Washington

  • May 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Says DHS' English-Only Notice Met Due Process

    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had no duty to inform a noncitizen in her native language about her obligation to update her address after moving, the Ninth Circuit ruled, finding that its notice in English sufficed for due process.

  • May 08, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: Biannual Reporting, NDAs, Q1 Spotlight

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposal to shift companies to semiannual reporting, how data center backlash is playing out in nondisclosure agreements and the ebbs and flows of asset classes in quarter one.

  • May 08, 2026

    Franchisees Say Jack In The Box Trying To 'Avoid' Calif. Law

    Two Jack in the Box Inc. franchisees have answered the fast-food giant's bid to avoid contributing to a legal settlement over allegedly noncompliant job postings by saying Jack in the Box is attempting to "avoid" a California law that could work against it.

  • May 08, 2026

    Canceled Solar Grants Suit In Wrong Court, Wash. Judge Hints

    A Washington federal judge on Friday hinted that she lacks jurisdiction over a multistate challenge to the federal government's cancellation of a solar energy project grant program, citing recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent indicating that a bid to reinstate the funding would belong in the Court of Federal Claims.

  • May 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Kidnapping By Deception Counts, Orders Retrial

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday ordered a new trial for a man convicted of kidnapping and suffocating his girlfriend, saying a judge improperly coerced the jury, while also establishing for the first time that deception can satisfy the "holding" element of federal kidnapping charges.

  • May 08, 2026

    Lummi Nation Seeks To Block Telecom Digging At Burial Sites

    The Lummi Nation is asking a Washington district court for an order that would block a telephone company from continuing to construct a broadband project at a site where Indigenous remains have been unearthed, arguing that they have not been allowed to assess the damage or properly rebury their ancestors.

  • May 08, 2026

    Trump Admin Says Mail-In Voting Suits Are Premature

    The Trump administration asked a Massachusetts federal judge to dismiss challenges to the president's executive order limiting mail-in voting, saying it's premature to challenge the directive before any concrete steps are taken to implement it.

  • May 07, 2026

    Jackson Hewitt Tax Loans Flout Military Credit Law, Suit Says

    A U.S. Navy service member has accused tax preparer Jackson Hewitt Inc. of overcharging military clients for short-term loans tied to tax refunds, claiming in a proposed class action the company's effective interest rates for "refund anticipation loans" exceed what is allowed under the federal Military Lending Act.

  • May 07, 2026

    Blue States Say Trump Admin Can't Duck Energy Order Suit

    Blue states have urged a federal judge to keep alive their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's declaration of a national energy emergency, saying every action that's been taken by federal agencies to fast-track nonemergency energy activities flows from that order.

  • May 07, 2026

    Monolithic Must Face Most Nvidia-Linked Investor Claims

    A Washington federal judge has largely denied Monolithic Power Systems Inc.'s bid to dismiss an investor suit accusing it of hiding critical defects in power modules used by its largest customer, Nvidia Corp., rejecting the company's argument that the suit's claims amount to "fraud-by-hindsight."

  • May 07, 2026

    9th Circ. Backs Lead Choice In Super Micro Investor Fraud Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel has refused to undo a California federal court order rejecting Crain Walnut Shelling's bid to lead a securities class action against Super Micro Computers Inc., concluding Thursday the lower court properly determined other investors had shown the nut processor wasn't fit to spearhead the case.

  • May 07, 2026

    Insurer Needn't Cover Real Estate Co.'s $330K Arbitration Bill

    An insurer is not on the hook for more than $330,000 in defense costs that a commercial real estate company and its manager incurred in arbitration with investors, a Washington federal court ruled Thursday, saying the company failed to show that the costs arose from covered fiduciary duty claims.

  • May 07, 2026

    Live Nation Says Judge Should Decide Shooting Liability

    Live Nation asked a Washington state judge to bifurcate a lawsuit accusing the entertainment giant of failing to prevent a fatal shooting at the 2023 Beyond Wonderland music festival, arguing that it's up to the court to decide whether the company is liable and up to a jury to determine damages.

  • May 07, 2026

    Meta Says Section 230 Bars Wash. Driver's Viral Video Claims

    Meta moved Wednesday to exit a Washington state woman's lawsuit claiming she was maligned online after a secret dashcam video of her texting while driving went viral, contending Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act safeguards the social media giant from liability for posts on its Facebook and Instagram platforms.

  • May 07, 2026

    Judge Wants States To Outline Live Nation Antitrust Remedies

    A New York federal judge asked state enforcers on Thursday to outline the remedies they intend to seek from Live Nation, along with the discovery they expect to need, before deciding a schedule for the next steps in the antitrust case against the major live entertainment company.

  • May 07, 2026

    Bowlers Sue Lucky Strike Over 'Starbucks Of Bowling' Tactics

    Lucky Strike has been engaging in a yearslong anticompetitive scheme to acquire rival bowling alleys across the United States so it can drive up costs and increase its own profits, while diminishing the experience of bowlers, a group of customers has alleged.

  • May 06, 2026

    Amazon Sees What You See On Your Fire TV, Users Claim

    Amazon customers claimed in a proposed nationwide class action Wednesday that the e-commerce giant's Fire TV products illegally capture and analyze everything that users see and hear through their devices, including streamed content, personal photos and security camera streams.

  • May 06, 2026

    Calif. Tribe Can't Get ATF's Cigarette Sales Decision Tossed

    A Ninth Circuit panel determined Wednesday that federal tobacco regulators acted appropriately when placing the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians on a noncompliance list, concluding the tribe's remote cigarette sales to retailers of other tribes count as "off-reservation" activities covered by California state tax and licensing laws.

  • May 06, 2026

    Safeway Hit With Wash. Break Pay, OT Suit

    Safeway Inc. broke Washington state law by denying employees required meal and rest breaks and failing to adequately compensate them for missed or interrupted breaks, a former worker has claimed in a proposed class action filed in King County Superior Court.

  • May 06, 2026

    Igloo's Ads 'Uncool' But Not Unlawful, Split 9th Circ. Says

    It may have been "uncool" for ice chest company Igloo to wrongfully take credit for the first biodegradable cooler, but its claims are not unlawful under the Lanham Act, a split Ninth Circuit ruled Wednesday.

  • May 06, 2026

    Judge Questions OMB Justification For Voiding Grants

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Wednesday pushed back on arguments by the Trump administration that federal agency grants are subject to termination at any time based solely on a change in priorities — a situation, she suggested, that would essentially render any contracts with the government "illusory."

  • May 06, 2026

    Target Workers Fight Walking-Time Suit Dismissal Bid

    Target warehouse workers urged a Washington federal judge to reject the retailer's bid to dismiss a proposed class action claiming employees weren't paid for time spent walking inside a distribution center before and after shifts, arguing they plausibly alleged they were on duty during that time.

  • May 06, 2026

    High Court Rejects Apple's Bid To Pause App Store Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected Apple's request to pause a mandate in the case from Epic Games that directs a lower court to determine what commission Apple can charge developers for purchases made outside of its app store through links.

  • May 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Revive Hospital Workers' Vaccine Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused Wednesday to reopen a religious bias lawsuit accusing a Washington hospital of unlawfully denying employees' requests to avoid a COVID-19 vaccination mandate, finding that the medical center demonstrated that exemptions would've been too burdensome under a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

  • May 05, 2026

    Worker Fights 2nd Circ.'s Toss Of Teamsters Fund ERISA Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court should revive claims that the New York State Teamsters Conference Pension and Retirement Fund was mismanaged, a Teamsters-represented worker argued, asking the justices to breathe new life into his twice-dismissed Employee Retirement Income Security Act lawsuit.

Expert Analysis

  • CFTC Chair's Speech Hints At Innovation-Friendly Policies

    Author Photo

    Remarks made by Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig at the Futures Industry Association's conference last month provided the most comprehensive articulation of his regulatory agenda and signaled a shift in the CFTC's regulatory posture, including a rare focus on agency coordination and support for digital asset innovation, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • 'Made In America' EO May Not Survive Section 230

    Author Photo

    President Donald Trump's recent executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in advertising directs the Federal Trade Commission to deem online marketplaces' failure to verify third-party origin claims as unlawful, but such a rule would likely run into Section 230's publisher immunity doctrine, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • CFTC Actions Show Prediction Market Insider Trading Risks

    Author Photo

    It is a myth that insider trading law does not apply in prediction markets, as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement actions illustrate that it has full authority to pursue such cases federally — and intends to, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

  • Prepping For White House's Proposed AI Framework

    Author Photo

    The artificial intelligence legislative framework issued by the White House last month reframes the policy landscape, creating a number of near-term developments for companies to track as congressional committees attempt to convert the framework into legislative text, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Apple Discovery Fight Could Revive DOJ's Antitrust Appetite

    Author Photo

    Winning discovery disputes in the ongoing federal antitrust litigation over Apple’s app store practices is a huge opportunity for the Justice Department to return to its once-vigorous pursuit of product tying by tech monopolies, catch up with foreign competition regulators and establish clear standards for digital markets, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

    Author Photo

    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

  • What Justices' Review Of Guam Case Will Mean For Permitting

    Author Photo

    In U.S. Department of the Air Force v. Prutehi Guahan, the U.S. Supreme Court will address whether a federal agency's permit application is a final decision that courts can review — a question whose answer could reshape the timing and strategy of environmental litigation across the federal permitting landscape, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Restraint Anchors Constitutional Order

    Author Photo

    Contrasting opinions in two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Trump v. CASA and Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections — demonstrate how the judiciary’s constitutionally entrusted role can easily be preserved or disrupted, and invite renewed attention to the enduring importance of judicial restraint, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • Series

    Alpine Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Skiing has shaped habits I rely on daily as an attorney — focus, resilience and the ability to remain steady when circumstances shift rapidly — and influences the way I approach legal strategy, client counseling and teamwork, says Isaku Begert at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Telehealth Suit May Redraw Rules For Physician Classification

    Author Photo

    A new class action in California federal court, Cioppettini v. Mochi Medical, alleging a telehealth company misclassified providers as independent contractors, suggests that traditional markers of physician independence may not apply to telehealth, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Wash. Amazon Ruling Should Reshape Suicide Liability

    Author Photo

    The Washington Supreme Court's reinstatement of negligence claims in Scott v. Amazon.com, brought by the families of people who died by suicide after purchasing chemicals online, signals a reckoning for digital commerce and the rejection of the defense that online marketplaces are merely passive technology platforms, says Donald Fountain at Clark Fountain.

  • Pivotal 6th Circ. Ruling Threatens Decades Of NLRB Decisions

    Author Photo

    The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Brown-Forman v. National Labor Relations Board fundamentally challenged the NLRB's long-standing practice of establishing policies through adjudication rather than formal rulemaking, giving employers and unions a new avenue to procedurally attack the vast majority of its rules, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

    Author Photo

    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Pension Case Offers Entertainment Work Exception Insights

    Author Photo

    A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarified that any amount of entertainment work can satisfy the entertainment industry exception under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act, reinforcing that statutory language, rather than evolving business models, dictates withdrawal liability outcomes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

  • Justices' Ruling Stresses Quick Action Against Absconders

    Author Photo

    Following the U.S. Supreme Court's recent holding in Rico v. U.S. that a supervised release term is not automatically extended when a defendant absconds, probation officers and prosecutors risk being unable to address later violations if they don't act promptly to secure warrants, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

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.