California

  • June 27, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Win For Lyft On Vehicle Monitoring Patents

    The Federal Circuit said it won't undo Lyft's lower court win in litigation where it was accused of infringing a pair of Quartz Auto Technologies LLC patents, rejecting arguments that a judge misinterpreted the patent claims.

  • June 27, 2025

    Insurer Fights Cosmetic Co. Over Coverage For Pollution Row

    A Markel unit had no duty to defend a cosmetics company against prior water pollution claims simply because it agreed to defend a subsequent suit brought by the California attorney general, the insurer told a California federal court Friday.

  • June 27, 2025

    Google Escapes Search Engine Patent Suit, For Now

    A northern California federal judge has tossed LookSmart Group Inc.'s lawsuit accusing Google of infringing its search engine patent, finding the claim describes only unprotectable abstract ideas while allowing the company to amend the complaint. 

  • June 27, 2025

    Recently Retired US District Judge Joins JAMS In Los Angeles

    Alternative dispute resolution service JAMS continues expanding its roster, announcing Thursday it has added a former California federal judge as one of its neutrals.

  • June 27, 2025

    Calif. Panel Tosses Hacking Case Against Ex-LA Prosecutor

    A California state appeals court has ordered the dismissal of criminal claims against former Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Diana Teran over her use of public sheriff's deputy files contained in a "confidential" database.

  • June 27, 2025

    Contractor Must Face OT Suit Over Fringe Benefits Payments

    A federal contractor cannot escape a lawsuit accusing it of failing to include cash in lieu of benefits payments in overtime pay calculations, a California federal judge ruled, saying the firm failed to show that the fringe benefits payments should be exempt from the regular rate of pay.

  • June 27, 2025

    DC Judge Says Teen Health Projects Can 'Shutter' Temporarily

    Five Planned Parenthood affiliates will not be irreparably harmed by changes to federal guidance for teen health programs instructing grantees to demonstrate alignment with executive orders from the Trump administration rejecting transgender identity and diversity programs, a D.C. federal judge has ruled.

  • June 27, 2025

    Insurer Asks Court To Sort Out Paying Of $4.1M Settlement

    An insurer asked a California federal court to decide who should receive a $4.1 million settlement of a homeowner's fire claims, saying it could not determine who was entitled to the payment because of a number of lien notices filed as the settlement was finalized.

  • June 27, 2025

    Off The Bench: Tatis Says Loan 'Predatory,' Tennis Player Suit

    In this week's Off The Bench, a Major League Baseball star wants out of a "predatory" loan from a future earnings investment company, a group of migrant workers keep alive their suit accusing companies that helped develop World Cup facilities in Qatar of exploitation and abuse, and the tennis Grand Slam tournaments may be in the crosshairs of players suing the sport's hierarchy.

  • June 27, 2025

    MoFo, Latham Lead Medical AI Co. Carlsmed's $100M IPO

    Carlsmed Inc., a spinal surgery solutions-focused medical technology company near San Diego, has unveiled plans for an initial public offering, telling regulators it is aiming to raise up to $100 million, with Morrison & Foerster LLP advising Carlsmed and Latham & Watkins LLP representing the underwriters.

  • June 27, 2025

    Newsom Sues Fox News Over Alleged Lies About Trump Call

    California Gov. Gavin C. Newsom hit Fox News with a defamation suit in a Delaware court Friday, seeking $787 million in damages for the network's alleged "smearing" of him in reports on a dispute over details of the Democratic governor's June 6 phone call with President Donald Trump.

  • June 27, 2025

    Justices Limit Universal Injunctions But Defer On Citizenship

    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump can partially implement his executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, in a ruling that significantly limits the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationally applicable orders against presidential edicts and policy initiatives.

  • June 26, 2025

    OpenAI Loses Data Hold Round In News Orgs' Copyright Fight

    A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday refused to overturn a ruling that directed OpenAI to preserve ChatGPT logs in ongoing copyright infringement litigation brought by news organizations against the company and Microsoft, after hearing an hourslong "tutorial" about the ins and outs of generative artifical intelligence.

  • June 26, 2025

    Stewart Clarifies Settled Expectations In Denying Intel IPRs

    Leaders at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office discretionarily denied 13 more petitions for inter partes review on Thursday, where the acting director offered more guidance on how she's deciding when a patent owner can rest on settled expectations that its patent wouldn't be challenged.

  • June 26, 2025

    Teladoc Can't Shake Most Of Suit Over Meta Pixel Data Sharing

    A New York federal judge refused to toss a proposed class action accusing Teladoc of unlawfully disclosing website visitors' personal health information to Meta, preserving eight wiretapping and consumer protecting claims under federal and several state laws while giving the plaintiffs a chance to amend negligence and three other allegations.

  • June 26, 2025

    Nurse Wins $27M In Retaliation Case Against Dignity Health

    A former chief nursing officer who sued the West Coast hospital system Dignity Health alleging she was illegally terminated for raising serious safety concerns was awarded $27.5 million from a Los Angeles jury, her attorneys announced Thursday. 

  • June 26, 2025

    Bayer Investors' $38M Settlement Over Monsanto Deal OK'd

    A California federal judge on Thursday preliminarily approved Bayer AG's $38 million settlement with investors who accused the German multinational of downplaying litigation risks related to the weedkiller Roundup when it acquired Monsanto in 2018, saying the deal appeared to be "fair, reasonable and adequate."

  • June 26, 2025

    DHS Releases Grant Funds After Chicago Suit Targets 'Pause'

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released at least some of the counterterrorism grant fund reimbursements it had recently suspended for Chicago and certain other cities, but Chicago officials say the move isn't enough to end a lawsuit it launched over the allegedly unconstitutional pause.

  • June 26, 2025

    Calif. FAIR Plan Fire Policy Is Unlawful, Court Rules

    Fire insurance offered by California's insurer of last resort does not meet the minimum coverage standards laid out in the state insurance code, a California state court ruled, finding the policy's definition of "direct physical loss" and its smoke damage provision to be unlawfully restrictive.

  • June 26, 2025

    Barclays Can't Nix All Of Epstein Stock Fraud Suit, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has refused to dismiss two of three claims in a securities class action accusing Barclays and a former CEO of the bank of misleading investors about the executive's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, finding it plausible that certain public statements the company made were misleading.

  • June 26, 2025

    Italian Winery Claims $53M Loss From Importer's Interference

    The Italian maker of Kris wine is suing its former importer in California federal court on claims that it asserted exclusive rights to the brand and sabotaged new deals after their agreement was terminated, saying the U.S. company breached an arbitration award and caused more than $53 million in damages.

  • June 26, 2025

    Hims & Hers Face Investor Suits Over Wegovy Collab

    Telehealth company Hims & Hers Health Inc. has been hit with investors' proposed class actions accusing it of exploiting its partnership with Novo Nordisk, the distributor of weight loss drug Wegovy, to sell "knockoff" drugs, causing Hims shares to fall 35% when Novo Nordisk announced earlier this week the collaboration had been terminated.

  • June 26, 2025

    Kimberly-Clark Inks $4.15M Deal In Gown Fraud Suit

    Kimberly-Clark Corp. has agreed to pay $4.15 million to settle a suit brought by a doctor on behalf of the federal government alleging it violated the False Claims Act by falsely claiming its surgical gowns protected against contagious diseases.

  • June 26, 2025

    Volvo EV Defect Causes Sudden Acceleration, Suit Says

    Volvo drivers filed a proposed class action in California federal court Wednesday alleging it concealed a latent systemic safety defect in some of its XC40 Recharge electric vehicles that cause them to behave erratically and dangerously, where they'd unexpectedly accelerate or lurch, even when drivers' feet are off the gas.

  • June 26, 2025

    YouTube, Google Near OK On $6M BIPA Deal With 21K Users

    A California federal judge indicated Thursday that he'll give preliminary approval to Google and YouTube's $6 million deal to end a proposed class action alleging the companies unlawfully collected the biometric data of around 21,000 Illinois YouTube users through the platform's video editing tools, saying he believes it to be "a very sound settlement."

Expert Analysis

  • Jurisdictional Issues At Play In 9th Circ.'s FCA Trade Case

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    A decision by the Ninth Circuit in Island Industries v. Sigma Corp. could result in the U.S. Court of International Trade’s exclusive jurisdiction over trade-related FCA cases, a big shift in the enforcement landscape just as tariffs take center stage in trade policy, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Mastering Discovery

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    The discovery process and the rules that govern it are often absent from law school curricula, but developing a solid grasp of the particulars can give any new attorney a leg up in their practice, says Jordan Davies at Knowles Gallant.

  • Web Tracking Ruling Signals Potential Broadening Of CCPA

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    The Northern District of California's recent decision in Shah v. Capital One Financial Corp. is notable, as it signals a potential broadening of the California Consumer Privacy Act's private right of action beyond data breaches to unauthorized, nonbreach disclosures involving the use of now-ubiquitous tracking technologies, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • What New Study Means For Recycling Compliance In Calif.

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    Companies must review the California recycling agency's new study to understand its criteria for assessing claims of product and packaging recyclability under a law that takes effect next year, and then decide whether the risks of making such claims in the state outweigh the benefits, say attorneys at Keller & Heckman.

  • Series

    Playing Guitar Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a lawyer not only requires logic and hard work, but also belief, emotion, situational awareness and lots of natural energy — playing guitar enhances all of these qualities, increasing my capacity to do my best work, says Kosta Stojilkovic at Wilkinson Stekloff.

  • Takeaways From DOJ's Latest FCA Customs Fraud Intervention

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent intervention in a case alleging customs-related reverse False Claims Act fraud underlines the government’s increased scrutiny of, and importers’ corresponding exposure from, information related to product classification, country of origin and pricing, say attorneys at Bass Berry.

  • 4 Trends Responsible For Declining FLSA Filings

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    In 2024, the number of Fair Labor Standards Act claims filed in federal courts continued to decrease, reflecting a steady decline in federal FLSA filings since 2015 due to a few trends, including increased compliance and presuit resolution, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Crisis Management Lessons From The Parenting Playbook

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    The parenting skills we use to help our kids through challenges — like rehearsing for stressful situations, modeling confidence and taking time to reset our emotions — can also teach us the fundamentals of leading clients through a corporate crisis, say Deborah Solmor at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and Cara Peterman at Alston & Bird.

  • When Physical And Cyber Threats Converge: 6 Tips For Cos.

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    Amid an ongoing trend of increased digital threats of harm made against corporations, organizations and high-profile individuals, an emerging legal framework is providing a risk management road map for general counsel and their teams to navigate the increasingly fraught landscape, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Tips For Companies Crafting Tariff Surcharge Disclosures

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    As the Trump administration imposes tariffs on imports, retail businesses considering itemizing tariff-related costs separately for consumers must ensure that any disclosures are both accurate and defensible to avoid regulatory enforcement or private suits, says Christopher Cole at Katten.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Berry Ruling Shows Why Plant IP Suits Can Be Thorny

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    A California federal court's recent decision in Driscoll's v. California Berry Cultivars illustrates that while a path exists for asserting U.S. plant patent rights against extraterritorial breeders, it can be difficult to prove infringement based on importation of plant parts, say Travis Bliss and Stephany Small at Panitch Schwarze.

  • Calif. Smoke Claim Ruling Gives Insurers Support On Denials

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    Far from being an outlier among ash, soot and smoke coverage cases, a California appellate court's recent opinion in Gharibian v. Wawanesa General Insurance reinforces the principle that policyholders must establish entitlement to coverage as a threshold matter, while supporting denials of coverage for meritless claims, says Kyle Espinola at Zelle.

  • Cos. Face Enviro Justice Tug-Of-War Between States, Feds

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    The second Trump administration's sweeping elimination of environmental justice policies, programs and funding, and targeting of state-level EJ initiatives, creates difficult questions for companies on how best to avoid friction with federal policy, navigate state compliance obligations and maintain important stakeholder relationships with communities, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

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