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Sirona Dental v. Institut Starumann AG

(United States Federal Circuit) - Appeal from Patent Trial and Appeal Board which held certain patent submittals unpatentable and denied plaintiff the opportunity to amend. Patent submittals relates to a method of drilling assistance for dental work and, the Board ruled, were based on previous patents. Court of Appeals affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded in part. Court of Appeals agreed that certain patent submittals were unpatentable, but vacated the denial of the motion to amend




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Starry Associates v. US

(United States Federal Circuit) - Appeal to determine meaning of special factor in 28 USC 2412(d)(2)(A), Equal Access to Justice Act. When special factor is found the statutory attorney fee rate is increased. The Claims Court found special factor existed in a bid protest claim where the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was stated to have acted arbitrarily and awarded plaintiff attorney fees increased by special factor. The Federal Court of Appeals held that the Claims Court erred and there was no special factor. Egregious misconduct by the HHS does not constitute a special factor.




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Clearlake Shipping PTE Ltd. v. NuStar Energy Services, Inc.

(United States Second Circuit) - Held that a bunker (marine fuel) supplier was not entitled to maritime liens against two chartered vessels to which it had physically provided marine fuel for which it was not paid. Affirmed the district court, in a case raising the question whether subcontractors were entitled to maritime liens.




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Fredrickson v. Starbucks Corp.

(United States Ninth Circuit) - In a class action brought by three former baristas at Starbucks, challenging defendant's practice of withholding state and federal taxes from baristas' paychecks based on cash tips received, the district court's dismissal with prejudice is reversed and the case remanded to state court where: 1) the Tax Injunction Act and the Anti-Injunction Act deprives the district court of subject matter jurisdiction over plaintiffs' claims for declaratory and injunctive relief; and 2) the federal-state comity doctrine bars the district court from awarding statutory damages on the state-tax component of the plaintiffs' claims.




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Make A Wish With Catherine Duc's 'Stargazing' Remix Of Ben Hobbs' 'Blind To You'

UK Singer/songwriter Ben Hobbs Teams Up With Grammy Nominees Catherine Duc And Gene Grimaldi On His Latest Remix




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Starke v. SquareTrade, Inc.

(United States Second Circuit) - Held that an arbitration clause in an online consumer contract was unenforceable because the consumer did not have reasonable notice of and manifest his assent to it. The consumer was suing a company that sells protection plans for consumer products. Affirmed the denial of the company's motion to compel arbitration.



  • Dispute Resolution & Arbitration
  • Consumer Protection Law
  • Contracts


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With Buy-in From Rural Counties, Nevada Starts First Phase Of Reopening Saturday

By Bert Johnson

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the state will begin lifting COVID-19 restrictions sooner than expected, starting this weekend. 

“We will enter Phase One on Saturday May 9, before the current stay at home directive would have expired on May 15,” he said Thursday. 

This stage of Nevada’s Roadmap to Recovery allows for nonessential businesses like barbershops, salons and retail outlets to open their doors. And restaurants will be able to offer dine-in service again, too. But Sisolak explained there also will be some new requirements to make that process as safe as possible.

“Retail businesses shall limit the number of customers in their facility at any given time to no more than 50% of the allowed occupancy based on applicable firecodes,” he said. 

Restaurants will also be required to space tables six feet apart and use reservations whenever possible to help ensure social distancing.

Those stricter limits on customer density will also apply to essential businesses, like grocery stores, which didn’t have them before. Employees who work with the public will also be required to wear masks now, although customers are merely encouraged to do so.

Notably, the state’s casinos will remain closed at this point in the process. Bars that don’t serve food, movie theaters and gyms are also banned from reopening for now. 

Phase One — and every step that follows in the plan — will last at least two weeks, so officials can evaluate their impact on Nevada's outbreak.

The recovery plan was developed with input from the Local Empowerment Advisory Panel, which includes county-level elected officials tasked with seeking feedback from local leaders around the state. According to Clark County Commission chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrck, who represents urban communities for the panel, they wanted to avoid one-size-fits-all solutions. 

“We made sure that all of the counties had a voice in any statewide standards that we crafted,” she said. “There are different things across our state that make us unique.”

To that end, county officials are able to keep stricter standards for reopening in their jurisdictions if they think it’s necessary — but they won’t be allowed to make restrictions looser than those defined by the state. 

According to J.J. Goicoechea, who serves as Chairman of the Eureka County Commission and represents rural communities on the advisory panel, their efforts came in the nick of time. 

“We were right on the breaking point of some of these rural counties and some of these constituents just saying, ‘The hell with it, we’re gonna open. We’ve got to move forward, we can’t afford to stay closed anymore,’” he said.

In California, rural counties like Yuba and Sutter have bucked the state’s guidance and allowed non-essential businesses to reopen, prompting criticism from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Goicoechea says his efforts at communicating with his rural peers kept them invested in the process. 

Goicoechea says the plan’s flexibility is also important because the balance between public health and economic needs looks different in every community. 

“It was critical that we did have representation that these rurals felt comfortable talking to,” he said.

According to Kirkpatrick, the next step in the state’s plan to reopen was driven by public health concerns as well. 

“In Phase One we needed to be able to meet the federal criteria of the downward hospitalizations, we needed to increase the testing,” she said.

She added that Nevada is on track to be able to test 4,000 residents per day, with a target of 10,000 per day by June. Sisolak said in addition they’re expanding testing criteria, too. 

“They will all be able to get tests now if they’ve been identified as either a symptomatic or asymptomatic patient,” he said.

According to a recent NPR investigation, however, the state needs to test more than 5,000 people every day to be able to control its outbreak.




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Starke v. SquareTrade, Inc.

(United States Second Circuit) - Held that an arbitration clause in an online consumer contract was unenforceable because the consumer did not have reasonable notice of and manifest his assent to it. The consumer was suing a company that sells protection plans for consumer products. Affirmed the denial of the company's motion to compel arbitration.



  • Dispute Resolution & Arbitration
  • Consumer Protection Law
  • Contracts

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Kerri Lowe Reaches Goal With Kickstarter Campaign For New Album

Lowe Discusses Her Decision To Return To Her North Carolina Roots After Years Spent In New York In This Interview




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Starke v. SquareTrade, Inc.

(United States Second Circuit) - Held that an arbitration clause in an online consumer contract was unenforceable because the consumer did not have reasonable notice of and manifest his assent to it. The consumer was suing a company that sells protection plans for consumer products. Affirmed the denial of the company's motion to compel arbitration.



  • Dispute Resolution & Arbitration
  • Consumer Protection Law
  • Contracts

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How to start a garden in Colorado during the coronavirus shutdown

If you start your garden now, you'll be able to eat freshly grown salads in no time.





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Licensing Start-Up Soundfeed Onboards 150 Labels, Moves To Open Beta

Soundfeed, A Music Sourcing Platform That Enables Labels To License Their Repertoire To Labels In Other Territories, Has Launched In Open Beta.




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Acoustic Geometry™ Begins Shipping StarField Ceiling Tiles

“Starry Night” Ceilings For Home Theaters, Studios And Businesses Provide Uniquely Aesthetic Acoustic Treatment




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Trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti Leads All-Star Group On 'Long Waves' Feat. John Scofield, Jack DeJohnette, Uri Caine, Scott Colley - Out On Unit Records!

While Ambrosetti Decided To Pursue His Family's Multi-million-dollar Business For Decades, He Never Put His Trumpet On The Shelf.




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Coronavirus-induced RTD service reductions start Sunday

Every bus and rail line except for train service to Denver International Airport will see drastically reduced service starting Sunday, as the Regional Transportation District adjusts to a coronavirus pandemic that has gutted its ridership.




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SiXforNinE Go Trans-dimensional With New 'Counting Stars' Video & Single

SiXforNinE Go Trans-dimensional With New 'Counting Stars' Video & Single




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Richmond Compassionate Care Collective v. 7 Stars Holistic Foundation Inc.

(California Court of Appeal) - Affirmed the denial of an anti-SLAPP motion, in a lawsuit accusing certain organizations and individuals of attempting to restrain trade and monopolize a city's medical marijuana market.




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Nicolas Cage to star as Joe Exotic in limited TV series

The Joe Exotic phenomenon keeps growing, with Nicolas Cage to star in a TV miniseries about the colorful wild animal owner made famous by the “Tiger King” docuseries.




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Home-building academy’s goal: Provide a foundation for people seeking stable careers, new starts

Billy Liptrot is making the transition from prison to life on the outside just as one of the nation's hottest economic streaks has imploded in the face of a global pandemic. But the 38-year-old husband and father is optimistic as he undertakes training for what he hopes will lead to a career as a carpenter in the home building industry. And the industry says years of "under building" could help the industry bounce back as the economy improves.




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Their wrestling tournament canceled by COVID-19, Broomfield family starts “helping” by producing face masks

Xtreme Pro Apparel, a sports attire company based in Broomfield, specializes in producing anti-microbial fabric necessary for wrestling singlets to combat skin disease. Now it will make face masks to assist in combating the coronavirus.




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NASCAR star Kyle Larson suspended for racial slur in virtual race

NASCAR star Kyle Larson was suspended without pay by Chip Ganassi Racing on Monday for using a racial slur on a live stream during a virtual race.




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Home-building academy’s goal: Provide a foundation for people seeking stable careers, new starts

Billy Liptrot is making the transition from prison to life on the outside just as one of the nation's hottest economic streaks has imploded in the face of a global pandemic. But the 38-year-old husband and father is optimistic as he undertakes training for what he hopes will lead to a career as a carpenter in the home building industry. And the industry says years of "under building" could help the industry bounce back as the economy improves.





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Which one of the RHOH Stars Said That Sh*t?!



Can you guess which of the RHOH stars said what?



  • Real Husbands of Hollywood

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How 7 Comedians Got Their Start!



Find out how these comedians got their start.



  • Real Husbands of Hollywood

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Flying Solo: Famous Artists That Started in a Group



These artists made their own lane without their crew.



  • Lift Every Voice

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Kim Burrell's All-Star Tribute



Kim Burrell discusses being honored at Essence Fest.




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Ava DuVernay Starts $250K Film Grant



The grant is through her nonprofit ARRAY Alliance




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Trina McGee Reveals Which Co-Stars Called Her ‘Aunt Jemima’



She had to endure racism when she was on the ‘90s sitcom.




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‘Straight Outta Compton’ Star Jason Mitchell Arrested



The actor is facing 4 felony charges.




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‘Little Women: Atlanta’ Star Ashley ‘Ms. Minnie’ Ross Dead



Fans are mourning the passing of the reality tv star.




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Stars From Across the Industry Honor Debra Lee



She's helped the careers of Stevie Wonder, Mary J. and more!




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Rehearsal 360˚| Starring H.E.R.



Exclusive: H.E.R.'s rehearsals & on stage performance!




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2019 BET Awards: Rehearsal 360 Starring Lizzo



Watching Lizzo prep is the gift that keeps on giving.




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Marsai Martin Wins Young Stars Award



Marsai Martin brings home this year’s Young Stars Award.





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2019 BET Awards: Rehearsal 360 Starring Lizzo Pt.2



Lizzo gets ready to perform her signature moves on stage.




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2019 BET Awards: Rehearsal 360 Starring Lizzo



The singer/rapper is ready to leave fans speechless.




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Diggy Simmons Brings His Cool to BET With 'The Start Up'



Go head and jump on the start up wagon.




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Meet the Cast of The Start Up



They're young, black and digital!



  • BET Star Cinema

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Flicks of the Week: Kevin Hart Starts Fall on a Funny Note



Beyond hilarious.



  • BET Star Cinema

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Creator Of “Renegade Dance” Performs At NBA All-Star Game



Her arrival was highly-anticipated.




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Joan Smalls Stars in New Stuart Weitzman Shoe Campaign



The campaign debuts newest “Nearly Nude” style.





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Pharrell Expands His Fashion Empire With G-Star RAW



The style icon is named co-owner of the denim brand.



  • Pharrell
  • Celebrity fashion and beauty news