California

  • November 18, 2024

    Alstom Wants Injunction In Dispute Over 'Buy America' Waiver

    Train manufacturer Alstom has urged a D.C. federal judge to block a pending federal disbursement for a $12 billion high-speed rail project, saying the payment could "irrevocably" allow the project to use trainsets that violate federal "Buy America" requirements.

  • November 18, 2024

    Diddy Accusers' Atty Buzbee Accused Of Extorting Celebs

    An anonymous public figure lodged a suit in Los Angeles court Monday accusing personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee of using false rape allegations to "shake down innocent celebrities, politicians and businesspeople" who have even the smallest ties to indicted hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.

  • November 18, 2024

    USPTO Director Kathi Vidal To Rejoin Winston & Strawn

    Winston & Strawn LLP said Monday that Kathi Vidal, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is slated to rejoin the firm.

  • November 18, 2024

    LA Atty Again Accused Of Bilking Inmates With False Hope

    A Los Angeles attorney accused of raking in thousands of dollars by giving inmates and their families intentionally misleading information about their chances for resentencing after convictions for violent crimes has been hit with more charges by the State Bar of California, this time an 18-count disciplinary notice that follows an earlier 18-count notice filed in August.

  • November 18, 2024

    Calif. Staffing Biz Settles Immigration Bias Claim With DOJ

    The U.S. Department of Justice said it reached an agreement to resolve claims that a California staffing company refused to accept a valid work authorization document from a woman seeking employment.

  • November 18, 2024

    Calif. Bar Asks State High Court To Wipe Some Discipline Files

    Amid an effort to reform attorney regulation, the trustees of California's state bar have asked the state high court to approve a proposed rule change that would expunge older discipline files that don't involve disbarment. 

  • November 18, 2024

    Justices Reject SC Agency's Appeal Of Google Subpoena

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to take up a South Carolina state agency's appeal of a Fourth Circuit decision requiring its compliance with a Google subpoena in a case accusing the tech giant of monopolizing key digital ad technology.

  • November 15, 2024

    Natera Exec Calls Guardant's Cancer Test Claims 'Dangerous'

    Natera's president of clinical diagnostics testified at trial Friday in a California federal false advertising case that Guardant Health's claims about Guardant's competing colorectal cancer test were "false and misleading" and also "dangerous."

  • November 15, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Industry Leaders Weigh In

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including President-elect Donald Trump's industry pick for Middle East special envoy, a playbook on commercial real estate distress from BigLaw leaders and one KKR exec's optimism for the end of a two-year real estate slump.

  • November 15, 2024

    X Sues To Block Calif.'s New Deepfake Political Ads Law

    X Corp. filed a lawsuit in California federal court seeking to block a new Golden State law aimed at combating artificial intelligence-generated deepfake political ads, claiming the regulation that takes effect in January is unconstitutional and violates Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

  • November 15, 2024

    Sake Co.'s 'Tipsy' TM Fight Can't Find Its Footing In Calif.

    A California federal judge has determined that a Los Angeles sake brand can't litigate a trademark dispute in the Golden State with a similarly named wine store in Brooklyn, saying a cease and desist letter wasn't enough to establish jurisdiction.

  • November 15, 2024

    Ye's Ex-Construction Manager Latest To Sue For Misconduct

    Ye has been hit with yet another employee lawsuit, this time from a former project manager alleging he was subjected to daily antisemitic tirades, forced to listen to the rapper have sex, and ultimately fired for refusing to start construction on a new Donda Academy building without permits.

  • November 15, 2024

    SEC-Sanctioned Accounting Firm Sued Over Pre-IPO Work

    The former public company accounting firm BF Borgers is facing a California state lawsuit by an ex-client that says it was forced to scuttle its plans for an initial public offering after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused the firm of being a "sham auditing mill."

  • November 15, 2024

    Social Media Cos. Must Face Schools' Public Nuisance Claims

    Meta Platforms and other social media giants must face most of the public nuisance claims brought by school districts and local government entities in multidistrict litigation alleging the companies designed their platforms to addict children, a California federal judge ruled Friday.

  • November 15, 2024

    HHS Likely To Limit Migrant Data After Flores Deal Ends

    A California federal judge indicated Friday that she can't force the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide human rights groups with regular data about children in low-security detention facilities now that the long-running Flores settlement has been replaced with a government regulation.

  • November 15, 2024

    Musk Adds Microsoft To Legal Fight With OpenAI

    Elon Musk is expanding his breach of contract, fraud and antitrust suit in California federal court against OpenAI and its founder, Sam Altman, this time adding Microsoft and erstwhile business partner Reid Hoffman to the list of defendants.

  • November 15, 2024

    New Trade Secrets Case Brought In Trucker Tracking Row

    A fight between two neighboring San Francisco startups that sell artificial intelligence-powered software used to monitor truck drivers has resulted in yet another lawsuit: a new state court case that accuses a CEO of personally "texting and meeting in person" with competing sales reps in order to obtain trade secrets. 

  • November 15, 2024

    Calif. Justice Reformers Vow To Fight After Election Day Losses

    California voters' Election Day moves to oust progressive prosecutors and enact purportedly tough-on-crime ballot measures point to a broad conservative swing in criminal justice, a movement that San Francisco's former District Attorney Chesa Boudin and other reform proponents told Law360 they intend to fight in coming years.

  • November 15, 2024

    California Blames Travelers For Rot Remediation Policy Deceit

    In a case with potentially untold financial consequences, California district attorneys are blaming Travelers in state court for trying to attract customers by offering coverage for fungi and rot remediation for years without adequately disclosing stringent exclusions to state policyholders, in violation of state code.

  • November 15, 2024

    FERC Ignored Calif. Hydro Permitting Mischief, DC Circ. Told

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission turned a blind eye to clear evidence that California's water board gamed the permitting process in concluding that the state agency didn't waive its Clean Water Act permitting authority over two hydroelectric dams, the D.C. Circuit heard this week.

  • November 15, 2024

    GM's Cruise Accepts $500K Criminal Fine Over Robotaxi Crash

    Cruise LLC, the autonomous vehicles subsidiary of General Motors Co., has agreed to pay $500,000 in criminal fines to end claims that it made false statements to federal highway investigators by omitting that one of its vehicles dragged a pedestrian over 20 feet, according to an announcement by federal prosecutors.

  • November 15, 2024

    Political Fundraiser Avoids Jail In LA 'Casino Loyale' Probe

    A former political fundraiser was sentenced by a California federal judge Friday to one year of home detention for facilitating a bribe to former Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar, the latest in a string of recent sentences handed out to cooperating witnesses in the FBI's "Casino Loyale" probe.

  • November 15, 2024

    EV Carmaker Lucid Sued In Del. For Inflated Biz Claims

    A stockholder who bought electric-car maker Lucid Group shares sued in Delaware's Chancery Court on Friday to recover derivative damages for the company tied to claims that the business raised billions on knowingly inflated production outlooks only to later drastically downsize its forecast.

  • November 15, 2024

    Hot Topic Shoppers' Info Stolen By 'Satanic' Hacker, Suit Says

    Hot Topic and its retail affiliates were hit with a proposed class action Wednesday in California federal court alleging an unknown hacker with the username "Satanic" infiltrated their databases containing personal information belonging to 350 million customers and offered to sell the information on an internet forum last month.

  • November 15, 2024

    UPS Hit With Worker Suit Over Lack Of Bathrooms

    UPS was sued in a California state court for failing to provide drivers with adequate bathrooms, allegedly forcing workers to relieve themselves in water bottles with nowhere to wash their hands or throw out urine-filled containers after their shifts.

Expert Analysis

  • Alice Step 2 Trends Show Courts' Extrinsic Evidence Reliance

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    A look at recent trends in how district courts are applying Step 2 of the Alice framework shows that courts have increasingly relied on extrinsic evidence to help determine whether a claimed invention is "well-understood, routine, and conventional," says Jonathan Tuminaro at Sterne Kessler.

  • What To Know As Children's Privacy Law Rapidly Evolves

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    If your business hasn't been paying attention to growing state and federal efforts to protect children online, now is the time to start — there is no sign of this regulation slowing down, and more aggressive enforcement actions are to be expected in the coming year, says Susan Rohol at Willkie Farr.

  • What Cos. Should Know About New Global Plastics Regs

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    As the global regulatory landscape for plastics and recycling changes rapidly — with new policies coming into effect in California, at the federal level, in the European Union and at the United Nations — businesses that operate across jurisdictions must stay informed to remain compliant, mitigate legal risk and achieve stewardship goals, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • How Calif. Ruling Alters Worker Arb. Agreement Enforcement

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    The California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ramirez v. Charter Communications should caution employers that while workers’ arbitration agreements will no longer be deemed unenforceable based on their number of unconscionable provisions, they must still be fair and balanced, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor.

  • The Rise Of State And Local Environmental Leadership

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    While Congress is deadlocked, and a U.S. Supreme Court with a hostility toward the administrative state aggressively dismantles federal environmental oversight, state and local governments are stepping up with policies to shape a more sustainable future for all species, says Jonathan Rosenbloom at Albany Law School.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 2 Lessons From Calif. Overtime Wages Ruling

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    A California federal court's recent decision finding that Home Depot did not purposely dodge overtime laws sheds light on what constitutes a good faith dispute, and the extent to which employers have discretion to define employees' workdays, says Michael Luchsinger at Segal McCambridge.

  • New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know

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    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.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    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.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    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.

  • Utilizing Liability Exemption When Calif. Cities Lease Property

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    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.

  • Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming

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    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.

  • Dueling Calif. Rulings Offer Insight On 401(k) Forfeiture Suits

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    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.

  • 3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage

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    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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