In a significant decision for estate litigators, fiduciaries and beneficiaries, the Minnesota Court of Appeals recently reaffirmed the strong public policy favoring finality in probate proceedings. In In re Estate of Clarence Vatthauer, the court held that a district
Lathrop GPM
Lathrop GPM is a global law firm representing clients in a variety of business matters. They write on business, workplace, and insurance concerns in their blog The Road to Insurance Recovery.
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Attention: Federal Contractors – Compliance Update
Federal contractors and subcontractors should remain mindful that their obligations relating to protected veterans remain in full force despite developments affecting other federal contractor compliance requirements. In particular, covered employers should be preparing now for the upcoming VETS-4212 filing deadline…
Federal Circuit Decision Affirms Written Description Support for Broad Crystalline Salt Genus Claims
In a precedential ruling on August 31, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a District of Delaware judgment that the claims of three Exelixis patents covering the cancer drug Cabometyx® (cabozantinib) were not invalid for…
California Court of Appeal Holds Post-Term Noncompete Unenforceable Under California Law Despite New Jersey Choice-of-Law Clause
A California Court of Appeal affirmed a summary judgment ruling that rejected various competition claims brought by CBD Franchising, Inc. (CBDF), franchisor of the Closets By Design custom closet businesses, against One Day Doors & Closets, Inc. CBD Franchising, Inc.…
Colorado Federal Court Denies Franchisor’s Request to Enforce Post-Term Noncompete
The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado denied SP Franchising, LLC and SP IP, LLC’s (collectively, SpeedPro) motion for a preliminary injunction against former franchisee 3FM, L.L.C., finding that SpeedPro failed to establish a likelihood of success on…
Kentucky Federal Court Stays Papa John’s Cambodia Development Suit for Arbitrator to Decide Arbitrability
A federal court in Kentucky denied Jiandong (Peter) Xu’s motion to dismiss Papa John’s suit for lack of personal jurisdiction but stayed the action for an arbitrator to decide whether Papa John’s claims were subject to arbitration. Papa John’s International,…
Minnesota Federal Court Partially Grants Franchisor’s Motion to Dismiss Franchisee’s Counterclaims
A federal court in Minnesota partially granted a franchisor’s motion to dismiss a franchisee’s counterclaims, dismissing claims arising from the franchise agreement. Jack & Joe’s Franchising, Inc. v. Bernadin, 2026 WL 2209840 (D. Minn. July 31, 2026). In July 2025,…
Business Interruption Coverage for COVID-19: Recent Pro-Policyholder Decisions
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began earlier this year, policyholders have filed over a thousand lawsuits against their insurance carriers seeking coverage for business interruption losses caused by the coronavirus or resulting stay-at-home orders. …
Back to Insurance Basics – Preparing Now Can Dampen the Burn of Future Wildfires
Wildfires blazed through millions of acres along the West Coast this year, reportedly killing dozens of people, destroying thousands of structures and causing billions of dollars in insured losses. …