Washington

  • 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.

  • February 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Sides With Forest Service In $33M Ore. Wildfire Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel Monday threw out a lawsuit from two Oregon lumber companies that accused the U.S. Forest Service of bungling its response to a 2020 wildfire in the Willamette National Forest, ruling that the agency can't be sued because it was acting within its discretion.

  • February 09, 2026

    Judge OKs Sanctions In Valve Fight, Warns More May Come

    A Seattle federal judge on Monday granted video game maker Valve Corp.'s request to sanction a rival litigant over discovery violations just ahead of a trial on the company's allegations of bad faith patent infringement claims, and threatened to issue more over a legal brief that contained fake quotes and fabricated citations generated by artificial intelligence.

  • February 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Backs Comerica's Escape From Investor Suit

    The Ninth Circuit backed Comerica's win in an investor dispute led by a pension fund accusing the bank of misleading investors about its oversight of a U.S. Department of the Treasury contract, concluding a California federal judge was right to permanently toss the case for failure to state a claim.

  • February 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Immigration Case Due To Traffic Delays

    An en banc Ninth Circuit panel has ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider whether a family's failure to appear at a hearing due to traffic delays doomed their asylum case, finding no concrete rule for what constitutes "exceptional circumstances."

  • February 09, 2026

    States Seek Quick Win On $100K H-1B Fee 'Power-Grab'

    A group of 20 states asked a Massachusetts federal judge for a win in their challenge to the Trump administration's policy imposing a $100,000 fee on certain H-1B visa petitions, arguing the measure unlawfully rewrites Congress' carefully calibrated immigration scheme and exceeds executive authority.

  • February 09, 2026

    Guam Can't Appeal Military Leave Suit Loss At 9th Circ.

    A retirement fund for Guam government employees did not meet the standard for an immediate appeal of a ruling that its leave-sharing program violates federal military service protections, a federal judge ruled Monday, denying the territory's and fund's Ninth Circuit bid.

  • February 06, 2026

    WithU, Scratchpay Sued Over Alleged 568% Loan Interest Rate

    Online direct lender WithU and California fintech platform Scratchpay were hit with a proposed class action in Washington federal court on Friday by a consumer who claims he was cornered into borrowing a loan with a nearly 568% interest rate to pay for his cat's cancer treatment.

  • February 06, 2026

    Paycheck Advances Aren't Loans, Fintech Orgs Tell 9th Circ.

    Fintech trade groups on Friday urged the Ninth Circuit to rein in class litigation over earned wage access products, arguing it should recognize the products as distinct from credit under federal lending laws or risk upending a popular, safer alternative to traditional loans.

  • February 06, 2026

    Trump Admin, States Reach Agreement In School DEI Fight

    The Trump administration has agreed not to condition federal education funding for state and legal education agencies on what a coalition of nearly 20 states alleged was an incorrect interpretation of law in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to a Friday filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • February 06, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: Data Center Moratoriums, Fraud Detection

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including the states that may pump the brakes on data center construction and what private real estate lenders should know about fraud risk.

  • February 06, 2026

    Boeing Suits Over S. Korean 737 Crash Merged In Wash. Court

    Seven wrongful death lawsuits against The Boeing Co. over a 737 crash in South Korea that killed 179 people have been consolidated and assigned to a Seattle federal judge under an order Thursday from the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • Justices Rethink Minimum Contacts For Foreign Entities

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    Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Devas v. Antrix and Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, suggest that federal statutes may confer personal jurisdiction over foreign entities that have little to no contact with the U.S. — a significant departure from traditional due process principles, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.

  • Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures

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    With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • Birthright Opinions Reveal Views On Rule 23(b)(2) Relief

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    The justices' multiple opinions in the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 27 decision in the birthright citizenship case, Trump v. CASA, shed light on whether Rule 23(b)(2) could fill the void created by the court's decision to restrict nationwide injunctions, says Benjamin Johns at Shub Johns.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Plan For Increased HSR Info Sharing With Wash. Antitrust Law

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    Washington's merger notification requirements, effective later this month, combined with the Federal Trade Commission's new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act rules, will result in greater information sharing among state and federal agencies, making it important for merging parties to consider their transaction's potential state antitrust implications early on, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • How High Court Ruling Can Aid Judgment Enforcement In US

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    In CC/Devas (Mauritius) v. Antrix, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that only two steps are required to keep a foreign sovereign in federal court, making it a little easier for investors to successfully bring foreign states and sovereign-owned and -controlled entities into U.S. courts, says Kristie Blase at Felicello Law.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

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