Commercial Law

Features

Attention, forum shoppers! The Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, long known for its ability and willingness to handle large and complex business reorganizations with (even tangential) connections to New York as the 'financial capital of the world,' recently granted a motion filed by a group of creditors to transfer venue to California.

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One of the greatest opportunities for immediate improvement in the practice of matrimonial law lies in the cultivation of the binocular mindset. Binocularity involves the balancing of the settlement mindset with the trial mindset. This balancing occurs even in situations in which the practicing attorney has no intention of ever going to trial.

Features

Federal government attorneys recently unsuccessfully attempted to convince a Federal District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to rewrite the terms of the Federal Tort Claims Act ('FTCA') to allow the creation of a reversionary trust rather than give a lump-sum award to pay for a medical malpractice plaintiff's future medical expenses.

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New Jersey's year-old Civil Union Act has failed so far to convey to registered same-sex couples the rights and privileges of marriage, a state commission reported on Feb. 18.

Features

In December 2007, Lucent Technologies Inc. secured a non-prosecution agreement from the Department of Justice and settled an enforcement action with the SEC for conduct related to travel and entertainment expenses incurred on behalf of Chinese government officials and for the manner in which these expenses were booked. The Lucent settlement adds to a number of existing guideposts regarding permissible interactions with foreign officials under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. This article examines the Lucent settlement, prior FCPA enforcement activity related to travel and lodging, and offers some practical advice for compliance counsel.

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Copyright-infringement cases alleging that a defendant improperly used a plaintiff's work for a movie or TV show often hinge on whether there's substantial similarity between the litigating parties' works. But substantial similarity plays a role in breach-of-implied-contract cases alleging defendants based their film or show on a plaintiff's work. A recent ruling by the California Court of Appeal serves as an informative review of California case law in this legal area and its current application.

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Many employers believe that since they make the first call as to whether cause exists, that is the final call. However, as demonstrated by the jury verdict in a recent Maryland trial, it is the jury, not the employer, that gets to make the final call as to whether cause exists. <i>Kinsbourne, et al. v. 180's LLC.</i>

Features

Since the Department of Labor's regulations implementing the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 were first issued in 1995, they have caused a degree of consternation for employers navigating some of their more confusing aspects, and grappling with employee abuse. In an effort to add clarity, the DOL published new proposed changes to the regulations on Feb. 11, 2008. The proposed regulations clarify some uncertainties, but many remain.