Federal Circuit Court

Pacer should be free, according to amicus brief by Posner and 6 other retired judges

Updated: Plaintiffs who claim Pacer fees are illegally excessive are getting lots of support in amicus briefs filed in their pending federal appeal.

Feb 4, 2019 8:10 AM CST

Lawyer stole money to pay for plastic surgery, overdue income taxes, party with Hawaiian band and more

An Oregon attorney who pleaded guilty to stealing money from client trust accounts and her law firm, and not paying income taxes for six years, was sentenced Thursday to serve 46 months in federal prison. Pamela S. Hediger, who had a Corvallis personal injury practice, was ordered to pay $1.9…

Jan 11, 2019 2:30 PM CST

ABA president: Bar groups should help federal courts promote pro bono for domestic violence victims

Legislation that requires federal courts promote pro bono legal services to domestic violence victims was signed into law this week by President Donald Trump, Bloomberg Law Big Law Business reports.

Sep 6, 2018 4:53 PM CDT

Can a town be a museum? A case may hinge on the precision of definitions

Does the usual meaning of a word carry over to a legal definition? The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on this question in a case involving sports hero Jim Thorpe.

Jul 1, 2018 1:25 AM CDT

A year after Supreme Court’s TC Heartland ruling, patent cases are up in Delaware and LA

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas used to be famous as a preferred venue for plaintiffs in patent cases. But data indicates the U.S. Supreme Court put a stop to that in May of 2017 when it ruled in TC Heartland v. Kraft Food Brands Group that lawyers should use a narrow definition of “resides” when determining where venue is proper.

May 22, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

ABA urges Federal Circuit not to include attorney fees in patent case ‘expenses’

The American Bar Association is urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit not to include the government’s attorney fees when awarding “all expenses of the proceedings” to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The ABA filed an amicus brief in NantKwest v. Joseph Matal, urging the full Federal Circuit to overturn a split decision of a three-judge panel.

Jan 24, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Court limits where plaintiffs can bring claims in three rulings

This Supreme Court term turned out to be important for civil procedure, with three significant rulings on personal jurisdiction—when a court has control of the particular parties in a case.

Aug 1, 2017 1:20 AM CDT

Supreme Court rules patent holders may not bar otherwise timely lawsuits with laches

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that patent holders may not use the doctrine of laches—that is, may not argue that defendants slept too long on their rights—as a defense to lawsuits filed within the Patent Act’s six-year statute of limitations. The 7-1 decision (PDF) extended a similar decision on…

Mar 21, 2017 3:15 PM CDT

In ‘surprise’ ruling, full appeals court reinstates Apple’s $119.6M infringement award

A federal appeals court has reinstated a $119.6 million award to Apple in its infringement battle against Samsung over smartphone technology. In an en banc decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated the award for infringement of Apple technology for sliding to unlock the phone; automatic…

Oct 7, 2016 12:21 PM CDT

Federal Circuit appears unlikely to reverse order disqualifying company’s entire legal department

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit doesn’t appear inclined to reverse a federal judge’s order disqualifying the entire in-house legal department at Acacia Research Corp., a company known in some circles as a patent troll or a “patent privateer.” The Federal Circuit heard arguments last week on…

Aug 9, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Federal judge scraps Cleveland’s restrictions on protests during RNC in July

U.S. District Judge James Gwin has struck down Cleveland’s plans for a 3.3-square-mile event zone to prohibit protests and parades during the Republican National Convention next month. Gwin cited the zone as unconstitutional and an infringement of the rights to free speech and assembly, Cleveland.com reported. During the hearing, Gwin…

Jun 24, 2016 3:00 PM CDT

SCOTUS to mull Federal Circuit refusal to apply top court’s copyright laches ruling in patent case

Does the same laches standard recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 2014 copyright infringement case also apply in a patent infringement case? In an en banc decision last year, a divided 6-5 panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit crafted its own hybrid…

May 2, 2016 2:00 PM CDT