California

  • July 03, 2025

    BofA Beats Class Cert. Bid Over Vacation Pay, For Now

    A California federal judge Thursday refused to certify three putative classes of former Bank of America employees who accused the bank of not paying them their accrued, unused vacation time, saying a proposed class representative seemingly wasn't eligible for vacation time accrual.

  • July 03, 2025

    J.Jill Can't Compel Arbitration In False Price Discount Suit

    A California federal judge has refused to ship to arbitration a proposed class action accusing J.Jill of advertising false reference prices on products sold throughout its website, finding that the clothing retailer had failed to put the plaintiff on adequate notice that she would be bound to arbitration simply by placing an order as a guest.

  • July 03, 2025

    Calif. Justices Say Ford Can't Arbitrate Fiesta And Focus Suits

    Ford Motor Co. cannot force drivers who allege defects in their Focus and Fiesta vehicles to take their claims to arbitration, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday, rejecting the automaker's argument that the dispute flows from dealership sales contracts containing arbitration provisions that it can invoke.

  • July 03, 2025

    State Telecom Roundup: States Rush To Meet New BEAD Regs

    States were allocated their share of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program two years ago. Some states were nearly ready to announce which companies would receive a slice of the funding and exactly how much they would get when President Donald Trump's administration shook things up in early June by rescinding all the awards.

  • July 03, 2025

    Gov't Must Still Face Claim In Calif. Shipyard Cleanup Suit

    A California federal judge on Thursday granted the U.S. government's bid to trim some claims from a suit challenging aspects of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard Superfund site cleanup in San Francisco, but not all of them.

  • July 03, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: CEQA, Data Center Energy, Midyear Views

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insight into this week's reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act, how states are approaching energy demand for data center projects, and where the commercial and residential real estate sectors stand at the midyear.

  • July 03, 2025

    Ex-Sports Agent Accused Of Trapping Woman As 'Sex Slave'

    Jonathan Barnett, once named the "World's Most Powerful Sports Agent" by Forbes, is accused of forcing an Australian woman to serve as his "sex slave," while his sports agency within Creative Artists Agency ignored the "obvious red flags" of abuse, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in California federal court.

  • July 03, 2025

    Fortnite Creator Accused Of IP Violations For In-Game Comms

    The creator of the popular video game Fortnite has been sued by a California company claiming the game's player-to-player messaging options infringe patents it holds related to communications via internet protocols.

  • July 03, 2025

    Youths Urge 9th Circ. To Revive Federal Equal Protection Case

    A group of youths is asking the Ninth Circuit to revive its lawsuit alleging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and Budget are violating the youngsters' constitutional rights by not properly protecting them from climate change.

  • July 03, 2025

    EEOC Says Calif. Supermarket Chain Obstructing Bias Probe

    A California supermarket chain has refused to turn over applicant and employee data to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, hindering its investigation into whether the retailer discriminated against non-Hispanic workers, the agency told a federal court.

  • July 03, 2025

    Genentech's $122M MS Drug Royalties Case Ends In Mistrial

    A California federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday after jurors reached an impasse in Genentech Inc.'s $122 million breach of contract case over patent royalties from sales of Biogen MA Inc.'s multiple sclerosis medicine, telling the parties she's open to Genentech's suggestion that they forgo a jury for the retrial.

  • July 03, 2025

    3 More Athletes Appeal NCAA NIL Settlement To 9th Circ.

    Two former wrestlers, including an Olympic medalist, and a former walk-on football player have joined the list of college athletes announcing plans to appeal the $2.78 billion name, image and likeness settlement with the NCAA, arguing that they are receiving far too small a portion of the compensation package.

  • July 03, 2025

    SPEX To Appeal $553M Patent Verdict That Was Cut To $1

    SPEX Technologies Inc. will appeal a federal judge's decision to cut its $553 million verdict against Western Digital for data security patent infringement to $1 along with all other adverse rulings in the case.

  • July 03, 2025

    50 Cent Faces Uphill Battle To Stop Release Of Horror Film

    A California federal judge appeared ready Thursday to reject 50 Cent's efforts to stop the release of a horror film that allegedly uses the rapper's name and likeness without authorization, saying he's "skeptical" of the request and unclear about how the rapper's reputation would be harmed by the film's release. 

  • July 03, 2025

    Plumbing Co. Seeks $25M In Coverage For ERISA Claims

    A plumbing subcontractor told a California federal court that its primary insurer was improperly limiting its coverage in an employee stock ownership plan dispute, hindering its ability to tap into its full $25 million tower of management liability coverage.

  • July 03, 2025

    Circuit-By-Circuit Recap: Justices Send Message To Outliers

    It was a tough term at the U.S. Supreme Court for two very different circuits — one solidly liberal, one solidly conservative — that had their rulings overturned in eye-popping numbers. But it was another impressive year for a relatively moderate circuit that appears increasingly simpatico with the high court.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Moments That Shaped The Universal Injunction Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court voted along ideological lines when it hindered the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationwide pauses on presidential policies, but that outcome didn't seem like a foregone conclusion during oral arguments earlier this year. What do the colloquies suggest about the justices' thinking? Here are some moments that may have swayed them.

  • July 03, 2025

    Natera Inks $8.25M Deal To End Prenatal Tests Suit

    A proposed class of buyers of Natera Inc.'s noninvasive prenatal tests has asked a California federal court to give preliminary approval to an $8.25 million settlement to resolve claims that the company knew the tests were unreliable but failed to tell buyers.

  • July 03, 2025

    Orrick Adds Nixon Peabody Public Finance Atty In LA

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is boosting its finance team, bringing in a Nixon Peabody LLP public finance pro as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

  • July 03, 2025

    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

  • July 03, 2025

    GAO Denies Challenge To Navy's $157M Saudi Support Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office found no problems with the U.S. Navy's decision to award a $157 million task order for services to support the Royal Saudi Naval Forces, rejecting a company protest alleging that its lower-cost proposal was not reasonably considered.

  • July 03, 2025

    Supreme Court Takes Up Transgender Sports Bans

    The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear challenges to West Virginia and Idaho laws barring transgender athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, putting yet more anti-trans legislation to the test after upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors this term. 

  • July 03, 2025

    Sidley Adds DLA Piper Private Credit Expert In San Diego

    Sidley Austin LLP is growing its finance team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a DLA Piper specialist in private credit as a partner in its San Diego office.

  • July 02, 2025

    Calif. Man Charged In Plot To Murder Fed. Judge, Senator

    A California man allegedly belonging to an online-based terrorist group is accused of soliciting the murders of a federal judge, a U.S. senator, a former U.S. attorney and other officials the organization deemed to be obstructing their white supremacist aims, according to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How State AG Consumer Finance Enforcement Is Expanding

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes less active, state attorneys general are increasingly shaping the enforcement landscape for consumer financial services — and several areas of focus have recently emerged, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.

  • Employer Tips For Responding To ICE In The Workplace

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    Increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has left employers struggling to balance their compliance obligations with their desire to provide a safe workplace, so creating a thorough response plan and training for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's presence at the workplace is crucial, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Tips For Litigating Apex Doctrine Disputes Amid Controversy

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    Litigants once took for granted that deposition requests of high-ranking corporate officers required a greater showing of need than for lower-level witnesses, but the apex doctrine has proven controversial in recent years, and fights over such depositions will be won by creative lawyers adapting their arguments to this particular moment, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Is Turning Point For Private Funds In 401(k)s

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Anderson v. Intel reinforces that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's duty of prudence permits fiduciaries to use private market assets in diversified funds, yet it also exposes the persistent litigation and regulatory uncertainties that continue to temper wider adoption in 401(k) plans, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How Dfinity Timeliness Ruling Can Aid Crypto Issuers

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    A California federal court's recent dismissal of a class action against Dfinity, holding that the claims were time-barred by the Securities Act's three-year statute of repose, provides a useful defense for cryptocurrency issuers, which often solicit investments years before minting and distributing the associated tokens, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

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