California

  • August 17, 2026

    AIG Exclusion Doesn't Bar Multiplied Damages, Judge Says

    A California federal judge in a narrow ruling declared that a portion of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan's insurance policy does not automatically bar coverage for a portion of a $581 million False Claims Act settlement attributable to multiplied damages, but will decide later whether the agreement actually included such damages. 

  • August 17, 2026

    Paramount Wants AGs, WGA To Pay $1.9B Merger Suit Bond

    Paramount Skydance Corp. put a price tag Monday on waiting until next year to close its planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, asking a California federal judge to impose an approximately $1.9 billion bond requirement on the Democratic attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America challenging the deal.

  • August 17, 2026

    Pornhub To Pay $120M To End Child Abuse Content Cases

    The companies behind adult entertainment website Pornhub have agreed to make extensive policy changes and pay $120 million to end certified class claims in California and Alabama by child sex trafficking and sexual abuse material survivors who allege the website profited from crimes committed against them.

  • August 17, 2026

    Medtronic Rival Seeks Injunction After $382M Antitrust Win

    Medical device company Applied Medical Resources Corp. has urged a California federal judge to issue final judgment and impose a permanent injunction against Medtronic Inc. that would block contracts a jury found were used to illegally maintain a monopoly over a surgical device, saying that would end Medtronic's "exclusionary conduct and restore competition."

  • August 17, 2026

    Calif. Tribe Challenges Feds' Gaming Approval Reversal

    A California tribe is asking a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to block the U.S. Department of the Interior's decision last month to undo its approval of the tribe's 160-acre gaming facility project, arguing the latest order was independently unlawful because the government did not give a reasoned explanation for the reversal.

  • August 17, 2026

    Mass. Judge Vacates ACA Gender-Affirming Care Restriction

    A Massachusetts federal judge handed a coalition of 21 states a win on their claim that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unlawfully issued Affordable Care Act reforms barring marketplace plans from requiring coverage for medical procedures used in gender-affirming care.

  • August 17, 2026

    Chattah Can't Serve As Acting Nevada US Atty, 9th Circ. Says

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that Nevada's top prosecutor was not put in place lawfully and was barred from overseeing the criminal cases giving rise to the appeal, the latest state where courts have shut down attempts by the Trump administration to fill U.S. attorney vacancies without Senate confirmation.

  • August 17, 2026

    NOAA Sued Over Longline Fishing Permit Reviews

    Environmental groups have asked a California federal judge to overturn a decision by an agency under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to issue permits exempting two vessels from a longline fishing prohibition in waters off the state's coast, arguing a shoddy analysis downplayed the risks to protected sea turtles, whales and seals.

  • August 17, 2026

    Saul Ewing Adds McGuireWoods Real Estate Duo In LA

    Saul Ewing LLP has added two McGuireWoods LLP partners to its real estate services group in Los Angeles.

  • August 14, 2026

    Tricolor Founder Can't Ax 'Infrequently Charged' Lead Count

    The founder and former CEO of bankrupt subprime auto lender Tricolor Holdings cannot dodge a criminal enterprise charge in federal prosecutors' case alleging a yearslong scheme to defraud the company's lenders and investors, a New York federal judge ruled on Friday.

  • August 14, 2026

    In First, 2nd Circ. Allows DNA Warrant Without Match Sample

    The Second Circuit has ruled that a man cannot suppress a court-ordered DNA sample in his murder case even though police had not identified a viable comparison sample from the crime scene, becoming the first federal circuit court to address the question.

  • August 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Says DOJ Subpoenas Can Support Trump Agenda

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday held that President Donald Trump has the authority to direct the U.S. Department of Justice to issue politically motivated subpoenas that align with his broader policy goals, reversing a lower court's ruling quashing a subpoena issued to a gender-affirming medical care provider.

  • August 14, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: NYC Office, Hotel Snapshot, Rising Stars

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including the latest on the New York City office sector, how hotels fared in the second quarter, and two of Law360's Rising Stars.

  • August 14, 2026

    Bad Bunny Says Judge Made Bad Call On Reggaeton IP Suit

    Attorneys for Bad Bunny and other artists Friday asked a California federal judge to reconsider his order denying their clients an early win in a sprawling copyright case over the origin of reggaeton music, saying the plaintiffs stitched together parts of multiple songs to argue they have a protectable, copyrighted work.

  • August 14, 2026

    Uber Says Plaintiff Attys Are Hyping Article That Fueled Threats

    A California federal judge said Friday that he wouldn't get involved in Uber's accusations that plaintiffs' counsel in passenger sexual assault litigation were involved in and "cheering on" a media report that's led to death threats against Uber's lawyers, saying it would not likely change things and could make them worse.

  • August 14, 2026

    Mexico OK Leaves AGs, WGA Last Paramount Deal Obstacle

    Paramount Skydance Corp. celebrated Mexican antitrust approval Friday of its planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery as the final government sign-off needed globally, leaving only the California federal court challenge from a group of attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America.

  • August 14, 2026

    Lender Looks To Dodge Counterclaims In Cannabis Loan Row

    A married couple who operate a New Jersey cannabis dispensary and are accused of misusing roughly half of a $1.6 million business loan are "retaliating" against their lender, the financing company told a California federal court, asking that the entrepreneurs' countersuit be permanently tossed.

  • August 14, 2026

    Utz, Condiment Co. Sued Over Avocado Oil Claims

    Snack food company Utz Brands Inc. and a condiment company whose products are based on avocado oil were hit with two separate proposed class actions this past week in New York and California federal courts alleging that their foods are made with cheaper vegetable oil, citing the same recent study.

  • August 14, 2026

    SAG-AFTRA Plan Members Seek Final OK Of Data Breach Deal

    Members of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan have asked a California federal court for final approval of a $950,000 class action settlement resolving claims that a 2024 data breach exposed the personal and medical information of approximately 94,000 plan members.

  • August 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Denies Ex-Cop's Asylum Bid, But Calls For Better Test

    A Ninth Circuit panel affirmed the denial of asylum for a former El Salvador police officer targeted by the MS-13 gang, but urged the full court to revisit precedent that directed it to only consider mistreatment incurred after the man left the force.

  • August 14, 2026

    Charter-Cox Tie-Up Gets Last Needed OK With Calif. Approval

    California regulators have approved the $34.5 billion merger of major cable providers Charter and Cox, providing the last needed regulatory green light but also imposing conditions meant to help consumers.

  • August 14, 2026

    Meta Beats Suit Over Scam Investment Ads Again

    A California judge dismissed a suit against Meta over ads on its platforms from scammers impersonating financial professionals to run pump-and-dump investment schemes, saying the theory of the case was "not entirely clear" before giving plaintiffs one more chance to amend their complaint.

  • August 14, 2026

    'You're Not Ready': Judge Warns Tesla, Agency Of Sanctions

    A California state judge presiding over the California Civil Rights Department's lawsuit alleging Tesla fostered racism at its Fremont factory admonished both parties Friday for violating orders and being unprepared for an upcoming bench trial, telling counsel, "Frankly I'm ready to start lobbing sanctions against every person in this room."

  • August 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Film Industry Pension Fight Needs 2nd Look

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday revived a set designer's suit claiming that the board of the Motion Picture Industry Pension Plans stood by while certain investment funds underperformed year over year, ruling a lower court should reassess whether the board acted imprudently under a clarified legal standard.

  • August 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Bid For 15 Alaska Tribal Health Docs

    A Ninth Circuit panel has revived a request for 15 documents related to internal investigations and governance reforms from the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, finding that the district court abused its discretion and the case is not moot because it's uncontested that the information hasn't yet been viewed.

Expert Analysis

  • Asylum Ruling Signals Larger Separation Of Powers Battle

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that border officials may turn away asylum-seekers without inspection is part of a broader conversation about the reach of institutional safeguards that subject governmental authority to legal constraint, says Dree Collopy at American University's Washington College of Law.

  • Solar's Momentum At Mid-2026 Will Help It Overcome Snags

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    The rapid expansion of U.S. solar development in the first half of 2026 is likely to continue its pace, even amid ongoing shifts in federal trade policy and supply chain regulations, obstacles to permitting reform, and an increasing divide between states enacting policies to encourage or stymie project development, say attorneys at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Carbon Health Settlement Highlights Why Evidence Is Key

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    The California Attorney General's Office's first-of-its-kind settlement with Carbon Health, imposing penalties for alleged corporate practice of medicine violations, shows that friendly professional corporation challenges usually hinge not on the parties' management services agreement, but on whether the operational record matches it, says Ben Dubin at VC Expert Services.

  • Series

    Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

  • How Litigants Are Testing Conversion Therapy Ruling's Scope

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    Litigants are already using the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Chiles v. Salazar ruling, which applied strict scrutiny to Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, to challenge laws limiting algorithmic rental pricing, artificial intelligence-based discrimination and anti-union employer speech, and courts must soon decide Chiles’ First Amendment limits, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • Illinois Audit Law Will Make AI Clauses Actually Enforceable

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    A law recently enacted in Illinois creates a first-in-the-nation requirement for artificial intelligence developers to undergo annual audits, providing objective standards that can be incorporated into private contracts and addressing the problem of defining responsible AI use, says William Tanenbaum at Moses & Singer.

  • Opinion

    Shareholder Derivative Litigation Needs A Better Framework

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    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

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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.

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