California

  • November 21, 2024

    California Tribe Looks To Increase Trinity River Water Flows

    The Yurok Tribe slapped the Bureau of Reclamation with a complaint in California federal court, alleging its operation of the Trinity River Division provides only minimum flows to the Trinity River in the winter and early spring, modifying and harming salmon habitat and population.

  • November 21, 2024

    Phillips 66 Charged With Dumping Wastewater In LA County

    A federal grand jury has indicted Phillips 66 on charges of violating the Clean Water Act by illegally discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater into the Los Angeles County sewer system without reporting the violations to authorities, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.

  • November 21, 2024

    Kirkland-Led LLCP Secures $575M For Continuation Fund

    Middle-market private equity shop Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, advised by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, on Thursday announced that it closed a multiasset continuation fund after securing $575 million in capital commitments, which will be used to buy interests in three portfolio companies.

  • November 21, 2024

    Rebel Wilson Unlikely To Duck 'The Deb' Defamation Suit

    A Los Angeles judge suggested Thursday that he'll likely keep alive a defamation suit accusing actress Rebel Wilson of spreading baseless lies about producers of the musical film "The Deb," saying it seems the matter is a "private business dispute" not protected by California's anti-SLAPP statute.

  • November 21, 2024

    Calif. Politics Ace Joins McGuireWoods' Gov't Affairs As VP

    McGuireWoods LLP's consulting arm has brought on as vice president a former legislative director who worked for multiple members of the California State Assembly, the consulting firm announced this week.

  • November 21, 2024

    Feds Outline Next Steps For Colo. River Basin Agreement

    The U.S. Department of the Interior released five proposed alternatives for the Colorado River's post-2026 operations aimed at ensuring the long-term stability of the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin for the communities and habitats that rely on it. 

  • November 21, 2024

    Calif. Judge Says Dormant Commerce Inapplicable To Pot

    A California federal judge on Thursday tossed an out-of-state entrepreneur's challenge to Sacramento's cannabis social equity licensure program, asserting that the dormant commerce clause does not apply to federally illegal marijuana.

  • November 21, 2024

    Gordon Rees Brings Back Employment Ace In San Diego

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP is expanding its San Diego team, announcing Thursday that an employment expert most recently with Pettit Kohn Ingrassia Lutz & Dolin PC is rejoining the firm as a partner.

  • November 21, 2024

    Accel-KKR Closes Tech-Focused Fund With $2.2B In Tow

    Technology-focused private equity shop Accel-KKR on Thursday announced that it closed its AKKR Strategic Capital LP fund after raking in over $2.2 billion of investor commitments, which will be used to invest in a range of transactions mainly focused on the software industry in the secondary market.

  • November 20, 2024

    5 Charged For 'Scattered Spider' Phishing Hacks, Crypto Theft

    California federal prosecutors unveiled a criminal case Wednesday accusing five alleged members of the "Scattered Spider" cybercrime group of using a phishing scheme to access the confidential data of media and technology companies and steal $11 million worth of cryptocurrency from digital wallets.

  • November 20, 2024

    Arizona Governor Settles Tribal Water Rights Claims

    Two agreements signed by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs settled four tribal nations' water rights claims and will help to provide safe drinking water to thousands of Native Americans on reservation lands that depend on the Colorado River Basin System.

  • November 20, 2024

    Tribe Fights Ore. Irrigation District At 9th Circ. Over Water Use

    The Yurok Tribe has joined with fishing and conservation groups in asking the Ninth Circuit to deny an irrigation district's bid to certify questions to the Oregon Supreme Court over the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's authority to control water use under state law.

  • November 20, 2024

    'Fat Leonard' To Appeal 15-Year Sentence Over Navy Bribery

    A Malaysian defense contractor and ex-fugitive who pled guilty nearly 10 years ago to a bribery scheme that authorities said cost the U.S. Navy over $20 million has indicated in California federal court that he will appeal his 15-year sentence to the Ninth Circuit.

  • November 20, 2024

    Suit Alleges Fraud In Scuttled Deal Over Calif. Pot Grow

    A California company is looking to claw back a $250,000 down payment to purchase a cannabis entity's cultivation operation, claiming a grower and others involved in the failed deal conspired to take the money, according to a lawsuit filed in California state court.

  • November 20, 2024

    Apple Tapped With Patent Suit Over IMessage 'Tapbacks'

    A lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Southern District of New York accuses Apple of infringing two patents through some of the newer features of its iMessage app that allow people to react and respond to particular texts.

  • November 20, 2024

    Attys Slam Deceptive NIL Settlement Services In NCAA Case

    Class counsel in the massive NCAA name, image and likeness lawsuit have asked a California federal court to intervene with third-party servicing companies that are using misleading information while offering claims-filing services to class members in order to profit from the proposed $2.78 billion settlement.

  • November 20, 2024

    Google Beats EcoFactor Patent Case Over Nest

    Google has persuaded a California federal court to nip in the bud one of the newer patent lawsuits targeting its Nest smart home brand, winning a ruling that found an air conditioner capable of "calculating and comparing thermal efficiency" wasn't enough for a patent.

  • November 20, 2024

    Mountain West Says Trans Athlete Policy Was No Secret

    The Mountain West Conference has said that a motion for an emergency injunction that would force it to ban a transgender athlete from competition ahead of a volleyball tournament comes way too late and is a "manufactured" emergency, while Utah State University lodged an intervening complaint in support of banning the athlete.

  • November 20, 2024

    Attys Get $9K After Seeking $578K For Defending Safeway

    A California federal judge awarded about $8,800 in fees to two firms that requested $578,000 after defending Safeway from a contractor's 2021 lawsuit, saying Wednesday that the figure shouldn't come as a surprise because the attorneys simply pointed to a request-for-proposal document to defeat the suit's breach of contract allegations.

  • November 20, 2024

    Foley Shouldn't Face Data Breach Claims, Calif. Panel Says

    A California appellate panel affirmed the dismissal of Accellion Inc.'s cross-complaint against law firm Foley & Lardner LLP in an insurance company's lawsuit claiming the software-maker should be held liable for a $1 million ransomware attack that targeted the law firm, finding that Accellion's cross-claims are untimely.

  • November 20, 2024

    Keep Your Briefs Brief, LA Federal Judges Tell IP Lawyers

    A group of Los Angeles federal judges urged local intellectual property lawyers during a courthouse panel Wednesday to keep their briefs succinct and not repeat the same points verbatim during oral arguments.

  • November 20, 2024

    CFPB Subpoenas Trustee In Debt Relief Firm Bankruptcy Case

    The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has served a subpoena on the Chapter 11 trustee in charge of collapsed California debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group's bankruptcy estate, the trustee's law firm said in a recent court filing.

  • November 20, 2024

    Girardi Pushes For New Trial Over Competency Claims

    Counsel for Tom Girardi told a federal judge the disbarred attorney is plainly mentally incompetent and deserves a new trial over charges he defrauded clients of $15 million worth of settlement money.

  • November 20, 2024

    AI-Driven Software Co. LogicMonitor Gets $800M PE Infusion

    Software-as-a-service-based hybrid observability platform LogicMonitor on Wednesday announced that it secured an $800 million investment from a consortium of private equity investors, valuing the company at $2.4 billion.

  • November 20, 2024

    Atty With Tom Brady's Blockchain Co. Rejoins Loeb & Loeb

    Loeb & Loeb LLP has rehired an experienced entertainment attorney who most recently was head of business operations for Tom Brady's blockchain startup Autograph as a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office, the firm announced Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • 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.

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