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Innocent Business Partner's Fraud Liability Survives Bankruptcy
The decision by the Supreme Court has practical significance for corporate officers and others in an agency or partnership relationship, and also may have serious consequences for corporate Chapter 11 debtors whenever a "domestic governmental unit" is a creditor.
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Prejudgment Attachment of Assets Allowed By DE Bankruptcy Court
Are there exceptions to the general rule against prejudgment attachment that may allow a plaintiff to obtain injunctive relief against a defendant freezing the defendant's assets prior to the outcome of the litigation? This issue was recently considered by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
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The Role of Third-Party Releases In Successful Chapter 11 Reorganizations
Part One of a Two-Part Article This two-part article will examine the role of third-party releases in successful Chapter 11 reorganizations. This part will address the factors considered in each Circuit where such releases have been deemed permissible within the confines of the Bankruptcy Code, evaluate several recent cases highlighting the uncertainty created by the current Circuit split, and consider options for creating a clear, nationwide standard.
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Hourly Billing in FTX Bankruptcy Already At Historically High Level
Attorneys and consultants involved in the FTX bankruptcy have asked the District of Delaware bankruptcy court to approve billed hours and expenses totaling just under $37 million for the first six weeks of Chapter 11 proceedings.
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Yes, You Are My Data's Keeper
Federal Court Decision Among the First to Allow a Data Breach Liability Claim to Proceed Under Common Law Bailment Theory Data breach lawsuits have often struggled to match up the unique realities of data breaches with traditional theories of legal liability. A recent decision from the Southern District of Indiana, however, cut through these issues by allowing a class action claim to proceed on a theory of liability often proposed by commentators as a solution to the data breach liability conundrum but until recently almost uniformly rejected by courts: the common law theory of bailment.
Features

Federal Jury Rejects First Amendment Defense In 'MetaBirkins' NFT Standoff
Leading the charge in thorny IP issues have been cases addressing whether NFT makers who utilize other parties' trademarks can turn to the First Amendment as a defense to trademark infringement. This article analyzes the summary judgment decision that set the stage for trial in Hermes International, and provides some takeaways concerning the legal landscape for NFTs moving forward.
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Music Rates and Royalties 2023: Past, Present and Future
Part One of a Two Part Article Analysis of the most important music rate and royalty areas, both past, present and future and how and by whom they are set or determined as well as the effect that legislation, litigation, the Copyright Royalty Board and the Department of Justice have had on the process.
Features

Getty Images' Suit Over AI Generator
The magical world of AI-generated art has become more mainstream over the past few months. There has also been some backlash against the industry, including brewing class action lawsuits alleging copyright violations and resistance from online artist communities. But until recently, a substantial legal threat was yet to emerge against the technology that underpins artificial-intelligence art.
Features

Can a Debtor That Has No Ongoing Business Operations Reorganize Under Chapter 11 In Good Faith?
In a recent decision, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the court) addressed whether a debtor that has no independent assets or ongoing business operations can reorganize under Chapter 11 in good faith.
Features

Handling IP Ownership Issues In Remote Work
Even with legal assumptions that certain intellectual property rights in works created by employees are owned by the employer, these should not be relied upon exclusively. A well-drafted employee-agreement form is increasingly essential in light of the explosive growth of remote and flexible work arrangements.
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- Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent TrollsWith trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.Read More ›
- Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.Read More ›
- Private Equity Valuation: A Significant DecisionInsiders (and others) in the private equity business are accustomed to seeing a good deal of discussion ' academic and trade ' on the question of the appropriate methods of valuing private equity positions and securities which are otherwise illiquid. An interesting recent decision in the Southern District has been brought to our attention. The case is <i>In Re Allied Capital Corp.</i>, CCH Fed. SEC L. Rep. 92411 (US DC, S.D.N.Y., Apr. 25, 2003). Judge Lynch's decision is well written, the Judge reviewing a motion to dismiss by a business development company, Allied Capital, against a strike suit claiming that Allied's method of valuing its portfolio failed adequately to account for i) conditions at the companies themselves and ii) market conditions. The complaint appears to be, as is often the case, slap dash, content to point out that Allied revalued some of its positions, marking them down for a variety of reasons, and the stock price went down - all this, in the view of plaintiff's counsel, amounting to violations of Rule 10b-5.Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.Read More ›
- The DOJ Goes Phishing: The Rise of False Claims Act Cybersecurity LitigationWhile the DOJ Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative is still in its early stages and cybersecurity regulations are evolving, whistleblower plaintiffs have already begun leveraging the FCA to pursue alleged noncompliance with government cybersecurity requirements.Read More ›