Significant False Claims Act (FCA) developments in the courts during the latter part of 2022 have included the Supreme Court’s declining to take up one issue involving FCA qui tam actions (what level of pleading particularity Rule 9(b) requires) while holding argument on another (the scope of the government’s dismissal power following declination), and the D.C. Circuit’s adoption of the pro tanto rule in computing settlement offsets in multiple-defendant cases ...
The Association’s claim is a torts claim on behalf of approximately 400.000 residential alarm customers against the two major Norwegian alarm companies. Sector and Verisure colluded over eight years and were fined NOK 1,2 billion (120 million euros) by the Norwegian Competition Authority. The question that the Supreme Court shall decide is whether third-party financing in opt-out class actions can be permitted under the Norwegian Dispute Act ...
Dinsmore partner Faith Whittaker and associate Jared Phalen were published in Bank Director with their article "New Law Ends Pre-Dispute NDAs for Workplace Sexual Harassment, Assault Disputes." An excerpt is below. On Nov. 16, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives sent the Speak Out Act to President Joe Biden’s desk with a 315-109 vote. The legislation, which cleared the Senate unanimously on Sept ...
The Supreme Court has decided several cases concerning the Civil Procedure Act this autumn. We would like to start by mentioning HR-2022-1503-U, which concerned the difference between an ordinary witness and an expert witness. Two decisions concerning recusal are also noteworthy: HR-2022-1959-A and HR-2022-1799-U. The question in the first case was whether a judge had to recuse himself because his textbook expressed an opinion about the legal issue in the case ...
Mosaic Brands, Inc. v. Ridge Wallet LLC, Appeal Nos. 2022-1001, -1002 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 20, 2022) In our Case of the Week, the Federal Circuit discussed the corroboration requirement concerning the amount of evidence needed to successfully invalidate a patent as anticipated. Mosaic claimed that Ridge infringed Mosaic’s patent and trade dress for a money-clip wallet. Ridge countered that Mosaic infringed Ridge’s own patent for a money-clip wallet ...
The Intellectual Property and Related Rights (Amendment) Law of 2022, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus on 7 October 2022, aims to harmonise the Cyprus copyright regime with various acts at the European Union (‘EU’) level and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. This Law amends and redefines already existing concepts and establishes new definitions and obligations ...
In 2022, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and the U.S. Government Accountability Office issued six bid protest decisions worthy of particular note. ASRC Federal Data Solutions LLC ESimplicity Inc. v. U.S. Hydraulics International Inc. v. U.S. IAP Worldwide Services Inc. v. U.S. MP Solutions LLC Trace Systems Inc. This article by Aron C. Beezley, Patrick R. Quigley, Sarah Sutton Osborne, Lisa Markman, Nathaniel J. Greeson and Gabrielle A ...
On December 14, 2022, the National Labor Relations Board reinstated a previous test used to determine which employees must be included in an appropriate bargaining unit. In American Steel Construction, Inc., 372 NLRB No. 23 (2022), the Board overruled the test established in PCC Structurals, 365 NLRB No. 160 (2017), and The Boeing Co., 368 NLRB No. 67 (2019), opting to return to the test set forth in Specialty Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center of Mobile, 357 NLRB 934 (2011) ...
The task of upgrading and developing the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to cope with current and future demand is no mean feat. The UK Government has committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 ...
Construction professionals sometimes feel as if it is déjà vu when it comes to disputes—and they are right. There are a handful of claim types that always seem to rear their heads, even in projects that generally are run well. This article will briefly describe those claims and how to avoid them in 2023. 1. Design Error Claims These claims often come up when an inexperienced owner (or architect) are working on an entirely new type of project ...
ADASA Inc. v. Avery Dennison Corporation, Appeal No. 2022-1092 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 16, 2022) In the Federal Circuit’s only precedential opinion this week, the Court considered issues arising from infringement litigation concerning appellee ADASA’s U.S. Patent No. 9,798,967 (the ’967 patent), which is directed to systems and methods for encoding radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. Following a $26 ...
On December 5, 2022, the Supreme Court issued the Supreme Court resolution No. 258-2022 regulating the criteria for the authorization of exceptional operation of the courts, as regulated in Articles 47 D and 68 bis of the Organic Code of Courts. The approval of the Courts of Appeals for the exceptional operation may become effective as of December 12, 2022, which may be extended for a period of one year, extendable for one more year without the need for a new request ...
Having elapsed the period contemplated for the transitory regime of Law No. 21,934, published on November 30, 2021 (the "Law"), by means of which a set of reforms to the justice system were introduced, the permanent regime provided by the Law, whose general rule is attendance regime, notwithstanding the exceptions contemplated by the Organic Code of Courts, is now in force. The main provisions of the permanent regime may be found in ours News Alert 454 and News Alert 453 ...
Google LLC v. Hammond Development International, Inc., Appeal No. 2021-2218 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 8, 2022) In the only precedential patent decision this week, the Federal Circuit issued a decision concerning the effect of collateral estoppel in an inter partes review (IPR) based on a previous IPR decision ...
The Supreme Court will decide if historic holiday pay claims can be brought where there are gaps of three months or more between a series of underpayments. The outcome could have significant implications for employers across the UK ...
Dr Ingrid Fenech participated in the Society Education Annual Conference on Aspects of Maltese Company Law held on 29th November, where she delved into the recent amendments to the Companies Act introducing the notion of cell companies carrying on or engaged in shipping or aviation business ...
The American Bar Association (ABA) has issued its second formal opinion concerning Model Rule 4.2 in as many months. The so-called “no-contact rule” prohibits a lawyer from having contact with a represented party about the subject of the representation. The Rule does not, however, account for the “reply all” function in email communications ...
This is a question that arises with some regularity in trust administration, and one to which the English Court has offered a very welcome answer in the recent case of Sarah Butler-Sloss & Others v Charity Commission [2022] EWHC 974. This case has potentially wide-ranging implications and in this article we will focus on those relevant to trustees of Guernsey-law trusts ...
Alternative Dispute Resolution in Jersey In Jersey the courts do not experience the same delays as the English system. This year, in Jersey the family court has moved to a new location at International House – which has been specially designed to encourage parties to settle their matters outside the court. The new court provides various comfortable meeting rooms and parties are encouraged by the Registrars to attend court early to see if a resolution can be found ...
Recent upheavals sweeping the globe, including significant changes in social and familial structures and technological, political and economic shifts, have quite obviously also stoked the fire of underlying family tensions with incendiary results. Often the next generation fails to conform to the expectations of the wealth-originating generation and their goals and ambitions can diverge quite significantly ...
Kudun and Partners, Thailand Arbitration Center (THAC) and MDD Forensic Accountants hosted a panel discussion on “Successful startups – how to avoid common pitfalls and manage disputes in Thailand”. The panel was moderated by Emi Rowse Igusa, partner and Head of Japan Practice at Kudun and Partners, and included Kongkoch Yongsavasdikul, Partner and Co-head of the Startup practice at Kudun and Partners ...
The Insolvency Practitioners Bill (‘the Bill’) is at its second reading in Parliament. The Bill is intended to partially transpose EU Directive 2019/1023 (‘the Directive’) on preventive restructuring frameworks, on discharge of debt and disqualifications, and on measures to increase the efficiency of procedures concerning restructuring, insolvency and discharge of debt ...
Last year a new landmark report was launched by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), aimed at changing the diversity of the people building the critical national infrastructure - as they have not always reflected the diversity of the people and communities who will ultimately use it ...
A landmark decision has been handed down by the Court of Appeal in O G Thomas Amaethyddiath v Turner & Ors [2022] EWCA Civ 1446 (further info here), a case concerning the validity of a notice to quit. The Court of Appeal applied the test set out in Mannai Investment Co v Eagle Star Life Assurance [1997] AC 749 and overturned both the decision at first instance and at first appeal ...
