Washington

  • October 01, 2026

    Blue States Fight EPA Rollback Of Power Plant Climate Rules

    A New York-led coalition of mostly Democratic states and municipalities lodged a petition on Thursday before the D.C. Circuit challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent repeal of Biden-era limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants.

  • October 01, 2026

    Judge Reinstates Rogoff As Seattle US Atty After Trump Firing

    A Washington federal judge issued an order from the bench on Thursday reinstating Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, finding that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he fired him in July.

  • September 30, 2026

    9th Circ. Judges Doubt X's Claims Against Anti-Hate Group

    Ninth Circuit judges appeared skeptical Wednesday of X Corp.'s bid to revive claims against two nonprofits for scraping tweets to study online hate speech, with one judge questioning X's contract damages claim and another doubting that the nonprofits could be held liable for publishing true information.

  • September 30, 2026

    Wash. Judge Blocks Construction Of Protected River Road

    A Washington federal judge has blocked for now construction of a road within an active channel of the Stehekin River, granting a conservation group's request for a temporary restraining order effective until Oct. 16 as it seeks to protect salmon during spawning season.

  • September 30, 2026

    Paramount Gets OK On Deal With State AGs Over Merger

    A California federal judge gave the green light Wednesday to a settlement to end a group of state enforcers' challenge of Paramount Skydance's planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying the resolution reflects a "good faith approach" to alleviate concerns that the merger will stifle entertainment industry competition.

  • September 30, 2026

    Valve Order Allows 15K Antitrust Arbitrations To Be Closed

    A federal judge in Seattle refused Wednesday to issue a preliminary injunction to curb the closure of nearly 15,000 gamers' antitrust arbitrations against entertainment giant Valve Corp., finding that plaintiff Jeffrey Smith failed to show that closing the arbitrations would cause irreparable harm.

  • September 30, 2026

    Delta Concealed Noncompetes, Wash. Class Action Claims

    Delta Air Lines Inc. broke Washington state law by failing to disclose the terms of its noncompetition restrictions to job applicants before they accepted employment, a worker has claimed in a proposed class action filed in King County Superior Court.

  • September 30, 2026

    Tort Report: Uber Owes $40M In Abandoned Rider Death Case

    A $40 million arbitration award in a case over an Uber incident and looming litigation against the federal government over a highly publicized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • September 30, 2026

    T-Mobile Users' Rate Hike Class Claims Sent To Arbitration

    Consumers in a proposed class action against T-Mobile over alleged wireless plan rate hikes must arbitrate their claims individually, a Washington federal judge said Tuesday, agreeing with the company the customers consented to an arbitration pact by continuing to use and pay for service after receiving notice of updated terms.

  • September 30, 2026

    States Back AGs' 6th Circ. Bid To Keep RealPage Rent Claims

    A contingent of 25 states is backing a Sixth Circuit appeal from several other state-level enforcers challenging settlements in private litigation that could block them from seeking damages over claims that landlords used RealPage's software to collude on residential rental rates.

  • September 30, 2026

    Relator Must Seek Part Of $4.7B Opioid Deal In State Courts

    A whistleblower must turn to state courts to pursue his bid for a portion of a $4.7 billion settlement between Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and a group of states resolving opioid-related claims against the retail pharmacy chain, an Illinois federal judge ruled.

  • September 30, 2026

    Split 9th Circ. Keeps Ariz. Land Swap In Place

    The Ninth Circuit won't rethink a decision to allow a 2,500-acre land exchange within Arizona's Tonto National Forest that tribal nations and conservation groups say will destroy a sacred Apache worship site, with several judges voicing opposition in a pair of dissents and a statement saying the circuit court's 2024 decision in the dispute was wrong.

  • September 30, 2026

    Detainees Urge Justices To Deny Prison Co.'s Wage Appeal

    Immigrant detainees and Washington state asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a prison operator's bid to review a ruling on minimum wages for detention facility workers, arguing a federal agency changed the underlying rules months before the government urged the court to take the case.

  • September 30, 2026

    Crocs Takes ITC Appeal Timing Issue To Supreme Court

    Crocs Inc. wants the U.S. Supreme Court to take a look at when a federal agency's ruling becomes appealable, after the Federal Circuit found the clogs maker was too late in challenging a mixed U.S. International Trade Commission trademark ruling that generated two appeal deadlines.

  • September 30, 2026

    'Bikini Barista' Owner Asks Judge To Trim $1.8M Award

    The owner of Beehive Espresso, which operates Seattle-area kiosks known as bikini barista coffee stands, asked a state judge to rethink a $1.86 million judgment for baristas, arguing that the court imposed uniform assumptions about unpaid work and employee cash contributions without showing those figures reliably applied across the class.

  • September 30, 2026

    Boeing Worker Drops OT Suit After Arbitration Pact Surfaces

    A Washington state Boeing worker has voluntarily dismissed his proposed class action alleging that the aerospace giant failed to include bonuses and other incentive pay in overtime and sick leave calculations, after the company produced an arbitration agreement that barred him from pursuing class claims in court.

  • September 29, 2026

    Zillow Must Face Realtors' Antitrust Suit Over Referral Terms

    A Washington federal judge Monday refused to throw out a proposed class action accusing Zillow of bullying realtors into buying its software and steering clients toward its home loan services, saying the plaintiff agents have adequately alleged they had "no choice" but to play along to get homebuyer referrals.  

  • September 29, 2026

    En Banc 9th Circ. Mulls Copyright Test Change In Tattoo Case

    Counsel for a photographer who lost at trial over claims that a Kat Von D tattoo infringed his copyrighted photo of Miles Daves urged an en banc Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday to end the circuit's use of a subjective "intrinsic" test for juries to determine substantial similarity. 

  • September 29, 2026

    Boeing Can't Avoid Punitives With HQ Move, Passengers Say

    Passengers suing The Boeing Co. over the 2024 blowout of an aircraft door panel told a Washington state court on Monday that the aerospace giant can't escape punitive damages under Illinois law, claiming that corporate decisions made at the company's former Chicago headquarters are to blame for the event.

  • September 29, 2026

    Ministry Stance In Anti-LGBTQ+ Hiring Suit Confuses 9th Circ.

    An en banc Ninth Circuit struggled Tuesday to understand a Washington-based Christian ministry's legal stance as it sought to preserve its ability to reject job applicants who are gay, with several judges suggesting it was immune from enforcement action since the state recognized the jobs as ministerial and therefore constitutionally exempt from anti-discrimination laws.

  • September 29, 2026

    Lupin Strikes Deal In States' Generic Drug-Price Fixing Suit

    Lupin Pharmaceuticals has reached a settlement with multiple states to resolve allegations that it conspired with G&W Laboratories Inc. to raise prices of the tuberculosis drug Ethambutol during a supply shortage years ago, according to a minute order entered in Connecticut federal court on Monday.

  • September 29, 2026

    States' Temporary Aid Data-Sharing Injunction Bid Falls Short

    A D.C. federal judge declined to block a Trump administration policy allowing disclosures of temporary financial assistance recipients' sensitive personal information to federal authorities, saying that while it "seems plausible" this will chill participation in the program, Democratic-led states challenging the policy haven't provided "concrete evidence" of such harm.

  • September 29, 2026

    Providence Tells Wash. Justices $230M Loss Upends CBAs

    Counsel for Providence Health & Services, Washington state's largest healthcare provider, urged the state's highest court on Tuesday to overturn workers' $230 million trial win over missed meal breaks, arguing that the judgment could put large employers at risk for complying with collective bargaining agreements.

  • September 29, 2026

    Surgical Robot Co. Says 9th Circ. 'Expands' Antitrust Law

    Intuitive Surgical asked the full Ninth Circuit to reconsider a decision reviving a surgical repair company's claims that it blocked third parties from refurbishing components for its popular da Vinci surgery robot, arguing the panel created a whole new pathway to alleging monopolization of secondary markets.

  • September 29, 2026

    Zillow Tells DC Court To Toss Junk Fees Suit

    Zillow Group Inc. has urged a Washington, D.C., federal court to toss a "meritless" proposed junk fees class action, arguing that the challenged rent payment fees are disclosed to residential tenants, and it offers a fee-free payment option.

Expert Analysis

  • Responding To State Packaging Law Uncertainty

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    As states roll out new packaging and recycling mandates, companies face expanding compliance duties and a growing wave of constitutional challenges that offer key lessons for managing regulatory risk, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Money Transmission Issue Looms For Prediction Markets

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    The circuit split recently created by the Ninth Circuit's ruling in Kalshi v. Assad has implications reaching beyond gaming regulation as, depending on the ultimate characterization of prediction market event contracts, platforms may face differing obligations under federal and state money transmission laws, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • The Deep Split Over Mandatory Detention, And What's Next

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    The government’s mandatory detention policy for noncitizens who entered the U.S. without inspection has led to a spate of decisions this year, with nine circuits rejecting the government's reading of the Immigration and Nationality Act against two that have accepted it, making the issue ripe for U.S. Supreme Court review, says attorney Kemal Hepsen.

  • Attorneys Using AI May Have Ethical Duty To Redact Docs

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    The trajectory of legal ethics guidance in recent years strongly suggests that as redaction technology becomes more accessible, the failure to use it when uploading highly confidential materials into artificial intelligence tools will become increasingly difficult to defend as reasonable, say attorneys at Lewis Brisbois.

  • Minn. Ruling Expands Insureds' Right To Independent Counsel

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    If upheld on appeal, a recent decision by a Minnesota appellate court — Fabyanske Westra Hart & Thomson v. Western National Mutual Insurance — will give Minnesota policyholders a stronger basis to demand independent counsel when an insurer accepts a defense under a reservation of rights, say attorneys at Stoel Rives.

  • Retailers Must Navigate State Innocent-Seller Law Patchwork

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    States' innocent-seller statutes can shield nonmanufacturing retailers from product liability claims to varying degrees, and by building the evidentiary record strategically throughout discovery, companies can improve their chances of obtaining summary judgment — but it is essential to stay abreast of the rapidly evolving policy environment, say attorneys at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

  • OpenAI Deal Highlights AI Hiring Risks In PERM Process

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement of allegations that OpenAI discriminated against U.S. applicants for positions connected to the permanent labor certification process underscores that employers providing or using artificial intelligence must align their recruitment practices with their overlapping compliance obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • State AI Safety Laws Raise New Liabilities For Healthcare Cos.

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    Healthcare and life science companies using third-party artificial intelligence tools should pay particular attention to the changing state-level legal landscape, where the rollout of multiple AI safety laws is introducing both new compliance obligations and potential consumer protection liabilities, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

  • How 'Swap' Fight Underpins Prediction Market Enforcement

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    As courts around the country grapple with whether, and under what circumstances, event contracts qualify as swaps, federal enforcement authority hangs in the balance, with implications for companies that need to manage compliance risks during this period of legal uncertainty, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • The State Of Prediction Market Litigation After 9th Circ. Ruling

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalshi v. Assad gives state regulators significant appellate backing to enforce state gaming laws over prediction markets, creating a direct split with the Third Circuit that will likely lead to Supreme Court review of the question, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Ballet Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of learning and performing ballet taught me that success — whether in dance or practicing law — comes only through hours of thorough preparation, boundless energy and relentless effort, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 9th Circ. 'Bad Spaniels' Ruling Rewrites TM Dilution Playbook

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling that each element of the Jack Daniel's packaging parodied by the Bad Spaniels dog toy must be independently assessed for fame narrows trademark owners' ability to use a flagship mark's halo effect to protect the entire brand from tarnishment, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • How Texas' Protein Powder Probe Reflects Prop 65's Influence

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    Texas' recently announced investigation into contaminants in protein powder illustrates how California's Proposition 65, with its hundreds of listed chemicals, safe harbor levels and consumer warnings, may have an influence on enforcement and regulation in other states, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • What 9th Circ. Devas Ruling Means For AI Infrastructure Deals

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent confirmation of a $2 billion arbitration award in Devas Multimedia's arbitration against a state-owned commercial arm of India’s space agency creates a cross-border enforcement road map for disputes that are bound to arise from the current generation of artificial intelligence infrastructure deals, says Fernanda Merouco at Davis Wright.

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