'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
New Partners at Susman Godfrey
The partners at Susman Godfrey L.L.P. — Blawgletter's firm – welcome three associates into the partnership effective January 1:
- Suyash Agrawal (Houston)
- Justin Nelson (Seattle)
- Shawn Rabin (Dallas)
Congratulations, guys.
Inventor to Keep $20 Million Trade Secrets Award, Tenth Circuit Decides
The Tenth Circuit came out today with an opinion that affirms the jury's role as final arbiter of damages awards. The decision also ventured into questions of whether patent law preempts state trade secrets claims and the availability of prejudgment interest for the period between verdict and entry of judgment. Russo v. Ballard Medical Products, No.
Quote of the Day: WSJ Editors
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Christopher Cox in 2006, when Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme still had a couple years to run, despite warnings to the SEC.
The real lesson is that financial enforcement nearly always fails to protect investors, and this Ponzi scheme is merely typical.
To Catch a Thief, The Wall Street
JPML Orders Centralization of 13 MDL Cases
According to the current Recent Orders page of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation website, transfer motions that it heard in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 20, 2008, ought to go to many different judges in lots of places around the country.
The first order, per the website, bears a date of November 26. The
Ninth Circuit Knocks SOX Claim
Corporate types complain a lot about the burdens of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A decision yesterday by the Ninth Circuit may give them a wee lift.
George Diaz, a shareholder of Digimarc Corporation, a supplier of "secure personal identification systems", sued several of the company's officers and directors for breaching fiduciary duties and violating section 304 of
Old Renoir Statues Get Copyright Protection, Ninth Circuit Rules
The Washerwoman (1917) by Renoir and Guino.
Between 1913 and 1917, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and an assistant, Richard Guino, collaborated in the creation of 11 sculptures. Guino later obtained the exclusive right to produce and reproduce the objects from the original plaster casts. In 1984, Guino's successor, a trust, registered copyright in the sculptures with
Vow to Pay on Sales to “Approved Accounts” Doesn’t Require Causation; What Would Wittgenstein Do?
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) thought deep ratiocinations about language.
The Seventh Circuit today tossed a summary judgment that denied commissions to a sales representative. AA Sales & Assocs., Inc. v. Coni-Seal, Inc., No. 07-2694 (7th Cir. Dec. 9, 2008).
The defendant, Coni-Seal, a maker of automotive parts, entered into a one-page contract that entitled the plaintiff
Annals of Voir Dire: The Bumper Sticker Question
We don't know what it means either.
Blawgletter's trial in October and November allowed us to question potential jurors. The judge's protocol for voir dire — we say vore die-er in Texas — gave us all of 30 minutes. What to ask?
A half hour goes by in a flash. So, yeah, we had to
Another Total Victory Day for Defendants at Texas Supreme Court
Defendants went four-for-four with the Texas Supremes today. Blawgletter can't bear to review what happened. See for yourself here.
