California

  • April 11, 2024

    Pacific Pipeline To Pay Calif. Landowners $70M Over Oil Spill

    A class of landowners urged a California federal judge to sign off on a $70 million deal with Pacific Pipeline Co. to resolve litigation stemming from the rupture of an onshore pipeline that leaked 140,000 gallons of crude oil near Santa Barbara, California, according to a motion for settlement approval entered Wednesday.

  • April 11, 2024

    NCAA Athletes Can't Get MDL Over Compensation Rules

    The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation denied the request of NCAA athletes to centralize two suits accusing the organization and five major college sports conferences of exercising a monopoly over labor in Division I sports by not allowing student-athletes to be compensated for their performances.

  • April 11, 2024

    LA's COVID-19 Anti-Eviction Law A Taking, 9th Circ. Told

    A Los Angeles landlord urged the Ninth Circuit during a Thursday hearing to revive his $100 million suit against the city over its COVID-19 anti-eviction moratorium, arguing the lower court erred when it found the moratorium against eviction of defaulting tenants didn't constitute a physical taking by the government.

  • April 11, 2024

    Judge Sends Tax Data Suit Against H&R Block To Arbitration

    A man who used H&R Block to prepare his taxes online and then sued the company, along with Google and Meta Platforms Inc., for sharing his private data must pursue his claims against the tax preparation software giant in arbitration, a California federal judge ruled Thursday.

  • April 12, 2024

    Rash Of 401(k) Forfeiture Suits Approach First Hurdles

    Several recent lawsuits challenging how employers use 401(k) forfeitures — which occur when a worker leaves before an employer's matching contributions fully vest — are approaching critical early tests, with rulings expected on dismissal bids in the coming months. Here, Law360 looks at how this area of Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation has gained traction, and what to look out for next.

  • April 11, 2024

    Nogin Can Get Another $3M In Ch. 11 Cash To Get Plan Done

    E-commerce company Nogin Inc. received permission Thursday from a Delaware bankruptcy court to draw another $3 million in Chapter 11 financing as it continues working toward implementing its court-approved restructuring plan.

  • April 11, 2024

    Birth Control Injury Claims Barred From Conn., Court Told

    Connecticut state courts have no basis to exercise jurisdiction over three of the four companies targeted in product liability lawsuits brought by 103 women who claim their Filshie Clip birth control devices migrated within their bodies and caused injuries, counsel for the defendants told a Waterbury judge Thursday.

  • April 11, 2024

    NPE Patent Suits Up 24% In First Quarter Of 2024

    Patent lawsuits from nonpracticing entities are on the rise yet again, with many being filed in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a new report.

  • April 11, 2024

    $24M Hidden Fee Deal Between Class, AIG Units Gets 1st OK

    A California federal court granted preliminary approval of a nearly $24 million settlement between a class of travel insurance buyers and several AIG units resolving claims that the companies stacked hidden fees on top of insurance travel premiums.

  • April 11, 2024

    State Bar Attys Fight Eastman's Bid To Activate Law License

    The State Bar of California has formally opposed John C. Eastman's motion to stay a March order placing him on inactive status pending appeal of a recommendation that he be disbarred.

  • April 11, 2024

    Calif., NY And SD Judicial Nominees Advance To Full Senate

    Four judicial nominees were voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, including one scrutinized for his affiliation with the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the group's position on hot button issues.

  • April 11, 2024

    Ohtani's Ex-Interpreter Charged In $16M Theft From MLB Star

    The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani has been charged with stealing around $16 million from the superstar to place illegal sports bets, federal officials in Los Angeles announced Thursday, saying Ohtani was a victim and had no knowledge of his interpreter's gambling.

  • April 11, 2024

    Apple Must Face Former Executive's Trimmed Age Bias Suit

    A California federal judge narrowed a former Apple executive's suit alleging his age led the company to withhold bonuses, though the suit stands, as the judge said it sufficiently showed a contract was breached when the company did not pay a hefty stock retention bonus.

  • April 10, 2024

    States, Wild Cards & Time: Hurdles Facing Privacy Law Push

    Congress has what many experts are calling its best chance to enact a national data privacy framework, after key leaders this week announced a surprising deal on the topic. But several factors could still derail the promising proposal, including influential stakeholders that have yet to weigh in, the upcoming election and the longstanding debate over who should enforce the law.

  • April 10, 2024

    UC Berkeley Law Dean Defends Ejecting Protester From Home

    University of California, Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky on Wednesday defended actions he and his wife, Berkeley law professor Catherine Fisk, took to try to stop a Muslim law student's protest at their home during a dinner for graduating students after an online video of the incident went viral.

  • April 10, 2024

    No Merit To Autonomy Whistleblower Claims, Auditor Says

    A Deloitte partner testifying in a California criminal trial over claims that former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch and finance director Stephen Chamberlain duped HP into buying the British tech company for $11.7 billion said Wednesday that auditors concluded that whistleblower allegations by a finance department executive were meritless.

  • April 10, 2024

    Hyundai, Kia Engine Fire Deal OK'd With 60% Atty Fee Cut

    A California federal judge has given final approval to a settlement ending a second consolidated class-action litigation alleging Hyundai and Kia sold vehicles with defective engines prone to fires, while awarding plaintiffs' attorneys only $3.4 million of the $8.9 million they requested.

  • April 10, 2024

    Full 9th Circ. Asked To Rethink Tanker Seizure Ruling

    Several operators of liquid petroleum gas carrier vessels have petitioned the full Ninth Circuit to rethink a circuit panel ruling that a nearly 800-foot crude oil tanker cannot be seized to enforce approximately $10 million in arbitral awards against a defunct gas shipping company.

  • April 10, 2024

    US News Fights Uphill To Block SF's 'Best Hospitals' Probe

    A California federal judge indicated Wednesday he'll likely dismiss U.S. News & World Report's lawsuit challenging the San Francisco City Attorney's subpoenas seeking information about its methodology for ranking hospitals, saying the issue isn't ripe since the subpoenas aren't self-enforcing and the city hasn't yet sued for the information.

  • April 10, 2024

    SEC Says Crypto Firm Kraken Can't 'Subvert' Securities Test

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has told a California federal judge that crypto exchange Kraken is asking the court to adopt a "perversion" of the long-standing U.S. Supreme Court precedent for what constitutes an investment contract.

  • April 10, 2024

    Tribes Sue Social Platforms Over Native Youth Suicides

    Two Native American tribes are suing social media giants, accusing them of relentlessly pursuing a strategy of "growth-at-all-costs" that has contributed to the disproportionately high rates of mental health crisis and suicide affecting Indigenous youth that is devastating Indian Country.

  • April 10, 2024

    Gaming Rivals To Settle Patent Fight After $42.9M Verdict In Calif.

    Skillz Platform Inc. and AviaGames Inc. have told a California federal court that they will settle a suit over mobile gaming, months after Skillz won $42.9 million in its patent infringement fight against its rival.

  • April 10, 2024

    DOJ's Apple Antitrust Suit Gets New Judge After Recusal

    The New Jersey federal judge overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice's recent iPhone antitrust case against Apple recused himself from the litigation Wednesday, according to a text order posted to the docket reassigning the case.

  • April 10, 2024

    9th Circ. Mostly Affirms Industry Ban For COVID PPE Delays

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday largely upheld a district court's ruling requiring personal protective equipment suppliers to pay over $3 million after finding that they misrepresented the shipping times of hand sanitizer products at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while reversing the Federal Trade Commission's injunction against one of the companies' owners.

  • April 10, 2024

    Ex-Art Institutes Execs Want Insurers To Avert $336M Suit

    Former executives of a holding company that bought now-defunct for-profit colleges Argosy University, South University and The Art Institutes asked an Ohio federal court to force excess insurers to settle receivership claims before the pair are formally accused of leaving a $336 million debt in their wake.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look Ahead For The Electric Vehicle Charging Industry

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    This will likely be an eventful year for the electric vehicle market as government efforts to accelerate their adoption inevitably clash with backlash from supporters of the petroleum industry, say Rue Phillips at SkillFusion and Enid Joffe at Green Paradigm Consulting.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • Retailers Must Be Mindful Of Sale Ads As Class Actions Rise

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    A recent uptick in class actions filed against retailers over a breadth of allegedly deceptive pricing practices — including misleading reference prices for sales and discounts offered on a perpetual basis — show no sign of slowing down, indicating that class counsel are laser-focused on challenging advertising strategies, say Louis DiLorenzo and Paavana Kumar at Davis+Gilbert.

  • Legislative And Litigation Trends In Environmental Advertising

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    Companies that tout their products' environmental benefits can significantly reduce the risk that they will face allegations of greenwashing by staying up to date on related Federal Trade Commission guidance, state requirements and litigation trends, say Raqiyyah Pippins and Kelsie Sicinski at Arnold & Porter.

  • What's On The Horizon In Attorney General Enforcement

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    A look at recent attorney general actions, especially in the areas of antitrust and artificial intelligence, can help inform businesses on what they should expect in terms of enforcement trends as 10 attorney general races play out in 2024, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Preparing For DOJ's Data Analytics Push In FCPA Cases

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    After the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent announcement that it will leverage data analytics in Foreign Corrupt Practice Act investigations and prosecutions, companies will need to develop a compliance strategy that likewise implements data analytics to get ahead of enforcement risks, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • How 3 New Laws Change Calif. Nonprofits' Legal Landscape

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    Legislation that went into effect on Jan. 1 should be welcomed by California’s nonprofit organizations, which may now receive funding more quickly, rectify past noncompliance more easily and have greater access to the states’ security funding program, say Casey Williams and Brett Overby at Liebert Cassidy.

  • Opinion

    9th Circ. Should Overturn The Miles Davis Tattoo Ruling

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    A California district court made several missteps that led to a finding that celebrity artist Kat Von D's Miles Davis tattoo did not infringe copyright, and the Ninth Circuit should overturn the decision because recent U.S. Supreme Court guidance was ignored and the jury did not receive adequate instruction, says Brian Moriarty at Hamilton Brook.

  • Calif. Disclosure Update Adds To Employer Trial Prep Burden

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    Though California’s recently updated litigation disclosure procedures may streamline some aspects of employment suits filed in the state, plaintiffs' new ability to demand a wider range of information on a tighter timeline will burden companies with the need to invest more resources into investigating cases much earlier in the process, says Jeffrey Horton Thomas at Fox Rothschild.

  • EDNY Ruling Charts 99 Problems In Rap Lyric Admissibility

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    A New York federal court’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Jordan powerfully captures courts’ increasing skepticism about the admissibility of rap lyrics as evidence in criminal trials, particularly at a time when artists face economic incentives to embrace fictional, hyperbolic narratives, say attorneys at Sher Tremonte.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

  • Takeaways From 9th Circ. Nix Of Ex-GOP Rep.'s Conviction

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    The Ninth Circuit recently reversed the conviction of former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., for lying to the FBI, showing that the court will rein in aggressive attempts by the government to expand the reach of criminal prosecutions — and deepening a circuit split on an important venue issue, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

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    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • Despite Risks, AI Is A Worthy Tool For Healthcare Industry

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    Artificial intelligence appears to provide a productive path forward for the healthcare industry, improving economic and human health outcomes, though companies must continue to address certain technology and compliance pain points, says Sarah Abrams at Bowhead Specialty Underwriters.

  • NCAA's Antitrust Litigation History Offers Clues For NIL Case

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    Attorneys at Perkins Coie analyze the NCAA's long history of antitrust litigation to predict how state attorney general claims against NCAA recruiting rules surrounding name, image and likeness discussions will stand up in Tennessee federal court.

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