California

  • May 28, 2024

    The NCAA Put Out One Fire, But The House Is Still Ablaze

    Despite the enormous size of the settlement of a class action by hundreds of thousands of former college athletes over name, image and likeness compensation denied to them, experts say it only resolves one of the NCAA's many legal crises, while shining a light on the severity of the others.

  • May 28, 2024

    Twitter Investors Seek Cert Over Musk's Backtrack On Buyout

    A group of Twitter investors have asked a California federal judge to certify a class over claims Elon Musk fraudulently tweeted about the social media company's alleged bot problem to get out of his $44 billion acquisition, arguing that the case is "perfectly suited for class certification."

  • May 28, 2024

    Agribiz Pushes Ninth Circ. To Reverse Land Swap Decision

    A global agribusiness with operations in Idaho has again asked the Ninth Circuit to reverse a lower court's "misguided" holding under the National Environmental Policy Act that favored the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in their challenge to a U.S. Department of the Interior land transfer.

  • May 28, 2024

    Cloud Software Co. Hid Slowing Growth, Investor Suit Says

    Software company Fastly Inc. was hit with a proposed shareholder class action alleging it concealed from investors that it would be unable to meet its previously issued financial guidance following a period of unsustainable customer growth.

  • May 28, 2024

    50 Cent's Co. Can't Exit Injured Fan's Suit Over Thrown Mic

    A California judge on Tuesday denied 50 Cent's touring company an early exit from a lawsuit alleging the rapper injured a fan by throwing a microphone into a crowd, saying the complaint does not lump the defendants together in a way that makes the allegations "unduly vague." 

  • May 28, 2024

    Microsoft, OpenAI Beat Overstuffed Privacy Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge threw out, for now, consumers' suit alleging their privacy was violated by Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI LP's products, slamming the complaint as "excessive" and packed with "unnecessary and distracting allegations" to the point it's "nearly impossible" to determine the adequacy of the claims.

  • May 28, 2024

    States, Enviros Want Judgment Over USPS' New Vehicle Plan

    Environmentalists and a coalition of 17 states called on a California federal judge to grant them judgment in litigation alleging the U.S. Postal Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it decided to replace its aging delivery fleet with "gas-guzzling vehicles."

  • May 28, 2024

    Activision Wins $14M From Call Of Duty Cheat Code Sellers

    Activision Publishing scored over $14.4 million in damages and nearly $300,000 in attorney fees against German companies accused of selling cheat codes for Call of Duty games when a California federal judge Tuesday granted its motion for default judgment, finding none of the defendants appeared in the case for a year.

  • May 28, 2024

    Absent Atty Irks Judge In Girardi-Linked Bar Corruption Case

    A California judge on Tuesday chastised a lawyer representing former clients of Tom Girardi accusing the state bar of "rampant corruption," telling the attorney over the phone that he is "nonplussed" as to why he attempted to skip the hearing on the bar's motion to toss the case.

  • May 28, 2024

    Groups Fight Calif. AG's Subpoenas In Plastic Waste Probe

    Two chemical and plastic industry groups have accused California Attorney General Rob Bonta of violating their First Amendment rights by demanding they hand over privileged documents as part of an investigation into global plastics pollution, in a pair of complaints filed in D.C. federal court.

  • May 28, 2024

    HIV Drug Buyers Fight Bid To Combine 9th Circ. Appeal Briefs

    Drug buyers that allege Gilead Sciences Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals delayed generic versions of HIV medications told the Ninth Circuit it would be unfair to grant the companies' call for a single brief addressing the 17 appeals filed after a jury rejected the claims last year.

  • May 28, 2024

    Healthcare Tech Co. To Pay $1.5M To End Class Wage Claims

    A healthcare software consulting company agreed to a $1.5 million deal resolving claims it violated Washington state wage law by requiring its software training staff to work up to 80 hours and seven days a week, according to a motion to approve the deal filed in federal court.

  • May 28, 2024

    Pelosi Attacker's 30-Yr. Term The Same After Sentencing Flub

    A California federal judge sentenced David DePape to 30 years in prison Tuesday for attempting to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and assaulting her husband during a resentencing hearing that was held after the judge neglected to give DePape a chance to speak during his initial sentencing.

  • May 28, 2024

    Qualcomm Can't Knock Out 401(k) Forfeiture Suit

    Qualcomm Inc. must face a proposed class action alleging it used ex-employees' forfeited 401(k) funds to reduce company plan contributions rather than cover participants' expenses, with a California federal judge finding Qualcomm might have violated federal benefits law even if it was following the plan's terms.

  • May 28, 2024

    Kroger, Albertsons Must Give FTC Texts, Written Notes

    Claims from a pair of multibillion dollar grocery giants that a discovery request will pose financial burden held no sway over a Federal Trade Commission in-house judge who last week ordered Kroger and Albertsons to produce text messages and handwritten notes from key employees as part of the agency's merger challenge.

  • May 28, 2024

    OCC's Hsu Says More Banks May Need Crisis Playbook Rules

    The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's acting chief Michael Hsu called for potentially subjecting more banks to recovery planning standards that currently kick in at the $250 billion asset size threshold, floating it as another possible regulatory response to last year's regional bank failures.

  • May 28, 2024

    Apple Denied Appeal Of Cert. In App Store Monopoly Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday rejected Apple's interlocutory appeal of an order certifying a class of millions of App Store users who allege antitrust violations, paving the way for discovery to proceed as the case heads toward a trial currently set for February 2026.

  • May 28, 2024

    Wells Fargo Seeks To Send Account Offsets Suit To Arbitration

    Wells Fargo has asked a California federal judge to send a class action lawsuit alleging it unlawfully dipped into customers' deposit accounts to repay itself for credit owed card debt to arbitration since the plaintiff signed a deposit account agreement containing a binding arbitration provision.

  • May 28, 2024

    Immigration Programs' Survival Justifies $3.7M Fee, Attys Say

    The attorneys who challenged Trump-era orders ending immigration protections for people from countries in crisis are seeking a $3.7 million fee award, telling a California federal judge that the Biden administration's rescission of the orders showed their lawsuit was successful.

  • May 28, 2024

    O'Reilly Auto Parts Inks $4.1M COVID Screening Settlement

    O'Reilly Auto Enterprises has agreed to pay $4.1 million to settle a California wage and hour lawsuit alleging that the company should have paid workers for the time they spent undergoing COVID-19 screenings before shifts and for work performed during meal breaks, according to a court memo.

  • May 28, 2024

    Calif. Judge Cops To Ethics Charges, Agrees To Step Down

    A California judge censured and barred for multiple ethics violations, including drug use, inappropriate personal relationships with attorneys and making inappropriate comments, including antisemitic remarks, about litigants and attorneys, has resigned as of Monday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Edwards Urges Full Fed. Circ. To Limit FDA Safe Harbor

    Edwards Lifesciences has petitioned the full Federal Circuit to narrow its interpretation of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration safe harbor that essentially allows patent infringement during drug development, arguing that if Congress wanted the statute to be interpreted broadly, "it would have said exactly that."

  • May 28, 2024

    Reed Smith Gets Digital Music Pro From Calif. Boutique Firm

    Reed Smith LLP announced Tuesday it has hired a music and entertainment attorney in Los Angeles who worked at boutique entertainment law firm Granderson Des Rochers LLP, Universal Music Publishing Group and Google.

  • May 28, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear Avenatti Appeal Of Nike Conviction

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal from Michael Avenatti challenging his conviction for trying to extort millions from Nike, with the high court's rejection ending the disbarred attorney's chances at overturning one of his three criminal convictions.

  • May 28, 2024

    Chancery Speeds Microsoft Query Over $68.7B Activision Deal

    Microsoft Corp. is entitled to a quick court declaration on whether its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. in October was valid, and a pension fund shareholder that challenged the deal has a right to be involved in the process, Delaware's Court of Chancery said Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • How AI Cos. Can Cope With Shifting Copyright Landscape

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    In the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, recent legal disputes have focused on the utilization of copyrighted material to train algorithms, meaning companies should be aware of fair use implications and possible licensing solutions for AI users, say Michael Hobbs and Justin Tilghman at Troutman Pepper.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • The State Of Play In DEI And ESG 1 Year After Harvard Ruling

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    Almost a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, attorney general scrutiny of environmental, social and governance-related efforts indicates a potential path for corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to be targeted, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Key Lessons From Recent Insurance Policy Reform Litigation

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    A review of recent case law reveals the wide range of misunderstandings that may arise between insurers and policyholders in the purchase and renewal of insurance policies, as well as the utility — and the limits — of reformation and related remedies for these misunderstandings, say Jad Khazem and Seth Tucker at Covington.

  • Patent Lessons From 4 Federal Circuit Reversals In April

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    Four Federal Circuit decisions in April that reversed or vacated underlying rulings provide a number of takeaways, including that obviousness analysis requires a flexible approach, that an invalidity issue of an expired patent can be moot, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • What The FTC Report On AG Collabs Means For Cos.

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    The Federal Trade Commission's April report on working with state attorneys general shows collaboration can increase efficiency and consistency in how statutes are interpreted and enforced, which can minimize the likelihood of requests for inconsistent injunctive relief that can create operational problems for businesses, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • When Oral Settlements Reached In Mediation Are Enforceable

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    A recent decision by the New Jersey Appellate Division illustrates the difficulties that may arise in trying to enforce an oral settlement agreement reached in mediation, but adherence to certain practices can improve the likelihood that such an agreement will be binding, says Richard Mason at MasonADR.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • 3 Employer Lessons From NLRB's Complaint Against SpaceX

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    Severance agreements traditionally have included nondisparagement and nondisclosure provisions as a matter of course — but a recent National Labor Relations Board complaint against SpaceX underscores the ongoing efforts to narrow severance agreements at the state and federal levels, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony

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    In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Airlines Must Prepare For State AG Investigations

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    A recent agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation and 18 states and territories will allow attorneys general to investigate consumer complaints against commercial passenger airlines — so carriers must be ready for heightened scrutiny and possibly inconsistent enforcement, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

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