California

  • June 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Doubts Suit Challenging US Military Aid To Israel

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Monday of reviving a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration's support for Israel's military efforts in Gaza, with two judges saying the injunctive relief requests are "extraordinary" and broad, and a third judge saying reviving the case would essentially have courts running the U.S. military.

  • June 10, 2024

    Full 9th Circ. Rules AB5 And Its Exemptions Are Lawful

    The California Legislature had a plausible reason for creating certain carveouts from a state law governing whether workers are employees or independent contractors, the full Ninth Circuit ruled Monday, departing from a panel's decision that Assembly Bill 5 disfavors companies such as Uber.

  • June 11, 2024

    UPDATED: Court Says Eastman Disbarment Order Filed In Error

    A California federal court has nixed an order disbarring former Donald Trump lawyer John C. Eastman from the venue, saying in a notice filed Tuesday that the document was filed by mistake.

  • June 10, 2024

    Cooley Adds Comp Partners From Cadwalader, Wilson Sonsini

    Cooley LLP announced the addition of two partners from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC on Monday, touting their combined five decades of experience in compensation and benefits.

  • June 10, 2024

    9th Circ. To Hear Args In Psilocybin Right-To-Try Case

    A Ninth Circuit panel will hear oral arguments in August in an appeal brought by a Seattle doctor seeking to administer psilocybin to terminal cancer patients under state and federal right-to-try laws.

  • June 10, 2024

    Snap Slams Connecticut Girl's Renewed Sex Assault Suit

    A renewed lawsuit alleging that Snapchat's Bitmoji avatars make it easier for sexual predators and other malicious individuals to groom minors must be dismissed again, Snap Inc. told a Connecticut state court, because the new complaint retreads the same allegations the court already tossed out.

  • June 10, 2024

    Justices Call For Do-Over In 9th Circ. Bank Preemption Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday tossed a Ninth Circuit decision rejecting federal preemption of a California state interest-on-escrow law for Flagstar Bank, ordering a do-over in the case following the high court's recent ruling on preemption standards in a similar case involving Bank of America.

  • June 10, 2024

    Another Ex-Sheppard Mullin IP Atty Joins Dickinson Wright

    Dickinson Wright PLLC has added another intellectual property attorney from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP to its Silicon Valley office, saying Monday that she arrives with more than 1,000 past U.S. and international patent matters under her belt.

  • June 10, 2024

    Justices To Hear Meta Investor Suit Over Risk Disclosures

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear Meta Platforms' petition regarding the Ninth Circuit's decision to partially revive investors' claims over the Cambridge Analytica data abuse scandal, after the tech giant argued the appellate panel adopted "extreme outlier positions."

  • June 07, 2024

    Public Schools Tossed From Calif. Social Media Injury Case

    Four public school districts cannot pursue their claims against Meta Platforms, Snap, Google, YouTube and TikTok that their allegedly addictive social media platforms fueling a mental health crisis among children have had a ripple effect on schools, a California state judge ruled Friday.

  • June 07, 2024

    NFL's Kraft Testifies 'Too Many' Sunday Ticket Sales Is Bad

    A California federal jury considering multi-billion dollar antitrust claims against the NFL brought by Sunday Ticket subscribers saw video deposition testimony Friday from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who said ensuring a high price for the television package is a league priority, and he would not want "too many" U.S. subscribers.

  • June 07, 2024

    Tetra Tech Says Gov't On 'Fishing Expedition' In FCA Suit

    Tetra Tech and a subsidiary accused the federal government and a housing developer of a "fishing expedition" after they sought access to electronic media long after discovery closed in cases accusing the subsidiary of fraud under Navy environmental contracts. 

  • June 07, 2024

    Real Estate Authority: EPA's Brownfield Funding Surge

    Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including a new data series on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's brownfield grant program.

  • June 07, 2024

    Ontrak CEO Had Anxiety Over Souring Cigna Deal, Jury Told

    A former Ontrak Inc. consultant testified Friday in the trial of its founder who's accused of trading on insider information about Ontrak's souring relationship with Cigna Healthcare in 2021, telling California federal jurors he frequently expressed anxiety, saying that Ontrak must "save Cigna" and describing the situation as a nightmare.

  • June 07, 2024

    Uber Targets Most Calif., Texas Claims In Driver Assault MDL

    Uber urged a California federal judge Friday to toss the majority of claims from plaintiffs in California and Texas in multidistrict litigation seeking to hold the ride-hailing company liable for drivers' sexual assaults, saying it can't be held responsible for the actions of individual drivers under those state's laws.

  • June 07, 2024

    Speech Pathologists Say BakerHostetler Bungled Biz Deal

    A trio of Los Angeles-based speech pathologists have filed a malpractice suit against their former BakerHostetler counsel in California state court, accusing the firm and an Ohio-based partner of negligence in failing to properly advise them amid a business deal, allegedly resulting in the therapists losing their successful practice and more than $1 million.

  • June 07, 2024

    Split 9th Circ. Revives LA Schools Vaccine Policy Row

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday reversed a California federal court's dismissal of a proposed class action challenging a recently rescinded Los Angeles Unified School District policy requiring employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their jobs, ruling that the district still has the potential to reinstate it.

  • June 07, 2024

    Terraform Funder Must Face Class Claims In Illinois

    Terraform Labs' financial backer Jump Trading LLC cannot consolidate a pair of proposed class actions accusing it of propping up the failing crypto platform, with a federal judge ruling that purchasers of a massively devalued crypto token can keep their lawsuit against the high-speed trading firm in Illinois.

  • June 07, 2024

    Swiss Investor Leaves Ring In $3M Suit Over Boxing Match

    A California federal judge has dismissed claims by an event organizer against a Switzerland-based investment firm over the financing of a pay-per-view boxing match, deciding it wasn't a party to the approximately $3 million contract dispute, and the organizer misinterpreted its funding role.

  • June 07, 2024

    David Beckham Settles Suit With Mark Wahlberg's Fitness Biz

    Fitness club franchising company F45 Training, promoted by early investor Mark Wahlberg, has settled a breach of contract suit originally filed in California state court in 2022 that centered around a promotional deal involving international soccer icon David Beckham.

  • June 07, 2024

    High Court's 'Narrow' Jack Daniel's Opinion Having Big Impact

    When the U.S. Supreme Court decided a year ago that the maker of a squeaky dog toy that looks like a Jack Daniel’s whiskey bottle had no free speech protections against trademark infringement claims, the justices described their holding as narrow, but lawyers and academics are now suggesting the opinion is having broader implications.

  • June 07, 2024

    Coinbase, Kraken Profit Off Crypto Scams, Suit Says

    Cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase Inc. and Kraken face a pair of lawsuits filed by a former customer who accused them of using their platforms to attract scammers and victims to make a profit by taking operating fees.

  • June 07, 2024

    Yale Hospital Sued For Seeking To Exit $435M Purchase Deal

    California-based Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. has sued Yale New Haven Health for seeking to back out of a $435 million acquisition of three financially distressed Connecticut hospitals, accusing the state's largest hospital of breach of contract and wrongfully leaking a prior lawsuit to the press.

  • June 07, 2024

    FCA, Cummins' $6M Engine Defect Deal Gets OK'd

    A Michigan federal judge gave the go-ahead Friday to a $6 million settlement to resolve claims that Cummins Inc. made defective engines that went into FCA US LLC's Dodge Ram vehicles. FCA, now part of Stellantis NV, was once better known as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV.

  • June 07, 2024

    Goodwin, Cooley Lead J&J-Backed Neurological Firm's IPO

    Johnson & Johnson-backed neurological firm Rapport Therapeutics Inc. rallied in debut trading Friday after it completed a $136 million initial public offering within its price range, guided by Goodwin Procter LLP and underwriters counsel Cooley LLP.

Expert Analysis

  • How AI Cos. Can Cope With Shifting Copyright Landscape

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    In the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, recent legal disputes have focused on the utilization of copyrighted material to train algorithms, meaning companies should be aware of fair use implications and possible licensing solutions for AI users, say Michael Hobbs and Justin Tilghman at Troutman Pepper.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Key Lessons From Recent Insurance Policy Reform Litigation

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    A review of recent case law reveals the wide range of misunderstandings that may arise between insurers and policyholders in the purchase and renewal of insurance policies, as well as the utility — and the limits — of reformation and related remedies for these misunderstandings, say Jad Khazem and Seth Tucker at Covington.

  • Patent Lessons From 4 Federal Circuit Reversals In April

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    Four Federal Circuit decisions in April that reversed or vacated underlying rulings provide a number of takeaways, including that obviousness analysis requires a flexible approach, that an invalidity issue of an expired patent can be moot, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • What The FTC Report On AG Collabs Means For Cos.

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    The Federal Trade Commission's April report on working with state attorneys general shows collaboration can increase efficiency and consistency in how statutes are interpreted and enforced, which can minimize the likelihood of requests for inconsistent injunctive relief that can create operational problems for businesses, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • When Oral Settlements Reached In Mediation Are Enforceable

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    A recent decision by the New Jersey Appellate Division illustrates the difficulties that may arise in trying to enforce an oral settlement agreement reached in mediation, but adherence to certain practices can improve the likelihood that such an agreement will be binding, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • 3 Employer Lessons From NLRB's Complaint Against SpaceX

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    Severance agreements traditionally have included nondisparagement and nondisclosure provisions as a matter of course — but a recent National Labor Relations Board complaint against SpaceX underscores the ongoing efforts to narrow severance agreements at the state and federal levels, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony

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    In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Airlines Must Prepare For State AG Investigations

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    A recent agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation and 18 states and territories will allow attorneys general to investigate consumer complaints against commercial passenger airlines — so carriers must be ready for heightened scrutiny and possibly inconsistent enforcement, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

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