California

  • February 06, 2026

    Arbitrators Take Cautious Approach To Integrating AI

    Norms, practices and regulations surrounding the use of generative artificial intelligence in arbitration are developing just as rapidly as they are in the courts. Here, Law360 Pulse talks with legal tech vendor Veritext's senior vice president in charge of alternative dispute resolution about how the arbitration industry is interacting with AI.

  • February 06, 2026

    A&O Shearman US Data Privacy Leader Joins Norton Rose

    Norton Rose Fulbright is boosting its West Coast team, bringing in an Allen Overy Shearman Sterling cybersecurity pro as a partner in its San Francisco office.

  • February 05, 2026

    Gilstrap Sends Tesla Patent Case From Texas To Calif.

    A Texas federal judge refused to change his mind — again — about transferring to California a patent infringement suit against Tesla related to technology used in self-driving cars, according to a Jan. 29 order unsealed Thursday.

  • February 05, 2026

    Conagra Owes $25M For Man's Lung Disease From Pam Spray

    A California state civil jury hit Conagra Brands with a $25 million verdict after unanimously finding it liable for causing a debilitating lung disease known as bronchiolitis obliterans of a man who says he was exposed to diacetyl that was added to the company's Pam butter-flavored cooking spray.

  • February 05, 2026

    Tesla Applicants Fight Uphill To Keep H-1B Visa Bias Suit Alive

    A California federal judge appeared open Thursday to tossing a proposed class action alleging Tesla discriminates against American workers by favoring allegedly underpaid H-1B visa holders, telling counsel repeatedly during a hearing the allegations seem to be "speculation."

  • February 05, 2026

    Meta Must Redo User Engagement Data In Mental Health MDL

    A California federal judge overseeing discovery in litigation against social media giants over their effect on youth mental health ordered Meta to provide plaintiffs with updated data on the amount of time users spend on Instagram and Facebook, after state attorneys general argued Meta had skewed the times downward.

  • February 05, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Judge To Intel IP Atty: Your View Is 'Unreasonable'

    The Federal Circuit's chief judge on Thursday reprimanded an attorney representing Intel for his "truly unreasonable" claim that a contract with VLSI Technology to streamline patent litigation should only count toward damages, not infringement.

  • February 05, 2026

    BlackRock Arm Faces Investor Suit Over Lending Losses

    A BlackRock subsidiary that finances middle-market companies is facing a proposed class action in California federal court accusing it of failing to warn investors about the ballooning number of portfolio companies struggling to pay back their loans.

  • February 05, 2026

    E.L.F. Beauty Must Face Investors' Excess Inventory Claims

    Cosmetics giant e.l.f. Beauty must face an investor suit accusing the company and its executives of hiding growing inventory issues stemming from inadequate sales, a California federal judge has ruled.

  • February 05, 2026

    Fake Case Pulled From Toshiba Malicious Prosecution Suit

    A former printer toner salesman is trying to salvage his lawsuit against Toshiba after the company flagged nonexistent citations, apologizing to the California federal court in a corrected brief Thursday defending claims that the electronics company manufactured a criminal case against him and others to maintain an illegal monopoly.

  • February 05, 2026

    Meta Latest To Be Accused Of YouTube Data Scraping For AI

    Three YouTube personalities have filed suit against Meta Platforms Inc., accusing it of circumventing YouTube's technological protections to bulk-download video content to be used in training artificial intelligence.

  • February 05, 2026

    FERC's Grid Planning Policy Revamp Is Proper, 4th Circ. Told

    Clean energy supporters and blue state officials are backing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's overhaul of its regional transmission planning policy, telling the Fourth Circuit that the agency properly exercised its authority while ensuring states have a seat at the planning table.

  • February 05, 2026

    Uber Hit With $8.5M Verdict In 1st Fed. Sex Assault Bellwether

    An Arizona federal jury on Thursday found that Uber wasn't negligent with respect to rider safety but was liable for the actions of a driver who allegedly sexually assaulted a passenger in 2023, awarding the rider $8.5 million in damages in the first such federal bellwether trial.

  • February 05, 2026

    Crypto Lender Nexo Can't Exit Suit Over Liquidated Loans

    Crypto lender Nexo Capital Inc. must face a customer's suit accusing the firm of misleading him about fees and causing him millions of dollars in losses through forced liquidations of his crypto assets, a California magistrate judge determined, saying that several of the plaintiff's claims have been sufficiently asserted in the pleading stage.

  • February 05, 2026

    Timbisha Tribe, Green Groups Sue BLM Over Mining Plan

    A Timbisha Shoshone tribal band has joined conservation groups in filing a California federal court suit to stop exploratory mine drilling near the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge's wetlands, saying the U.S. Bureau of Land Management refuses to comply with the Endangered Species Act.

  • February 05, 2026

    Mariah Carey Wants $1M After Winning 'Frivolous' Xmas Suit

    Mariah Carey and co-defendants who beat accusations that her holiday hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You" copied an earlier song of the same name have asked a California federal judge to order the plaintiffs to pay nearly $1 million in legal fees, arguing their complaint was frivolous from the start.

  • February 05, 2026

    FAT Brands Seeks OK To Use Subsidiary Stock Sale Cash

    FAT Brands is asking a Delaware bankruptcy judge for permission to use the proceeds from a sale of new shares in one of its subsidiary restaurant chains, saying it needs the more than $3 million in cash to fund its Chapter 11 case.

  • February 05, 2026

    9th Circ. Rejects Qualified Immunity For Ariz. Police Shooting

    The Ninth Circuit has ruled that a family can continue their case against a sheriff who, thinking a car key fob was a gun, killed their relative, affirming there were enough disputed facts to bar the Arizona officer from asserting qualified immunity for his actions.

  • February 05, 2026

    Semtech Hid Copper Tech Product Setbacks, Investors Say

    Two Semtech Corp. investors have filed amended claims against the company's top brass in a shareholder derivative suit in California federal court, alleging the executives misled investors ahead of Semtech's secondary public offering and overhyped demand for the company's active copper cable technology that was supposed to be used by chipmaker Nvidia.

  • February 05, 2026

    Medtronic Hit With $382M Antitrust Verdict Over Bundling

    A California federal jury on Thursday ordered Medtronic to pay nearly $382 million to business rival Applied Medical for antitrust violations, finding the medical device giant illegally used its monopoly power to crush competition in the market for a type of surgical instrument called an advanced bipolar device.

  • February 05, 2026

    Stiiizy Accused Again Of Pushing High-THC Vapes On Teens

    Cannabis vape company Stiiizy Inc. is facing another lawsuit in California state court alleging it markets its high-THC products to teens, contributing to the "cannabis-induced psychosis" "epidemic" across the country.

  • February 05, 2026

    State Bar Of Texas Declines To Open Grievance On Ramey

    The State Bar of Texas has declined to open a grievance against patent litigator William P. Ramey III after a San Francisco federal court sanctioned him and his firm, Ramey LLP, for practicing law in California without a license.

  • February 05, 2026

    2 Firms Advise JV's Data Center Portfolio Sale To Igneo

    A joint venture guided by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP sold off its portfolio of seven U.S. data centers to global infrastructure manager Igneo Infrastructure Partners, which was guided by Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, the companies announced on Feb. 5.

  • February 05, 2026

    Covington, Davis Polk Lead Eikon's Upsized $381M IPO

    Oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company Eikon Therapeutics began trading publicly Thursday after raising $381 million in its upsized initial public offering.

  • February 05, 2026

    WilmerHale Adds Arnold & Porter Atty As Sports Co-Leader

    WilmerHale is expanding its West Coast transactions team, bringing in an Arnold & Porter sports attorney to be a partner in its San Francisco office.  

Expert Analysis

  • 2025's Defining AI Securities Litigation

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    Three securities litigation decisions from 2025 — involving General Motors, GitLab and Tesla — offer a preview of how courts will assess artificial intelligence-related disclosures, as themes such as heightened regulatory scrutiny and risk surrounding technical claims are already taking shape for the coming year, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Targeted Action, Rule Tweaks Reflect 2025 AML Priority Shifts

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    Though 2025’s anti-money-laundering landscape was characterized not by volume of penalties but by the strategic recalibration of how illicit finance risk is handled, a series of targeted enforcement actions signaled that regulators aren't easing off the accelerator, even as they refine the rules of the road, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

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    A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.

  • Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2026

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    As 2026 begins, the legal and regulatory outlook for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is defined less by sweeping federal initiatives and more by incremental adjustments, judicial guardrails and state-driven regulations — an environment in which proactive risk management and close monitoring of policy developments will be essential, say attorneys at MG+M.

  • Navigating Workplace AI When Federal, State Policies Clash

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    Two recent federal bills and various state laws concerning employers' artificial intelligence use may clash with an executive order calling for minimal regulation, so employers should proactively monitor their AI usage and stay apprised of legislative updates while awaiting further direction from the federal government, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    A Day In The In-House Life: Chime GC Talks Pathfinding

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    On a recent Tuesday in the office, Chime's general counsel Adam Frankel shares his typical work day, tackling everything from strategically guiding product launches and testing AI tools to mastering the perfect latte and making time for extracurricular interests.

  • Reviewing 2025's Artificial Intelligence Disputes Over IP

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    2025 brought the first major fair use rulings involving generative artificial intelligence, and in 2026 courts will weigh in on more discovery disputes, renewed motions to dismiss, class certification challenges and fair use defenses that could shape the course of future AI litigation, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Key Trends Shaping ESG And Sustainability Law In 2026

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    2025 saw a chaotic regulatory landscape and novel litigation around environmental, social and governance issues and sustainability — and 2026, while perhaps more predictable, will likely be no less challenging, with more lawsuits and a regulatory tug-of-war complicating compliance for global companies, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • 3 Securities Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

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    Pending federal appellate cases suggest that 2026 will be a significant year for securities litigation, with long-standing debates about class certification, new questions about the risks and value of artificial intelligence features, and private plaintiffs' growing role in cryptocurrency enforcement likely to be major themes, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • For Data Centers, Both Hyperscale And Edge Are Key In 2026

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    Recent trends in development of data centers highlight the importance of proactive attention to the zoning, permitting, interconnection and contractual issues associated with both hyperscale and edge facilities, in order to position projects for responsible growth in 2026 and protect their long-term value amid rapid technological and regulatory change, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Top 5 Antitrust Issues For In-House Counsel To Watch In 2026

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    With Trump administration enforcement policy having largely taken shape last year, antitrust issues that in-house counsel should have on the radar range from scrutiny of technology-assisted pricing to the return of merger remedies, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

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    The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.

  • 5 Trade Secret Developments To Follow In 2026

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    Watch for major developments in trade secret law this year, especially as courts clarify the reach of U.S. law internationally, the availability of trade secret damages and more, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2026

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    Heightened regulatory attention, shifting enforcement priorities and increased litigation risk mean that routine workplace decisions in 2026 will require greater discipline and foresight, including in relation to bias and inclusion training, employee resource groups, employee speech, immigration compliance, workplace accommodations, and shadow artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

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