Correspondent
White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news
The Ninth Circuit vacated the district court's judgment because the case lacked complete diversity of citizenship. The court affirmed the award of attorneys' fees to the attorney defendants while remanding the case for dismissal.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the denial of steel exclusion requests by the Department of Commerce. The court held that the agency acted within its authority by using the date of the exclusion request, rather than the earlier order date, to assess domestic supply availability.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that a bank deposit agreement compels arbitration rather than judicial reference. The court held that the contract language was not ambiguous under California law.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a dismissal of a patent infringement complaint against a major bank. The court held that the plaintiff was barred from asserting the patent claim due to issue preclusion and failed to plausibly allege infringement.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that no deficiency existed in a foreclosure action because the property's fair market value exceeded the debt. The court also held that the plaintiff could not recover additional contractual damages due to a prior stipulation and the terms of the guaranty.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a motion for reconsideration filed by a litigant with a history of repetitive, barred lawsuits regarding a foreclosed property.
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a motion to set aside a default judgment. The appellate panel found the defendant engaged in culpable conduct and failed to preserve a meritorious defense for appeal.
The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court's dismissal of a consumer fraud class action, holding that the plaintiff's complaint sufficiently alleged that a licorice product contained artificial flavoring despite labels claiming it was free of artificial colors and flavors.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed appeals in a patent dispute after the parties voluntarily withdrew them. The court ordered each side to bear its own costs and denied all pending motions as moot.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court dismissal of a patent infringement complaint but reversed an award of attorneys fees and a sanction against the plaintiff and its counsel. The appellate court held that the patent claims were invalid for obviousness but found the lower court lacked sufficient grounds to deem the case exceptional or the litigation conduct in bad faith.
