Calif. Justices Propose Tweaking Rules For Bar Examiners

By Emily Sawicki

The California Supreme Court has proposed changes to the administration of the state's troubled bar exam, circulating a slate of amendments designed to clarify the role of the Committee of Bar Examiners, including spelling out its duty to review and approve all questions used in the exam.

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GM Gets Initial OK For $150M Engine Defect Post-Trial Deal

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge on Thursday said he'd grant preliminary approval to a $150 million deal General Motors reached with car buyers over an engine defect following a trial verdict against the auto giant that class counsel said, with prejudgment interest, would have cost the company more than $270 million.

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Intel Convinces Texas Jury That Fortress Controls VLSI

By Dani Kass

A Texas federal jury on Thursday found that Fortress Investment Group controls both VLSI Technology and Finjan Holdings, and a judge will now decide whether that means Intel can escape findings that it infringed VLSI's patents by invoking its license with Finjan.

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RJ Reynolds Lied About Carbon Offset Of Vapes, Suit Says

By Mike Curley

A group of California vape users is suing R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and its U.S. and British affiliates in federal court, alleging that its claims that the Vuse vape is the first carbon-neutral electronic cigarette are misleading.

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​​​​​​​Netflix's 'Broad' IP Claims Against Broadcom Face Skepticism

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge appeared open Thursday to tossing some claims in Netflix's lawsuit accusing Broadcom of ripping off five software patents, repeatedly questioning how Netflix's patents improve technology and calling certain terms "incredibly broad and undefined," while also observing that Netflix's willful infringement claim may amount to "good lawyering."

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Masimo Founder Slaps Board With Lawsuit Over His Ouster

By Bonnie Eslinger

The founder and former CEO of Masimo Corp. has alleged six of the medical technology company's directors orchestrated his wrongful termination and denied him the compensation he is now owed, according to a suit for hundreds of millions of dollars filed against the executives in California state court.

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Titan Of The Plaintiffs Bar: Grant & Eisenhofer's Beth Graham

By Tracey Read

Elizabeth "Beth" Graham, a San Francisco-based principal at Grant & Eisenhofer PA and a member of its executive committee, played a key part in negotiating a $600 million settlement in April 2024 for plaintiffs in litigation arising from the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment, earning her a spot among Law360's 2025 Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar.

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Restaurant Liable After Fraudster Steals $475K Settlement

By Mike Curley

A California appeals court has found in a case of first impression that a restaurant is responsible for $475,000 in settlement funds that its attorneys sent to a fraudster impersonating the other party in a personal injury suit, saying it missed a number of red flags in the impostor's correspondence.

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DOT Calls States' EV Charging Funding Suit Premature

By Madeline Lyskawa

The U.S. Department of Transportation urged a Washington federal judge to reject an attempt by 16 states to block the Trump administration from cutting off funding for electric vehicle charging projects, saying their claims aren't yet ripe for review.

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Brief

Wells Fargo Settles Suit Over Online Wire Fraud Protections

By Gina Kim

Wells Fargo has settled a proposed class action alleging it failed to properly investigate and reimburse mobile banking customers who reported scammers stole money from their accounts through fraudulent wire transfers, according to a notice filed Wednesday in California federal court. 

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Disney Can't Stop Brazil Court Injunction In IP Row, For Now

By Elliot Weld

A California federal judge has denied The Walt Disney Co.'s request to block a Brazilian court from taking injunctive action against it in a patent dispute with wireless technology developer InterDigital Inc., saying the entertainment giant has not shown it's likely the Brazilian court will issue a preliminary injunction barring the use of certain video codec technology.

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Ex-MLBer Sues TNT And Warner For 'Dirty Moneyball' Doc

By Craig Clough

Former Major League Baseball All-Star Yasiel Puig sued Turner Broadcasting, Warner Media and others for defamation in California state court Wednesday over his depiction in an episode of a documentary series stating he was awaiting trial on gambling charges, when the charges allege false statements and obstruction.

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Split 9th Circ. Says Spa's Rule On Certain Trans Women Biased

By Gina Kim

A divided Ninth Circuit refused to reinstate a Korean spa's constitutional challenge against the Washington State Human Rights Commission and ordered it to rescind its policy denying admission to trans women without gender-affirming surgery, noting Thursday the policy violated state law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

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Deals Rumor Mill

Shein Eyes HK Listing After London Snag, Plus More Rumors

By Tom Zanki

Fast-fashion retailer Shein intends to list in Hong Kong after its plans to go public in London fell apart, messaging app Telegram is set to raised $1.7 billion through an upsized bond offering, while Elon Musk's Neuralink Corp. raised $600 million in a deal that values the brain-implant startup at $9 billion.

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Digital Health Startup Omada Launches Plans For $150M IPO

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

San Francisco-based virtual healthcare provider Omada Health on Thursday filed plans with U.S. regulators for a $150 million initial public offering, the proceeds of which will be used for general corporate purposes.

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DC Court Blocks Trump's Tariffs As Overreach Of Power

By Kevin Pinner

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not empower the president to impose tariffs, the D.C. federal district court said Thursday, ruling that President Donald Trump's global levies are unlawful and barring his administration from enforcing them on two toymakers who challenged the policies.

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Crowell & Moring Hires Ex-EPA Deputy Assistant Admin In SF

By Matt Perez

Crowell & Moring LLP announced on Thursday the hiring of a former deputy assistant administrator from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as senior counsel in the firm's environmental and regulatory enforcement groups in its San Francisco office.

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Willkie Brings On Musician-Turned-Atty In LA From Manatt

By Tracey Read

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has hired a former Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP partner and professional musician for its corporate and financial services department and entertainment transactions practice.

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Seyfarth Adds Greenspoon Marder Corporate Atty In LA

By James Mills

Seyfarth Shaw LLP is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a former Greenspoon Marder LLP transactional attorney as a partner in its Los Angeles office in Century City.

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4 States' Enforcement Actions Illustrate Data Privacy Priorities

Attorneys at Wilson Elser examine recent enforcement actions based on new consumer data privacy laws by regulators in California, Connecticut, Oregon and Texas, centered around key themes, including crackdowns on dark patterns, misuse of sensitive data and failure to honor consumer rights.

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State Tort Claims May Help Deter Bribes During FCPA Pause

As the U.S. pauses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, companies that lose business due to competitors' bribery should consider using state tortious interference suits to expose corruption, deter illegal practices and obtain compensation for commercial losses, says Jason Manning at Levy Firestone.

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What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims

Recent advances in genetic research have provided substantial evidence that significant numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases may be caused by inherited mutations rather than asbestos exposure — a finding that could fundamentally change how defendants approach personal injury litigation over mesothelioma, say David Schwartz at Lumanity and Kirk Hartley at LSP Group.

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Series

Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

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Analysis

3 Takeaways From The Judgments On Trump's Law Firm EOs

By Aebra Coe

Three federal judges have now weighed in on President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms, with each ruling in favor of the firms and deeming the orders unconstitutional. Here are three takeaways from the combined 227 pages of those judges’ conclusions.

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DOJ Sidelines ABA From Vetting Trump's Judicial Picks

By Kevin Penton

The Justice Department plans to direct judicial nominees away from a long-standing vetting process by the American Bar Association, labeling it an "activist organization," according to a Thursday letter by Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

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Harvard Taps Paul Weiss High Court Litigator For Board

By Hailey Konnath

Kannon Shanmugam, a Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP partner and veteran U.S. Supreme Court litigator, has been selected to join the Harvard Corp. governing board, according to an announcement made Thursday.

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Analysis

Tariff Rulings Undercut Trump's Trade Authority, Dealmaking

By Dylan Moroses

U.S. trading partners have inadvertently found new leverage in tariff negotiations with the Trump administration after federal courts found several of the president's duties were improperly imposed, raising larger questions about future tariff authorization in the midst of a global trade spat.

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Influencer Hits Akin With Malpractice Suit Over Boxing Deal

By Lynn LaRowe

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and one of its Texas-based partners allegedly failed to understand California law in handling a financial dispute between a social media influencer and the company that hired him to participate in an amateur boxing competition, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in a Lone Star State federal court.

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For-Profit School Sued Over Thompson Coburn Leak Notices

By Emily Sawicki

A for-profit college operator is facing a proposed class action in Alabama federal court, alleging it failed to properly secure its data and notify students in a timely manner that its law firm, Thompson Coburn LLP, had been hit with a cyberattack causing a data breach of sensitive records.

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Fed. Circ. Revives Trump Tariffs As It Weighs Appeal

By Natalie Olivo

The Federal Circuit temporarily reinstated President Donald Trump's global tariffs Thursday, a day after the U.S. Court of International Trade held that an emergency law did not give the president "unbounded authority" to impose the measures.

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Trump Pardons Twice-Convicted Former Conn. Governor

By Brian Steele

President Donald Trump has pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, a one-time chairman of the Republican Governors Association, who resigned from office in 2004 and served two stints in prison for corruption and lying to federal election officials.

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Investors Allege Manhattan Firm Aided $43M Ponzi Scheme

By Emma Cueto

A pair of investors filed suit against New York-based Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP and two of its former attorneys on Thursday, alleging that the midsize firm and the attorneys, who have since departed for Saul Ewing LLP, lied on behalf of a client who has since been charged with running a $43 million Ponzi scheme.

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Ex-Atty's Death In Colo. Jail Sparks Suit Over Medical Neglect

By Craig Clough

The family of a disbarred attorney imprisoned for felony theft sued three members of the medical staff at the prison where he died, alleging in Colorado federal court Wednesday their neglect resulted in Steven Bachar dying from cardiac arrest after he asked for days for proper medical attention.

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Trump Names 4 Jurists, State AG Official For Fla. Judgeships

By Lynn LaRowe

President Donald Trump this week announced his nominations of four judges and a top official in the Florida Attorney General's Office to fill district judgeships in the Sunshine State's Middle and Southern Districts.

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