California

  • May 03, 2024

    New AI Copyright Class Actions Target Nvidia, Databricks

    Artificial intelligence developers Nvidia and Databricks are facing a new round of class action litigation in California federal court, this time from authors like longtime New Yorker writer Susan Orlean and YA scribe Jason Reynolds.

  • May 03, 2024

    Eolas Is Latest Patent Owner To Take Alice Loss To High Court

    A patent licensing outfit run by a onetime computer lab director at the University of California, San Francisco, is the latest to go to the U.S. Supreme Court to complain about patent eligibility.

  • May 03, 2024

    BTC-e Mastermind Cops To Money Laundering Conspiracy

    A Russian national pled guilty Friday to conspiracy to commit money laundering related to his central role in operating the cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e from 2011 to 2017, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.

  • May 03, 2024

    Google Blasts Epic's Post-Verdict Play Store Reforms Bid

    Google is hitting back at Epic Games' proposed injunction following its jury win on antitrust claims related to the Google Play Store and Android apps, telling a California federal judge Thursday that Epic's proposed rules cover conduct that was not presented to the jury and is "purely hypothetical."

  • May 03, 2024

    Crumbl Faces Privacy Suit For Not-So-Sweet Tracking Cookies

    A customer hit Crumbl LLC with a proposed class action in California federal court alleging the cookie company helps a third-party payment processing company install tracking cookies on web browsers to collect consumers' sensitive information and their online activity without consent.

  • May 03, 2024

    GoPro Gets ITC To Probe Patent Case Over Camera Imports

    The U.S. International Trade Commission said it is going to look into allegations that certain imports of cameras have violated federal law by infringing a variety of patents owned by GoPro.

  • May 03, 2024

    SoFi Unit To Pay FINRA $1.1M To Settle Customer ID Claims

    SoFi Securities has agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle Financial Industry Regulatory Authority claims that it lacked a suitable user verification process for the firm's cash management brokerage business, allowing the opening of 800 accounts used by third parties to illegally transfer $8.6 million from other financial institution accounts.

  • May 03, 2024

    OneTaste Duo's Bid To Toss Charges Slapped Down By Judge

    A Brooklyn federal judge on Friday denied a bid by two former executives of OneTaste to dismiss an indictment accusing them of extracting free labor from alleged members of the San Francisco sexual wellness company through abusive tactics.

  • May 03, 2024

    California Judge Ousted For 'Willful,' 'Prejudicial' Misconduct

    A California state judge has been removed from the bench after an investigation found that he conducted a campaign of retaliation against court employees he suspected of being "moles" in a probe against him and lied about his actions to investigators afterward.

  • May 03, 2024

    Berkshire Hathaway Countersuit Tossed From Contractor Spat

    A California federal judge tossed Berkshire Hathaway's counterclaims in a $17 million coverage dispute with a fiber optic network developer over an unfinished project, ruling that the insurer failed to meet heightened standards after claiming the developer conspired to prevent the contractor from performing its work.

  • May 03, 2024

    Robbins Geller Attys To Take Stand In $8M Sanctions Dispute

    A petroleum refiner will put current and former Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys on the stand May 7 in an extraordinary evidentiary hearing testing what the plaintiffs' lawyers knew about an analyst's now-discredited findings as they pursued since-nixed price-fixing claims.

  • May 03, 2024

    No Retrial Coming After $20M Cannabis Investor Verdict

    A Los Angeles judge has denied a bid by CADM Inc. for a retrial following a $20 million verdict against it and its affiliates on claims that they defrauded investors with a real estate scheme, finding that the motion was not served to the proper attorneys on time, and even if it had been, the judgment would stand.

  • May 03, 2024

    Car Loan Co. Strikes Deal In Employee Stock Valuation Suit

    A car loan company has agreed to resolve a proposed class action alleging it violated federal benefits law when it revalued its stock at the start of the pandemic and forced retirees to sell their shares at a lower value, according to a California federal court filing.

  • May 03, 2024

    6 States Strike $270M Opioid Deal With Amneal

    The New York state attorney general on Friday said that a $270 million multistate deal had been reached with opioid manufacturer Amneal Pharmaceuticals for its role in the addiction epidemic over allegations that the company failed to report suspicious orders of the narcotics.

  • May 02, 2024

    Whistleblower Claims Would 'Destroy' Autonomy, GC Was Told

    Autonomy's former U.S. general counsel testified Thursday in the criminal fraud trial of former CEO Michael Lynch that the company's chief operating officer didn't want a whistleblower's claims to get into court, telling him that while the "law" was on their side, "the facts look bad" and would "destroy Autonomy."

  • May 02, 2024

    Jury Finds MacroAir Infringed Big Ass Fans' Patents

    Following a four-year dispute between a home-cooling outfit called Big Ass Fans and major rival MacroAir Technologies Inc., a California federal jury has found that MacroAir owes just about $665,000 in patent damages as well as an additional amount for false advertising, a total that was well below the over $100 million requested.

  • May 02, 2024

    TikTok, Users Push 9th Circ. To Keep Block On Montana Ban

    TikTok and its users are hitting back at Montana's bid to convince the Ninth Circuit to unblock a new law that would ban the social media app in the state, arguing that the state's position that the statute is a consumer protection measure that regulates conduct and not constitutionally protected speech is "premised on fiction."

  • May 02, 2024

    Wells Fargo Discloses Zelle Dispute-Handling Scrutiny

    Wells Fargo & Co. on Thursday became the latest financial institution to disclose government scrutiny of how customers' dispute claims for potentially mistaken or fraudulent instant payments are being handled.

  • May 02, 2024

    NFL Throws Flag On Harvard Prof's Sunday Ticket Testimony

    An attorney for the NFL urged a California federal judge Thursday to limit testimony from a Harvard law professor set to appear for the plaintiffs in an upcoming antitrust lawsuit over the Sunday Ticket television package, saying his expert report veers into impermissible legal opinions that will confuse the jury.

  • May 02, 2024

    EPA, Calif. AG Sue San Fran For Clean Water Act Breaches

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has sued San Francisco for "repeated and widespread" violations of the Clean Water Act, including allegedly discharging billions of gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean and other bodies of water popular for swimming, surfing and fishing.

  • May 02, 2024

    Masimo Hit With Derivative Suit Over Audio Co. Acquisition

    The top brass at medical device company Masimo Corp. has been hit with a shareholder derivative action claiming they harmed the company and "confused" investors by pushing through a $1 billion acquisition of an audio equipment company, allegedly causing a steep drop in stock prices and a $5.1 billion market capitalization loss.

  • May 02, 2024

    Biden Expands Protections For 2 National Monuments In Calif.

    President Joe Biden on Thursday expanded protections on nearly 120,000 acres of land for two California national monuments considered sacred to Native Americans, while permanently returning one to its original Indigenous name.

  • May 02, 2024

    Ship Captain Gets 4 Years Over Boat Fire That Killed 34

    A California federal judge on Thursday sentenced a ship captain to four years in prison over his conviction stemming from a deadly boat fire that killed 34 people, citing the captain's remorse and lack of ill intent as he declined to impose the government's and some victims' family members' request for the statutory maximum of 10 years.

  • May 02, 2024

    Patent Board Rulings Send $3.3M Judgment Up In Flames

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions invalidating three networking patents that NetScout had been found to infringe, and then held that the holding wipes out a $3.3 million judgment against the company, because it was not yet final.

  • May 02, 2024

    Microsoft, Activision Seek Del. Court Patch For $68.7B Sale

    Microsoft Corp. and Activision Blizzard petitioned Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday for an order validating Activision's already closed but officially "defective" $68.7 billion sale agreement, arguing that the court pointed the two companies to a "solution for missteps in Delaware's General Corporation Law.

Expert Analysis

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • Retailers Must Be Mindful Of Sale Ads As Class Actions Rise

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    A recent uptick in class actions filed against retailers over a breadth of allegedly deceptive pricing practices — including misleading reference prices for sales and discounts offered on a perpetual basis — show no sign of slowing down, indicating that class counsel are laser-focused on challenging advertising strategies, say Louis DiLorenzo and Paavana Kumar at Davis+Gilbert.

  • Legislative And Litigation Trends In Environmental Advertising

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    Companies that tout their products' environmental benefits can significantly reduce the risk that they will face allegations of greenwashing by staying up to date on related Federal Trade Commission guidance, state requirements and litigation trends, say Raqiyyah Pippins and Kelsie Sicinski at Arnold & Porter.

  • What's On The Horizon In Attorney General Enforcement

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    A look at recent attorney general actions, especially in the areas of antitrust and artificial intelligence, can help inform businesses on what they should expect in terms of enforcement trends as 10 attorney general races play out in 2024, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Preparing For DOJ's Data Analytics Push In FCPA Cases

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    After the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent announcement that it will leverage data analytics in Foreign Corrupt Practice Act investigations and prosecutions, companies will need to develop a compliance strategy that likewise implements data analytics to get ahead of enforcement risks, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How 3 New Laws Change Calif. Nonprofits' Legal Landscape

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    Legislation that went into effect on Jan. 1 should be welcomed by California’s nonprofit organizations, which may now receive funding more quickly, rectify past noncompliance more easily and have greater access to the states’ security funding program, say Casey Williams and Brett Overby at Liebert Cassidy.

  • Opinion

    9th Circ. Should Overturn The Miles Davis Tattoo Ruling

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    A California district court made several missteps that led to a finding that celebrity artist Kat Von D's Miles Davis tattoo did not infringe copyright, and the Ninth Circuit should overturn the decision because recent U.S. Supreme Court guidance was ignored and the jury did not receive adequate instruction, says Brian Moriarty at Hamilton Brook.

  • Calif. Disclosure Update Adds To Employer Trial Prep Burden

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    Though California’s recently updated litigation disclosure procedures may streamline some aspects of employment suits filed in the state, plaintiffs' new ability to demand a wider range of information on a tighter timeline will burden companies with the need to invest more resources into investigating cases much earlier in the process, says Jeffrey Horton Thomas at Fox Rothschild.

  • EDNY Ruling Charts 99 Problems In Rap Lyric Admissibility

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Jordan powerfully captures courts’ increasing skepticism about the admissibility of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials, particularly at a time when artists face economic incentives to embrace fictional, hyperbolic narratives, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

  • Takeaways From 9th Circ. Nix Of Ex-GOP Rep.'s Conviction

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    The Ninth Circuit recently reversed the conviction of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., for lying to the FBI, showing that the court will rein in aggressive attempts by the government to expand the reach of criminal prosecutions — and deepening a circuit split on an important venue issue, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

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    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • Despite Risks, AI Is A Worthy Tool For Healthcare Industry

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    Artificial intelligence appears to provide a productive path forward for the healthcare industry, improving economic and human health outcomes, though companies must continue to address certain technology and compliance pain points, says Sarah Abrams at Bowhead Specialty Underwriters.

  • NCAA's Antitrust Litigation History Offers Clues For NIL Case

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    Attorneys at Perkins Coie analyze the NCAA's long history of antitrust litigation to predict how state attorney general claims against NCAA recruiting rules surrounding name, image and likeness discussions will stand up in Tennessee federal court.

  • SAG-AFTRA Contract Is A Landmark For AI And IP Interplay

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    SAG-AFTRA's recently ratified contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers introduced a framework to safeguard performers' intellectual property rights and set the stage for future discussions on how those rights interact with artificial intelligence — which should put entertainment businesses on alert for compliance, says Evynne Grover at QBE.

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