Features

FCA and Statute of Limitations: A Puzzle for the Supreme Court
The FCA is not a model of clarity. In a certiorari petition in United States ex rel. Hunt v. Cochise Consultancy, the U.S. Supreme Court will address an area of uncertainty that has led to a three-way circuit split regarding the FCA's statute of limitations. Depending on the outcome, FCA defendants could end up facing even more claims up to a decade old or, alternatively, have a new limitation on FCA actions upon which to rely.
Features

Second Circuit Affirms 'ReDigi': No 'Resale' of Digital Music Files
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently issued a long-awaited ruling in <i>Capitol Records LLC v. ReDigi Inc.</i>, affirming summary judgment in favor of Capitol Records and its record label co-plaintiffs in a case that raised issues of first impression concerning first sale and fair use in the age of digital music distribution.
Features

'Sophisticated' Losers
Why Commercial Fraud Claims Sometimes Fail, and the Importance of Due Diligence If a court decision called you "sophisticated," it was probably not intended as a compliment, but instead signaled the death knell of your fraud claim.
Features

Eighth Circuit Rejects Ponzi Scheme Presumption to Protect Legitimate Loan Repayments
In <i>Stoebner v. Opportunity Finance, LLC</i>, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that “… Ponzi scheme payments to satisfy legitimate antecedent debts to defendant banks could not be avoided” by a bankruptcy trustee “absent transaction-specific proof of actual intent to defraud or the statutory elements of constructive fraud — transfer by an insolvent debtor who did not receive reasonably equivalent value in exchange.”
Features

Counsel Concerns: Lawyers Battle Over Gears of War Client
A Philadelphia lawyer is suing the founder of a fast-growing litigation boutique over a purported fee-sharing settlement, is arguing that the boutique backed out of the settlement so it could fund other cases against video game makers.
Features

Don't Set Me Off: No Triangular Setoff Among Affiliated Entities and a Debtor Counterparty
In today's global economy, companies often have multiple business lines operating through separate entities. Outside of bankruptcy, these affiliated operations sometimes transact in a holistic — albeit legally distinct — debtor-creditor relationship with their counterparty. But, as this article discusses, the legal separateness of affiliates can hinder economic protections that a creditor might have otherwise when its counterparty files for bankruptcy.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
California Federal Judge Refuses, Among Other Things, to Drop Fiduciary Breach Claim Against AMC Networks over Fear the Walking Dead TV Series<br>New York Appellate Division Decides UMG Recordings Isn't Alter Ego of Cash Money Records<br>
Features

Mystery Subpoena Case at High Court Could Expand U.S. Authority
Rare Supreme Court holiday activity and ongoing news coverage about special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation has drawn much attention to the enigmatic case of <i>In Re Grand Jury Subpoena</i>. The matter is unremarkable, presenting familiar issues of international litigation. Upon further examination, however, the case may have the potential to expand the authority of United States courts over foreign states and their agencies or instrumentalities.
Features

The DTSA's Jurisdictional Nexus, Three Years In
The Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) requires pleading a connection between a trade secret, a product or service, and interstate commerce. But failure to prove such a connection divests the district court of subject matter jurisdiction. This article summarizes the first three years of cases discussing the jurisdictional element and explores implications.
Features

Management Fees: Make Sure Your Lease Is Clear
There is no uniform approach relating to management fee provisions in leases, and courts will recognize inequities in the charging and payment of management fees when lease terms are ambiguous or a landlord or tenant fails to comply with the terms of its lease.
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