California

  • August 01, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Succession Planning, 'Build, Baby, Build'

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into how law firms are winning the succession game, and the Trump administration's efforts to cut red tape for data center projects.

  • August 01, 2025

    9th Circ. Sees 'Everest-Like' Preemption For Credit Union Fees

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday rejected a consumer's bid to revive his California class action claims over bounced-check fees at Navy Federal Credit Union, ruling that federal credit unions are exempt from state laws that regulate account fees.

  • August 01, 2025

    X Corp. Must Arbitrate Ex-Twitter Workers' Claims, Cover Fees

    A Seattle federal judge is forcing X Corp. to fully pay the fees for arbitrating the claims of about 150 former Twitter employees in Washington who say they were shorted on bonus and severance pay amid layoffs after Elon Musk took over the social media giant in 2022.

  • August 01, 2025

    Airbnb Guests Claim They Were Recorded, Nudes Shared

    Airbnb knew that two Palm Springs, California, hosts were secretly video recording female guests but did not delist the rental home, according to lawsuits filed by several women who stayed at the property and claim nude footage of them was passed around.

  • August 01, 2025

    Lego Wins Bid To Halt Toy Co. Sales Of Copycat Figurines

    After convincing a Connecticut federal judge that it was facing irreparable harm, Danish toy giant Lego has secured a permanent injunction barring a California-based distributor from selling products that mimic its figurines and play sets.

  • August 01, 2025

    9th Circ. Partially Revives Child Porn Victims' Suit Against X

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday partially revived a lawsuit brought by 13-year-old boys who had been sex trafficked alleging X Corp. refused to remove pornographic videos of them, saying Section 230 shields the social media platform from claims it knowingly benefited from sex trafficking, but not from negligence and defective-reporting design claims.

  • August 01, 2025

    2nd Circ. Affirms Class Cert. In VRDO Suit Against Banks

    The Second Circuit on Friday upheld a lower court order granting class certification to a group of American cities and others that are accusing eight large banks of inflating interest rates on debt securities known as variable rate demand obligations, saying the district court applied the correct legal standard in granting certification.

  • August 01, 2025

    AGs Sue Trump Over 'Onslaught Of Pressure' On Trans Care

    The Trump administration has improperly "weaponized" federal laws against drug misbranding, false claims and female genital mutilation as part of a pressure campaign to undermine state protections for gender-affirming care, a coalition of state attorneys general argued in a new suit Friday.

  • August 01, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Can't Halt Tobacco Ruling Amid Ninth Circuit Fight

    A California federal court won't order the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to remove the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians from a noncompliance list over the alleged sale of cigarettes to non-Native customers while the tribe appeals the decision to the Ninth Circuit.

  • August 01, 2025

    En Banc 9th Circ. Backs LA Schools In Vax Mandate Fight

    A majority en banc Ninth Circuit has affirmed a lower court's decision upholding Los Angeles Unified School District's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for employees, while two partially dissenting judges disagreed with the majority's conclusion that the policy passes constitutional muster.

  • August 01, 2025

    Normal Wear Is On Landlord's Dime, Not Renters', Court Says

    Massachusetts' highest court on Friday concluded that landlords cannot ding a tenant's security deposit for normal wear and tear like scuffs on walls, nor can they force a tenant to pay for professional cleanings during a moveout.

  • August 01, 2025

    States Urge High Court To Keep NIH Grant Funds Flowing

    A coalition of 16 states pressed the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to reject the Trump administration's push to resume the mass termination of scientific research grants, saying a district judge had authority to pause the cuts.

  • August 01, 2025

    1st Circ. Doubtful Of Trump's Stance On Birthright Citizenship

    The First Circuit on Friday seemed inclined to say that the children of unauthorized immigrants are citizens if they were born on U.S. soil, citing both the 14th Amendment and a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and pushing back on an argument by President Donald Trump's administration.

  • August 01, 2025

    Dems Want Probe Of DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement

    A quartet of Senate Democrats called Friday for the U.S. Department of Justice's internal watchdog to look for "improper business and political considerations" in the settlement permitting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks.

  • August 01, 2025

    US Defends Bulk Denial Of Worker Credits At 9th Circ.

    An Arizona federal court was right to deny a request by tax services firms to stop the IRS from issuing batch denials of thousands of pandemic-era worker credit claims, the U.S. told the Ninth Circuit, defending the agency's system for handling problems administering the tax credit.

  • August 01, 2025

    4 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch In August

    The Ninth and Eleventh circuits in August will hear from employers fighting trial court decisions refusing to kick proposed class actions alleging ERISA violations into individual arbitration. Here's a look at four coming oral argument sessions that should be on benefits lawyers' radar.

  • August 01, 2025

    9th Circ. Pauses Google Play Store Order In Antitrust Row

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday granted Google's same-day request for an emergency administrative pause on a looming deadline to open up the tech giant's Play Store to alternative app distribution after the appellate court upheld a landmark antitrust win for Epic Games.

  • August 01, 2025

    J&J Unit's Catheter Rival Scores Injunction After $442M Win

    A California federal judge will block Johnson & Johnson's Biosense Webster from refusing clinical support for its Carto cardio mapping systems from hospitals that use competitors' cardiac catheters, requiring the company to institute nondiscriminatory pricing for its services at hospitals regardless of which products they use.

  • August 01, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Skadden, Wachtell, Latham

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. announce megamerger plans, Palo Alto Networks acquires identity security company CyberArk, Brookfield buys British life insurer Just Group, and Duke Energy sells its Piedmont Natural Gas Tennessee local distribution business to Spire Inc.

  • August 01, 2025

    Tesla Hit With $329M Verdict In Trial Over Fatal Autopilot Crash

    A Miami jury in a highly publicized trial over Tesla's autopilot on Friday found the product to be defective and awarded $329 million in damages to the loved ones of a woman killed in a 2019 Florida Keys crash.

  • August 01, 2025

    Hyundai, Kia Can't Get Rehearing On Cities' Car Theft MDL

    The Ninth Circuit won't hold an en banc rehearing on an appeal from Hyundai Motors America Inc. and Kia America Inc. seeking to dismiss negligence claims by cities in three of seven states in multidistrict litigation over their alleged failure to install anti-theft technology in millions of vehicles.

  • August 01, 2025

    NY Bill Could Reshape Juvenile Investigations, If It Works

    A bill that would keep minors out of police interrogation rooms until they've spoken with an attorney is one step closer to becoming law in New York after passing in the state Assembly, in what could be a chance to transform how juvenile crimes are investigated.

  • July 31, 2025

    Pandora Says IP Suit Should Be Axed, Backing Special Master

    Pandora Media told a California federal judge on Wednesday that a special master was right to recommend handing it a summary judgment win in high-stakes copyright infringement litigation by a group of comedians who allege that the streaming service lacked licenses for the underlying jokes in their comedy routines.

  • July 31, 2025

    'Abusive Behavior' Spurs $195M Add To Phillips 66 IP Verdict

    A California state judge added $195 million in exemplary damages to a $605 million trade secrets verdict against oil giant Phillips 66 following its "abusive behavior" toward startup and onetime acquisition target Propel Fuels.

  • July 31, 2025

    Flo Settles Privacy Fight Midtrial, Leaving Meta To Face Jury

    Flo Health Inc. told a California federal judge Thursday it had reached an agreement to settle claims that its popular menstrual-tracking app illegally shared sensitive health data of millions of women with Meta Platforms Inc. and Google, partially resolving a sweeping privacy case midtrial, and leaving Meta as the sole remaining defendant.

Expert Analysis

  • $38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils

    Author Photo

    A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.

  • Maintaining Legal Compliance For GenAI In Life Sciences

    Author Photo

    As companies continue to implement generative artificial intelligence to enhance all phases of drug discovery, they must remain mindful of legal, regulatory and practical considerations as best practices in this space emerge and evolve, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

  • Choosing A Road To Autonomous Vehicle Compliance

    Author Photo

    As autonomous vehicle manufacturers navigate the complex U.S. regulatory landscape, they may opt for different approaches to following federal, state and local rules and laws, as they balance the tradeoffs between innovation, compliance and speed of deployment, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Navigating The Expanding Frontier Of Premerger Notice Laws

    Author Photo

    Washington's newly enacted law requiring premerger notification to state enforcers builds upon a growing trend of state scrutiny into transactions in the healthcare sector and beyond, and may inspire other states to enact similar legislation, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California archive.