When business owners consider their business succession options, they often determine their objectives, analyze company resources and capabilities, and review strategic alternatives. Among these strategic alternatives are...more
As we discussed in a prior Alert, parties buying or selling a business must consider how to properly transfer the seller’s contracts to the buyer. Part 42 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) addresses the contract...more
In Hilderbran v. Tex. SW. Council, Inc., parties donated a ranch via a 1930 deed to trustees for the Boy Scouts. No. 04-22-00736-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 4390 (Tex. App.—San Antonio June 26, 2024, no pet. history)....more
This article focuses on the state of Texas law regarding wellbore rights and various related issues raised by transactions involving such rights (and other similar lease severance issues) and provides some practical tips to...more
Breaking news from the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit involving the case of RJ's International Trading, LLC vs. Crown Castle South, LLC. The court has certified a pivotal question to the Florida...more
As the family gathers at the summer cottage or vacation property each season, the senior generation might think about how nice it would be for these multi-generational gatherings to continue for years to come....more
As the family gathers at the summer cottage or vacation property each season, the senior generation might think how nice it would be for these multi-generational gatherings to continue after they pass from the scene. And to...more
While there are many similarities between class claims and representative claims under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), the different nature of the two types of claims produces divergent results in some contexts. A...more
On October 28, 2022, Vice Chancellor Morgan T. Zurn of the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that the declaratory action brought by Buzzfeed Inc. against 91 current and former employees is not bound by arbitration provisions...more
The question presented in Aaron v. Fisher et al: Did mineral deeds bestow separate property upon the grantees by gift, or did they convey a community property interest to the grantees and their spouses by sale for...more
On October 1, 2021, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Senate Bill No. 447 into law, which permits a deceased individual’s personal representatives or successors-in-interest to recover damages for the...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM. Below are summaries of recent legal developments of interest to franchisors. Missouri Federal Court Holds Franchisor Controls Sufficient to Survive Motion to Dismiss...more
A federal court in Connecticut ruled against an urgent care franchisor’s motion to dismiss, finding the plaintiff had standing to sue under Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The court still dismissed the plaintiff’s...more
Over the past five years, bankruptcy courts have analyzed whether oil and gas producers’ contracts with midstream oil, gas, and produced water companies may be rejected if they create covenants running with the land. Through...more
Suppose you had a ne'er-do-well family member with whom you have not spoken in years. Suppose further that your family member has a minority interest in a restaurant and that you happen to be a vice president of an unrelated...more
I have previously written about California Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez's bill, AB 3075, that would would make successor employers liable for their predecessors' unpaid wage judgments. Last week, Assembly Member Gonzalez...more
In Mowrey v. Eagle Rutland, LLC, et al., Vt. Super. Ct., Docket No. 284-5-18 Rdcv (Aug. 5, 2020), the court held that a non-possessory, arms-length commercial landlord that leased the premises to a supermarket could not be...more
A Florida federal court granted a preliminary injunction against a terminated franchisee. The court enjoined the ex-franchisee from using the franchisor’s trademarks and trade dress. The court enforced the franchisor’s...more
We recently wrote about the impacts of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) on pending bids in Bloomberg Law and our GovCon & Trade Blog. A key point discussed in both articles is that a bidding company’s buyer may not have...more
United States District Court Orders Insured To Produce Certain Pre-Litigation Documents But Not Others Deemed Work Product 99 Wall sued Allied World seeking coverage under a property policy for water losses at 99 Wall’s...more
Much like patient vintners, federal immigration agencies often take time to offer up a grand cru. One such agency, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Homeland Security component that administers the legal...more
Yesterday, a division of the California Court of Appeal came to the rather surprising conclusion that an assignment of a contract deprived the assignor of the benefit of a contractual limitation on liability. Gietzen v....more
MBlock Investors, LLC v. Bovis Lend Lease, Inc., etc., et al., 44 Fla. L. Weekly d1432 (3d DCA 2019) - A Florida Appellate Court recently reversed a trial court’s decision granting summary judgment finding an issue of fact...more
What are Successors and Assigns Clauses? - Similar to swapping out violin bridges, assignment and successor clauses in contracts describe under what circumstances parties may be substituted in a contract. A typical...more
In Cup v. Ampco Pittsburgh Co., 2018 WL 4101049 (3rd Cir. Aug. 29, 2018), the Third Circuit addressed a case concerning the arbitrability of benefit claims by retirees in the context of collective bargaining agreements...more