California

  • August 11, 2025

    Army Brass Grilled On Trump's Calif. Troop Deployment

    A San Francisco federal judge overseeing a bench trial over California's claims that President Donald Trump unlawfully deployed military troops in the state dug into a U.S. Army commander's testimony Monday that soldiers were sent to help enforce immigration laws, even when the military's own assessment showed a low risk of violence or damage.

  • August 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms SEC Win In Life Insurance Investment Row

    The Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion Monday that fractional interests in life settlements are investment contracts and thus securities, backing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's win against Pacific West Capital Group agents, who the SEC alleged sold unregistered securities and didn't properly register as broker-dealers.

  • August 11, 2025

    Calif. Trader To Pay SEC $358K Over Spoofing Allegations

    A former day trader has agreed to give the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nearly $358,000 to end claims he manipulated options markets by means of so-called spoofing, illegally making about $234,000.

  • August 11, 2025

    Consumers Say Vape Makers Can't Escape Price-Fixing Suit

    Buyers of cannabis vape brand CCell are pushing back on two bids seeking to dismiss their consolidated proposed consumer class action in California federal court accusing the Chinese manufacturers and U.S. distributors of organizing a price-fixing scheme, saying the companies' interpretation of antitrust law creates a legal loophole.

  • August 11, 2025

    How A Nonexistent Bar Unraveled A California Bribery Case

    The criminal case against Palm Springs, California, developer John Wessman hinged on a cooperating witness's testimony that Wessman hatched a plan with him at a bar to bribe the city's then-mayor, but his defense counsel from Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP blew up that story on cross-examination by demonstrating the bar hadn't even opened at that time, helping to obtain an acquittal.

  • August 11, 2025

    Paxton Seeks Calif.'s Help With Quorum-Breaker Warrants

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton asked a California state court on Friday to enforce arrest warrants against six members of the Texas House of Representatives who are among more than 50 Democrats who left the state in protest of a Republican redistricting plan.

  • August 11, 2025

    P&G Must Face Claims Of Unsafe Lead Levels In Tampons

    A California federal judge has refused to dismiss the bulk of a suit alleging the Proctor & Gamble Co. sold tampons that contained amounts of lead beyond what California allows, saying the latest complaint included enough detail about the testing for the case to move forward.

  • August 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Says LA Men Have Ammo In Gun Rights Class Action

    The Ninth Circuit found Monday that a Los Angeles gun licensing policy that allowed only judges or law enforcement agents to carry concealed weapons was unconstitutional in light of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, reviving a proposed class action brought by three men who were arrested for violating the policy.

  • August 11, 2025

    AGs Target Voice Providers In 'Operation Robocall Roundup'

    A bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general from across the U.S. is sending warning letters to 37 voice service providers to demand action against illegal robocalls, alleging they flouted Federal Communications Commission rules, according to an announcement Monday.

  • August 11, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Nielsen Holdings Ltd. and consumer intelligence spinoff Nielsen Consumer IQ agreed to end their dispute, a sole investor asked the court to name him lead plaintiff in a suit challenging Endeavor's $13 billion take-private deal, and the Chancery Court announced a new, automated case assignment regime. Here's the latest from the Delaware Chancery Court.

  • August 11, 2025

    Fla. Drinks Co. Founder Faces Filings Ban Over Fake AI Cases

    A Florida federal judge is considering a request to ban the founder of Bang Energy from submitting any more paperwork without court permission after Monster Energy argued Monday that fake legal citations generated from artificial intelligence appeared in a pro se motion to dismiss its judgment collection lawsuit.

  • August 11, 2025

    Fisher Phillips Adds Back Kahana Feld Labor Atty In Calif.

    Fisher Phillips is expanding its West Coast team, announcing Monday a Kahana Feld LLP labor and employment ace is returning to the firm as a partner its Orange County office in Irvine, California.

  • August 11, 2025

    Girardi's Public Defender Rejoins Kendall Brill & Kelly

    A federal public defender who represented disgraced plaintiffs attorney Tom Girardi in his wire fraud trial has returned to Kendall Brill & Kelly LLP in Los Angeles as a partner, the firm said Monday.

  • August 11, 2025

    Baker McKenzie Boosts Its Deals Bench With Willkie Farr Atty

    Baker McKenzie is continuing to expand its transactions team around the world, announcing Monday that it has hired a former Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP attorney who advises private equity clients on a wide range of deals.

  • August 11, 2025

    Feds, Wind Farm Backers Cross Swords Over Permitting Halt

    The U.S. government and opponents of the Trump administration's halt of wind farm project reviews have made their cases to a Massachusetts federal judge as to why they should prevail in litigation challenging the legality of the moratorium.

  • August 11, 2025

    AI Firm Anthropic Can't Get Pause For Early Fair Use Appeal

    A California federal judge on Monday denied a request from artificial intelligence firm Anthropic to pause a case over its use of books to train its large language model so it could appeal a ruling saying a jury would decide whether damages were warranted for the company's use of pirated works.

  • August 11, 2025

    Calif. Judge Shuts Off Some Netflix Patent Claims In Suit

    A California federal judge has narrowed Netflix's lawsuit accusing Broadcom of ripping off five software patents, tossing some patent claims for good while giving the streaming company the ability to amend others.

  • August 11, 2025

    Levi Strauss Sues NotSoNormal Over Alleged TM Infringement

    Levi Strauss & Co. has launched a trademark infringement action against a Los Angeles-based retailer it accuses of selling reworked versions of its apparel products for hundreds of dollars, according to a complaint in California federal court.

  • August 11, 2025

    Weil Brings On Another IP Litigation Duo From Latham

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Monday that it has hired more attorneys from Latham & Watkins LLP, this time bringing on two intellectual property attorneys in Boston and San Francisco on the heels of other recent additions from the firm.

  • August 11, 2025

    Suit Alleges Offshore Sportsbook Ignored Opt-Out Requests

    A California man filed a proposed class action against the offshore sportsbook MyBookie, saying it bombards him with text messages promoting its various offerings despite his repeated attempts to opt out of the communications.

  • August 09, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Higher Ed, Big 4, Rising Stars

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including creative ways institutions of higher learning are monetizing real estate, second quarter takeaways from top commercial real estate brokerages, and profiles of two of the industry's rising stars.

  • August 08, 2025

    CFPB Preps Complaint Against Failed Fintech Firm Synapse

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is getting ready to file a complaint against bankrupt Synapse Financial Technologies on allegations it failed to properly keep track of consumer funds and left as much as $90 million in consumer funds unrecovered, the fintech firm's trustee has told a bankruptcy judge in California.

  • August 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Grounds Lufthansa Refund Deal On Atty Fee Question

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday vacated an order that granted class certification and gave final approval to a $56.6 million settlement reached between Lufthansa and customers in a dispute concerning refunds for flights canceled due to COVID-19, saying a district court's calculation gave class counsel a disproportionate distribution.

  • August 08, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Ex-Atty Sued By CFPB Still On Hook For $243M

    The Ninth Circuit refused to free a disbarred attorney from a $243 million order that included civil penalties to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for his role in a student loan scam, finding no genuine dispute whether the former lawyer violated consumer protection law.

  • August 08, 2025

    Hospital, Clinic Exit Suit Over Man's Fatal Stabbing

    A California appeals court has refused to revive a woman's suit against a psychiatric hospital and outpatient clinic blaming them for the death of her husband who was stabbed by her mentally ill son, saying the healthcare providers are shielded by a psychotherapist immunity statute.

Expert Analysis

  • Anthropic Ruling Creates Fair Use Framework For AI Training

    Author Photo

    A California federal court’s recent ruling that Anthropic’s use of copyrighted books to train its large language model qualified as fair use provides important guidance for both artificial intelligence developers and copyright holders because it distinguishes between transformative uses and unauthorized uses involving pirated or format-shifted works, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Property Insurers Serve As Climate Change Harbingers

    Author Photo

    Thomas Dawson at McDermott discusses the role that U.S. property insurers may play in identifying and assessing climate risk, as well as in financing climate change adaptation projects, in light of global warming and shifting geopolitical realities.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

    Author Photo

    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

    Author Photo

    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

    Author Photo

    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

    Author Photo

    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

    Author Photo

    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

    Author Photo

    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.

  • How NJ's Proposed Privacy Rules Could Reshape AI Data Use

    Author Photo

    Although not revolutionary, New Jersey's proposed privacy rules would create obligations around the management and processing of consumer personal data that will require careful planning before they can be successfully implemented, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

    Author Photo

    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Business Takeaways Following CCPA Enforcement Actions

    Author Photo

    Advisories and recent enforcement activity by the California Privacy Protection Agency against Honda and Todd Snyder underscore the agency's enforcement interest in the intersection of data minimization and consumer rights, and could make it more challenging for a business to provide a streamlined consumer rights process, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Compliance Lessons From 1st-Ever Product Safety Sentences

    Author Photo

    A California federal judge’s recent sentencing of two former Gree USA executives in a landmark Consumer Product Safety Act case serves as a reminder of the federal government’s willingness to pursue criminal prosecution of individuals who fail to report safety hazards, as well as companies’ need to strengthen their reporting and compliance programs, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing

    Author Photo

    Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California archive.