Features
Encroachment and Franchisee Claims of Constructive Termination
Encroachment" is a term used in the franchise industry to describe sales and revenues being transferred from one location to another because of their proximity. Litigants sometimes claim the encroachment is so extensive so as to threaten the viability of the existing location. In these instances, claims have been asserted for constructive termination because the existing location is alleged to no longer be viable. More likely, the claim for constructive termination is not viable.
Verdicts
A look at a case in which a medical provider was sued for allegedly providing a drug overdose to an alcoholic patient.
Features
Auto-Renewals and the True Lease Question
Outside of bankruptcy, if the rights of a lessor against a lessee in default are to be enforced, there is a very material difference in the rights and obligations of both parties depending upon whether the UCC Article to be applied is Article 2A governing true leases or Article 9 governing secured transactions.
Two Small Words, One Great Divide
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recently joined the majority of other jurisdictions that in holding that a policy providing an exclusion for an employee of "the insured" meant an employee of the insured seeking coverage under the policy, but not of any of the other insureds under the policy, or even of the Named Insured.
Cooperatives & Condominiums
Cases involving a second mortgage, and eviction of owners.
Features
FTC, Federal Court Views on Fraud In Crowdfunding
In a release this summer, the FTC announced it had brought and settled its first case involving crowd-funding. The defendant raised more than $122,000 through Kickstarter to produce a Monopoly-like board game geared toward H.P. Lovecraft fans. According to the FTC's complaint, defendant used the Kickstarter proceeds to pay for personal expenses, including his move to Oregon. The settlement order should serve as a reminder that strong legal remedies at both the state and federal level are available to defrauded contributors.
Features
Counseling the Counselors
A variety of potential liability theories ' such as professional malpractice and breach of fiduciary duty claims ' may be pursued against in-house counsel by the corporation, its shareholders, and members of the public, as well as by governmental authorities. Here's what you need to know.
Features
<b><i> Penn National</i></b> and the Continuing Fight over the 'Continuous Trigger' Rule
For a generation, courts have confronted difficult issues involving insurance coverage for asbestos, environmental, and other long-tail claims. A threshold problem concerns which policies are "triggered" for coverage purposes where exposure may precede manifestation of injury or other damage by many years or even decades.
Features
<i>Versata v. SAP </i>: Definitions Are Now the Name of the Game
<i>Versata Development Group v. SAP America</i> was a closely watched case since it was the first appeal to the Federal Circuit of a Covered Business Methods review by the PTAB under Section 18 of the America Invents Act. This article addresses the court's reasoning regarding the definitions of a covered business method patent, and how that reasoning is at odds with norms of statutory construction, technological innovation, and claim drafting.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- 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 ›
- Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the RoughThere is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.Read More ›
- 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 ›