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Firm Highlights
Blog Post
Delaware Bankruptcy Court Crafts Test Concerning Post-Confirmation “Related-To” Jurisdiction
The filing of a bankruptcy case creates an estate consisting of the debtor’s legal and equitable property. The estate will continue until the debtor’s confirmed plan of reorganization or liquidation goes effective. It will then terminate, and the property will either revest in the reorganized debtor or be transferred to another entity such as a post-confirmation liquidation trust.
Now and then, bankruptcy judges face this issue: after plan confirmation, when can a liquidation trustee assert state law claims in a lawsuit filed in the bankruptcy court?
In terms of a bankruptcy court’s subject matter jurisdiction, the question can be articulated this way: when can a bankruptcy court have post-confirmation related-to jurisdiction over such claims under 28 U.S.C. section 1334?[i]
A bankruptcy judge...
Publication
The Execution of Willie Francis
The botched execution of Christa Gail Pike brings to mind a similar case from 1947, when the State of Louisiana tried, and failed, to execute Willie Francis. I learned about Willie Francis in 1974 when I was a law clerk to Judge J. Skelly Wright, one of the heroic cadre of Southern judges who desegregated all-Black schools after Brown v. Board of Education. When he was in private practice, Judge Wright argued a single case in the U.S. Supreme Court. He represented Willie Francis in his unsuccessful effort to avoid a second electrocution. This is that story.
To continue reading Gregory Diskant's article in The National Law Journal, please click here.
Publication
New York Appellate Court Limits the Manhattan DA’s Use of Criminal Turnover Orders to Resolve Disputed Art Ownership
On September 17, 2026, the New York Appellate Division, First Department, issued a major decision in In the Matter of an Application for a Search Warrant to Search the Premises Located at The Art Institute of Chicago. The court considered whether N.Y. Penal Law § 450.10, a criminal turnover statute, authorizes a court to adjudicate disputed ownership of property and order its surrender without affording the holder full civil due process (and instead proceeding by way of a summary proceeding in criminal court). The First Department unanimously held that it does not, vacating a seizure warrant and turnover orders that had directed the Art Institute of Chicago (“AIC”) to surrender a painting to the heirs of a Holocaust victim. (Slip Op....
Blog Post
You Win Some and Lose Some: Judge Liman Decides Competing Motions to Compel
On September 4, 2026, District Judge Lewis J. Liman (S.D.N.Y.) granted in part and denied in part Plaintiff Lashify, Inc.’s (“Lashify”) motion to compel discovery and denied Defendants Qingdao Network Technology Co., Ltd., d/b/a UCoolMe and Vivicute Limited’s (“UCoolMe”) motion to compel. Lashify, Inc. v. Qingdao Network Tech. Co., Ltd., No. 25-cv-4183 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 4, 2026).
Lashify’s Motion to Compel
Lashify moved to compel UCoolMe to provide responses to discovery requests relating to: (i) product samples and raw materials; (ii) manufacturing; (iii) employees and supply chain; (iv) marketing; and (v) finances. Id. at *2. The Court found that each of those topics were relevant under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a) and that UCoolMe did not sufficiently respond to discovery requests related to...
Firm News
Firm Secures Complete Patent Litigation Victory on Behalf of J&J
On August 31, 2026, Patterson Belknap secured a victory on behalf of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) in a Hatch-Waxman patent infringement litigation relating to Spravato®, its blockbuster esketamine nasal spray approved for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation.
This litigation was initiated after an ANDA filing by Sandoz, Inc. (“Sandoz”) in 2023, seeking FDA approval for its generic version of Spravato. Janssen asserted that Sandoz’s proposed generic product would infringe certain claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 11,446,260, 10,869,844; 11,173,134; and 11,311,500. Sandoz counterclaimed for declaratory judgment that each of the asserted patent claims was invalid under 35 U.S.C. §103 and/or § 112. On August 31, 2026, the U.S. District...
Event
Maurene Comey to Speak on New York Criminal Bar Association Panel
On Wednesday, October 21, Partner Maurene Comey will speak on a New York Criminal Bar Association panel titled "Modern Prosecution and Defense of Sex Offenses." Ms. Comey will join Teny Geragos (Founding Partner, Agnifilo Intrater), Moira Penza (Partner, Wilkinson Stekloff), and Isabelle Kirshner (Partner, Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder LLP) to explore key strategies and considerations for prosecuting and defending modern sex-offense cases.
To learn more, please click here.
Firm News
Barbara Mullin Named Among Benchmark Litigation’s 2026 Top 250 Women in Litigation
Partner Barbara Mullin has been named one of Benchmark Litigation’s 2026 Top 250 Women in Litigation. The ranking uses an extensive research process, including “months of investigation into individual litigators’ professional activities as well as client feedback surveys and one-on-one interviews” to identify women who are “top players” in their field.
To learn more, please click here.
Publication
Pharmacy Benefit Managers in the Crosshairs of Enforcement and Reform
Pharmacy benefit managers have been in the crosshairs of enforcement and reform efforts for several years. At the federal level, the Federal Trade Commission has obtained favorable settlements for the government, and Congress passed PBM reform in the Comprehensive Appropriations Act in February. Some states have also enacted their own legislation, which has become the latest battleground as PBMs level constitutional challenges to state efforts to regulate PBMs’ limitations on where and how patients can fill prescriptions. The outcome of these challenges may dictate whether other states take similar action, and whether PBM influence on pharmacy selection continues to grow.
To continue reading Amy N. Vegari and Sarah Brand Wasson's article in The National Law Journal, please click here.
Blog Post
AI Companies Find Value in Bankrupt Companies
Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy in November 2024 and, after emerging from bankruptcy, filed again in August 2025. During the second case, the company tried to find a way to keep the airline in business but to no avail. In May 2026, Spirit Airlines pivoted towards a wind-down and ceased operations.
This summer, as a part of its wind-down, Spirit Airlines began marketing its remaining assets. It had plenty of traditional assets to sell. For example, the debtors’ bid procedures motion filed in May 2026 listed the following assets: takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia Airport; aircraft hangar(s); corporate headquarters; training center; multi-family residential buildings; ground service equipment; spare engines; flight simulators; aircraft maintenance equipment; and assets related to the...
Event
Michael Arlein to Speak on Digital Asset Estate Planning Webinar
On Wednesday, October 14, Partner Michael Arlein will speak on a SMQKE Room webinar titled "Digital Asset Estate Planning for Crypto Founders & Holders." Mr. Arlein will share practical guidance on the legal mechanics and multi-generational planning required for significant digital asset holdings.
Blog Post
Delaware Bankruptcy Court Crafts Test Concerning Post-Confirmation “Related-To” Jurisdiction
The filing of a bankruptcy case creates an estate consisting of the debtor’s legal and equitable property. The estate will continue until the debtor’s confirmed plan of reorganization or liquidation goes effective. It will then terminate, and the property will either revest in the reorganized debtor or be transferred to another entity such as a post-confirmation liquidation trust.
Now and then, bankruptcy judges face this issue: after plan confirmation, when can a liquidation trustee assert state law claims in a lawsuit filed in the bankruptcy court?
In terms of a bankruptcy court’s subject matter jurisdiction, the question can be articulated this way: when can a bankruptcy court have post-confirmation related-to jurisdiction over such claims under 28 U.S.C. section 1334?[i]
A bankruptcy judge...
Publication
The Execution of Willie Francis
The botched execution of Christa Gail Pike brings to mind a similar case from 1947, when the State of Louisiana tried, and failed, to execute Willie Francis. I learned about Willie Francis in 1974 when I was a law clerk to Judge J. Skelly Wright, one of the heroic cadre of Southern judges who desegregated all-Black schools after Brown v. Board of Education. When he was in private practice, Judge Wright argued a single case in the U.S. Supreme Court. He represented Willie Francis in his unsuccessful effort to avoid a second electrocution. This is that story.
To continue reading Gregory Diskant's article in The National Law Journal, please click here.
Publication
New York Appellate Court Limits the Manhattan DA’s Use of Criminal Turnover Orders to Resolve Disputed Art Ownership
On September 17, 2026, the New York Appellate Division, First Department, issued a major decision in In the Matter of an Application for a Search Warrant to Search the Premises Located at The Art Institute of Chicago. The court considered whether N.Y. Penal Law § 450.10, a criminal turnover statute, authorizes a court to adjudicate disputed ownership of property and order its surrender without affording the holder full civil due process (and instead proceeding by way of a summary proceeding in criminal court). The First Department unanimously held that it does not, vacating a seizure warrant and turnover orders that had directed the Art Institute of Chicago (“AIC”) to surrender a painting to the heirs of a Holocaust victim. (Slip Op....
Blog Post
You Win Some and Lose Some: Judge Liman Decides Competing Motions to Compel
On September 4, 2026, District Judge Lewis J. Liman (S.D.N.Y.) granted in part and denied in part Plaintiff Lashify, Inc.’s (“Lashify”) motion to compel discovery and denied Defendants Qingdao Network Technology Co., Ltd., d/b/a UCoolMe and Vivicute Limited’s (“UCoolMe”) motion to compel. Lashify, Inc. v. Qingdao Network Tech. Co., Ltd., No. 25-cv-4183 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 4, 2026).
Lashify’s Motion to Compel
Lashify moved to compel UCoolMe to provide responses to discovery requests relating to: (i) product samples and raw materials; (ii) manufacturing; (iii) employees and supply chain; (iv) marketing; and (v) finances. Id. at *2. The Court found that each of those topics were relevant under Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a) and that UCoolMe did not sufficiently respond to discovery requests related to...
Firm News
Firm Secures Complete Patent Litigation Victory on Behalf of J&J
On August 31, 2026, Patterson Belknap secured a victory on behalf of Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) in a Hatch-Waxman patent infringement litigation relating to Spravato®, its blockbuster esketamine nasal spray approved for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation.
This litigation was initiated after an ANDA filing by Sandoz, Inc. (“Sandoz”) in 2023, seeking FDA approval for its generic version of Spravato. Janssen asserted that Sandoz’s proposed generic product would infringe certain claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 11,446,260, 10,869,844; 11,173,134; and 11,311,500. Sandoz counterclaimed for declaratory judgment that each of the asserted patent claims was invalid under 35 U.S.C. §103 and/or § 112. On August 31, 2026, the U.S. District...
Event
Maurene Comey to Speak on New York Criminal Bar Association Panel
On Wednesday, October 21, Partner Maurene Comey will speak on a New York Criminal Bar Association panel titled "Modern Prosecution and Defense of Sex Offenses." Ms. Comey will join Teny Geragos (Founding Partner, Agnifilo Intrater), Moira Penza (Partner, Wilkinson Stekloff), and Isabelle Kirshner (Partner, Clayman Rosenberg Kirshner & Linder LLP) to explore key strategies and considerations for prosecuting and defending modern sex-offense cases.
To learn more, please click here.