California

  • August 19, 2025

    Airbnb Guests Oppose Arbitration Of Secret Recording Claims

    Six women who claim they were secretly filmed during an "all-girls stay" at a Palm Springs, California, Airbnb are opposing the company's bid to push their claims into arbitration, telling a state court that federal law explicitly prohibits anyone from forcing a sexual misconduct claim into arbitration.

  • August 19, 2025

    Insurers Avoid Coverage For Alleged $8.5M Judgment Scheme

    Two insurers owed no coverage to companies facing abuse of process claims, a Minnesota federal court ruled in two separate cases decided on the same issues, finding that commercial general liability policies' coverage for malicious prosecution did not apply.

  • August 19, 2025

    Sacramento Says 2nd Circ. Erred In Cannabis Ruling

    The city of Sacramento has told the Ninth Circuit that the Second Circuit erred when it applied the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause to marijuana, and urged the appellate court not to follow suit in a similar pending case.

  • August 19, 2025

    9th Circuit Pauses Oak Flat Land Transfer Pending Appeals

    A Ninth Circuit panel has hit pause on the federal government's scheduled transfer of a centuries-old Indigenous worship site within Arizona's Tonto National Forest to a copper mining company while challenges to a multibillion-dollar proposed project play out in the appellate court.

  • August 18, 2025

    Tesla Drivers Nab Class Cert. In 'Full Self-Driving' Suit

    A California federal judge Monday granted class certification in a consolidated lawsuit that accused Tesla Inc. of duping drivers into falsely believing that its cars can fully pilot themselves, but made some modifications to proposed class definitions.

  • August 18, 2025

    'Ketamine Queen' Takes Plea Deal In Matthew Perry Case

    The woman known as the "Ketamine Queen" of North Hollywood has agreed to plead guilty to providing the ketamine that led to the 2023 death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry, according to a plea agreement filed in California federal court on Monday.

  • August 18, 2025

    Williams-Sonoma Loses Bid To Narrow Thread-Count Class

    A California federal judge on Monday denied Williams-Sonoma's bid to exclude certain class members from a suit alleging it misled consumers about the thread count of its bedding, finding the company did not meet its burden to establish the consumers agreed to arbitrate their claims.

  • August 18, 2025

    PepsiCo Lied About Disabling Website Cookies, Suit Says

    PepsiCo Inc. and its Frito-Lay North America Inc. unit are letting third parties like Google and Facebook track browsing activities and collect the information of consumers who visit the food companies' websites, despite consumers selecting "no" to unnecessary cookies, a proposed class action in California federal court alleges.

  • August 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Splits Over Ore.'s Denial Of Christian Youth Grants

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Monday largely upheld a lower court's refusal to preliminarily block Oregon's requirement that recipients of certain youth grants agree not to discriminate on the basis of religion, though it also said the rule is unconstitutional if it restricts any initiatives that aren't tied to the grants.

  • August 18, 2025

    Musk Seeks Early Win In Twitter Investor Fraud Case

    Elon Musk has asked a California federal judge to dismiss claims brought by a class of former Twitter investors in litigation accusing the right-wing billionaire of intentionally tanking the social media platform's stock price, arguing his statements made ahead of the deal are accurate.

  • August 18, 2025

    Pharma Company Beats Investor Suit Over Drug Safety Claims

    ChemoCentryx, a California-based pharmaceutical company, has secured summary judgment in shareholder litigation accusing it of overstating the efficacy of its newly developed treatment for an autoimmune disease called ANCA vasculitis, with a California court ruling that the ultimate regulatory approval of the drug may show that the company was not intentionally overhyping it.

  • August 18, 2025

    Buchalter Adds Ex-Alston & Bird Partner To IP Practice

    Buchalter PC said Monday that it was adding H. James Abe as an intellectual property shareholder to its Los Angeles office, bringing on an attorney who previously worked at Alston & Bird LLP and has experience with commercial disputes, transactions and licensing.

  • August 18, 2025

    Age Act Doesn't Cover UC Residency Bid, 9th Circ. Affirms

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday affirmed a district court's decision to grant summary judgment to the Regents of the University of California in an age discrimination suit brought by a medical residency applicant, holding that selecting medical residents is an employment practice not covered by the Age Discrimination Act.

  • August 18, 2025

    Lender Cites Flight Risk In $14M Home TRO Request

    A Chinese national asked a California federal court for an order freezing any potential sale of a luxury home in Arcadia, California, alleging it's indirectly owned by a couple who fled the country to avoid paying a $16 million arbitral award and other judgments.

  • August 18, 2025

    Akero Investor Suit Over Liver Drug Trials Permanently Tossed

    A California federal judge has permanently ended Akero Therapeutics investors' proposed class action alleging they were misled about the patient population in the company's liver disease treatment clinical trial, ruling the investors did not "fill-in the logical gaps" she previously identified when dismissing their earlier pleading for failing to plead scienter. 

  • August 18, 2025

    Insurer, Kennel Settle Coverage Dispute Over Nuisance Claims

    A Hanover unit and a dog kennel have resolved a dispute over coverage for an underlying suit alleging that the kennel's expansion interfered with a Golden State community's rights of possession, according to a California federal court filing.

  • August 18, 2025

    AGs Sue DOJ For Tying Victim Aid To ICE Enforcement

    A coalition of 21 state attorneys general, led by Matthew Platkin of New Jersey, filed suit against the Trump administration on Monday, accusing it of unlawfully tying $1 billion in crime victim funding to immigration enforcement, a move they say defies congressional intent and jeopardizes critical support for survivors.

  • August 18, 2025

    King & Spalding Brings On Goodwin Litigators In SF, DC

    King & Spalding LLP announced Monday that it has added two intellectual property attorneys from Goodwin Procter LLP to strengthen its business litigation practice group and its capacity to handle patent and trade secrets disputes.

  • August 18, 2025

    AmeriCorps Restores $400M In Slashed Grants, Judge Told

    AmeriCorps told a Maryland federal judge Monday that the agency restored around $400 million in funding to nonprofits canceled under the Trump administration in April, saying the government doesn't plan to ax grants before they end.

  • August 18, 2025

    RI, Wash. Say 2nd Circ. Dormant Commerce Pot Ruling Is Inapt

    Officials from Rhode Island and Washington state have said in separate letters to federal circuit courts that the Second Circuit's determination last week that the Constitution's dormant commerce clause applied to marijuana should not affect their pending appeals in related cases.

  • August 18, 2025

    IYO Asks 9th Circ. To Reject OpenAI's Bid To Ax TM Injunction

    Tech firm IYO Inc. urged the Ninth Circuit to leave in place a temporary bar on OpenAI using a mark associated with acquired company IO Products Inc. amid a trademark fight, saying it was improper for OpenAI to even ask the appellate court to hear the matter at this stage.

  • August 18, 2025

    DOJ Loses Bid To End Custody Protections For Migrant Kids

    A California federal judge denied the Trump administration's push to end a decades-old settlement governing the custody of detained immigrant children, urging the government to fulfill its promises if it wants to see the agreement ended.

  • August 18, 2025

    Weil Lands Kirkland Executive Compensation Pro In LA

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is expanding its West Coast team, announcing Monday it is bringing in a Kirkland & Ellis LLP executive benefits expert as a partner in its year-old Los Angeles office.

  • August 15, 2025

    18 AGs, Governors Sue To Block DOE Funding Cap

    A coalition of 19 states and Washington, D.C., on Friday hauled the U.S. Department of Energy into Oregon federal court, challenging a policy they say places a new cap on reimbursements for administrative and staffing costs, and thus slashes funds needed for state-run energy programs.

  • August 15, 2025

    Stewart Issues Dozens More Discretionary Denial Decisions

    Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart denied numerous petitions challenging patents on discretionary grounds this week, while referring a smaller number of cases to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • What Calif. Insurance Ruling Means For Smoke Damage Limits

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    As California continues to grapple with an increasing number of wildfire claims, a state court's recent Aliff v. California FAIR Plan decision serves as a clear directive to insurers that policy language that narrows the scope of fire coverage below the California Insurance Code's minimum standards is impermissible, say attorneys at Wood Smith.

  • How NJ's Proposed Privacy Rules Could Reshape AI Data Use

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    Although not revolutionary, New Jersey's proposed privacy rules would create obligations around the management and processing of consumer personal data that will require careful planning before they can be successfully implemented, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments

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    The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Business Takeaways Following CCPA Enforcement Actions

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    Advisories and recent enforcement activity by the California Privacy Protection Agency against Honda and Todd Snyder underscore the agency's enforcement interest in the intersection of data minimization and consumer rights, and could make it more challenging for a business to provide a streamlined consumer rights process, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Compliance Lessons From 1st-Ever Product Safety Sentences

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    A California federal judge’s recent sentencing of two former Gree USA executives in a landmark Consumer Product Safety Act case serves as a reminder of the federal government’s willingness to pursue criminal prosecution of individuals who fail to report safety hazards, as well as companies’ need to strengthen their reporting and compliance programs, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • 9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing

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    Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.

  • Feds' Shift On Reputational Risk Raises Questions For Banks

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    While banking regulators' recent retreat from reputational risk narrows the scope of federal oversight in some respects, it also raises practical questions about consistency, reputational management and the evolving political landscape surrounding financial services, say attorneys at Smith Anderson.

  • What 9th Circ. Cracker Barrel Ruling Means For FLSA Cert.

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Harrington v. Cracker Barrel suggests a settling of two procedural trends in Fair Labor Standards Act jurisprudence — when to issue notice and where nationwide collectives can be filed — rather than deepening circuit splits, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.

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