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California
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August 23, 2024
Kraken Must Face SEC's Crypto Case Over Platform Sales
A California federal judge on Friday denied a bid by cryptocurrency exchange Kraken to ditch a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement suit, finding the regulator plausibly alleged that "at least some" of the digital currency transactions on Kraken's online platform constitute investment contracts.
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August 23, 2024
Real Estate Recap: Key Cases, Proptech Pain, RealPage Suit
Catch up on the past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including the residential real estate cases to watch in 2024's second half, proptech's recent funding lapse and long-term potential, and a new lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice against property management software company RealPage.
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August 23, 2024
Girardi Says High Court Holding Should Gut His Fraud Case
Tom Girardi has urged a California federal judge to toss the majority of the wire fraud charges he is facing ahead of closing arguments in his trial, saying a 1960 U.S. Supreme Court case demonstrates he was charged for nothing more than receiving legally required wire transfers.
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August 23, 2024
Matthew Perry Death Suit Could Blow Past Calif. Damage Cap
The federal indictment recently unsealed accusing two doctors and others of peddling the ketamine that caused Matthew Perry's death will serve as prime fodder for any wrongful death suit by the actor's estate, experts say, and California's medical malpractice damages cap may not even be a factor.
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August 23, 2024
Prime Healthcare's 401(k) Was In Good Hands, Judge Rules
Prime Healthcare Services Inc. beat a proposed class action in a bench trial over claims it allowed its employee 401(k) plan to be saddled with poor-performing investments and high costs, after a California federal judge ruled that the plan was prudently managed.
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August 23, 2024
McKinsey Opioid Suits Sent Back To NY, Illinois State Courts
A California federal judge has remanded, to their respective state courts, cases brought by dozens of New York municipalities and two Illinois counties against McKinsey & Co. over its alleged role in the opioid crisis, saying the consulting firm's "tortured interpretations of state law" don't give the Golden State jurisdiction.
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August 23, 2024
9th Circ. Reverses 'Patent Misuse' Ruling Against CR Bard
The Ninth Circuit on Friday reversed a decision that cleared Atrium Medical Corp. in a $52.8 million breach of contract suit by C.R. Bard, concluding that the lower court wrongly held that Bard engaged in patent misuse by seeking royalties after its medical device patent expired.
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August 23, 2024
PayPal Ducks Antitrust Suit Over Merchant Rules
A California federal judge on Friday granted PayPal's motion to dismiss a proposed class action alleging the financial tech giant illegally boosts online retail prices by enforcing restrictive merchant agreements, saying the plaintiffs have failed to adequately plead that their injury "flows" from the alleged misconduct.
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August 23, 2024
Apple Sued Over Warranty Fees Charged To Old Devices
Apple was hit with a putative class action in California federal court Friday accusing it of failing to cancel AppleCare+ subscription contracts for customers who trade in or return their devices and continuously charging them monthly fees for devices they no longer own.
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August 23, 2024
Starbucks Sued By Woman Burned By Spilled Hot Coffee
A Los Angeles woman has hit Starbucks Corp. with a suit alleging she was burned in a drive-through when the faulty lid of her coffee cup came off as she was being served, and the excessively hot coffee spilled out and scalded her.
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August 23, 2024
Calif. Judge Says Spousal Visa Delay Could Be Unreasonable
A California federal judge is allowing a suit to move forward against U.S. State Department officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accusing the agency of slow-walking visa petitions for Pakistani spouses of U.S. citizens, saying the delay might be unreasonable.
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August 23, 2024
Anthropic Says Music Cos. Haven't Met Burden For Injunction
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has blasted a preliminary injunction request from several music publishers suing for alleged infringement of copyrighted lyrics to train Anthropic's chatbot Claude, telling a California federal court the publishers have not shown they would suffer irreparable harm before trial.
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August 23, 2024
NY Lawmakers Hit With ADA Suit Over Contentious Mask Ban
A Long Island, New York, county that recently made it illegal for certain individuals to wear face masks in public has been hit with a lawsuit by a legal advocacy group alleging the ban discriminates against people with disabilities.
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August 23, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Says Ponzi Schemes Don't Need Proof Of Intent
A split Ninth Circuit panel affirmed Friday a jury's finding in a fraudulent-transfer fight that a now-bankrupt company was a Ponzi scheme, with the majority writing that jurors didn't need to find an intent to defraud, while a dissenting judge slammed the majority's reasoning as "circular."
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August 23, 2024
Albertsons-Kroger Deal Tests FTC's Stepped-Up Merger Policy
The Federal Trade Commission's highly anticipated hearing to block Albertsons' planned $24.6 billion merger with Kroger kicks off Monday in a Portland, Oregon, courtroom in what attorneys say will be a pivotal test of the Biden administration's newly formalized merger policy.
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August 23, 2024
LeBron's Tattoo Artist Can't Get New Trial In NBA 2K Case
An Ohio federal judge declined to order a new trial after a jury rejected claims that 2K Games Inc. and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s rendering of LeBron James in their NBA 2K video game series infringed a tattoo artist's copyrights.
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August 23, 2024
Electric Car Co. Fisker Promises Ch. 11 Plan In A Week's Time
A Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday gave defunct electric-vehicle maker Fisker Inc. permission to enter into a deal with its lenders that will see it file a Chapter 11 plan by the end of August and seek court approval for the plan in just over a month.
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August 23, 2024
LegalShield Used AI To Record Clients, Suit Says
Online legal service company LegalShield has been letting a call center software company use artificial intelligence to intercept, analyze and record its customer calls and chats, according to a lawsuit recently pulled into California federal court.
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August 23, 2024
SPAC Investors Ask Full 9th Circ. To Rethink Lucid Merger
Investors have urged the full Ninth Circuit to rethink a panel's refusal to revive their proposed class action alleging that Lucid duped them into buying stock in a special purpose acquisition company ahead of the electric vehicle maker's $11.75 billion merger, arguing that the panel's holding misconstrues U.S. Supreme Court precedent, among other issues.
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August 23, 2024
Ex-Pot Shop Worker Says Sex Harassment Drove Her From Job
A former employee at a Los Angeles marijuana dispensary is suing her ex-employer, saying she was subjected to "persistent and horrible" sexual harassment and denied her promised pay and benefits, leading to what she describes as wrongful constructive termination.
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August 23, 2024
Punchbowl News Gets Win In TM Spat With Punchbowl Inc.
A California federal judge has ruled there is no likelihood of confusion between a publication called Punchbowl News and a greeting card and event planning company named Punchbowl Inc., justifying the dismissal of the latter's trademark infringement claims, according to a summary judgment order.
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August 23, 2024
Off The Bench: Sunday Ticket Twist, Dartmouth-NLRB Clash
The NFL comes out of the Sunday Ticket trial with a clean slate, Dartmouth is hit with an unfair labor practice charge by its basketball players, and U.S. Tennis doesn't get a do-over on its handling of a sexual assault case. Law360 is here to catch you up on the sports and betting stories that had our readers talking.
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August 23, 2024
Messner Reeves Commercial Litigator Jumps To Gordon Rees
A former Messner Reeves LLP partner has jumped to Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP in San Diego to bolster its services in product and general liability matters, catastrophic brain injury cases and commercial litigation.
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August 23, 2024
Delaware Lets Ventis Move Pacira's False Ad Suit To Calif.
Ventis Pharma Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing nonopioid anesthetics, got a federal court's approval Friday to move a false advertising lawsuit filed by competitor Pacira BioSciences Inc. from Delaware to California, where Ventis is based.
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August 23, 2024
Business Or Home? The $1M Question, Judge Says
A family-run company that spent $7.3 million on a house overlooking San Francisco Bay may have used it for business and so the family's trust could be entitled to a $1 million tax refund for related operating losses, a Florida federal judge said.
Expert Analysis
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New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know
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.
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Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review
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.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons
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.
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Utilizing Liability Exemption When Calif. Cities Lease Property
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.
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Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming
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.
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Dueling Calif. Rulings Offer Insight On 401(k) Forfeiture Suits
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.
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3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage
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.
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Loss Causation Ruling Departs From Usual Securities Cases
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.
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PAGA Reforms Encourage Proactive Employer Compliance
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.
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Opinion
Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism
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.
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What FTX Case Taught Us About Digital Asset Recoverability
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.
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Series
Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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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A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates
Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.
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Synapse Bankruptcy Has Ripple Effects For Fintech Industry
Synapse Financial Technologies’ recent bankruptcy filing marks a significant moment in the fintech industry's evolution, highlighting that stringent compliance and risk management in fintech partnerships are essential to mitigate risk and protect consumers, say Joann Needleman and Ryan Blumberg at Clark Hill.
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California Adds A Novel Twist To State Suits Against Big Oil
California’s suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., one of several state suits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate-related harms, is unique both in the magnitude of the alleged claims and its use of a consumer protection statute to seek disgorgement of industry profits, says Julia Stein at UCLA School of Law.