California

  • October 01, 2026

    Lyft To Pay $272.5M To Settle California Misclassification Suit

    Lyft has agreed to pay $272.5 million in what California officials called the largest settlement of its kind in state history, resolving claims that the ride-hailing company misclassified drivers as independent contractors and denied them wages and benefits, the state announced Thursday.

  • October 01, 2026

    Online Vape Store Adds Junk Fees To Orders, Suit Claims

    A pair of vape buyers are suing Element Vape in California state court, alleging the vape seller adds junk fees to its orders in the form of a "route package protection fee" that adds virtually no value for the customer.

  • October 01, 2026

    Calif. Gov. Vetoes Expanded Menopause Bias Protections

    California's governor rejected legislation passed by lawmakers that would have added menopause to the definition of "sex" under the state's anti-discrimination statute, reasoning that the move would have been redundant and could have triggered unnecessary litigation.

  • September 30, 2026

    Federal Bar Discussion Looks At Courts' Role In Regulating AI

    A Federal Bar Association discussion Wednesday in California about AI and how it will be regulated in the United States prompted the Northern District's new chief judge to ask whether Congress' "inability to pass laws" will leave it to the courts "to figure out how we're going to do this."

  • September 30, 2026

    Newsom Signs New AI Worker Protections, Atty Limits

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed a slate of laws aimed at placing guardrails on artificial intelligence, including protecting workers from job losses, limiting its use in the practice of law and strengthening safeguards against deepfakes.

  • September 30, 2026

    9th Circ. Judges Doubt X's Claims Against Anti-Hate Group

    Ninth Circuit judges appeared skeptical Wednesday of X Corp.'s bid to revive claims against two nonprofits for scraping tweets to study online hate speech, with one judge questioning X's contract damages claim and another doubting that the nonprofits could be held liable for publishing true information.

  • September 30, 2026

    Victoria's Secret Violated Deal For Instagram Ad, Model Says

    Victoria's Secret unlawfully used a professional model's entire face in a recent Instagram perfume advertisement, despite explicit restrictions in the parties' contract to use less than 30%, and refused to pay additional compensation for doing so, according to a right-of-publicity lawsuit filed in California federal court.

  • September 30, 2026

    Paramount Gets OK On Deal With State AGs Over Merger

    A California federal judge gave the green light Wednesday to a settlement to end a group of state enforcers' challenge of Paramount Skydance's planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying the resolution reflects a "good faith approach" to alleviate concerns that the merger will stifle entertainment industry competition.

  • September 30, 2026

    Marilyn Monroe Home's Owners Lose Landmark Fight, Again

    A California federal judge nixed claims that Los Angeles officials improperly landmarked the home where Marilyn Monroe died without properly compensating the owners, ruling Monday that the landmark status isn't a regulatory taking and that the city never authorized or encouraged lookie-loo trespassers.

  • September 30, 2026

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: Candace Owens, Firm DQ

    In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights a new suit over right-wing media personality Candace Owens and her conspiracy theories about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, as well as Quinn Emanuel's disqualification from a suit against a former client.

  • September 30, 2026

    Newsom Signs Law Letting California Target Solo Monopolies

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Wednesday that expands California's Cartwright Act to allow the state to pursue monopoly and monopsony claims against a solo company, instead of requiring multicompany coordinated conduct, saying the bill is "leveling the playing field" for small businesses. 

  • September 30, 2026

    Meta Fights 'Monster' Proposed $1.1B CIPA Judgment

    Meta has urged a California federal judge not to grant a partial final judgment of more than $1.1 billion against it for unlawfully obtaining sensitive data from users of the menstrual tracking app Flo, saying the judgment it criticized as "Frankenstein's monster" violates its due process rights.

  • September 30, 2026

    Joby Air Taxi Trade Secrets Suit Against Archer Trimmed

    A California federal judge has cleared Joby Aviation to advance a slimmed-down lawsuit alleging rival electric air-taxi developer Archer Aviation misappropriated its trade secrets, but again rejected Archer's counterclaims alleging Joby unfairly jockeyed for government contracts and concealed its pervasive China ties.

  • September 30, 2026

    23andMe Beats Calif.'s Bankruptcy Sale Privacy Challenge

    A Missouri federal judge on Tuesday denied California's bid to undo the $305 million bankruptcy sale of 23andMe over concerns that the sale sidestepped state consumer data protections, ruling that the state lacks standing to challenge the sale and that the court's "good-faith" findings aren't clearly erroneous.  

  • September 30, 2026

    Google Looks To Toss 'Implausible' Amended AI Spying Action

    Google is seeking to permanently end the third iteration of a proposed action alleging its "Smart Features" unlawfully give Gemini AI access to users' private correspondence, asserting Google's privacy policy allows it to automatically collect such communication data.

  • September 30, 2026

    Tort Report: Uber Owes $40M In Abandoned Rider Death Case

    A $40 million arbitration award in a case over an Uber incident and looming litigation against the federal government over a highly publicized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a Hyundai-LG plant in Georgia lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • September 30, 2026

    Monster Energy Bares Teeth Over Car Parts Co.'s Claw Mark

    Monster Energy has accused Monster Transmission of copying its "M" logo, complete with the claw and scratch design and bright green-and-black color scheme, and trading on the energy drink company's recognition and goodwill in the motorsports and automotive industry.

  • September 30, 2026

    Tech Co. Sensata Can't Duck Data Breach Class Action

    Sensata Technologies Inc. must face a lawsuit over a cybersecurity breach, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Wednesday, finding that the industrial sensor technology company's former employees adequately pled that the ransomware attack has exposed them to a risk of identity theft.

  • September 30, 2026

    UC Davis Accused Of Gender Bias In Financial Aid To Athletes

    Current and former University of California, Davis women's equestrian team members upset with the athletic program's downgrade from Division I status are accusing the school of violating Title IX by giving female student-athletes proportionally "far less" financial aid.

  • September 30, 2026

    IP Notebook: AI Dilution, Alamo TM, India Copyright Ruling

    An unsettled copyright theory over competition from artificial intelligence-generated works and a trademark clash between Texas and an association representing descendants of those who fought at the Battle of the Alamo lead this edition of Law360's look at emerging copyright and trademark issues.

  • September 30, 2026

    Paramount Can't Ax Most Claims In Pluto TV Privacy Action

    A California federal judge Tuesday allowed seven claims to proceed in an amended action alleging Paramount Skydance Corp. unlawfully disclosed the personally identifiable information of children who streamed content on its Pluto TV service, finding the parents sufficiently alleged privacy injuries after an earlier dismissal.

  • September 30, 2026

    Relator Must Seek Part Of $4.7B Opioid Deal In State Courts

    A whistleblower must turn to state courts to pursue his bid for a portion of a $4.7 billion settlement between Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and a group of states resolving opioid-related claims against the retail pharmacy chain, an Illinois federal judge ruled.

  • September 30, 2026

    3 States Ask High Court To Block Abortion Shield Laws

    Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to strike down shield laws for reproductive care in New York, California and Massachusetts, alleging they illegally allow the mailing of abortion medication into states that restrict or ban abortion.

  • September 30, 2026

    Brothers Cop To Tax Crimes From Golf Side Hustle

    Twin brothers pled guilty to failing to report $1.3 million in income to the Internal Revenue Service, including money made from a golf tee-time brokering business they ran as a side hustle, California federal prosecutors said.

  • September 30, 2026

    Seyfarth Brings On Glaser Weil RE, Entertainment Pro In LA

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP has added an attorney specializing in the intersection of real estate and the entertainment industry to its downtown Los Angeles office from Glaser Weil Fink Howard Jordan & Shapiro LLP.

Expert Analysis

  • Looking Beyond Calif. Climate Laws As NY Bills Advance

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    California's climate disclosure legislation has made emissions and risk reporting a practical reality — and now that New York is working on its own climate disclosure bills, companies must confront a future in which compliance systems will need to be ready for multiple states' reporting regimes, says Thierry Montoya at FBT Gibbons.

  • 5 Rules In 10 Weeks: Inside Genius Act's Implementation Blitz

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    Regulators have proposed five Genius Act rules in a striking span of 10 weeks, building a stablecoin framework that, with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency at its operational center, will shape oversight and force issuers, banks and fintechs to take action as deadlines approach, say attorneys at Cahill.

  • Series

    NY Times Word Puzzles Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Every morning I let The New York Times humble me with word games, which offer a chance to recalibrate my brain before the day's chaos arrives and remind me that a solution — whether to a puzzle or employment law issue — almost always exists once I find the right angle, says Amy Epstein Gluck at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lesson: Diagnose Before Arguing

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    Law school often skips over explicitly teaching students how to determine what kind of problem a case presents before they commit to a particular doctrinal path, which risks building arguments that are internally coherent but externally misaligned, says Melanie Oxhorn at Kobre & Kim.

  • Becoming The Biz-Savvy GC That Portfolio Companies Need

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    Candidates for general counsel roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies should prioritize proving their sector-specific experience, commercial judgment and ease with uncertainty — and attorneys hoping to be candidates in five to 10 years should start working on those skills now, says Dimitri Mastrocola at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • A Framework For Habeas Relief After 5th Circ. Bond Ruling

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    Following the Fifth Circuit’s recent Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi decision foreclosing statutory bond for detained nonimmigrants not deemed admitted to the U.S., lawyers should adopt a framework that requests habeas relief pursuant to the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Sentencing Tips For Defending Crypto Conspiracy Cases

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    The sentencing of Evan Tangeman to 70 months in federal prison for laundering money in a cryptocurrency conspiracy illustrates that defense attorneys representing clients in multidefendant crypto cases need to understand the mechanics of conspiracy liability, loss attribution and restitution exposure before they reach the sentencing table, says Joseph De Gregorio at Sentencing Advocacy.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • Nexstar Offers A Cautionary Tale On State-Level Deal Scrutiny

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    State-enforcement challenges to the $6.2 billion Nexstar-Tegna merger remind legal practitioners that federal approval isn't always sufficient to deliver certainty on closing, integration and timetable assumptions, says Brett Story at Britehorn Securities.

  • How 'Bundling' Enforcement Is Parsing Efficiency, Access

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    Recent antitrust enforcement actions have taken a selective view of companies' bundling of products or services — challenging it when it shuts out rivals, but tolerating it when it creates efficient scale — making the real test now less about lower prices than about whether competition is being blocked, says attorney Alan Kusinitz.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • Operational AI Washing: A New Securities Class Action

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    In rising claims of operational AI washing — plaintiffs alleging that artificial intelligence was invoked to explain corporate business decisions in ways that may obscure underlying financial distress — earnings calls, restructuring disclosures and board-level communications will serve as key defense evidence, say attorneys at Akerman.

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