U.S. Courts News Reporter
Check out the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s opinion in Ramirez v. City of Texas City, No. 25-40475 (Sep. 3, 2026), in which the court concluded that a property owner raising a procedural due process claim properly invoked his right to have that claim tried by a jury.
[Disclosure: this is from our shop.]
After a fire caused extensive but repairable damage to Ramirez’s home, the city labeled the home “substandard” and demanded he do something. … Read the rest
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has advised the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts that funds are available to transfer to the Judiciary to make additional payments to eligible Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustees for fiscal year 2025.
Judiciary News – United States Courts… Read the rest
Nobody likes the grammar police. Patent lawyers, unfortunately, may be the exception.
In Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Pfizer Inc. No. 2025-1427 (Fed. Cir. June 23, 2026), one character did a lot of damage. The difference between C2 and C1 cost Enanta the priority date of its provisional application—and led the Federal Circuit to affirm that the challenged claims were anticipated.
Turns out proofreading really can be worth millions.
But the case raises a more interesting question: Even if Enanta had … Read the rest
The Air We Breathe – Indoor Air Quality Is Becoming a Real Estate Issue
The most dangerous environmental threat is the one we breathe every day. Air pollution is the world’s largest environmental health risk, responsible for roughly 7 million premature deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.
For real estate owners, however, the more surprising issue may be what happens inside the building.
A now widely quoted WHO assessment released this summer found that indoor … Read the rest
For many employees, the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle aren’t just physical; they are financial. Through health-contingent wellness programs, employers can offer monetary rewards or reduced health insurance costs to employees who achieve specified health-related goals. These programs may focus on nutrition, weight loss, tobacco cessation, fitness, substance abuse assistance, stress management, or general health education.
However, determining what rewards employees are eligible for, and when those rewards must be provided, has long presented a compliance challenge for employers. … Read the rest
Two announcements in the span of nine days reflect a significant expansion of federal healthcare fraud enforcement resources. On August 4, DOJ announced expansion of its Northeast Health Care Fraud Strike Force to Philadelphia, marking the fourth geographic expansion in less than a year. Nine days later, on August 13, Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald issued a priorities memorandum for the National Fraud Enforcement Division (the Fraud Division), a new DOJ division announced by President Trump in January 2026 … Read the rest
Four new U.S. Supreme Court Fellows are set to begin their 2026-2027 fellowships in September.
Judiciary News – United States Courts… Read the rest
Online bill payment company Doxo will pay $ 2.1 million to settle an FTC complaint that alleged that the firm and two of its co-founders used misleading search advertising to impersonate consumers’ billers and misled consumers about junk fees they added to their bills.
According to a 2024 complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the FTC contended that Doxo, and two of its co-founders, Steve Shivers and Roger Parks, used search ads and … Read the rest