California

  • July 29, 2026

    USC Says Caltech Can't Claim Ownership In Multiplexing IP

    The University of Southern California sued a former professor in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday claiming he and two other inventors impermissibly assigned their rights in multiplexing technology, allegedly developed using USC's resources, to Caltech, which claims sole ownership over it and sued other entities for patent infringement.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Regulator To Appeal $100M OppFi 'Rent-A-Bank' Loss

    California's financial services regulator has appealed a state judge's ruling that it cannot pursue millions in fines against Opportunity Financial for alleged "rent-a-bank" predatory lending, after the judge rejected the regulator's allegation that OppFi was the "true lender" for loans that the company argued originated from an out-of-state partner.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Court OKs $11M Verdict In Motorcycle Crash Case

    Los Angeles' publicly owned utility provider can't avoid an $11 million judgment after one of its van drivers caused a crash that left a motorcyclist with lifelong injuries, a California appeals court ruled, saying the city couldn't meet the "almost impossible" burden needed to prove the biker's "excessive speed" substantially caused the collision.

  • July 29, 2026

    Feds Say High Court Ruling Justifies Calif. Pipeline Oversight

    The Trump administration has told the Ninth Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying federal arbitration jurisdictional boundaries backs its assertion that it has exclusive jurisdiction over the Santa Ynez pipeline system in California.

  • July 29, 2026

    3M, DuPont Ordered To Face Montana PFAS Lawsuit, For Now

    DuPont de Nemours Inc., 3M Co. and other manufacturers of firefighter turnout gear must for now face a retooled class action complaint by local governments in a dozen states who claim an industrywide conspiracy concealed the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a Montana federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • July 29, 2026

    Securities Class Actions To Watch: Mid-Year Report

    A trio of circuit court appeals tied to the class certification process in shareholder suits and a U.S. Supreme Court appeal that also touches on certification are among the cases that securities litigators are keeping an eye on in the second half of 2026.

  • July 29, 2026

    Nexstar Says Tegna Board Members Don't Violate Injunction

    Nexstar Media Group told a California federal court that Tegna remains independent, despite concerns from DirecTV and a coalition of states that the companies violated an injunction preventing them from merging fully when Nexstar took over Tegna's board.

  • July 29, 2026

    Delta Can't Knock Out Consumer's Greenwashing Suit

    A California federal judge narrowed a proposed class action accusing Delta Air Lines of overstating its emissions progress and falsely touting itself as the first carbon-neutral airline, denying a bid for injunctive relief but refusing to toss California law claims. 

  • July 29, 2026

    Apple Accused Of Not Stopping Fake Wallet Apps' Crypto Theft

    Apple has been hit with a federal lawsuit in California over its alleged failure to warn consumers about fraudulent cryptocurrency wallet apps available on its App Store and the risk of cryptocurrency theft posed by those apps.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Dems Pressure FCC To Drop ABC Station Probe

    More than two dozen California House Democrats have come together to tell the Federal Communications Commission to abandon its review of the license of an ABC station in the Golden State, saying there's no chance the agency launched the probe in good faith.

  • July 29, 2026

    Forum Clause Dooms ITC Trade Secret Case Against BMW

    A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has made an initial finding to close a trade secret investigation into BMW's imports of infotainment screens targeted by a California technology company, citing an agreement between the parties saying their disputes had to be hashed out in Germany.

  • July 29, 2026

    7-Eleven Sued Over Worker's Death After Fight With Manager

    The mother of a 7-Eleven sales associate who died following an altercation with an assistant manager lodged wrongful death claims in California state court Tuesday, alleging the retailer knew through employee complaints that the manager tended to be violent yet failed to act. 

  • July 29, 2026

    FTC Says Hims & Hers Shares Health Data, Misleads Users

    The Federal Trade Commission and regulators in California and Utah allege in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that Hims & Hers promises patient privacy while actually sharing consumers' sensitive health information with Meta Platforms and other third-party advertising platforms and that the telehealth provider has deceived users about its billing practices.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Tribes, Enviros Challenge Mojave Groundwater Project

    California tribes and environmental groups are challenging a decision by the federal government to approve a plan to revive a once defunct oil and gas pipeline to transport groundwater beneath the Mojave Desert, arguing that the "ill-conceived water-extraction scheme" will damage ecosystems that are part of sacred Indigenous cultural resources.

  • July 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Biotech Worker's Pension Plan Suit

    The Ninth Circuit reopened a former Calbiotech Inc. scientist's lawsuit claiming the company unlawfully hid the existence of a pension plan, saying a trial court erred in concluding that a document specifying who was eligible to participate in the plan was legitimate.

  • July 29, 2026

    Apple, Amazon Beat Bid To Revive IPhone Sales Antitrust Suit

    A Washington federal judge has declined to reinstate a proposed class action accusing Apple and Amazon of illegally limiting iPhone and iPad sales, standing by her previous conclusion that Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP failed to promptly seek the approval of two substitute plaintiffs after the original lead consumer abandoned the case.

  • July 29, 2026

    Sysco Accused Of Logging Drivers' Work As Breaks

    Sysco Corp. and a subsidiary automatically logged California delivery drivers as taking breaks whenever their trucks remained stationary for more than 30 minutes, even when they kept working, a former driver alleged in a proposed class action in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

  • July 29, 2026

    Disney Says 'Avatar' Likeness Suit Came 16 Years Late

    Director James Cameron and Disney have asked a California federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by actor Q'orianka Kilcher alleging her face was used to craft the face of a main character in the 2009 film "Avatar," saying Kilcher had waited an unreasonable 16 years to make her claim.

  • July 29, 2026

    Buchalter Taps Longtime Atty To Lead San Francisco Office

    Buchalter PC announced that a longtime bankruptcy attorney who previously served on the firm's board of directors has been named managing partner of its San Francisco office.

  • July 29, 2026

    'Vibe Coding' Pushes Cos. To Rethink Copyright Protection

    As artificial intelligence takes on more software development projects, businesses embracing “vibe coding” are adapting to uncertain copyright protection by documenting engineers’ contributions, keeping humans involved in high-value projects and leaning more heavily on trade secrets.

  • July 29, 2026

    Tech Company Gets Sex Bias Suit Kicked To Arbitration

    A California federal judge said an ex-Tencent worker must arbitrate her claims that the company fired her after she complained that a male colleague sexually harassed her, ruling that the behavior she protested wasn't sufficiently severe or sexual in nature to trigger a law that could have kept her case in court.

  • July 29, 2026

    Amicus Briefs Back Decertification In Juul, Altria Antitrust Suit

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 14 states led by Iowa, and legal interest groups are urging the Ninth Circuit to throw out class certification in antitrust litigation against Altria and Juul, joining the companies in arguing that the trial court misapplied California law to apply to other states.

  • July 28, 2026

    Randy Quaid Loses Bid To Undo $3.5M Calif. Property Ruling

    Actor Randy Quaid and his wife cannot overturn a $3.5 million judgment awarded to a California couple who bought a Santa Barbara property that once belonged to the Quaids, an appeals court ruled Tuesday, finding substantial evidence supporting claims that the Quaids' false ownership assertions damaged the property's marketability.

  • July 28, 2026

    Ariana Grande Says Hackers Leaked Songs, Photos For Years

    Ariana Grande filed a privacy invasion suit in California state court Monday alleging unknown hackers have been stealing and leaking her unreleased masters and demos, behind-the-scene photos, and other content after gaining backdoor access to accounts belonging to people she worked with over the years. 

  • July 28, 2026

    Ed Dept. Can't Cancel K–12 Mental Health Grants Worth $1B

    A Washington federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration on Tuesday from terminating nearly $1 billion in K–12 mental health grants serving 15 states, finding that the plaintiff states are likely to prove the U.S. Education Department bypassed federal procedures when attempting to cut off the funds.

Expert Analysis

  • The Growing Antitrust Risks Of AI Pricing For Health Insurers

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    Attorneys at Patterson Belknap provide an overview of the increased risk of antitrust enforcement for health insurance companies using algorithmic price models, including in the form of multidistrict private litigation, new state and federal bills, and potential federal enforcement.

  • Trade Secret Practice Tips From The 1st Half Of 2026

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    Intellectual property attorneys should consider what several significant developments in 2026 thus far mean for how they protect, litigate and value trade secrets, focusing on new state noncompete bans, cases scrutinizing how plaintiffs identify trade secrets and federal rulings on damages doctrines, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • 2 Microsoft Matters Could Help Shape AI Antitrust Outlook

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    A pending federal court case and investigation focusing on Microsoft's allegedly anticompetitive conduct in the deployment of artificial intelligence tools are testing whether antitrust law can distinguish ordinary competition to supply the AI ecosystem from conduct that distorts how that competition unfolds, says Kylie Kim at Massey & Gail.

  • Fed. Circ. Licensing Rulings Shed Light On Patentee Standing

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    Two recent decisions from the Federal Circuit provide a useful framework for evaluating whether a patent license agreement preserves a sufficient exclusionary interest to support future patent infringement claims, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Asylum Ruling Signals Larger Separation Of Powers Battle

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that border officials may turn away asylum-seekers without inspection is part of a broader conversation about the reach of institutional safeguards that subject governmental authority to legal constraint, says Dree Collopy at American University's Washington College of Law.

  • Solar's Momentum At Mid-2026 Will Help It Overcome Snags

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    The rapid expansion of U.S. solar development in the first half of 2026 is likely to continue its pace, even amid ongoing shifts in federal trade policy and supply chain regulations, obstacles to permitting reform, and an increasing divide between states enacting policies to encourage or stymie project development, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Carbon Health Settlement Highlights Why Evidence Is Key

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    The California Attorney General's Office's first-of-its-kind settlement with Carbon Health, imposing penalties for alleged corporate practice of medicine violations, shows that friendly professional corporation challenges usually hinge not on the parties' management services agreement, but on whether the operational record matches it, says Ben Dubin at VC Expert Services.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

  • How Litigants Are Testing Conversion Therapy Ruling's Scope

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    Litigants are already using the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Chiles v. Salazar ruling, which applied strict scrutiny to Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, to challenge laws limiting algorithmic rental pricing, artificial intelligence-based discrimination and anti-union employer speech, and courts must soon decide Chiles’ First Amendment limits, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • Illinois Audit Law Will Make AI Clauses Actually Enforceable

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    A law recently enacted in Illinois creates a first-in-the-nation requirement for artificial intelligence developers to undergo annual audits, providing objective standards that can be incorporated into private contracts and addressing the problem of defining responsible AI use, says William Tanenbaum at Moses & Singer.

  • Opinion

    Shareholder Derivative Litigation Needs A Better Framework

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    Uncoordinated, multiforum shareholder derivative litigation is a growing issue for corporate defendants that have little to no recourse for organizing and consolidating actions, but several commonsense steps should be utilized to preempt such disputes, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Occupier Contract Strategies For Locking In Expansion Rights

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    In a market defined by record-setting demand, shrinking availability and rising rents, large commercial office occupiers must treat expansion space planning as a strategic priority, including by auditing existing rights, understanding the competitive landscape within their buildings and exploring creative lease provisions, says Josh Winefsky at HSF Kramer.

  • How State, Local Rules Are Expanding Debt Collection Reach

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    Consumer protection rules recently enacted by several states signal that the rules of debt collection are being rewritten at a pace that should command the attention of every creditor, servicer, debt buyer, collection agency and collection law firm operating across state lines, says Weldianne Scales at Reed Smith.

  • 2 AI Washing Rulings Apply Familiar Securities Fraud Rules

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    Two recent federal court decisions to allow AI washing complaints to proceed begin to clarify the line between nonactionable optimism and actionable misstatements by framing the core issue as not overstating the promise of artificial intelligence, but misrepresenting the current state of a company's products, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • A New Regulatory Environment For PE In Calif. Healthcare

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    The California Office of Health Care Affordability's proposed revisions to its cost and market impact review regulations, amid broader state scrutiny of private equity-backed healthcare arrangements, represent a qualitative shift in California's regulatory posture toward institutional healthcare investment, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

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