California

  • June 20, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Senior Living, Data Centers, CEQA

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into a senior housing surge, data center construction, and the Golden State's latest efforts to spur housing construction without upsetting the California Environmental Quality Act.

  • June 20, 2025

    Apple Hit With Securities Suit Over IPhone AI Feature Delays

    An Apple investor hit the tech giant and its top brass with a proposed securities class action in California federal court Friday, alleging they duped investors into believing Apple would launch new artificial intelligence Siri features on the iPhone 16 and caused Apple stock to tumble after the rollout was delayed repeatedly.

  • June 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Says NY Claims Against Hyundai Raise 'Novel' Issue

    A split panel of the Ninth Circuit Friday refused to toss negligence claims from cities in Ohio and Wisconsin in consolidated litigation alleging Hyundai and Kia, of which Hyundai is a major shareholder, sold vehicles with design flaws that enabled car thefts nationwide, but said negligence claims under New York law "raise a novel issue" of state law.

  • June 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs 'Legitimate' Bar Membership Admission Rules

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday tossed a challenge to local rules in district courts in the circuit requiring lawyers to be bar members in the state where the court is located in order to seek general admission, saying admission rules aren't unconstitutional and there are several "legitimate reasons" for the rule.

  • June 20, 2025

    Apple Opposes Class Cert. Bid In Mobile Wallet Monopoly Suit

    Apple Inc. has pushed back against a bid for class certification in a suit accusing it of unlawfully monopolizing the "tap and pay" mobile wallet market for its own devices by blocking competition, saying the bid does not offer common evidence to support the plaintiffs' various claims.

  • June 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Finds Calif. One-Gun-A-Month Law Unconstitutional

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday struck down California's so-called one-gun-a-month law, finding that it violates the Second Amendment by categorically preventing state residents from buying more than one firearm every 30 days.

  • June 20, 2025

    Attys Face Sanctions For 'Sweeping' Copying Of Firm's Motion

    A California federal judge has ordered The Neil Jones Food Co.'s defense counsel to explain why she shouldn't sanction them for filing a dismissal motion that appears to plagiarize a losing motion filed by another firm in another case in the district, slamming the "sweeping copy and paste" conduct as "patently unacceptable."

  • June 20, 2025

    CrowdStrike Escapes Flyers' IT Outage Class Action

    A Texas federal judge dismissed a proposed class action Wednesday against cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Inc. from airline customers whose flights were delayed or canceled due to the catastrophic July 2024 global IT outage, finding the collection of state law claims are preempted by the federal Airline Deregulation Act.

  • June 20, 2025

    NJ Court Greenlights Beasley Allen Attys In Talc Litigation

    A New Jersey state judge will allow two Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys to represent a California couple in their suit accusing Johnson & Johnson of selling carcinogenic talc-based baby powder and appear pro hac vice despite the company's vehement opposition.

  • June 20, 2025

    Nike, Shoe Surgeon Settle TM Suit Over Custom Sneakers

    Nike has agreed to settle a trademark lawsuit it brought in New York against a Los Angeles-based sneaker customizing company called The Shoe Surgeon and others for direct and contributory infringement, with the defendants agreeing to pay an undisclosed sum to the sports apparel giant.

  • June 20, 2025

    Crew Member Says HBO Pays Late, Fails To Provide Breaks

    Crew members working for HBO and a production company were paid several days late and were often required to work through their meal and rest breaks, a Private Attorneys General Act lawsuit filed in California state court said.

  • June 20, 2025

    DOT Blocked From Conditioning Grants On Immigration Policy

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Thursday preliminarily blocked the U.S. Department of Transportation from conditioning billions of state grant dollars on enforcing President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown agenda, finding that a 20-state coalition is likely to win its constitutional legal fight and will be irreparably harmed without an injunction.

  • June 20, 2025

    Pearson Warshaw, Fegan Scott To Steer PVC Antitrust Class

    Pearson Warshaw LLP and Fegan Scott LLC have been tapped as lead counsel for a new class of end-user plaintiffs in consolidated litigation accusing polyvinyl chloride pipe companies of using a commodity pricing service to exchange information and illegally fix prices.

  • June 20, 2025

    Patent Suit Against Alibaba Dropped After Sanctions Bid

    Cooperative Entertainment Inc. has ended its patent lawsuit against Alibaba Cloud US LLC after the latter company sought to have the case thrown out earlier this month as a sanction for what it said was "extreme" conduct by opposing counsel.

  • June 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Allows Trump To Federalize National Guard In LA

    The Ninth Circuit ruled that President Donald Trump can federalize the California National Guard while the state's lawsuit challenging his mobilization of the troops in Los Angeles plays out, saying the president likely acted under statutory authority that Congress granted.

  • June 20, 2025

    High Court Says FCC Orders Not Above District Court Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that district courts should be allowed to question the slate of regulations that the Federal Communications Commission has issued under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, further constricting the power of federal agencies to interpret laws.

  • June 20, 2025

    Stinson Continues LA Growth With Longtime NLRB Atty

    Stinson LLP is expanding its California labor and employment team, announcing that it has brought in a National Labor Relations Board attorney as of counsel in its 3-month-old Los Angeles office.

  • June 18, 2025

    Groups Say Feds Violate Flores With Lengthy Child Detention

    Children's and legal rights groups on Tuesday evening urged a California federal judge to enforce a decadesold settlement agreement governing the custody of immigrant children, saying migrant children today are being held for prolonged periods in unsafe and unsanitary "prison-like" conditions.

  • June 18, 2025

    Alphabet, Investors Face Judge's Questions Over $500M Deal

    A California federal judge has questions about an investor settlement with Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., which agreed to earmark half a billion dollars over the next 10 years to overhaul its global compliance structure to resolve claims against company leaders of anticompetitive and monopolistic practices.

  • June 18, 2025

    Super Micro Can't Ditch Whistleblower Retaliation Suit

    Super Micro Computer cannot escape its former employee's claim that the information technology company unlawfully retaliated against him for acting as a whistleblower to report its misleading accounting practices and other misconduct, a California federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • June 18, 2025

    State Farm Likely To Face 200K Calif. Homeowner Class

    A California federal judge indicated Wednesday that he'll likely certify a class of nearly 200,000 homeowners in litigation alleging that State Farm underpays property insurance claims by depreciating sales tax when calculating replacement costs, saying a common issue predominates and noting he'd sided with plaintiffs in a similar 2017 case.

  • June 18, 2025

    Cities Sign On To Chicago's Suit Over DHS Funding 'Pause'

    Boston, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle have joined Chicago's federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of illegally suspending federal counterterrorism funding meant for urban areas, saying the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has failed to fulfill nearly $3 million in preapproved reimbursement requests.

  • June 18, 2025

    BofA Judge Doubts Class Certification Bid In Unpaid PTO Suit

    A California federal judge doubted Wednesday whether a named plaintiff can adequately represent a proposed class of Bank of America employees who claim they weren't paid for unused vacation time when they left the bank, observing during a hearing that her individualized issues "could make her very differently situated."

  • June 18, 2025

    Hong Kong-Based Airline Sued Over Failed Takeoff To LA

    Plane passengers injured during a failed takeoff and "chaotic emergency evacuation" are suing Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., claiming the company failed to maintain equipment and properly train crew.

  • June 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses NLRB Order On Union Jurisdiction Dispute

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday axed a National Labor Relations Board order barring a longshore union from going after maintenance work in the Port of Seattle that was awarded to the Machinists, with one judge inviting en banc review of appeals court precedent about work preservation defenses.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

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

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    Among the most notable developments in California banking in the first quarter of the year, regulators and legislators issued regulations interpreting debt collection laws, stepped up enforcement actions, and expanded consumer protections for those affected by wildfires, says Stephen Britt at Severson & Werson.

  • Inside State AGs' Arguments Defending The CFPB

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    Recent amicus briefs filed by a coalition of 23 attorneys general argue that the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will irreparably harm consumers in several key areas, making clear that states are preparing to fill in any enforcement gaps, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

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    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • In-House Expert Testimony Is Tricky, But Worth Considering

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    Litigation counsel often reject the notion of designating in-house personnel to provide expert opinion testimony at trial, but dismissing them outright can result in a significant missed opportunity, say David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law and Martin Pitha at Lillis Pitha.

  • Reconciling 2 Smoke Coverage Cases From California

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    As highlighted by a California Department of Insurance bulletin clarifying the effect of two recent decisions on insurance coverage, the February state appellate ruling denying coverage for property damage from smoke, ash and soot should be viewed as an outlier, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • State Extended Producer Responsibility Laws: Tips For Cos.

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    As states increasingly shift the onus of end-of-life product management from consumers and local governments to the businesses that produce, distribute or sell certain items, companies must track the changing landscape and evaluate the applicability of these new laws and regulations to their operations, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Nev. Fraud Ruling Raises Stakes For Proxy Battles

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    Though a Nevada federal court’s recent U.S. v. Boruchowitz decision involved unusual facts, the court's ruling that board members can be defrauded of their seat through misrepresentations increases fraud risks in more typical circumstances involving board elections, especially proxy fights, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

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    Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Reviewing Calif. Push To Restrict Private Equity In Healthcare

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    A recent proposed bill in California aims to broaden the state's existing corporate practice of medicine restrictions, so investors must ensure that there is clear delineation between private equity investment in practice management and physicians' clinical decision-making, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

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    As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

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    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • Patent Drafting Pointers From Fed. Circ. COVID Test Ruling

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in DNA Genotek v. Spectrum Solutions provides several best practice pointers for drafting and prosecuting patent applications, highlighting how nuances in wording can potentially limit the scope of claims or otherwise affect claim constructions, says Irah Donner at Manatt.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

  • 2 Recent Federal Decisions Affecting State CIPA Cases

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    Two recent cases may help stem the tide of the ever-increasing number of California Invasion of Privacy Act complaints filed in federal court, but won't prevent plaintiffs from filing in state courts, so companies need to shift their focus from Article III standing to statutory standing, says Matthew Pearson at Womble Bond.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

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    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

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