See our Summaries for the latest updates in federal law, and see our Commentaries for our expert lawyers' opinions as to their significance.
December 31, 2008
Commentary: In Guyden v. Aetna, 544 F.3d 376 (2nd Cir. 2008) – a case of first impression in the federal circuit courts -- the Second Circuit confirmed that arbitration provisions are enforceable against an employee who claims that her termination violated the whistleblower protections of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The opinion confirms… More...
December 16, 2008
Commentary: In an opinion seen as a major development in open source jurisprudence, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in Jacobsen v. Katzer, 535 F.3d 1373 (Fed. Cir. 2008), open source licenses create conditions on the scope of the license, and failure to comply with those conditions may… More...
December 15, 2008
After Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont filed in April 2007 a bill entitled "Patent Reform Act of 2007," Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona filed his own bill that he called "Patent Reform Act of 2008. More...
December 15, 2008
Holding: A jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas returned a verdict finding products made by Samsung Electronics Ltd. willfully infringed two patents for plasma display technology held by Tokyo-based Pioneer Corp. Specifically, the jury awarded Pioneer more than $59 million for lost profits and royalties,… More...
December 15, 2008
Holding: In a rare full court opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has rejected a patent application covering a method for hedging risks in commodities trading for not meeting patent eligibility requirements under Section 101 of the Patent Act. Specifically, the Federal Circuit found that while the… More...
December 15, 2008
Holding: The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC) has finalized settlements with Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (“Citi”) and UBS Securities LLC and UBS Financial Services, Inc. (“UBS”), that will provide nearly $30 billion to tens of thousands of customers who invested in auction rate securities before the market for those securities froze… More...
December 15, 2008
Holding: The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has announced the filing and settlement of charges against Zurich Financial Services Group (“Zurich”) for aiding and abetting a fraud by Converium Holding AG (Converium”) involving the use of finite reinsurance transactions to inflate improperly Converium’s financial performance. Under the settlement, Zurich consented to… More...
December 15, 2008
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has approved a proposed rule change (SR-OCC-2007-16) submitted under Rule 19b-4 by the Options Clearing Corporation (OCC") that amends OCC's rules relating to the submission of late items and the fees associated with filing exercise notices after the start of critical processing. More...
December 15, 2008
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation ("DTCC") has amendedits rules that will, for the first time, give investment managers who oversee managed accounts programs direct access to Fund/SERV and other mutual fund services. More...
December 15, 2008
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") will not recommend an enforcement action against Reserve New York Municipal Money-Market Trust-New York Municipal Money-Market Fund (the "Fund') and the affiliate of the shareholder of the Fund that holds more than 5% of the Fund's outstanding shares ("Purchaser") if the Fund and the… More...
Read the latest news relating to the world's most important law firms and most prominent lawyers, and to the legal industry in general.
December 31, 2008
A Delaware judge has approved a $115 million settlement in a lawsuit brought by shareholders against former executives of insurance giant American International Groups, Inc. The settlement was reached in… More...
December 31, 2008
It should come as no surprise that Dreier LLP has filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Manhattan bankruptcy court. In the petition, the firm claims to have liabilities of… More...
December 31, 2008
The Illinois Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge brought by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan that Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich is unfit to serve as governor due to… More...
December 30, 2008
The New Jersey Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a former PaineWebber in-house attorney who claimed she was fired in retaliation for complaining to her supervisors about unethical… More...
December 30, 2008
A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury sided with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in the Academy’s efforts to prevent the heirs of silent film star Mary… More...
December 30, 2008
The court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has refused to dismiss a libel suit against Rite Aid Corp. brought by a former employee who claims the company falsely accused… More...
December 17, 2008
A New Jersey appellate court has ordered a new trial in the case against Ford Motor Company, claiming that a design defect in the 2000 Explorer SUV caused it to… More...
December 17, 2008
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Zafar Hasan, a former associate in the Chicago office of Foley & Lardner, can proceed with his employment discrimination lawsuit against… More...
December 17, 2008
Few law firms are publicly announcing layoffs and personnel cuts, but the rumor mill has no problem spreading the word. More...
December 17, 2008
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a state lawsuit brought by Maine smokers could go forward against the Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris. More...
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