On April 18, 2012, BP Exploration and Production Inc. and BP America Production Company (collectively “BP”) entered into an economic and property damages class action settlement with the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in the multidistrict litigation...
For many years the pre-grant patent opposition process has been a useful, but somewhat problematic mechanism for a person to challenge the validity of a patent application. As a specialist tribunal, the Patent Office could decide oppositions...
Arbitration is generally supposed to be faster, cheaper, and more predictable than litigation. Homebuilder D.R. Horton, like many other employers, certainly believed this when, in 2006, it began requiring employees to sign arbitration agreements...
Last week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in which it projected a decline in the number of full-time-equivalent hours worked; the Senate Finance, House Ways and Means, and House Energy and...
Since the United States Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Bilski v. Kappos, holding that a computer-assisted method of hedging risk in the field of commodities trading was unpatentable under §101 of the Patent Act, courts have increasingly used §101...
The Life Actuarial Task Force's Index-Linked Variable Annuities (A) Subgroup (the "ILVA Subgroup") began a fresh look at the regulatory framework for annuity products. On February 6, it held a call to review its January 15, 2014 Discussion Points for...
This is Part II of a two-part series on the new Medicaid structure in Alabama. Part I of the series, which was published last month, discussed organizational and operational requirements of RCOs. This Part II will discuss the antitrust immunity...
On January 27, SEC Chairman Mary Jo White outlined in remarks to the 41st Annual Securities Regulation Institute her agency’s 2014 agenda, promising “incredibly active enforcement” across “the entire industry spectrum.”...
The brain controls almost every function in the body, so any head injury should be taken seriously. However, many people whose injuries appear minor just take a pill for the headache and move on without even considering seeking medical attention. A...
In 2007, the condominium termination statute (Section 718.117 of Florida Statutes) was completely rewritten to address problems with an aging condominium inventory and declarations that typically required 100 percent of unit owners to consent to any...
