California

  • April 19, 2024

    Investor Suit Over Intel's Chip Production Won't Be Rebooted

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday upheld a federal district court's dismissal of a proposed class action against Intel that alleged the tech giant hid problems with the production of its highly anticipated new computer processors, ruling the suit fails to show the defendants knew the company would miss the projected product release date.

  • April 19, 2024

    PE Exec Can Recoup $1M 'Varsity Blues' Forfeiture

    A private equity executive whose conviction in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions case was almost entirely wiped out by the First Circuit is entitled to a refund of $1 million he paid to the scheme's ringleader, a federal judge ruled Friday.

  • April 19, 2024

    Judge Mulls Axing Biomedical Cos.' $25M Punitive Damages

    Not enough evidence supports Skye Orthobiologics' $25.5 million punitive damages award against an ex-employee found to have breached his fiduciary duties by leveraging Skye's proprietary information, a California federal judge has ruled, asking for briefing on whether the proper remedy is to cut the damages or grant a new trial.

  • April 19, 2024

    Calif. Union Plan Pays $2.5M To End Early Retirement Suit

    A pension plan for union-represented Northern California metalworkers, the plan administrator and a law firm will pay roughly $2.5 million to end a proposed class action alleging about 30 early retirees weren't given the full benefits they were promised, according to paperwork filed Friday in California federal court.

  • April 19, 2024

    CVS Narrows But Can't End HIV Patients' Disability Bias Suit

    A California federal judge declined to toss a disability bias lawsuit brought by HIV or AIDS patients alleging CVS Pharmacy Inc. made their medication harder to get, saying federal regulations and even an internal company study warned that the program at issue was potentially problematic.

  • April 19, 2024

    Steelmaker Asks ITC To Halt EV Imports From Vietnamese Co.

    Luxembourg-based steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal is asking the U.S. International Trade Commission to bar electric vehicle imports from Vinfast, which claims to be the first Vietnamese business to ship electric cars worldwide, with ArcelorMittal saying the company is infringing its patented aluminum-steel coating.

  • April 19, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Abortions & Presidential Immunity

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return Monday for the term's final week of oral arguments, during which it will consider several high-stakes disputes, including whether a federal healthcare law can preempt state abortion bans and whether former President Donald Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal charges related to official acts.

  • April 19, 2024

    9th Circ. Won't Revive J2 Investor's Suit Alleging Insider Deals

    The Ninth Circuit declined Friday to revive a proposed securities fraud class action alleging that J2 Global Inc. hid underperforming acquisitions and dubious investments that benefited company insiders, finding the plaintiff investor did not sufficiently plead scienter as to alleged nondisclosures or that purported misstatements caused his losses.

  • April 19, 2024

    Zurich Insurance Hit With $80M Verdict Over 3 Terminations

    Three former Zurich American Insurance Co. employees were awarded over $80 million by a Sacramento, California, jury that found they were wrongfully terminated for taking unofficial time off that the plaintiffs said was approved by their supervisor. 

  • April 19, 2024

    Student Housing Co. Founder Claims She Was Pushed Out

    A co-founder of a global company formed to provide booking for student housing sued her former colleague in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Friday, alleging a scheme by insiders to push her out of the business and then line up a sale to avoid a judgment after the move's reversal.

  • April 19, 2024

    Protein Powder Co. Can't Boost $10M Trade Dress Award

    Protein powder maker Orgain wasn't able to increase its $10 million jury award it won in a trade dress infringement lawsuit against a rival, with a California federal judge saying she wouldn't give it a "massive windfall."

  • April 19, 2024

    AI Image Cos. Say Artists Offer Little Proof In Copyright Case

    Four companies that make or distribute artificial intelligence software that creates art through prompts have told a California federal court that a proposed class action from artists must end, arguing the plaintiffs still have not shown proof that any of the businesses infringed or induced infringement of copyrighted works.

  • April 19, 2024

    Paramount Says 'Wolfman' Claims In 'Top Gun' Suit Don't Fly

    Paramount Pictures has urged a California federal court to toss a lawsuit from the actor who played Henry "Wolfman" Ruth in the original "Top Gun," saying he cannot claim his image was used in the 2022 sequel without his permission because the movie studio owns all rights to the Wolfman character.

  • April 19, 2024

    J&J Unit Sued Over Defective Knee Replacements

    A woman is suing Johnson & Johnson unit DePuy Orthopaedics in New Jersey federal court, alleging it marketed and sold a faulty knee replacement system that's prone to failing, requiring additional surgery to fix the issue.

  • April 19, 2024

    NYT Inks Revised $2.4M Deal In Auto-Renewal Case

    A class of New York Times readers who sued over the newspaper's automatic subscription renewal charges has asked a Manhattan federal court for initial approval of a roughly $2.4 million settlement, after the Second Circuit shot down an earlier agreement due to concerns about attorney fees.

  • April 19, 2024

    Arnold & Porter Atty Returns To Greenberg Traurig In Calif.

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has rehired a former associate from Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP whose practice focuses on a range of environmental litigation dealing with cancer-causing chemicals, plastic pollutants and the laws surrounding their regulation.

  • April 19, 2024

    Antitrust Case Judge Reveals Husband's Ties With Apple

    A New Jersey federal magistrate judge assigned to the U.S. Department of Justice's recent iPhone antitrust case disclosed on Friday that her husband has ties to Apple, but told the parties she does not believe she needs to recuse herself.

  • April 19, 2024

    Off The Bench: NCAA Rules, Trans Athlete Win, NBA Pro's Ban

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA formally lifted restrictions on athletes transferring schools and how they can receive name, image and likeness money, West Virginia's transgender sports ban is dealt a blow by the Fourth Circuit, and betting costs an NBA player his career.

  • April 19, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Kirkland, Cleary, O'Melveny

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Resideo Technologies Inc. announced plans to buy Snap One Holdings Corp., APi Group said it bought an elevator maintenance company, Prysmian said it agreed to purchase Encore Wire, and Sayari said it closed on an investment from TPG.

  • April 19, 2024

    Twitter Can't Sink Age Bias Suit Over Post-Musk Layoffs

    A California federal judge has refused to throw out a former Twitter employee's proposed class action alleging that a wave of layoffs following Elon Musk's acquisition of the social media platform now called X disproportionately pushed out older workers, saying the suit had enough detail to stay in court.

  • April 18, 2024

    'Severe Impact' If HBCUs Paid Athletes, NLRB Judge Told

    A commissioner of an athletic conference for historically black colleges and universities testified Thursday in a hearing before a National Labor Relations Board judge that being forced to pay student-athletes a salary and treat them as employees would have a "severe impact" on those institutions. 

  • April 18, 2024

    Amazon Ignored Labor, IP Laws In AI 'Panic,' Ex-Worker Says

    An artificial intelligence researcher suing Amazon for labor law violations says it disregarded numerous laws in a frantic attempt to catch up to its AI rivals, directing her to ignore copyright laws in developing its large language models and retaliating when her pregnancy leave coincided with a rival's product launch.

  • April 18, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy CEO Wanted Whistleblower Fired, Ex-GC Says

    Former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch thought a finance department whistleblower was "trying to destroy the company" and wanted him fired, the software company's former U.S. general counsel testified Thursday in a criminal fraud trial over claims Lynch conned HP into buying the British company at an inflated price of $11.7 billion.

  • April 18, 2024

    Citi Can Arbitrate Anti-Armenian Bias Suit, Judge Rules

    Citibank has won its bid to arbitrate proposed class claims that it discriminated against customers with Armenian surnames, as a Los Angeles federal judge found Wednesday that the plaintiff agreed to arbitrate allegations like these when she became a party to her Citibank card agreement.

  • April 18, 2024

    Samsung Gets PTAB To Sink Netlist Patent Claim

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has sided with Samsung's arguments that a claim in a patent owned by chipmaker Netlist wasn't valid, after the board already found that an earlier decade-old suit against Google didn't block Samsung's petition.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • Following Banking Regulators' Breadcrumbs To 2024 Priorities

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    Through blog posts, speeches, and formal guidance and regulations, prudential and other federal and state financial regulators laid out a road map last year pointing to compliance priorities that should be reflected in financial institutions' planning this year, say Laurel Loomis Rimon and Gina Shabana at Jenner & Block.

  • 1869 Case May Pave Off-Ramp For Justices In Trump DQ Fight

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    In deciding whether former President Donald Trump is disqualified from Colorado's Republican primary ballots, the U.S. Supreme Court could rely on due process principles articulated in a Reconstruction-era case to avert a chaotic or undemocratic outcome, says Gordon Renneisen at Cornerstone Law Group.

  • Directors And Officers Face Unique AI-Related Risks

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    As privacy, intellectual property and discrimination lawsuits focusing on artificial intelligence increase, corporate directors and officers must stay aware of associated risks, including those related to compliance, litigation and cybersecurity, says Jonathan Meer at Wilson Elser.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • New Strain Of Web Tracking Suits Pose Risks For Retailers

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    Amid an ongoing surge of California state and federal lawsuits that are using novel theories to allege companies used certain recording technologies to illegally track website users, retailers should take steps to develop a potential argument that customers consented to any alleged uses of these devices, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • 9 Tools To Manage PAGA Claims After Calif. High Court Ruling

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    In Estrada v. Royalty Carpet Mills, the California Supreme Court recently dealt a blow to employers by ruling that courts cannot dismiss Private Attorneys General Act claims on manageability grounds, but defendants and courts can still use arbitration agreements, due process challenges and other methods when dealing with unmanageable claims, says Ryan Krueger at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Workplace Speech Policies Limit Legal And PR Risks

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    As workers increasingly speak out on controversies like the 2024 elections and the Israel-Hamas war, companies should implement practical workplace expression policies and plans to protect their brands and mitigate the risk of violating federal and state anti-discrimination and free speech laws, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Staying Ahead Of The AI Policymaking Curve

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    With artificial intelligence poised to be the hottest legislative and regulatory topic in 2024, expect the AI policymaking toolbox to continue to expand and evolve as stakeholders in the U.S. and abroad develop, deploy, use and learn more about these technologies, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • 10 Years Of Retail Battles: Unpacking Pricing Litigation Trends

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    A close look at a decade of pricing class actions against retailers reveals evolving trends, plaintiffs bar strategies, and the effects of significant court decisions across states, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success

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    Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.

  • Opinion

    CFPB Must Clarify When Anti-Fraud Benefits Offset Harms

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ill-explained orders against two banks, concerning legitimate unemployment accounts that were frozen in attempts to control COVID-era fraud, illustrate an urgent need for bureau guidance on when the systemwide benefits of a potentially unfair practice outweigh the risk of harming a minority of consumers, says Jonathan Joshua at Joshua Law Firm.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: A Strong Year For MDLs

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    While the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation granted even fewer MDL petitions last year than in 2022, hitting a 21st-century low, a closer look at the record-setting number of total actions encompassed within current proceedings reveals that MDL practice is still quite robust, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • How Consumer Product Cos. Can Keep Up With Class Actions

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    Recent cases show California's federal courts and the Ninth Circuit remain the preferred arena for consumers pursuing false advertising and trade deception claims against companies — so manufacturers, distributors and retailers of consumer products should continue to watch these courts for guidance on how to fight class actions, say attorneys at Dechert.

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