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California
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February 26, 2025
Calif. Judge Murdered His Wife, DA Tells Jury As Trial Wraps
California state court judge Jeffrey Ferguson intentionally killed his wife by drunkenly shooting her to death in their home after a heated argument, prosecutors told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday, while Ferguson's attorney argued that the gun accidentally discharged as the judge tried to set it on a table.
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February 26, 2025
Pornhub Data Privacy Suit Will Go To Arbitration
A group of foreign companies that allegedly operate the website Pornhub have won their bid to send a proposed data privacy class action into arbitration, after a California federal judge ruled that an arbitrator must decide whether the companies waived their right to arbitration.
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February 26, 2025
Bank Directors Back Ex-Rabobank Exec's High Court Bid
A bank director advocacy group has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a former Rabobank compliance chief's challenge against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, arguing the agency engages in a practice of "regulation-by-dismissal" to the detriment of the banking industry.
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February 26, 2025
Judge Sends Fox Sports Harassment Suit Back To State Court
A U.S. district judge has sent a lawsuit accusing Fox Sports and its on-air talent of sexual harassment back to California state court after the plaintiff dropped allegations related to overtime, removing the suit's only federal claim.
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February 26, 2025
Calif. AG's Hiring Of Lieff Cabraser In Climate Suit Challenged
California Attorney General Rob Bonta improperly hired Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP to assist with the state's climate deception suit against fossil fuel companies when attorneys in his office were capable of handling the litigation, the union representing the public lawyers contended in a newly filed state court complaint.
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February 26, 2025
Disney Pilfered Animator's 'Life Work' For 'Moana,' Jury Told
Counsel for an animation artist told jurors on the first day of a California federal court trial Wednesday that The Walt Disney Co. stole his magnum opus to develop the blockbuster movie "Moana" without a penny of compensation.
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February 26, 2025
Simpson Thacher Adds Partner From Wilson Sonsini
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has picked up a trial litigator from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC who helped a startup defeat a nearly $460 million trade secrets case over expert testimony involving antibody cancer treatments and secured defense victories in patent cases for companies like Google LLC and HTC Corp.
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February 26, 2025
Fed. Circ. Won't Let Micron Out Of Sharing Source Code
The Federal Circuit held Wednesday that Micron Technology Inc. can't get out of handing over what the company deemed "highly confidential" source code to Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. Ltd. in an ongoing dispute over flash memory chip patents.
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February 26, 2025
GOP-Led House Panel Pushes Easier Rules On Capital Raising
A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee invited input Wednesday on a slew of deregulatory bills that seek to ease rules governing private and public securities offerings, drawing plaudits from the Republican majority and mixed responses from Democrats.
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February 26, 2025
US Chamber Wants Calif. Climate Disclosure Regs Blocked
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have asked a California federal judge to block the state's corporate climate disclosure rules, arguing companies are already suffering harm due to laws that are "so overinclusive, they flunk any First Amendment test."
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February 26, 2025
DOJ Says RealPage Can't Ditch Antitrust Claims
The U.S. Department of Justice and a group of states are urging a North Carolina federal judge to reject a move by RealPage Inc. and a group of landlords to escape claims that use of the company's software paves the way for collusion on setting rental prices.
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February 26, 2025
USC Escapes PE Exec's $75M 'Varsity Blues' Suit, For Now
The University of Southern California escaped a $75 million suit by a Massachusetts businessman ensnared in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal after a judge found that the parent's claims are time-barred, though she said she'd give him another chance to make his case.
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February 26, 2025
Ex-Twitter Execs Demand Docs In $200M Severance Fight
Elon Musk and his social media platform X are trying to dodge perfectly reasonable discovery requests tackling claims that the billionaire fired four former company executives after he bought the social media platform to avoid several benefits obligations, the workers told a California federal court.
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February 26, 2025
Vets Press 9th Circ. To Affirm LA Campus Housing Judgment
A group of veterans' organizations, retired military officers and legal scholars are urging the Ninth Circuit to uphold a California federal judge's decision that the federal government must build veterans housing on a Los Angeles campus, saying such housing is greatly needed and complies with federal law.
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February 26, 2025
Liquor Cos. Clash Over Use Of 'Papi' Mark
The owner of the trademark for Papi wine and liquor products has sued the maker of Papi's Bourbon for alleged infringement in New Jersey federal court.
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February 26, 2025
Wilson Sonsini Adds Employment Litigator In Palo Alto
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has added an employment law expert to its litigation department in Palo Alto, California, who brings with her more than 15 years of BigLaw experience including most recently at O'Melveny & Myers LLP.
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February 26, 2025
Trump Can't Enact Birthright Citizenship Order During Appeal
A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday left in place a block on President Donald Trump's would-be order restricting birthright citizenship, rejecting a bid by the administration to implement the executive action while it appeals the matter to the First Circuit.
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February 26, 2025
Google Settles Claims It Fired Bipolar Worker Out Of Bias
Google has settled a former employee's suit alleging he was unlawfully fired for taking medical leave because of his bipolar disorder following a manic episode, according to California federal court filings.
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February 26, 2025
Boeing, Lockheed Supplier Hits Ch. 11 With Over $50M In Debt
Dynamic Aerostructures LLC, a Los Angeles aerospace parts supplier for Lockheed Martin and Boeing, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, citing more than $50 million in debt, after the company suffered from "manufacturing practice inconsistencies" that resulted in quality control issues.
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February 25, 2025
FBI Came For Abramoff Asking About Russian Spy-Linked Pal
Disgraced lobbyist and government witness Jack Abramoff told jurors Tuesday during his cross-examination at the fraud trial of a cryptocurrency company founder he worked for that the FBI initially approached him in 2018 with questions about his connection to a conservative operative once linked to a Russian agent.
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February 25, 2025
Retailer Pushes To Ax 2,400 Web Tracking Arbitration Claims
Children's clothing retailer Janie & Jack LLC is attempting to stave off more than 2,400 arbitration claims filed by individuals over the company's allegedly unlawful website tracking practices, telling a California federal court that the website visitors are "weaponizing" an arbitration agreement that doesn't even apply to them.
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February 25, 2025
San Francisco Must Face Airline Group's Suit Over Health Law
San Francisco lost its bid to escape an airline industry group's challenge to a healthcare ordinance Tuesday, with a California federal judge ruling that the city and county must face claims that the Healthy Airport Ordinance is preempted by three federal statutes.
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February 25, 2025
YouTube, TikTok Evade Deadly 'Challenge' Video Suit, For Now
A California magistrate judge has dismissed, for now, parents' product liability proposed class action alleging YouTube's and TikTok's reporting features are defectively designed since they did not result in the removal of deadly "choking challenge" videos, finding the suit does not clearly identify the product in question or its alleged design defect.
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February 25, 2025
Apple Litigation Director Threatened With Sanctions At Hearing
A California federal judge presiding over a high-stakes evidentiary hearing into whether Apple has complied with her 2021 antitrust injunction threatened to sanction Apple's commercial litigation director Tuesday, telling counsel she has "significant concerns" about Apple's over-designation of attorney-client privilege, saying, "Your client is not entitled to have you engage in unethical conduct."
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February 25, 2025
Judge Who Shot Wife Admits Hundreds Of Gun Law Violations
A California judge accused of killing his wife admitted on the witness stand Tuesday to breaking the law at least hundreds of times by drinking alcohol while carrying a concealed weapon, but insisted her shooting was an accident and denied shedding crocodile tears to gain the jury's sympathy.
Expert Analysis
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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What Cos. Can Learn from Water Microplastics Class Actions
Class actions against companies whose bottled spring water allegedly contains microplastics, challenging claims such as "natural" and "100% spring water," seem to be drying up — but these cases serve as a good reminder to other businesses to review regulatory standards, and carefully vet plaintiff allegations at the outset, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.
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What Trump Presidency May Mean For Climate Reporting
While the Trump administration will likely take a hands-off approach to climate-related disclosures and rescind regulations promulgated under the Biden administration, state and international ESG laws mean the private sector may not reverse course on such disclosures, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.
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TM Suit Over Google AI Name Points To New Branding Issues
Gemini Data’s recent lawsuit in California federal court alleging Google’s rebranded artificial intelligence chatbot stole its name may have broader implications for the scope of trademark rights for AI-related products and highlights that an evolving marketplace may force companies to recalibrate how they protect their brands, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.
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Expect More State-Level Scrutiny Of Noncompetes Ahead
Despite the nationwide injunction against the Federal Trade Commission’s noncompete ban, and the incoming Republican administration, employers should anticipate that state legislatures will continue to focus on laws that limit or ban noncompetes, including those that target certain salary thresholds or industries, says Benjamin Fryer at FordHarrison.
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What's Still Up In The Air After Ruling On Calif. Climate Laws
A California federal court's recent ruling on challenges to California's sweeping climate disclosure laws resolved some issues, but allows litigation over the constitutionality of the laws to continue, and leaves many important questions on what entities will need to do to comply with the laws unanswered, say attorneys at Paul Hastings.
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The Do's And Don'ts Of Commercial Debt Under Calif. FDCPA
Lenders, servicers and attorneys collecting on their behalf should pay careful attention to the consumer protections under the newly expanded California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act that may apply going forward to some commercial debts, say attorneys at Womble Bond.
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A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs
California's draft regulations on artificial intelligence use in employment decisions show that the California Privacy Protection Agency is positioning itself as a de facto AI regulator for the state, which isn't waiting around for federal legislation, says Lily Li at Metaverse Law.
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Series
Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Serving this country in uniform has not only been one of the greatest honors of my life, but it has also provided me with opportunities to broaden my legal acumen and interpersonal skills in ways that have indelibly contributed to my civilian practice, says Phillip Smith at Weinberg Wheeler.
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Video Privacy Law Claims After 2nd Circ. NBA Ruling
The Second Circuit's recent ruling in Salazar v. National Basketball Association expanded the definition of what constitutes a consumer under the Video Privacy Protection Act, breathing new life into the law by making any newsletter subscriber to a platform that hosts video content a potential plaintiff, say attorneys at Clark Hill.
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Navigating DOJ's Patchwork Whistleblower Regime
In the past few months, the U.S. Department of Justice and several individual U.S. attorney’s offices have issued different pilot programs aimed at incentivizing individuals to blow the whistle on misconduct, but this piecemeal approach may create confusion and suboptimal outcomes, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.
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So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?
Google searches for how to move to Canada have surged in the wake of the U.S. presidential election, and if you’re an attorney considering a move to the Great White North, you’ll need to understand how the practice of law differs across the border, says David Postel at Henein Hutchison.
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In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied
Skeptical questions from U.S. Supreme Court justices during oral argument in San Francisco v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offer hints of how the court intends to apply limits on agency regulatory autonomy established last term in Loper Bright, says Karen Cullinane at Goldberg Segalla.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: November Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses six federal court decisions that touch on Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and when individual inquiries are needed to prove economic loss.