Washington

  • May 29, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: Data Centers, SEC, Law Firm Leasing

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including insights into the tireless lives of data center attorneys, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's proposal to ease capital formation in public markets, and the two-year low in U.S. law firm leasing.

  • May 29, 2026

    Skechers Seeks To Boot Wash. Anti-Spam Suit To Arbitration

    Two Washington shoppers behind a proposed class action accusing Skechers USA Inc. of sending false and misleading marketing emails must take their claims to arbitration, the footwear brand told a Seattle federal court Friday.

  • May 29, 2026

    Chime Can't Dodge Class Action Over 'Refer-A-Friend' Texts

    A Washington federal judge on Friday declined to throw out a proposed class action accusing online banking company Chime Financial Inc. of violating state law through its refer-a-friend text messages, ruling that the marketing texts don't fall under an exception to Washington's Commercial Electronic Mail Act.

  • May 29, 2026

    Telehealth Co. Hims Likely To Get Suicide Suit Trimmed

    A Washington state judge indicated Friday that he'll narrow a family's lawsuit blaming a 19-year-old's suicide on allegedly subpar mental health treatment he received through telehealth company Hims & Hers and its partner businesses, saying he'll nix corporate negligence claims and free online pharmacy XeCare from the case.

  • May 29, 2026

    Akin Gump Owes Fees For Winebow's 'Self-Indulgent' Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered an importer's Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP attorneys to pay a European winemaker fees for having to defend against the importer's "spurious objections" to the winemaker's valid arbitral award, ruling that the importer's "self-indulgent" appeal warrants sanctions in the form of fees.

  • May 29, 2026

    Sig Sauer Can't Duck Gun Safety Suit

    A Washington federal court has declined to toss a proposed class action alleging Sig Sauer's P320 pistol is prone to accidental discharges, rejecting the gunmaker's arguments that the presence of a trigger guard means the gun is not defective.

  • May 29, 2026

    Gov't Pressed On Trump's Authority For H-1B Visa Fee

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday searched for the limits of the president's power to restrict foreign workers from entering the U.S., as the government defended attaching a $100,000 fee to process certain skilled-worker visas.

  • May 29, 2026

    DLA Piper Hires Real Estate, Construction Partner In Seattle

    DLA Piper said it has added a Seattle-based real estate partner with experience advising a range of construction projects including data centers, mixed-use projects, schools and renewable energy facilities.

  • May 29, 2026

    Army Exits Family's Negligence Suit Over Scuba Diving Class

    The U.S. Army has escaped a negligence lawsuit brought by the family of a man who drowned during a scuba diving class, with a federal judge in Washington state ruling the plaintiffs failed to exhaust administrative remedies before filing their complaint.

  • May 29, 2026

    T-Mobile Denied Call Center Workers Preshift Pay, Suit Says

    T-Mobile required its hourly call center workers to boot up computers and log in to multiple software systems before their shifts without paying them for any of it, a former employee said in a collective and class action filed in Washington federal court.

  • May 28, 2026

    Hospital's $11.5M COVID Tax Credit Suit Clears Dismissal Bid

    A Washington federal judge refused to throw out a hospital's lawsuit seeking $11.5 million from the federal government under a COVID-19 relief program, ruling on Thursday that Tri-State Memorial Hospital has plausibly alleged that it partially suspended its operations because of a government order.

  • May 28, 2026

    Tesla Tumbler Targeted In New MiiR Patent, Trade Dress Suit

    Stainless-steel drinkware manufacturer MiiR launched a patent and trade dress infringement lawsuit in Washington federal court on Thursday accusing Tesla of stealing its slim, cylindrical mug and lid design for the electric vehicle maker's "On The Road Tumbler."

  • May 28, 2026

    FCA Seeks High Court Review Of 9th Circ. Arbitration Loss

    Fiat Chrysler will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit decision refusing to send a class action over allegedly defective Jeep and Dodge headrests to arbitration, saying the justices must resolve whether a court or an arbitrator determines if a nonsignatory can enforce an arbitration clause.

  • May 28, 2026

    Wash. Justices Float AI Hypotheticals In Hospital Pixel Case

    As the Washington Supreme Court considered a group of parents' bid to revive their proposed privacy class action over a Seattle hospital's use of the Meta Pixel browser tracking tool on its website, the justices questioned Thursday whether the rise of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots carried implications for the case.

  • May 28, 2026

    States Say Fed. Circ. Should Keep Tariff Block During Appeal

    The Federal Circuit shouldn't stay an injunction blocking the collection of Section 122 tariffs from two businesses and Washington state while the federal government appeals the trade court ruling because the appeal is likely to fail, the businesses and 24 states said Thursday.

  • May 28, 2026

    Wash. Tribes, River Group Fight FERC Hydro License

    The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation and nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper have each sued the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the Ninth Circuit over the agency's issuance of a license for a hydroelectric project license.

  • May 28, 2026

    9th Circ. Warned Of Market Forces In Nexstar-Tegna Case

    The National Association of Broadcasters told the Ninth Circuit that a lower court's view of the market in a case challenging the $6.2 billion merger between Nexstar and Tegna is inconsistent with its members' experience and contradicts industry data recently submitted to regulators.

  • May 28, 2026

    Athletes Decry Antitrust Immunity In College Sports Bill

    College athlete advocacy groups have criticized a proposed bipartisan U.S. Senate bill that provides congressional oversight to college sports and allows athletes to have agents, but also limits player movement and compensation and grants the NCAA antitrust immunity.

  • May 28, 2026

    Feds Say Canadian Co.'s Auto Devices Violate Emissions Law

    The federal government has accused a Canadian automotive accessory retailer in Washington federal court of selling certain aftermarket products designed to boost vehicle performance by bypassing existing vehicle systems meant to ensure a vehicle satisfies federal emissions standards.

  • May 28, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revisit FCA Ruling Over Drug Price Program

    The Ninth Circuit has said it will not disturb its March ruling allowing a hospital chain to pursue a False Claims Act lawsuit against various pharmaceutical companies for allegedly causing the government to overpay for drugs under a discount program.

  • May 27, 2026

    Feds Challenge State Policies Denying DHS Undercover Plates

    The Trump administration took aim Wednesday at what it described as unconstitutional policies in four states that allegedly deny undercover vehicle license plates to U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials while still granting them to state and local agencies.

  • May 27, 2026

    Valve Can't Press Pause On Steam Gamers' Arbitrations

    A federal judge in Seattle declined Wednesday to block hundreds of video game buyers from arbitrating consumer protection claims against Valve Corp., saying the "multibillion-dollar platform" is relying on a contractual provision that's likely unenforceable because it's "one-sided and overly harsh."

  • May 27, 2026

    Immigration Atty Forfeits Wash. License Amid Malpractice Suit

    An immigration attorney has resigned from the Washington State Bar Association rather than face disciplinary proceedings, just weeks after a group of ex-clients launched a legal malpractice lawsuit accusing her of botching their cases and abusing visa programs reserved for domestic violence and human trafficking victims.

  • May 27, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Alaska Can Release ConocoPhillips Well Data

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court's ruling that kept ConocoPhillips' Alaskan well data confidential, saying in a published opinion that federal law and regulations did not preempt an Alaska statute requiring the data's release.

  • May 27, 2026

    NY Firms Lose Lead Role In Starbucks Shareholder Suit

    A Washington federal judge struck an earlier order granting co-lead roles to two New York law firms in a consolidated shareholder action against Starbucks Corp., handing a win Wednesday to two plaintiffs who'd challenged the appointment and said their own counsel would be better suited for the job.

Expert Analysis

  • Your Next Litigation Hold Should Cover AI Chat Logs

    Author Photo

    The Delaware Chancery Court’s recent decision in Fortis Advisors v. Krafton to treat a CEO’s artificial intelligence chats as substantive evidence is being read as a discovery warning to litigators, but there is a second duty-to-preserve lesson that is especially pertinent to in-house counsel, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Series

    Studying Foreign Languages Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Studying Italian and Japanese has shown me that learning a new language can benefit a legal career in several ways, including by demonstrating the importance of approaching problems from a fresh perspective and the value of practicing patience with colleagues and clients, says Anna King at Genworth Financial.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Highlights Split On Labor Cost Depreciation

    Author Photo

    The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Schoening Investment v. Cincinnati Casualty throws into relief the fine lines of courts' varying interpretations of whether a commercial property insurer may justifiably depreciate labor costs to determine the actual cash value of damage, says Nabila Rahim at Zelle.

  • 6th Circ. Ruling Broadest So Far In Wave Of Habeas Decisions

    Author Photo

    The Sixth Circuit’s recent opinion in Lopez-Campos v. Raycraft provides the most developed structural reasoning among rulings in a widening circuit split over mandatory detention after undocumented entry into the U.S., and supplies immigration practitioners a template for due process arguments in favor of habeas relief, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: An MDL Realignment

    Author Photo

    With seven multidistrict litigation proceedings initiated so far this year, a review of venue locations suggests a shift away from the East Coast, a seeming reversal of last year's swing in that direction, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • Series

    NY Times Word Puzzles Make Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Every morning I let The New York Times humble me with word games, which offer a chance to recalibrate my brain before the day's chaos arrives and remind me that a solution — whether to a puzzle or employment law issue — almost always exists once I find the right angle, says Amy Epstein Gluck at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lesson: Diagnose Before Arguing

    Author Photo

    Law school often skips over explicitly teaching students how to determine what kind of problem a case presents before they commit to a particular doctrinal path, which risks building arguments that are internally coherent but externally misaligned, says Melanie Oxhorn at Kobre & Kim.

  • Becoming The Biz-Savvy GC That Portfolio Companies Need

    Author Photo

    Candidates for general counsel roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies should prioritize proving their sector-specific experience, commercial judgment and ease with uncertainty — and attorneys hoping to be candidates in five to 10 years should start working on those skills now, says Dimitri Mastrocola at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

    Author Photo

    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • A Framework For Habeas Relief After 5th Circ. Bond Ruling

    Author Photo

    Following the Fifth Circuit’s recent Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi decision foreclosing statutory bond for detained nonimmigrants not deemed admitted to the U.S., lawyers should adopt a framework that requests habeas relief pursuant to the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

    Author Photo

    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • How 'Bundling' Enforcement Is Parsing Efficiency, Access

    Author Photo

    Recent antitrust enforcement actions have taken a selective view of companies' bundling of products or services — challenging it when it shuts out rivals, but tolerating it when it creates efficient scale — making the real test now less about lower prices than about whether competition is being blocked, says attorney Alan Kusinitz.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

    Author Photo

    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • Key Tronic Case Shows SEC Isn't Ignoring Controls Violations

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's first nonfraud enforcement action against a public company during Chairman Paul Atkins' tenure reflects the commission’s willingness to bring enforcement actions that charge books and records and internal controls violations, despite deviating from policing technical violations, say attorneys at Cooley.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here