Washington

  • November 21, 2025

    Garmin Systems Triggered 2022 Wash. Plane Crash, Suit Says

    The families of four people who died when a 2022 Cessna test flight crashed in Washington are blaming Garmin, alleging in a lawsuit the GPS giant designed faulty aircraft systems that wrestled control from the pilot and led to the plane's right wing falling off midair.

  • November 21, 2025

    Google Calls Rumble's Judge Recusal Bid 'Cynical Maneuver'

    Google argued Friday that a California federal judge need not recuse himself from YouTube rival Rumble's antitrust suit despite his friendship with Google's top in-house litigation chief, saying Rumble's push for the recusal was a "cynical maneuver" for its Ninth Circuit appeal of a summary judgment loss.

  • November 21, 2025

    Amazon Secures 1st Deal In Suit Targeting 'Refund Abuse'

    Amazon will be off-limits for five years to an accused fraudster who allegedly took advantage of a "refund abuse" scam that manipulated the company's return process to allow him to receive refunds for products without actually returning the goods, according to a settlement agreement approved Friday by a Seattle federal judge.

  • November 21, 2025

    IP Notebook: Kahwa Mix-Up, WallStreetBets, Hotel California

    This round of Law360's look at emerging copyright and trademark issues includes a Federal Circuit case over an obscure tea drink and a nod to the Eagles' "Hotel California" in a precedential decision that is a primer on having an actual intent to use a trademark.

  • November 21, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: REIT Reporting, Defining Water

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including reactions from real estate attorneys in two areas primed for deregulation.

  • November 21, 2025

    OpenAI Tells 9th Circ. TM Injunction Is 'Based On Guesses'

    OpenAI Inc. urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to scrap a preliminary injunction won by IYO Inc. which blocks OpenAI from using the trademark associated with acquired competitor IO Products Inc., arguing there is no evidence that IYO faces irreparable harm and the injunction is "based on guesses" about OpenAI's future products.

  • November 21, 2025

    Tesla's Runaway Acceleration Led To Fatal Crash, Suit Says

    A Tesla Model 3 accelerated on its own, crashing into a utility pole and exploding into an inferno that killed a Washington woman and left her husband with serious injuries, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court.

  • November 21, 2025

    Nike Worker Blows Whistle On Alleged Wash. Wage Violations

    A Pacific Northwest retail worker is calling foul on Nike for allegedly denying employees rest and meal breaks, sick leave, overtime pay and other wages owed, according to a new lawsuit in Washington state court.

  • November 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Shuts Down Northern Mariana Retiree's COLA Claim

    The Ninth Circuit rejected a retiree's claim that a retirement fund for Northern Mariana Islands government employees owed her cost of living adjustments in her benefits, backing a ruling that a law promising COLAs to retirees doesn't extend to her.

  • November 20, 2025

    Starbucks Can't Dump Investors' 'Triple Shot' Strategy Suit

    Starbucks and its former CEO can't shed investor class action claims that the company harmed shareholders by concealing its struggles to implement a "reinvention plan," which came to light when the company disclosed that its sales were being harmed by longer waits for customized drinks in its U.S. stores and by fierce competition in China.

  • November 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Urged To Revive Google Maps Antitrust Suit

    App makers urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to revive a proposed class action targeting Google's Maps product, arguing that the lower court erred in failing to accept at the pleading stage their antitrust arguments that Google's terms suppressed competition, allowing Google to increase developer costs up to 1,400%.

  • November 20, 2025

    States Back Hockey Players In Antitrust Fight Over Contracts

    More than a dozen states have thrown their support behind current and former players in an antitrust lawsuit against the National Hockey League and its pipeline junior organizations, arguing a lower court's dismissal ignores how exclusive recruiting territories reduce competition for labor.

  • November 20, 2025

    Chancery Nixes Toss Of West Coast Diner Failure Suit

    Three fiduciaries of a now-shuttered Pacific states restaurant chain and its affiliates must face a claim in Delaware that they breached or aided breaches of fiduciary duties to the venture's Oregon-based affiliate, brought by an investor that pumped $18 million into the business, a vice chancellor ruled on Wednesday.

  • November 20, 2025

    Tacoma ICE Detainees To Get Notice Of Bond Hearing Rights

    A Washington federal judge indicated at a hearing Thursday that a certified class of immigrants detained at an ICE facility deserves notice about their rights to a bond hearing and potential release, asking government lawyers and the plaintiffs' attorneys for proposals on what that notice should look like.

  • November 20, 2025

    Musk Lied About Tesla To Fund Twitter Buy, 9th Circ. Told

    Tesla shareholders urged the Ninth Circuit Thursday to revive their allegations that Elon Musk lied about the capabilities and safety record of Tesla's self-driving technology, saying the district court erred in finding no evidence of fraudulent intent since the billionaire clearly needed to boost Tesla's share price to buy Twitter.

  • November 20, 2025

    State AGs Want Further HPE-Juniper Integration Barred

    The Democratic state attorneys general challenging the controversial U.S. Department of Justice settlement clearing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks want a California federal judge to bar the companies from "further integration" while they push the court to reject the deal outright.

  • November 19, 2025

    Wash. Judge Narrows Claims In Seaplane Crash Dispute

    A Washington state judge largely denied a charter flight company's attempt to put blame for a seaplane crash that killed 10 people onto an aircraft company, and said there are genuine questions about whether sole cause can be attributed to either party.

  • November 19, 2025

    Senior Living Co. Inks $7.2M Deal To End Wash. AG's Probe

    Oregon-based senior living provider Bonaventure will invest $7 million in staffing and upgrades and shell out $200,000 in resident credits to resolve allegations of substandard care at 10 Washington state facilities, under a settlement filed Wednesday.

  • November 19, 2025

    Nestle Asks 9th Circ. To Nix False Ad Class In Child Labor Suit

    Nestle urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse certification of a class of millions of consumers who purchased chocolate labeled "sustainably sourced," saying claims the chocolate is produced through child labor and deforestation are untrue and the question of whether consumers purchased due to the labeling is highly individualized.

  • November 19, 2025

    Wash. Gov. Makes First Appeals Pick, Lifting Grant Co. Judge

    Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Wednesday announced his first Court of Appeals appointment since taking office in January, tapping current Grant County Superior Court Judge Tyson R. Hill to fill a seat being vacated next year by Judge George Fearing, who is retiring.

  • November 19, 2025

    Amazon Drivers Push For Class Cert. In Mass. Law Tip Suit

    Amazon delivery drivers who claim the e-commerce giant skimmed from their tips are asking a Seattle federal judge to revive claims under Massachusetts state law, arguing that drivers from that state may be eligible for "significant relief" beyond what they received through a 2021 settlement between Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission.

  • November 19, 2025

    Cintas Corp. Owes Wash. Workers OT And Breaks, Suit Says

    Cintas Corp., which provides supplies and services to businesses, routinely shortchanged Washington-based employees on rest and meal breaks, sick leave, overtime pay and other wages, according a proposed class action the employer took to federal court in the Evergreen State on Tuesday.

  • November 19, 2025

    9th Circ. Renews Exotic Dancer's Indirect Retaliation Claim

    The Ninth Circuit revived an exotic dancer's suit claiming a manager canceled their performance after the dancer sued another club for wage violations, ruling their employer didn't need to be directly responsible for the retaliation for the case to be viable.

  • November 19, 2025

    Air Force Asks Justices To Nix Guam Munitions Disposal Suit

    The U.S. Air Force is urging the Supreme Court to sink a Guam community group's challenge to the branch's request for a renewed permit to explode expired munitions on the island.

  • November 18, 2025

    Sig Sauer Let Ad Men Guide 'Defective' Gun Design, Suit Says

    Sig Sauer Inc. allowed its marketing team to remove key safety features on its popular P320 pistol, resulting in a "defectively designed" weapon with a light trigger that's killed at least one person, a Washington gun owner alleged Monday in the latest of dozens of suits over the gun's design.

Expert Analysis

  • Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

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    With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Birthright Opinions Reveal Views On Rule 23(b)(2) Relief

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    The justices' multiple opinions in the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 27 decision in the birthright citizenship case, Trump v. CASA, shed light on whether Rule 23(b)(2) could fill the void created by the court's decision to restrict nationwide injunctions, says Benjamin Johns at Shub Johns.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Plan For Increased HSR Info Sharing With Wash. Antitrust Law

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    Washington's merger notification requirements, effective later this month, combined with the Federal Trade Commission's new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act rules, will result in greater information sharing among state and federal agencies, making it important for merging parties to consider their transaction's potential state antitrust implications early on, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

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