California

  • April 15, 2026

    Don't Squeeze 'Mega' Charmin Cause It's A Trick, Suit Says

    Charmin toilet paper rose to prominence off its classic "don't squeeze the Charmin" campaign, but a proposed class action filed in California state court Wednesday suggests a reason not to squeeze its "mega" sized product is because it is fooling customers through a comparison to a "phantom" product that doesn't exist.

  • April 15, 2026

    Poppi Soda Buyers Get Final OK For $8.9M False Ad Deal

    A California federal judge granted final approval to an $8.9 million settlement that resolves false advertising claims alleging the company behind the Poppi soda brand misleadingly touted its products as "prebiotics for a healthy gut."

  • April 15, 2026

    NC Passenger Tells Jury Of 'Disgusting' Uber Driver Assault

    A North Carolina woman recounted for a federal jury on Wednesday how an Uber driver sexually assaulted her in 2019, rebuffing the ride-hailing giant's suggestion that the incident never occurred and describing how she felt "grossed out," "horrified" and "terrified."

  • April 15, 2026

    LA Sues To Ban Operators Of Alleged Illegal Cannabis Op

    Two Los Angeles-area entrepreneurs have been accused of converting a warehouse into an illicit cannabis grow house to cultivate thousands of plants, according to a state court lawsuit by the city attorney's office, which seeks to impose tens of thousands of dollars in fines and permanently ban them from the industry.

  • April 15, 2026

    Ex-DOJ Antitrust Atty On Google Case Joins Wilson Sonsini

    A lead attorney on the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's monopolization cases against Google LLC who left the agency last week joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as a partner.

  • April 15, 2026

    'Law, Not Liturgy'?: 9th Circ. Split Over Faith Bias COVID Suit

    Eight judges dissented Wednesday from the denial of an en banc Ninth Circuit rehearing of a panel's decision not to revive a Christian hospital worker's religious bias lawsuit alleging she was fired for refusing COVID-19 nasal testing, with one dissenting judge saying "courts are unwelcome guests" when deciding the veracity of an individual's belief.

  • April 15, 2026

    Judge Ices Calif. Climate Suit As Justices Mull Boulder Case

    A California state court judge has put on hold coordinated climate litigation that state and local governments have filed against oil and gas companies while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a similar case brought by the city and county of Boulder, Colorado.

  • April 15, 2026

    Cinemoi Trustee Moves To Seize $43M Film Library In Ch. 7

    The Chapter 7 trustee for bankrupt television network Cinemoi North America on Wednesday asked a California bankruptcy judge to hold the company in contempt for allegedly refusing to turn over a hard drive containing a film library valued at about $43.4 million. 

  • April 15, 2026

    9th Circ. Skeptical About Erasing Rail Workers' $7.8M Vax Win

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday appeared likely to uphold a $7.8 million verdict for former San Francisco public rail employees who were ousted after refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on faith-based grounds, with one judge saying the transit system's argument would mean public health guidance effectively cancels out religious rights.  

  • April 15, 2026

    Chamber Backs 9th Circ. Rehearing Of Funko Investor Suit

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is backing Funko Inc.'s call for Ninth Circuit to rehear an investor dispute over the toy-maker's write-down of excessive inventory, arguing that the court's decision to revive the lawsuit "degrades a critical firewall against abusive litigation."

  • April 15, 2026

    Palisades Fire Suspect Can't Toss Warrants, ChatGPT Images

    A California federal judge Wednesday held that the Palisades Fire arson suspect cannot suppress all evidence discovered via search warrants — including ChatGPT images on his phone depicting a city on fire — finding the government didn't rely only on his mere presence near the crime scene to obtain the warrants.

  • April 15, 2026

    US Says It Will Stay Out Of Calif. Monument Venue Dispute

    The U.S. Department of the Interior won't weigh in on whether a dispute between a miner, tribal nations and conservation groups over the Chuckwalla National Monument's establishment in California should stay in a Michigan district court.

  • April 15, 2026

    DOJ Atty Slapped With $250 Sanction For Missed Deadlines

    A California federal judge hit a U.S. Department of Justice attorney with a $250 sanction for repeatedly missing deadlines in a noncitizen's habeas corpus case, rejecting his assertions that his need to juggle tasks under a 300-plus caseload should excuse him.

  • April 15, 2026

    Jury Finds Live Nation Monopolized Concert Ticketing

    Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary harmed competition in the live entertainment sector by willfully monopolizing ticketing services to major concert venues and unlawfully tying artists' use of large amphitheaters to Live Nation's promotional services, a Manhattan federal jury found on Wednesday.

  • April 15, 2026

    Willkie Adds O'Melveny Litigator To Los Angeles Office

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP expanded its Los Angeles office with the recent addition of a litigator who moved her practice after nearly 15 years with O'Melveny & Myers LLP.

  • April 15, 2026

    Pot Co. CFO Says Attys Must Be DQ'd In Embezzling Suit

    The former CFO of four related cannabis companies, who is accused of embezzling from those companies, is urging a California state court to disqualify the plaintiffs' attorneys, saying there is a conflict of interest between the company plaintiffs and the individual plaintiffs.

  • April 15, 2026

    Biopharma Co. Says Ex-Worker Used Files To Build AI Rival

    A biopharmaceutical consulting firm's ex-contractor illegally downloaded thousands of proprietary internal files and emails that he then used to launch a rival company powered by artificial intelligence, the firm claimed in a lawsuit, alleging that the former contractor violated federal trade secrets law.

  • April 15, 2026

    MoFo Brings On Former Federal Prosecutor In San Francisco

    Morrison Foerster LLP announced Wednesday that it has expanded its investigations and white collar defense group with a partner in San Francisco who has served as an assistant U.S. attorney and as a deputy attorney general with the California Attorney General's Office.

  • April 15, 2026

    Solar Co. Freedom Forever Hits Ch. 11 With Over $500M Debt

    California-based home solar panel installer Freedom Forever filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware bankruptcy court Wednesday with more than $500 million in debt, including $114 million owed to residential solar panel financing firm Mosaic.

  • April 14, 2026

    Google Sued By Rival Over 'Interrelated Web' Of Monopolies

    Google's "anticompetitive chokehold" over Android app distribution and in-app billing markets has kept Portugal-based Android app store alternative Aptoide from being able to compete with the tech giant, Aptoide alleged in a complaint filed Tuesday in California federal court challenging Google's "interrelated web" of monopolies.

  • April 14, 2026

    Armistice Capital Used COVID To Juice Vaxart Stock, Jury Told

    Hedge fund Armistice Capital and two of its executives exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to issue press releases that falsely inflated their controlling share in pharmaceutical company Vaxart, then dumped the shares for $250 million before the bottom fell out, investors told a California federal jury at the start of trial Tuesday.

  • April 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Orders ICE Agent Resentenced For Child Enticement

    A former U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement supervisor sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for trying to entice a 13-year-old girl cannot challenge the evidence against him or argue he was conducting a human trafficking investigation, but he should be resentenced, the Ninth Circuit said Monday.

  • April 14, 2026

    Alphabet Investors Near Class Cert. In Google Probe Case

    A California federal judge on Tuesday indicated she was leaning toward granting class certification for Alphabet Inc. investors in a suit against the Google parent company over an allegedly false statement CEO Sundar Pichai made to Congress in 2020 about the fairness of ad auctions.

  • April 14, 2026

    Westlake Inks $67M Antitrust Deal With PVC Pipe Buyers

    Purchasers of polyvinyl chloride pipe urged an Illinois federal judge Tuesday to sign off on a proposed $67 million deal with Westlake Corp. that would put to rest allegations it and other PVC pipe producers conspired to fix prices, according to a motion filed in Illinois federal court.

  • April 14, 2026

    Ex-UCLA Gynecologist Pleads Guilty Before Sex Abuse Retrial

    A former University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist on Tuesday pled guilty to sexually assaulting five patients and was once again sentenced to 11 years in prison, entering the plea at a pretrial hearing two months after a California appellate court tossed his initial convictions and ordered a new trial.

Expert Analysis

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Opinion

    FTC Case Risks Redefining Price Discrimination

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    Federal Trade Commission v. Southern Glazer puts a spotlight on the blurry line between illegal price discrimination and ordinary competition, and could potentially set a precedent that puts nearly any manufacturer at risk of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement, says Jeremy Sandford at Econic Partners.

  • Parsing Rule 12(c) Motion Overuse In Securities Class Actions

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    Defendants in securities class actions have more frequently been filing motions for judgment on the pleadings following the denial of motions to dismiss, but courts have recently demonstrated an increasing willingness to reject these previously rare motions, finding them transparent attempts to relitigate already-decided issues, say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

  • Preparing For New Calif. Pay Data Reporting Requirements

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    California's S.B. 464 overhauls the state's pay data reporting framework by requiring employers to use job categories that are based on the Standard Occupational Classification system, increasing both the potential visibility of pay disparities and the complexity of compliance, say attorneys at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Pension Case Offers Entertainment Work Exception Insights

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    A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarified that any amount of entertainment work can satisfy the entertainment industry exception under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act, reinforcing that statutory language, rather than evolving business models, dictates withdrawal liability outcomes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Justices' Ruling Stresses Quick Action Against Absconders

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    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding in Rico v. U.S. that a supervised release term is not automatically extended when a defendant absconds, probation officers and prosecutors risk being unable to address later violations if they don't act promptly to secure warrants, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Cos. Can Navigate The Patchwork Of AI Safety Bills

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    In the first few months of 2026, state and federal lawmakers introduced hundreds of bills to address the perceived safety risks of artificial intelligence, so companies should assess whether existing or planned services could be scoped into AI safety legislation across jurisdictions, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q1

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    As usual, California remained a hub for financial services activity in the first quarter of 2026, with key developments including the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation's eye on consumer issues, a bill targeting "pig butchering" schemes, and jam-packed courts, say attorneys at Joseph Cohen.

  • Series

    Ultramarathons Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Completing a 100-mile ultramarathon was tougher, more humbling and more rewarding than I ever imagined, and the experience highlighted how long-distance running has sharpened my ability to adapt to the evolving nature of antitrust law and strengthened my resolve to handle demanding, unforeseen challenges, says Dan Oakes at Axinn.

  • When AI Puffery Becomes Actionable Securities Fraud

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    Though courts usually hold that vague but optimistic corporate statements don’t constitute securities fraud, signs suggest that investors may give enough economic weight to references to artificial intelligence in public company disclosures that broad feel-good statements could cross into actionable misrepresentation, says Christine Polek at Keystone Strategy.

  • State FARA Laws Pose Unique Constitutional Challenges

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    Several states have recently enacted foreign agent registration and disclosure regimes that were modeled after the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but these state laws raise several constitutional questions, including concerns about preemption, speech and petition, and vagueness, says Alexandra Langton at Covington.

  • In First For DOJ, Action Signals New CFIUS Enforcement Era

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    The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking judicial enforcement of a divestment order, an unprecedented action for the agency that ushers in a new phase for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, one in which judicial proceedings complement administrative oversight and presidential divestment orders may be enforced through litigation, says attorney Sohan Dasgupta.

  • 6th Circ. Can Extend Insurance Valuation Clarity Beyond Auto

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    In rehearing Clippinger v. State Farm, the Sixth Circuit can align itself with the recent drumbeat of other circuits rejecting class certification of auto total loss claims and set standards that apply to similar claims brought under homeowners and other types of insurance policies, say attorneys at Jackson Walker.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Doc Protection Limits In Gov't Probes

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalbers v. U.S. Department of Justice confirms that Rule 6(e) provides robust protections when documents are in the government's possession only through a grand jury subpoena, emphasizing for companies the importance of careful labeling from the outset of an investigation, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Spotlight On Legal Battles Over EEOC Subpoena Powers

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    Attorneys at Wilson Elser consider the spate of litigation over the past year, spurred by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s focus on alleged religious discrimination at universities, and corporate diversity, equity and inclusion practices, and how it may affect the attempts to assert privacy rights against the agency's broad subpoena powers.

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