California

  • October 15, 2026

    Zoom Can't Move Ricoh Patent Suit From Delaware To Calif.

    A Delaware federal court denied Thursday a bid from Zoom Communications Inc. to move a patent infringement suit brought by Japanese camera and electronics maker Ricoh Co. Ltd. to California, ruling that keeping the case in Delaware was more convenient.

  • October 15, 2026

    Gov't Urges Justices To Reject Google, Intel Fight Over Fintiv

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Intel Corp. and Google LLC's challenge to a precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation.

  • October 15, 2026

    Cyber Incident Halts Bankruptcy Court Noticing Nationwide

    The nationwide system for providing notice to creditors in bankruptcy cases has been disrupted by a cybersecurity incident, and it is not currently known when the outage will end.

  • October 15, 2026

    Tesla Says Gov't Brief Shows USPTO Wants 'Absolute Power'

    Electric carmaker Tesla told the U.S. Supreme Court that it should take a case over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership's discretionary standards for granting or denying patent review, saying a recent government brief illustrates how the office wants "absolute power" when it comes to restricting such reviews.

  • October 15, 2026

    GKN Says Insurers Owe Defense In Overheated Tank Suits

    GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems Inc. told a California federal court Thursday that its insurers are improperly refusing to honor their duty to defend the company in lawsuits and a civil investigation stemming from the overheating of a storage tank and subsequent evacuation of residents in Orange County.

  • October 15, 2026

    Calif. Owners Claim Lennar Homes Have Cracks, Leaks

    A group of homeowners in a California subdivision built by Lennar sued the homebuilder in state court, claiming that construction flaws such as cracking concrete and leaking plumbing have caused at least $1 million in damage.

  • October 15, 2026

    Warehouse Workers Win $1.55M Settlement In Wage Suit

    Thousands of California warehouse workers have reached a $1.55 million settlement with a staffing company over allegations that they were denied proper meal and rest breaks and were not fully paid for their work, according to a court filing.

  • October 15, 2026

    Calif. Pot Shop Escapes Suit Over Alleged Gummy Reaction

    A California appeals court threw out a man's fraud and unfair competition claims against a cannabis dispensary that sold him a gummy he said induced a panic attack, saying his complaint fails to indicate the dispensary or its employee knowingly misled him.

  • October 14, 2026

    Unions, Nonprofits Get USDA Reorganization Plan Blocked

    A California federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from closing offices and reshuffling staff, saying the department's planned reorganization likely amounted to "reprogramming" prohibited by statutory spending restrictions.

  • October 14, 2026

    OpenAI Tells Court Ex-Worker Took Confidential Files To Apple

    OpenAI Foundation on Wednesday alleged one of its former employees absconded with confidential files about an unreleased artificial intelligence product and gave the information to Apple Inc., asking the California federal judge overseeing Apple's nearly identical trade secret allegations for time to investigate and potentially file counterclaims.

  • October 14, 2026

    State Dept. Ordered To Open 2027 Diversity Visa Program

    A California federal judge ordered U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to swiftly open up registration for the 2027 diversity visa program and to make a public announcement of the registration period "no later than midnight" Thursday.

  • October 14, 2026

    Ex-Oakland Mayor Thao Put 'Power Up For Sale,' Jury Told

    Prosecutors told a California federal jury during trial openings Wednesday that Oakland's then-mayor Sheng Thao put "power up for sale" when she and her boyfriend accepted bribes in exchange for potential city contracts to build prefab "tiny homes" for the unhoused.

  • October 14, 2026

    Software Patent Claims Invalidated In Google, Amazon Suits

    A California federal judge found Tuesday that claims in a pair of VirtaMove software patents are invalid, agreeing with Amazon and Google's arguments that the claims asserted against them in the infringement litigation are indefinite.

  • October 14, 2026

    Samsung Says Rival Leans On Fabricated 'Mini LED' Definition

    Samsung moved to dismiss a competitor's suit alleging it falsely markets some of its TVs as having Mini LED technology that provides a higher-quality picture, telling a California federal judge Tuesday the plaintiff wants her to adopt a "fabricated three-part definition" for Mini LED that only exists in the complaint. 

  • October 14, 2026

    Quinn Emanuel Seeks Arbitration Of $1.7M Fee Dispute

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP is urging a California federal court to order an entrepreneur to arbitrate malpractice claims stemming from the firm's representation of her in a sexual harassment claim against a technology investor as it seeks to collect more than $1.7 million in unpaid fees.

  • October 14, 2026

    Founder-Focused VC Firm Closes $333M Fifth Fund

    Venture capital firm Pear VC on Wednesday revealed that it closed its fifth fund after raising $333 million in capital, bringing the Menlo Park, California-based firm's total assets under management to $1.1 billion.

  • October 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Blocks Calif. Law Requiring Fed Agents To Show IDs

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday reversed the implementation of a California law requiring federal agents to display identification, saying the Trump administration is "certain to succeed" on its argument that the state statute violates the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause.

  • October 14, 2026

    AGs Say Character.AI Chats Must Be Protected In Ch. 11 Sale

    A group of state attorneys general told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday that protection of minors and privacy concerns need to be addressed before the company behind artificial intelligence entertainment platform Character.AI is allowed to sell its data in its Chapter 11 case.

  • October 14, 2026

    Paramount, State AGs Chose Certainty Over Merger Trial Risk

    Paramount Skydance closed its $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6, after reaching a settlement with state enforcers that experts say was driven by both politics and the underlying litigation risk for both sides.

  • October 14, 2026

    Live Nation Says FTC Twists BOTS Act To Target Ticketmaster

    Live Nation and Ticketmaster fought back against the Federal Trade Commission's case accusing the companies of ignoring ticket scalpers and failing to disclose significant Ticketmaster fees upfront, telling a California federal judge the agency is targeting the companies "for not perfectly blocking all ticket purchase abuse on Ticketmaster's platform."

  • October 14, 2026

    Utz Sued Again Over Avocado Oil Potato Chip Labeling

    Utz was sued again Wednesday by customers who alleged in California federal court that they were misled into thinking its Boulder Canyon potato chips are cooked only with avocado oil, despite a recent UC Davis study that suggests the chips aren't consistent with a product containing only avocado oil.

  • October 14, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Toss Of Hulu Digital Advertising Patent Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday upheld a California federal judge's decision dismissing a suit brought by a patent-holding company accusing streaming giant Hulu of infringing patents covering advertising in digital media, finding the patent claims cover an abstract idea and lack an inventive concept.

  • October 14, 2026

    Watchdog Wants Probe Of Trump Press Secretary's Atty Claim

    A nonprofit government watchdog on Wednesday asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether the new White House press secretary has claimed to be an attorney without being licensed to practice law.

  • October 14, 2026

    Sidley Taps Kirkland Atty As Private Equity Funds Co-Leader

    A Kirkland & Ellis LLP investment funds partner has moved to Sidley Austin LLP to become a co-leader of its private equity funds group.

  • October 13, 2026

    Dodgers Owner's Insurers Hid Affiliate Loans, Suits Say

    Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and insurers owned by his holding company, Guggenheim Partners, have been hit with multiple proposed class actions alleging they sold annuities based on misrepresentations, with policyholders' premiums being siphoned into loans and financing that benefited Walter-affiliated companies.

Expert Analysis

  • CFIUS' Mandate Misses Foreign Risk In Project Subcontracts

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    Recent calls for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review equity transactions like the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal miss a consequential oversight gap — CFIUS' inability to review the subcontracting layer of U.S. infrastructure projects, says Thibaut Giret at Alstef Group.

  • AI Governance Tips For Avoiding Securities Suits

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    A recent securities class action in California federal court against lending platform Upstart highlights how statements about artificial intelligence are increasingly being scrutinized not only by regulators, but also by shareholders, meaning companies should ensure oversight frameworks keep pace with the technology, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • How Cos. Can Prep For Ultra-Processed Food Legal Risks

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    A wave of litigation and government scrutiny directed against ultra-processed foods is now gaining momentum, following patterns seen previously in other industries — and food companies that recognize those patterns early will be better positioned to manage the increasing risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • Pregnancy Bias Suits Highlight EEOC's Expanding Reach

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    Recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suits show that enactment of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has drawn scrutiny to a wider range of employment decisions and an increasing focus on individual decisions as indicators of whether an employer's policies comply with evolving federal requirements, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several noteworthy financial services developments to California, including activity around a commercial finance oversight bill, the former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head's appointment to lead a new consumer agency, and a ruling reinforcing viable bank-fintech partnerships, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • What Ex-CFPB Head's Calif. Role May Foretell For Oversight

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra to lead a new consumer agency signals tougher state financial services oversight, especially for fintechs, as well as heightened enforcement activity and larger penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Justices Stand On Statutory Specifics In Cisco And Landor

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    With its June 23 decisions in Cisco Systems Inc. v. Doe and Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the U.S. Supreme Court doubled down on the critical point that the statute invoked in a federal claim must authorize a private lawsuit and the remedy sought, says Patrick Judd at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Immigration Ruling Maps Alternative To Universal Injunctions

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    A Rhode Island federal court's decision in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS vacating policies that froze key immigration adjudications for nationals of 39 countries, and paused asylum applications altogether, suggests how practitioners might press for the Administrative Procedure Act's bad faith exception to record review and seek vacatur as a viable alternative to universal injunctions, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • A Potential Turning Point For Short-And-Distort Claims

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    A California federal jury's conviction of Andrew Left signals that the historically blurry line between securities fraud and legitimate criticism of companies is growing clearer, and that there is a viable recourse against so-called short-and-distort campaigns intended to create a false impression of the market, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • 10 Years, 150 Cases: The Rise And Fall Of Post-Halo Damages

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    When the U.S. Supreme Court decided Halo v. Pulse in 2016, patent practitioners predicted that enhanced damages would become easier to win, but analysis of every contested district court ruling on a motion for enhanced damages in the last 10 years shows that courts have shown increasing restraint, say attorneys at Reichman Jorgensen.

  • How Maine's Expanded Health Deal Reviews Complicate M&A

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    A pair of recently approved Maine competition laws establish notice and approval requirements for certain healthcare transactions and expand state antitrust oversight, creating new hurdles for dealmakers as states take a more aggressive role in policing healthcare consolidation, especially involving private equity, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    Choral Singing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Singing in the New York City Bar Chorus — a hobby partly inspired by the late U.S. District Judge Richard Owen, who infused my clerkship year with opera music — has improved my legal career by refining my abilities to listen, exude confidence and develop emotional intelligence, says Bonnie Baker at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Attorney Mental Health Is An Ethical Obligation In The AI Era

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    As attorneys cope with the increasing unpredictability that artificial intelligence and constant policy changes have created, particularly in practice areas where they carry the emotional weight of clients’ most consequential life events, otherwise soft discussions about self-care are a matter of professional competence, says attorney Jack Jrada.

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