California

  • July 21, 2025

    States Say Noncitizen Benefit Restrictions Are Creating Chaos

    A coalition of 20 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Monday for "upending" noncitizens' access to publicly funded programs like Head Start and food banks.

  • July 21, 2025

    Trade Court Hits Importer With $3.4M Penalty Over Fraud

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection is due to collect more than $2.4 million in duties plus interest and a $3.4 million civil penalty after the U.S. Court of International Trade determined in a recent opinion that a California-based importer falsely reported Chinese mattress springs were imported from Thailand.

  • July 21, 2025

    EPA Asks 9th Circ. To Reverse Calif. Judge In Fluoride Suit

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is asking the Ninth Circuit to reverse a California federal judge who ruled that the EPA's current "optimal" level of fluoride in drinking water poses an unreasonable risk of lowering children's IQ.

  • July 21, 2025

    Judge Allows Calif. Tribe In Casino Suit, Denies Dismissal Bid

    A California tribe at the center of a dispute over a decision to take 70 acres into trust for its proposed Sonoma County hotel and casino project can intervene in the litigation, a federal judge said, while finding that the Indigenous nation cannot dismiss the case based on sovereign immunity.

  • July 21, 2025

    Davis Wright Adds Ex-Charles Schwab Associate GC In SF

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is expanding its litigation team with the addition of a former associate general counsel from Charles Schwab who has also worked at Morgan Stanley and was general counsel at a cryptocurrency exchange, the firm announced Monday.

  • July 21, 2025

    Pillsbury Lands WilmerHale Startup Duo In Silicon Valley

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP announced Monday that it has landed a pair of partners from WilmerHale to enhance its capacity to advise startups, emerging technology companies and other clients.

  • July 21, 2025

    Uber Sues LA Law Firms Over Alleged Crash Fraud Scheme

    Uber Technologies Inc. filed a lawsuit Monday against two Los Angeles personal injury firms, two of their attorneys and others, alleging the ride-sharing company is being targeted by a scheme involving fraudulent personal injury claims arising from motor vehicle accidents.

  • July 21, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Motorola Win In Camera Patent Suit

    A prominent Taiwanese manufacturer of smartphone camera lenses has failed to convince the Federal Circuit that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board wrongly found one of its patents challenged by Motorola to be invalid.

  • July 21, 2025

    Judge Won't Recuse Over Past Work With DraftKings Counsel

    A California federal judge presiding over a proposed class action against DraftKings regarding its fantasy sports games offerings rejected a request from the plaintiffs to recuse himself over concerns that an attorney for the defense has ties to the court.

  • July 21, 2025

    Web Design Giant Figma Launches Plans For $979M IPO

    Venture-backed web-design software maker Figma on Monday outlined plans for an estimated $979 million initial public offering, a move that comes after the company's failed $20 billion merger with Adobe Inc.

  • July 21, 2025

    States Embrace Second Look Laws To Reward Rehabilitation

    Criminal justice reform advocates have in recent years found an effective weapon against the effects of lengthy mandatory minimum sentences, convincing states to enact "Second Look" laws that enable judges to reward people in prison who show rehabilitation by shortening their original sentence.

  • July 21, 2025

    Pot Drink Co.'s Case Belongs In Arbitration, Stoel Rives Says

    Stoel Rives LLP and a group of its clients are urging a California federal court to send a fraud suit brought by a maker of nonalcoholic cannabis drinks back to arbitration, arguing all the claims are subject to a valid arbitration agreement.

  • July 18, 2025

    Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Demands Layoff Plans From Trump Administration

    A California federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to hand over reorganization and reduction-in-force plans linked to an executive order directing layoffs at federal agencies, finding that the government's privilege claim was outweighed by the plaintiffs' need for the information to pursue their claims under the Administrative Procedure Act.

  • July 18, 2025

    Calif. Sues Trump Admin Over $4B High-Speed Rail Fund Cuts

    California's High-Speed Rail Authority hit the Trump administration with an Administrative Procedure Act lawsuit in California federal court Friday, claiming the Federal Railroad Administration's abrupt termination of $4 billion in grants to the electric rail project was arbitrary, politically motivated and based on Trump's "extreme antipathy toward California."

  • July 18, 2025

    Geragos Owes $100K For Role In Nike Extortion, Jury Says

    Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos was ordered to pay $100,000 to a youth basketball coach by a Los Angeles jury that found he aided and abetted disbarred lawyer Michael Avenatti in a failed attempt to extort Nike that landed Avenatti with a 2½ year prison sentence.

  • July 18, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Budget, 2025 Deals, Coney Island Gamble

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including real estate attorney perspectives on the new federal budget, the law firms that guided the biggest deals of 2025's first half and why one BigLaw attorney is betting on a Coney Island development.

  • July 18, 2025

    Competence Questions Prompt New Calif. Murder Trial

    A potentially intellectually disabled man who was found guilty of killing a woman and burying her body in his backyard is entitled to a new trial, a California state appeals court has ruled, finding that the lower court didn't properly determine his competency.

  • July 18, 2025

    California Courts Set AI Rules Allowing Flexibility For Judges

    The Judicial Council of California approved a policy Friday for rules and standards on the use of generative artificial intelligence for judges and court staff, with the chair of the council's AI task force saying the policy provides flexibility by allowing courts to either adopt the technology or ban it.

  • July 18, 2025

    Investor Sues Biotech Capricor After Product's FDA Denial

    Biotechnology company Capricor Therapeutics Inc. faces a proposed investor class action alleging it misrepresented its lead product candidate's approval prospects before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Advised Against State AG Intervention In Sandoz Deal

    A special master on Friday advised a Pennsylvania federal court to deny a bid by California and other state attorneys general to intervene in a $275 million settlement resolving generic-drug price-fixing claims against Sandoz, finding they lacked standing to represent the interests of consumers.

  • July 18, 2025

    Stewart Issues Discretion Decisions For 56 More Petitions

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart issued 25 more orders on requests for discretionary denial, deciding a total of 56 cases, while the results of earlier proceedings she let move forward have started to roll out.

  • July 18, 2025

    Ex-Warehouse Mgr. Says Firing Followed 'Outrageous' Racism

    A former Georgia-based warehouse manager for a logistics company alleged in a new lawsuit Thursday that he was forced out of the company after reporting "outrageous" anti-Asian discrimination from a human resources manager.

  • July 18, 2025

    Hyatt, Hilton Beat Room Price-Fixing Antitrust Suit, For Now

    Hyatt, Hilton, Wyndham and other hotels beat a proposed antitrust class action, for now, alleging that they shared confidential occupancy data and prices through IDeaS's revenue management software to inflate room rates, after a California federal judge said Friday the suit doesn't plausibly allege a horizontal agreement or parallel conduct among them.

  • July 18, 2025

    Plaintiffs' Expert Says Tesla Deleted Data From Crashed Car

    A vehicle accident reconstruction expert told jurors Thursday that data from the Tesla Model S involved in a fatal Florida Keys crash had been deleted after the crash by the automaker, which is defending its autopilot system at a trial in Miami.

Expert Analysis

  • Tips To Avoid Consumer Tracking Tech Class Actions

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    Recent class actions alleging Trade Desk illegally tracked millions of consumers through its advertising platform highlight growing data privacy compliance concerns over digital tracking practices, but there are disclosure best practices businesses can take to reduce litigation risk, says David Wheeler at Neal Gerber.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team

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    While students often practice as lead trial attorneys in law school, such an opportunity likely won’t arise until a few years into practice, so junior associates should focus on honing skills that are essential to supporting a trial team, including organization, adaptability and humility, says Lucy Zelina at Tucker Ellis.

  • A Look At Employer Wins In Title VII Suits Over DEI Training

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    Despite increased attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, courts across the country have favored employers in cases opposing diversity training, challenging the idea that all workplace inclusion efforts violate the law and highlighting the importance of employers precisely recognizing the legal guardrails, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • 7 D&O Coverage Areas To Assess As DOJ Targets DEI

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    Companies that receive federal funds or have the remnants of a diversity, equity and inclusion program should review their directors and officers liability insurance policies ahead of a major shift in how the U.S. Department of Justice enforces the False Claims Act, says Bill Wagner at Taft.

  • Lessons From FTC Action On Dark Patterns In User Interfaces

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent complaint against Uber for its billing and cancellation practices comes amid other actions addressing consumer confusion and deception, so it is paramount to deploy tools that assess customers' cognitive states of mind to separate lawful marketing from misconduct, says Ceren Canal Aruoba at Berkeley Research Group.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw

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    When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.

  • Rebuttal

    Forced Litigation Funding Disclosure Threatens Patent Rights

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    A recent Law360 guest article argued that courts should adopt stronger disclosure requirements for third-party litigation funding, but rather than enabling fairness or transparency, such measures would only undermine patent holders' access to capital and weaken their ability to assert valid patent rights, says Anup Misra at Curiam Capital.

  • The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References

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    As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • How Focus On Menopause Care Is Fueling Innovation, Access

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    Recent legislative developments concerning the growing field of menopause care are creating opportunities for increased investment and innovation in the space as they increase access to education and coverage, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Calif. Digital Assets Proposal Provides Only Partial Clarity

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    Recently proposed regulations under California's Digital Financial Assets Law answer some important questions about the new regime, particularly regarding its interaction with the state's money transmission law, but many key compliance questions remain, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Opinion

    The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit

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    The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.

  • What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims

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    Recent advances in genetic research have provided substantial evidence that significant numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases may be caused by inherited mutations rather than asbestos exposure — a finding that could fundamentally change how defendants approach personal injury litigation over mesothelioma, say David Schwartz at Lumanity and Kirk Hartley at LSP Group.

  • State Tort Claims May Help Deter Bribes During FCPA Pause

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    As the U.S. pauses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, companies that lose business due to competitors' bribery should consider using state tortious interference suits to expose corruption, deter illegal practices and obtain compensation for commercial losses, says Jason Manning at Levy Firestone.

  • 4 States' Enforcement Actions Illustrate Data Privacy Priorities

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    Attorneys at Wilson Elser examine recent enforcement actions based on new consumer data privacy laws by regulators in California, Connecticut, Oregon and Texas, centered around key themes, including crackdowns on dark patterns, misuse of sensitive data and failure to honor consumer rights.

  • Series

    Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

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