California

  • June 16, 2025

    Mass. Judge Blocks NIH Grant Cuts, Points To 'Discrimination'

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday blocked the National Institutes of Health from cutting hundreds of grant programs to universities, hospitals and other organizations, saying that in his 40 years on the bench he had never seen such "palpable" racial and LGBTQ discrimination from the government.

  • June 16, 2025

    Microcaptive Seller Agrees To Pay IRS Promoter Penalties

    A California-based insurance provider agreed to pay the Internal Revenue Service penalties for setting up microcaptive policies between 2005 and 2012 that the U.S. Tax Court had ruled in 2019 were insurance arrangements that did not deserve a favorable tax treatment, the IRS announced Monday. 

  • June 16, 2025

    Wash. AG Sues Over Alleged Exploitation Of Senior Tenants

    Washington's attorney general has accused a property management company and the owners of several apartment complexes of deceiving low-income senior tenants by not telling them about the actual quality of properties or about how their rents were going to be calculated or raised.

  • June 16, 2025

    GRSM50 Adds Commercial Litigator In Sacramento

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, the firm known as GRSM50, has hired a former commercial litigator from Keating & Lyden LLC, who is bringing his commercial litigation practice to the Sacramento office, the firm recently announced.

  • June 16, 2025

    AI Legal Tool Co. Allegedly Misuses Litigants' Names For Ads

    A group of litigants from California and Washington has filed a suit against legal technology firm UniCourt Research Inc. in federal court, alleging the company used details about their disparate case to promote its software subscription.

  • June 16, 2025

    All 50 States Agree To Purdue Pharma's $7.4B Settlement

    Attorneys general from 55 U.S. states and territories on Monday backed Purdue Pharma's $7.4 billion deal to settle opioid injury claims against the company and the Sackler family, almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Purdue's previous plan to end litigation over its role in the opioid epidemic.

  • June 16, 2025

    High Court Skips Laches Question In Trademark Disputes

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up an appeal that asked if it is proper for courts to adopt state statutes of limitations in trademark disputes to determine whether a party took too long to sue.

  • June 16, 2025

    High Court Skips NexStep's Patent Fight With Comcast

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected NexStep Inc.'s bid to revive its patent suit against Comcast in a case that had implicated patent law's doctrine of equivalents. 

  • June 13, 2025

    McDonald's Inks Confidential Deal In $10B Race Bias Suit

    McDonald's has reached a confidential settlement with film and television executive Byron Allen's companies resolving a $10 billion suit claiming the fast food chain discriminates against Black-owned media companies in its advertising expenditures, according to an announcement made Friday.

  • June 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Allows ConocoPhillips Project To Proceed, For Now

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday held that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management must reconsider a small part of its approval for the controversial ConocoPhillips Willow oil and gas project, though it stopped short of vacating existing approvals for the Arctic energy development and allowed the project to proceed.

  • June 13, 2025

    State Dept. Layoffs Still Violate Injunction, Judge Says

    A California federal judge said Friday that planned staff reductions at the State Department would violate her injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, saying she's not persuaded by the government's assertion that the department's reorganization was underway before the order.

  • June 13, 2025

    Social Media Addiction MDL Judge Picks Bellwether Trial Pool

    A California federal judge on Friday narrowed the pool of cases set for the first bellwether trials in sprawling multidistrict litigation by school districts and personal injury plaintiffs over claims social media is addictive, choosing six bellwether school districts in Maryland, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, South Carolina and Arizona.

  • June 13, 2025

    Stewart Releases Flood Of Discretionary Denial Decisions

    The acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director issued more than a dozen discretionary denial decisions on Thursday and Friday, where she ruled largely in favor of the challenger, made clear that challenges to young patents have a huge advantage and brought in a denial based on assignor estoppel.

  • June 13, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Builders' Hack, Korean Mezz, Hotel Angst

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including an inside look at California's Builder's Remedy, aggressive moves by South Korean mezzanine lenders, and why one BigLaw hospitality leader says hotels are "scared to death." 

  • June 13, 2025

    GM Can't Arbitrate Driver's Transmission Defect Suit

    General Motors can't rely on an arbitration clause contained in a purchase agreement between a plaintiff customer and a dealership to arbitrate his claims alleging GM made cars with a defective transmission, after a Michigan federal judge ruled Friday the clause doesn't cover GM, which wasn't a party to the contract. 

  • June 13, 2025

    Google Defeats $1.3B Contract Case Over Advertising Tech

    A California state jury has rejected a company's breach of contract case that accused Google of misappropriating information about its digital advertising technology to build similar products, ending the suit that had sought $1.3 billion in damages.

  • June 13, 2025

    Injunction Sought After J&J Unit's Catheter Antitrust Loss

    Innovative Health is seeking a permanent injunction that would ban Johnson & Johnson health tech unit Biosense Webster from conditioning the provision of cardiac mapping services on purchases of cardiac catheters, after Innovative Health netted a $442 million trial win on its antitrust claims.

  • June 13, 2025

    Apple Lets Crypto Fraud Schemes Onto App Store, Suit Says

    Apple has been hit with a class action in California federal court alleging it allows fraudulent cryptocurrency trading applications to exist and be available for download on its App Store, causing consumers to become victims of pig butchering and other trading scams.

  • June 13, 2025

    PetroSaudi Unit Liquidators Seek Pause In $380M Award Suit

    Liquidators seeking to establish control over a PetroSaudi unit that won a $380 million arbitral award asked a California federal judge to let them join U.S. Justice Department litigation targeting the award over ties to funds embezzled from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

  • June 13, 2025

    9th Circ. Renews Copyright Claims In Software Cos. Fight

    A Ninth Circuit panel has partially revived an intellectual property dispute between software companies Cloanto Corp. and Hyperion Entertainment, ruling that the lower court erred in tossing Cloanto's copyright claims while correctly axing its breach of contract claim.

  • June 13, 2025

    Calif. State Bar Is Immune From Atty's ADA Suit, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday declined to revive an attorney's claims alleging the California State Bar violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by not granting extra time to respond to disciplinary action based on outstanding debt, finding the bar, as an arm of the state, is entitled to sovereign immunity.

  • June 13, 2025

    OpenAI, Altman Slam Attempt To Block 'IO' Name

    OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman have fired back at technology company IYO Inc.'s effort to bar their use of the IO Products Inc. name, arguing its claims are "insufficiently ripe" as the company hasn't provided evidence of the name being used in commerce or the likelihood of confusion.

  • June 13, 2025

    Calif. Residents Sue Over 'Pick 'Em' Fantasy Sports Contest

    A pair of San Francisco residents filed a proposed class action in California federal court against SidePrize LLC for allegedly telling customers its "Pick 'Em" daily fantasy sports contests are legal in the state when they are actually prohibited gambling operations.

  • June 13, 2025

    Nelson Mullins Adds Smith Gambrell's Korea Leader In LA

    Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has hired the former leader of Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP's Korea practice to bolster its corporate, mergers and acquisitions, entertainment transaction, and other services.

  • June 13, 2025

    Cannabis Fund Seeks End Of $145M Mismanagement Suit

    An investment fund has decided to voluntarily dismiss its lawsuit against two California businessmen who allegedly squandered $145 million given to them by a now dead Russian billionaire to launch cannabis grow operations in the state.

Expert Analysis

  • How Trump's Crypto Embrace Is Spurring Enforcement Reset

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent willingness to step away from ongoing enforcement investigations and actions underscores the changing regulatory landscape for crypto under the new administration, which now appears committed to working with stakeholders to develop a clearer regulatory framework, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Making The Case For Rest In The Legal Profession

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    For too long, a culture of overwork has plagued the legal profession, but research shows that attorneys need rest to perform optimally and sustainably, so legal organizations and individuals must implement strategies that allow for restoration, says Marissa Alert at MDA Wellness, Carol Ross-Burnett at CRB Global, and Denise Robinson at The Still Center.

  • What Trump's Order Means For The Legal Status Of IVF

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    An executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month signals the administration's potential intention to increase protections for in vitro fertilization services, though more concrete actions would be needed to resolve the current uncertainty around IVF access or bring about a binding legal change, says Jeanne Vance at Weintraub Tobin.

  • Cross-Border Lessons In Using Hague Evidence Convention

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    Recent case law demonstrates that securing evidence located abroad requires a strategic approach, including utilization of the Hague Evidence Convention and preparation to justify your chosen evidence-gathering path, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • 4 Ways Women Attorneys Can Build A Legal Legacy

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    This Women’s History Month, women attorneys should consider what small, day-to-day actions they can take to help leave a lasting impact for future generations, even if it means mentoring one person or taking 10 minutes to make a plan, says Jackie Prester, a former shareholder at Baker Donelson.

  • Navigating The Growing Thicket Of 'Right To Repair' Laws

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    An emerging patchwork of state laws on the right to repair creates tensions with traditional intellectual property and competition principles, so manufacturers should plan proactively for legal disputes and minimize potential for rival third-party repairs to weaponize state laws, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Unpacking First Consumer Claim Under Wash. Health Data Act

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    The first consumer class action claim filed under Washington's My Health My Data Act, Maxwell v. Amazon.com, may answer questions counsel have been contending with since the law was introduced almost a year ago, if the court takes the opportunity to interpret some of more opaque language, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • A Judge's Pointers For Adding Spice To Dry Legal Writing

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    U.S. District Judge Fred Biery shares a few key lessons about how to go against the grain of the legal writing tradition by adding color to bland judicial opinions, such as by telling a human story and injecting literary devices where possible.

  • Implementation, Constitutional Issues With Birthright Order

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    President Donald Trump's executive order reinterpreting the 14th Amendment's birthright citizenship clause presents unavoidable administrative problems and raises serious constitutional concerns about the validity of many existing federal laws and regulations, says Eric Schnapper at the University of Washington School of Law.

  • A Close-Up Look At DOJ's Challenge To HPE-Juniper Deal

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    The outcome of the Justice Department's challenge to Hewlett Packard Enterprise's proposed $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks will likely hinge on several key issues, including market dynamics and shares, internal documents, and questions about innovation and customer harm, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Justices Likely To Issue Narrow Ruling In $1.3B Award Dispute

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    After last week's argument in Devas v. Antrix, the Supreme Court appears likely to reverse the holding that minimum contacts are required before a federal court may exercise personal jurisdiction over a foreign state and remand the case for further litigation on other important constitutional questions, say attorneys at Cleary. 

  • AG Watch: Texas Is Entering New Privacy Enforcement Era

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    The state of Texas' recent suit against Allstate is the culmination of a long-standing commitment to vigorously enforcing privacy laws in the state, and while still in the early stages, it offers several important insights for companies and privacy practitioners, says Paul Singer at Kelley Drye.

  • IRS Scrutiny May Underlie Move Away From NIL Collectives

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    The University of Colorado's January announcement that it was severing its partnership with a name, image and likeness collective is part of universities' recent push to move NIL activities in-house, seemingly motivated by tax implications and increased scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • 6 Laws Transforming Calif.'s Health Regulatory Framework

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    Attorneys at Hooper Lundy discuss a number of new California laws that raise pressing issues for independent physicians and small practice groups, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence to wage standards for healthcare employees.

  • Opinion

    NCAA Name, Image, Likeness Settlement Is A $2.8B Mistake

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    While the plaintiffs in House v. NCAA might call the proposed settlement on name, image and likeness payments for college athletes a breakthrough, it's a legally dubious Band-Aid that props up a system favoring a select handful of male athletes at the expense of countless others, say attorneys at Clifford Chance.

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