California

  • September 10, 2026

    Cold Brew Equipment Co. Owner Must Hand Over Assets

    The founder and minority owner of a cold brew equipment company has agreed to hand over passwords, customer information, software and other company assets to its majority owner in a dispute over control of the business following a 2024 acquisition, according to a Colorado state court filing.

  • September 10, 2026

    Tax Court Nod To Income Approach Props Easement Valuation

    The IRS has been adversarial toward taxpayers using what is known as the income approach to value conservation easements, but the method's legitimacy was significantly reinforced by the U.S. Tax Court in a recent decision that endorsed the use of the method to value a Los Angeles-area donated property.

  • September 10, 2026

    1st Circ. Keeps USPS Ballot Mail Rule Blocked For Midterms

    The First Circuit on Thursday rejected a request from the U.S. Postal Service to lift a Massachusetts federal judge's order blocking new mail ballot requirements that the appellate court said would create "chaos and widespread disenfranchisement" just weeks before the November midterm elections.

  • September 10, 2026

    Reed Smith Continues Private Capital Growth With Two Hires

    Reed Smith LLP announced two new hires to its private capital team on Wednesday as the firm continues rapidly expanding the platform.

  • September 10, 2026

    Akerman Brings On Troutman Debt Finance Pro In LA

    Akerman LLP announced Thursday it has added an experienced debt finance attorney from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP to its corporate practice group in Los Angeles.

  • September 09, 2026

    Nektar CEO Opens Door To Finance Questions In Eli Lilly Trial

    Nektar Therapeutics failed Wednesday to block evidence of its financial condition from entering into a California federal trial over a failed deal to codevelop its drug Rezpeg with Eli Lilly, after its CEO's testimony on cross-examination prompted the judge to allow the evidence for impeachment purposes.

  • September 09, 2026

    Deckers Denied New Trial On Ugg Boot Design Patent Validity

    A California federal judge denied Deckers Outdoor Corp.'s bid for a new trial over the validity of its design patent for its Ugg Classic Ultra Mini Boot, finding no error in submitting a question of indefiniteness to a jury.

  • September 09, 2026

    Defunct Tax Startup CEO Charged In $13.3M Investor Fraud

    The CEO of a defunct tax-compliance startup has been arrested on fraud charges based on allegations she defrauded investors out of more than $13 million by lying about her credentials and her company's revenues, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

  • September 09, 2026

    NM Again Hauls Meta To Trial, This Time Over Privacy

    The state of New Mexico told a jury Wednesday that Facebook flagrantly misrepresented its privacy practices, including the one that let Cambridge Analytica harvest the data of 87 million mostly nonconsenting users, as the state goes to trial against the company for the third time in seven months.

  • September 09, 2026

    Meta's 'Fanciful' AI Training Disclosures Leave Judge Doubtful

    A California federal judge appeared skeptical Wednesday that Meta Platforms Inc. had identified all magazines used to train its artificial intelligence tool after copyright plaintiffs pointed out Meta disclosed only nine issues spanning a 17-year period, telling Meta's counsel during a hearing that the likelihood Meta used only nine issues "seems rather fanciful to me."

  • September 09, 2026

    Kalshi Seeks Rehearing After 9th Circ. Loss

    Kalshi on Wednesday asked the Ninth Circuit to rehear its dispute with Nevada regulators, arguing the appeals court miscast its sports event contracts as sports bets in an August opinion that cleared the way for the state's gaming regulators to pursue the prediction market platform.

  • September 09, 2026

    21 States Want Changes To Endangered Species Act Blocked

    California, Massachusetts, Washington and 18 other states on Wednesday filed a pair of suits challenging the Trump administration's recent changes to how the Endangered Species Act is implemented, claiming that the rules drastically weaken safeguards for the most vulnerable species and were rolled out unlawfully.

  • September 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Deems NCAA's 5-Year Rule Injunction Appeals Moot

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday tossed the NCAA's appeals of court orders barring it from enforcing its five-year rule to sideline two football players from the 2025 season, finding the cases are moot because the "clock has run out" on the season and the athletes' collegiate careers have wrapped.

  • September 09, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Eyes PTAB Cases That May Sink $445M Netlist Win

    A $445 million verdict against Micron Technology Inc. for infringing two Netlist Inc. computer memory patents hung in the balance Wednesday, as a Federal Circuit panel questioned Netlist's arguments that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board wrongly found claims in both patents invalid.

  • September 09, 2026

    AI Travel Firm Brass Accused Of Misleading Investors

    Executives and directors of business travel technology firm Navan have been hit with a shareholder's derivative suit accusing them of misleading investors about the company's profitability and AI-driven business model in the registration statement for its initial public offering. 

  • September 09, 2026

    Ringleader Pleads Guilty In $245M Crypto RICO Enterprise

    The 22-year-old ringleader of an international conspiracy that used social engineering to steal more than $245 million in cryptocurrency has pled guilty in D.C. federal court for his role in building "a cybercrime empire," the U.S. Department of Justice said.

  • September 09, 2026

    Stiiizy Beats Bid To Block Packaging Supplier Switch

    A California federal judge said she won't force cannabis distributor Stiiizy Inc. to exclusively buy packaging from an Aurora, Colorado-based supplier, saying the alleged multimillion-dollars in damages caused in this contract dispute do not justify jumping to such an "extraordinary" remedy.

  • September 09, 2026

    Chevron, Insurers Settle $52M Iran Oil Seizure Dispute

    Three insurers have reached a settlement with Chevron over whether their separate marine cargo and war risk policies covered nearly $52 million worth of crude oil the Iranian military seized in retaliation for U.S. economic sanctions.

  • September 09, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Duress Is No Defense For Persecution

    A Ninth Circuit panel denied an El Salvador man's appeal contesting the rejection of his bid for deportation relief, ruling there is no implied duress defense to a statutory bar that withholds such relief from people who assisted in the persecution of others.

  • September 09, 2026

    Williams-Sonoma Loses Bid To Arbitrate 'Drip Pricing' Suit

    A California federal judge has allowed a pair of customers to proceed with their lawsuit claiming that Williams-Sonoma advertised low prices then tacked on extra fees at checkout, ruling a mass arbitration provision in the retailer's terms "unconscionably chills" consumers from making claims.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Shareholder Derivative Litigation Needs A Better Framework

    Author Photo

    Uncoordinated, multiforum shareholder derivative litigation is a growing issue for corporate defendants that have little to no recourse for organizing and consolidating actions, but several commonsense steps should be utilized to preempt such disputes, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Occupier Contract Strategies For Locking In Expansion Rights

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California archive.