California

  • June 02, 2025

    Sacramento County Inks Encampment ADA Settlement

    The county of Sacramento and a proposed class of residents with disabilities told a California federal court on Monday they have reached a tentative deal amid a suit alleging the city and county violated various state and federal laws by allowing homeless encampments to block sidewalks.

  • June 02, 2025

    Pepperdine Says Netflix Can't Dodge 'Running Point' TM Suit

    Pepperdine University has urged a California federal court to reject an attempt to toss its trademark lawsuit over the TV series "Running Point" from Netflix and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., saying its complaint demonstrates that the branding for the show's fictional basketball team is identical to Pepperdine's "Waves" team.

  • June 02, 2025

    Perplexity AI Gets Cybersquatting Cut From Texas Co. TM Suit

    A California federal judge Monday trimmed a cybersquatting claim from a Texas software company's trademark infringement suit against San Francisco-based Perplexity AI Inc., saying an alleged offer from the San Francisco artificial intelligence company to buy the trademark doesn't show the "bad faith" the claim requires.

  • June 02, 2025

    Man Sentenced To 50-To-Life As Teen Wins Bid For Review

    A California appellate panel has revived a man's bid to be resentenced for a murder he committed as a teenager, ruling that his 50-years-to-life sentence is effectively the same as life without parole and qualifies for review under a state law aimed at juvenile offenders.

  • June 02, 2025

    Girardi's Dropped Pants Don't Sway Judge From Sentencing

    A California federal judge ruled Monday she will sentence Tom Girardi this week for his wire fraud conviction, finding him mentally competent enough to potentially serve prison time following a bizarre hearing where the disbarred attorney made an appearance on the witness stand that culminated in his pants falling down.

  • June 02, 2025

    PG&E, Lenders Hit With Suit Over Solar Panel 'Scheme'

    Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. and several other companies were accused in California federal court of running a "bait-and-switch" scheme in which they saddle homeowners with hidden fees after tricking them into financing solar panel installations through zero-interest loans.

  • June 02, 2025

    Twitter Must Search Email, Slack Records In Severance Spat

    Fired Twitter executives can force the social media company to comb through emails and Slack channels for specific terms to support their lawsuit alleging they are owed $200 million in severance, a California federal judge ruled, rejecting the company's argument that the searches would be overly burdensome.

  • June 02, 2025

    Fintech Startup Chime Eyes $800M IPO As Circle Ups Offering

    Fintech startup Chime Financial Inc. on Monday launched plans for an estimated $800 million initial public offering, while stablecoin issuer Circle Internet Financial Inc. increased its expected IPO size to about $880 million, boosting a recovering IPO pipeline.

  • June 02, 2025

    3 Firms Denied Interim Lead Roles In Data Breach Suit

    An Ohio federal judge has denied three firms' requests to lead proposed class claims over a data breach concerning Buckeye State college students, calling the request premature and venturing that the firms' true intentions could be to gain a competitive edge in similar cases in Michigan or in future multidistrict litigation.

  • June 02, 2025

    Third Round Of Fixes Sought In Botched Calif. Bar Exam

    The California state bar's committee of bar examiners has approved two additional remedies in an effort to help applicants who failed the troubled February exam, including asking the state Supreme Court to approve a further scoring adjustment that would bring the passing rate up to about 63%.

  • June 02, 2025

    Class Action Seeks Compensation For High School Athletes

    The yearslong battle for college athletes to earn compensation for their labor and likeness rights has trickled down to the high school ranks, with a new proposed class action targeting a slew of monetary restrictions imposed by California's high school sports governing body.

  • June 02, 2025

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Cheetos, NASCAR, OpenAI

    In this month's review of ongoing defamation fights, Law360 looks back on developments in a man's case against Frito-Lay Inc. over what he called the company's defamatory statements disputing his role in the invention of a flavor of Cheetos.

  • June 02, 2025

    1st Circ. Partially Revives 'Varsity Blues' Conviction

    The First Circuit has reinstated one of the two convictions against a former University of Southern California coach in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case, saying a federal district court "did not explain" its decision to wipe out the entire verdict.

  • June 02, 2025

    High Court Rejects Bard Patent Misuse Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it won't consider the Ninth Circuit's decision to revive a $53 million breach of contract suit C.R. Bard Inc. filed against Atrium Medical Corp. over patent royalties and patent misuse.

  • May 30, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Won't Unblock Trump's Gov't Overhaul

    A split Ninth Circuit on Friday refused to lift a California federal judge's preliminary block of President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, handing a win to a coalition of unions, nonprofits and cities that argue the order exceeded the president's authority.

  • May 30, 2025

    Plaintiffs Appeal AI Sales Platform's Win In Identity Misuse Suit

    A group claiming to be part of a database maintained by 6Sense, which uses artificial intelligence to help businesses with sales and marketing, are appealing to the Ninth Circuit the dismissal of their proposed class action accusing the company of unlawfully using their identities to promote its products and services.

  • May 30, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Religious Land, Hotel Surge, Land-Banking

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including interviews with attorneys about recent disputes over land use for religious purposes, a surge in hospitality sector transactions, and the rise of land-banking law.

  • May 30, 2025

    Bird Marella's Sanctions Win Upheld In $2.25M Fraud Dispute

    A California appellate panel has affirmed Bird Marella's terminating sanctions win against Frontline Medical Associates, holding that a state judge did not abuse her discretion by finding Frontline committed fraud on the court in its suit alleging the firm tricked it into paying $2.25 million for legal services for one of the firm's clients.

  • May 30, 2025

    $5.2M Generic Drug Price-Fixing MDL Deal Gets Final OK

    Apotex Corp. will be paying $5.2 million to settle claims from a class of indirect purchasers alleging the drugmaker was working with other pharmaceutical companies to hike up the price of certain generic medications.

  • May 30, 2025

    'Humongous' Apple Must Face Boosted 186M Antitrust Class

    A California federal judge on Friday granted App Store users' request to amend their class definition in a yearslong antitrust fight against Apple, rejecting Apple's argument that the changes unfairly add millions of new members and noting that the 185.9 million-member class stems from the fact Apple is "humongous."

  • May 30, 2025

    NSO Wants New WhatsApp Hack Trial After Meta's $168M Win

    Israeli spyware developer NSO Group has asked a California federal judge for a new trial to determine damages for installing spyware on 1,400 phones using Meta-owned WhatsApp, saying the punitive damages portion of a roughly $168 million award was egregious and revealed the jury's "general hostility" toward the company.

  • May 30, 2025

    NBA Star Zion Williamson Sued For Sexual Assault In Calif.

    A woman is accusing NBA All-Star Zion Williamson of raping her twice in 2020 and sexually and physically assaulting her multiple times over a three-year period, in a suit filed in California state court.

  • May 30, 2025

    Shopper Wants Class Cert. In Mistranslated Cookie Label Suit

    A shopper has urged a California federal court to certify three classes of consumers accusing a Japanese convenience store chain of selling snacks with dangerously mistranslated English labels that failed to disclose nut allergens, arguing common legal issues predominate because the company used "uniformly mistranslated" labeling across thousands of products.

  • May 30, 2025

    Plumbing Supply Co. Gets 401(k) Forfeiture Claims Cut

    A California federal judge tossed two workers' claims that a plumbing supply company illegally used abandoned funds in its retirement plan to pay down its own contributions instead of offsetting expenses for plan members, ruling they couldn't slip the new allegations into an amended complaint.

  • May 30, 2025

    Wholesalers Take Rejected 5-Hour Energy Suit To 9th Circ.

    Family-owned wholesalers want the Ninth Circuit to take a look at a recent ruling that said while they were able to show the maker of 5-Hour Energy committed price discrimination by offering Costco disproportionate promotions, they weren't able to show that discrimination hurt them.

Expert Analysis

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Engaging With Feds On Threats To Executives, Employees

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    In an increasingly polarized environment, where companies face serious concerns about how to protect executives and employees, counsel should consider working with federal law enforcement soon after the discovery of threats or harassment, says Jordan Estes at Gibson Dunn.

  • The Risk And Reward Of Federal Approach To AI Regulation

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    The government has struggled to keep up with artificial intelligence's furious pace, but while an overbroad federal attempt to adopt a more unified approach to regulating AI poses its own risks, so does the current environment of regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Why Trump's FTC May Not U-Turn On Robinson-Patman

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent revival of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement may well be here to stay under the Trump administration — albeit with some important caveats for businesses caught in the government's crosshairs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • A Look At Shifting Legal Landscape For Data Brokers

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    An increasingly complex legal landscape at both the federal and state levels has expanded the types of businesses classified as data brokers, so consumer-facing businesses should consider their designations under these new regulations and any consequences for compliance and business operations, say attorneys at Morrison Foerster.

  • State AG Enforcement Is Poised For Another Pivot In 2025

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    Backed by a Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, the Trump administration intends to make substantial policy changes, and attorneys general of both parties around the country are preparing their response playbooks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Del. Dispatch: Lessons From Failed Albertsons-Kroger Merger

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    The allegations in Albertsons' lawsuit against Kroger following the grocery stores' blocked merger demonstrate how a target company can best ensure that a buyer timely and effectively complies with its obligations to pursue the necessary regulatory approvals for a deal, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.

  • What Vinyl Acetate's Prop 65 Listing Means For Cos.

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    California's recent move to add vinyl acetate to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens, with enforcement starting later this year, will have sweeping compliance and risk implications for businesses in the retail, food and beverage, paint, adhesive, industrial manufacturing, and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Opinion

    Commercial Tree Thinning Should Be Part of Wildfire Control

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    The devastating wildfires currently afflicting California make it clear that the U.S. Forest Service should step up its use of methods including commercial tree removal to lower fire risk — but litigation that drags on for years stymies many of these efforts and endangers the public, says Jeffrey Beelaert at Givens Pursley.

  • High Court Could Further Limit Deference With TCPA Fax Case

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    The Supreme Court's decision to hear McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson, a case involving alleged junk faxes that centers whether district courts are bound by Federal Communications Commission rules, offers the court a chance to possibly further limit the judicial deference afforded to federal agency interpretations of statutes, says Samantha Duke at Rumberger Kirk.

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