California

January 07, 2025
Gig Worker Co. Handy To Refund $3M In FTC, NYAG Settlement

Gig economy company Handy Technologies Inc. has agreed to return nearly $3 million to workers who used the platform, in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General's Office to resolve claims that the company misled workers about how much they could expect to earn through its services.
January 07, 2025
Robo Surgery Co. Gets Billions From Selling Parts, Jury Told

Surgical Instrument Service accused Intuitive Surgical at the start of a federal trial Tuesday of being a monopolist making billions of dollars by blocking hospitals from extending the life of reusable surgical-robot components, while Intuitive blasted the medical instrument repair company for "trying to misuse antitrust laws to enrich itself."
January 07, 2025
Hyundai Can't Ditch Fees In Settled Case, Calif. Justices Told

Hyundai and a California couple fought before the state Supreme Court on Tuesday over whether a cost-shifting statute was triggered after the couple settled their lemon law dispute during trial for less than what Hyundai previously had offered, with the couple arguing a ruling against them could deter future settlements.
January 07, 2025
9th Circ. Upholds Ore. Ban On Secret Audio Recordings

A split en banc Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday upheld as constitutional an Oregon law prohibiting secret audio recordings of people's conversations, ruling in a published opinion that the statute was narrowly tailored to Oregon's significant interest in ensuring its residents know when their conversations are recorded, even in public.
January 07, 2025
Calif. Justices Urged To Rescue Malicious Prosecution Claims

A fugitive recovery agent urged the California Supreme Court on Tuesday to revive malicious prosecution claims that a lower court struck under the attorney-malpractice law's one-year statute-of-limitations, arguing that he never had an attorney-client relationship with the defendant and so the two-year statute-of-limitations for tort claims must apply.
January 07, 2025
Feds Urge 9th Circ. To Uphold Ringed Seal Protections

The federal government and environmentalists on Monday asked the Ninth Circuit to keep Endangered Species Act protections for Arctic ringed seals in place and reject Alaska's effort to roll them back.
January 07, 2025
Hacked LA Law Firm Hill Farrer Beats Suit Over Cyberattack

A Los Angeles judge Tuesday tossed a proposed class action against Hill Farrer & Burrill LLP alleging it failed to stop a preventable cyberattack carried out by hackers and said he would not allow for the complaint to be amended because the case law cited by the lead plaintiff is deficient.
January 07, 2025
9th Circ. To Let Feds Argue In Wash. ICE Inspection Law Fight

The Ninth Circuit has said the U.S. government can participate in oral arguments over a blocked Washington law that allowed the state to inspect conditions at a privately-run immigration detention facility in Tacoma.
January 07, 2025
Katz Banks Adds Discrimination Partner From Sanford Heisler

Plaintiffs-side firm Katz Banks Kumin LLP has brought on a former Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP attorney as a partner in its San Francisco office, adding a civil rights and employment attorney who said childhood experiences helped shape her career.
January 07, 2025
Biden Designates Two New National Monuments In California

President Joe Biden on Tuesday designated two sites in California as national monuments amid years of calls from Native American tribes and state and federal lawmakers, in turn protecting 848,000 acres from development.
January 07, 2025
Kiss, Hairstylist Settle Retaliation Suit Over COVID Concerns

Kiss has settled a civil suit filed by its former hairstylist who accused the American glam metal band of misclassifying him as an independent contractor and later firing him for raising complaints over allegedly lax COVID-19 safety practices, according to a minute order entered Monday in California state court.
January 07, 2025
Keller Postman Drops Suit Against Jenner & Block, For Now

Keller Postman LLC has dismissed its suit accusing Jenner & Block LLP of using unethical tactics to gain leverage in mass arbitration against the streaming service Tubi but requested the complaint be dismissed without prejudice.
January 07, 2025
Google Avoids Data Destruction Sanctions In Ad Privacy Suit

A California federal judge has declined to sanction and hold Google in contempt for purportedly intentionally destroying key evidence in a putative class action claiming the company's ad auction practices violate privacy rights, saying the consumers' motion came too late after fact discovery closed.
January 07, 2025
Khan Says FTC Approach A Bulwark To Trump 'Backsliding'

Outgoing Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina M. Khan on Tuesday defended the Biden administration's aggressive tack against corporate power and concentration, telling CNBC that while it's "natural" Facebook and Amazon might seek a "sweetheart deal" from the Trump administration, the past four years have made "backsliding" more difficult.
January 07, 2025
Amazon Accused Of Secretly Slowing Delivery In Poorer Areas

An Amazon Prime subscriber is accusing the company of secretly excluding "historically underserved communities" across the country from its promise to deliver packages in two days, in a proposed class action filed in Washington state court.
January 07, 2025
DOJ Ropes Landlords Into RealPage Antitrust Case

The U.S. Department of Justice dramatically expanded its antitrust case against RealPage on Tuesday, accusing half a dozen residential landlords of using the software company's tools to coordinate rental rates while reaching a settlement with one of the property owners.
January 07, 2025
US Atty In Calif.'s Eastern District To Resign

In the latest in a string of resignations before the upcoming presidential administration change, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert has announced he will step down as the top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of California.
January 07, 2025
Ex-Ozy Media Exec Who Testified Against Founder Avoids Jail

A Brooklyn federal judge allowed a former Ozy Media executive to avoid prison Tuesday for furthering a fraud that sunk the high-profile media startup, citing his cooperation with prosecutors who convicted company founder Carlos Watson of swindling tens of millions of dollars.
January 07, 2025
Approach The Bench: Justice Goodwin Liu On Oral Argument

When Goodwin Liu became a California Supreme Court justice in 2011, the constitutional law professor found the intellectual demands of judging similar to academia, but was surprised to learn that "the art of judging is much more practical than people think."
January 07, 2025
O'Melveny Beats DQ Bid In Hyundai Trademark Dispute

A California federal judge has denied a bid to disqualify O'Melveny & Myers LLP from representing Hyundai Motor Co. in a trademark dispute with computing company Hyundai Technology Group, saying the firm's failure to destroy a clawed-back document didn't justify booting it from the case.
January 07, 2025
Landowner Gets Pot Farm Transport Easement Nixed

A California state appeals court has vacated a conditional use permit that the County of Santa Barbara issued to a cannabis farm, finding that a nearby landowner can deny the use of an easement on its property to transport the federally illegal goods.
January 07, 2025
Calif. Panel Says Individual PAGA Claims Belong In Arbitration

An arbitration pact that the operator of a restaurant chain in California gave to a worker pushes his Private Attorneys General Act individual claims into arbitration, a state appeals panel ruled, partly flipping a trial court's decision.
January 07, 2025
CFPB Accuses Experian Of 'Sham' Dispute Investigations

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday sued credit reporting giant Experian in California federal court, alleging it conducts shoddy investigations into consumer-flagged reporting errors and allows previously deleted errors to reappear.
January 07, 2025
Mintz Environmental Atty Joins Crowell & Moring In SF

Crowell & Moring LLP is boosting its California environmental team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in an environmental expert from Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC as a partner in its San Francisco office.
January 06, 2025
Exxon Says Calif. AG, Green Groups Defamed Recycling Effort

Exxon Mobil Corp. claims California's attorney general and a coalition of conservation groups have disparaged its reputation by declaring that the petrochemical company misled people about the effectiveness of plastic recycling and that its "advanced recycling" doesn't mitigate the problem, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Texas federal court.

Expert Analysis

5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
Takeaways From SEC's Mixed Results In '24 Crypto Litigation

Though the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's new leadership seems likely to create a more favorable cryptocurrency regulatory environment, it must also confront the consequences of, and lingering questions raised by, the SEC's 2024 policy of investigating and charging cryptocurrency trading platforms for operating unregistered exchanges, say attorneys at Dechert.
Lessons From United's Axed Win In Firing Over Online Pics

In Wawrzenski v. United Airlines, a California state appeals court revived a flight attendant’s suit over her termination for linking photos of herself in uniform to her OnlyFans account, providing a cautionary tale for employers navigating the complexities of workplace policy enforcement in the digital age, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
Mich. Ruling Offers View On 'Occurrence' Coverage Definition

As demonstrated by a Michigan state court in its recent decision finding per-wound insurance coverage for a school shooting, the amount of coverage available under occurrence-based policies often depends on how courts interpret "occurrence," say attorneys at Hunton.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
What 2024's Noncompete Turmoil Means For Banks In 2025

A look back at the most significant legal challenges to the enforceability of various restrictive covenants like noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements in 2024 can help financial institutions address the use of these critical tools this year, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.
How The UPC, ITC Complement Each Other In Patent Law

Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss the similarities and differences between the Unified Patent Court and the International Trade Commission, as well as recent matters litigated in both venues and why parties choose to file at these forums.
Lessons Learned From 2024's Top FMLA Decisions

Last year's major litigation related to the Family and Medical Leave Act underscores why it is critical for employers to understand the basics of when leave and accommodations are required, say attorneys at Dechert.
A Guide To Significant 2024 Data Broker Legal Developments

2024 saw notable developments in U.S. data broker regulation and enforcement, and this momentum will likely carry into 2025, despite hypothetical efforts to the contrary under the new administration, say attorneys at Frankfurt Kurnit.
Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
How Changes In State Gift Card Laws May Affect Cos. In 2025

2024 state legislative movements around the escheatment of unused gift card balances and consumer fraud protections should prompt issuers to consider whether changes in company domicile or blanket cash-back policies are needed in the new year, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.
Retailers Must Adapt As Courts Shift On False Price Claims

The increasing frequency with which courts are denying motions to dismiss false reference price claims signals that these lawsuits are not going away anytime soon, so retailers must be prepared for a more complex and prolonged defense process, say attorneys at Akerman.
Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.
An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.