Before Hughes, Stoll, and Cunningham. Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: Filing an amended complaint does not nullify a dismissal order that was not later...more
In a surprising win by a pro se plaintiff against a large law firm, the Eighth District Court of Appeals reminded counsel of a plaintiff’s absolute right to amend their complaint. In this case, the appellate court held that...more
On April 21, 2022, the Northern District of Georgia granted a motion to dismiss a False Claims Act (“FCA”) suit brought against ERMI LLC (“ERMI”), a medical device manufacturer, describing the complaint as a “shotgun...more
It’s common sense that, to protect a trade secret, the information must remain secret. However, when trade secret misappropriation claims arise and litigation ensues, the court and the parties involved need to understand at...more
Can substitution of a new plaintiff who has proper standing cause “surprise or prejudice” to a defendant after the statute of limitations would have expired, such that leave to file an amended complaint should be denied?...more
SCC Update. On October 23, 2017, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Apotex’s motion to amend the Supreme Court of Canada’s judgment in AstraZeneca Canada Inc v Apotex Inc, 2017 SCC 36 (reported here, relating to...more
If I asked you if you were familiar with Rule 13(f) of the NC Rules of Civil Procedure, I'm betting that you would respond with a glassy stare and a slack jaw. That Rule deals with a counterclaim that you should have made in...more
I’ve previously blogged about a new breed of data breach class actions filed by financial institutions against retailers (as opposed to customers suing retailers). In these cases, financial institutions claim that retailers...more
In today’s litigation practice, a defendant often receives a copy of a filed complaint before it is formally served with the pleading. Sometimes, plaintiff’s counsel emails a copy to the defendant’s counsel after filing. If...more
This is an interesting decision for its discussion on what must be pled to obtain Chancery jurisdiction in a claim seeking to pierce the corporate veil. It is not enough to just allege the entity was used to defraud. Rather,...more
On September 22, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah dismissed a qui tam complaint brought against Triumph Gear Systems, Inc. (“TGS”) and its parent company Triumph Group, Inc. (“Triumph”). In an opinion...more
In Wynn, et al. v. The New York City Housing Authority 14 Civ. 2818 (S.D.N.Y. July 29, 2015), several employees (who were either African-American or Hispanic) alleged that their employer, the New York City Housing Authority...more
On December 6, 2013, in U.S. ex rel. Helen Ge, M.D. v. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (No. 13-1088), the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of Dr. Helen Ge’s qui tam actions against her former...more