CaliforniaRSS

  • April 15, 2009

    Climate Bill Should Comply With WTO: Trade Rep.

    President Obama's point person for trade policy told Republican lawmakers that the administration was pushing for climate change legislation being debated in Congress to comply with existing international trade rules.

  • April 15, 2009

    Group Told To Cough Up $51M Over Ponzi Scheme

    A federal judge has ordered two coal mining companies, an investment firm and a pair of executives to fork over a combined $51 million as part of a deal with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve charges that they scammed investors with a fairy tale involving a Saudi prince and Israeli gold.

  • April 16, 2009

    Arbitration Ordered In $6M Suit Over E&O Policy

    The owners of an investment advisory firm seeking indemnification from broker-dealer Securities America Inc. for a $6.3 million judgment in an investment fraud suit must arbitrate their claims, a judge has ruled.

  • April 15, 2009

    Coke-Addicted Snell Wilmer Partner Denied Benefits

    Finding that Unum Life Insurance Co. of America did not abuse its discretion when it terminated disability benefits for a former Snell & Wilmer LLP partner who was treated for cocaine addiction, a federal judge has granted summary judgment to the insurance company and the firm's welfare benefits plan administrator.

  • April 15, 2009

    Broker Indicted For Alleged Role In $40M Scam

    A Folsom, Calif., man has been indicted for allegedly orchestrating a $40 million Ponzi scheme that ensnared 150 investors, many of whom he met through his church.

  • April 15, 2009

    Pacific Energy's Unsecured Creditors Tap Steptoe

    Creditors of bankrupt oil and gas exploration firm Pacific Energy Resources Ltd. have asked a court to approve the hire of Steptoe & Johnson LLP as their lead counsel.

  • April 15, 2009

    WARN Act Suit V. Heller Ehrman Sent To ADR

    The federal judge overseeing a putative WARN Act class action that accuses bankrupt Heller Ehrman LLP of failing to pay wages and benefits to workers terminated in mass layoffs in late 2008 has agreed to send the case to early neutral evaluation.

  • April 15, 2009

    UK Objections To £73.5M Fuel Surcharge Deal Dropped

    Three U.K. citizens have agreed to drop their objections to a £73.5 million ($110 million) settlement of price-fixing claims against British Airways PLC and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd., clearing the way for U.K. airline passengers to obtain compensation.

  • April 15, 2009

    Citi, Wachovia To Pay $878M To Settle ARS Probe

    The brokerage units of Citigroup Inc. and Wachovia Corp. have reached global settlements to put an end to an investigation of claims that the firms concealed the liquidity risks of investing in the doomed auction rate securities market.

  • April 14, 2009

    Class Action Over Albertson's Lockout Moves Forward

    Union employees of the Albertson's grocery chain will be allowed to move forward with classwide allegations that they deserved unemployment insurance benefits during an 18-week lockout, a California state appeal court has ruled.

  • April 14, 2009

    Bookham, JDS Uniphase Settle Laser Patents Spat

    Optical components manufacturer Bookham Inc. and rival JDS Uniphase Corp. have reached a deal in their spat over several laser technology patents, resolving litigation between the companies.

  • April 14, 2009

    In Boost For Microsoft, PTO Rejects Alcatel Patent

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected a long-disputed Alcatel-Lucent patent, helping Microsoft Corp. in its quest to overturn a $358 million jury verdict handed down against the software giant.

  • April 14, 2009

    Central Coast Salamanders Are Threatened: 9th Circ.

    A federal appeals court has affirmed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's designation of a salamander species as threatened in one of its remaining habitats, turning back a legal challenge brought by the Home Builders Association of Northern California.

  • April 14, 2009

    Pepsi Strikes Back At Coke Over Sports Drink Ads

    PepsiCo Inc. has fired off another suit against archrival The Coca-Cola Co., this time accusing Coke of running misleading ads about the effectiveness of Pepsi's Gatorade products compared with Coke's new Powerade ION4 sports drinks.

  • April 15, 2009

    Seyfarth Grabs Hunton Labor Guru For NY Office

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP has picked up a veteran litigator specializing in labor and employment law for its New York office from Hunton & Williams LLP.

  • July 8, 2009

    DOJ Shift On Pay-For-Delay Puts Focus On Courts

    In a reversal of its stance under the Bush administration, the U.S. Department of Justice this week aligned itself with the Federal Trade Commission against “pay-for-delay” settlements between branded-drug makers and their generics competitors, a move experts say could inspire courts to rethink their views of the deals.

  • April 15, 2009

    Samsung To License Digital Rights Mgt. Technology

    Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has signed a patent licensing agreement with technology company Intertrust Technologies, granting the Korean electronics company a worldwide license to use Intertrust patents covering digital rights management technology.

  • April 14, 2009

    Inventor Katz Drops Covington For Cooley Godward

    Covington & Burling LLP has sought to withdraw as counsel for patent-holding company Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing LP in its suit against Ameren Corp. accusing the energy company of infringing patents for automated call processing, noting that Katz retained another firm.

  • April 14, 2009

    Trustee Makes Grab For Alliance Bank Account Info

    The trustee managing the liquidation of failed mortgage lender Alliance Bancorp has asked the federal judge overseeing the proceedings to force Morgan Stanley and the Union Bank of California to produce account records for the months leading up to Alliance's Chapter 7 filing.

  • April 14, 2009

    Intel, Insurer Duel Over Coverage For Antitrust Spat

    Intel Corp. and one of its insurers have filed competing motions in a battle to see whether the chip maker's duty to defend suits against the insurer over costs incurred in an underlying suit involving antitrust allegations will be tried in federal or state court.