California

  • May 12, 2026

    Citron Founder Didn't Believe His Own Position, Jury Told

    A cannabis company CEO testified Tuesday as the first witness in Citron Research founder Andrew Left's criminal securities fraud trial, telling a California federal jury that Left published an inaccurate short sale report on his company that quickly tanked its stock even though it appears he lacked the "conviction" of his attack.

  • May 12, 2026

    Fla. Lab-Grown Meat Ban Lacks Legal Basis, Producer Says

    A California producer of lab-grown chicken has asked a Florida federal judge to rule that the state's regulation against its product is unlawful, arguing a total ban on cultivated meat has no basis in public health and amounts to "economic protectionism" in violation of the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause. 

  • May 12, 2026

    Everything's About AI, Even This Case About AI-Free 'Avatar'

    An actor's suit alleging that director James Cameron improperly used her likeness in "Avatar" makes no mention of artificial intelligence and targets a film from nearly two decades ago, but even so, the case raises questions about how much people can protect themselves against unauthorized AI-generated content.

  • May 12, 2026

    Authors Accuse OpenAI Of Arguing Differently On Each Coast

    An attorney representing authors accusing OpenAI of feeding their copyrighted works into training data for large language models told a New York federal magistrate judge Tuesday that the AI startup was asserting vastly different positions in New York and in an ongoing trial in California about whether it ever intended to become a for-profit enterprise.

  • May 12, 2026

    Google, Meta Hit With Suits Over Use Of Voices For AI

    A group of journalists and voice actors has hit Google, Meta, Microsoft, chipmaking giant Nvidia and speech synthesis software company ElevenLabs with proposed class actions in Illinois federal court accusing the companies of wrongly using the plaintiffs' voices to train their artificial intelligence models.

  • May 12, 2026

    Ye Infringed Track At 'Donda' Listening Party, Jury Finds

    The artist once known as Kanye West and his companies infringed an uncleared sound recording in an early version of his Grammy-winning song "Hurricane," showcased at one of his 2021 "Donda" album listening parties, a Los Angeles jury found Tuesday.

  • May 12, 2026

    Copyright Chief Says Cox Ruling Merits Congressional Action

    The leader of the U.S. Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter, told senators Tuesday they may need to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court's March decision that narrowed contributory liability for internet service providers, saying the ruling "left a bit of a hole in the law."

  • May 12, 2026

    ChatGPT Gave Student Fatal Drug Advice, Parents Say

    The parents of a college student who died of an overdose sued OpenAI on Tuesday in California state court, alleging that ChatGPT coached him to mix kratom and Xanax without telling him that this mix would likely kill him.

  • May 12, 2026

    AliveCor Wants Apple Health Monitor Patent Claims Tossed

    A medical software company has told a California federal court that claims in a pair of health monitoring patents Apple has accused it of infringing are actually invalid, saying they only cover abstract ideas without a technological innovation to save them.

  • May 12, 2026

    Feds Tell 9th Circ. They Have Last Word On Pipeline Restart

    A federal pipeline regulator told the Ninth Circuit on Monday it reasonably asserted jurisdiction over an oil pipeline system near Santa Barbara, California, and approved a Texas company's restart plan, saying challenges brought by California and environmental groups are unfounded.

  • May 12, 2026

    9th Circ. Orders New Tax Fraud Trial Over Juror's Racial Bias

    An Idaho federal court wrongly denied a man of Mexican descent a new trial after discovering a juror had made racially biased comments about people of Mexican ethnicity during deliberations on whether to convict him of preparing false tax returns, a split Ninth Circuit panel said Tuesday.

  • May 12, 2026

    GAO Denies Protest Over $803M TSA Security Task Order

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has rejected an incumbent contractor's protest over the U.S. Transportation Security Administration's selection of an $803 million proposal to provide security screening at San Francisco International Airport, finding no issue with its price analysis.

  • May 12, 2026

    PayPal Settles Gov't DEI Probe With Small Biz Program

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it has reached a settlement with PayPal Inc. to end an investigation into what the department said was a discriminatory investment program for Black- and minority-owned businesses.

  • May 12, 2026

    Impossible Foods Stuck With Atty Fees After $3.25M TM Loss

    A California federal judge has held that Impossible Foods owes attorney fees after lifestyle brand Impossible X won a $3.25 million verdict in the parties' trademark dispute, but she refused to boost the jury's award.

  • May 12, 2026

    Pillsbury Adds WilmerHale VC Pro In Silicon Valley

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has added a former WilmerHale attorney to expand its global emerging companies and venture capital practice group and capacity to handle venture capital financing matters.

  • May 12, 2026

    Trump Admin Will Take CFPB Funding Fight To 9th Circ.

    The Trump administration will challenge a California federal court decision that ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to continue drawing funding from the Federal Reserve, setting the stage for renewed litigation over the agency's access to cash.

  • May 12, 2026

    Weinstein Accuser Credible, Jury Told As 3rd NY Trial Ends

    A Manhattan jury heard closing arguments Tuesday in Harvey Weinstein's third New York rape trial, with a prosecutor arguing that aspiring actress Jessica Mann "has absolutely no motive to lie" about an assault she said took place in 2013.

  • May 12, 2026

    Liberty Mutual Gets $103M Age Bias Verdict Cut To $20M

    A California judge slashed a $103 million jury verdict in favor of a former Liberty Mutual employee who said she was treated poorly and fired because of her age, concluding that the severity of the harassment she alleged did not warrant $83 million in punitive damages.

  • May 11, 2026

    Ye Use Of Song Was 'Test Drive,' Not Infringement, Jury Told

    Counsel for Ye defended the rapper during closing arguments in a copyright infringement trial Monday, telling a Los Angeles jury that Ye's alleged unauthorized use of a sound recording in an early version of his Grammy-winning song "Hurricane" was merely a "test drive," and that he ultimately went in a different direction.

  • May 11, 2026

    Microsoft CEO Defends Role In OpenAI's Rehiring Of Altman

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified Monday in a California federal jury trial over Elon Musk's challenge to OpenAI's for-profit conversion, denying that he demanded OpenAI's board reinstate ousted CEO Sam Altman while acknowledging that he offered to pay up to $29 billion to bring Altman and others to Microsoft.

  • May 11, 2026

    Ex-Calif. Mayor Will Cop To Being Chinese Agent, Feds Say

    The mayor of Arcadia, California, agreed to plead guilty to acting as an unregistered foreign agent for China by operating a website that seemingly provided news for the local Chinese American community while spreading the Chinese government's propaganda, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

  • May 11, 2026

    Meta's Algorithm Needs Revamps, Judge Hears In $3.7B Trial

    A computer science expert testified Monday that Meta should be ordered to revise minor users' content recommendation formula to prioritize safety as much as engagement, as part of the New Mexico attorney general's ongoing bench trial over teen mental health.

  • May 11, 2026

    Cannabis Co. Can't Block Discovery Despite Dismissed Claim

    A California state court denied a cannabis dispensary operator's request to block discovery, ruling that an investor who allegedly loaned it $1.2 million can continue seeking evidence even though his breach of contract claim had been dismissed.

  • May 11, 2026

    Fed's Bowman Says Bank Ratings Changes Are On The Way

    Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman said Friday that regulators are preparing an overhaul of a key ratings system used for grading the condition of banks, casting it as part of a broader push to refocus bank oversight on so-called material financial risks.

  • May 11, 2026

    Widow Says ChatGPT Helped Shooter Plan Deadly FSU Attack

    The widow and children of one of the people killed in the April shooting at Florida State University hit OpenAI with a suit on Sunday in federal court alleging that its ChatGPT program fed the shooter's delusions and helped him plan the details of his attack on the school's campus.

Expert Analysis

  • Operational AI Washing: A New Securities Class Action

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    In rising claims of operational AI washing — plaintiffs alleging that artificial intelligence was invoked to explain corporate business decisions in ways that may obscure underlying financial distress — earnings calls, restructuring disclosures and board-level communications will serve as key defense evidence, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • Where The Preemption Fight Over Prediction Markets Stands

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    While the Third Circuit's recent ruling in Kalshi v. Flaherty remains a significant win for the federal government in its quest to regulate prediction markets, the Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Circuits appear more skeptical, indicating that this fight is likely headed for the Supreme Court, says Johnny ElHachem at Holland & Knight.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • 1st Surveillance Pricing Law In Md. Reflects Broader Scrutiny

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    A new law will make Maryland the first state to target data-driven or surveillance-based price manipulation, highlighting increased scrutiny from federal and state enforcement agencies and policymakers as they consider whether new laws are required to regulate dynamic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Understanding The Insider Trading Gap In Prediction Markets

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    While the first-ever insider trading indictment involving a prediction market — the recent prosecution of a service member involved in the capture of Nicolás Maduro — comprised extreme facts and straightforward legal theories, future cases will test the bounds of insider trading law, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

  • The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

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    With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year included reminders about the statute of limitations as a key defense for claims relating to allegedly deficient forms, the importance of focus on the specific contract at issue and further guidance on the contours of Rule 23, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • 9th Circ.'s Silence Prolongs Uncertainty On Cemex Framework

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    By affirming a bargaining order in Cemex Construction Materials v. National Labor Relations Board without opining on the NLRB’s 2023 expansion of its authority to issue such orders, the Ninth Circuit avoided direct conflict with the Sixth Circuit’s rejection of the same framework, prolonging uncertainty for employers facing union elections, say attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl.

  • Surveying The CFTC Campaign To Control Prediction Markets

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is simultaneously asserting exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets and signaling aggressive enforcement within them, a combination that will reshape the regulatory landscape for event contract platforms — pending the outcome of several court cases throughout the country and a likely circuit split, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Safeguarding RWI Coverage As Materiality Focus Persists

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    As first-quarter broker claims reports reveal that materiality disputes remain a key driver of representations and warranties insurance claims, the scarce case law in this area indicates that including a materiality scrape provision in an RWI policy may aid policyholders with recovery, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

  • How Oregon Ruling Affects Federal Gender Care Crackdown

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    In a favorable development for healthcare providers, an Oregon federal court recently vacated certain U.S. Department of Health and Human Services restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, but the government's broader campaign against this care, including proposed rulemaking and agency investigations, leaves significant uncertainty, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Ax Privacy Bill For Not Shielding Consumers

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    The SECURE Data Act should be rejected because, despite Congress' claims, it would not meaningfully rein in data practices, but instead would weaken enforcement, eliminate stronger protections and prioritize data extraction over consumer protection and accountability, say attorneys at DiCello Levitt.

  • AI Data Center Boom May Spur Wave Of Toxic Tort Suits

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    Nascent litigation matters against data center operators, set against limited government regulation and a growing body of public health research, suggests we may be on the cusp of an era of mass toxic tort claims, with a liability framework firmly rooted in precedent from other industries, says Benjamin Heller at RFZ Law.

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