California

  • January 02, 2026

    SnapChat, Pork And Big Prosecutions: Trials To Watch In 2026

    The coming year is set to bring high-profile trials, including in the criminal case against SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein, as well as bellwether trials in multidistrict litigation concerning social media's effects on mental health and allegations of price-fixing in the generic-drug industry.

  • January 02, 2026

    Patent Cases To Watch In 2026

    The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to weigh in on generic-drug skinny labels, while the Federal Circuit is examining an effort by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to shield decisions from review. Here's a look at those cases and others that attorneys will be tracking in 2026.

  • January 02, 2026

    Biggest W&H Issues To Watch In 2026

    In 2026, states and cities will continue to be the centers of experimentation and ever-expanding workers’ rights in higher minimum wages, paid leave reforms and other changes. Here, Law360 explores the trends and policies that will shape the coming year.

  • January 01, 2026

    Blue Slip Fight Looms Over Trump's 2026 Judicial Outlook

    In 2025, President Donald Trump put 20 district and six circuit judges on the federal bench. In the year ahead, a fight over home state senators' ability to block district court picks could make it more difficult for him to match that record.

  • January 01, 2026

    4 High Court Cases To Watch This Spring

    The U.S. Supreme Court justices will return from the winter holidays to tackle several constitutional disputes that range from who is entitled to birthright citizenship to whether transgender individuals are entitled to heightened levels of protection from discrimination. 

  • January 01, 2026

    BigLaw Leaders Tackle Growth, AI, Remote Work In New Year

    Rapid business growth, cultural changes caused by remote work and generative AI are creating challenges and opportunities for law firm leaders going into the New Year. Here, seven top firm leaders share what’s running through their minds as they lie awake at night.

  • December 23, 2025

    Trump Admin Beats Chamber Suit Over $100K H-1B Visa Fee

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge on Tuesday refused to block the Trump administration's new $100,000 H-1B visa fee, ruling in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's lawsuit challenging the fee that President Donald Trump has "broad authority" to restrict noncitizens' entry.

  • December 23, 2025

    Walmart Gets $623K As Sanction Award In Avocado Oil Suit

    A California federal judge has ordered two attorneys from a Santa Monica-based law firm to pay Walmart $623,000 in attorney fees as a sanction in their client's decertified class action that accused Walmart of falsely labeling its avocado oil as containing only avocado oil despite allegedly containing other oils.

  • December 23, 2025

    SEC, FAT Brands Near Deal In Suit On CEO's $27M Loan Scam

    Restaurant franchiser FAT Brands, its former CEO and other executives told a California federal judge on Tuesday that they reached a deal to resolve the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's civil claims that they ran an illegal $27 million personal-loan scheme to fuel the former CEO's lavish lifestyle as the public company floundered.

  • December 23, 2025

    Intent Not Needed To Boost ID Theft Sentence, 9th Circ. Says

    Federal prosecutors need not show that a defendant intended to commit fraud with stolen materials that have authentication features, such as driver's licenses, for courts to apply a sentencing enhancement for possessing those materials, the Ninth Circuit has held.

  • December 23, 2025

    3 Federal Circuit Clashes To Watch In January

    The Federal Circuit is set to hear several intellectual property cases in January, including one over a nine-figure patent judgment against cybersecurity company Gen Digital tied to a contempt finding against a major law firm that represented it, and another over the tech industry's long-running crusade against patent review denials based on related litigation.

  • December 23, 2025

    Full 9th Circ. Won't Hear Ex-Theranos Exec Balwani's Appeal

    A Ninth Circuit panel rejected ex-Theranos executive Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani's en banc hearing request to reconsider his 12-count conviction and nearly 13-year prison sentence, while also amending its opinion to clarify that there was "ample evidence" to convict Balwani, even if prosecutors failed to correct a witness's testimony.

  • December 23, 2025

    OCC Wants To Preempt State Mortgage Escrow Interest Laws

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has unveiled a pair of proposals aiming to, among other things, preempt state laws requiring banks it regulates to make interest payments for escrow accounts connected to certain types of residential mortgage loans, calling it a "critical tool for reducing unnecessary burden."

  • December 23, 2025

    Estate Of 1970s Cannabis Pioneer Sues Publisher Over IP Use

    The family of cannabis legalization activist and author Jack Herer is seeking to wrestle back control of his IP, filing a lawsuit in California state court which claims the patriarch's name, image and likeness have been "fraudulently" taken.

  • December 23, 2025

    Dem Sens. Blast Idea Of Charging Value-Based Patent Fees

    A group of Democratic U.S. senators has asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick not to move forward with a proposed overhaul of the U.S. patent fee system that reportedly would implement fees based on a patent's value, saying such changes would create a "prohibitive bar to innovation for start-ups and other small-to-mid-size businesses."

  • December 23, 2025

    Justices Urged To Review 'Bike+' TM Suit Against Peloton

    A fitness company with a cycling app called Bike+ has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit decision dismissing its trademark infringement claims against Peloton, saying the appeals court erred in assessing the likelihood of confusion and should have let a jury decide the matter.

  • December 23, 2025

    Squires Will Review If Hydrafacial's ITC Win Should End IPR

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has paused the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's review of a Hydrafacial LLC skin treatment patent to consider the effect of a related U.S. International Trade Commission decision.

  • December 23, 2025

    Telcoin Sues To Freeze $1.5M In Stolen Crypto-Assets

    Cryptocurrency platform Telcoin LLC has gone to California federal court seeking an emergency injunction and damages against unknown hackers who allegedly siphoned millions in digital assets from customer wallets on Christmas Day 2023.

  • December 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Claims In Internet Voice Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision in a reexamination requested by Cisco Systems Inc. that claims in a widely asserted Estech Systems IP LLC patent on voice over internet protocol telephone systems are invalid.

  • December 23, 2025

    Arby's, Dunkin' Owner Dodges Web Cookie Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge dismissed a proposed class action Monday against Arby's, Jimmy John's, Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins and their parent company alleging their websites contained cookie banners falsely promising to remove trackers, finding the plaintiffs failed to meet heightened pleading standards required when the claims are based in fraud allegations.

  • December 23, 2025

    Biggest Energy & Environmental Court Decisions Of 2025

    Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings that erected stricter boundaries on federal environmental reviews and permitting highlighted an action-packed 2025 for energy and environmental litigation. Here, Law360 looks back at this year's most consequential court decisions in energy and environmental law.

  • December 23, 2025

    Disney Wants ESPN Streaming Rates Suit Sent To Arbitration

    Disney is seeking to force a proposed class of Fubo subscribers to arbitrate their claims that Disney unlawfully made streaming services pay inflated rates for ESPN and other sports channels, telling a California federal judge that the company can enforce Fubo's arbitration clause after its purchase of the streamer.

  • December 23, 2025

    'Surprise' Expert Prompts Axing Of $14M Car Crash Verdict

    A California appellate court has vacated a $13.8 million jury verdict after finding that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing a "surprise" medical expert witness to testify at an auto collision trial, saying his testimony likely affected the jury's substantial award.

  • December 23, 2025

    The Court Cases That Defined Sports Law In 2025

    From a landmark settlement that looks to reshape the future of college athletics to an eye-popping victory for a golf legend, the sports legal world was teeming with cases that commanded attorneys' attention throughout 2025.

  • December 23, 2025

    State Telecom Roundup: AGs Step Up War On Robocalls

    Americans have been pummeled by more than 2.5 billion robocalls every month this year, and stanching the onslaught has become one of the more bipartisan issues in national politics. Federal and state authorities also agree on the magnitude of the issue, and the nation's attorneys general are teaming up for battle across the country at the state level.

Expert Analysis

  • Insights From Recent Cases On Navigating Snap Removal

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    Snap removal, which allows defendants to transfer state court cases to federal court before a forum defendant is properly joined and served, is viewed differently across federal circuits — but keys to making it work can be drawn from recent decisions critiquing the practice, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Workday Case Shows Auditing AI Hiring Tools Is Crucial

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    Following a California federal court's recent decisions in Mobley v. Workday signaling that both employers and vendors could be held liable for discriminatory outcomes from artificial intelligence hiring tools, companies should consider two rigorous auditing methods to detect and mitigate bias, says Hossein Borhani at Charles River Associates.

  • Tips For Cos. Crafting Enforceable Online Arbitration Clauses

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    Recent rulings from the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California indicate that courts are carefully examining the enforceability of online arbitration clauses, so businesses should review the design of their websites and consider specific language next to the "purchase" button, say attorneys at DTO Law.

  • 7 Lessons From The Tractor Supply CCPA Enforcement Action

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    The California Privacy Protection Agency's recent enforcement action targeting Tractor Supply for alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act provides critical insights into the compliance areas that remain a priority for the California regulator, including businesses with significant consumer interactions, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Parody Defendants Are Finding Success Post-Jack Daniel's

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    Recent decisions demonstrate that, although the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products did benefit trademark plaintiffs by significantly limiting the First Amendment expressive use defense, courts also now appear to be less likely to find a parodic work likely to cause confusion, says Andrew Michaels at University of Houston Law Center.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • Trader Joe's Ruling Highlights Trademark Infringement Trends

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Trader Joe's Co. v. Trader Joe's United explores the legal boundaries between a union's right to advocate for workers and the protection of a brand's intellectual property, and illustrates a growing trend of courts disfavoring early dismissal of trademark infringement claims in the context of expressive speech, say attorneys at Mitchell Silberberg.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • What 9th Circ.'s Rosenwald Ruling Means For Class Actions

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Rosenwald v. Kimberly-Clark has important implications around the Class Action Fairness Act and traditional diversity jurisdiction — both for plaintiff-side and defense-side class action litigators — and deepens the circuit split concerning the use of judicial notice to establish diversity, says Grace Schmidt at DTO Law.

  • Compliance Steps To Take As FCRA Enforcement Widens

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    As the Fair Credit Reporting Act receives renewed focus from both federal and state enforcers, regulatory and litigation risk is most acute in several core areas, which companies can address by implementing purpose processes and quick remediation of consumer complaints, among other steps, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • How Calif. Law Cracks Down On Algorithmic Price-Fixing

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    Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws this month significantly expanding state antitrust enforcement and civil and criminal penalties for the use or distribution of shared pricing algorithms, as the U.S. Department of Justice has recently wielded the Sherman Act to challenge algorithmic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Opinion

    Expert Reports Can't Replace Facts In Securities Fraud Cases

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    The Ninth Circuit's 2023 decision in Nvidia v. Ohman Fonder — and the U.S. Supreme Court's punt on the case in 2024 — could invite the meritless securities litigation the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act was designed to prevent by substituting expert opinions for facts to substantiate complaint assertions, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

  • Hermes Bags Antitrust Win That Clarifies Luxury Tying Claims

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    A California federal court recently found that absent actual harm to competition in the market for ancillary products, Hermes may make access to the Birkin bag contingent on other purchases, establishing that selective sales tactics and scarcity do not automatically violate U.S. antitrust law, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

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