Shipping terminal operator Lafarge insisted on hiring Goodwin Procter over its insurance company's objections. The appellate court, overturning a lower court judge, said that wasn't reasonable--so the insurers don't have to pay Goodwin's millions in legal fees.

Perhaps Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson scored points with his base when he announced back in January 2008 that the city was suing 21 financial institutions. Likening the banks' activity to that of organized crime, the city claimed the banks had created a public nuisance by fueling subprime mortgages that left certain neighborhoods devastated by foreclosures. But the city's legal reasoning has not impressed Cleveland federal district court judge Sara Lioi, who dismissed the case with prejudice on Friday.