California

  • January 23, 2026

    Rivian Can't Ditch Latest Investor Suit Over EV Production

    A California federal judge refused Thursday to toss a proposed class action alleging Rivian and its top brass misled investors about its 2023 production capabilities and demand for electric vehicles, rejecting Rivian's arguments that the securities claims cannot proceed in light of the Ninth Circuit's recent Sneed v. Talphera ruling.

  • January 23, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: HUD, Corporate Landlords, Atty Errors

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including how the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development may be shifting focus, what President Donald Trump's executive order on investment in single-family homes means for Wall Street, and a look at some of the mistakes made by real estate attorneys.

  • January 23, 2026

    Pro Swimming League Wins Antitrust Trial. Its Prize? $1

    A California federal jury has determined that World Aquatics illegally boycotted International Swimming League events in violation of federal antitrust law, but awarded just $1 in damages, in a verdict returned Friday.

  • January 23, 2026

    Kenvue Unit Asks Justices To Clarify Class Cert. Expert Rules

    A unit of consumer health products company Kenvue has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its class certification challenge in litigation over Neutrogena's "oil-free" face wash labels, arguing circuit courts are "openly and intractably" divided over whether expert testimony must be admissible for certification and the split has "immense practical consequences."

  • January 23, 2026

    Judge Blocks DOJ Anti-Diversity Conditions On Police Grants

    A California federal judge has blocked the U.S. Department of Justice from withholding community policing grants from a group of cities and counties that refuse to scrap their diversity programs and certify compliance with all of President Donald Trump's executive orders, saying those conditions directly conflict with the law that created the grants.

  • January 23, 2026

    Providers Oppose Credit Bureaus' Medical Debt Appeal

    A proposed class of medical providers and collection agencies accusing Equifax, Experian and TransUnion of colluding to exclude medical debt under $500 from consumer credit reports is opposing a bid by the credit bureaus to expedite an appeal of a ruling that denied dismissal of the claims.

  • January 23, 2026

    Truckers Can't Lift Calif. Immigrant Driver's License Freeze

    A federal judge rejected a local trucking group's bid to force California to lift its freeze on immigrant truck driver's licenses, saying the Golden State cannot run afoul of federal mandates in a way that would jeopardize highway funding or risk the state's licensing program getting decertified altogether.

  • January 23, 2026

    Calif. Urges 9th Circ. To Block Sable Pipeline Permit

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday asked the Ninth Circuit to shut down the Trump administration's emergency approvals for Sable Offshore Corp.-owned onshore pipelines, calling it another "unlawful power grab" that violates the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • January 23, 2026

    $200M Sun, Taro Generics Deal Gets Final OK

    A Pennsylvania federal judge granted final approval Friday for a $200 million deal resolving employee benefits plans' claims against Sun Pharmaceutical and Taro Pharmaceuticals in the sprawling price-fixing litigation against generic-drug makers, while again ensuring the claims from dozens of state attorneys general remain untouched by the settlement.

  • January 23, 2026

    Intel Case Sets Up Justices To Tackle 401(k) Benchmarks

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to take up a suit challenging target-date fund offerings in two Intel employee 401(k) plans gives benefits attorneys hope that clarity is coming on whether meaningful benchmarks are required to plead that investment underperformance breached fiduciary duties under federal benefits law.

  • January 23, 2026

    Full 9th Circ. Won't Review Google Maps Antitrust Case

    The full Ninth Circuit won't reconsider an appellate panel's recent decision refusing to revive a proposed antitrust class action alleging Google's terms suppresses competition by locking out rival maps products and jacking up developer costs up to 1,400%, according to a brief order issued Thursday.

  • January 23, 2026

    Reforms, $737.5K Fee Proposed To End Del. Skin Tech Suit

    A mediated deal on corporate governance reforms and a fee and expenses award have tentatively settled a consolidated Delaware Court of Chancery derivative suit targeting oversight and disclosure failures involving a "hydrafacial" skin treatment device that cost The Beauty Health Co. at least $63.2 million to manage.

  • January 23, 2026

    Calif. Forecast: Court Weighs BlackBerry Discrimination Suit

    In the coming week, attorneys should watch for a summary judgment hearing in a former BlackBerry Corp. executive's discrimination and harassment suit. Here's a look at that case and other labor and employment matters on deck in California.

  • January 23, 2026

    X Can't Access OpenAI Source Code In Antitrust Suit

    A Texas federal court will not force OpenAI Inc. to hand over its source code in an antitrust case from Elon Musk's X Corp. over the artificial intelligence company's deal to integrate ChatGPT on Apple devices.

  • January 23, 2026

    Guardant Can Try Again To Nix Patent Tied To $83M Verdict

    The Federal Circuit on Friday threw out a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision finding Guardant Health couldn't show that a University of Washington DNA sequencing patent is invalid, sending the case back to the board for another look.

  • January 23, 2026

    Ex-Olympic Snowboarder Arrested On Drug, Murder Charges

    Ryan Wedding, a former snowboarder on the Canadian Olympic team, was arrested in Mexico on murder and drug-running charges, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday, nearly 10 months after the bureau placed Wedding on its list of 10 most-wanted fugitives.

  • January 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Honduran Woman's Bid For Asylum

    The Ninth Circuit has told immigration judges to reconsider their denial of a Honduran woman's bid for asylum and withholding of removal when evidence showed the Honduran government was unable or unwilling to protect her from a gang member partner's abuse.

  • January 23, 2026

    Delta Lounge Workers Cheated Out Of Wages, Suit Says

    Delta Air Lines and a food service company cheated workers at airport lounges out of wages by not paying them for time spent undergoing security checks and by denying them meal and rest breaks, a worker said in a proposed class action in California state court.

  • January 23, 2026

    Live Nation Antitrust Judge Wants To 'Punt' On State Claims

    A federal judge in Manhattan asked Friday whether federal and state authorities accusing Live Nation of stifling competition in live entertainment would consent to staying the state law claims and focus on federal claims in an upcoming trial so it won't end up "lasting five years."

  • January 22, 2026

    Calif. Court Sides With Tenants In Background Check Suit

    A California appellate court on Wednesday issued a landmark opinion partially resurrecting a suit accusing a Los Angeles-area landlord of illegally refusing to share various background check information with rental applicants, finding that tenants do have standing to sue under California law even if they haven't suffered any actual damages.

  • January 22, 2026

    Google, Epic Fight Uphill To Tweak App Antitrust Injunction

    A California federal judge indicated Thursday that he's unlikely to grant Epic and Google's request to modify a permanent injunction issued after a jury found Google monopolized the distribution of apps on Android devices, saying they have to show changed circumstances, and "I haven't seen anything change, other than a deal" between the companies.

  • January 22, 2026

    Smucker Pet Food Buyers Win Cert. In PFAS Disclosure Fight

    A California federal judge certified Thursday a class of Golden State consumers who accuse The J.M. Smucker Co. of failing to disclose risks of so-called PFAS forever chemicals in certain pet food packaging, rejecting Smucker's arguments, among others, that PFAS exposure is too individualized for classwide resolution.

  • January 22, 2026

    Nationwide Unit Says Insurers Must Defend Construction Co.

    A subsidiary of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. on Thursday accused Underwriters at Lloyd's London and other insurers of wrongfully refusing to defend a general contractor from a construction defects suit involving a Los Angeles home that was bought for $7.1 million.

  • January 22, 2026

    Calif. Couple Charged With $100M Stock Manipulation Scheme

    A married couple in California has been indicted by a federal grand jury for charges related to their alleged involvement in a securities fraud and money laundering scheme involving falsely promoting and dumping shares of several public companies, including a purported rooftop solar business and a crypto mining firm, according to prosecutors.

  • January 22, 2026

    NFL's Lions Should Face Copyright Suit In Calif., Photog Says

    A California photographer has pushed back against the Detroit Lions' bid to dismiss his lawsuit accusing the NFL team of using photos he took of quarterback Jared Goff without permission, telling a California federal court that his lawsuit, contrary to the team's contention, belongs in the Golden State.

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Guardrails For AI Tools In The Hiring Process

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    Although artificial intelligence can help close the gaps that bad actors exploit in modern recruiting, its precision also makes it subject to tighter scrutiny, meaning new regulatory regimes should be top of mind for U.S.-centric employers exploring fraud-focused AI-enabled tools, say attorneys at Ogletree.

  • Series

    Building With Lego Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Building with Lego has taught me to follow directions and adapt to unexpected challenges, and in pairing discipline with imagination, allows me to stay grounded while finding new ways to make complex deals come together, says Paul Levin at Venable.

  • The Rise Of Trade Secret Specificity As A Jury Question

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    Recent federal appellate court decisions have clarified that determining sufficient particularity under the Defend Trade Secrets Act is a question of fact and will likely become a standard jury question, highlighting the need for appropriate jury instructions that explicitly address the issue, says Amy Candido at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Networking 101

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    Cultivating a network isn't part of the law school curriculum, but learning the soft skills needed to do so may be the key to establishing a solid professional reputation, nurturing client relationships and building business, says Sharon Crane at Practising Law Institute.

  • Calif. Employer Action Steps For New Immigrant Rights Notice

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    There are specific steps California employers can take ahead of the Feb. 1 deadline to comply with California’s new employee rights notification requirement, minimizing potential liability and protecting workers who may be caught up in an immigration enforcement action at work, says Alexa Greenbaum at Fisher Phillips.

  • Defeating Estoppel-Based Claims In Legal Malpractice Actions

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    State supreme court cases from recent years have addressed whether positions taken by attorneys in an underlying lawsuit can be used against them in a subsequent legal malpractice action, providing a foundation to defeat ex-clients’ estoppel claims, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • How Cos. Can Prep For Tightened Calif. Data Breach Notices

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    Amid California's recent enactment of S.B. 446, which significantly amends the state's data breach notification laws, companies should review and update their incident response plans by establishing processes to document and support any delayed notification, and ensure the notifications' accuracy, say Mark Krotoski and Alexandria Marx at Pillsbury.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

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    Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

  • Adapting To Calif.'s Enhanced Regulation Of PE In Healthcare

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    New California legislation enhances oversight on the role of private equity groups and hedge funds in healthcare transactions, featuring both a highly targeted nature and vague language that will require organizations to carefully evaluate existing practices, says Andrew Demetriou at Husch Blackwell.

  • Viral 'Brewers Karen' Incident Teaches Employers To Act Fast

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    An attorney who was terminated after a viral video showed her threatening to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on an opposing team's fan at a Milwaukee Brewers game underscores why employers must take prompt action when learning of viral incidents involving employees, says Joseph Myers at Mesidor.

  • State Child Privacy Laws May Put More Cos. In FTC's Reach

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    Starting with Texas in January, several new state laws requiring app stores to share user age-related information with developers will likely subject significantly more companies to the Federal Trade Commission’s child privacy rules, altering their compliance obligations, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Why Appellees Should Write Their Answering Brief First

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    Though counterintuitive, appellees should consider writing their answering briefs before they’ve ever seen their opponent’s opening brief, as this practice confers numerous benefits related to argument structure, time pressures and workflow, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • Notable Q3 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    The third quarter of 2025 was another eventful quarter for total loss valuation class actions, with a new circuit split developing courtesy of the Sixth Circuit, while insurers continued to see negative results in cost-of-insurance class actions, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • What's At Stake In High Court Compassionate Release Case

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    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in Fernandez v. U.S. next week about the overlap between motions to vacate and compassionate release, and its ultimate decision could ultimately limit or expand judicial discretion in sentencing, says Zachary Newland at Evergreen Attorneys.

  • Series

    Mindfulness Meditation Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Mindful meditation enables me to drop the ego, and in helping me to keep sight of what’s important, permits me to learn from the other side and become a reliable counselor, says Roy Wyman at Bass Berry.

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