California

  • April 22, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, Delaware's Chancery Court news included a Tesla announcement about moving to Texas, a midcase appeal of Tripadvisor's move to Nevada, and United Airlines' escape from a stockholder suit. Disputes about board entrenchment, squeeze-out mergers, co-founder fallouts and deadly ice cream moved ahead.

  • April 22, 2024

    PE-Backed Cruise Operator Viking Sets Sights On $1B IPO

    Private equity-backed cruise operator Viking Holdings Ltd. on Monday set a price range on an estimated $1 billion initial public offering, represented by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and underwriters counsel Latham & Watkins LLP, marking the latest test of the IPO market's nascent recovery.

  • April 22, 2024

    Hyundai, Kia Drivers Want $13M Fees In Car Theft Defect Deal

    A consumer class of Hyundai and Kia drivers who claimed that the companies knowingly sold them cars with defects that made them easy to steal asked a California federal judge for final approval of their $145 million deal, with $13.4 million in fees, after an objector said the deal wasn't enough.

  • April 22, 2024

    GRSM50 Adds Wilson Turner Litigation Vet In San Diego

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, now known as GRSM50, is expanding its Southern California team, bringing in a Wilson Turner Kosmo LLP employment and class action pro as a partner in San Diego.

  • April 19, 2024

    Edelson Pitches 'Better Way' To Pick Leads In Privacy Suits

    Plaintiffs in proposed privacy class actions should be given more say in who's picked as class counsel, in order to crack down on the "anemic settlements" that have resulted from the ineffective "old way of litigating" these matters, law firm Edelson PC argued in vying for lead counsel in a dispute over a data breach at genetics testing provider 23andMe.

  • April 19, 2024

    Meta Faces Uphill Fight To Nix AG Claims In Addiction MDL

    A California judge expressed skepticism Friday over Meta's bid to ax the claims of 34 state attorneys general from multidistrict litigation over social media platforms' allegedly addictive design, saying Meta and its co-defendants haven't been transparent about how their platforms work, and it's plausible the states can obtain psychiatric treatment receipts to show economic injuries.

  • April 19, 2024

    Real Estate Authority: Small Bank Loans, ULI, Lunar Housing

    Law360 Real Estate Authority covers the most important real estate deals, litigation, policies and trends. Catch up on this week's key developments by state — as well as on the rising regulatory focus on small-bank commercial real estate loans, takeaways from the Urban Land Institute's Resilience Summit, and an architect's guide to lunar housing.

  • April 19, 2024

    A Cannabis Constitutional Fight, And The Calif. Atty Behind It

    Federal appellate courts are mulling multiple challenges to state and local cannabis licensure programs, all brought by one California-based attorney and each alleging that the dormant commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution must apply to federally illegal marijuana.

  • April 19, 2024

    Uber, Lyft Ask Justices To Review Calif. Arbitration 'Loophole'

    Uber Technologies and Lyft Inc. asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a California appellate court's decision rejecting their efforts to force into arbitration coordinated litigation alleging they misclassified drivers as independent contractors, saying the Golden State is trying to "create a loophole" in the Federal Arbitration Act.

  • April 19, 2024

    Ex-Lewis Brisbois Atty Accuses Firm Of Bias, Unethical Billing

    A former attorney for Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has sued the firm in Los Angeles court, alleging gender discrimination in pay and retaliation for raising concerns over its "unethical billing practices," marking the second discrimination suit filed against the firm since March.

  • April 19, 2024

    AI Health Data Co. Faces Investor Suit Over Accounting Issues

    Atlanta-based health data platform company Sharecare and two of its executives face accusations that they failed to disclose certain accounting issues to investors, leading to stock price declines when the issues became public, according to a shareholder suit filed Friday in California federal court.

  • April 19, 2024

    Ex-Gibson Dunn Partners Battle Firm Over Sealed Records

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP is fighting anonymous ex-partners' bid to unseal a contractual arbitration award granted to a former co-chair of the firm's appellate practice, saying the documents contain trade secrets — such as details about the firm's compensation and partnership structure — that other top law firms could exploit to gain an advantage in a competitive recruitment market.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • SAG-AFTRA Contract Is A Landmark For AI And IP Interplay

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    SAG-AFTRA's recently ratified contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers introduced a framework to safeguard performers' intellectual property rights and set the stage for future discussions on how those rights interact with artificial intelligence — which should put entertainment businesses on alert for compliance, says Evynne Grover at QBE.

  • Reducing Carbon Footprint Requires A Tricky Path For CRE

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    As real estate owners find themselves caught between rapidly evolving environmental, social and governance initiatives and complicated societal debate, they will need to carefully establish formal plans to remain both competitive and compliant, say Michael Kuhn and Mahira Khan at Jackson Walker.

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