDVSA - personal jurisdiction, foreign sovereign immunity, breach of contract - USA v. Schwarzbaum - foreign bank accounts, IRS form FBAR, penalties, Excessive...more
Today we return with our seventh installment in the FFF Sovereign Immunity Series, in which we break down sovereign immunity in New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota and Ohio....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
Governmental Immunity - Although often used interchangeably, the terms sovereign immunity and governmental immunity involve two distinct concepts. Sovereign immunity protects the State and divisions of state government...more
In previous posts, we reported on several of the many lawsuits across the country in which students have sued their colleges and universities for tuition reimbursement as a result of not receiving certain services during (in...more
On December 1, 2020, the Court of Appeals of Texas (1st District) reversed a lower court decision and held that where a party fails to show that a public university defendant has expressly breached a contractual provision,...more
Major operational changes and disruptions occasioned by COVID-19 have created a swell of contract disputes and new litigation in various industries. The area of higher education is no different. ...more
Universities continue to see a rise of COVID-19-related class action lawsuits alleging that campus closures deny students the full benefits of an on-campus college experience. This new wave of class action lawsuits generally...more
State Sovereignty Principles Do Not Allow a State to Bring a Patent Infringement Suit in an Improper Venue - In Board of Regents v. Boston Scientific Corp., Appeal No. 2018-1700, the Federal Circuit ruled that the patent...more
A June 1, 2018, Supreme Court of Texas (“Court”) opinion addressed whether a Texas municipality enjoyed governmental immunity from a terminated lakefront lessee’s lawsuit. See Wasson Interests, LTD, v. City of Jacksonville,...more
Sovereign immunity is the legal doctrine, dating back to the days of the British monarchy, that a sovereign or state cannot commit a legal wrong and is immune from suit: in essence, “the king can do no wrong.” ...more
A recent Georgia appellate court decision serves as a stark reminder to contractors on government projects that sovereign immunity, though frequently disclaimed in the contract, may limit a contractor’s ability to recover. In...more
In Engelman Irrigation District v. Shields Brothers, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 294 (Tex. March 17, 2007), the Texas Supreme Court affirmed the court of appeals’ ruling that a final judgment could not be declared void on the ground...more
Addressing the application of the sovereign immunity defense under the 11th Amendment in the inter partes review (IPR) context, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) dismissed three IPR petitions, finding that the...more
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) dismissed three inter partes review (IPR) proceedings involving the University of Florida based on sovereign immunity. As background, the University of Florida Research Foundation...more
State Universities Gain Immunity from IPRs - Today, many universities own extensive patent portfolios that are managed by sophisticated tech transfer offices. Universities obtain these patents for many reasons, not the...more
In Covidien LP v. University of Florida Research Foundation Incorporated, IPR2016-01274, -01275, -01276 (January 2017), the Patent Trial and Appeal Board held that Eleventh Amendment sovereign immunity applies to inter partes...more
Those doing business with foreign governments would be wise to adhere to the dictate of caveat venditor: seller beware. Cross-border “government” contracting often involves doing business not directly with the sovereign...more
Supreme Court Advance Release Opinions: SC19493 - Standard Oil of Connecticut, Inc. v. Administrator, Unemployment Compensation Act - SC19493 Dissent - Standard Oil of Connecticut, Inc. v. Administrator,...more