Judge Says Creditor May Seek To Enforce $47.6M Award Against Spain
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A District of Columbia federal judge granted an award-creditor’s motion for relief allowing it to begin enforcing an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) arbitral award against the Kingdom of Spain worth more than $47.6 million and to register the judgment in other districts, and deferred ruling on Spain’s motion to quash or modify the creditor’s postjudgment subpoenas.
High Court: Common-Law Suits Against Freight Brokers Not Preempted By Federal Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reasoning that common-law standards and duties of care are part of a state’s authority to regulate motor vehicle safety, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on May 14 held that the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAAA), which preempts state laws related to the services of a broker with respect to the transportation of property but does not restrict the safety regulatory authority of states with respect to motor vehicles, does not preempt common-law actions for negligent hiring of a motor carrier or driver by a freight broker.
3rd Circuit Panel Affirms Dismissal Of BIPA Voiceprint Class Action
PHILADELPHIA — A Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel affirmed a Delaware federal judge’s dismissal of a biometric privacy putative class action that alleged that Illinois callers’ voiceprints were unlawfully collected, holding that a Georgia-based voice-authentication vendor was exempt under a financial-institution exemption in the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) and that claims against Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS) failed because the alleged conduct did not occur in Illinois.
Unanimous High Court Rules On Jurisdiction After Stay For Arbitration
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In its second unanimous decision of the day, the U.S. Supreme Court on May 14 ruled that nothing in the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) bars a federal court from ruling on motions brought under Sections 9 and 10 of the FAA confirming or vacating an arbitration award when the court previously stayed the case pending arbitration.
NCAA Settles Coaches’ Wage-Fixing Class Suit For $303 Million
FRESNO, Calif. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will pay $303 million to end wage-fixing claims by current and former “volunteer” college coaches after final class settlement approval was granted by a federal judge in California who noted that class counsel reported that the settlement amount is more than 100% of the alleged damages.
Bus Company To Pay $5.6M, Mitigate Massachusetts Fleet Idling To Settle CAA Suit
BOSTON — A company that operates a fleet of buses in Massachusetts agreed to implement a series of anti-idling and emissions controls and pay $5.6 million for pollution mitigation and litigation costs to settle a yearslong Clean Air Act (CAA) suit brought in federal court by an environmental group alleging violations of state anti-idling regulations.
Georgia Panel Reverses Dismissal Of Assignee’s Suit Against Insurance Broker
ATLANTA — A Georgia appeals panel on May 12 reversed a lower court’s dismissal of an assignee’s lawsuit alleging that an insurance broker failed to obtain a general liability insurance policy that did not bar coverage for liability arising out of bodily injury that was caused by assault, battery or the use of firearms, holding that the lower court erred in ruling that the claims were not assignable.
Federal Circuit: Inventors’ Suit Against PTO Undone By Their Own Statements
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three pro se plaintiff-appellants lacked standing to sue the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) after it rejected their request to submit their patent application as a micro entity because they failed to show that they retained an interest in the application, a Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel held May 12, agreeing with a Texas federal judge who granted the PTO’s motion to dismiss.
Judge: DHS, ICE Violated November Injunction In Warrantless Arrest Class Case
DENVER — U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials “materially violated” a November 2025 preliminary injunction issued in a provisionally certified class case challenging various warrantless arrests of noncitizens, a federal judge in Colorado ruled May 12, partially granting a motion to enforce the injunction and ordering that all officers executing immigration arrests in the district must be trained on the requirements of the preliminary injunction or not make warrantless arrests.
5th Circuit Affirms Golf Cart Mark Infringement Ruling, Vacates Broad Injunction
NEW ORLEANS — A Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel affirmed a Texas federal judge’s bench trial judgment that defendant-appellant manufacturing entities infringed a battery company’s trademark on the word “Trojan” in connection with batteries for electric vehicles, including golf carts, by releasing an electric golf cart that used the word in its name; however, the panel vacated a permanent injunction entered against the defendant appellants, holding that it was overly broad.
Panel: Professional Liability Insurer Owes No Indemnification For Consent Judgment
ST. LOUIS — The Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed a lower federal court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of a professional liability insurer in its lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that it has no duty to defend and indemnify a $586,682.52 consent judgment brought against its broker insured in an underlying lawsuit.