The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s decision to use its inherent power to award deterrence sanctions for filing a nuisance patent infringement lawsuit. PS Products Inc. v. Panther...more
On January 18, 2024, the California Supreme Court made a significant ruling in the case of Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills, Inc., finding that the trial court lacked the inherent authority to dismiss a California’s Private...more
Because bankruptcy courts were created by Congress rather than under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, there is a disagreement over whether bankruptcy courts, like other federal courts, have "inherent authority" to impose...more
Addressing an issue of first impression, the Second Circuit held recently that bankruptcy courts have inherent authority to impose non-nominal civil contempt sanctions, including per diem sanctions and attorneys’ fees,...more
As the volume of electronically stored information, or ESI, subject to discovery has exploded, allegations of spoliation have multiplied. Before the 2015 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, courts relied on...more
It is no secret that LLC managers enjoy a lot of discretion regarding how they operate the LLC. Members of the LLC often find it difficult to challenge the manager’s decisions on key transactions, investments, and other...more
The US Supreme Court examined the inherent authority of the court to apply sanctions for discovery misconduct....more
In recent years, discussions regarding the contours of a federal court’s inherent authority to sanction litigants for bad-faith behavior have been heating up faster than a defective tire at highway speeds. In the 2015...more
Our Delaware Corporate and Alternative Entity Law attorneys closely followed the opinions coming from Delaware’s Supreme Court and Court of Chancery. Our 2016 Year in Review is a collection of brief summaries of selected...more
The jury renders its verdict. No party objects. The judge thanks the jury for its service, discharges them, and tells them they are free to go. The jury exits, but there’s one problem: the jury’s verdict is internally...more
The Supreme Court of the United States issued decisions in three cases on June 9, 2016: - Dietz v. Bouldin, No. 15-458: An automobile accident case went to a jury trial in federal district court. Respondent Hillary...more
Eschewing an old common-law rule for practicality, the U.S. Supreme Court held today in Dietz v. Bouldin, No. 15-458, that federal district judges may recall a civil jury it has discharged to correct errors in certain...more