California

  • March 11, 2024

    Film Producer Sues Director For Painting Him As 'Con Artist'

    A Hollywood producer who says he was depicted as a "con artist" in a recent Los Angeles Times article sued one of his accusers for slander, libel and breach of contract in California state court on Friday, saying the film director interviewed by the Times is on a quest to destroy his reputation.

  • March 11, 2024

    Judge Tells Atty 'Not My Job To Go Research' Baby Food

    A California federal judge on Monday appeared open to granting Plum Organics summary judgment on allegations the baby-food-maker failed to disclose potential toxins in its baby food products, doubting that the consumers have supported their claims with admissible evidence and telling counsel, "It's not my job to go research."

  • March 11, 2024

    Drivers Drop Uber, Lyft Price-Fix Arbitration Appeal

    The three Uber and Lyft drivers who were fighting to keep a suit accusing the ride-hailing companies of colluding to fix fare prices out of arbitration have dropped their appeal, according to a recent filing in a California state appeals court. 

  • March 11, 2024

    Acadia Investors Get Class Cert. In Suit Over Parkinson's Drug

    A California federal judge on Monday certified a class of Acadia Pharmaceuticals investors in a lawsuit accusing the company of making false and misleading statements regarding the likelihood that its Parkinson's psychosis drug would also be approved for the broader use of dementia-related psychosis.

  • March 11, 2024

    Lyft Wants Out Of Rape Survivor's 'Untimely' Negligence Suit

    Lyft Inc. has urged a California federal judge to toss a passenger's suit accusing the ride-hailing service of failing to protect her from a violent predator who raped her and got her pregnant, saying she filed the suit too late under both California and Florida law.

  • March 11, 2024

    Feds Urge 9th Circ. To Uphold GMO Food Labeling Rule

    The federal government and sugar industry groups urged the Ninth Circuit to reject food advocacy groups' attempt to upend a Trump-era organic food labeling rule, saying a California federal judge got it right when he rejected the groups' claims and largely left the rule intact.

  • March 11, 2024

    Illumina Brass Faces Shareholder Suit Over Grail Deal Debacle

    Current and former directors and executives of Illumina, including former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, have been hit with a shareholder derivative suit in California federal court over their role in the biotech company's failed $8 billion deal to reacquire its cancer-detection company Grail Inc.

  • March 11, 2024

    Jury Hears 'This We'll Defend' Shirts Infringed T-Shirt Co.'s TM

    Chicago-based T-shirt company Grunt Style on Monday urged an Illinois federal jury to hold a California competitor liable for selling shirts featuring the slogan, "This We'll Defend," asserting the competitor's sales constitute willful infringement of a trademark held for more than a decade.

  • March 11, 2024

    Feds Seek Over 5 Years For Ex-CEO Who Lied To Investors

    Prosecutors urged a California federal judge Friday to sentence the former CEO of Silicon Valley software startup HeadSpin, who pled guilty to falsifying documents to draw in investors, to more than five years in prison, after his counsel argued that no investor lost money and that he shouldn't get prison time.

  • March 11, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Cuts Down Netflix's Appeal Of Broadcom Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Monday backed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in finding that an Avago Technologies distributed computing patent was valid, handing a loss to Netflix.

  • March 11, 2024

    9th Circ. Orders 2nd Look At Zambian Woman's Asylum Bid

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday revived a Zambian woman's asylum bid lodged for fear of being persecuted over her sexual orientation, saying the Board of Immigration Appeals didn't properly evaluate claims she'd previously been persecuted in Zambia for being a lesbian.

  • March 11, 2024

    Atty-Writer's Suit Against CAA Poised To Move Forward

    An attorney for Creative Artists Agency urged a California judge Monday to rethink his tentative ruling to allow an attorney-turned-writer's suit against the agency to move toward a trial, saying the court's finding of substantial similarity between allegedly stolen script elements and the plaintiff's script threatens writers' creative freedom.

  • March 11, 2024

    Pfizer Slams Ex-Compliance Officer's Whistleblower Claims

    Pfizer has asked a California federal court to again dismiss the bulk of a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a former compliance officer for the pharmaceutical giant, arguing his latest suit is "largely a regurgitation of his original complaint."

  • March 11, 2024

    Billy Preston Filmmakers Sued Over 'Salacious' Documentary

    The makers of a new documentary about Beatles collaborator Billy Preston were slapped with a lawsuit Friday by Preston Music Group Inc. and friends of the late musician, claiming they were duped into contributing to the "salacious" film, which they say focused on outing Preston as gay rather than the Grammy winner's accomplishments.

  • March 11, 2024

    Cathay Pacific Airways Can Arbitrate Ticket Refund Fight

    A divided Ninth Circuit on Monday reversed an order denying airline Cathay Pacific's bid to arbitrate a proposed class action over its refusal to issue refunds for canceled tickets bought through a third-party vendor, finding equitable estoppel applies since Cathay's refusal is intertwined with the vendor's terms that contained an arbitration clause.

  • March 11, 2024

    Shoppers' Kroger, Albertsons Suit Shelved Pending FTC Case

    A California federal judge pumped the brakes Monday on a private lawsuit challenging Kroger's $24.6 billion bid for Albertsons, preferring to wait on the outcome of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against the deal newly filed in Oregon federal court.

  • March 11, 2024

    FTC, 10 States Sue 'Sham' Women's Cancer Fund

    The Federal Trade Commission and 10 state attorneys general have filed a federal complaint against a Pennsylvania-based cancer charity fund, calling the foundation a "sham" that deceived donors out of $18 million over five years.

  • March 11, 2024

    Writers Target Nvidia, Databricks In AI Copyright Litigation

    Several writers have filed a pair of proposed class actions in California federal court that accuse technology-based companies of ripping off their copyright-protected works.

  • March 11, 2024

    Alteryx Shareholder Sues In Del. For Info On $4.4B PE Buyout

    A shareholder of California-based computer software company Alteryx Inc. is demanding to inspect the company's books and records in relation to its $4.4 billion sale to private equity firms Insight Partners and Clearlake Capital, arguing that the company's special committee that evaluated the deal was "inherently conflicted from the beginning" and gave an unfair advantage to the two buyers.

  • March 11, 2024

    Woodsford Affiliate Prevails In Fee Feud With SF Firm

    An affiliate of British litigation funder Woodsford has secured a $1.8 million arbital award and $1.2 million in interest from a San Francisco law firm following the 2019 settlement of a lawsuit against Google, a Delaware federal judge confirmed Monday.

  • March 11, 2024

    Sidley Gains Finance Ace From Paul Hastings In California

    Sidley Austin LLP has strengthened its global finance practice with the addition of a partner who came aboard after practicing at Paul Hastings LLP for more than two decades and will be based in the firm's office in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles.

  • March 11, 2024

    3 Firms Seek To Lead, Combine Axos 'Bait And Switch' Cases

    Two consumers who separately sued Axos Bank over its handling of interest rates on savings deposit accounts offered through one of its online divisions have urged a California federal judge to consolidate their lawsuits and appoint three law firms representing them as interim co-lead counsel in the combined case.

  • March 11, 2024

    Reddit Unveils Long-Anticipated IPO That Could Raise $715M

    Reddit Inc. on Monday launched plans for an estimated $715 million initial public offering, represented by Latham & Watkins LLP and underwriters' counsel Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, setting in motion the social media platform's long-awaited IPO.

  • March 11, 2024

    Urologist Seeks Coverage For Defective Penile Implants Suit

    A urologist's medical device company told a California federal court that two insurers must cover it, the doctor and his practice in an underlying class action alleging that a silicone implant invented for penile enlargement, and the procedure that went with it, left patients with permanent damage.

  • March 11, 2024

    O'Melveny Lands Private Equity Ace From Kirkland In Calif.

    O'Melveny & Myers LLP announced Monday that it has strengthened its private equity group with the addition of a Century City-based partner who came aboard from Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Expert Analysis

  • SAG-AFTRA Contract Is A Landmark For AI And IP Interplay

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    SAG-AFTRA's recently ratified contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers introduced a framework to safeguard performers' intellectual property rights and set the stage for future discussions on how those rights interact with artificial intelligence — which should put entertainment businesses on alert for compliance, says Evynne Grover at QBE.

  • Reducing Carbon Footprint Requires A Tricky Path For CRE

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    As real estate owners find themselves caught between rapidly evolving environmental, social and governance initiatives and complicated societal debate, they will need to carefully establish formal plans to remain both competitive and compliant, say Michael Kuhn and Mahira Khan at Jackson Walker.

  • Ore. Insurance Ruling Opens Door To Extracontractual Claims

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    The Oregon Supreme Court's recent Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union decision expanding an insurer's potential liability when adjusting life insurance policies exposes insurers to extracontractual tort liability, and the boundaries of this application will likely be tested through aggressive legal action, says Tessan Wess at GRSM50.

  • Navigating New Regulations In Healthcare And Other M&A

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    While notice requirements recently enacted in several states are focused on the healthcare industry for now, this trend could extend to other industries as these requirements are designed to allow regulators to be a step ahead and learn more about a transaction long before it occurs, say Kathleen Premo and Ashley Creech at Epstein Becker.

  • The Corporate Disclosure Tug-Of-War's Free Speech Issues

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    The continuing conflict over corporate disclosure requirements — highlighted by a lawsuit against Missouri's anti-ESG rules — has important implications not just for investors and regulated entities but also for broader questions about the scope of the First Amendment, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.

  • What Brands Must Know For Calif. Recycle Label Compliance

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    A brand that stamps nonrecyclable packaging with the chasing arrows symbol could face liability under California's new law on labeling recyclable material, so brand owners should keep an eye on the state's pending survey process to identify which materials meet the criteria before requirements go into effect, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • What New Calif. Strike Force Means For White Collar Crimes

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    The recently announced Central District of California strike force targeting complex corporate and securities fraud — following the Northern District of California's model — combines experienced prosecutorial leadership and partnerships with federal agencies like the IRS and FBI, and could result in an uptick in the number of cases and speed of proceedings, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • FTC AI Inquiry Signals Intensified Focus On Emerging Tech

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent inquiry into investments and partnerships between Big Tech companies and artificial intelligence startups appears to be directed at guiding future enforcement decisions in competition, privacy and consumer protection — and three principles discussed at a related tech summit give insight on the agency's approach, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Preparing For A New Wave Of Litigation Under Silicosis Rules

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    After the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of California issued an emergency temporary standard to combat noncompliance with assessments of workers' exposure to particles of crystalline silica, companies that manufacture, distribute or sell silica-containing products will need aggressive case-specific discovery to navigate a new wave of litigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout

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    While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • A Key Tool For Calif. Policyholders With Nonadmitted Insurers

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    As insurers increasingly flee California and residents of the Golden State are forced to insure their properties with nonadmitted insurers, it is crucial to understand the Unauthorized Insurers Process Act, a critical but underutilized tool for policyholders, say Keith Meyer and Kya Coletta at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Gilead Ruling Signals That Innovating Can Lead To Liability

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    A California appeals court's ruling last month in Gilead Life Sciences v. Superior Court of San Francisco that a drug manufacturer can be held liable for delaying the introduction of an improved version of its medication raises concerns about the chilling effects that expansive product liability claims may have on innovation, says Gary Myers at the University of Missouri School of Law.

  • Vagueness In Calif. Climate Law Makes Compliance Tricky

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    California's recently enacted Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act requires companies making claims of carbon neutrality, or significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions, to disclose information supporting those claims — but vague and conflicting language in the statute poses multiple problems for businesses, say John Rousakis and Chris Bowman at O'Melveny.

  • Grant Compliance Takeaways From Ga. Tech's FCA Settlement

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    Georgia Tech’s recent False Claims Act settlement over its failure to detect compliance shortcomings in a grant program was unique in that it involved a voluntary repayment of funds prior to the resolution, offering a few key lessons for universities receiving research funding from the government, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Series

    Competing In Dressage Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My lifelong participation in the sport of dressage — often called ballet on horses — has proven that several skills developed through training and competition are transferable to legal work, especially the ability to harness focus, persistence and versatility when negotiating a deal, says Stephanie Coco at V&E.

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