Washington

  • April 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Nixes Tribe's Bid To Vacate Union Card Check Award

    A California Native American tribe can't undo an arbitration award requiring it to follow the guidelines for union representation elections outlined in its 2017 agreement with UNITE HERE, the Ninth Circuit has ruled.

  • April 08, 2026

    AEG, BigLaw Atty In Hot Seat As Live Nation Trial Nears End

    Live Nation on Wednesday concluded its defense case with glowing testimony about it from the manager for rap star Drake, while the Manhattan federal judge overseeing the case said rival company AEG Worldwide and a Hogan Lovells lawyer may face sanctions for revealing confidential information about a witness.

  • April 08, 2026

    Ed. Dept. Says It's Not Required To Fund $1B In Youth Grants

    The U.S. Department of Education denied accusations by 16 U.S. states that it is flouting a court order to restore nearly $1 billion in K–12 mental health grants, arguing in a Western District of Washington filing that the order required officials to re-review the grants, not actually provide full funding.

  • April 08, 2026

    Volkswagen Doubted In Bid To Defeat Seat Heater Burns Case

    A Washington federal judge hinted on Wednesday that a jury will probably need to weigh in on an Evergreen State resident's product liability claims against Volkswagen over second-degree burns allegedly caused by a vehicle seat heater, saying there's evidence that the subject heater reached "potentially unsafe" temperatures.

  • April 08, 2026

    Starbucks Ends Wash. 'Patent Troll' Suit Against 2 Irish Cos.

    Starbucks Corp. agreed to drop its lawsuit against two Irish companies the coffee giant had accused of breaking a Washington law against "bad faith" patent infringement claims, according to a joint motion Tuesday asking a Washington federal judge to dismiss the action.

  • April 08, 2026

    States Seek Time For Talks To Settle Drug Price-Fixing Suit

    The states suing generic-drug manufacturers in one of three sprawling antitrust cases want a Connecticut federal judge to pause all deadlines for three months so they can focus on settling with the remaining defendants, according to a joint filing.

  • April 08, 2026

    Judge Says 9th Circ. OK'd 'Annihilation' Of Sacred Lands

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday issued an amended opinion in its ruling to allow a 2,500-acre land exchange within Arizona's Tonto National Forest, which includes a partial dissent from U.S. Circuit Judge Johnnie B. Rawlinson, who said the decision will "completely annihilate sacred Native lands."

  • April 08, 2026

    StubHub Customer's Eras Tour Tickets Suit Sent To Arbitration

    A StubHub customer must arbitrate her claims that the ticket reseller botched her order for $14,000 in tickets to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, a Washington federal judge has said, agreeing with the company that the patron agreed to a mandatory arbitration pact when she logged onto the website and made her purchase.

  • April 08, 2026

    Prudential Can't Enforce 'Illusory' Policy, Beneficiaries Say

    The beneficiaries of two pilots who died in a plane crash said a Prudential insurer can't escape their suit seeking accidental death and dismemberment benefits under an aviation company's life insurance plan, telling a Washington federal court that the policy departs from the industry standard because it is "illusory."

  • April 08, 2026

    Fiat Chrysler Loses 'Absurd' Arb. Bid In Defect Suit At 9th Circ.

    A Ninth Circuit panel has rejected Fiat Chrysler's request to send a certified class action over allegedly defective Jeep and Dodge headrests to arbitration, finding that FCA's theory would lead to "absurd" results in which third parties with "no connection whatsoever to the underlying arbitration agreement" could force arbitration.

  • April 08, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 6 Noteworthy Decisions From March

    JPMorgan Chase & Co. narrowed but couldn't escape a suit from workers who said their health plan paid too much for prescription drugs, Genworth Financial Inc. unwound a class at the Fourth Circuit, and the Sixth Circuit breathed new life into proposed class actions against FedEx and Kellogg. Here, Law360 looks at these and three other notable decisions from March in ERISA cases.

  • April 08, 2026

    Where Dormant Commerce Clause Cannabis Cases Stand

    Lawsuits across the country challenging the constitutionality of state and local cannabis licensure programs continue to move through the federal appellate courts, with judges reaching different conclusions on a topic with broad implications for marijuana regulation.

  • April 08, 2026

    Firm Fights DQ Bid Against US Counsel In Chinese Arbitration

    A Chinese law firm suing a Washington resident over unpaid arbitration bills has slammed an effort to disqualify its Seattle-based local counsel, saying that while one of its attorneys had worked at the law firm representing the woman, the attorney was entirely walled off from the case.

  • April 07, 2026

    Calif. Dialysis Bill Violates 1st Amendment, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday struck down provisions of a California law that aims to restrict dialysis providers' ability to profit from patients receiving health insurance premium assistance from nonprofit charities, ruling in a published opinion that the provisions violated nonprofit American Kidney Fund's and dialysis providers' First Amendment rights.

  • April 07, 2026

    Insurer Premera Accuses Clinic Of Misusing No Surprises Act

    Premera Blue Cross sued a weight loss clinic on Monday in Washington federal court saying it abused a federal law aimed at safeguarding patients from unexpected medical bills in order to shake down the insurer for exorbitant amounts of money — as much as 10 times what Premera pays in-network providers.

  • April 07, 2026

    NCAA Asks 9th Circ. To Revive 5-Year Eligibility Cap On Player

    The NCAA urged a Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday to reverse an injunction that allowed a college baseball player to pitch beyond the five-year window the organization normally limits players to, saying his antitrust suit doesn't establish a relevant market or explain any anticompetitive effects of the five-year rule.

  • April 07, 2026

    $8.7M FCA Whistleblower Attys Award Too High, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit held Monday that a district court's award of $8.7 million in fees and expenses to attorneys representing a whistleblower who claimed Academy Mortgage submitted false insurance claims was too high, saying the case is not "exceptional," and the court didn't justify its lodestar multiplier of 1.75.

  • April 07, 2026

    Wash. Panel Nixes Insurer's Gordon Rees Malpractice Claims

    A Washington Court of Appeals panel said a Great American insurance unit can't inherit an equipment manufacturer's legal malpractice claims against Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP and Sinars Slowikowski LLC because of "potential conflict" between the insurer and manufacturer in the underlying dispute over a climber's fall.

  • April 07, 2026

    Timeshare Exit Co.'s Insurer Can't Appeal To 9th Circ. Yet

    A Washington federal judge rejected an insurer's request to reconsider a summary judgment ruling that the carrier breached its duty to defend a now-defunct timeshare exit company, stating that the carrier failed to prove an indisputable error in the ruling.

  • April 07, 2026

    Chipotle Worker In Seattle Alleges Scheduling Law Violations

    Restaurant chain Chipotle violated two Seattle employment laws by failing to provide workers with adequate notice of scheduling adjustments and withholding additional pay owed to those affected by late scheduling changes, according to a proposed class action in Washington state court.

  • April 07, 2026

    Delta Passengers Say They Were Injured In Fire Evacuation

    Two passengers of a Delta Air Lines flight were injured when an electrical fire forced them to be evacuated from the plane after it landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to a suit filed in Washington state court.

  • April 07, 2026

    March Madness Ends, But College Athlete Pay Fights Rage On

    The NCAA crowned its basketball champions this week, but college sports is no closer to sorting out thorny player compensation questions, causing some university leaders to rethink their opposition to collective bargaining for athletes.

  • April 07, 2026

    States, DC Back NY AG James In DOJ Probe Appeal

    Backed by amici including the attorneys general of 20 states and the District of Columbia, New York Attorney General Letitia James is fighting the U.S. Department of Justice's bid to reopen an investigation into her office launched by a federal prosecutor found to have been serving unlawfully.

  • April 07, 2026

    FTC Must List Potential Remedies In Amazon Antitrust Case

    A Washington federal court ordered the Federal Trade Commission to respond to Amazon's discovery request asking for a list of remedies enforcers intend to seek in the antitrust case alleging its merchant rules drive up online retail prices.

  • April 07, 2026

    Feds Say Moth Doesn't Merit Endangered Species Protection

    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service told a Washington federal court that it used well-reasoned factors and the "best available" science to determine the Pacific Northwest's sand-verbena moth does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Expert Analysis

  • What's On Deck In Tribal Nations' Prediction Markets Litigation

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    Native American tribes' response to the expansion of sports-based prediction markets enters a decisive phase this year, with appellate courts positioned to address whether federal commodities law permits nationwide offering of sports-based event contracts free from state and tribal gaming regulation, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • 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.

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