California

  • May 06, 2026

    Mother Of Musk's Kids Defends Role As OpenAI Liaison

    Ex-OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis, who has four children with Elon Musk, took the stand in a California federal jury trial Wednesday over Musk's challenge to OpenAI's for-profit conversion, defending her role as an intermediary between Musk and other OpenAI founders and testifying she twice raised concerns over Sam Altman's leadership.

  • May 06, 2026

    Ye Testifies In IP Suit That People 'Take Advantage' Of Him

    Ye took the stand on Wednesday to defend himself in a California copyright trial over whether early versions of his Grammy-winning hit "Hurricane" contained an unauthorized sound recording, saying that people try to "take advantage" of him despite him being "very generous" when it comes to giving artists their due.

  • May 06, 2026

    Meta's Exploitation Reporting Needs Work, NM Judge Told

    An executive for a child protection organization told a New Mexico judge Wednesday that "ongoing quality issues" with Meta's reporting and the use of message encryption have made it harder to deliver actionable reports to law enforcement, as the state seeks $3.7 billion in reforms at the social media company.

  • May 06, 2026

    'GothFerrari' Gets 6.5 Years For Role In $250M Crypto Heist

    A 20-year-old California man with the nickname "GothFerrari" was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 78 months behind bars for his role in a sprawling cyber scam involving more than a dozen defendants who stole more than $250 million in cryptocurrency from people across the United States, according to prosecutors.

  • May 06, 2026

    Sony Reaped 'Windfall' From Illegal Tariffs, Gamers Say

    Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC retained a "substantial windfall" generated by illegal tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, two Sony PlayStation console owners said Wednesday in a proposed class action in California federal court.

  • May 06, 2026

    Corcept Must Face Most Teva Mifepristone Antitrust Claims

    A California federal judge on Tuesday once again mostly refused to throw out Teva Pharmaceuticals' claims that Corcept Therapeutics used patent system abuse, bribes and exclusive dealing to block generic competition to its cortisol disorder treatment, finding that at this stage in the litigation the allegations are adequate.

  • May 06, 2026

    Calif. Panel Revives Mesothelioma Suit Against Union Carbide

    California appellate justices revived a lawsuit against Union Carbide by a man who alleged he developed mesothelioma years after inhaling asbestos fiber when remodeling his aunt's home, ruling Tuesday that triable factual issues exist whether he was exposed to Hamilton Materials' drywall finishing products containing asbestos fiber supplied by the defendant.

  • May 06, 2026

    'Wasn't A Hard Call': Jeffer Mangels Can't Arbitrate Atty's Suit

    A Los Angeles judge ruled at a Wednesday hearing that Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP can't arbitrate an ex-associate's lawsuit alleging she was harassed and fired due to her pregnancy, saying it "wasn't a hard call" because her sexual harassment claims are statutorily prohibited from being arbitrated.

  • May 06, 2026

    'Do Not Use This Report': J&J Hid Asbestos Test, Jury Told

    Johnson & Johnson and a consultant it hired in the 1970s altered the conclusions of tests that found alarming levels of asbestos in the company's talc products before giving different results to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a former FDA commissioner told a Los Angeles jury Wednesday.

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge Tosses 'Futile' Leaf EV Fire Risk, Charging Defect Suit

    Nissan has defeated a proposed class action brought by Leaf owners who claimed the electric vehicle's battery contains a defect that makes fast charging a fire risk, with a California federal judge ruling that the drivers failed to show the cars were unsafe and that amending at this point would be "futile."

  • May 06, 2026

    Fla. Court Asked To Lift Freeze In $91M Fake Health Plans Suit

    Two siblings asked a Florida federal court Wednesday to lift an asset freeze in the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit alleging they sold $91 million of fake health benefits on the Affordable Care Act exchange, arguing they need money to pay their attorneys. 

  • May 06, 2026

    Calif. Tribe Can't Get ATF's Cigarette Sales Decision Tossed

    A Ninth Circuit panel determined Wednesday that federal tobacco regulators acted appropriately when placing the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians on a noncompliance list, concluding the tribe's remote cigarette sales to retailers of other tribes count as "off-reservation" activities covered by California state tax and licensing laws.

  • May 06, 2026

    Igloo's Ads 'Uncool' But Not Unlawful, Split 9th Circ. Says

    It may have been "uncool" for ice chest company Igloo to wrongfully take credit for the first biodegradable cooler, but its claims are not unlawful under the Lanham Act, a split Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday.

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge Questions OMB Justification For Voiding Grants

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday pushed back on arguments by the Trump administration that federal agency grants are subject to termination at any time based solely on a change in priorities — a situation, she suggested, that would essentially render any contracts with the government "illusory."

  • May 06, 2026

    Altria, Juul Ask For Stay During Antitrust Class Cert. Appeal

    Altria and Juul are asking a California federal court to pause a case alleging the companies schemed to have Altria exit the e-cigarette market while they appeal a class certification ruling to the Ninth Circuit.

  • May 06, 2026

    Google Users Say DOJ Win 'Leaves Only Damages For Trial'

    Consumers want a California federal judge to go straight to trial over the amount of damages Google owes them for illegally monopolizing online search, arguing the company's violation of antitrust law "is now an undisputed fact as a matter of law."

  • May 06, 2026

    EDTX Urged To Deny Samsung New Trial After $78.5M Verdict

    A patent owner that won a $78.5 million infringement verdict in the Eastern District of Texas against Samsung urged the court to reject the electronics giant's bid for a new trial, saying the South Korean company wants to turn the law "on its head."

  • May 06, 2026

    High Court Rejects Apple's Bid To Pause App Store Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Apple's request to pause a mandate in the case from Epic Games that directs a lower court to determine what commission Apple can charge developers for purchases made outside of its app store through links.

  • May 06, 2026

    Calif. Justices Seem Divided On Gilead HIV Negligence Claim

    The California Supreme Court appeared split Wednesday over whether Gilead should face a negligence claim for allegedly withholding a safer HIV drug from the market to maximize profits from an older drug with more harmful side effects. 

  • May 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Hospital Workers' Vaccine Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a religious bias lawsuit accusing a Washington hospital of unlawfully denying employees' requests to avoid a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, finding that the medical center demonstrated that exemptions would've been too burdensome under a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • May 06, 2026

    Alto Says Investors Use Hindsight In Suit Over Drug Trial

    Alto Neuroscience has urged a California federal judge to toss an investor suit alleging the psychiatric biotech company and its top brass overstated the efficacy of their lead drug candidate for treating major depressive disorder, saying the suit is a "classic case of trying to plead fraud by hindsight."

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge Approves $2.25M Walmart Wage Deal On Third Try

    A decade-long wage lawsuit against Walmart has come to a close after a California federal judge granted final approval of a $2.25 million class action settlement that includes claims under California's Private Attorneys General Act.

  • May 06, 2026

    Nvidia Must Face Most Of Authors' AI Copyright Suit

    A California federal judge has tossed vicarious infringement claims in a proposed class action brought by authors accusing chipmaking giant Nvidia Corp. of using their copyrighted works to train artificial intelligence, but let stand claims that Nvidia lifted books from online shadow libraries to develop various AI models.

  • May 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Atty Fees In Bicycle Design Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday agreed with a Massachusetts federal judge that a case related to a set of design patents for a bicycle warranted attorney fees being awarded to Hyper Bicycles Inc., saying the judge's finding that the case was weak and unnecessarily dragged out was supported by the evidence.

  • May 06, 2026

    Feds Say Stolen BigLaw Deal Info Aided Huge Trading Scheme

    Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled indictments outlining a massive insider trading scheme that allegedly netted tens of millions of dollars using nonpublic information about mergers and acquisitions worked on by some of the nation's biggest law firms.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Tips For Employers On Calif. Decision-Making Tech Rules

    Author Photo

    Over the next eight months, many California employers must prepare to comply with challenging new requirements under the California Consumer Privacy Act that constitute the most comprehensive set of rules in the country on the use of automated decision-making technology, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 2 Discovery Rulings Break With Heppner On AI Privilege Issue

    Author Photo

    While a New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner suggests that some litigants’ communications with AI tools are discoverable, two other recent federal court decisions demonstrate that such interactions generally qualify for work-product protection under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, says Joshua Dunn at Brown Rudnick.

  • Series

    Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Employer Tips As Calif. Law Rewrites Retention Pay Rules

    Author Photo

    California's recent enactment of A.B. 692 disrupts how employers structure sign-on bonuses, retention payments and other incentives tied to continued employment, but employers that adjust their compensation strategies can attract and retain talent while managing their compliance risks, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • CFTC Chair's Speech Hints At Innovation-Friendly Policies

    Author Photo

    Remarks made by Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig at the Futures Industry Association's conference last month provided the most comprehensive articulation of his regulatory agenda and signaled a shift in the CFTC's regulatory posture, including a rare focus on agency coordination and support for digital asset innovation, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • 5 Key Questions Attys Should Ask About Statistical Analyses

    Author Photo

    Even attorneys without a background in statistics can effectively vet the general concepts of a statistical analysis by asking targeted questions and can thereby reinforce the credibility and relevance of expert testimony — or expose its weaknesses, say Katrina Schydlower and Christopher Cunio at Hunton and Kevin Cahill at FTI Consulting.

  • 'Made In America' EO May Not Survive Section 230

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in advertising directs the Federal Trade Commission to deem online marketplaces' failure to verify third-party origin claims as unlawful, but such a rule would likely run into Section 230's publisher immunity doctrine, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • Gender-Expansive Calif. Equal Pay Laws Widen Employer Risk

    Author Photo

    California's recent amendments to strengthen its Equal Pay Act and Pay Transparency Act aim to shrink the wage gap, not only for women, but also for nonbinary and transgender employees, creating new compliance obligations for employers and increasing their potential exposure, say attorneys at the Jhaveri-Weeks Firm.

  • Insights From OppFi Suit On Building Calif. Bank Partnerships

    Author Photo

    A California state judge’s tentative ruling, walking through business evidence that Utah bank FinWise was not a “rent-a-bank” that fintech firm Opportunity Financial used as a front to dodge interest rate caps on in-state lenders, offers a helpful road map for structuring legally compliant bank-fintech partnerships under California law, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • CFTC Actions Show Prediction Market Insider Trading Risks

    Author Photo

    It is a myth that insider trading law does not apply in prediction markets, as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement actions illustrate that it has full authority to pursue such cases federally — and intends to, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

  • Rebuttal

    FTC Case Reinforces Established Price Discrimination Rules

    Author Photo

    Far from redefining price discrimination, as contended by a recent Law360 guest article, the Federal Trade Commission's suit against Southern Glazer's falls squarely within the historical interpretation of the Robinson-Patman Act, says retired attorney Irving Scher.

  • Prepping For White House's Proposed AI Framework

    Author Photo

    The artificial intelligence legislative framework issued by the White House last month reframes the policy landscape, creating a number of near-term developments for companies to track as congressional committees attempt to convert the framework into legislative text, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Apple Discovery Fight Could Revive DOJ's Antitrust Appetite

    Author Photo

    Winning discovery disputes in the ongoing federal antitrust litigation over Apple’s app store practices is a huge opportunity for the Justice Department to return to its once-vigorous pursuit of product tying by tech monopolies, catch up with foreign competition regulators and establish clear standards for digital markets, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • Lockdown To Ledger: COVID Rulings Inform Crypto Coverage

    Author Photo

    As cryptocurrencies move deeper into mainstream financial markets, courts tasked with determining whether traditional insurance policies respond to digital asset losses have been evaluating coverage through the analytical framework of COVID-19 business interruption litigation, with one key recurring theme, say attorneys at Kennedys.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

    Author Photo

    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California archive.