California

  • September 09, 2026

    States Say DOT's Driver Data Demand Is Immigration Pretext

    The Democratic-led states asking a Virginia federal judge to stop the Trump administration from accessing the Social Security numbers of commercial drivers nationwide for immigration enforcement backed up their request for an injunction Wednesday, saying the federal government is using post hoc rationalizations to defend its data demands.

  • September 09, 2026

    DOJ Says Berkeley Law Is Racially Biased In Admissions

    The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday that the University of California, Berkeley School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its 2024 and 2025 admissions cycles by preferring Black applicants because of their race, violating federal civil rights law and recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • September 09, 2026

    Wells Fargo Beats Cert. Bid In Rate-Lock Extension Fee Suit

    A California federal judge declined on Wednesday to certify a proposed class of Wells Fargo customers alleging it wrongly charged certain mortgage fees due to closing delays, ruling that liability cannot be determined without an individual file-by-file analysis to see whether the borrower or the bank was responsible for the delays.

  • September 09, 2026

    2nd Circ. Says FDIC Need Not File Claim To Save SVB Setoff

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is not required to file a claim in the bankruptcy case of Silicon Valley Bank's former parent to preserve its defensive setoff rights, the Second Circuit found Wednesday, delivering another blow to the company in its legal battle with the regulator.

  • September 09, 2026

    Wine Label Makers Spar Over Injunction In Trade Secret Fight

    A California federal judge on Wednesday weighed whether to grant a wine label company's motion for a preliminary injunction against rivals in a case accusing them of using trade secrets allegedly brought over by a former employee.

  • September 09, 2026

    States, Amici Ask Justices To Keep Mail Ballot Rules On Ice

    Nearly half of the states and the District of Columbia urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to leave in place a federal judge's order blocking the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in ballot regulations in this year's midterms, arguing the changes are a major political decision USPS had no authority to make. 

  • September 09, 2026

    Justices Call For Early Response Over Paramount Merger

    The U.S. Supreme Court is giving California and other state enforcers that are challenging Paramount Skydance Corp.'s planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. until later this month to respond to Iowa and Montana's bid to block the merger challenge.

  • September 09, 2026

    Biz Group Says Centene 401(k) Suit Threatens Investor Choice

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supported Centene Corp.'s effort to toss a suit claiming it mismanaged its $4.7 billion retirement plan through excessive management fees and opaque trusts, arguing the suit is improperly attempting to cast certain investment vehicles as inherently untrustworthy.

  • September 09, 2026

    Disney Gets Fubo Streaming Rate Claims Sent To Arbitration

    A California federal court ordered Fubo subscribers to arbitrate their antitrust claims in a case accusing Disney of driving up the cost of subscriptions by forcing the streaming platform to carry a package of channels instead of just ESPN.

  • September 09, 2026

    Unions, Feds Reach Deal In Gov't Shutdown Layoffs Suit

    A coalition of unions has reached a settlement in principle with the Trump administration resolving litigation in California federal court challenging layoffs at federal agencies during the 2025 government shutdown, pending approval from the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • September 09, 2026

    Calif. Judge Hands Eli Lilly Mixed Bag In Compound Drug Suit

    Eli Lilly failed to plausibly allege that a physician group and pharmacy conspired to falsely advertise compounded versions of its diabetes and weight loss drugs, but can continue with allegations they conspired to unfairly compete with Lilly, a California federal judge held.

  • September 09, 2026

    California Judge Ends Tribe's Challenge Over Village Site

    A federal magistrate judge has ended a dispute between two California tribes over the management of an Indigenous coastal village site, determining that the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria is an indispensable party in the litigation that is protected by sovereign immunity.

  • September 09, 2026

    Munger Tolles Adds Paul Hastings IP Pro In San Francisco

    Munger Tolles & Olson LLP has added to its growing San Francisco intellectual property practice with a partner from Paul Hastings LLP, whose high-profile clients include Meta, Google, Comcast and Netflix, the firm announced Tuesday. 

  • September 09, 2026

    Paramount Doubles Down On $1.9B Bond Bid In Merger Suit

    Paramount has insisted the Writers Guild of America and state attorneys general cannot avoid putting up a roughly $1.9 billion bond as they challenge the media company's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying their arguments against its bond bid fail under the Clayton Act.

  • September 09, 2026

    Womble Bond Adds 15 Lewis Brisbois Auto Defense Attys

    Womble Bond Dickinson has added a 29-person consumer warranty and product liability litigation group from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP that specializes in defending automobile manufacturers, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • September 09, 2026

    Calif. Judge Seeks Clearer Limits On ICE Use Of Medicaid Data

    A California federal judge ordered 22 states and the Trump administration to reach an agreement on the proper scope of his injunction limiting Medicaid data use for immigration enforcement, saying he's unsure how it should apply to people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status.

  • September 09, 2026

    AMC Settles 'Walking Dead' Suit With Creator, Producers

    Television studio AMC has reached a deal to pay the creator of its hit show "The Walking Dead" and some of its producers $120 million to settle claims that they were not paid the correct amount under their contracts and left out of a previous settlement with the show's former executive producer.

  • September 09, 2026

    Analog, Alif Ink $1.4B Deal Steered By Wachtell And DLA Piper

    Analog Devices said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Alif Semiconductor for $1.35 billion in cash, with Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and DLA Piper advising on the transaction. 

  • September 09, 2026

    Katten Adds Kasowitz Data Strategy Team Leader In LA

    Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has bolstered its offerings in Los Angeles with the addition of the chair of Kasowitz LLP's data strategy, privacy and security team and co-chair of its artificial intelligence industry group.

  • September 08, 2026

    Eli Lilly 'Sabotaged' Rezpeg's Development, Nektar Tells Jury

    Eli Lilly & Co. breached its deal with Nektar Therapeutics to co-develop the autoimmune-disease drug Rezpeg and instead "sabotaged" its development in favor of a different Eli Lilly drug, a Nektar lawyer told a California federal jury during opening statements Tuesday, while Lilly's counsel countered that Nektar was unharmed by the deal's termination.

  • September 08, 2026

    Certain Apple Devices Infringe Touch Screen IP, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has held that some functions of certain Apple iPhones and iPads infringe some claims of a touch screen patent owned by Smith Interface Technologies LLC, though he also ruled that the functions don't infringe other claims and that other disputes belong before a jury.

  • September 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds Former Atty's Murder-For-Hire Conviction

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday refused to disturb the conviction of a former New York attorney accused of arranging to pay a hitman to kill the mother of his two young children in the midst of a custody battle, ruling that it doesn't matter that his payment was made to an undercover agent rather than a person who really intended to arrange for murder.

  • September 08, 2026

    Feds Say Migrant Kids' Legal Aid Is Stalled By Bidding Process

    An Office of Refugee Resettlement official testified Tuesday during an evidentiary hearing into whether the Trump administration is violating an injunction requiring the government to provide legal representation to immigrant minors, blaming recent legal service interruptions on the federal government's contract bidding process.

  • September 08, 2026

    State Coalition Can Pursue Challenge To HHS Vax Overhaul

    A California federal judge allowed a coalition of states to proceed with their challenge to the Trump administration's decision to cut vaccine recommendations for children, ruling Tuesday the states plausibly alleged those decisions could increase costs of running their healthcare programs and burden them with having to adjust their laws. 

  • September 08, 2026

    WB Asks Panel To Pull Plug On Claim 'The Pitt' Copied 'ER'

    Warner Bros. Television told a California appellate panel Tuesday that a trial court should have tossed a lawsuit by writer Michael Crichton's widow alleging the studio ripped off her husband's show "ER" with the hit medical drama "The Pitt," arguing that a plaintiffs' expert who opined on similarities never even watched the Warner Bros. show.

Expert Analysis

  • Occupier Contract Strategies For Locking In Expansion Rights

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    In a market defined by record-setting demand, shrinking availability and rising rents, large commercial office occupiers must treat expansion space planning as a strategic priority, including by auditing existing rights, understanding the competitive landscape within their buildings and exploring creative lease provisions, says Josh Winefsky at HSF Kramer.

  • How State, Local Rules Are Expanding Debt Collection Reach

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    Consumer protection rules recently enacted by several states signal that the rules of debt collection are being rewritten at a pace that should command the attention of every creditor, servicer, debt buyer, collection agency and collection law firm operating across state lines, says Weldianne Scales at Reed Smith.

  • 2 AI Washing Rulings Apply Familiar Securities Fraud Rules

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    Two recent federal court decisions to allow AI washing complaints to proceed begin to clarify the line between nonactionable optimism and actionable misstatements by framing the core issue as not overstating the promise of artificial intelligence, but misrepresenting the current state of a company's products, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • A New Regulatory Environment For PE In Calif. Healthcare

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    The California Office of Health Care Affordability's proposed revisions to its cost and market impact review regulations, amid broader state scrutiny of private equity-backed healthcare arrangements, represent a qualitative shift in California's regulatory posture toward institutional healthcare investment, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • CFIUS' Mandate Misses Foreign Risk In Project Subcontracts

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    Recent calls for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review equity transactions like the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal miss a consequential oversight gap — CFIUS' inability to review the subcontracting layer of U.S. infrastructure projects, says Thibaut Giret at Alstef Group.

  • AI Governance Tips For Avoiding Securities Suits

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    A recent securities class action in California federal court against lending platform Upstart highlights how statements about artificial intelligence are increasingly being scrutinized not only by regulators, but also by shareholders, meaning companies should ensure oversight frameworks keep pace with the technology, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • How Cos. Can Prep For Ultra-Processed Food Legal Risks

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    A wave of litigation and government scrutiny directed against ultra-processed foods is now gaining momentum, following patterns seen previously in other industries — and food companies that recognize those patterns early will be better positioned to manage the increasing risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • Pregnancy Bias Suits Highlight EEOC's Expanding Reach

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    Recent U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suits show that enactment of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act has drawn scrutiny to a wider range of employment decisions and an increasing focus on individual decisions as indicators of whether an employer's policies comply with evolving federal requirements, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The year's second quarter brought several noteworthy financial services developments to California, including activity around a commercial finance oversight bill, the former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head's appointment to lead a new consumer agency, and a ruling reinforcing viable bank-fintech partnerships, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • What Ex-CFPB Head's Calif. Role May Foretell For Oversight

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra to lead a new consumer agency signals tougher state financial services oversight, especially for fintechs, as well as heightened enforcement activity and larger penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Justices Stand On Statutory Specifics In Cisco And Landor

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    With its June 23 decisions in Cisco Systems Inc. v. Doe and Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the U.S. Supreme Court doubled down on the critical point that the statute invoked in a federal claim must authorize a private lawsuit and the remedy sought, says Patrick Judd at Phelps Dunbar.

  • Immigration Ruling Maps Alternative To Universal Injunctions

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    A Rhode Island federal court's decision in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS vacating policies that froze key immigration adjudications for nationals of 39 countries, and paused asylum applications altogether, suggests how practitioners might press for the Administrative Procedure Act's bad faith exception to record review and seek vacatur as a viable alternative to universal injunctions, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • A Potential Turning Point For Short-And-Distort Claims

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    A California federal jury's conviction of Andrew Left signals that the historically blurry line between securities fraud and legitimate criticism of companies is growing clearer, and that there is a viable recourse against so-called short-and-distort campaigns intended to create a false impression of the market, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

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