California

  • October 23, 2024

    Acer Wants To Erase $10M Verdict Over Computer Monitor IP

    Taiwan's Acer Inc. wants to wipe out a jury's $10.3 million award for U.S. rival SVV Technology Innovations Inc. over optical-film patents for monitors, telling a Texas federal judge a new trial is needed.

  • October 23, 2024

    Firms Ask DC Court To Nix 'Retaliatory' Canadian Arbitrations

    Two plaintiffs' law firms are urging a D.C. federal court to bar the operators of two allegedly illegal online casinos from pursuing "retaliatory" arbitrations in Canada against their clients, arguing they're trying to bully clients into submitting to a non-U.S. friendly arbitral institution.

  • October 23, 2024

    Full 9th Circ. Passes On SF Nurses' Salary Basis Case

    The full Ninth Circuit said Wednesday it won't reconsider a panel's ruling that it wasn't clear whether a group of San Francisco city nurses in two consolidated cases were paid on a salary basis and could therefore be considered overtime-exempt.

  • October 23, 2024

    Athletes Pause TV Revenue Suit Until NIL Deal's Fate Is Clear

    A group of college athletes has agreed to stay its suit seeking a cut of NCAA television revenue in Colorado federal court, with a magistrate judge on Wednesday granting the two parties' request to pause the case while the landmark name, image and likeness settlement in a separate California case awaits approval.

  • October 23, 2024

    LeBron, Bronny James Face Crash Suit Amid Historic Debut

    NBA legend LeBron James and his rookie son, Bronny James, were hit with a car accident lawsuit in California state court Tuesday, the same day they took the basketball court together for the first time as teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers.

  • October 23, 2024

    Securities Claim Cut From Fraud Suit Against Calif. Developer

    A California federal judge trimmed a securities claim from a Sonoma resident's suit against a real estate company embroiled in a fraud scandal and recommended that the rest of the claims be brought in state court.

  • October 23, 2024

    OpenAI Hires Uber Ethics Head As New Compliance Chief

    OpenAI Inc. has brought on Uber Technologies Inc.'s chief ethics and compliance officer to head up its compliance department as it works to "build on [its] ongoing efforts to responsibly advance AI," the company said Tuesday.

  • October 23, 2024

    United Worker Fired Over Online Pics Gets Bias Suit Revived

    A California appeals court revived a United Airlines flight attendant's sex bias suit claiming she was unlawfully fired for appearing in uniform on a social media page advertising her OnlyFans account, crediting her argument that male flight attendants didn't face the same consequences for similar behavior.

  • October 23, 2024

    Ex-SEC Atty, Fintech GC Joins Stradling's Securities Team

    Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth PC has added a former fintech general counsel and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorney, reinforcing the firm's offerings for companies facing enforcement investigations or grappling with other compliance issues. 

  • October 23, 2024

    9th Circ. Orders Michael Avenatti To Be Resentenced

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday ordered the resentencing of Michael Avenatti over his California conviction for tax violations and stealing from clients, saying the lower court made multiple mistakes when it handed down a 14-year prison term to the onetime celebrity attorney.

  • October 23, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs Injury Firm's Win In Fight Over Google Ads

    The Ninth Circuit has upheld an Arizona federal court's ruling in favor of a Tempe-based personal injury firm that was sued by another personal injury firm, Lerner & Rowe, over its purchases of Google advertising search terms, with the judges finding little "actual confusion" was caused by the advertising strategy.

  • October 23, 2024

    'MetaBirkins' TM Appeal May Split 2nd Circ. On Art Question

    A Second Circuit panel appeared divided Wednesday over whether a Los Angeles man should be liable for infringing Hermès International's handbag trademarks with his "MetaBirkins" nonfungible tokens, with two judges seemingly siding with the Paris designer and one with the purported artist.

  • October 23, 2024

    Harvey Weinstein Must Face All NY Charges At Retrial

    A New York state judge on Wednesday denied Harvey Weinstein a separate trial for his new sexual assault charge, ruling that he must face that allegation alongside his original indictment at a retrial that is now expected to begin in early 2025.

  • October 23, 2024

    CFPB Says Goldman, Apple To Pay $89.8M Over Card Program

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it has ordered Goldman Sachs and Apple to pay more than $89 million for alleged violations tied to their Apple-branded credit card partnership, including claims of mishandled customer disputes, misleading marketing and wrongful charges.

  • October 22, 2024

    Calif. Supreme Court Signs Off On Remote Bar Exam

    The California Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the green light to the California State Bar's push to make the Golden State's bar exam mostly remote starting in February 2025, according to an order that also backed a study pretesting "experimental" exam questions.

  • October 22, 2024

    Calif. Panel Says Panera Must Face PAGA Claims

    A California state appeals court on Monday reversed a state trial court's ruling compelling a Panera restaurant employee to arbitrate Private Attorneys General Act claims against the bakery and café chain, saying an arbitration agreement the worker had entered explicitly excluded PAGA claims.

  • October 22, 2024

    Texas Rebar Giant Accused Of Crushing Rivals As Trial Opens

    Pacific Steel Group's counsel told a California federal jury during trial openings Tuesday that Texas rebar giant Commercial Metals Co. used anticompetitive tactics to "crush" competition and drive up rebar prices in the Golden State, while CMC's counsel said evidence will show PSG can only blame itself for its problems.

  • October 22, 2024

    Activist Short Seller's Associate To Pay $1.8M In SEC Fraud Suit

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Tuesday that an associate of Andrew Left, founder of popular trading advice website Citron Research, has agreed to pay more than $1.8 million to resolve allegations that he negligently took part in a scheme to defraud readers through two trading recommendations.

  • October 22, 2024

    Ex-Google GC Must Be Investigated By Calif. Bar, Groups Say

    A trio of groups led by the American Economic Liberties Project on Tuesday pressed the State Bar of California to investigate former Google general counsel Kent Walker for "coaching" the company to "engage in widespread and illegal destruction of records relevant to multiple ongoing federal trials."

  • October 22, 2024

    'A Lot Of Nerve': Judge Slams Ex-Sparks Owners' Fee Claim

    A California judge overseeing a suit by former Los Angeles Sparks basketball team co-owners claiming they're owed free game tickets for life said their argument that they also deserve attorney fees because the lawsuit serves the public interest is potentially frivolous, adding, "Somebody in my view has a lot of nerve."

  • October 22, 2024

    Fintech Co. Ryvyl Investors' Accounting Fraud Suit Trimmed

    Executives of fintech company Ryvyl Inc. have shed some claims from an investor suit accusing them of concealing accounting problems, with a California federal judge ruling that the investors have not sufficiently pled that the defendants knowingly acted recklessly or committed wrongful acts.

  • October 22, 2024

    Walmart Pays $7.5M To End Hazardous Waste Disposal Suit

    Walmart Inc. has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the state of California and district attorneys of several counties who alleged the retail giant improperly disposed of hazardous and medical wastes from its locations to municipal landfills, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday.

  • October 22, 2024

    Calif. Official Cops To Taking Bribes For $10M In Contracts

    A member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors has admitted to steering $10 million worth of COVID-19 relief funds to a charity affiliated with his daughter in exchange for more than $500,000 in bribes, California federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.

  • October 22, 2024

    Organic Food Group Asks 9th Circ. To Upend GMO Label Rule

    An organic food industry advocacy group urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a district judge decision that largely left a Trump-era organic food labeling rule intact, saying the U.S. Department of Agriculture's implementation of a nationwide labeling law for genetically modified foods has been "arbitrary and capricious."

  • October 22, 2024

    Paramount Again Foils Suit Over 'Romeo & Juliet' Nude Scene

    Paramount Pictures again defeated a lawsuit by two actors challenging the redistribution of the 1968 film adaptation of "Romeo & Juliet" that contained a nude scene, because a California judge said a prior court already decided the film's distribution was protected activity and, accordingly, the actors are barred from relitigating the issue.

Expert Analysis

  • Bayer Antitrust Case Hinged On Evolving Market Definition

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    Generic flea and tick medication manufacturer Tevra's evolving market definition played a key role in the development and outcome of its five-year antitrust litigation against Bayer Healthcare, highlighting challenges that litigants may face when a proposed definition is assessed at trial, say Amy Vegari and Colleen Anderson at Patterson Belknap.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar

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    The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Election Outlook: A Precedent Primer On Content Moderation

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    With the 2024 election season now in full swing, online platforms will face difficult and politically sensitive decisions about content moderation, but U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last term offer much-needed certainty about their rights, say Jonathan Blavin and Helen White at Munger Tolles.

  • Banking Compliance Takeaways From Joint Agency Statement

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    Federal bank regulatory agencies’ recent joint statement warning of risks associated with third-party fintech deposit services spotlights a fundamental problem that may arise with bank deposit products that are made through increasingly complex customer relationships, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

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    As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan

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    Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law

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    The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.

  • RealPage Suit Shows Growing Algorithm, AI Pricing Scrutiny

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's suit against RealPage for helping fix rental rates, filed last week, demonstrates how the use of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools to assist with pricing decisions is drawing increasing scrutiny and action across government agencies, and specifically at the Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ, say Andre Geverola and Leah Harrell at Arnold & Porter.

  • Fed. Circ. Patent Ruling Clarifies Section 101 Procedures

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    The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Mobile Acuity v. Blippar affirming a dismissal at the pleading stage illustrates important considerations and potential pitfalls for both filing and opposing a Section 101 motion to dismiss, say Thomas Sprankling and Vikram Iyer at WilmerHale.

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.

  • Calif. Ruling Clarifying Paystub Compliance Is Win For Cos.

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    In rare good news for California employers, the state Supreme Court recently clarified that workers couldn’t win extra penalties in wage and hour cases by claiming their employer intentionally violated state paystub law if the employer believed it had complied in good faith, say Drei Munar and Kirk Hornbeck at Hunton.

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