California

  • September 16, 2025

    Tesla Settles Suit Over Fatal 2019 Autopilot Crash In Calif.

    Tesla has reached a confidential settlement to resolve a lawsuit over the death of a 15-year-old killed in a 2019 car crash involving a Model 3 that was operating on self-driving, autopilot technology, according to an order in California state court Tuesday.

  • September 16, 2025

    Calif. Gov. Taps Consultancy Exec For Privacy Agency Board

    A business executive and consultant with "extensive leadership experience" in data privacy and corporate governance has been picked to sit on the five-member board that governs the California Privacy Protection Agency, the regulator said Monday. 

  • September 16, 2025

    Alleged Uber Assault 'Catalyst' For PTSD Symptoms, Jury Told

    A psychologist who treated a woman claiming she was sexually assaulted by her Uber driver told a San Francisco jury Tuesday in a bellwether trial that the alleged 2016 event was the "catalyst" for the post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms the then-college student subsequently displayed.

  • September 16, 2025

    UC Groups Sue Trump Admin Alleging Free Speech Violations

    A coalition of faculty, staff and unions affiliated with the University of California system sued the Trump administration in federal court Tuesday, arguing the suspension of $584 million in research projects along with threats to terminate billions more violates the law and is an attempt to violate their free speech.

  • September 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Payment Plan For Poor Drug Dealer

    A Ninth Circuit panel has found that an Idaho federal court was within the law to require both an immediate payment and a payment plan over time for a fine and an assessment totaling $1,100 against an indigent drug dealer.

  • September 16, 2025

    Meta Loses Bid To Overturn Verdict In Flo Privacy Class Action

    A California federal judge has refused to disturb a jury verdict that found Meta Platforms Inc. liable for using an online tracking tool to unlawfully obtain sensitive health data that users entered into the Flo menstrual tracking app, finding that there was nothing to justify reversing this result.

  • September 16, 2025

    Roundup User Fights Uphill To Revive Cancer Suit At 9th Circ.

    A Ninth Circuit judge expressed doubts Tuesday that a lower court erred in tossing a personal-injury plaintiff's claims that Monsanto's Roundup likely caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, saying during a hearing the trial judge had a "great deal of discretion" to decide whether a general-causation expert's opinion was based on "junk science."

  • September 16, 2025

    Okla. Tribe Sues Social Platforms Over Youth Mental Health

    The Chickasaw Nation on Monday became the latest Native American tribe to lodge claims against social media giants in California federal court, alleging that the platforms harm their youth who are already at risk of mental health problems and suicidal ideation.

  • September 16, 2025

    Wells Fargo Brass Reach Settlement In 'Sham' Hiring Suit

    Wells Fargo investors and executives have told a California federal judge they've reached a settlement in a derivative suit claiming the bank's leadership failed to address the company's discriminatory lending and hiring practices.

  • September 16, 2025

    DOE Asks Judge To Pull Plug On States' Cost Cap Suit

    The U.S. Department of Energy has asked an Oregon federal judge to toss a New York-led lawsuit challenging a new policy that would cap certain overhead costs under energy assistance awards, arguing the change falls within its discretionary authorities.

  • September 16, 2025

    Biz Groups Ask 9th Circ. To Block Calif. Climate Rules

    A coalition of business groups asked the Ninth Circuit to halt two new California climate regulations requiring large companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks, while they appeal a lower court's refusal to preliminarily block the rules that they say violate their First Amendment rights.

  • September 16, 2025

    Avalara Investors' Claims Pass Muster After 9th Circ. Revival

    A Washington federal judge has allowed a proposed class action to proceed accusing tax software company Avalara Inc. of misleading investors ahead of an $8.4 billion deal to take the company private, but said the suit failed to adequately allege negligence by individual board members, giving investors one week to amend those claims.

  • September 16, 2025

    Doximity Says AI Startup Using Lawsuits To Thwart Rivals

    Telehealth platform Doximity has asked a Massachusetts federal judge to toss a trade secrets lawsuit brought by medical artificial intelligence company OpenEvidence, saying the startup is trying to "use the courts to stifle fair competition."

  • September 16, 2025

    Disney, WB, Universal Sue Chinese AI Firm Alleging IP Theft

    Companies affiliated with Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal teamed up Tuesday to sue Chinese artificial company MiniMax, alleging the company steals their intellectual property to produce "an endless supply of infringing images and videos" featuring popular characters like Spider-Man, Darth Vader and Superman.

  • September 16, 2025

    California AG Bonta Names New State Solicitor General

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta has promoted a veteran attorney in the state's Department of Justice to become the state's new solicitor general.

  • September 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Brushes Off Wig Grip Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday refused to revive a wig grip apparatus patent owner's suit accusing a California hair replacement service of infringement, agreeing with how the lower court interpreted a key patent phrase.

  • September 16, 2025

    Lowe's Skirts NC Class Actions Over Alleged False Discounts

    A North Carolina federal judge threw out two proposed consumer class actions alleging Lowe's tricks customers into thinking they're getting a good deal with falsely advertised discount prices on products, finding the alleged harm for potential class members is too speculative.

  • September 16, 2025

    Feds Oppose Sierra Club's Bid To Freeze $50M In Border Funds

    The Trump administration told a California federal court Monday that forcing it to honor a settlement agreement between the Sierra Club and the Biden administration to use $50 million in border security funds on environmental projects would place the government between two conflicting court orders.

  • September 16, 2025

    NY Cannabis License At Center Of Suit Against Fla. Broker

    The entrepreneurs who secured one of the earliest New York cannabis retail licenses as part of a legal settlement with the state allege in a new California state lawsuit that a Florida cannabis franchise broker frustrated their effort to sell a share of the venture.

  • September 16, 2025

    Media Co. Told Employees To Falsify Breaks, Worker Says

    A California media company pressured employees to falsely record breaks and fired those who complained about wage and hour violations or sought a raise, a former production coordinator claimed in a suit filed in state court.

  • September 16, 2025

    TikTok Accused Of Withholding Docs On Anorexic Influencer

    Personal injury plaintiffs have told a California magistrate judge presiding over discovery in multidistrict litigation that TikTok is refusing to hand over more information about the app's relationship with Eugenia Cooney, a TikTok influencer with anorexia and 2.8 million followers, according to a document unsealed on Monday.

  • September 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses Appeal Of Automatic Stay In Bankruptcy Case

    The Ninth Circuit threw out an appeal of an Arizona bankruptcy court order that reinstated a stay of state court litigation between a mother and daughter, finding that a lower court erred in hearing the case.

  • September 16, 2025

    Mother Claims Aquaphor Healing Ointment Contains Allergen

    A California mother of two is suing Beiersdorf Inc. in federal court, alleging that its infant and children's healing ointments contain a common allergen despite being marketed as hypoallergenic.

  • September 15, 2025

    Google Consumers' Attys Seek $85M In Fees For $700M Deal

    Attorneys who helped consumers reach a still-pending $700 million antitrust deal with Google in 2023 have urged a California federal judge to grant them $85 million in attorney fees, saying the settlement, reached alongside state attorneys general, was an "exceptional" result obtained in the "face of substantial litigation uncertainty."

  • September 15, 2025

    Roblox Safety Failures Hurt Both Kids And Parents, Suit Says

    Roblox's alleged safety failures not only endanger children, it forces parents to either abandon money they already spent on the gaming platform's digital currency or spend additional money on safety tools to protect children who continue to use it, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Trump Air Emissions Carveouts Cloud The Regulatory Picture

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    President Donald Trump's new proclamations temporarily exempting key U.S. industries from air toxics standards, issued under a narrow, rarely-used provision of the Clean Air Act, will likely lead to legal challenges and tighter standards in some states, contributing to further regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at GableGotwals.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's HPE-Juniper Settlement Will Help US Compete

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    The U.S. Department of Justice settlement with Hewlett Packard Enterprise clears the purchase of Juniper Networks in a deal that positions the U.S. as a leader in secure, scalable networking and critical digital infrastructure by requiring the divestiture of a WiFi network business geared toward small firms, says John Shu at Taipei Medical University.

  • Anthropic Ruling Creates Fair Use Framework For AI Training

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    A California federal court’s recent ruling that Anthropic’s use of copyrighted books to train its large language model qualified as fair use provides important guidance for both artificial intelligence developers and copyright holders because it distinguishes between transformative uses and unauthorized uses involving pirated or format-shifted works, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • How Property Insurers Serve As Climate Change Harbingers

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    Thomas Dawson at McDermott discusses the role that U.S. property insurers may play in identifying and assessing climate risk, as well as in financing climate change adaptation projects, in light of global warming and shifting geopolitical realities.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

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    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.

  • How NJ's Proposed Privacy Rules Could Reshape AI Data Use

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    Although not revolutionary, New Jersey's proposed privacy rules would create obligations around the management and processing of consumer personal data that will require careful planning before they can be successfully implemented, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments

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    The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Business Takeaways Following CCPA Enforcement Actions

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    Advisories and recent enforcement activity by the California Privacy Protection Agency against Honda and Todd Snyder underscore the agency's enforcement interest in the intersection of data minimization and consumer rights, and could make it more challenging for a business to provide a streamlined consumer rights process, say attorneys at Covington.

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