Washington

  • February 12, 2026

    E-Commerce Co. Opensend Sued For Docs On Insider Moves

    A stockholder and director of e-commerce support venture Opensend Inc. has sued the business for books and records in Delaware's Court of Chancery, citing concerns about alleged subverting of financial controls, hiring of the company CEO's wife and business dealings with the CEO's brother.

  • February 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Partly Reverses Ford's 'Death Wobble' Class Cert.

    The Ninth Circuit Wednesday partly remanded a class certification ruling in litigation brought by Ford buyers alleging some of the auto giant's pickup trucks have a steering defect known as the "death wobble," saying the record shows that the claimed defect manifested at varying rates in different model years.

  • February 11, 2026

    Amazon Says $309M Returns Deal At Risk If Detail Unsealed

    Amazon urged a Seattle federal judge to keep secret a provision of a recently announced $309 million settlement agreement that would resolve claims the e-commerce giant shorted consumers on refunds for returned goods, arguing that revealing the details could torpedo the deal.

  • February 11, 2026

    Wash. Atty 'Vehemently' Denies Using AI In Supplement Suit

    A Washington state plaintiff's attorney "vehemently" denied allegations that she submitted filings riddled with artificial intelligence hallucinations in a product liability case, as defense counsel countered during a hearing Wednesday that the misconduct has persisted and called on a Washington federal judge to "stop the bleeding."

  • February 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Rethink GEO Wash. Detention Law Decision

    A split Ninth Circuit spurned a bid from GEO Group on Wednesday for the full court to revisit a panel opinion siding with Washington state in the company's challenge of new health and safety standards for immigrant detention, with dissenting federal appellate judges contending that the earlier ruling "ignores both our circuit precedent and common sense."

  • February 11, 2026

    Wash. 'Millionaires Tax' Bill Clears First Legislative Hurdle

    A lawmaking committee in Washington state has advanced an amended "millionaires tax" proposal, voting mostly along party lines to pass a bill that would levy a 9.9% income tax on earnings above $1 million.

  • February 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Mulls DMCA Claim Against Microsoft And OpenAI

    A group of software developers Wednesday urged the Ninth Circuit to revive their claim that Microsoft, GitHub and OpenAI violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act by stripping copyright management information from the developers' open source code, which the companies then used to develop the artificial intelligence tools for Microsoft's Copilot software.

  • February 11, 2026

    Big Ten Athletes Back NCAA Campaign Against Prop Bets

    Student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference have urged the NCAA to keep fighting to curb prop betting across college athletics, saying it not only threatens the integrity of college sports, but also poses a safety risk.

  • February 11, 2026

    Boeing Aims To Nix Polish Airline's $8.4M Damages Report

    Boeing has asked a Seattle federal judge to exclude an $8.4 million "eleventh hour" damages report prepared by a Polish airline's expert, arguing it is not only untimely but also irrelevant to testimony the jury will hear.

  • February 11, 2026

    HHS Says RFK Jr. Trans Care Policy View Not Legally Binding

    Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s declaration supporting the Trump administration's move to cut funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming care is a nonbinding policy view, his agency told an Oregon federal court, and doesn't trigger provider exclusions from federal health programs.

  • February 11, 2026

    Ex-Manager Says Zipcar Used Illegal Noncompetes, Pay Rules

    Zipcar enforced noncompetes against employees who did not meet Washington state's earnings threshold and barred managers from discussing their wages in violation of state law, a former manager alleged in a proposed class action filed in state court.

  • February 11, 2026

    Intel 401(k) Suit Arguments Pushed To Next High Court Term

    The U.S. Supreme Court will wait until next term to hear arguments in an appeal from Intel ex-workers seeking to revive proposed class allegations that their 401(k) retirement savings were dragged down by underperforming target-date funds, a delay confirmed by justices' April calendar posted on Wednesday.

  • February 11, 2026

    Pot Investor Sues Attys Over Securities Suit Loss

    A cannabis company investor is suing his former attorneys in Washington state court, alleging he lost a Washington Securities Act suit because of their failure to object to the defendant's arguments and didn't tell him about his case's dismissal.

  • February 10, 2026

    Appeals Judge Questions Sanctions In Hurricane Straps Suit

    A Ninth Circuit judge on Tuesday said he's "scratching [his] head" over a magistrate judge's order sanctioning Robins Kaplan lawyers for "baseless filings" in the first version of a complaint later amended over allegedly corroding construction connectors and fasteners, saying it might just "not have been the best written complaint."

  • February 10, 2026

    Wash. County Defends Judge's DUI Arrest, Cites Open Alcohol

    Sheriff's deputies were justified in arresting a sitting Washington judge on suspicion of DUI given his "bloodshot and watery eyes," admission of drinking earlier that evening and refusal to perform sobriety tests, Grays Harbor County told a Washington federal court in a filing seeking to throw out the ex-judge's suit.

  • February 10, 2026

    Valve's Trial Against Accused Patent Troll Begins In Seattle

    Valve Corp. told a Seattle federal jury Tuesday that inventor Leigh Rothschild and his intellectual property firms spent years "harassing" the video game company over patents it was already licensed to use in pursuit of a bigger payout, pressing play on a trial that will test Washington's Patent Troll Prevention Act.

  • February 10, 2026

    Amazon Calls FTC Allegations Of Hidden Documents 'Reckless'

    Amazon.com assailed the Federal Trade Commission for accusing it of using auto-deleting Signal chats and improper privilege claims to hide evidence of rules that created an artificial pricing floor across online retail stores, asking a Washington federal judge to appoint a special master to handle the "inflammatory, close-of-discovery filings."

  • February 10, 2026

    9th Circ. Says DHS Likely To Beat TPS Termination Challenge

    The Ninth Circuit has hit pause on a district court's order that vacated the Trump administration's termination of temporary protected status for immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, saying the administration will likely succeed on challenging the vacatur order.

  • February 10, 2026

    9th Circ. Panel Wary Of Reviving Wash. Gas Appliance Suit

    Ninth Circuit judges appeared skeptical Tuesday of a building industry coalition's argument that the Washington State Building Code Council and state attorney general can be sued over a regulation limiting natural gas appliances in new construction.

  • February 10, 2026

    Wash. Judge Won't Block Racial Equity Housing Program

    A nonprofit aimed at "overcoming identity politics" cannot preliminarily block a Washington state housing program designed to reduce racial disparities in homeownership, a Seattle federal judge ruled, saying the group has not shown it is likely to succeed on its claim that the program is unconstitutional.

  • February 10, 2026

    Wash. Panel Says Healthcare Cost-Share Group Is An Insurer

    A Utah-based healthcare cost-sharing nonprofit operates as and must register as an insurer under Washington state law, a state appeals panel ruled, upholding a $50,000 fine from the state's insurance commissioner that found the nonprofit ran afoul of Washington insurance law. 

  • February 09, 2026

    Frontier Airlines To Face Racial Bias Suit On 9th Circ. Remand

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday largely revived a racial bias lawsuit against Frontier Airlines, saying in an unpublished opinion that a jury could possibly find for the father-and-son passengers based on the case's facts.

  • February 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Judge Casts Doubt On Feds' Grant Condition Stance

    A Ninth Circuit judge expressed skepticism Monday as the Trump administration argued it could legally impose new rules barring federal grant recipients from using the money for diversity programming, suggesting that the government had misread Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

  • February 09, 2026

    Afni Faces Class Action Over Alleged Misleading Claim Letters

    Debt collector Afni Inc. has been accused of trying to dupe people into paying "unadjudicated" damage demands by sending auto crash claim letters disguised as collection notices, according to a proposed class action that the Illinois-based company removed to Seattle federal court on Friday.

  • February 09, 2026

    Ex-Judge Says 'Post-Arrest' Details Don't Justify His DUI Stop

    A former Washington state judge who claims a wrongful DUI arrest contributed to his reelection loss is fighting to keep his lawsuit against Grays Harbor County alive, arguing that the county's justification for the arrest incorrectly relies on details from after he was taken into custody.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Boost Access To Justice

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    Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Thumma writes that generative artificial intelligence tools offer a profound opportunity to enhance access to justice and engender public confidence in courts’ use of technology, and judges can seize this opportunity in five key ways.

  • Examining Privilege In Dual-Purpose Workplace Investigations

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent holding in FirstEnergy's bribery probe ruling that attorney-client privilege applied to a dual-purpose workplace investigation because its primary purpose was obtaining legal advice highlights the uncertainty companies face as federal circuit courts remain split on the appropriate test, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • Opinion

    The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

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    Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • ERISA Litigation Trends To Watch With 2025 In The Rearview

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    There were significant developments in Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation in 2025, including plaintiffs pushing the bounds of sponsor and fiduciary liability and defendants scoring district court wins, and although the types of claims might change, ERISA litigation will likely be just as active in 2026, say attorneys at Groom Law.

  • 2025's Defining AI Securities Litigation

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    Three securities litigation decisions from 2025 — involving General Motors, GitLab and Tesla — offer a preview of how courts will assess artificial intelligence-related disclosures, as themes such as heightened regulatory scrutiny and risk surrounding technical claims are already taking shape for the coming year, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

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    A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.

  • 3 Securities Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

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    Pending federal appellate cases suggest that 2026 will be a significant year for securities litigation, with long-standing debates about class certification, new questions about the risks and value of artificial intelligence features, and private plaintiffs' growing role in cryptocurrency enforcement likely to be major themes, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Top 5 Antitrust Issues For In-House Counsel To Watch In 2026

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    With Trump administration enforcement policy having largely taken shape last year, antitrust issues that in-house counsel should have on the radar range from scrutiny of technology-assisted pricing to the return of merger remedies, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

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    The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2026

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    Heightened regulatory attention, shifting enforcement priorities and increased litigation risk mean that routine workplace decisions in 2026 will require greater discipline and foresight, including in relation to bias and inclusion training, employee resource groups, employee speech, immigration compliance, workplace accommodations, and shadow artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

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    As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.

  • The Major Securities Litigation Rulings And Trends Of 2025

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    The past 12 months saw increased regulator focus on disclosures concerning artificial intelligence, signs of growing judicial scrutiny at the class certification stage, and shifting regulatory priorities at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — all major developments that may significantly affect securities litigation strategy in 2026 and beyond, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How Fractional GCs Can Manage Risks Of Engagement

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    As more organizations eliminate their in-house legal departments in favor of outsourcing legal work, fractional general counsel roles offer practitioners an engaging and flexible way to practice at a high level, but they can also present legal, ethical and operational risks that must be proactively managed, say attorneys at Boies Schiller.

  • Health, Legal Employers Face Unique Online Speech Hurdles

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    Employers in the legal and healthcare industries must consider distinctive ethical obligations and professional requirements when disciplining employees for social media posts, while anticipating an area of the law in flux as courts seek to balance speech rights and the workplace function, say attorneys at FordHarrison.

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