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Sixth Circuit: Section 363 Sale Not 'Free and Clear' of Creditor's Claims
Buyers generally assume that the multi-page "free and clear" order, which typically follows the sale hearing, will insulate them from any of the seller's current (and often) future liabilities. However, that is not always the case.
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Federal Circuit Clarifies Pleading Requirements for Patent Cases and Affirms Grant of Summary Judgment of Invalidity under 35 U.S.C. §101 Federal Circuit Holds that Pendency of Motions Unrelated to Interlocutory Judgment Does Not Toll 30-Day Limit to File Notice of Appeal
Features

Government Secret Recording of Interviews Rarely In Best Interests of Witness
Secretly recording conversations or interviews is a dirty business, and it is almost never conducted by the government with the best interests of the witness in mind.
Features

How NY Courts Find Copyright Preemption of State Law Claims
Under §301 of the U.S. Copyright Act, state law claims that are "equivalent" to exclusive rights in copyrights granted by federal law are preempted by the federal statute. To survive preemption, courts consider whether a state law claim in a lawsuit has an "extra element" that qualitatively distinguishes it from a federal copyright claim.
Features

Activision Trial Counsel Discusses Case About Video Game Character
Activision Blizzard and a trial team led by San Francisco-based Durie Tangri partner Daralyn Durie recently faced down a $400 million copyright suit in the Eastern District of Texas. In this Q&A, Durie talks about the strategy and the theatrics of the four-day trial.
Features

Fear of Unknown In Force Majeure Litigation Prompting Settlements
Since the pandemic began, lawyers have been using the coronavirus to justify nonpayment of rent, construction delays and even termination of labor contracts. But the prospect of litigating a contract cancellation based on force majeure is still so fraught with peril that many breach-of-contract disputes end in an amicable resolution.
Features

Legislature Modifies HSTPA to Assist Co-ops
In June, New York's lawmakers approved amendments to the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, exempting cooperative corporations from some of the most onerous provisions, and clarifying others. Once signed, the new legislation will not only be a huge victory for the thousands of cooperative apartment buildings but also for many potential purchasers who were unable to purchase in those buildings as a result of the Act.
Features

Sorting Through the Trump Financial Documents: eDiscovery Lawyer Tells How Prosecutors Search For Clues
A Q&A with Bobby Malhotra of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Los Angeles.
Features

Baron Cohen Lawyers on Winning Ruling In Judge Moore's Defamation Suit
In a defamation suit brought by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, a Federal District Judge recently ruled that a release Judge Moore signed prior to his appearance on the satirical Showtime series Who is America? barred precisely the sorts of claims he was bringing. In this Q&A, Baron Cohen's attorneys discuss the case.
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- 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 ›
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