California

  • January 13, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Loggers' Suit Does Not Show A Monopoly

    The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a lawsuit by a coalition of logging groups that accused a U.S. Forest Service contractor of monopolizing the industry in the Pacific Northwest, finding the plaintiffs' antitrust claims lacked adequate details.

  • January 13, 2026

    Blue States Say HHS Conditions Funding On Anti-Trans Bias

    A dozen Democratic state attorneys general sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, claiming the agency's threat to withhold billions of dollars in funding from states that don't hew to an executive order declaring that gender is immutable conflicts with antidiscrimination law.

  • January 13, 2026

    Google's $30M Kids' Data Deal OK'd As Class Attys Get $9M

    The California federal judge overseeing a long-running class action accusing Google and YouTube of illegally collecting children's data for targeted advertising granted final approval Tuesday to the tech giant's $30 million settlement, including $9 million in fees for class counsel, despite her concerns that millions of apparently fraudulent settlement claims have been submitted.

  • January 13, 2026

    Youths Urge 9th Circ. To Revive Trump Energy Orders Fight

    A group of young people asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's energy-related emergency orders, arguing the lower court erred by saying it did not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter.

  • January 13, 2026

    'America's Coffee' Doesn't Mean Made In US, Black Rifle Says

    Black Rifle Coffee has urged a California federal judge to toss claims it deceives consumers into believing its beans are harvested in the U.S., arguing the American flag and slogan "America's Coffee" on its packaging don't indicate geographic origin, but rather invoke the company's patriotic mission and support for U.S. military vets. 

  • January 13, 2026

    College Baseball Player Latest To Sue NCAA Over Eligibility

    A pitcher attending Pepperdine University has asked a California federal judge to allow him to play for the baseball team despite NCAA rules barring him from doing so after transferring there from a non-NCAA school.

  • January 13, 2026

    USC Gould Law School, Akerman Launch Law+AI Initiative

    Akerman LLP is teaming with the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law to launch a Law+AI Initiative to help in developing the standards and regulatory path for full-scale artificial intelligence adoption across fields and industries.

  • January 13, 2026

    Gov't Didn't Allege Formula Was Contaminated, Abbott Says

    Abbott Laboratories has urged a Michigan federal judge to throw out a suit brought by the federal government over the 2022 infant formula shortage, saying the government is trying to recoup a "belated windfall" and no tainted formula left its plant's doors.

  • January 13, 2026

    Beasley Allen Talc Work Sends 'Bad Signal,' J&J Says

    Johnson & Johnson's talc unit told a New Jersey appeals panel on Tuesday that a lower court's ruling permitting Beasley Allen Law Firm attorneys to represent plaintiffs in multicounty litigation over its talc-based baby powder "sends a very bad signal" to the state bar.

  • January 13, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Gives Apple New Shot At Axing Smart Mobile Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived Apple's challenge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to a technology patent that Smart Mobile Technologies LLC accuses it of infringing.

  • January 13, 2026

    Chipotle Replaces Legal Chief Amid Leadership Moves

    Chipotle Mexican Grill has promoted its chief human resources officer, announcing Monday that she is now also the restaurant chain's chief legal officer.

  • January 12, 2026

    US Backs Tarnishment Provision Constitutionality At 9th Circ.

    Jack Daniel's has urged the Ninth Circuit to affirm a district court's ruling that a company's poop-themed "Bad Spaniels" dog toy tarnished the whiskey maker's trademark, while the federal government separately opposed the toy maker's contention that the Lanham Act's tarnishment provision violates the First Amendment.

  • January 12, 2026

    Calif. Judge Trims Antitrust Suit Over High School Athlete NIL

    A California federal magistrate judge on Friday trimmed a high school athlete's proposed antitrust class action against California high school sports regulators and media companies, dismissing for good allegations over amateurism and transfer rules but allowing the plaintiff to amend claims over name, image and likeness tied to athletes' home schools.

  • January 12, 2026

    Gov't Fights Block Of EOs Curbing Federal Unions At 9th Circ.

    The Trump administration urged a Ninth Circuit panel Monday to scrap a preliminary injunction blocking President Donald Trump's executive order that eliminates labor contracts for purported "national security agencies," arguing that federal courts lack jurisdiction over the dispute and the president is afforded broad deference in such national security determinations.

  • January 12, 2026

    DC Court Won't Rehear Calif. Tribal Recognition Dispute

    A D.C. federal judge has refused to reconsider his order denying a bid by a group of residents to block a U.S. Department of the Interior decision giving federal recognition to California's Ione Band of Miwok Indians as the tribe completes construction of a casino.

  • January 12, 2026

    How New Judges Can Smartly Manage Patent Cases

    The hefty damages at risk in patent litigation have led companies to invest significant resources into these fights, which judges tell Law360 means they’re facing more work than usual at every step of the case. In the second of a two-part series, several judges who regularly oversee patent cases provide tips on how new judges can best run their courts and keep their docket moving.

  • January 12, 2026

    Gamestop's 'Buy Online' Option Is Deceiving, Shopper Says

    Gamestop has been hit with a proposed false advertising class action in California federal court over an alleged "bait and switch" scheme that doesn't tell customers who pay for digital video games that they are only purchasing a limited license that may not be available to them in the future.

  • January 12, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Preserves Google, Keysight, Instacart Patent Wins

    The Federal Circuit on Monday summarily affirmed decisions from three patent appeals that panels heard at the end of last week, shooting down bids from WSOU Investments LLC, Centripetal Networks LLC and Consumeron LLC.

  • January 12, 2026

    Ex-Google Engineer Stole AI Secrets To Help China, Jury Told

    Driven by greed, ex-Google engineer Linwei Ding stole thousands of confidential documents from the tech giant, launched his own startup and then offered Google's artificial intelligence trade secrets to China, a federal prosecutor told a California jury Monday at the start of Ding's high-profile economic espionage trial.

  • January 12, 2026

    Apple Cites Privacy To Avoid Reporting Child Porn, Victims Say

    A proposed class of child abuse victims claiming Apple spread child sexual abuse materials has fired back against the company's latest attempt to dismiss their lawsuit in California federal court, saying it failed to implement safeguards for preventing the storage and dissemination of such materials over pretextual privacy concerns.

  • January 12, 2026

    States Fight USDA's Renewed Effort To Cut SNAP Benefits

    A coalition of states has asked a California federal judge to enforce an injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Agriculture from withholding funding from states refusing to share sensitive personal information on food assistance benefit recipients, saying the Trump administration has once again threatened to withhold the funding.

  • January 12, 2026

    Crypto Custody Startup Bitgo Launches Plans For $189M IPO

    BitGo is looking to raise roughly $189 million in an upcoming public offering steered by Fenwick & West LLP, the cryptocurrency custodian said Monday.

  • January 12, 2026

    SunPower Execs Ink $11M Investor Deal Amid Bankruptcy

    Former top executives of now-bankrupt solar power equipment company SunPower have settled with investors to end claims in California federal court alleging the company concealed the destitute state of its finances for several months.

  • January 12, 2026

    Trump Order's Vote-By-Mail Limits Are Unlawful, Judge Rules

    A federal judge in Seattle has barred the Trump administration from enforcing key sections of a March executive order on elections, ruling that the government cannot compel Washington and Oregon to change state deadlines for mail-in ballots or use federal forms requiring proof of citizenship.

  • January 12, 2026

    McDonald's 'Total Inaction' Contributed To Death, Suit Says

    McDonald's Corp. is facing a suit in California state court that alleges employees at a California franchise failed to stop a foreseeable attack on a couple by a homeless man that occurred while the couple waited in the drive-thru line, leaving a woman fatally injured.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Muay Thai Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Muay Thai kickboxing has taught me that in order to win, one must stick to one's game plan and adapt under pressure, just as when facing challenges by opposing counsel or judges, says Mark Schork at Feldman Shepherd.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Intentional Career-Building

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    A successful legal career is built through intention: understanding expectations, assessing strengths honestly and proactively seeking opportunities to grow and cultivating relationships that support your development, say Erika Drous and Hillary Mann at Morrison Foerster.

  • Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2026

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    As 2026 begins, the legal and regulatory outlook for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is defined less by sweeping federal initiatives and more by incremental adjustments, judicial guardrails and state-driven regulations — an environment in which proactive risk management and close monitoring of policy developments will be essential, say attorneys at MG+M.

  • Navigating Workplace AI When Federal, State Policies Clash

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    Two recent federal bills and various state laws concerning employers' artificial intelligence use may clash with an executive order calling for minimal regulation, so employers should proactively monitor their AI usage and stay apprised of legislative updates while awaiting further direction from the federal government, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Series

    A Day In The In-House Life: Chime GC Talks Pathfinding

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    On a recent Tuesday in the office, Chime's general counsel Adam Frankel shares his typical work day, tackling everything from strategically guiding product launches and testing AI tools to mastering the perfect latte and making time for extracurricular interests.

  • Reviewing 2025's Artificial Intelligence Disputes Over IP

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    2025 brought the first major fair use rulings involving generative artificial intelligence, and in 2026 courts will weigh in on more discovery disputes, renewed motions to dismiss, class certification challenges and fair use defenses that could shape the course of future AI litigation, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Key Trends Shaping ESG And Sustainability Law In 2026

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    2025 saw a chaotic regulatory landscape and novel litigation around environmental, social and governance issues and sustainability — and 2026, while perhaps more predictable, will likely be no less challenging, with more lawsuits and a regulatory tug-of-war complicating compliance for global companies, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • 3 Securities Litigation Trends To Watch In 2026

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    Pending federal appellate cases suggest that 2026 will be a significant year for securities litigation, with long-standing debates about class certification, new questions about the risks and value of artificial intelligence features, and private plaintiffs' growing role in cryptocurrency enforcement likely to be major themes, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • For Data Centers, Both Hyperscale And Edge Are Key In 2026

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    Recent trends in development of data centers highlight the importance of proactive attention to the zoning, permitting, interconnection and contractual issues associated with both hyperscale and edge facilities, in order to position projects for responsible growth in 2026 and protect their long-term value amid rapid technological and regulatory change, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Top 5 Antitrust Issues For In-House Counsel To Watch In 2026

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    With Trump administration enforcement policy having largely taken shape last year, antitrust issues that in-house counsel should have on the radar range from scrutiny of technology-assisted pricing to the return of merger remedies, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • 4 Developments That Defined The 2025 Ethics Landscape

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    The legal profession spent 2025 at the edge of its ethical comfort zone as courts, firms and regulators confronted how fast-moving technologies and new business models collide with long-standing professional duties, signaling that the profession is entering a period of sustained disruption that will continue into 2026, says Hilary Gerzhoy at HWG Law.

  • 5 Trade Secret Developments To Follow In 2026

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    Watch for major developments in trade secret law this year, especially as courts clarify the reach of U.S. law internationally, the availability of trade secret damages and more, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Top 10 Employer Resolutions For 2026

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    Heightened regulatory attention, shifting enforcement priorities and increased litigation risk mean that routine workplace decisions in 2026 will require greater discipline and foresight, including in relation to bias and inclusion training, employee resource groups, employee speech, immigration compliance, workplace accommodations, and shadow artificial intelligence, say attorneys at Krevolin & Horst.

  • Navigating AI In The Legal Industry

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    As artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly integral part of legal practice, Law360 guest commentary this year examined evolving ethical obligations, how the plaintiffs bar is using AI to level the playing field against corporate defense teams, and the attendant risks of adoption.

  • 4 California Insurance Law Decisions To Know From 2025

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    California continued to shape the national insurance landscape in 2025, issuing a series of decisions that may recalibrate claims handling, underwriting strategy and policy drafting in areas from property damage claims after a wildfire to automobile coverage for delivery drivers in the gig economy, say attorneys at Nicolaides Fink.

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