Washington

  • July 01, 2024

    9th Circ. Cites Led Zeppelin In Affirming 'SmartBiz' TM Loss

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday affirmed a trial loss by the user of the "SmartBiz" trademark against Collins Cash, the user of the "Smart Business Funding" mark, citing the circuit's own ruling that sided with Led Zeppelin in a copyright dispute to find the lower court did not abuse its discretion when it declined to give the plaintiff's requested jury instruction.

  • July 01, 2024

    Arrgh, Nintendo Sues Mod Of 'SwitchPirates' Subreddit

    Nintendo is now going after a Reddit poster who moderates a subreddit called "SwitchPirates" and who the video game company accuses of stocking ​​"a massive catalog of Nintendo Switch games."

  • July 01, 2024

    Washington State, Tribes Can Wade Into Water Regs Dispute

    A D.C. federal judge said Washington state and five Native American tribes can intervene in a business group's lawsuit trying to overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's decision to reestablish water quality standards for the Evergreen State that it had rolled back during the Trump administration.

  • July 01, 2024

    Wash. Law Firm, Ex-Atty Aided In $20M Fraud, Suit Alleges

    A Washington attorney and her former law firm are accused of lending "an air of legitimacy" to an alleged scheme to bilk an asset management firm out of $20 million by using forged invoices to obtain financing for computer equipment, according to a complaint filed in Washington state court.

  • July 01, 2024

    Starbucks Targets 'Starbuds' Marijuana Truck In IP Suit

    Starbucks has filed a trademark suit against the operator of a repurposed New York City food truck that sells marijuana under the brand Starbuds Flowers and uses an altered image of the coffee giant's iconic siren logo smoking a joint.

  • July 01, 2024

    Wash. Hospital To Pay $1.4M To End Meal Break Wage Suit

    A Washington hospital agreed to shell out $1.4 million to end a lawsuit claiming employees worked through meal breaks without pay, with a medical coder urging a federal court to sign off on the settlement covering about 1,350 workers.

  • July 01, 2024

    Social Media Laws Need More Analysis, Justices Say

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday returned to the lower courts challenges to Florida and Texas laws prohibiting social media platforms from removing content or users based on viewpoint, saying that the Fifth and Eleventh circuits did not conduct the proper analysis on the facial First Amendment challenges to the laws.

  • June 28, 2024

    Chevron's End Is Just The Start For Energized Agency Foes

    By knocking down a powerful precedent that has towered over administrative law for 40 years, the U.S. Supreme Court's right wing Friday gave a crowning achievement to anti-agency attorneys. But for those attorneys, the achievement is merely a means to an end, and experts expect a litigation blitzkrieg to materialize quickly in the aftermath.

  • June 28, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Camping Ban, Mobile Money, Post-Surfside

    Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on an Oregon town's anti-camping ordinance, government incentives for manufactured housing communities, and the progress states have made toward building safety in the three years since the tragic condo collapse in Surfside, Florida.

  • June 28, 2024

    In Chevron Case, Justices Trade One Unknown For Another

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overrule a decades-old judicial deference doctrine may cause the "eternal fog of uncertainty" surrounding federal agency actions to dissipate and level the playing field in challenges of government policies, but lawyers warn it raises new questions over what rules courts must follow and how judges will implement them.

  • June 28, 2024

    Split 9th Circ. Revives Part Of Sprout Baby Food Label Suit

    A California couple suing Sprout Foods over nutrient statements on its baby food pouches can pursue a Golden State law claim but not fraud-based claims, a split Ninth Circuit panel ruled Friday, saying federal law doesn't preempt the state's labeling standards, but the parents haven't shown the products were misleading.

  • June 28, 2024

    Seattle Co. Owes $5.6M For Upgrades At Old Fed Building

    A company that owns the Seattle Federal Reserve Building owes a construction contractor $5.6 million for renovations on two floors, a Washington state court has ruled.

  • June 28, 2024

    Jury Convicts Seattle Doctor In NBA Health Fraud Case

    A Manhattan federal jury on Friday found a Seattle doctor guilty of healthcare fraud and other charges related to a scheme to submit bogus claims for payment to an NBA healthcare plan, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

  • June 28, 2024

    9th Circ. Backs Mining Co.'s Defeat Of Driver's FMLA Suit

    The Ninth Circuit upheld a mining company's jury win over a truck driver's lawsuit claiming he was fired because he took time off after a workplace injury, saying Friday that employers don't have to rely on medical evidence to challenge a doctor's diagnosis under federal medical leave law.

  • June 28, 2024

    Firm Asks $460K In Fees After $8K Awarded In Copyright Case

    A Seattle-based intellectual property firm is seeking $460,000 in attorney fees for its defense of a software company client battling copyright and patent infringement allegations brought by a leadership consultant, despite the client's losing an $8,000 judgment on one claim.

  • June 28, 2024

    Nixed Purdue Ch. 11 Plan May Leave States Ready For A Fight

    State attorneys general across the country could be gearing up for more opioid-related litigation against the Sackler family after the U.S. Supreme Court wiped out a $5.5 billion third-party release for the owners of bankrupt drugmaker Purdue Pharma LP, experts told Law360.

  • June 28, 2024

    High Court Enters July With 3 Rulings To Go

    In a rare move, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue opinions into the beginning of July as the court tries to clear its merits docket of three remaining cases dealing with presidential immunity, whether governments can control social media platforms' content moderation policies and the appropriate deadline to challenge agency action. 

  • June 28, 2024

    Supreme Court Backs Oregon City's Anti-Camping Laws

    The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an Oregon city's anti-camping ordinances Friday against a challenge from homeless residents who allege the laws penalize them for being homeless.

  • June 27, 2024

    Proskauer Builds Litigation Team With Anti-Corruption Expert

    A former Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP deputy chair and investigations and anti-corruption pro with decades of experience in the field has moved to Proskauer Rose LLP to lead its global corporate investigations and compliance practice, the firm announced.

  • June 27, 2024

    Rape Kit Co. Wants Wash. Ban Lifted During Free Speech Suit

    A company that sells self-administered sexual assault DNA collection kits is urging a Washington federal judge to stop the enforcement of a new state law that it claims stifles its First Amendment rights by barring the marketing of its kits as an alternative to resources offered by law enforcement and the government.

  • June 27, 2024

    Expert Testimony Gets Narrowed In Immigrants' Vetting Fight

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday prohibited some expert testimony offered by both parties in a certified class action alleging that the Biden administration illegally shelved Muslim immigrants' naturalization applications for "extreme vetting."

  • June 27, 2024

    Live Nation Tries To Push DOJ's Antitrust Suit Out Of NY

    Counsel for Live Nation Entertainment and subsidiary Ticketmaster on Thursday told a skeptical Manhattan federal judge that the U.S. Department of Justice's antitrust case belongs in D.C. federal court, where the green light was given for the companies' 2010 merger.

  • June 27, 2024

    Colo. AG's Kroger Merger Suit Survives Dismissal Bid

    A Colorado state judge has refused to toss a suit challenging Kroger's planned $24 billion purchase of Albertsons, rejecting the grocery chains' arguments that state enforcers are asking for an overly broad, nationwide injunction by seeking to block the deal.

  • June 27, 2024

    Titanic Purdue Ruling Shifts The Balance Of Power In Ch. 11

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down the Sackler family's liability shield in the Chapter 11 plan of Purdue Pharma LP not only eliminates a key tool to resolve mass tort liabilities through bankruptcy, it gives claimants more leverage and fundamentally changes the insolvency landscape in future cases, experts tell Law360.

  • June 27, 2024

    NTSB Rips Boeing For Blabbing About Blowout Probe

    The National Transportation Safety Board sanctioned Boeing on Thursday for sharing nonpublic details of an ongoing investigation into January's 737 Max 9 midair door plug blowout, deepening the American aerospace giant's regulatory troubles amid multiple probes into its safety culture and quality control.

Expert Analysis

  • When Courts Engage In Fact-Finding At The Pleading Stage

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    It remains to be seen whether the Ninth Circuit's pleading-stage factual determination in a securities class action against Nvidia was sui generis or part of a trend, but the court has created a template for district courts to follow, says Jared Kopel at Alto Litigation.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • How Legal Teams Can Prep For Life Sciences' Tech Revolution

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    The life sciences and health care industries are uniquely positioned to take advantage of new efficiencies created by cloud computing and generative artificial intelligence, but the sensitivity of their data also demands careful navigation of an expanding legislative and regulatory landscape, say Kristi Gedid, Zack Laplante and Lisa LaMotta at Ernst & Young.

  • Harvard's Broker Fight Shows Active Risk Management Is Key

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    Harvard University’s recently filed suit against its insurance broker for alleged malpractice in handling the Students for Fair Admissions claim illustrates that risk management requires the concerted effort of policyholders, brokers and insurers to protect against disastrous losses, say William McMichael and David Klein at Pillsbury.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Beware Privacy Risks In Training AI Models With Health Data

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    Because data used to train artificial intelligence models may be protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or other regulations, users of these models should conduct proper diligence to avoid costly compliance failures, say Neha Matta and Barbara Bennett at Frost Brown.

  • Opinion

    Courts Shouldn't Credit Allegations From Short-Seller Reports

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    Securities class actions against public companies can extend for years and lead to significant settlements, so courts should not allow such cases with allegations wholly reliant on reports by short-sellers, who have an economic interest in seeing a company's stock price decline, to proceed past the motion to dismiss stage, says Richard Zelichov at DLA Piper.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.

  • State Regs Sow Discord Between Cannabis, Hemp Industries

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    Connecticut, Maryland and Washington are the latest states choosing to require intoxicating hemp products to comply with the states' recreational marijuana laws, resulting in a widening rift between cannabis and hemp as Congress works on crafting new hemp legislation within the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • Series

    Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.

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