California

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Regulator To Appeal $100M OppFi 'Rent-A-Bank' Loss

    California's financial services regulator has appealed a state judge's ruling that it cannot pursue millions in fines against Opportunity Financial for alleged "rent-a-bank" predatory lending, after the judge rejected the regulator's allegation that OppFi was the "true lender" for loans that the company argued originated from an out-of-state partner.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Court OKs $11M Verdict In Motorcycle Crash Case

    Los Angeles' publicly owned utility provider can't avoid an $11 million judgment after one of its van drivers caused a crash that left a motorcyclist with lifelong injuries, a California appeals court ruled, saying the city couldn't meet the "almost impossible" burden needed to prove the biker's "excessive speed" substantially caused the collision.

  • July 29, 2026

    Feds Say High Court Ruling Justifies Calif. Pipeline Oversight

    The Trump administration has told the Ninth Circuit that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision clarifying federal arbitration jurisdictional boundaries backs its assertion that it has exclusive jurisdiction over the Santa Ynez pipeline system in California.

  • July 29, 2026

    3M, DuPont Ordered To Face Montana PFAS Lawsuit, For Now

    DuPont de Nemours Inc., 3M Co. and other manufacturers of firefighter turnout gear must for now face a retooled class action complaint by local governments in a dozen states who claim an industrywide conspiracy concealed the dangers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a Montana federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • July 29, 2026

    Securities Class Actions To Watch: Mid-Year Report

    A trio of circuit court appeals tied to the class certification process in shareholder suits and a U.S. Supreme Court appeal that also touches on certification are among the cases that securities litigators are keeping an eye on in the second half of 2026.

  • July 29, 2026

    Nexstar Says Tegna Board Members Don't Violate Injunction

    Nexstar Media Group told a California federal court that Tegna remains independent, despite concerns from DirecTV and a coalition of states that the companies violated an injunction preventing them from merging fully when Nexstar took over Tegna's board.

  • July 29, 2026

    Delta Can't Knock Out Consumer's Greenwashing Suit

    A California federal judge narrowed a proposed class action accusing Delta Air Lines of overstating its emissions progress and falsely touting itself as the first carbon-neutral airline, denying a bid for injunctive relief but refusing to toss California law claims. 

  • July 29, 2026

    Apple Accused Of Not Stopping Fake Wallet Apps' Crypto Theft

    Apple has been hit with a federal lawsuit in California over its alleged failure to warn consumers about fraudulent cryptocurrency wallet apps available on its App Store and the risk of cryptocurrency theft posed by those apps.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Dems Pressure FCC To Drop ABC Station Probe

    More than two dozen California House Democrats have come together to tell the Federal Communications Commission to abandon its review of the license of an ABC station in the Golden State, saying there's no chance the agency launched the probe in good faith.

  • July 29, 2026

    Forum Clause Dooms ITC Trade Secret Case Against BMW

    A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has made an initial finding to close a trade secret investigation into BMW's imports of infotainment screens targeted by a California technology company, citing an agreement between the parties saying their disputes had to be hashed out in Germany.

  • July 29, 2026

    7-Eleven Sued Over Worker's Death After Fight With Manager

    The mother of a 7-Eleven sales associate who died following an altercation with an assistant manager lodged wrongful death claims in California state court Tuesday, alleging the retailer knew through employee complaints that the manager tended to be violent yet failed to act. 

  • July 29, 2026

    FTC Says Hims & Hers Shares Health Data, Misleads Users

    The Federal Trade Commission and regulators in California and Utah allege in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that Hims & Hers promises patient privacy while actually sharing consumers' sensitive health information with Meta Platforms and other third-party advertising platforms and that the telehealth provider has deceived users about its billing practices.

  • July 29, 2026

    Calif. Tribes, Enviros Challenge Mojave Groundwater Project

    California tribes and environmental groups are challenging a decision by the federal government to approve a plan to revive a once defunct oil and gas pipeline to transport groundwater beneath the Mojave Desert, arguing that the "ill-conceived water-extraction scheme" will damage ecosystems that are part of sacred Indigenous cultural resources.

  • July 29, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Biotech Worker's Pension Plan Suit

    The Ninth Circuit reopened a former Calbiotech Inc. scientist's lawsuit claiming the company unlawfully hid the existence of a pension plan, saying a trial court erred in concluding that a document specifying who was eligible to participate in the plan was legitimate.

  • July 29, 2026

    Apple, Amazon Beat Bid To Revive IPhone Sales Antitrust Suit

    A Washington federal judge has declined to reinstate a proposed class action accusing Apple and Amazon of illegally limiting iPhone and iPad sales, standing by her previous conclusion that Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP failed to promptly seek the approval of two substitute plaintiffs after the original lead consumer abandoned the case.

  • July 29, 2026

    Sysco Accused Of Logging Drivers' Work As Breaks

    Sysco Corp. and a subsidiary automatically logged California delivery drivers as taking breaks whenever their trucks remained stationary for more than 30 minutes, even when they kept working, a former driver alleged in a proposed class action in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

  • July 29, 2026

    Disney Says 'Avatar' Likeness Suit Came 16 Years Late

    Director James Cameron and Disney have asked a California federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by actor Q'orianka Kilcher alleging her face was used to craft the face of a main character in the 2009 film "Avatar," saying Kilcher had waited an unreasonable 16 years to make her claim.

  • July 29, 2026

    Buchalter Taps Longtime Atty To Lead San Francisco Office

    Buchalter PC announced that a longtime bankruptcy attorney who previously served on the firm's board of directors has been named managing partner of its San Francisco office.

  • July 29, 2026

    'Vibe Coding' Pushes Cos. To Rethink Copyright Protection

    As artificial intelligence takes on more software development projects, businesses embracing “vibe coding” are adapting to uncertain copyright protection by documenting engineers’ contributions, keeping humans involved in high-value projects and leaning more heavily on trade secrets.

  • July 29, 2026

    Tech Company Gets Sex Bias Suit Kicked To Arbitration

    A California federal judge said an ex-Tencent worker must arbitrate her claims that the company fired her after she complained that a male colleague sexually harassed her, ruling that the behavior she protested wasn't sufficiently severe or sexual in nature to trigger a law that could have kept her case in court.

  • July 29, 2026

    Amicus Briefs Back Decertification In Juul, Altria Antitrust Suit

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 14 states led by Iowa, and legal interest groups are urging the Ninth Circuit to throw out class certification in antitrust litigation against Altria and Juul, joining the companies in arguing that the trial court misapplied California law to apply to other states.

  • July 28, 2026

    Randy Quaid Loses Bid To Undo $3.5M Calif. Property Ruling

    Actor Randy Quaid and his wife cannot overturn a $3.5 million judgment awarded to a California couple who bought a Santa Barbara property that once belonged to the Quaids, an appeals court ruled Tuesday, finding substantial evidence supporting claims that the Quaids' false ownership assertions damaged the property's marketability.

  • July 28, 2026

    Ariana Grande Says Hackers Leaked Songs, Photos For Years

    Ariana Grande filed a privacy invasion suit in California state court Monday alleging unknown hackers have been stealing and leaking her unreleased masters and demos, behind-the-scene photos, and other content after gaining backdoor access to accounts belonging to people she worked with over the years. 

  • July 28, 2026

    Ed Dept. Can't Cancel K–12 Mental Health Grants Worth $1B

    A Washington federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration on Tuesday from terminating nearly $1 billion in K–12 mental health grants serving 15 states, finding that the plaintiff states are likely to prove the U.S. Education Department bypassed federal procedures when attempting to cut off the funds.

  • July 28, 2026

    Ill. Judge Questions Construction Rental Antitrust Case

    An Illinois federal judge seemed skeptical Tuesday that a construction equipment rental benchmarking service that allegedly facilitates an illegal rate-fixing scheme among major rental companies includes the sort of enforcement mechanism that would prevent their independent implementation of that data.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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.

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