Washington

  • June 25, 2025

    Hanford Contractor To Pay $6.5M To Settle Fraud Allegations

    A contractor tapped to manage and operate a tank farm holding millions of gallons of hazardous and radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington will pay $6.5 million to settle claims it overcharged the U.S. Department of Energy for labor hours, according to federal prosecutors.

  • June 25, 2025

    Perkins Coie Adds K&L Gates Client Services Pro In Seattle

    Perkins Coie LLP has added a partner in Seattle who previously practiced at K&L Gates LLP, where she was co-practice group coordinator of the global tax team and leader of the family office industry group.

  • June 24, 2025

    Wash. Judge Blocks Trump Admin's EV Charging Funds Freeze

    A Seattle federal judge Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from withholding funds for electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects in 14 states, but stopped short of applying it to two other states and Washington, D.C., and stayed the order to give the administration time to appeal.

  • June 24, 2025

    Wash. Smoke Shop Settles Store Name TM Suit

    A Washington smoke chain has agreed to end claims against several rivals it accused of trademark infringement after they allegedly engaged in unauthorized use of its name, Smoke City, so they could trade on the goodwill it had developed with customers.

  • June 24, 2025

    9th Circ. Urged To Revive Players' NHL, CHL Antitrust Suit

    Hockey players' unions and individual players have appealed to the Ninth Circuit after a Washington federal judge dismissed their antitrust lawsuit accusing the National Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League of conspiring to suppress wages for junior league players.

  • June 24, 2025

    Landmark Product Safety Conviction Faces 9th Circ. Appeal

    A former Gree USA executive has appealed his conviction and 38-month prison sentence in the first-ever criminal prosecution of individuals under the Consumer Product Safety Act, according to a Tuesday filing in California federal court.

  • June 24, 2025

    Ex-Inmate's Debit Fee Class Action Cleared For Trial

    A jury should decide if a former jail inmate was forced to accept a prepaid debit card and pay related fees when his money was returned to him upon release, a Washington federal magistrate judge said on Tuesday, advancing a class action against Central Bank of Kansas City.

  • June 24, 2025

    X Corp. Fights Ex-Twitter Workers' Arbitration Bid

    X Corp. challenged a request from former Twitter employees in Washington state to make the social media giant arbitrate claims about unpaid severance and bonuses, telling a federal judge that there is a lack of evidence showing the workers have valid arbitration agreements with the company.

  • June 24, 2025

    NTSB Flags Boeing Failures In 737 Max 9 Door Plug Blowout

    Poor training and persistent quality control lapses on Boeing's manufacturing and assembly lines, along with the Federal Aviation Administration's ineffective oversight of the plane-maker, led to the January 2024 door-plug blowout aboard a 737 Max 9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.

  • June 24, 2025

    Medline Can't Get $2.4M Tax Incentive, Wash. Panel Affirms

    Medline did not qualify for a $2.4 million remittance of sales tax paid toward the construction of a state warehouse, a Washington state appeals panel affirmed Tuesday, saying the medical supplier failed to show that it merited a key tax incentive.

  • June 24, 2025

    Sirius XM Fee Suit Undermined By Site Changes, Judge Hints

    A Washington federal judge suggested Tuesday that a proposed class action in which consumers are accusing Sirius XM of charging a misleading "royalty fee" has potentially been undercut by the satellite radio provider's decision in 2024 to change disclosures on its website to reflect music plan pricing in lump sums.

  • June 24, 2025

    Apple Users Who Lost Cert. In Storage Suit File New Case

    A group of Apple customers from New Jersey and Illinois who were denied class certification last year in a suit alleging the company falsely markets the storage capacity of 16-gigabyte iPhones and iPads preinstalled with the iOS 8 operating system filed a new proposed class action Monday in California federal court.  

  • June 24, 2025

    Faulty Comparisons Doom Nordstrom 401(k) Fee Suit

    Nordstrom dodged a proposed class action claiming it saddled its 401(k) plan with excessive fees and used forfeited plan funds to offset its own contributions, with a Washington state federal judge saying inaccurate data and flawed comparisons to other plans couldn't sustain the case.

  • June 24, 2025

    D&O Insurer Must Cover Investor In Merger Dispute

    A directors and officers liability insurer had a duty to defend and indemnify a venture capital investor in a now-resolved lawsuit over the sale of a company immediately after a merger, a California federal court ruled, finding a dilution-of-shares exception in an exclusion applicable.

  • June 24, 2025

    GOP Budget Would Protect US From OECD Taxes, Rep. Says

    Senate tax writers working on the $3.8 trillion budget reconciliation bill should support its international tax provisions intended to protect U.S. multinationals from paying higher taxes under the OECD's framework, a House Ways and Means Committee member said Tuesday.

  • June 24, 2025

    Apple Assails 'Fundamentally Unfair' App Order At 9th Circ.

    Apple urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to nix a district court's "unduly punitive" mandate blocking it from charging any commission on iPhone app purchases made outside its systems, arguing an Epic Games injunction redux goes far beyond the original order and attacks conduct that's not illegal under California law.

  • June 24, 2025

    Boeing Says COVID-Era Docs Needed In Suit Over 737 Sales

    Boeing is urging a Washington federal court to compel a defunct South African airline to turn over documents about its financial state and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business from 2019 to 2021, as the plane maker fights a suit alleging it hid the flaws of its 737 Max line.

  • June 24, 2025

    Trump Admin Must Release NIH Funds Amid Appeal

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Tuesday denied the Trump administration's request to stay a recent order that it resume processing National Institutes of Health grant applications and releasing funds, warning that even one more day of delay would lead to irreparable harm.

  • June 23, 2025

    Monsanto Settles With Families After 11th Seattle PCB Trial

    Monsanto settled a tort case on Monday brought by 22 people who claim that they were poisoned by chemicals known as PCBs at a Washington school, ending jury deliberations following a nine-week trial in state court.

  • June 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Antitrust Counterclaims Against CoStar

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday revived counterclaims accusing CoStar of monopolizing commercial real estate information markets in the company's case accusing a rival of engaging in "industrial-scale" copyright infringement.

  • June 23, 2025

    Amazon Sanctioned For Hidden Discovery

    A Washington federal judge sanctioned Amazon.com Monday by limiting its use of company documents produced during discovery while giving the Federal Trade Commission more time for discovery, siding with the FTC's allegations that the online retail giant improperly claimed privilege over tens of thousands of documents in the Prime "dark patterns" lawsuit.

  • June 23, 2025

    DOJ Sues Wash. Over New Abuse Reporting Rule For Clergy

    The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday moved to join the Catholic Church's constitutional challenge of a Washington state law making clergy members mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse, saying the requirement violates priests' right to freely exercise religion by forcing them to disclose information shared during Confession.

  • June 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs $26M Fraud Penalty Against Importer

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld a $26 million tripled fraud verdict against a pipe importer over allegations it made false statements on customs forms to avoid paying tariffs on some imports from China, rejecting the company's argument that the Tariff Act leaves no room to invoke the False Claims Act.

  • June 23, 2025

    9th Circ. Sends Minor's Rehab Claim Back To Premera

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday partially reopened a lawsuit accusing Premera Blue Cross of unlawfully refusing to cover a minor's time in a wilderness therapy program and rehabilitation facility, saying the insurer should take another look at one of the claims.

  • June 23, 2025

    DraftKings Social Media Exec Agrees To Delete Rival's IP

    A social media director at DraftKings has agreed to delete alleged trade secrets from his personal ChatGPT account, which his former employer, rival PrizePicks, alleged he stole before changing employers.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw

    Author Photo

    When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.

  • The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References

    Author Photo

    As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Opinion

    The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit

    Author Photo

    The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.

  • What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Birthright Ruling Could Alter Consumer Financial Litigation

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming decision about the validity of the nationwide injunctions in the birthright citizenship cases, argued on May 15, could make it much harder for trade associations to obtain nationwide relief from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement of invalid regulations, says Alan Kaplinsky at Ballard Spahr.

  • What Employers Should Know About New Wash. WARN Act

    Author Photo

    Washington state's Securing Timely Notification and Benefits for Laid-Off Employees Act will soon require 60 days' notice for certain mass layoffs and business closures, so employers should understand how their obligations differ from those under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act before implementing layoffs or closings, say attorneys at Littler.

  • What To Know About New Wash. Community Association Law

    Author Photo

    A series of recent legislative updates that greatly expand application of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act pose significant challenges to the volunteer board members who administer and operate condos and homeowners associations, but there are ways to lessen the newly imposed administrative burden, says Tim Feth at VF Law.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

    Author Photo

    Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Becoming A Firmwide MVP

    Author Photo

    Though lawyers don't have a neat metric like baseball players for measuring the value they contribute to their organizations, the sooner new attorneys learn skills frequently skipped in law school — like networking, marketing, client development and case evaluation — the more valuable, and less replaceable, they will be, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Derivative Suit Representation Test

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Bigfoot Ventures v. Knighton clarifies the test used to assess the adequacy of a plaintiff's representation in a shareholder derivative action, and will likely prove useful to litigants by ensuring that courts can fully examine all relevant circumstances, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Mass. Suit Points To New Scrutiny For Home Equity Contracts

    Author Photo

    The Massachusetts attorney general’s recent charge that a lender sold unregulated reverse mortgages shows more regulators are scrutinizing mortgage alternatives like home equity contracts, but a similar case in the Ninth Circuit suggests more courts need to help develop a consensus on these products' legality, say attorneys at Weiner Brodsky.

  • $38M Law Firm Settlement Highlights 'Unworthy Client' Perils

    Author Photo

    A recent settlement of claims against law firm Eckert Seamans for allegedly abetting a Ponzi scheme underscores the continuing threat of clients who seek to exploit their lawyers in perpetrating fraud, and the critical importance of preemptive measures to avoid these clients, say attorneys at Lockton Companies.

  • Series

    Teaching Business Law Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Teaching business law to college students has rekindled my sense of purpose as a lawyer — I am more mindful of the importance of the rule of law and the benefits of our common law system, which helps me maintain a clearer perspective on work, says David Feldman at Feldman Legal Advisors.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Washington archive.