California

  • February 03, 2026

    OCC Urged To Scrap Escrow 'Giveaway' To Banks

    Consumer advocates are urging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to abandon proposals they say would let national banks unfairly profit off homeowners' escrowed money, warning the plan unlawfully revives a rejected deregulatory playbook.

  • February 03, 2026

    XAI Fights Uphill To Keep Alive OpenAI IP Theft Suit

    Elon Musk's xAI urged a California federal judge Tuesday to change her tentative decision to toss its suit accusing OpenAI of poaching its workers to steal trade secrets, arguing that when considered together, the "whole gestalt" of xAI's allegations against individual employees is enough to state viable claims against OpenAI.

  • February 03, 2026

    Calif. Privacy Agency Taps Meta Alum To Head New Audits Unit

    The California Privacy Protection Agency on Tuesday announced the creation of a new Audits Division to assess companies' compliance with the state's consumer data privacy framework and named the most recent director of public policy at social media giant Meta Platforms Inc. to lead the unit.

  • February 03, 2026

    Calif. Cardholders Ask 2nd Circ. To Revive Swipe Fee Suit

    California cardholders accusing Visa, Mastercard and other major banks of conspiring to fix interchange fees have asked the Second Circuit to revive their claims after a district court judge denied their motion for reconsideration in a long-running multidistrict litigation.

  • February 03, 2026

    Uber Should Pay $144M For Sex Assault By Driver, Jury Told

    Uber should pay more than $144 million in compensatory and punitive damages for choosing "profit over safety," leading to the rape of a 19-year-old woman by a rideshare driver, her lawyer told an Arizona federal jury at the close of a landmark bellwether trial on Tuesday.

  • February 03, 2026

    Medtronic's Bundling Isn't Anticompetitive, Prof Tells Jury

    A University of Chicago economics professor testified Tuesday in a California federal trial over antitrust claims against Medtronic, saying its practice of bundling its advanced bipolar devices for sales with other products isn't anticompetitive but is actually a very common American practice used by the likes of McDonald's and Costco. 

  • February 03, 2026

    Pretti Killing Highlights Free Speech And Gun Rights Tension

    The killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and lawful gun owner, by federal immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis last month brought to the fore a long-standing tension between two constitutional rights that the U.S. Supreme Court has never resolved, legal experts say.

  • February 03, 2026

    5-Hour Energy Maker Tells 9th Circ. Not To Revive Pricing Suit

    The maker of 5-Hour Energy has urged the Ninth Circuit not to revisit a lower court ruling tossing claims from family-owned wholesalers that the energy drink company violated price discrimination law by providing Costco with disproportionate promotional support.

  • February 03, 2026

    Masimo Investors' $34M Deal In Revenue Suit Gets Initial OK

    Masimo Corp. and its investors have received initial approval of a $33.8 million deal to settle claims that the medical and audio device company based its sales and revenue projections on unrealistic expectations for demand.

  • February 03, 2026

    FCC Says 8th Circ. Media Ruling Clears Path For Deals

    The Federal Communications Commission made it clear Tuesday that broadcasters have more leeway to own two leading stations in a local market following the Eighth Circuit's toss last year of the agency's long-standing bar on owning more than one major network affiliate in a single market.

  • February 03, 2026

    Tobacco Co. Says 'Time Bubble' Robbed It Of Fair TM Trial

    BBK Tobacco & Foods LLP is asking an Arizona federal court for a new trial on its trademark infringement claims against Central Coast Agriculture Inc., saying the court wrongly created a "time bubble" that excluded all evidence from May 2021 on.

  • February 03, 2026

    Novartis, Sandoz Face New Generic-Drug Price-Fixing Suit

    Adding to sprawling antitrust litigation against pharmaceutical giants, 42 states and territories sued Novartis AG, Sandoz AG and other drug companies in Connecticut federal court Monday, alleging that the companies colluded for years to fix prices and control markets for generic drugs.

  • February 03, 2026

    Jim Henson Co. Accused Of Costing Exec A 'Pinocchio' Oscar

    A Jim Henson Co. former employee filed a $7.5 million suit in California state court alleging the entertainment giant wrongfully diminished his executive producer credit and deprived him of an Oscar at the Academy Awards in connection with Guillermo Del Toro's "Pinocchio," despite his significant contributions to the film's "undeniable success."

  • February 03, 2026

    Willkie Adds Paul Hastings Entertainment Litigator In LA

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is expanding its litigation team, bringing in a Paul Hastings LLP entertainment litigator as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • February 03, 2026

    Clorox Settles Male Worker's Gender Bias Suit On Eve Of Trial

    Clorox has settled a gender discrimination suit from a former employee who claimed he was fired because the company wanted more women managers, right before the case was set to go to trial and just under a year after it was revived by the Ninth Circuit.

  • February 03, 2026

    Dem Lawmakers Win Block On New ICE Detention Visit Policy

    A D.C. federal judge temporarily blocked a Trump administration policy that had required Congress members to provide a week's notice before making oversight visits to immigrant detention facilities, ruling the policy will likely be found unlawful.

  • February 03, 2026

    Insurance Claims Data Fair Game In Instagram Addiction Suit

    A Massachusetts judge said the state's attorney general may continue reviewing health insurance claims data from two agencies it subpoenaed months after the close of discovery in its social media addiction lawsuit against Instagram.

  • February 03, 2026

    Approach The Bench: Judge Yew Warns Of Deepfake Evidence

    After decades on the bench of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Judge Erica Yew began to regard the future of courtroom evidence with some trepidation, as the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence made it easier to falsify documents, photos and videos.

  • February 03, 2026

    Calif. Justices Rule Loose Pot Is Not 'Open Container'

    The California Supreme Court has ruled that the mere presence of loose cannabis in a vehicle doesn't trigger the state's "open container" law, but instead it must be in a usable quantity and readily accessible to the driver to create probable cause that justifies a search.

  • February 03, 2026

    Habeas Cases Flood Courts After Immigrant Detention Shift

    Federal courts have been inundated with a flood of cases stemming from the Trump administration's revised approach to the detention of unauthorized immigrants, with judges routinely ruling against the government as immigration attorneys scramble to keep up.

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Justices Revive 'Unreadable' Arbitration Agreement Suit

    In a 6-1 decision, the California Supreme Court clarified on Monday that courts must "closely scrutinize the terms of difficult-to-read contracts for unfairness or one-sidedness," but the "illegibility" — font size, placement, prominence, etc. — of agreements do not themselves indicate that it is unconscionable.

  • February 02, 2026

    Trump Admin's Bid To End Haitian Protections Paused

    A D.C. federal judge on Monday postponed the Trump administration's termination of temporary protected status for Haitians, saying five Haitian nationals who sued the administration are likely to succeed in showing that the termination is unlawful.

  • February 02, 2026

    Ex-UCLA Gynecologist Secures Sex Abuse Retrial On Appeal

    A California appellate court Monday tossed sexual assault convictions against a University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist and ordered a new trial, saying the trial court judge failed to tell defense counsel about a jury note detailing concerns that one of their peers didn't understand English well enough to deliberate.

  • February 02, 2026

    'Doesn't Make Sense': DOJ Irks Judge In Merger Fight With AGs

    A California federal judge said Monday that the U.S. Department of Justice must hand over certain discovery materials to Democratic attorneys general challenging the DOJ's controversial settlement greenlighting the $14 billion merger of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Juniper Networks, telling the DOJ that its argument that discussions of alternative remedies are shielded from discovery "doesn't make sense."

  • February 02, 2026

    Calif. Cities Challenge DOJ Rules For Child Exploitation Funds

    San Diego and San Jose have sued the U.S. Department of Justice over new requirements for Internet Crimes Against Children program grant recipients, claiming that the federal government is unconstitutionally trying to force its immigration and diversity agendas on local governments and other grant recipients.

Expert Analysis

  • Learning From 2025 FCA Trends Targeting PE In Healthcare

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    False Claims Act enforcement trends and legislative developments from this year signal intensifying state and federal scrutiny of private equity's growing footprint in healthcare, and the urgency of compliance, says Lisa Re at Arnold & Porter.

  • Reviewing 2025's State And Federal AI Regulations

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    In light of increasing state and federal action to oversee the use of artificial intelligence, companies that develop or deploy the technology should keep abreast of current and forthcoming AI laws and consider their applicability to their business activities, says Jessica Brigman at Spencer Fane.

  • What Trump Order Limiting State AI Regs Means For Insurers

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    Last week's executive order seeking to preclude states from regulating artificial intelligence will likely have minimal impact on insurers, but the order and related congressional activities may portend a federal expectation of consistent state oversight of insurers' AI use, says Kathleen Birrane at DLA Piper.

  • 4 Privacy Trends This Year With Lessons For Companies

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    As organizations plan for ongoing privacy law changes, 2025 trends that include a shift of activity from the federal to the state level mean companies should take an adaptive and principle-based approach to privacy programs rather than trying to memorize constantly changing laws, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Auditor Liability For IPO Errors

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Hunt v. PricewaterhouseCoopers elucidates the legal standard for claims against auditors in connection with a company's initial public offering, confirming that audit opinions are subjective and becoming the first circuit to review this precise question since the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Omnicare ruling, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Calif. AG's No-Poach Case Reflects Tougher Antitrust Stance

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    This month, California’s attorney general resolved the latest enforcement action barring the use of no-poach agreements, underscoring an aggressive antitrust enforcement trend with significant increases in criminal and civil penalties, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • 2025 Noncompete Developments That Led To Inflection Point

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    Employers must reshape their approaches to noncompete agreements following key 2025 developments, including Delaware's rejection of blue-penciling and the proliferation of state wage thresholds, say attorneys at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

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    Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

  • Opinion

    Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

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    While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Next Steps For Orgs. Amid Updated OpenAI Usage Policies

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    OpenAI's updates to its usage policies, clarifying that its tools are not substitutes for professional medical, legal or other regulated advice, sends a clear signal that organizations should mirror this clarity in their governance policies to mitigate compliance and liability exposure, say attorneys at Baker Donelson.

  • Autonomous Vehicle Liability Trends To Watch In 2026

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    With autonomous vehicles increasingly making their own decisions, the liability landscape for AVs has changed over the past year — highlighting a number of important issues that companies and practitioners should keep a close eye on in 2026, says Farid Yaghoubtil at Downtown LA Law Group.

  • Key Crypto Class Action Trends And Rulings In 2025

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    As the law continued to take shape in the growing area of crypto-assets, this year saw a jump in crypto class action litigation, including noteworthy decisions on motions to compel arbitration and class certification, according to Justin Donoho at Duane Morris.

  • 6 Laws For Calif. Employers To Know In 2026

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    California's legislative changes for 2026 impose sweeping new obligations on employers, including by expanding pay data reporting, clarifying protections related to bias mitigation training and broadening record access rights, but employers can avoid heightened exposure by proactively evaluating their compliance, modernizing internal systems and updating policies, says Alexa Foley at Gordon Rees.

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