Correspondent

Maria Santos

White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news

Business & Regulatory patent

Decisions covered by Maria Santos

639 decisions

Mar 26 2026

4th Cir. 25-1435 Per Curiam

DEVONTE WILLIAMS v. CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION; THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

The Fourth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of Devonte Williams's amended complaint against Capital One Financial Corporation and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company. The appellate court found no reversible error in the lower court's acceptance of the magistrate judge's recommendation.

Civil Contract

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Mar 26 2026

3rd Cir. 1:23-cv-01038 Panel Decision

In re: TEAM SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, LLC Debtor STEVEN M. ACOSTA; JOHN S. MACIOROWSKI; CHRISTOPHER MOTT; DEBORAH EVANS MOTT v. GEORGE L. MILLER, in his capacity as Chapter 7 Trust...

The Third Circuit affirmed the District Court's ruling that LLC members lacked the specific standing required to appeal a bankruptcy court's approval of a settlement. The court held that while the members had Article III standing, their financial interest in the outcome was too contingent to satisfy the prudential 'bankruptcy appellate standing' standard.

Bankruptcy Civil

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Mar 26 2026

6th Cir. 25-5173 Unanimous

VICTORY GLOBAL, LLC v. FRESH BOURBON, LLC

The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Fresh Bourbon in a Lanham Act false advertising dispute, ruling that its claims of being the first African American-owned distiller were not unambiguously false. The court held that Victory Global failed to meet its burden of proving actual consumer deception regarding the ambiguous nature of the marketing statements.

Civil Intellectual Property Summary Judgment

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Mar 26 2026

5th Cir. 25-30321 Per Curiam

Archer Western Contractors, L.L.C. v. McDonnel Group, L.L.C.

The Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling allowing a breach of contract dispute between joint venture partners to proceed without joining the joint venture entity itself. The court held that the joint venture was not an indispensable party and that one partner's retention of settlement funds violated the joint venture agreement.

Civil Contract Summary Judgment

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Mar 26 2026

11th Cir. 1:24-cv-24581-KMW Per Curiam

Mariano Ospina Baraya v. Francisco Javier Ospina Baraya

The Eleventh Circuit dismissed an appeal because the district court's order did not constitute a final decision under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. The court held that the order denying summary judgment was interlocutory and did not qualify for the collateral order doctrine.

Civil Other Civil

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Mar 26 2026

11th Cir. 1:21-cv-20408-JEM Per Curiam

Carey v. Kirk

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a district court's imposition of sanctions against attorneys for pursuing a frivolous civil conspiracy claim that violated the intracorporate conspiracy doctrine. The court also rejected the appellants' argument that the district judge should have recused himself due to alleged bias from prior rulings and trial comments.

Civil Securities Summary Judgment

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Mar 26 2026

Fed. Cir. 24-2090 Panel Decision

PETER HENRIK PEDERSEN v. UNIFIED PATENTS, LLC

The Federal Circuit affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision that claims for an electronic message management system were unpatentable as obvious. The court held that the Board's finding was supported by substantial evidence that prior art disclosed the patent's specific delivery parameters.

Civil Intellectual Property

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Mar 26 2026

6th Cir. 25-5675 Published

BLC LEXINGTON SNF, LLC; BROOKDALE SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES, INC.; BROOKDALE SENIOR LIVING INC.; AMERICAN RETIREMENT CORPORATION v. BONNIE TOWNSEND, Executrix of the Estate of L...

The Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court order compelling arbitration and confirming an arbitration award in a nursing home death dispute. The court held that the estate's executor validly signed the arbitration agreement under Kentucky law and that the arbitrator did not exceed his powers.

Antitrust (Civil) Civil

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Mar 26 2026

Fed. Cir. 26-1026 Panel Decision

Ascendis Pharma A/S v. BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.

The Federal Circuit held that a respondent in an International Trade Commission proceeding cannot restart the statutory deadline for a mandatory stay by voluntarily dismissing and refiling a declaratory judgment action. The court ruled that the 30-day time limit in 28 U.S.C. § 1659(a)(2) is jurisdictional and mandatory, preventing parties from circumventing the deadline through procedural maneuvering.

Civil Intellectual Property

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Mar 26 2026

Fed. Cir. 26-1088 Panel Decision

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA, INC v. FENDGO LLC 2026-1088

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal brought by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Samsung Electronics America, Inc. against Fendgo LLC. The dismissal was granted pursuant to the parties' agreement under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 42(b).

Civil Intellectual Property

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