Washington

  • June 23, 2026

    9th Circ. Allows Airport Cleaning Co. To Arbitrate Wage Claims

    A company that offers janitorial services to airports can compel arbitration in a former employee's wage and hour proposed class action, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday, reversing a California district court's determination that the arbitration agreement was unconscionable.

  • June 23, 2026

    Loctite-Maker Seeks Exit From $50M Titan Sub Implosion Suit

    Henkel Corp. urged a Washington state judge to excuse the chemical company from a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit over the 2023 implosion of OceanGate's Titan submersible, arguing its Loctite adhesive played no role in alleged design and manufacturing flaws that caused the sub's catastrophic failure.

  • June 23, 2026

    Live Nation Discloses White House Involvement In DOJ Deal

    Live Nation Entertainment Inc. confirmed that the road to its controversial settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice went all the way to the White House in a New York federal court filing that leaves many questions unanswered about a deal Democrats have cast as corrupt and failed to mollify state enforcers.

  • June 23, 2026

    States Challenge Arctic Leasing Over Birds, Climate Change

    Fourteen states are backing challenges to the Trump administration's decision to open up oil and gas leasing on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, telling the court that the seismic exploration will harm migratory birds and increase greenhouse gas emissions that already contribute to climate change.

  • June 23, 2026

    Chicken Buyers Say Costco Can't Ditch False Ad Suit

    A proposed class of consumers is urging a California federal court not to throw out their claims that Costco Wholesale Corp. falsely advertised its rotisserie chickens as having no preservatives, saying consumer expectation, not federal regulations, is what matters in the case.

  • June 22, 2026

    Can Unread Emails Trigger Arbitration? 9th Circ. Airs Doubts

    Medical supplies giant Thermo Fisher Scientific pressed a Ninth Circuit panel Monday to agree that the company's repeated emails about litigation waivers should send an ex-employee's proposed class action to arbitration, but the judges repeatedly questioned why no one simply asked if the worker saw the emails.

  • June 22, 2026

    YouTube Seeks To Exit Wash. Driver's Viral Dashcam Clip Suit

    YouTube has urged a Seattle federal judge to free it from a woman's lawsuit alleging she was bullied online over a secretly recorded viral video of her texting while driving, saying she cannot circumvent the platform's protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act by leveling a baseless wiretapping claim.

  • June 22, 2026

    Home Depot Worker Seeks Class Of 21K In Moonlighting Suit

    A Home Depot employee called on a Seattle federal judge to certify a class of more than 21,000 current and former low-income workers whom the home improvement store chain allegedly barred from working additional jobs in violation of Washington state law.

  • June 22, 2026

    Sodexo Can't Wipe Out Worker's Nicotine Fee Suit

    A California federal judge refused to toss a Sodexo worker's proposed class action alleging the global food services company wrongly charged nicotine-using employees $1,200 more a year for health insurance, opening discovery on allegations that a wellness program implementing the surcharge didn't meet all federal requirements.

  • June 22, 2026

    Valve Gamers Queue Up Bid To Beat Antitrust Arbitration Fight

    Hundreds of PC gamers have called on a Washington federal judge to extinguish Valve's lawsuit seeking to bar them from arbitrating antitrust claims, saying the judge has already rejected the video game developer's central argument that arbitrations cannot proceed under the updated user agreement for its Steam digital storefront.

  • June 22, 2026

    US Silicon Co. Accuses Chinese Biz Of Copying Anode Tech

    A California company that claims to have created products allowing for more efficient lithium-ion batteries accused a Chinese company of infringing its patents, asking the U.S. International Trade Commission to block imports of the foreign company's products.

  • June 22, 2026

    States Defend Live Nation Jury Verdict In Antitrust Case

    State enforcers have urged a New York federal court to reject Live Nation's bid to upend a jury verdict finding the company monopolized key parts of the live entertainment industry, telling the court the jury carefully considered ample evidence and should not be second-guessed.

  • June 22, 2026

    Wash. Telecom Says Tribal Burial Site Claims Filed Too Late

    A Washington federal judge is expected to soon determine if the Lummi Nation can block a telephone company from continuing to construct a broadband project at a location where Indigenous remains have been unearthed, after the telecom argued the tribe filed its challenge too late.

  • June 22, 2026

    Justices Seek Solicitor General's Views On Drug Pricing Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked the federal government to weigh in on whether it should hear the pharmaceutical industry's challenge to Oregon's drug pricing transparency law, which drugmakers say forces them to justify pricing decisions and risks exposing trade secrets.

  • June 22, 2026

    Justices Decline Appeal Over Monster's $272M False Ad Win

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review former Vital Pharmaceuticals CEO and Bang Energy founder Jack Owoc's pro se bid to undo Monster Energy Co.'s roughly $272 million false advertising win over claims that Bang drinks contained super creatine.

  • June 18, 2026

    Eli Lilly Weight Drug TM Deal Too Secretive, Ind. Judge Says

    An Indiana federal judge on Thursday refused to sign off on a confidential settlement that would bar a telehealth company from selling knock-offs of Eli Lilly's weight-loss medications, saying the companies didn't provide enough information for him to consider the deal.

  • June 18, 2026

    Split 9th Circ. To Rehear Ministry's Anti-LGBTQ+ Hiring Case

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday nixed a panel's recent ruling that the First Amendment shields a Christian ministry's practice of rejecting gay job applicants, granting Washington state's bid for a full-court rehearing while drawing protest from one appellate judge that the court has "relegated religious liberty to a second-class right."

  • June 18, 2026

    Starbucks Hit With Claims Of Forced Labor In Brazil Again

    Starbucks knowingly profits from an "entrenched system" of human trafficking, child labor and slaverylike working conditions among coffee suppliers in Brazil, alleges eight workers' proposed class action filed Thursday in Washington federal court.

  • June 18, 2026

    Meta Can't Undo $35M Political Ad Penalty, Wash. Justices Say

    Most of the Washington State Supreme Court justices rejected Meta's First Amendment challenge to a state political advertising disclosure law in a divided opinion, while also spurning the social media giant's argument that a $35 million penalty against it violates the Constitution's prohibition on excessive fines.

  • June 18, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Again Revives Valve Bid To Ax Patent In $4M Verdict

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday gave Valve Corp. yet another chance to try to invalidate rival SCUF's video game controller patent underlying a $4 million verdict, ruling that, after the appeals court revived the effort, the trial judge wrongly said Valve's arguments are barred by a prior challenge.

  • June 18, 2026

    Split 9th Circ. Says Feds Must Follow ESA In Water Project

    A federal regulator must comply with the Endangered Species Act as it operates a water management initiative in southern Oregon and northern California, the Ninth Circuit ruled, without adjudicating particular usage rights among irrigators, tribes and others.

  • June 18, 2026

    FTC, Amazon Must Answer Attorney-Client Privilege Questions

    The Washington federal judge handling the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against Amazon asked both parties to provide more information about how he should consider attorney-client privilege when reviewing documents to resolve discovery disputes in the case.

  • June 18, 2026

    Costco Seeks Coverage For Chicken Drippings Slip-And-Fall

    A Liberty Mutual unit must defend and indemnify Costco against an underlying suit filed by a California man who said he was injured when he slipped on rotisserie chicken drippings, the bulk retailer said in a suit removed to Washington federal court.

  • June 18, 2026

    DirecTV, AGs Tell 9th Circ. Not To Curb Nexstar-Tegna Block

    DirecTV and a coalition of state attorneys general urged the Ninth Circuit not to narrow a district court preliminary injunction blocking Nexstar's purchase of Tegna, arguing the only way to preserve competition while the case proceeds is a full block, not one restricted to 31 overlapping broadcast markets.

  • June 18, 2026

    Senate Panel Advances Revised College Sports Reform Bill

    The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill to codify federal protections for college sports and for athletes' earning abilities, sending it to the full Senate for a possible vote.

Expert Analysis

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On ESI Control

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    Several recent federal court decisions have perpetuated a split over what constitutes “control” of electronically stored information — with judges divided on whether the standard should turn on a party's legal right or practical ability to obtain the information, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • 2 Discovery Rulings Break With Heppner On AI Privilege Issue

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    While a New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner suggests that some litigants’ communications with AI tools are discoverable, two other recent federal court decisions demonstrate that such interactions generally qualify for work-product protection under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, says Joshua Dunn at Brown Rudnick.

  • Series

    Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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