California

  • March 25, 2024

    SEC Kicks Off 'Shadow Trading' Case Against Drug Exec

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said at the start of a California federal "shadow trading" trial that a former Medivation executive made $120,000 by buying stock in a rival after learning his company would be acquired by Pfizer, while the defense said he didn't believe the trades violated securities law.

  • March 25, 2024

    Homeland Security Raids Diddy's Homes In LA, Miami

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Monday raided homes owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs in Los Angeles and Miami, according to a statement from DHS as well as news reports.

  • March 25, 2024

    Something In The Way Of Nirvana Logo Trial, Judge Told

    Counsel for a former record company employee who claims he created Nirvana's "smiley face" logo urged a California federal judge Monday to let him immediately appeal a ruling denying his ownership claim, and argued the band's copyright suit against designer Marc Jacobs over the logo should be delayed in the meanwhile.

  • March 25, 2024

    Calif. Judge Sick Of VLSI, Intel Filing Without Permission

    A California federal judge has chastised VLSI and Intel for overflowing the court with endless "repetitive and unhelpful" briefs, which they were never authorized to file.

  • March 25, 2024

    3 Class Claims Follow US Antitrust Suit Against Apple

    Days after the U.S. Department of Justice filed a sweeping antitrust suit against Apple in New Jersey federal court, a group of iPhone buyers are filing suit, launching three separate proposed class actions between Friday and Saturday accusing the tech giant of suppressing innovation in the digital apps, wearables and payments industries through anticompetitive agreements.

  • March 25, 2024

    Ex-LA Official Downplayed Role In Huizar Bribes, Jury Told

    An FBI agent told California federal jurors in former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan's criminal trial Monday that Chan denied facilitating bribes between then-city councilor Jose Huizar and a developer when initially questioned by investigators, despite evidence showing he helped orchestrate Las Vegas trips and loans to help Huizar.

  • March 25, 2024

    Lender Wins $44M Award In Shanghai Real Estate Feud

    A California federal court has enforced a $44 million arbitral award issued to a British Virgin Islands lender as repayment for a loan to a Chinese entity to finance a Shanghai real estate project, rejecting arguments that the arbitration violated the parties' underlying agreement.

  • March 25, 2024

    X Corp.'s Suit Against Hate Speech Watchdog Axed For Good

    A California federal judge firmly rejected X Corp.'s suit against a hate speech watchdog Monday, slamming the case as an attempt to punish the group for exercising its free speech rights and permanently dismissing X's claims.

  • March 25, 2024

    COVID 'Cure' Claims Can't Sustain Fraud Suit, 9th Circ. Rules

    A biopharmaceutical company's "enthusiastic" statements to Fox News and others about a potential COVID-19 cure do not amount to fraud and cannot sustain a shareholder lawsuit accusing the company and its top executives of deceiving the market by pretending that a breakthrough was much more consequential than it actually was, the Ninth Circuit ruled on Monday.

  • March 25, 2024

    Rivian's Brass Sued In Del. Over Vehicle Pricing Whiplash

    A shareholder of California-headquartered electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive Inc. has filed a derivative suit against the company's top brass in Delaware's Court of Chancery, alleging they made false and misleading statements concerning Rivian's financial model, including about production costs and pricing for its EV pickup truck and SUV.

  • March 25, 2024

    Backstabbing 'Just How Law Firms Work': Sedgwick Judge

    A California federal judge told counsel during bench trial openings Monday that the Sedgwick LLP trustee's bid to claw back $1.1 million from two ex-partners isn't a "blame game," and "partners stab each other in the back every day and move on to the next one" — "it's just how law firms work."

  • March 25, 2024

    PacBio CEO's Words Haunt Patent Invalidity Arguments

    A California federal judge concluded Monday that statements made by the chief executive officer of biotech company Pacific Biosciences to investors at an earnings call undermined the company's invalidity arguments in a patent suit it's facing.

  • March 25, 2024

    PTAB Splits On Medtronic Bladder And Bowel Control Patents

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has issued split decisions that upheld one Medtronic patent covering an electrical stimulation system used to treat loss of bladder and bowel control and trimmed another patent in challenges brought by a smaller rival in the medical device field.

  • March 25, 2024

    Feds Seek To Block Calif. Corrections Agency's Beard Ban

    The federal government on Monday asked a federal judge to stop the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from demanding that officers be clean-shaven even if religious beliefs require them to have a beard, arguing the inflexible policy has caused officers to feel depressed and ostracized by their communities.

  • March 25, 2024

    Berkshire Hathaway Unit's Patent Must Undergo 3 PGRs

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has instituted three post-grant reviews challenging a single Columbia Insurance Co. fire wall hanger patent, following petitions from Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.

  • March 25, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Dissent Raises Alarm Over IP Safe Harbor Use

    A California federal judge rightly dismissed Edwards Lifesciences Corp.'s infringement suit against Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., the Federal Circuit held Monday, with a dissent arguing such a holding would "create future mischief."

  • March 25, 2024

    EV Maker Fisker Says It's Considering Restructuring

    Electric vehicle company Fisker told federal regulators it is considering restructuring after the collapse of partnership talks with a "large automaker" endangered its attempts to secure $150 million in new financing.

  • March 25, 2024

    Waiting For Car Security Checks Is Work, Calif. Justices Say

    Time spent by workers undergoing an employer's security check that includes an inspection of the worker's personal vehicle is compensable as hours worked, but time spent driving between the security gate and the parking lot is not, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday, answering a Ninth Circuit panel's queries.

  • March 25, 2024

    Geico Beats COVID-19 Auto Rebate Class Action On 2nd Try

    A California federal judge has granted Geico's bid for victory in a certified class action alleging the insurance company owed additional refunds to drivers who overpaid their auto insurance premiums during COVID-19 shutdowns, saying the company's rebate program was adequate and did not violate the state's insurance code.

  • March 25, 2024

    MLB's Ohtani Denies Betting Ties, Alleges Theft By Interpreter

    Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on Monday squarely accused his former interpreter of stealing from him to fund a sports betting habit, denying any direct involvement or knowledge of illegal wagering.

  • March 25, 2024

    Del. Justices Undo Toss Of Brookfield-TerraForm Merger Suit

    Delaware's Supreme Court on Monday reversed the dismissal of a suit from former shareholders of TerraForm Power Inc. who challenged a squeeze-out merger by Brookfield Asset Management Inc., concluding a proxy statement failed to fully disclose alleged conflicts of interest involving special advisers Morgan Stanley & Co LLC and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • March 25, 2024

    Sunday Ticket Plaintiffs Rip NFL For 'Privileged' Name Games

    The plaintiffs in the antitrust class action against the NFL over its Sunday Ticket broadcast package have accused the league of hiding behind a front-office executive, with an inaccurate job title, to claim that vital documents were privileged and did not need to be disclosed.

  • March 25, 2024

    OSU, WSU Finalize $65M Deal With Departing Pac-12 Schools

    Oregon State University and Washington State University finalized the terms of their settlement with the departing members of the Pac-12 conference Monday, splitting $65 million in fees and securing additional protections for their slimmed-down partnership.

  • March 25, 2024

    Bloomberg Asks To Toss Ex-Gov. Huckabee's AI Class Action

    Media company Bloomberg has asked a Manhattan federal judge to dismiss it from a proposed class action led by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, arguing that the plaintiffs' complaint lacks specifics detailing how their e-books' copyrights were allegedly infringed to train Bloomberg's large language model.

  • March 25, 2024

    No Coverage for Pa. ATV Accident, Insurer Says

    Truck Insurance Exchange has told a Pennsylvania state court it should owe no coverage to a policyholder facing a personal injury suit over an all-terrain vehicle accident, saying the policyholder's insurance agent "intentionally" failed to disclose the accident before Truck issued the policy.

Expert Analysis

  • Zero-Point Offender Eligibility May Hinge On Meaning Of 'And'

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    Some white collar defendants’ eligibility for the new zero-point offender sentencing adjustment comes down to whether the word “and” really means “and” — a question the U.S. Supreme Court is set to resolve in its upcoming Pulsifer v. U.S. decision, which could affect thousands of incarcerated people, say Brandon McCarthy and Nikita Yogeshwarun at Katten.

  • Valeant Ruling May Pave Way For Patent-Based FCA Suits

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in Silbersher v. Valeant marks a significant development in False Claims Act jurisprudence, opens new avenues for litigation and potentially raises the stakes for patent applicants who intend to do business with the government, say Joshua Robbins and Rick Taché at Buchalter.

  • 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.

  • The Pros And Cons Of Protecting AI As Trade Secrets

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    Despite regulatory trends toward greater transparency of artificial intelligence models, federal policy acknowledges, and perhaps endorses, trade secret protection for AI information, but there are still hurdles in keeping AI information a secret, say Jennifer Maisel and Andrew Stewart at Rothwell Figg.

  • Complying With Enforcers' Ephemeral Messaging Guidance

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    Given federal antitrust enforcers’ recently issued guidance on ephemeral messaging applications, organizations must take a proactive approach to preserving short-lived communications — or risk criminal obstruction charges and civil discovery sanctions, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Lessons For D&O Policyholders From Pharma Co. Ruling

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    A California federal court's recent decision in AmTrust v. 180 Life Sciences, requiring insurers to advance defense costs for a potentially covered claim, provides a valuable road map for directors and officers insurance policyholders, rebutting the common presumption that a D&O insurer's duty to advance costs is more limited than under other policies, say attorneys at Pasich.

  • 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.

  • Regulatory Trends Offer 4 Lessons For Debt Relief Providers

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    A string of enforcement actions, including a New York lawsuit filed last month by seven states and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, underscore the regulatory scrutiny that debt relief and credit repair companies face and offer important lessons on telemarketing and deceptive practices compliance, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Bracing Cos. For Calif. Privacy Agency's Restored Authority

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    A recent California state appeals court decision greenlights the California Privacy Protection Agency's enforcement of certain consumer privacy regulations, which may speed up compliance requirements, so businesses considering use of artificial intelligence, for instance, may want to reassess their handling of privacy notices and opt-out requests, say Kevin Angle and Matthew Cin at Ropes & Gray.

  • 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.

  • 2 Emerging Defenses For Website Tracking Class Actions

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    Putative class actions premised on state wiretapping statutes that bar website activity tracking continue to be on the rise, but they are increasingly being dismissed on two procedural grounds, says Sheri Pan at ZwillGen.

  • 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.

  • After TikTok, Tiptoeing Toward Patent Transfer Alignment

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    Following the Fifth Circuit's TikTok decision, which aimed to standardize transfer analysis in patent cases, the Federal Circuit and Texas federal courts facing transfer requests have taken small steps to consider the practical realities of patent litigation, reinforcing the intensely factual focus of the analysis, says Charles Fowler at McKool Smith.

  • Bank Secrecy Act Lessons For Casinos After DOJ Settlements

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlements with the MGM Grand and Cosmopolitan casinos, resolving an investigation into alleged violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, signal a shift in the DOJ's enforcement focus and provide insight into potential pitfalls in anti-money laundering compliance programs, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

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