California

  • October 29, 2026

    Courts Can't Nix Calif. Waiver Moves, EPA Tells DC Circ.

    The Trump administration has urged the D.C. Circuit to restore the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's move to make Clean Air Act waivers for California subject to potential rescission by lawmakers, saying a lower court wrongly intruded on Congressional authority in blocking the effort.

  • October 29, 2026

    Utah Hits Kalshi With Criminal Charges Over Sports Offerings

    Utah has brought criminal charges in state court against Kalshi and its co-founders under its anti-gambling laws, amid an ongoing jurisdictional battle over whether federal law preempts state and tribal regulation of the prediction market platform's sports event contracts.

  • October 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Unblock Calif. Captive Meeting Law

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday upheld a lower court order blocking California from implementing its law banning so-called captive audience meetings, saying the employer groups that challenged the law showed the law likely infringed on their First Amendment rights.

  • October 29, 2026

    Block Investors Win Cert. In Biz Growth, Compliance Suit

    A California federal judge has certified a narrowed class of investors in Block Inc., the parent company of Square and Cash App, in a suit alleging the company failed to maintain a "strong compliance infrastructure" and misled investors about the growth of Cash App, leading to an 84% stock price decline once the truth came to light.

  • October 29, 2026

    Parents Say Roblox, Discord Can't Compel Arbitration

    Federal law bars Roblox and Discord from compelling sexual assault plaintiffs to arbitrate their claims that the companies enabled adult predators to use their platforms to groom and abuse children, parents have told the California federal court overseeing their suits.

  • October 29, 2026

    Squires Grants 4 Patent Review Bids In Latest Bulk Order

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has greenlighted four new petitions seeking review of patents in his latest round of decisions, while turning down one on discretionary grounds.

  • October 29, 2026

    Importer, NJ Distributor End Suit Over Stealing Grocery Biz

    A distributor has agreed to drop its lawsuit alleging a Korean food importer purposefully mischaracterized why it was ending the parties' relationship in order to gain direct access to a popular grocery chain, according to a filing in New Jersey federal court.

  • October 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Drops Speech Holding In Seattle Gig Worker Ruling

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday withdrew its earlier finding that Seattle's protections for app-based delivery workers don't regulate speech, replacing it with a narrower ruling that assumes the law involves speech but still passes First Amendment scrutiny.

  • October 29, 2026

    'We're Going To Get Sued': LA Revives Ban On Oil, Gas Wells

    The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday passed an ordinance banning all new oil and gas drilling within city limits and phasing out existing wells within 20 years, with one councilmember commenting that the city expects to get sued by members of the industry over the vote. 

  • October 29, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Decision Wiping Out Cybersecurity Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday affirmed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision holding that a patent covering methods of monitoring a system for cyberattack detection was invalid as obvious.

  • October 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Probes Warehouse Workers' Arbitration Exemption

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday appeared somewhat skeptical of an argument that a transportation worker exemption to federal arbitration requirements doesn't apply to a proposed class of warehouse workers, after the appellate court found warehouse workers fit the carveout in a separate case.

  • October 29, 2026

    FCC Floats $4.4M Fine For Boomerang's Alleged Lifeline Fraud

    The Federal Communications Commission proposed a $4.4 million fine against Boomerang Wireless for allegedly defrauding the Lifeline program, which gives discounts on phone and internet services to qualifying low-income Americans.

  • October 29, 2026

    FTC, States Allege Toast Trapped Restaurants With Fees

    The Federal Trade Commission and eight states sued Toast Inc. on Thursday, accusing the restaurant software company of saddling restaurants with hidden fees, failing to provide promised customer support and making it difficult to cancel its services.

  • October 29, 2026

    Troutman, Baker McKenzie Report Data Breaches

    Troutman Pepper Locke LLP and Baker McKenzie experienced data breaches last month as a result of social engineering attacks, according to notices submitted this week to the attorneys general offices in California and Texas.

  • October 29, 2026

    GoFundMe Hires Fiserv Compliance Chief

    GoFundMe has announced it welcomed the chief compliance officer of Fiserv as its own compliance head to lead the fundraising platform's global compliance strategy, following her previous roles at First Data and Citi.

  • October 29, 2026

    Judge Rejects Extra Hurdle For Medicaid Frailty Exemption

    A Trump administration bid to create additional barriers to Medicaid eligibility was rejected Thursday by a Massachusetts federal judge, who ruled that Congress did not delegate to the executive branch the task of deciding who is too medically frail to meet work requirements.

  • October 29, 2026

    Pot Use Firing Suit Can Be Arbitrated Despite Flawed Clause

    A California state judge has granted Aarris Healthcare Staffing LLC's bid to compel arbitration against a former employee alleging she was wrongly fired for off-duty cannabis use, despite finding portions of the agreement unenforceable.

  • October 29, 2026

    Google Cut Worker's Duties After Military Leave, Feds Say

    Google failed to reinstate a former employee to a similar role after he returned from a yearlong stint in the U.S. Army's Cyber Command unit and eventually laid him off, according to a lawsuit the U.S. Department of Justice filed Thursday in Manhattan.

  • October 28, 2026

    Democracy 'At Stake': Feds Can't Set Aside 20K Calif. Ballots

    A California federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration's request to require the state to set aside mail-in ballots for some 20,000 voters the federal government contends are "likely" noncitizens, saying it would "wreak havoc" on the midterm elections that are already underway.

  • October 28, 2026

    Product Liability's Regulatory & Legislative Recap So Far

    Over the summer and early fall, lawmakers proposed measures aimed at putting safeguards around the rapidly growing industry of artificial intelligence, as public concerns over its safety climb in tandem. The new nominee to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also faced sharp queries over her views on vaccines and birth control.

  • October 28, 2026

    PayPal's Financial Offerings Are Under Fresh FTC Scrutiny

    PayPal has disclosed that it is facing a Federal Trade Commission investigation into its financial products and services, including marketing, fees and purchase protections.

  • October 28, 2026

    Unilever May Get Suit By Ex-Ben & Jerry's Chair Moved To NY

    A California federal judge said on Wednesday that he is unlikely to toss claims that Unilever defamed Ben & Jerry's then-board chair to justify ousting her over her support for Palestinians, and indicated he is inclined to transfer the case to New York.

  • October 28, 2026

    Jury Selection Starts In 2nd Social Media Bellwether In LA

    Jury selection began Wednesday in a California courtroom for the second bellwether trial focused on allegations that major social media companies are harming the mental health of children, with Meta Platforms Inc. returning to the defense table next to Snap Inc., which is facing jurors on the claims for the first time.

  • October 28, 2026

    Cannabis Event Founders Accused Of $750K Fraud

    A Los Angeles attorney and his business partner are accused in a California state lawsuit of diverting investor money to pay for private jet flights, bar dues and other personal expenses instead of funding business-to-consumer cannabis trade shows, including the failed 2022 Green Street Festival.

  • October 28, 2026

    'Lessons Learned': 9th Circ. Judge Doubts Uber Clawback Bid

    A Ninth Circuit judge doubted Uber's request Wednesday to claw back 42 documents inadvertently produced in sexual assault multidistrict litigation during its attorney-client privilege rereview, telling counsel, "At a certain point, we have to say stop, put your pencils down," and asking why this shouldn't be "an example of lessons learned."

Expert Analysis

  • The Preemption Gap In Prediction Market High Court Petitions

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    The Supreme Court is considering three certiorari petitions following a split in prediction market litigation between the Third and Ninth circuits, but one of the petitions would not allow the court to reach the express preemption question, which would leave the dispute half-resolved, says Jordan Garman at Withers.

  • Hims & Hers Suit Spotlights Health Data-Sharing Privacy Risks

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    Regulators' complaint against telehealth company Hims & Hers alleging deceptive practices serves as a reminder that the privacy principles developed under consumer protection laws and predating omnibus statutes remain in force, and sensitive data governance continues to be a crucial component of compliance, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 4 Paths To AI Safety Coordination Amid Antitrust Debate

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    Frontier artificial intelligence companies have more room for collective safety work than the debate over an antitrust waiver suggests, with several existing avenues providing different degrees of protection and oversight, says Evan Miller at V&E.

  • 'Demon Hunter' IP Suit Highlights Reverse Confusion Perils

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    A metal band named Demon Hunter's recently filed lawsuit against Netflix, alleging that consumers mistakenly believe it to be connected to the "KPop Demon Hunters" movie, provides a useful vehicle for examining the reverse confusion doctrine and its practical implications, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • How Calif. Privacy Bill Could Change CIPA Tracking Cases

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    If California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs S.B. 690, the bill could materially reduce the leverage behind a pen-register-only claim or demand, so California Invasion of Privacy Act website tracking claims should not be evaluated the same way they were six months ago, says Alexandra Samofalova at Spencer Fane.

  • 5th Circ. Embedding Decision Could Recast Copyright Claims

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    The Fifth Circuit's decision in Emmerich v. Particle Media addresses decades of ambiguity surrounding whether embedded content can constitute copyright infringement, potentially affecting how defense counsel fight against such claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Glusker.

  • How Cos. Can Avoid Infant Product False Advertising Suits

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    As lawsuits proliferate over products marketed for infant use and sold at a premium that are identical to cheaper general-use products, manufacturers should review related product lines, and scrutinize contextual cues that may contribute to the overall message received by consumers, say attorneys at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Raises Bar For Arbitration Pacts Via Email

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent holding in Rickes v. Thermo Fisher that the mere delivery of an email doesn't establish an employee's assent to the arbitration agreement underscores that rollout processes should both give employees notice of the agreement and create evidence of their assent, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • How GCs Can Assess The Risks Of Emerging AI Laws

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    Amid a swirl of momentous legislative activity aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, general counsel must return to first principles when determining whether new laws will apply and whether the company’s use could cause regulators to subject it to additional regulation, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • How FTC's $20B Amazon Suit May Shake Up Ad Enforcement

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    Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye discusses the significance of the Federal Trade Commission's recent suit against Amazon for allegedly overcharging advertising customers more than $20 billion, the company's potential defenses, and the context of rapidly evolving digital advertising technology.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Marks New Chapter In Risk Factor Tug-Of-War

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent dismissal of a securities fraud class action against SunPower is the latest in a growing line of cases addressing whether, if ever, a company's risk factor disclosures can give rise to potential liability, an area where the law remains unsettled, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Meta Deal Highlights Advisory Jury Issues, Litigation Risk

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    The $17 billion settlement of youth safety claims brought against Meta offers lessons for all consumer-facing companies because the court made the rare move of empaneling an advisory jury and the case was built on what the company learned from its own studies, says Mark Morgan at McCarter & English.

  • What State AI Election Laws Mean For The 2026 Midterms

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    In the absence of federal rules governing artificial intelligence in elections and no consensus emerging across state laws, campaigns, their vendors and AI developers must address the risks associated with outdated rules written for other problems, says Matthew Shapanka at Covington.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Cultivating Good Judgment

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    Law schools generally overlook the role that solid judgment skills play in real-world practice, but attorneys can bridge the gap by strengthening their abilities to assess a case’s strengths and weaknesses, develop and execute effective strategies, and provide clear recommendations to clients, says Manny Caixeiro at Venable.

  • Responding To State Packaging Law Uncertainty

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    As states roll out new packaging and recycling mandates, companies face expanding compliance duties and a growing wave of constitutional challenges that offer key lessons for managing regulatory risk, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

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