Washington

  • March 13, 2026

    Wash. Panel OKs Expedited Review Of Release Petition

    A Washington appeals court has affirmed the unconditional release of a man who spent a decade in a state psychiatric facility after he was found not guilty of first-degree murder by reason of insanity, upholding a procedural order for hearing his petition.

  • March 13, 2026

    HPE Judge Has Enough Info Without Testimony, DOJ Says

    The U.S. Department of Justice is pushing a California federal judge against live witness testimony as it defends the controversial settlement permitting Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, arguing that the three live witnesses eyed by challenging Democratic state attorneys general have nothing to add.

  • March 12, 2026

    9th Circ. Partially Lifts Block On Calif. Kids' Privacy Law

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday scrapped part of an injunction halting a groundbreaking California law requiring social media platforms to bolster privacy protections for children, finding that the tech trade group behind the lawsuit wasn't likely to succeed on its First Amendment challenge to the statute's coverage definition and age estimation mandate.

  • March 12, 2026

    Valve Faces 'Loot Box' Gambling Suits After NY AG's Action

    On the heels of the New York attorney general's accusations that Washington-based Valve Corp. promotes illegal gambling through its popular video game franchises, gamers filed two putative class actions in Seattle federal court similarly targeting the entertainment giant's use of "loot boxes."

  • March 12, 2026

    Amazon 'Sensitive Skin' Body Wash Targeted In Class Action

    Amazon has been accused of deceptively promoting its Amazon Basics-branded body wash as "hypoallergenic," "unscented" and suitable for "sensitive skin," despite containing chemical fragrance and other skin irritants, with a proposed class action launched in Seattle federal court on Thursday.

  • March 12, 2026

    Amazon Faces Revived Suit Over Teens' Sodium Nitrite Deaths

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday reopened a lawsuit against Amazon brought by the families of two teens who used sodium nitrite purchased through the retailer to take their own lives, ruling that the families' negligence and product liability claims can move forward under Washington state law.

  • March 12, 2026

    Wash. Justices OK Jury Instruction In TB Malpractice Case

    The Washington State Supreme Court declined Thursday to flip a family's loss in a case blaming an Evergreen State doctor for failing to address signs of an intestinal tuberculosis infection that led to a patient's death, rejecting a challenge to a jury instruction on the physician's exercise of judgment.

  • March 12, 2026

    Wash. Lawmakers Pass Bill On Worker Eligibility Inspections

    The Washington State Legislature has passed a bill requiring employers to provide notice to their employees if the federal government requests records relating to their work eligibility. 

  • March 12, 2026

    Full 9th Circ. Deeply Divided On Rehearing TPS Vacatur

    The full Ninth Circuit delivered 51 pages of concurrences and dissents while declining to revisit a unanimous panel decision that found Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lacked the authority to vacate a temporary protected status extension for Venezuela.

  • March 11, 2026

    Bayer AG's Monsanto Pays $1M For Misclassified PCB Docs

    Bayer AG-owned Monsanto shelled out $1 million in sanctions on Tuesday based on a Washington state court's findings that the agro-chemical giant improperly marked thousands of documents as privileged when battling PCB poisoning claims tied to an Evergreen State school in a series of cases that have since been settled.

  • March 11, 2026

    Costco Owes Shoppers Refunds For Voided Tariffs, Suit Says

    Costco shoppers are owed back the higher costs they paid as a result of President Donald Trump's global tariffs that the nation's highest court has since declared unlawful, according to a putative consumer class action filed Wednesday in Illinois federal court.

  • March 11, 2026

    Mitsubishi Calls Engine Emissions Class Action A Nonstarter

    Mitsubishi wants to flush a Washington resident's putative class action accusing the business of dodging federal emissions regulations for marine engines, telling a Seattle federal judge Tuesday the suit is founded on federal Clean Air Act claims that only the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can enforce.

  • March 11, 2026

    9th Circ. Reviews Stay Policy Amid Trump Appointees' Attack

    The Ninth Circuit's chief judge said the court is reviewing how to manage its "enormous immigration docket" after several judges appointed by President Donald Trump "unilaterally disrupted" the court's policymaking with a ruling questioning the legality of the court's practice to automatically stay deportations pending a review of the merits.

  • March 11, 2026

    Wash. Says ICE Contractor Cannot Defend Barring Inspection

    The Washington State Department of Health said a contractor's attempts to escape an evidentiary hearing demonstrated that the company could not defend its jurisdictional claims in a lawsuit accusing it of illegally restricting access to an immigration facility.

  • March 11, 2026

    17 States Fight 'Unprecedented' WH Admissions Data Demand

    A coalition of more than a dozen states led by Massachusetts asked a federal judge Wednesday to block enforcement of a new Trump administration requirement to retroactively report detailed data on sex and race in college admissions, saying the survey was hastily implemented and rife with issues that expose schools to potential liability.

  • March 11, 2026

    NHK Wants Seagate Antitrust Case Paused For High Court Bid

    NHK Spring is asking the Ninth Circuit to pause an antitrust case from Seagate Technologies over the alleged fixing of hard drive component prices while the Japanese manufacturer petitions the U.S. Supreme Court for review.

  • March 11, 2026

    Wash. Poised To Open In-State College Betting, With Limits

    Washington state legislators have approved a bill that will allow sports wagering on games involving in-state college teams, though still restricting bets on individual players' performances in those matchups.

  • March 11, 2026

    Apple Affiliate Can't Unravel Classes After Wage Verdict

    An Apple-affiliated repair company cannot undo five classes in a wage and hour suit that snagged a nearly $840,000 win for employees, a North Carolina federal judge ruled Wednesday, rejecting arguments that a recent Fourth Circuit ruling undermined the court's earlier decision.

  • March 10, 2026

    Law Firm, Ex-Client At Odds Over $7.2M Fee Dispute

    Law firm Lee & Hayes PC urged a Washington federal judge to reject a former client's effort to escape more than $7 million in legal fees that the firm says it's owed, claiming that Continuous Composites misled its legal team as the company negotiated a $25 million intellectual property settlement with a rival.

  • March 10, 2026

    Judge Fumes As Live Nation Antitrust Trial Remains In Limbo

    The status of Live Nation Entertainment's antitrust trial and proposed settlement over federal and state government claims of anticompetitive conduct remained up in the air Tuesday amid pushback by several states, while the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the case upbraided the parties for keeping him out of the loop about negotiations.

  • March 10, 2026

    Panel Blocks Pension Atty Fee Deduction By Wash. Agency

    Washington's Department of Retirement Systems can't pay down a $12.6 million legal bill related to a $32 million class settlement over pensions by deducting from a class member's withdrawal of their state retirement contributions, a three-judge state appellate panel ruled Tuesday, partially affirming a trial court's ruling in the worker's favor.

  • March 10, 2026

    Wash. Adopts New Labor Standards For Domestic Workers

    Nannies, housekeepers and other domestic workers in Washington state will soon have many of the same labor protections as employees in traditional workplace settings thanks to a bill that Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed into law on Monday.

  • March 10, 2026

    Wash. Justices Seem Open To Palestinian's Racial Bias Claim

    The Washington State Supreme Court appeared somewhat receptive on Tuesday to a Palestinian patient's argument that an unfavorable jury verdict in her medical malpractice trial was tainted by racism, with several justices concerned that the defense had described the accused doctor as "from this part of the world" during openings.

  • March 10, 2026

    Wash. Senate Passes Bill Banning Masked Law Enforcement

    A bill to prohibit law enforcement officers, including federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, from concealing their faces while interacting with the public has received final approval from the Washington state Senate, making the state one of many to consider such legislation.

  • March 10, 2026

    $1.3B Award Set-Aside Decision Captures 9th Circ.'s Attention

    A lawyer representing satellite communications company shareholders looking to enforce a $1.3 billion arbitral award found himself in the hot seat during a Ninth Circuit hearing Tuesday, as U.S. Circuit Judge Lucy Koh sharply questioned him about the effect of an Indian court ruling setting aside the award.

Expert Analysis

  • ERISA Litigation Trends To Watch With 2025 In The Rearview

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • What Defense Teams Must Know About PFAS Testing Methods

    Author Photo

    Whether testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances produces results meaningful for litigation depends on the validity of the sampling methodology — so effectively defending these claims requires understanding the scientific and legal implications of different PFAS testing protocols, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • 2025 State AI Laws Expand Liability, Raise Insurance Risks

    Author Photo

    As 2025 nears its end, claims professionals should be aware of trends in state legislation addressing artificial intelligence use, as insurance claims based on some of these liability-expanding statutes are a certainty, say attorneys at Wiley.

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.