California

  • April 12, 2024

    Real Estate Authority: RE Women In BigLaw, Q1, Proptech

    Law360 Real Estate Authority covers the most important real estate deals, litigation, policies and trends. Catch up on this week's key developments by state — as well as on gender diversity rates among 20 BigLaw real estate practices, M&A and financing stats from the first quarter, and the 2024 Real Estate Technology Conference in New York.

  • April 12, 2024

    Dunn DeSantis Expands San Diego Office With 7 Attorneys

    Dunn DeSantis Walt & Kendrick LLP recently expanded its San Diego office with the addition of seven employment law attorneys, the firm said in a statement.

  • April 12, 2024

    Patreon Takes Aim At Constitutionality Of Video Privacy Law

    Content monetization platform Patreon pressed a California federal judge Friday to toss a proposed class action claiming it violated the Video Privacy Protection Act by sharing members' video-watching data with Meta, arguing that the "poorly drafted" federal law unconstitutionally restricts its speech and imposes damages unrelated to any actual harm.

  • April 12, 2024

    'Much More Is Coming': Experts See Wave Of AI-Related Suits

    Legal experts speaking Friday at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law's symposium on artificial intelligence and evidence in civil litigation warned that broadening usage and increased regulation will lead to a wave of litigation over the technology, leaving courts to analyze the "black box" of corporate AI algorithms to determine liability.

  • April 12, 2024

    Epic Wants Google Play Store Reforms After Antitrust Verdict

    Following Epic Games' jury win on antitrust claims related to the Google Play Store and Android apps, the "Fortnite" maker has asked a California federal judge to force Google to allow consumers to download apps from wherever they want and bar the tech giant from restricting in-app purchase options.

  • April 12, 2024

    Virgin Fest Wins $2M In Del. After Calif. Music Event Bust

    A festival-promoting interest of British billionaire Richard Branson's empire secured a $2 million judgment in Delaware's Superior Court Friday against a music festival producer, previously known as Kaaboo LLC, after a court finding that Kaaboo provided an unsupported, $10 million value for a California festival before Virgin Fest purchased the business.

  • April 12, 2024

    Petition Watch: Judge DQs, 'Excessive' Damages & Price Wars

    A former al-Qaida member has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify disqualification protocol for judges overseeing a case related to their prior work as a government attorney, and energy drink manufacturers want the court to develop a modern-day test to determine if companies qualify as price-discrimination competitors. Here's four high court petitions filed recently that you might've missed.

  • April 12, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Broadcom Unit's IP In Netflix Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Friday backed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's holding that the vast majority of Broadcom unit Avago Technologies' patent directed to providing digital media services to users is invalid as obvious, based on a challenge from Netflix.

  • April 12, 2024

    Ohtani's Ex-Translator Gets $25K Bond On $16M Fraud Charge

    Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, made his first appearance in California federal court Friday, with a magistrate judge ruling that he can be released on a $25,000 bond following his arrest for a bank fraud charge filed Thursday over allegations that he stole over $16 million from the baseball player.

  • April 12, 2024

    FTC Taking Deeper Look At $35B Synopsys-Ansys Merger

    The Federal Trade Commission is opening an in-depth review of Synopsys' $35 billion acquisition of fellow software company Ansys, with Synopsys telling investors that the agency had issued a "second request" for information from both companies.

  • April 12, 2024

    IoT Co. Execs Sued Over Projected Revenue Shortfall

    Executives and directors of Internet of Things services company Lantronix Inc. have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit accusing them of misleading investors about its revenue prospects for nearly a year.

  • April 12, 2024

    Bridal Designer Seeks Conversion Of JLM Couture To Ch. 7

    A bridal dress designer engaged in litigation with bankrupt dressmaker JLM Couture asked a Delaware court Friday to convert the company's insolvency case to a Chapter 7 liquidation, saying the costs of that ongoing litigation will drain estate resources to the point it won't be able to pay for the bankruptcy case.

  • April 12, 2024

    Ex-Pfizer Worker's Pal Avoids Prison In Insider Trading Case

    An electrical engineer was sentenced to probation Friday for trading Pfizer Inc.'s stock using confidential tips about the efficacy of its COVID-19 drug, after a Manhattan federal court recognized his decision to voluntarily assist prosecutors with the trial conviction of his friend, a former Pfizer employee who leaked insider information.

  • April 12, 2024

    Lionsgate Ups PIPE To $225M Before $4.6B SPAC Merger

    Entertainment and production giant Lionsgate on Friday is raising the amount of its private investment in public equity related to its planned $4.6 billion merger with special purpose acquisition company Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp. to $225 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • April 12, 2024

    On Eve Of Ethics Trial, Ex-Calif. Bar Head Tries To Gut Case

    Former State Bar of California Executive Director Joe Dunn is trying once again to shut down the bar's disciplinary case against him, on the eve of a trial set to begin next week that centers on a 2014 scandal connected to disgraced plaintiffs attorney Tom Girardi.

  • April 12, 2024

    Woman Pleads Guilty To $1.3M COVID Tax Credit Fraud

    A California woman pled guilty to fraudulently obtaining $2 million in COVID-19 government loans and falsely claiming $1.3 million in tax credits, crimes that could result in a 20-year prison sentence, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

  • April 12, 2024

    Off The Bench: Ohtani 'Victim' In Theft, Arbitration Nod To NFL

    In this week's Off The Bench, Shohei Ohtani looks to get off the hook on sports-betting allegations while his former interpreter faces charges, the NFL wins a critical court victory in the Brian Flores lawsuit, and troubled WWE founder Vince McMahon cuts even more financial ties with the company.

  • April 12, 2024

    Hornblower Gets OK For Creditor Vote On Ch. 11 Plan

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Friday sent Hornblower Holdings' Chapter 11 plan out for a creditor vote after hearing the cruise and tour operator had resolved creditor objections to its plan disclosure statement.

  • April 12, 2024

    Justices Back Property Owner In Dispute Over Permit Fees

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that a $23,420 local traffic impact fee charged to a California property owner's rural manufactured home isn't exempt from scrutiny as a Fifth Amendment taking simply because the charge is allowed by legislation.

  • April 11, 2024

    Autonomy Became Less Transparent Before Sale, Jury Told

    An ex-market analyst testifying Thursday in a California criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch duped HP into buying the British company for $11.7 billion told jurors that the company became less forthcoming about some of its accounting a couple of years before the sale.

  • April 11, 2024

    Gerber, Others Must Face Calif. MDL Over Baby Food Toxins

    A group of baby food manufacturers, including Gerber Products Co., Hain Celestial Group Inc. and Beech-Nut Nutrition Co., must face consolidated lawsuits alleging that heavy metals in their products cause autism spectrum disorder and other conditions in California federal court, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ruled Thursday.

  • April 11, 2024

    UnitedHealth Patients' Addiction Coverage Suit Revived, Again

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived for the second time a proposed class action accusing UnitedHealth of wrongly rejecting coverage for outpatient substance use disorder treatments in violation of federal benefits law, finding the plaintiff plausibly alleged the insurer employed an excessively strict review process for those claims.

  • April 11, 2024

    Investors Again Seek Asset Freeze To Enforce $60M Awards

    Two Chinese investment firms have again urged a California federal court to impose a worldwide freeze against a renewable energy company's assets as they seek to enforce about $60 million in arbitral awards, saying the company is in increasing financial distress.

  • April 11, 2024

    Feds Bring MLB's Messy Betting Scandal Into Focus

    The federal bank fraud charge against Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter doubled as a de facto exoneration of Ohtani himself, as prosecutors built a detailed case that experts say brings clarity to an explosive saga marked by confusion and shifting narratives.

  • April 11, 2024

    Orrick To Pay $8M To Settle Data Breach Litigation

    A proposed class of data-breach victims asked a California federal judge Thursday to greenlight an $8 million settlement with Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in litigation over a March 2023 data breach that purportedly exposed Social Security numbers and other personal information of more than 638,000 individuals.

Expert Analysis

  • The Epic Antitrust Cases And Challenges Of Injunctive Relief

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    The Epic cases against Apple and Google offer a window into the courts' considerable challenges in Big Tech litigation and establishing injunctive relief that enhances competition and benefits consumers, say Kelly Lear Nordby and Jon Tomlin at Ankura Consulting.

  • Steps To Reduce CIPA Litigation Risks For Companies

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    As class action claims brought under the California Invasion of Privacy Act continue to advance new theories under an old law to target companies for commonplace website and app activities, there are steps that organizations can take to reduce exposure and strengthen their defenses against such lawsuits, say attorneys at Hintze Law.

  • How Calif. Video Recording Ruling May Affect Insured Exams

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    A recent California appellate decision, Myasnyankin v. Nationwide, allowing policyholders to video record all parties to an insurance examination under oath, has changed the rules of the road for EUOs and potentially opened Pandora's box for future disputes, say John Edson and Preston Bennett at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 2026 World Cup: Companies Face Labor Challenges And More

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    Companies sponsoring or otherwise involved with the 2026 FIFA World Cup — hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada and Mexico — should be proactive in preparing to navigate many legal considerations in immigration, labor management and multijurisdictional workforces surrounding the event, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Avoiding Jurisdictional Risks From Execs' Remote Work

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    Following a California federal court's recent decision in Evans v. Cardlytics — where the case was remanded to state court because the company’s executives worked remotely in California — there are several steps employers can take to ensure they will not be exposed to unfavored jurisdictions, says Eric Fox at Quarles & Brady.

  • Legal Considerations For Circular Economy Strategies

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    As circular economy goals — generating revenue at multiple points in a product's life cycle — become nearly ubiquitous in corporate sustainability practices, companies should reassess existing strategies by focusing on government incentives, regulations, and reporting and disclosure requirements, say Rachel Saltzman and Erin Grisby at Hunton.

  • Preempting Bottled Water Microplastics Fraud Claims

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    Food products like bottled water are increasingly likely to be targets of consumer fraud complaints due to alleged microplastics contamination — but depending on the labeling or advertising at issue, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act can provide a powerful preemption defense, say Tariq Naeem and Brenda Sweet at Tucker Ellis.

  • Wildfire Challenges For Utility Investors: Regs And Financing

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    For investors in public utilities, wildfire liability considerations include not only regulatory complexities, but also bankruptcy claims resolution, financing judgments and settlements, and how to leverage organizational structures to maximize investment protections, say David Botter and Lisa Schweitzer at Cleary.

  • Fintech Compliance Does Not Always Equal Bank Compliance

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    Recent enforcement actions are a reminder for banks working with financial technology providers — whether as partners to extend their reach or as internal resources to support existing operations — that few areas of risk need more frequent attention than Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compliance, says Christopher Couch at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Opinion

    9th Circ. Nazi Art Theft Ruling Is Bad For Repatriation Cases

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in Cassirer v. Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation, holding that a Spanish museum doesn't have to return a Nazi-stolen painting to the original Jewish owners, spells trouble for future heirloom repatriation cases, which hinge on similar archaic laws, say Andrea Perez and Josh Sherman at Carrington Coleman.

  • Enforcement Risk Amid Increased Consumer Data Use

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    While no state has introduced a private right of action for noncompliance with a comprehensive consumer privacy law — except for the California Consumer Privacy Act's data breach provision — organizations and retailers face risk from enforcement actions by state attorneys general and privacy regulators, say attorneys at Dentons.

  • Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment

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    As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.

  • Opinion

    The Problems In Calif. Draft Behavioral Ad Privacy Regs

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    The California Privacy Protection Agency has an opportunity with its automated decision-making technology and profiling rulemaking to harmonize California's regulation of data-driven advertising, but this will be a failure unless several things are changed in its proposed treatment of behavioral advertising, say Alan Friel and Kyle Fath at Squire Patton.

  • Wildfire Challenges For Utility Investors: Liability Theories

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    The greater frequency and scale of wildfires in the last several years have created operational and fiscal challenges for electric utility companies, including new theories of liability and unique operational and risk management considerations — all of which must be carefully considered by utility investors, say David Botter and Lisa Schweitzer at Cleary.

  • The Challenges Of Measuring Harm In Slack-Fill Cases

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    A recent California federal court partial class certification ruling was a rare victory for plaintiffs in a case over slack-fill empty space in packaged products, indicating that damages arguments may be important at the certification stage, say Sushrut Jain and Valentina Bernasconi at Edgeworth Economics.

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