Washington

  • September 11, 2024

    Litigation Spending To Rise As Cases Grow More Aggressive

    A substantial number of large companies are expecting to increase their litigation spending by double digits next year in the face of more complex and hard-fought cases — and they are more open to bringing in new legal talent to navigate the matters, according to a report released Thursday. 

  • September 11, 2024

    The Firms That Handle The Most Trade Secrets Work

    Gordon Rees remains the most active law firm representing plaintiffs in trade secrets disputes, according to a new report by Lex Machina analyzing a three-year period from 2021 to 2023, while Littler Mendelson continues to lead the pack on the defendants' side during that same timeframe.

  • September 11, 2024

    Sprout Foods Can't Get 9th Circ. Redo In Baby Food Label Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel declined Tuesday to rethink its decision that federal law doesn't preempt a couple's California state law claim over allegedly misleading nutrition labels on Sprout Foods baby food labels.

  • September 11, 2024

    Uber, Postmates Ask Justices To Address AB 5 Classifications

    Postmates and Uber urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Ninth Circuit's decision dismissing their constitutional challenge to California's worker classification law, arguing that A.B. 5 singles them out and strips them of equal protection under the law, according to their petition to the high court.

  • September 11, 2024

    NLRB Slaps Amazon For Settlement Violations in NY, Ill.

    Amazon violated an unfair labor practice settlement it reached with the National Labor Relations Board when it issued a policy restricting employees' off-duty access to facilities in Illinois and New York, the board ruled, ordering the company to rescind the policy and properly inform workers of their organizing rights.

  • September 11, 2024

    Education Tech Co. Settles EEOC Pay Bias Probe

    Boxlight Inc. agreed to change its policies and have a third-party auditor examine its pay practices after a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation found the education technology company willfully underpaid a female manager, the EEOC said.

  • September 10, 2024

    80 Hospitals Sue HHS Over 'Part C Days' Payment Rule

    Scores of hospitals in Texas, California, Ohio, and other states sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Monday in a District of Columbia federal court over denied appeals that had sought additional Medicare payments for inpatient services.

  • September 10, 2024

    42 AGs Back Call For Social Media Warning Label Law

    A bipartisan group of 42 attorneys general urged Congress on Tuesday to introduce warning labels on social media platforms in a bid to tackle risks posed to young people's mental health.

  • September 10, 2024

    Atlanta Consultant Didn't Deal With Cyber Hackers, Suit Says

    An Atlanta-based insurance industry consulting firm failed to negotiate with hackers and didn't pay a ransom to protect user data after its network was compromised, despite promises to keep customer information safe, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday.

  • September 10, 2024

    Ugg Maker Ends IP Boot Suit Against Costco

    Deckers Outdoor Corp. has dropped its suit in California federal court accusing Costco Wholesale Corp. of infringing a design patent and trade dress for Ugg "Classic Ultra Mini" boots with the retailer's Kirkland-branded footwear.

  • September 10, 2024

    Amazon Must Trim 'Halo' TM For EU Market

    Amazon Technologies could not convince the EU's intellectual property office to let it register trademarks for "halo" unscathed, with the office backing a Californian health technology company's bid to trim key protections for medical monitoring devices and health assessment services.

  • September 10, 2024

    T-Mobile Can't Change 4th Circ. Loss In 'Simply Prepaid' Fight

    T-Mobile failed Tuesday to undercut a Fourth Circuit decision that revived a Virginia-based cellphone company's infringement claims over the phrase "Simply Prepaid," with a panel of judges declining to grant the telecommunications giant's request for a second look.

  • September 10, 2024

    Free Speech Or Bad Medicine? The Abortion 'Reversal' Battle

    The marketing of abortion pill "reversal" — a treatment doubted by medical groups but touted by anti-abortion advocates — is facing increased scrutiny from state attorneys general, triggering legal skirmishes in at least four states centered on First Amendment rights and consumer protection laws.

  • September 10, 2024

    Kennedys Opens New Offices In LA, Seattle Amid US Growth

    Kennedys Law LLP said Tuesday it has opened new offices in Los Angeles and Seattle as the firm looks to build on its accelerating U.S. growth.

  • September 09, 2024

    Judge Again Says Yearbook Site Can't Force Arbitration

    A Washington federal judge has said the company behind Classmates.com can't force a privacy rights suit into arbitration, in a ruling that determined the plaintiff's attorney opted out of a terms-of-service provision.

  • September 09, 2024

    Wash. Justices Disbar Atty For Theft From Cannabis Investors

    Washington state's high court has ordered an attorney be disbarred for mishandling client funds, lying to investors who poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a cannabis venture and failing to disclose conflicts of interest, adopting the state bar association's disciplinary recommendations despite objections from the lawyer.

  • September 09, 2024

    Wash. Ends First Inspection Effort Against GEO Group

    Washington State has dropped its original bid to force private prison operator The GEO Group to allow its health agency to conduct spot inspections at an immigrant detention facility, after it launched a new suit alleging officials had been blocked from entering.

  • September 09, 2024

    Colo. Justices Rule Amazon's Holiday Pay Must Be In OT Math

    Amazon's holiday incentive pay is the type of compensation Colorado wage law requires to be included in overtime calculations, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday, agreeing with warehouse workers that the incentive pay needed to be included in their regular rate when calculating overtime.

  • September 09, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery made some expensive decisions last week, ranging from a $130 million stockholder award and a freeze on $450 million in equity financing to a whopping $1 billion bill for fraud and breach of contract damages. New cases aimed at Virgin Galactic, settlements pulled in Hemisphere Media Group Inc. and court hearings involving Apollo Global Management heated up. In case you missed it, here's the roundup of news from Delaware's Court of Chancery.

  • September 09, 2024

    Ballard Spahr, Lane Powell Strike Deal To Combine

    Philadelphia-founded Ballard Spahr LLP and Seattle-based Lane Powell PC announced on Monday their plans to merge and form a combined firm with more than 750 lawyers under the Ballard Spahr name.

  • September 06, 2024

    ZoomInfo Sued By Investor Over Post-Lockdown Biz Pressure

    Software company ZoomInfo Technologies Inc. has been hit with an investor proposed class action in Washington federal court alleging it hurt investors and its own reputation as it took desperate measures to maintain an early-pandemic customer boom and ultimately wrote down $33 million because of improperly recognized revenue.

  • September 06, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Immigration Board Mischaracterized Calif. Law

    A split Ninth Circuit panel ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals on Friday to reconsider a Jamaican man's request to reopen his removal case, saying the board mischaracterized the California law under which the conviction that formed the basis of his removal was vacated.

  • September 06, 2024

    Starbucks Finds Interest For Appeal In Shareholder Suit

    A Washington Court of Appeals commissioner suggested to two Starbucks shareholders on Friday that their lawsuit must "do more than what it does" as of now if they want to accuse corporate leadership of responding illegally to barista unionization, hinting the court will likely take up the coffee giant's appeal.

  • September 06, 2024

    Boeing Loses Bid To Toss Investor Suit Over Blowout

    A Virginia federal judge gave the green light to Boeing investors to continue their securities fraud proposed class suit against the company over one of its planes' midair door blowout in January, rejecting the aerospace giant's motion to dismiss and telling Boeing it had a "real problem" on its hands.

  • September 06, 2024

    Airline Asks 9th Circ. Panel To Reconsider Military Leave Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel didn't address whether a former Alaska Airlines pilot advanced enough evidence to show the airline denied him accrued vacation and sick time while on military stints, the company said, urging the panel to revisit its decision flipping the airline's earlier win.

Expert Analysis

  • Recent Rulings Add Dimension To Justices' Maui Decision

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2020 decision in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund established new factual criteria for determining when the Clean Water Act applies to groundwater — and recent decisions from the Ninth and Tenth Circuits have clarified how litigants can make use of the Maui standard, says Steven Hoch at Clark Hill.

  • How Firms Can Ensure Associate Gender Parity Lasts

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    Among associates, women now outnumber men for the first time, but progress toward gender equality at the top of the legal profession remains glacially slow, and firms must implement time-tested solutions to ensure associates’ gender parity lasts throughout their careers, say Kelly Culhane and Nicole Joseph at Culhane Meadows.

  • 7 Common Myths About Lateral Partner Moves

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    As lateral recruiting remains a key factor for law firm growth, partners considering a lateral move should be aware of a few commonly held myths — some of which contain a kernel of truth, and some of which are flat out wrong, says Dave Maurer at Major Lindsey.

  • No AI FRAUD Act Is A Significant Step For Right Of Publicity

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    The No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas and Unauthorized Duplications Act's proposed federal right of publicity protection, including post-mortem rights, represents a significant step toward harmonizing the landscape of right of publicity law, Rachel Hofstatter and Aaron Rosenthal at Honigman.

  • Series

    Cheering In The NFL Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Balancing my time between a BigLaw career and my role as an NFL cheerleader has taught me that pursuing your passions outside of work is not a distraction, but rather an opportunity to harness important skills that can positively affect how you approach work and view success in your career, says Rachel Schuster at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • 5 Lessons For SaaS Companies After Blackbaud Data Breach

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    Looking at the enforcement actions that software-as-a-service provider Blackbaud resolved with state attorneys general, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission in the past year can help SaaS companies manage these increasingly common forms of data breaches, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five notable circuit court decisions on topics from property taxes to veteran's rights — and provides key takeaways for counsel on issues including class representative intervention, wage-and-hour dispute evidence and ascertainability requirements.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • Aviation Watch: 737 Max Blowout Raises Major Safety Issues

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    The sudden in-flight loss of a side panel on an Alaska Air 737-9 Max last month, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane's cabin, highlighted ongoing quality issues at Boeing, the jet's manufacturer — but the failure also arose from decisions made by the airline, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

  • Takeaways From 9th Circ. Nix Of Ex-GOP Rep.'s Conviction

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    The Ninth Circuit recently reversed the conviction of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., for lying to the FBI, showing that the court will rein in aggressive attempts by the government to expand the reach of criminal prosecutions — and deepening a circuit split on an important venue issue, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

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    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • Ore. Insurance Ruling Opens Door To Extracontractual Claims

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    The Oregon Supreme Court's recent Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union decision expanding an insurer's potential liability when adjusting life insurance policies exposes insurers to extracontractual tort liability, and the boundaries of this application will likely be tested through aggressive legal action, says Tessan Wess at GRSM50.

  • Navigating New Regulations In Healthcare And Other M&A

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    While notice requirements recently enacted in several states are focused on the healthcare industry for now, this trend could extend to other industries as these requirements are designed to allow regulators to be a step ahead and learn more about a transaction long before it occurs, say Kathleen Premo and Ashley Creech at Epstein Becker.

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