California

  • June 08, 2026

    States Preparing To Challenge Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal

    The New York Attorney General's Office is among state enforcers preparing to file a lawsuit challenging Paramount Skydance Corp.'s $110 billion deal for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., the office confirmed to Law360 Monday.

  • June 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Apple PTAB Win In Voice Recognition Case

    The Federal Circuit on Monday refused to revive claims in a Zentian Ltd. patent related to voice recognition technology, backing a split Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision in favor of Apple.

  • June 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Seems Inclined To Reinstate EEOC Pain Med Suit

    The Ninth Circuit appeared willing Monday to revive a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission disability bias suit accusing a company of spurning an applicant who took prescribed pain medication, with one judge saying the trial court had a muddled view of the evidence.  

  • June 08, 2026

    Epic Games Skirts TM Suit Over Fortnite Messaging Tech

    A North Carolina federal judge ended a patent dispute between a California technology company and Fortnite-maker Epic Games Inc., finding that patent claims related to the game's player-to-player messaging options were directed to an "abstract idea" under U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • June 08, 2026

    High Court Ruling Won't Back Winery TM Win, 2nd Circ. Says

    The Second Circuit Monday vacated a $1.3 million judgment against a California winery in a trademark dispute brought by an Italian winemaker, rejecting a district judge's order holding that the U.S. Supreme Court's B&B Hardware decision blocked relitigation of a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruling.

  • June 08, 2026

    Energy Transactions Atty Returns To McGuireWoods In SF

    A senior vice president with Aon's global mergers and acquisitions and transactions solutions team has rejoined McGuireWoods LLP as a partner in San Francisco, the firm announced Monday.

  • June 08, 2026

    Insurer Says Replacing Defective Concrete Mix Isn't Covered

    An excess insurer has said it should be reimbursed for the $5 million it paid toward a concrete company's settlement after the company knowingly supplied the wrong concrete mix for a California highway construction project, saying the policy covers only accidental property damage.

  • June 08, 2026

    Trump's $100K H-1B Fee Is Unauthorized Tax, Judge Rules

    A Massachusetts federal judge ruled Monday that President Donald Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa payment constitutes a tax that Congress did not authorize the president to impose, declaring the fee unlawful and vacating it in its entirety.

  • June 08, 2026

    Sleep Aid Buyers Say 'Non-Habit' Pills Can Cause Dependence

    A proposed class of sleep-aid buyers is suing the makers and sellers of Unisom, saying that despite being marketed with a prominent "non-habit forming" claim, its main ingredient has been known to lead to dependence with frequent use.

  • June 08, 2026

    Seattle Fights Uber, Instacart Bid To Undo 9th Circ. Gig Ruling

    The city of Seattle urged the Ninth Circuit not to revisit a panel decision backing its app-based worker deactivation ordinance against a First Amendment challenge from Uber and Instacart, arguing the companies are trying to turn an ordinary worker protection law into a speech case.

  • June 05, 2026

    USDA Food Assistance Conditions Halted By Mass. Judge

    A Massachusetts federal judge Friday blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from conditioning funding for programs like school lunches and food assistance on compliance with Trump administration policies on gender, women's sports, diversity and immigration.

  • June 05, 2026

    Streamer's 'Lazy Reaction' Video May Be Fair Use, Judge Says

    A California federal judge said Friday he is inclined to toss a YouTube creator's copyright suit over a Twitch user's livestreamed response to a documentary, finding that what the plaintiff characterized as "lazy reaction" content that siphoned views from the original work is covered by fair use because of the defendant's real-time criticism, commentary and mockery.

  • June 05, 2026

    Chinese Co. Barred From Claiming Connection To Olympics

    A Chinese company and affiliates were blocked by a California federal court judge from using trademarks associated with the Olympics or claiming to have any affiliation with the games, after the International Olympic Committee claimed they were falsely using marks to sell products with purported health benefits.

  • June 05, 2026

    JPML Denies Industrywide Spinal Device Injury MDL Bid

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation declined to consolidate dozens of product liability cases over spinal cord stimulator devices manufactured by Boston Scientific Corp., Abbott Laboratories, Nevro and Medtronic, finding Friday that while centralization of the actions against Boston Scientific was appropriate, an industrywide action was not.

  • June 05, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives TCPA Suit Against Keller Williams

    The Ninth Circuit reinstated a proposed class action against Keller Williams Realty and an Arizona real estate solutions company over phone calls and texts asking a woman about selling her home, ruling she sufficiently alleged the communications at issue constituted solicitations prohibited under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. 

  • June 05, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Tribal Smoke Shop Owner's RICO Suit

    Officials with the Colorado River Indian Tribes must face a lawsuit brought by a smoke shop owner who claims they wrongfully evicted his business and stole its inventory, the Ninth Circuit ruled in a published opinion, saying tribal employees aren't automatically shielded by sovereign immunity.

  • June 05, 2026

    Costco Roasts Customers' Rotisserie Chicken Additives Suit

    Costco is crying foul on two California shoppers who claim the bulk retailer deceptively marketed its $4.99 rotisserie chickens as preservative-free, telling a federal judge Thursday the proposed class action cannot survive because the ingredients the plaintiffs flag aren't classified as preservatives by federal regulators.

  • June 05, 2026

    Epic Fights Apple's Bid For High Court Sanctions Review

    Epic Games told the U.S. Supreme Court there's no need for high court review of a California federal court's contempt order against Apple for violating a ban on company policies that barred app developers from steering users to outside payment options.

  • June 05, 2026

    Trans Patients Urge Blocking DOJ 'Campaign Of Harassment'

    Transgender adolescents urged a California federal judge Friday to block a Stanford Medicine hospital from sharing gender-related care medical records in response to a Texas grand jury criminal subpoena, arguing that other courts have rebuffed similar government subpoena attempts and the judge should end the DOJ's "campaign of harassment."

  • June 05, 2026

    J&J Cleared Of Talc Liability In LA Bellwether Trial

    A Los Angeles jury cleared Johnson & Johnson of any liability in the deaths of three women from ovarian cancer, finding Friday following a six-week bellwether trial that the company's sales of talcum powder were not negligent. 

  • June 05, 2026

    GOP Lawmakers Target China With 2 Patent Bills

    Republican lawmakers are floating a pair of bills that would block anyone who is considered a national security threat from gaining a U.S. patent and require anyone with connections to "foreign adversaries" to list the association on an application.

  • June 05, 2026

    Wamco Inks $100M SEC Deal Over 'Cherry-Picking' Scheme

    Western Asset Management Co. LLC on Friday agreed to pay $100 million to settle allegations from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the investment management firm "failed to take reasonable steps to detect and prevent" its former executive's purported cherry-picking practices.

  • June 05, 2026

    IRhythm Inks $45M Deal With Investors In Heart Device Suit

    IRhythm Technologies Inc. investors asked a California federal judge to preliminarily greenlight a $45 million settlement resolving allegations the digital healthcare company inflated stock prices with misrepresentations about its heart-event monitoring device, noting the deal is a favorable result that warrants approval, given the possibility of no recovery. 

  • June 05, 2026

    Paramount Criticizes Consumers' Antitrust Suit As Unserious

    Paramount Skydance has asked a California federal judge to toss a consumer antitrust challenge to its pending $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying the lawsuit lacks essential elements to state a claim and criticizing the opposition for treating the litigation like a "sport" rather than a "serious matter."

  • June 05, 2026

    Judge Rejects Objectors' Bid For More Equity In NIL Proposal

    A California federal magistrate judge has turned down a group of athletes' objection to a proposed addition to the $2.78 billion settlement with the NCAA that the group said would disproportionately benefit men in major revenue college sports.

Expert Analysis

  • Where The Preemption Fight Over Prediction Markets Stands

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    While the Third Circuit's recent ruling in Kalshi v. Flaherty remains a significant win for the federal government in its quest to regulate prediction markets, the Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Circuits appear more skeptical, indicating that this fight is likely headed for the Supreme Court, says Johnny ElHachem at Holland & Knight.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • 1st Surveillance Pricing Law In Md. Reflects Broader Scrutiny

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    A new law will make Maryland the first state to target data-driven or surveillance-based price manipulation, highlighting increased scrutiny from federal and state enforcement agencies and policymakers as they consider whether new laws are required to regulate dynamic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Understanding The Insider Trading Gap In Prediction Markets

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    While the first-ever insider trading indictment involving a prediction market — the recent prosecution of a service member involved in the capture of Nicolás Maduro — comprised extreme facts and straightforward legal theories, future cases will test the bounds of insider trading law, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

  • The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

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    With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • Notable Q1 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    Notable insurance class action decisions from the first quarter of the year included reminders about the statute of limitations as a key defense for claims relating to allegedly deficient forms, the importance of focus on the specific contract at issue and further guidance on the contours of Rule 23, says Kevin Zimmerman at BakerHostetler.

  • 9th Circ.'s Silence Prolongs Uncertainty On Cemex Framework

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    By affirming a bargaining order in Cemex Construction Materials v. National Labor Relations Board without opining on the NLRB’s 2023 expansion of its authority to issue such orders, the Ninth Circuit avoided direct conflict with the Sixth Circuit’s rejection of the same framework, prolonging uncertainty for employers facing union elections, say attorneys at Dinsmore & Shohl.

  • Surveying The CFTC Campaign To Control Prediction Markets

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    The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is simultaneously asserting exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets and signaling aggressive enforcement within them, a combination that will reshape the regulatory landscape for event contract platforms — pending the outcome of several court cases throughout the country and a likely circuit split, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Safeguarding RWI Coverage As Materiality Focus Persists

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    As first-quarter broker claims reports reveal that materiality disputes remain a key driver of representations and warranties insurance claims, the scarce case law in this area indicates that including a materiality scrape provision in an RWI policy may aid policyholders with recovery, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

  • How Oregon Ruling Affects Federal Gender Care Crackdown

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    In a favorable development for healthcare providers, an Oregon federal court recently vacated certain U.S. Department of Health and Human Services restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, but the government's broader campaign against this care, including proposed rulemaking and agency investigations, leaves significant uncertainty, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Ax Privacy Bill For Not Shielding Consumers

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    The SECURE Data Act should be rejected because, despite Congress' claims, it would not meaningfully rein in data practices, but instead would weaken enforcement, eliminate stronger protections and prioritize data extraction over consumer protection and accountability, say attorneys at DiCello Levitt.

  • AI Data Center Boom May Spur Wave Of Toxic Tort Suits

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    Nascent litigation matters against data center operators, set against limited government regulation and a growing body of public health research, suggests we may be on the cusp of an era of mass toxic tort claims, with a liability framework firmly rooted in precedent from other industries, says Benjamin Heller at RFZ Law.

  • A Core Weakness In The Challenge To Birthright Citizenship

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    The government’s recent oral arguments against birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara would have the Supreme Court use modern immigration classifications as markers for a constitutional boundary that is not expressed in the Fourteenth Amendment, making the theory easier to administer but weaker as a matter of text and history, says attorney Tara Kennedy.

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