California

  • December 03, 2024

    J&J's Neosporin Forever Discolored Man's Groin, Suit Says

    Johnson & Johnson and its consumer health spinoff were sued in California state court over claims that Neosporin antibiotic ointment badly infected a Los Angeles man's scrotum and permanently discolored his groin.

  • December 03, 2024

    Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

    December's appellate forecast calls for a squall of showdowns in a tiny time period before the holidays, including arguments involving recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, Big Tech's patents and popular purveyors of health food. In addition, winds of change are swirling around the White House's litigation posture and judicial nominations, and we'll quiz you on the latter in this edition of Wheeling & Appealing.

  • December 03, 2024

    OpenAI Must Disclose Execs' Messages To News Orgs.

    The New York Times, Daily News, other news organizations and writers can gain access to the social media messages of executives at OpenAI in their litigation accusing the company of using copyright-protected material to train ChatGPT after a New York judge rejected efforts to block the disclosure of the messages.

  • December 03, 2024

    Calif. Man Charged With Shipping Firearms To North Korea

    Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested a man in San Bernardino County, California, accusing him of illegally exporting firearms, ammunition and other military equipment to North Korea by concealing the items inside shipping containers departing from Long Beach.

  • December 03, 2024

    Mattel's 'Wicked' Doll Boxes Linked To Porn Site, Mom Says

    Mattel was hit with a proposed class action Tuesday in California federal court by a mother who alleged she bought the toy giant's line of "Wicked" dolls based on the film for her young daughter, only to find out afterward the packaging featured a hyperlink leading to a pornographic website.

  • December 03, 2024

    Intel's License Fight With VLSI In Texas Gets May Trial Date

    A Texas federal judge has set a May trial date for Intel's claim that it already has a license to VLSI's chip patents in their multibillion-dollar dispute.

  • December 03, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Vehicle Security Patent Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday backed a lower court's finding that a vehicle security patent owned by consumer electronics company VOXX International Corp. was invalid as abstract, handing a win to a company it targeted in an infringement suit.

  • December 03, 2024

    Lizzo Designer's Harassment, Unpaid OT Claims Clipped

    A California federal court threw out several claims in a lawsuit launched against Lizzo and her touring company by a fashion designer who created custom pieces for the singer on tour, finding the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn't apply to work performed in Europe.

  • December 03, 2024

    No Standing In 'Threadbare' Voice Assistant Suit, Google Says

    Google wants a D.C. federal judge to toss a lawsuit accusing the tech giant of blocking rival voice assistant products from running on Android and other devices, contending that the complaint has failed to articulate an injury "with even a modicum of detail."

  • December 03, 2024

    9th Circ. Affirms Circle K's Win In Gas Pricing Row

    The Ninth Circuit upheld Circle K Stores' win against retail gas stations that accused the convenience chain of setting high gas prices in bad faith, finding Tuesday that Circle K's prices were "within the range" of those charged by its competitors and lower than at least one refiner.

  • December 03, 2024

    California Tribe Says Feds Didn't Consult On Casino Project

    A California tribe is looking to block the U.S. Department of Interior from approving a casino project on its historic homelands, arguing that the federal government failed to consult it on the endeavor that will irreparably harm its sovereignty and its rights over sacred objects located on the site.

  • December 03, 2024

    'Bitcoin Jesus' Calls $48M Tax Dodging Case Unconstitutional

    An early Bitcoin investor known as Bitcoin Jesus asked a California federal judge Tuesday to dismiss charges that he dodged approximately $48 million in taxes by filing false tax returns and concealing how much cryptocurrency he owned, arguing that the charges are unconstitutional.

  • December 03, 2024

    BCLP Hires Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Ace In Calif.

    Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP has taken another step in expanding its real estate finance practice in California with the addition of a partner from Greenberg Traurig LLP to its Orange County office.

  • December 03, 2024

    Harvey Weinstein Gets March Trial Date In LA Civil Rape Suit

    A California judge on Tuesday set a March trial date for a civil lawsuit brought by a woman whom Harvey Weinstein was convicted of raping, saying the disgraced movie producer's age and poor medical condition outweigh the plaintiff's desire to pause proceedings until a criminal appeal concludes.

  • December 03, 2024

    Tech Giants Seek Firm's Communications With Elusive Client

    Apple and Amazon want Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP to turn over texts and emails with a client who disappeared from a putative class action against the tech giants, to determine whether the plaintiff consented to the case continuing in his absence.

  • December 03, 2024

    Software Startup ServiceTitan Launches Plans For $480M IPO

    ServiceTitan Inc., a venture-backed software startup that serves trades-focused professions, launched plans on Tuesday for an estimated $480 million initial public offering under guidance from Latham & Watkins LLP and underwriters' counsel Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC, potentially marking the year's last sizable IPO.

  • December 03, 2024

    Film Financing Firm Gets OK For Ch. 11 Auction In January

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge gave Film Finance Inc., a company that offers financing for high-profile film projects, the go-ahead Tuesday to put itself on the auction block early next year after dropping protections for its baseline bidder that had attracted the ire of the U.S. Trustee's Office.

  • December 03, 2024

    OneTaste Execs Say Former Member's Journals Fabricated

    Two former OneTaste executives facing forced labor conspiracy charges claim a former employee's journals were fabricated for a Netflix documentary about the sexual wellness company and were further edited by an FBI agent before being produced to the defense in discovery.

  • December 02, 2024

    Girardi Won't Get New Fraud Trial Despite Memory Claims

    A California federal judge on Monday denied Tom Girardi's bid for a new trial after a jury found he misappropriated $15 million worth of client settlement funds, standing by a prior assessment that the disbarred attorney was "exaggerating" symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.

  • December 02, 2024

    Apple Accused Of Gagging Workers, Spying On Their IPhones

    A manager at Apple claims the tech giant is stomping on employees' rights by forbidding discussion of coworkers' compensation and encouraging the use of personal iPhones at work so that it can snoop on workers, according to a lawsuit lodged Monday in California state court.

  • December 02, 2024

    Google Can't Yet Appeal Ruling Preserving Kids Tracking Suit

    A California federal judge on Monday declined to let Google immediately appeal his earlier ruling leaving intact allegations the search giant surreptitiously tracks children's web activity, finding Google hasn't shown that the issues underlying that ruling warrant an appeal at this stage in the litigation.

  • December 02, 2024

    Senate Sends Calif. Judge To Federal Bench

    The U.S. Senate voted 48-43 on Monday evening to confirm California Superior Court Judge Anne Hwang to a federal judgeship in the Central District of California.

  • December 02, 2024

    DC Circ. Asked To Spike 'Dangerous' NEPA Regulatons Ruling

    Environmental groups are asking the D.C. Circuit to overturn a panel's "demonstrably dangerous" ruling that the White House Council on Environmental Quality lacks the authority to issue legally binding regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act.

  • December 02, 2024

    PTAB Presses Play On Playrix's Challenge To Video Game IP

    A ruling from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director changing the meaning of a claim in a video game patent was enough for the agency's administrative board to now move forward with a challenge over patented software cited in a Texas lawsuit lodged against mobile game developer Playrix.

  • December 02, 2024

    McDonalds Can't Nix $10B Bias Suit Despite 'Close Call'

    A California federal judge has refused to hand a summary judgment win to either party in Byron Allen's $10 billion lawsuit alleging that McDonald's Corp. discriminates against Black-owned media companies, finding that the discrimination allegations are a "close call" involving factual disputes that must be decided at trial.

Expert Analysis

  • 2nd Circ. Provides NY Pathway For Fighting Foreign Infringers

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    A recent decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit provides a road map for expeditiously obtaining personal jurisdiction in New York against foreign trademark infringers based on a single purchase of counterfeit goods, meaning the Second Circuit could now be the preferred venue for combating foreign infringement, says Jeffrey Ratinoff at Spencer Fane.

  • How A Trump Win Might Affect The H-1B Program

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    A review of the Trump administration's attempted overhaul of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program suggests policies Donald Trump might try to implement if he is reelected, and specific steps employers should consider to prepare for that possibility, says Eileen Lohmann at BAL.

  • Compliance Considerations For Calif. Child Labor Audit Law

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    California employers will need to conduct a fact-intensive analysis to determine whether a new state law that imposes transparency rules for child labor audits applies to their operations, and should look out for regulatory guidance that answers open questions about deadlines and penalties, says Sylvia St. Clair at Faegre Drinker.

  • Recent Securities Cases Highlight Risks In AI Disclosures

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    Increasing public disclosure about the use and risks of artificial intelligence, and related litigation asserting that such disclosures are false or misleading, suggest that issuers need to exercise great care with respect to how they describe the benefits of AI, say Richard Zelichov and Danny Tobey at DLA Piper.

  • Sublimit And Policy Interpretation Lessons From Amtrak Case

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    The recently settled dispute between Amtrak and its insurers over sublimit coverage illustrates that parties with unclear manuscript policies may wish to avoid litigation in favor of settlement — as the New York federal court declined to decide the case by applying prior term interpretations, says Laura Maletta at Chartwell Law.

  • Harris Unlikely To Shelve Biden Admin's Food Antitrust Stance

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    A look at Vice President Kamala Harris' past record, including her actions as California attorney general, shows why practitioners should prepare for continued aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly in the food and grocery industries, if Harris wins the presidential election, says Steve Vieux at Bartko.

  • 3rd Circ. Hertz Ruling Highlights Flawed Bankruptcy Theory

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    The Third Circuit, in its recent Hertz bankruptcy decision, became the latest appeals court to hold that noteholders were entitled to interest before shareholders under the absolute priority rule, but risked going astray by invoking the flawed theory of code impairment, say Matthew McGill and David Casazza at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • The Complex Challenges Facing Sustainable Food Packaging

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    More and more states are requiring recycled content to be used in product packaging, creating complex technological and regulatory considerations for manufacturers who must also comply with federal food safety requirements, say Peter Coneski and Natalie Rainer at K&L Gates.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Multifamily Property Owners Can Plan For The EV Future

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    As the electric vehicle market expands, and federal and state incentives and mandates intended to promote EV use come into effect, owners and operators of multifamily residential properties should be prepared to meet the growing demand for onsite EV charging infrastructure, say Sydney Tucker and Andreas Wokutch at Frost Brown.

  • New Law May Move Calif. Toward Fashion Sustainability

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    California’s recently signed Responsible Textile Recovery Act seeks to increase sustainability innovation in the fashion industry, but it could also create compliance hurdles for brands, especially smaller fashion houses that do not have ample resources, say Warren Koshofer and Maggie Franz at Michelman & Robinson.

  • Politics In California Workplaces: What Employers Must Know

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    As the election looms, it is critical that California employers ensure their compliance with state laws providing robust protections for employees' political activity — including antidiscrimination laws, off-duty conduct laws, employee voting leave laws and more, say Bradford Kelley and Britney Torres at Littler.

  • Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys

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    Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.

  • Licensing And Protections For Voice Actors In The Age Of AI

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    While two recently enacted California laws and other recent state and federal legislation largely focus on protecting actors and musicians from the unauthorized use of their digital likenesses by generative artificial intelligence systems, the lesser-known community of professional voice actors also stands to benefit, says attorney Scott Mortman.

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