A United States District Court (N.D. Ohio) (“Court”) in an October 14th Order addressed a dispute arising out of a Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement (“NDA”) and Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) involving two...more
A federal district court in Texas denied a preliminary injunction filed by a franchisee (“EYM”) after Pizza Hut, as franchisor, terminated the franchise agreements....more
A federal court in California recently granted partial summary judgment in favor of a distributor of wine corks for breach of an exclusivity provision following the supplier’s sale of certain corks in the United States. M.A....more
When representing an aggrieved plaintiff in a commercial matter, there are certain business torts that I tend to rely on more heavily than others. If business torts were foods, for example, a claim like breach of contract...more
On September 13, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas granted in part and denied in part UMB Bank’s motion to dismiss counterclaims for tortious interference, breach of contract, and breach of the duty of...more
Providers negotiating with doctors and other medical professionals who are bound by enforceable restrictive covenants is tricky business. By virtue of his/her/their position, these physicians may owe fiduciary duties to the...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has found that employees can breach their duty of loyalty to their employers and tortiously interfere with a business expectancy by competing against their employer for the...more
A recent Court of Chancery case discusses the difference between pleading the knowledge element in complaints asserting claims for tortious interference with contract and aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty....more
In Evans v. Avande, Inc., C.A. No. 2018-0454-LWW (Del. Ch. June 9, 2022), the Delaware Court of Chancery found that a health care services company did not have to pay legal expenses for its former CEO, who had ultimately been...more
IN THIS ISSUE - Eleventh Circuit Overturns Dismissal of Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme Class Action Suit; Federal Court of Appeals Dismisses Leading Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Shareholder Lawsuits; NY Seeks Blockchain...more
At the end of a complicated case, an employer obtained a nearly $7.5 million jury verdict in enforcement of restrictive covenant agreements and as a result of the unfair competition and breaches of the duty of loyalty of a...more
A judge from the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit sitting by designation in the US District Court for the District of Delaware denied a motion to dismiss claims of misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious...more
Last week, Peter Mahler blogged about a recent decision holding that a minority shareholder’s claim against its majority co-owners for breach of fiduciary duty in connection with a sale of the business to a third party...more
The Rules of Civil Procedure adopted by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals are derived to a large extent from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In fact, many of the West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure track...more
During an interview with Bloomberg TV on March 6th, Lawrence Summers, former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, observed: “Economic time has stopped but financial time has not stopped.” An incisive summary as any of the current...more
In In re Amerisciences, a bankruptcy trustee sued a bankrupt company’s former officers for breach of fiduciary duty regarding the theft of trade secrets. No. 18-20394, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 20635 (5th Cir. July 11, 2019). ...more
Switching from defense to offense, Zillow Group, Inc., best known for its residential real estate marketplace technology, recently filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington alleging a...more
In a classic example of bad facts creating bad law, a federal judge in Kentucky recently denied a motion to dismiss claims brought against attorneys who allegedly counseled employees to breach a non-compete agreement and...more
David F. Johnson presented his paper on “Litigation Update, Including Fiduciary Issues” to the Texas Bankers Association’s Legal Conference in Austin, Texas, on April 5, 2018. This presentation covered recent Texas precedent...more
In Vaschenko v. Novosoft, Inc., a partner from an alleged oral partnership sued his partner for breach of fiduciary duty. No. 03-16-00022-CV, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 771 (Tex. App.—Austin January 26, 2018, no pet. history). The...more
The doctrine of equitable recoupment, which is codified in CPLR 203(d) permits a defendant to assert an otherwise untimely defense or counterclaim. The Appellate Division, First Department recently applied the doctrine in...more
Over the years, we have written a number of articles about the importance of making sure your employment documents contain clear, understandable language. One of our federal district judges was recently faced with an...more
Article 11 of the Business Corporation Law governs dissolution of closely held New York business corporations. Article 11 has existed, more or less in its current form, for decades. Some of its provisions have been heavily...more
Several recent decisions serve as a good reminder that it is not only the Probate and Family Court that addresses important T&E issues in Massachusetts. In the consolidated matters of Hanna et al. v. Williams et al.,...more
Stockholder claims alleging wrongful dilution are typically considered to be derivative in nature. Several decisions out of Delaware, however, have created exceptions to this general rule allowing stockholders to sue...more