California

  • March 03, 2025

    Tobacco, Cannabis Cos. Score Partial Wins In TM Fight

    An Arizona federal court judge has issued a mixed ruling on dueling summary judgment bids in a trademark lawsuit over a tobacco company and a cannabis company's shared use of the word "Raw" in branding.

  • March 03, 2025

    Film Exec Testifies She Felt 'Set Up' By 'Moana' IP Claims

    A movie executive told a California federal jury on Monday that she never shared a distant family member's script with The Walt Disney Co., and that she later felt "set up" and pressured to lie for this relative's copyright suit over the blockbuster animated film "Moana."

  • March 03, 2025

    VLSI Maintains Intel Doesn't Have A Free License To Its IP

    VLSI Technology has urged U.S. District Judge Alan Albright to reinstate his 2022 decision that Intel Corp. doesn't have a license to its patents, saying no facts impacting a potential license have changed in the interim.

  • March 03, 2025

    Insurer Seeks Exit After Doctor Rejects Mistaken Surgery Deal

    An insurer for a doctor accused of performing the wrong surgery should no longer have a duty to indemnify him after his refusal to ink a settlement, the carrier told a California federal court, noting the doctor's underlying counsel already obtained settlement authority from the insurer.

  • March 03, 2025

    Ex-Adecco Worker Can't Protest PAGA Deal, Calif. Panel Rules

    A worker suing a staffing agency under California's Private Attorneys General Act cannot intervene in a settled case lodging similar claims because the challenge is based purely on her private interests, a California panel ruled.

  • March 03, 2025

    NYT Seeks To Ax Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Defamation Suit

    The New York Times urged a New York federal court to toss defamation claims made by Justin Baldoni over the news organization's coverage of the "It Ends With Us" actor-director's legal battle with Blake Lively over the actress's sexual harassment complaints, saying it is legally protected reporting and opinion made without malice.

  • March 03, 2025

    Sutter Settles Years-Old Antitrust Suit On Courthouse Steps

    Attorneys for a class of millions of health insurance premium payors announced an eleventh hour deal staving off a new antitrust trial Monday in California federal court over claims that hospital chain Sutter Health drives up costs by pushing all-or-nothing network deals on insurers.

  • March 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Black Ex-Boeing Engineer's Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday backed Boeing's defeat of a former engineer's lawsuit claiming he was disciplined for minor issues and ultimately terminated because he's Black, ruling he hadn't provided evidence that the company's actions were based on his race.

  • March 03, 2025

    Calif. BMO Worker Can Bank On Litigating 401(k) Suit In Ill.

    A proposed class action challenging BMO Financial Corp.'s alleged misuse of forfeited retirement contributions should be litigated in Illinois, where most of the bank's evidence and witnesses are located, a California federal judge said on Friday. 

  • March 03, 2025

    Former X Exec Says Sanctions Not Warranted In Bonus Fight

    A former X Corp. executive urged a California federal court to reject his former employer's bid to sanction him for filing a "frivolous" class certification motion in his unpaid bonuses lawsuit, saying the company refused to let him modify his filing or dismiss his claims.

  • March 03, 2025

    Jones Day Hires Pair Of Weil IP Litigators In California

    Jones Day is expanding its California intellectual property team, announcing Monday that it is bringing in two Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP litigators as partners in the northern part of the state.

  • March 03, 2025

    Kraken Joins Crypto Cos. Announcing SEC Case Dismissals

    Crypto exchange Kraken said Monday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is also walking away from its registration suit amid a bevy of crypto case dismissals and investigation closures that have come as part of a new approach to digital asset policy.

  • March 03, 2025

    Activist Investor Nominates 2 Candidates To Portillo's Board

    Activist investor Engaged Capital LLC on Monday unveiled its slate of directors to stand for election to Portillo's Inc.'s board ahead of the company's annual meeting, saying that the Chicago street food-focused restaurant chain's performance has been suffering due to outdated restaurant operations.

  • March 03, 2025

    Justices Deny Google Foe's Bid For Patent Eligibility Clarity

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a patent owner's appeal arguing that the Federal Circuit has a "broken approach to patent eligibility" and that the justices must clarify the law, in a case where advertising patents asserted against Google were found to cover abstract ideas.

  • February 28, 2025

    Align Tech Deal Directs Buyers To A Monopolist, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has soundly rejected Align Technologies Inc.'s proposed $27.5 million antitrust settlement with teeth-aligner buyers, slamming Align as a monopolist and saying that the deal "will direct still more customers to the monopolist."

  • February 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Keeps Mass Starz Privacy Arbitration Consolidated

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday refused to allow a consumer whose video privacy arbitration claims against Starz Entertainment LLC have been merged with more than 7,000 similar allegations to break off from the pack, finding that the television network couldn't be blamed for the current "procedural stalemate" in the consolidated arbitration proceedings. 

  • February 28, 2025

    Trump Still Isn't Obeying Order To Free FEMA Funds, AGs Say

    The Trump administration still has not restored millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds as part of a temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grant and aid programs, a coalition of states told a Rhode Island federal judge Friday, asking the court to enforce its order.

  • February 28, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Orders Interest Recalculation In Hardware IP Row

    Halo Electronics' nearly two-decades-old dispute with a rival completed its fifth trip to the Federal Circuit, with the appeals court on Friday ordering a Nevada federal court to recalculate the amount of interest Halo could collect on a jury verdict.

  • February 28, 2025

    Ex-USF Ballplayers In Uphill Battle For Sex Harassment Cert.

    A California federal magistrate judge said Friday she is unlikely to certify a class of potentially hundreds of ex-University of San Francisco baseball players in a case alleging that former coaches created a sexually abusive environment, but agreed to hold her decision to review additional information on the claims.

  • February 28, 2025

    Judge Denies OpenAI's Bid For Discovery In Meta's IP Fight

    A California federal judge rejected OpenAI's request to see discovery produced in Meta Platforms Inc.'s copyright battle with authors over its artificial intelligence tool, writing Thursday that the "broad swath of information" it requested is not proportional to the company's needs in its own case.

  • February 28, 2025

    Calif. Bar Using Forensics To Determine Who Leaked Exam Qs

    The State Bar of California will tap "digital forensic experts" to figure out who's been improperly posting bar exam questions online following the disastrous administration of the Golden State's February exam, according to a notice from the bar.

  • February 28, 2025

    Intel Wants License Question Settled Before VLSI Trial In May

    Intel Corp. is asking U.S. District Judge Alan Albright to hold that a license it has with Finjan Holdings also covers patents owned by its affiliates, meaning a jury would only decide whether its litigation foe VLSI Technology is one of those affiliates.

  • February 28, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Didn't Comply With Tobacco Laws, Judge Says

    Federal tobacco regulators were justified in blocking the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians from shipping cigarettes after its wholesale products were resold to people without tribal affiliation, a California federal judge has ruled in a lawsuit that argued the concept of tribal sovereignty was being turned on its head.

  • February 28, 2025

    Calif. Justices Revive Yacht Club Worker's Injury Suit

    The California Supreme Court has revived a suit brought by a yacht club maintenance worker seeking to hold his employer liable for his workplace injuries under federal maritime law, saying the law preempts California's workers' compensation statute.

  • February 28, 2025

    5 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch In March

    The Ninth Circuit will mull Express Scripts and OptumRx's bid to force a public nuisance suit brought by the state of California into federal court, and the Second Circuit will hear from pensioners who say that IBM's use of outdated mortality tables shrank their benefits payouts. Here, Law360 looks at these and other appellate arguments happening in March that should be on benefits lawyers' radar.

Expert Analysis

  • Notable 2024 Trademark Cases And What To Watch In 2025

    Author Photo

    Emerging disputes between established tech giants and smaller trademark holders promise to test the boundaries of trademark protection in 2025, following a 2024 marked with disputes in areas ranging from cybersquatting to geographic marks, says Danner Kline at Bradley Arant.

  • How A 9th Circ. Identicality Ruling Could Affect AI Cos.

    Author Photo

    If the Ninth Circuit agrees to settle a district court split over whether the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires a copy to be identical to an original to support an actionable claim for removing copyright management information, the decision could have important ramifications for artificial intelligence businesses, says Maria Sinatra at Venable.

  • Why Class Cert. Is Unlikely In Cases Like Mattel 'Wicked' Suit

    Author Photo

    A proposed class action recently filed in California federal court against Mattel over the company's "Wicked" doll boxes accidentally listing a pornographic website illustrates the uphill battle plaintiffs face in certifying a class when many consumers never saw or relied on the representation at issue, says Alex Smith at Jenner & Block.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

    Author Photo

    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • California's New AV Law May Steer Policy Nationwide

    Author Photo

    California's new law establishing various requirements for autonomous vehicles is something other states should pay close attention to — especially because the Golden State's policies may become a de facto mandate for manufacturers due to its market size, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio Dubey.

  • Series

    Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.

  • Marketing Messages Matter In State AG Consumer Protection

    Author Photo

    Attorneys general interpret marketing claims far more broadly than many companies may realize, so to mitigate potential risk, businesses should be vigilant about all consumer messaging, including communications that may not traditionally be considered advertising in the colloquial sense, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How White Collar Defense Attys Can Use Summary Witnesses

    Author Photo

    Few criminal defense attorneys have successfully utilized summary witnesses in the past, but several recent success stories show that it can be a worthwhile trial tactic to help juries understand the complex decision-making at issue, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Cos. Must Brace For New PFAS Regulations And Litigation

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed adding over 100 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances to the Toxic Release Inventory — and with increasing scrutiny of PFAS from the states and the plaintiffs bar as well, companies should take steps to reduce risks in this area, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Opinion

    6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School

    Author Photo

    Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.

  • Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware

    Author Photo

    Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Reviewing 2024's State Consumer Privacy Law Enforcement

    Author Photo

    While we are still in the infancy of state consumer privacy laws, a review of enforcement activity this year suggests substantial overlaps in regulatory priorities across the most active states and gives insight into the likely paths of future enforcement, says Thomas Nolan at Quinn Emanuel.

  • What May Have Led Calif. Voters To Reject Min. Wage Hike

    Author Photo

    County-specific election results for California’s ballot measure that would have raised the state’s minimum wage to $18 show that last year's introduction of a $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers may have influenced voters’ narrow rejection of the measure, says Stephen Bronars​​​​​​​ at Edgeworth Economics.

  • AV Compliance Is Still A State-By-State Slog — For Now

    Author Photo

    While the incoming Trump administration has hinted at new federal regulations governing autonomous vehicles, for now, AV manufacturers must take a state-by-state approach to compliance with safety requirements — paying particular attention to states that require express authorization for AV operation, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

    Author Photo

    In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!