California

  • August 01, 2024

    MultiPlan, Insurance Cos. Must Face Collusion MDL In Illinois

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday centralized in Chicago six class actions challenging the MultiPlan pricing tools that healthcare providers allege are used by UnitedHealth, Aetna, Cigna and other major insurers to systematically underpay out-of-network providers, with more than a dozen similar lawsuits potentially tagging along.

  • August 01, 2024

    Google Beats RNC's Claims It Censored Fundraising Emails

    A California federal judge on Wednesday tossed the Republican National Committee's lawsuit accusing Google of being politically motivated and violating the state's Unfair Competition Law by sending RNC fundraising emails to Gmail users' spam folders, finding the conduct may be unfair in a "colloquial" sense, but is not illegal.

  • August 01, 2024

    Calif. Jury Clears Bayer In Flea And Tick Med Antitrust Suit

    A California federal jury on Thursday cleared Bayer of allegations that it owes millions for cutting anticompetitive deals with pet product retailers to undermine competition from generics makers of flea and tick treatments for dogs.

  • August 01, 2024

    Boeing, Spirit Aerosystems Escape Calif. Door Blowout Suit

    A California federal judge on Wednesday tossed Boeing and supplier Spirit AeroSystems from a product liability lawsuit brought by passengers aboard the Alaska Airlines flight that experienced a midair door plug blowout in January, finding that the Golden State court lacks jurisdictional authority over two of the three defendants.

  • August 01, 2024

    AI-Focused Chipmaker Cerebras Confidentially Files IPO Plans

    Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence startup Cerebras Systems Inc. said Thursday it has confidentially filed plans for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, joining other AI-linked companies in the IPO pipeline.

  • August 01, 2024

    Duane Morris Atty Says White Men Get Unfair Leg Up On Pay

    A Black attorney sued Duane Morris LLP in California federal court, alleging the firm systemically underpaid female and nonwhite attorneys while also engaging in an employee misclassification scheme that allowed it to offload firm expenses onto nonequity partners.

  • August 01, 2024

    Journalist Don Lemon Hits X, Musk Over Axed Talk Show Deal

    Elon Musk and his social media platform X unlawfully plied former CNN anchor Don Lemon with "false promises and representations" to reel him into a partnership to produce a talk show and other exclusive content, then proceeded to unceremoniously cancel the deal before it could get off the ground, the journalist alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday. 

  • August 01, 2024

    AliveCor Asks 9th Circ. To Revive Apple Watch Antitrust Case

    Medical monitoring startup AliveCor Inc. told the Ninth Circuit that Apple Inc. should not be immunized from antitrust claims over the removal of access to heart rate data on the Apple Watch because the change was intended to block competition and not improve the device.

  • August 01, 2024

    NLRB Prosecutors Make Employee Case For USC Athletes

    National Labor Relations Board prosecutors urged an agency judge to find that players on the University of Southern California's football and basketball teams are employees under federal labor law, arguing their status as students doesn't mean they aren't workers.

  • August 01, 2024

    IAM Local, Car Dealership Settle Secondary Boycott Suit

    An International Association of Machinists local and a Mercedes-Benz dealership told a California federal judge Wednesday that they've reached a deal to end claims that union-represented workers violated federal labor law by blocking a delivery truck from exiting a dealership during a strike.

  • August 01, 2024

    JPML Won't Form MDL Of 35 Acne Product Benzene Suits

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Thursday declined to consolidate 35 suits alleging Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., Target Corp. and others sold acne products that could break down into the carcinogen benzene, saying they don't have enough in common to warrant an MDL.

  • August 01, 2024

    Chipotle Bundled 'Service Fee' With Tax To Hide It, Suit Says

    Chipotle customers filed a proposed false advertising class action in California federal court Wednesday accusing the fast-casual Mexican chain of tacking on secret "eye-popping service fees" bundled with a "tax" for online delivery orders at the end of the checkout process that purportedly ends up in Chipotle's own coffers.

  • August 01, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Vegas Casino Pilots Are Exempt From OT

    Five corporate pilots for a Las Vegas casino performed non-manual labor and are therefore exempt from overtime requirements under federal law, the Ninth Circuit ruled Thursday, upholding a Nevada federal court's decision.

  • August 01, 2024

    Pot Co. Says City Ignored Order To Review App In $14M Suit

    A California cannabis business is suing the city of Chula Vista for nearly $14 million, saying it failed to properly review and score its application for a cannabis license despite orders to do so from a state appeals court.

  • August 01, 2024

    Insurer Wants Quick Win In NBA Team's Virus Coverage Suit

    The Sacramento Kings' insurer said it is entitled to an early win in a coverage dispute over pandemic-related losses that the basketball team and its arena operator incurred, telling a California federal court that the losses don't meet the policy requirement of "physical loss or damage" to property.

  • August 01, 2024

    White House Defends 6th Circ. Nom Against Tenn. Senator

    The Senate Judiciary Committee approved seven judicial nominees on Thursday, including one for the Sixth Circuit under fire from her home-state senators.

  • August 01, 2024

    Calif. Tribe Can't Toss Casino Card Check Award, For Now

    A California tribe's bid to nix an arbitration award over an authorization card check process with UNITE HERE can't proceed for now, a federal judge ruled, saying the tribe's counsel didn't discuss the motion with the union's attorney before submitting it.

  • August 01, 2024

    Senate Passes Bill To 'Systematically' Increase Judgeships

    The Senate passed a bipartisan bill Thursday by voice vote to create 66 new and temporary judgeships to help federal courts handle increasing workloads.

  • August 01, 2024

    Medtronic Still Faces Chancery Claim In Fortis' InPen Suit

    Delaware's Court of Chancery has trimmed a suit that stockholders' representative Fortis Advisors LLC filed against Medtronic Minimed Inc. after its 2020 acquisition of insulin pen manufacturer Companion Medical Inc., tossing claims related to a missed milestone but keeping one about a withheld escrow payment.

  • August 01, 2024

    Meet 3 Legal Industry Pros At The Paris Olympics

    Legal professionals who work or have worked at firms like Mayer Brown, Crowell & Moring and Pinsent Masons are participating in this year's Olympic Games as a runner, a field hockey player and a water polo referee.

  • August 01, 2024

    Calif. Justices Block Drivers From Intervening In PAGA Deal

    The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that ride-hail drivers bringing claims under the state's Private Attorneys General Act lack standing to intervene in a separate case that reached a settlement.

  • August 01, 2024

    Paul Hastings Adds Enviro Atty As Practice Co-Head

    An environmental lawyer from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP — known for his high-profile work for such clients as BP in connection with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill — has joined Paul Hastings LLP as a partner and to co-lead its environmental litigation practice.

  • July 31, 2024

    IRL App Cofounder Hit With SEC Suit Alleging $170M Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued the cofounder of media app In Real Life in California federal court on Wednesday, alleging a scheme to sell $170 million in company stock to investors while omitting that the app's growth was fueled by bot-generated traffic, and using company credit cards on personal expenses.

  • July 31, 2024

    Split 9th Circ. Won't Use New Law To Revive Trafficking Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday refused to revive a human trafficking suit former Cambodian seafood factory workers launched against a Californian importer, saying a new law that expanded liability after the distributor's summary judgment win didn't apply retroactively.

  • July 31, 2024

    Live Nation Says In-House Attys Can't Access DOJ Docs

    As it warned would be the case, Live Nation is telling a New York federal judge that it has no in-house counsel that will be able to meet his rules on counsel access to highly confidential material in the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust suit against the live events company.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 2 Lessons From Calif. Overtime Wages Ruling

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    A California federal court's recent decision finding that Home Depot did not purposely dodge overtime laws sheds light on what constitutes a good faith dispute, and the extent to which employers have discretion to define employees' workdays, says Michael Luchsinger at Segal McCambridge.

  • New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know

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    New legislation in Vermont and New York creating liability and compliance obligations for businesses deemed responsible for climate change — as well as similar bills proposed in California, Massachusetts and Maryland — have far-reaching implications for companies, so it is vital to remain vigilant as these initiatives progress, say Gregory Berlin and Jeffrey Dintzer at Alston & Bird.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • Utilizing Liability Exemption When Calif. Cities Lease Property

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    With rising costs pushing California municipalities to lease real estate assets instead of purchasing them, municipalities should review the ample case law that supports certain exceptions to California Constitution Section 18(a) requirements, providing that certain long-term lease obligations are not considered to be liabilities, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.

  • Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming

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    Progress continues on state, federal and international climate disclosure regimes, making compliance a key concern for companies — but the timeline for implementation of California's disclosure laws remains unclear due to funding and timing disputes, says David Smith at Manatt Phelps.

  • Dueling Calif. Rulings Offer Insight On 401(k) Forfeiture Suits

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    Two recent decisions from California federal courts regarding novel Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims around 401(k) forfeitures provide early tea leaves for companies that may face similar litigation, offering reasons for both optimism and concern over the future direction of the law, say Ashley Johnson and Jennafer Tryck at Gibson Dunn.

  • 3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage

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    A California decision from June, Practice Fusion v. Freedom Specialty Insurance, denying a company's claim seeking reimbursement under a directors and officers insurance policy for its settlement with the Justice Department, highlights the importance of coordinating coverage for all operational risks and the danger of broad exclusionary policy language, says Geoffrey Fehling at Hunton.

  • Loss Causation Ruling Departs From Usual Securities Cases

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    A California federal court recently dismissed Ramos v. Comerica, finding that the allegations failed to establish loss causation, but the reasoning is in tension with the pleading-stage approaches generally followed by both courts and economists in securities fraud litigation, say Jesse Jensen and Aasiya Glover at Bernstein Litowitz.

  • PAGA Reforms Encourage Proactive Employer Compliance

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    Recently enacted reforms to California's Private Attorneys General Act should make litigation under the law less burdensome for employers, presenting a valuable opportunity to streamline compliance and reduce litigation risks by proactively addressing many of the issues that have historically attracted PAGA claims, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • What FTX Case Taught Us About Digital Asset Recoverability

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    FTX's Chapter 11 plan has drawn lots of attention, but the focus should be on the anticipated outcome for investors, which counters several myths about digital currencies, innovation and recoverability, says Kyla Curley at StoneTurn.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

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