California

  • February 29, 2024

    Sofia Vergara, Contractor Near Arbitrating Most Of $1.7M Suit

    Attorneys for Sofia Vergara and a construction company told a Los Angeles judge on Thursday that they have agreed to arbitrate all but one of the company's claims that the actress and her partner owe $1.7 million for property renovations at a $26 million California mansion.

  • February 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives Ex-Terminix Worker's PAGA Wage Suit

    A Ninth Circuit panel directed a lower court Thursday to consider a former Terminix worker's constitutional standing to bring representative wage claims while his individual claims undergo arbitration, saying arbitration does not revoke his right to bring representative claims.

  • February 29, 2024

    Epic, Google Are At App Store Antitrust Remedies 'Impasse'

    Epic Games Inc. and Google LLC told a California federal judge on Wednesday that they are at an impasse over the potential changes Google will have to make following the Fortnite game developer's jury trial win on antitrust claims related to Google Play Store and Android apps.

  • February 29, 2024

    Pot Co. Says Neighbor Let Transient Grow Pot And Cause Fire

    A Los Angeles County cannabis entrepreneur is suing owners of a neighboring property whose building caught fire, allegedly due to an illicit grow operation run by "the local transient," sending smoke and soot into the legal cultivation facility, causing the total loss of his inventory and some $10 million worth of damages.

  • February 29, 2024

    Discover Deal Prompts Dems To Seek Bank Merger Revamp

    Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, and 15 other House Democrats are calling on federal bank regulators and the U.S. Department of Justice to quickly crack down on mergers in the wake of Capital One's recently announced $35.3 billion deal to acquire Discover Financial Services.

  • February 29, 2024

    Microsoft, OpenAI Contribute To $675M Figure AI Funding

    AI robotics company Figure AI has raised $675 million at a $2.6 billion valuation to further its development of "humanoid robots" for commercial use, securing money from major investors, such as Microsoft, OpenAI, Intel Capital and Jeff Bezos, according to a Thursday announcement.

  • February 29, 2024

    Calif. Illegal Betting Suit Against Fliff Gaming App Dropped

    A California man has ditched his proposed class action accusing the Fliff gaming app of illegal sports betting, more than a month after the court compelled the two sides into arbitration.

  • February 29, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Fight Over COVID-19 Misinformation Law Moot

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday unanimously dismissed as moot two consolidated appeals by doctors who challenged as unconstitutional California's since-repealed statute deeming it "unprofessional conduct" to spread COVID-19 misinformation to patients under their care, noting that the statute's repeal means there is no longer any live controversy.

  • February 29, 2024

    Pot Biz Founder Says Co. Runners Must Renew License

    A cannabis entrepreneur is asking a Los Angeles judge to order the two men she says "hijacked" her business to renew its cannabis license with the city, saying that at a recent hearing they incorrectly said that their bid to transfer the license to another location had already effected the renewal.

  • February 29, 2024

    NJ Towns Can't Sue Netflix, Hulu For Fees, 3rd Circ. Says

    Two New Jersey municipalities cannot sue Netflix and Hulu for franchise fees under the state's Cable Television Act, the Third Circuit held Thursday in a precedential opinion, saying the state statute reserves enforcement of the law to the state Board of Public Utilities.

  • February 29, 2024

    Munck Wilson Adds IP Lawyer From Wood Smith

    A former Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP attorney has made the move to Munck Wilson Mandala LLP in Los Angeles, bringing with her a history of working on intellectual property litigation and other commercial matters.

  • February 29, 2024

    Chancery Rejects Leadership Bid Over Lack Of Del. Counsel

    A Delaware vice chancellor has denied a three-firm leadership bid in stockholder litigation over alleged mismanagement at a medical clothing company because no First State attorneys were on the proposed lead counsel team.

  • February 29, 2024

    Silicon Valley IP Ace Joins Squire Patton Boggs

    A patent attorney specializing in representing clients producing cutting-edge software and technology has moved her practice to Squire Patton Boggs LLP's Silicon Valley office after seven years with IP boutique Artegis Law Group.

  • February 29, 2024

    Tesla Likely To Face 6,000-Member Class Action On Race Bias

    A California state judge said she's prepared to certify a nearly 6,000-member class of Black Tesla workers alleging the manufacturer failed to address rampant racist language and graffiti at a California factory, finding the workers presented enough evidence to proceed as a group.

  • February 29, 2024

    Bird & Bird Taps London IP Atty As Co-Head In San Francisco

    Bird & Bird LLP is transferring a longtime patent litigator from its London office to be the new co-head of its representation office in San Francisco, the firm's only outlet in America.

  • February 28, 2024

    Brothers' 20-Year Calif. Real Estate Battle Ends In $7B Verdict

    A Los Angeles jury has awarded four brothers an estimated $7 billion verdict, finding that a fifth brother breached their contracts and his fiduciary duty to them by wrongly pushing them out of various business partnerships that included thousands of units of apartment buildings and a diamond venture. 

  • February 28, 2024

    Autonomy Founder's Fraud Trial Risks 'Morass,' Judge Warns

    The California federal judge overseeing the upcoming criminal fraud trial of Autonomy founder Mike Lynch over the software company's $11.7 billion sale to Hewlett-Packard warned prosecutors and defense attorneys Wednesday about growing estimates for the trial's length, saying they're "going to lose [jurors] in the morass" of a monthslong trial.

  • February 28, 2024

    Millionaire Dating Site's Arb. Bid Goes Broke In BIPA Suit

    A dating service for millionaires cannot force one of its users to arbitrate proposed class claims that the company unlawfully collects and stores biometric templates of users' faces, a California federal judge ruled, saying the company hasn't shown the user assented to its service agreement that included an arbitration provision.

  • February 28, 2024

    Calif. Judge Denies Ethics Complaint Of Drugs, Antisemitism

    A California state judge categorically denied an ethics complaint accusing him of using a cannabis oil vape pen, pantomiming "something similar to a lap dance" on a woman married to a local public defender and repeatedly calling another public defender an antisemitic slur during a camping trip.

  • February 28, 2024

    'You Gave Away Your Case': Crypto Win Wilts At High Court

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday leaned toward letting a technical tug-of-war continue in litigation accusing the cryptocurrency platform Coinbase Inc. of running a sketchy sweepstakes, as multiple justices suggested the Ninth Circuit overlooked key issues when it sided with aggrieved consumers.

  • February 28, 2024

    Google Search Judge Lets Rival's Keyboard Suit Proceed

    The same D.C. federal judge presiding over the government's search monopolization suit against Google sent up a tantalizing smoke signal for that case Tuesday in refusing to toss an Android keyboard app developer's separate antitrust lawsuit against the technology giant, rejecting key defense arguments meant to cast doubt on Google's alleged dominance.

  • February 28, 2024

    Sbarro Worker Appeals 'Prejudiced' Verdict On Rape Claims

    A former Sbarro employee asked the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to order a retrial on her allegations that she was sexually assaulted multiple times by a manager and co-workers, claiming a jury verdict favoring the company resulted from a trial tainted by prejudicial assertions, improper evidence and defamatory comments toward her and her counsel.

  • February 28, 2024

    Wells Fargo Fired Teller For AML Whistleblowing, Suit Says

    Wells Fargo faces an ex-employee's suit alleging the bank fired her in retaliation after she raised concerns that the bank's "streamlined" online account opening process allowed customers to open accounts even if they'd previously failed screening aimed at preventing money laundering.

  • February 28, 2024

    Judge Puts Patent Biz, Not Its Lawyer, On Hook For Atty Fees

    A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday opted to punish an alleged shell company, but not its litigious attorney, for asserting patents that were already expired in another failed lawsuit, this time against television maker Vizio Inc.

  • February 28, 2024

    9th Circ. Revives Suit Over Google's Cell Data Use In Androids

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday partially revived a putative class action by Android users accusing Google of illegally using their cellular data allotments to transmit information back to itself, finding they plausibly allege Google's "unauthorized transfer" could block customers from using data they purchased from their carriers.

Expert Analysis

  • Issues Arise As Cos. Shift From Class Actions To Arbitration

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    As corporations like Epson and Samsung move from class action to arbitration, challenges such as a lack of transparency and delay tactics have emerged, leaving a pressing need for legislative reform to ensure accountability and to uphold the rights of consumers and employees, says former Maine Attorney General Andrew Ketterer.

  • Opinion

    SEC Actions Against Musk Are Constitutionally Defective

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent subpoena enforcement action against Elon Musk may be constitutionally and statutorily deficient — and the commission staff who issued the subpoenas and the action may have been unconstitutionally appointed, say Alex Lipman at Lipman Law and Justin Weddle at Weddle Law.

  • New Calif. Hemp, CBD Rules Affect Nationwide Compliance

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    Because of its huge market share, it is imperative that operators in every state understand the nuances of California's hemp and CBD regulatory regime, including policies refined over the past year and pending legislation that would allow cannabis licensees to sell, manufacture and distribute hemp and CBD products, say Alexis Lazzeri and Meital Manzuri at Manzuri Law.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats

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    Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.

  • How Life Sciences Cos. Can Prevent Securities Class Actions

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    Though the overall volume of securities fraud class actions has dipped in the last couple of years, life sciences companies remain a particularly popular target for these filings and should employ best practices to minimize risk, say Joni Jacobsen and Angela Liu at Dechert.

  • How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies

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    Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.

  • Why Bankruptcy Is A Budding Alternative For Cannabis Cos.

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    A set of recent decisions from a California bankruptcy court regarding The Hacienda Co. signal a retreat from a zero-tolerance policy requiring dismissal of any bankruptcy case involving a cannabis-related business, and show why cannabis companies could benefit from having full access to the bankruptcy system, say George Singer and Rachel Gillette at Holland & Hart.

  • Navigating Over-The-Counter Product Ads After FTC Warning

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    Attorneys at Hunton examine advertising substantiation requirements under both the Federal Trade Commission Act and Lanham Act, following recent FTC letters informing hundreds of companies that over-the-counter product marketing claims must be corroborated by scientific evidence.

  • AGs' Distaste For Food Bill May Signal Other State Issues

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    States' recent opposition to a proposed federal law that would block them from regulating out-of-state agricultural production could affect issues beyond this narrow debate, such as the balance of state and federal regulatory power, reproductive rights post-Dobbs, and energy production and water use, say Christopher Allen and Stephen Cobb at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial

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    Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.

  • When Calif. Health Shield Law Reaches Beyond State Borders

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    In light of California's newly signed shield law to increase protections for reproductive health and gender-affirming care, it's important to understand how the law's covered services and key legal protections could affect patients and providers nationwide, says Natalie Birnbaum at Nelson Hardiman.

  • Why All Cos. Should Take Note Of Calif. GHG Disclosure Laws

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    Two recent California laws involving the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's upcoming final rule, focus on financial services firms' so-called financed emissions, meaning vastly more companies than those directly subject to today's reporting mandates will be required to supply climate-related risk disclosures, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • Ruling Shows Barriers Remain For Kids' Privacy Regulation

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    A California federal court’s recent decision halting state officials from enforcing the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act demonstrates that major roadblocks continue to obstruct regulation intended to make browsing more appropriate for children, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • 2nd Circ. OT Ruling Guides On Pay For Off-The-Clock Work

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    While the Second Circuit’s recent holding in Perry v. City of New York reiterated that the Fair Labor Standards Act obligates employers to pay overtime for off-the-clock work, it recognized circumstances, such as an employee’s failure to report, that allow an employer to disclaim the knowledge element that triggers this obligation, say Robert Whitman and Kyle Winnick at Seyfarth.

  • Cases Linking Baby Food, Autism Pose Causation Challenges

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    Major baby food producers are now in the crosshairs of regulators, consumer advocates and plaintiffs attorneys over allegations their products contain heavy metals that harm children's development — but it will be difficult for plaintiffs to establish causation, as shown by the lengthy court battles over tobacco and talc, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.

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