California

  • March 06, 2025

    Trump Administration Ordered To Release Funds To States

    A Rhode Island judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to stop withholding funds from states, saying an executive order freezing federal grants, loans and other payments approved by Congress "fundamentally undermines" the separation of powers and is causing irreparable harm.

  • March 06, 2025

    O'Melveny Antitrust Pro Jumps To Paul Hastings In LA

    Paul Hastings LLP is expanding its West Coast team, announcing Thursday it is bringing in an O'Melveny & Myers LLP antitrust litigator as a partner in a Los Angeles office.

  • March 05, 2025

    Rival Cos. Called 'Empower' Agree To End TM Fight, For Now

    Empower Annuity Insurance Co. of America and Empower Finance Inc. agreed to end, for now, their trademark infringement dispute over the "Empower" mark, over a year after a Colorado federal judge found customer confusion was "unlikely" in the financial services sector and refused to order Empower Finance to change its name.

  • March 05, 2025

    Jury Mulling Judge's Murder Trial Hears More Arguments

    With jury deliberations in the murder trial of a California judge who fatally shot his wife stretching into their sixth day Wednesday, the presiding judge allowed the prosecution and defense to make additional arguments addressing the jury's question about the willfulness requirement for second-degree murder.

  • March 05, 2025

    PTAB Bar Urges Congress, Lutnick To Protect USPTO Workers

    The PTAB Bar Association is calling on intellectual property leaders in Congress, along with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, to spare the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office from Trump administration initiatives to freeze hiring and require in-person work.

  • March 05, 2025

    Starbucks Let Hot Drink Spill On Driver, Jury Hears

    Starbucks went to trial Wednesday over a delivery window drink pickup gone wrong, as lawyers for a driver who had scalding water spill in his lap told a Los Angeles jury the coffee giant's employee left one of three cups "not safely secured" in a cardboard drink holder.

  • March 05, 2025

    Coinbase Investor Drops Direct Listing Suit After Slack Ruling

    A Coinbase investor Wednesday dropped a proposed class action accusing the cryptocurrency platform and its top brass of offering false and misleading materials that caused its stock price to plummet following the company's debut with an $86 billion valuation, after the Ninth Circuit tossed a similar case against Slack Technologies.

  • March 05, 2025

    Los Angeles County Sues SoCal Edison Over Eaton Fire

    Los Angeles County joined the many dozens suing Southern California Edison over the devastating Eaton Fire on Wednesday, as the most populous county in the United States alleges in its lawsuit that the utility's faulty equipment caused the destructive blaze.

  • March 05, 2025

    US Looks For Pause In PetroSaudi $380M Seizure Suit

    The United States has asked a California federal court to stay its suit to seize part of a $380 million arbitral award issued to a PetroSaudi unit, saying the civil case is up in the air because the oil producer's sole owner was convicted in August in Swiss criminal court.

  • March 05, 2025

    BCBS Hit With New Antitrust Suits By $2.8B Deal Opt-Outs

    Dozens of hospitals and healthcare systems that opted out of a landmark $2.8 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust settlement filed fresh Sherman Act lawsuits against the insurance entities in Pennsylvania, California and Illinois federal courts Tuesday, accusing them of colluding to restrict competition for the purchase of healthcare services.

  • March 05, 2025

    Justices Asked To Recuse Fitbit Judge Over Google Ties

    A Silicon Valley-based patent-holding company that lost its infringement case against Fitbit is telling the U.S. Supreme Court that a California federal judge and her husband's financial ties to Fitbit parent Google are so strong that "if these circumstances do not warrant recusal ... then nothing does."

  • March 05, 2025

    Igloo Must Pay For Finger-Chopping Coolers, Consumer Says

    A California man is suing beverage storage company Igloo over its popular coolers and ice chests that he says have pinched, broken and even amputated fingertips, saying in a federal suit that the company's remedial efforts haven't been enough.

  • March 05, 2025

    Disney Doesn't Allow IP Theft, 'Moana' Co-Creator Testifies

    One of the creators of "Moana" testified in a California federal copyright trial Wednesday that he "would never" use another writer's idea without permission, noting that one of his projects was killed after The Walt Disney Co. was unable to buy source material.

  • March 05, 2025

    Ex-USF Ballplayers Denied Class Cert. In Sex Harassment Suit

    A group of former University of San Francisco baseball players on Wednesday lost a bid to have their lawsuit alleging that ex-coaches for the Jesuit university created a sexually abusive environment go forward as a class action.

  • March 05, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Arizona's Wine Retailer Law Challenge

    Arizona isn't being discriminatory by requiring companies that want to ship alcohol to people's homes to have a business location in the state, the Ninth Circuit has declared in a split ruling that upheld the state's win against a challenge to the law laying down that mandate.

  • March 05, 2025

    Parameters Set For Final NIL Deal Approval Hearing

    The California federal judge overseeing the massive $2.78 billion name, image and likeness settlement between the National Collegiate Athletic Association and former and current student-athletes has released guidelines for the deal's final approval hearing in April.

  • March 05, 2025

    401(k) Forfeiture Suits Are Prompting Plan Changes

    It remains unclear whether a California federal judge keeping alive a proposed class action that challenges the use of forfeited funds in a Clorox employee 401(k) plan means similar cases will gain traction, but experts say plans are already getting tweaked to stave off forfeiture claims.

  • March 05, 2025

    Jay-Z, Buzbee Dispute Threats, Confession In Rape Case

    The monthslong legal feud between Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter and prominent plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee has reached a new pitch, as Carter claims to have evidence proving he did not rape a 13-year-old alongside disgraced rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, while Buzbee claims Carter is trying to menace the victim into silence.

  • March 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Keeps Lenovo, Databricks Patent Fights In Texas

    The Federal Circuit has turned down efforts by Lenovo and Databricks to ship separate lawsuits they are facing from patent-holding companies out of the Eastern District of Texas.

  • March 05, 2025

    GSA Publishes, Then Pulls List Of Properties It Could Dispose

    The U.S. General Services Administration on Wednesday removed a list of 440 properties that it considered inessential and said warranted disposal — including several courthouses and buildings used as headquarters for various agencies — the day after announcing it had identified them as "non-core assets."

  • March 05, 2025

    DC Judge Skeptical Of Trump's Power To Oust NLRB Member

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge hearing a former National Labor Relations Board member's challenge to her January removal appeared Wednesday to buy the fired official's side of a closely watched debate over the vitality of foundational U.S. Supreme Court law on the president's power over independent agencies.

  • March 05, 2025

    University Of California Facing Fed Probe Into Antisemitism

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday the government has opened a civil investigation into whether the University of California has fostered antisemitism on its campuses following President Donald Trump's January executive order prioritizing federal probes into alleged antisemitic harassment on school grounds.

  • March 05, 2025

    Broadcom Slams 'Meritless Retaliatory' Netflix Patent Suit

    Technology giant Broadcom blasted a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Netflix over five software patents Broadcom contends are invalid and urged a federal California court to toss the litigation, calling it a "meritless retaliatory case" meant to distract from Netflix's "rampant infringement of patents owned by Broadcom-related entities."

  • March 05, 2025

    Boy Band, Music Exec Hit With $3.4M Verdict In Fla. Trial

    A Florida state court jury has awarded an entertainment company $3.4 million in a lawsuit that accused a former California boy band manager of tortuously interfering with the contracts of individual band members, and also accused the members of defamation for remarks that they were abused and held hostage in their own homes.

  • March 05, 2025

    CashCall Wants 9th Circ. Redo Of Order To Pay CFPB $134M

    CashCall Inc. has asked for a rehearing of its Ninth Circuit loss that kept it on the hook for a $134 million restitution payment to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, arguing that when the online lender was fined in 2016, CashCall could not relinquish its "known right" to a jury trial because the right did not exist at the time.

Expert Analysis

  • Expect More State-Level Scrutiny Of Noncompetes Ahead

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    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.

  • What's Still Up In The Air After Ruling On Calif. Climate Laws

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    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.

  • The Do's And Don'ts Of Commercial Debt Under Calif. FDCPA

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    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.

  • A Look At The Hefty Demands In Calif. Employer AI Draft Regs

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    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.

  • Series

    Being A Navy Reservist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Video Privacy Law Claims After 2nd Circ. NBA Ruling

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    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.

  • Navigating DOJ's Patchwork Whistleblower Regime

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    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.

  • So You Want To Move Your Law Practice To Canada, Eh?

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    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.

  • In SF Water Case, Justices Signal How Loper May Be Applied

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    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.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: November Lessons

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    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.

  • Philly's Algorithmic Rent Ban Furthers Antitrust Policy Trends

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    A Philadelphia bill banning the use of algorithmic software to set rent prices and manage occupancy rates is indicative of growing scrutiny of this technology, and reflects broader policy trends of adapting traditional antitrust principles to respond to new technology, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Look At 2024 NIL Rights And Economies In College Sports

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    Permutations in the arena of name, image and likeness affecting collegiate athletics have continued unabated this year, and practitioners and industry representatives should anticipate significant activity at schools and continuing legal changes at the state level, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Total loss valuation cases and labor depreciation cases dominated the past quarter of insurance class actions, with courts continuing to reject challenges to condition adjustments in the former, and a pro-insured trend persisting in the latter, say attorneys at BakerHostetler.

  • Promoting Diversity In The Selection Of ADR Neutrals

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Choosing neutrals from diverse backgrounds is an important step in promoting inclusion in the legal profession, and it can enhance the legitimacy and public perception of alternative dispute resolution proceedings, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Ultimate Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    In addition to being fun, ultimate Frisbee has improved our legal careers by emphasizing the importance of professionalism, teamwork, perseverance, enthusiasm and vulnerability, say Arunabha Bhoumik and Adam Bernstein at Regeneron. 

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