California

  • September 18, 2025

    OpenAI Faces Liability Test In Suit Over ChatGPT Suicide

    A wrongful death suit accusing OpenAI's artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT of aiding a teenager's suicide is set to be a high-stakes test of the responsibilities that AI firms will have toward vulnerable users, particularly minors exhibiting signs of mental distress, attorneys said.

  • September 18, 2025

    Calif. County Deputy DA Loses Free Speech Retaliation Suit

    A California federal judge has tossed a retaliation suit from a former Santa Clara County, California, deputy district attorney.

  • September 18, 2025

    Colibri Wants Full Fed. Circ. To Rethink Medtronic Patent Case

    Colibri Heart Valve LLC wants the full Federal Circuit to review a panel's ruling overturning a patent infringement judgment of more than $125 million against Medtronic's CoreValve unit, saying the panel wrongly applied a reading of the law that is too broad.

  • September 18, 2025

    Jackson Lewis Lands 2 Principals From Stokes Wagner

    Jackson Lewis PC announced Thursday that it has hired two former Stokes Wagner attorneys as principals in two of its California offices to bolster the employment law services it offers its clients.

  • September 18, 2025

    1st Circ. Won't Lift Block On HHS Job, Program Cuts

    The First Circuit on Wednesday rejected a bid by the Trump administration to let it move ahead with cutting 10,000 jobs and end a number of programs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services while it appeals a Rhode Island federal judge's order temporarily barring the plan.

  • September 17, 2025

    Disney's $233M Deal In Living Wage Suit Gets Final OK

    A California state court has granted final approval of Walt Disney Co.'s $233 million settlement with more than 51,000 Disneyland workers who accused the entertainment company of flouting the city of Anaheim's minimum wage ordinance, handing the workers' lawyers $35 million in attorney fees.

  • September 17, 2025

    Uber Stalled On Women-Only Rides, Jury Hears In Assault Trial

    Uber executives pumped the brakes for years on a proposed safety program that would have matched woman drivers with woman riders, fearing legal risks and the potential for a public perception that the service is unsafe for women, a San Francisco jury heard Wednesday in a bellwether sexual assault trial.

  • September 17, 2025

    Feds Want 3 Years For Girardi Son-In-Law's Chicago Contempt

    Tom Girardi's son-in-law should receive a three-year prison sentence for his admitted role in helping the once-celebrated plaintiffs' lawyer steal millions from Lion Air crash victims, federal prosecutors in Chicago argued Wednesday.

  • September 17, 2025

    'It Doesn't Look Good': CoComelon Foe Faces Uphill IP Fight

    Ninth Circuit panel judges doubted Wednesday a Chinese company's appeal of its $23.4 million copyright-trial loss to the maker of the children's YouTube channel CoComelon, with one judge telling counsel "it doesn't look good for you," and another observing he's "never seen copying evidence quite as compelling as this record."

  • September 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Judge Hints At Upholding Seattle Housing Ordinance

    A Ninth Circuit judge suggested on Wednesday that a waiver provision written into a Seattle affordable housing policy is enough to "save" the ordinance from a homeowner's constitutional claim that it kept her from realizing her property's full value by adding townhomes.  

  • September 17, 2025

    VC-Backed Cybersecurity Biz Netskope Prices $908M IPO

    Netskope, a cybersecurity firm with venture capital backing, is set to begin trading on the Nasdaq Thursday after pricing a $908 million initial public offering, at the top of its upwardly revised range.

  • September 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Denies Appeal Of Wash. Anti-Vaxxers' Med Board Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected an appeal brought by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on behalf of anti-vaxxers challenging a Washington state medical board's disciplinary proceedings against doctors who allegedly spread false information about COVID-19.

  • September 17, 2025

    FCC Told To Take Care When Adding AI To Public Alerts

    As the Federal Communications Commission mulls how to best overhaul its emergency alert rules, one California county is warning the agency to tread carefully when it comes to adopting emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

  • September 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Seems Split On School Principal's Free Speech Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared split on Wednesday over a Washington state public school employee's claims that he was unfairly punished for a political rant on Facebook, with one judge pushing back on his stance that he was speaking privately while also balking at the district's position that the post was disruptive.

  • September 17, 2025

    Don Jr.-Backed Patent Co. Hires Nokia Licensing Exec

    SIM IP, the newest venture by high-profile patent monetizer Erich Spangenberg, has brought on Nokia's chief licensing officer to serve as managing director.

  • September 17, 2025

    Tribal Members Tell 9th Circ. Tariff Suit Belongs In Fed. Court

    Counsel for members of the Blackfeet Nation tribe told the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday their suit challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs should stay in federal district courts, where constitutional and congressional claims over tribal commerce must be heard.

  • September 17, 2025

    Trump Admin Can't Get Suit Challenging Voting Order Tossed

    A Massachusetts federal judge declined Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration's executive order requiring physical proof of citizenship to vote and invalidating ballots received after Election Day.

  • September 17, 2025

    Hermes Gets Birkin Bag Antitrust Claims Tossed For Good

    A California federal court on Wednesday tossed a proposed class action accusing Hermes of unlawfully tying the sale of its iconic Birkin handbag to other expensive items, finding the latest version of the complaint still fell short of making a plausible antitrust claim.

  • September 17, 2025

    Anthropic, Reddit Spar Over Keeping AI Case In Federal Court

    Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has asked a California federal judge to keep Reddit's claims that user content is used to train large language models in federal court, saying that at least one of Reddit's claims are preempted by the Copyright Act and effectively arise from federal law.

  • September 17, 2025

    Ex-Calif. Judge Gets 35 Years For Shooting Wife To Death

    Former California state court judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson lost his bid for a new trial Wednesday and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for shooting his wife to death at home in a drunken rage, with the presiding judge expressing sympathy for his "extraordinary" son who tried to save his mother's life.

  • September 17, 2025

    Herbal Co.'s Supplements Lack FDA Disclaimer, Buyers Claim

    A proposed class of herbal supplement buyers is suing Traditional Medicinals Inc. in California federal court, alleging that its line of supplements makes claims that they support sleep, digestion and other functions, but they lack federally required disclaimers.

  • September 17, 2025

    Calif. Cheesemaker Files Ch. 11 After Listeria Shutdown

    A California cheesemaker has filed for Chapter 11 protection in California bankruptcy court after listeria contamination closed down its operations for more than 16 months and left the company facing more than $74 million in legal liability.

  • September 17, 2025

    Saul Ewing Lands Greenspoon Marder Enviro Atty Trio In LA

    Saul Ewing LLP is expanding its environmental team, bringing in a trio of Greenspoon Marder LLP litigators in the firm's Los Angeles office.

  • September 17, 2025

    Calif. Residents Look To Block Tribe's Recognition, Casino

    A group of residents and a nonprofit are seeking an expedited order that would block a decision by the Interior Department to give federal recognition to California's Ione Band of Miwok Indians, arguing the federal government is delaying the case to make sure construction of the tribe's casino is completed.

  • September 17, 2025

    H-2A Truck Drivers' Wage Suit Heads To Arbitration

    Four seasonal truck drivers did not cross state lines when they transported agricultural products from fields to a cooling facility, and therefore their wage and hour suit belongs in arbitration, a California federal judge ruled.

Expert Analysis

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Latest Influencer Marketing Class Actions Pinpoint 5 Themes

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    Several recent deceptive marketing class actions against both brands and influencers attempt to transform arguably routine business practices into a new focus area for consumer complaints, suggesting a coordinated approach to test what could become an increasingly popular area of litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Plan For Increased HSR Info Sharing With Wash. Antitrust Law

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    Washington's merger notification requirements, effective later this month, combined with the Federal Trade Commission's new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act rules, will result in greater information sharing among state and federal agencies, making it important for merging parties to consider their transaction's potential state antitrust implications early on, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • FMLA Expansion Sees State Progress Despite Federal Barriers

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    Recent legislative efforts to expand the Family and Medical Leave Act reflect workers' growing demand for work-life balance, but as federal proposals continue to face significant hurdles, states have stepped in, creating a labyrinth of leave laws and compliance headaches for multistate employers, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How State AG Consumer Finance Enforcement Is Expanding

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes less active, state attorneys general are increasingly shaping the enforcement landscape for consumer financial services — and several areas of focus have recently emerged, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.

  • Employer Tips For Responding To ICE In The Workplace

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    Increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has left employers struggling to balance their compliance obligations with their desire to provide a safe workplace, so creating a thorough response plan and training for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's presence at the workplace is crucial, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

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