California

  • September 10, 2026

    9th Circ. Seeks Calif. Justices' Input On USAA Rate Bias Row

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday sought the California Supreme Court's input on a class action claiming that USAA discriminated against service members, certifying a question about whether the state insurance code prohibits insurers from charging lower-ranking military members who qualify as good drivers more than higher-ranking members who also qualify.

  • September 10, 2026

    Ex-Immigration Judge Sues Over Retaliatory Termination

    A former immigration judge in California has sued Attorney General Todd Blanche, claiming she was fired after raising concerns about a spring 2025 directive ordering her and her colleagues to grant every motion to change venue filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement trial attorneys.

  • September 10, 2026

    States Press Court To Block DOT's CDL Data Request

    A Virginia federal judge on Thursday questioned the Trump administration's claim that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's chief counsel wasn't speaking for the agency itself when she told a nationwide commercial driver database operator to either hand over millions of driver files or see its federal funding slashed.

  • September 10, 2026

    States Drop Suit Over HUD's Fair Housing Funding Changes

    A group of 16 states and the District of Columbia have agreed to drop their California federal court lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development of wrongfully seeking to cut off funding for fair housing enforcement targeting discrimination based on characteristics such as sexual orientation.

  • September 10, 2026

    Judge Won't Touch Verdict In Blood Collection Patent Case

    A Delaware federal judge has denied a bid from medical equipment maker Kurin for a new trial after a jury found it owed Magnolia Medical $1.6 million for infringement of three patents covering blood culture collection products, saying the jury's verdict was not the product of confusion or a miscarriage of justice.

  • September 10, 2026

    $270M Medi-Cal False Claims Scheme Nets 30-Year Sentence

    An Orange County man with multiple prior fraud convictions has been sentenced in California federal court to 30 years in prison for his role in a $270 million Medi-Cal prescription drug scam, which he orchestrated while awaiting sentencing in a separate tax evasion case, prosecutors said. 

  • September 10, 2026

    9th Circ. Calls Foul On Judge's NCAA Five-Year Rule Injunction

    The NCAA's five-year eligibility limit may be a commercial rule subject to antitrust scrutiny, but a Nevada federal judge improperly blocked it to let a college baseball player keep playing with little evidence it constrained competition, the Ninth Circuit has said.

  • September 10, 2026

    DOJ Urges High Court To Revisit 9th Circ. Bar Of Nevada US Atty

    The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a recent Ninth Circuit ruling disqualifying the Trump administration's top federal prosecutor in Nevada, calling it a decision that imposes "ongoing confusion" in the executive branch.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • OpenAI Deal Highlights AI Hiring Risks In PERM Process

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's recent settlement of allegations that OpenAI discriminated against U.S. applicants for positions connected to the permanent labor certification process underscores that employers providing or using artificial intelligence must align their recruitment practices with their overlapping compliance obligations, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

  • State AI Safety Laws Raise New Liabilities For Healthcare Cos.

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    Healthcare and life science companies using third-party artificial intelligence tools should pay particular attention to the changing state-level legal landscape, where the rollout of multiple AI safety laws is introducing both new compliance obligations and potential consumer protection liabilities, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    Juggling And Unicycling Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Because I juggle (sometimes with fire) and ride the unicycle, friends and family used to joke that I should join the circus, but I pursued the practice of law instead and learned that my hobbies benefit my profession in several important ways, says Morgan Eddy at Smith Currie.

  • AI Note-Taking Suits May Fill Gap In Privacy Law Structure

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    A recent class action against Granola joins other pending lawsuits against AI note-taking providers, highlighting the legal uncertainty surrounding these tools, but there are practical steps companies using "invisible" AI services can take to mitigate risk, including conducting inventories and reviewing access permissions, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • How 'Swap' Fight Underpins Prediction Market Enforcement

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    As courts around the country grapple with whether, and under what circumstances, event contracts qualify as swaps, federal enforcement authority hangs in the balance, with implications for companies that need to manage compliance risks during this period of legal uncertainty, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • FDA Closeout Letter Suggests Relaxing Stance On Wearables

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent decision not to pursue enforcement action against Whoop's wearable blood pressure tracker, read together with guidance released earlier this year, suggests a softer shift in the FDA's approach to regulating wearables, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How Rogue AI May Shape Corporate Liability, Responsibility

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    Recent artificial intelligence cyber incidents offer a window into how companies deploying autonomous systems should document risk controls even when systems exceed their intended boundaries, as jurors may treat unexpected AI conduct as foreseeable evidence of inadequate safeguards, says Jorge Monroy at Verdict Insight Partners.

  • The State Of Prediction Market Litigation After 9th Circ. Ruling

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalshi v. Assad gives state regulators significant appellate backing to enforce state gaming laws over prediction markets, creating a direct split with the Third Circuit that will likely lead to Supreme Court review of the question, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Meta Layoff Suit Serves As Early Test Of AI Bias Claims

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    A lawsuit in California federal court alleging that Meta's use of artificial intelligence in recent layoffs negatively affected employees on protected leave provides insight for plaintiffs about what evidence to preserve and how to build these discrimination claims, says Manny Starr at Frontier Law Center.

  • Series

    Ballet Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of learning and performing ballet taught me that success — whether in dance or practicing law — comes only through hours of thorough preparation, boundless energy and relentless effort, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 9th Circ. 'Bad Spaniels' Ruling Rewrites TM Dilution Playbook

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling that each element of the Jack Daniel's packaging parodied by the Bad Spaniels dog toy must be independently assessed for fame narrows trademark owners' ability to use a flagship mark's halo effect to protect the entire brand from tarnishment, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • How Texas' Protein Powder Probe Reflects Prop 65's Influence

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    Texas' recently announced investigation into contaminants in protein powder illustrates how California's Proposition 65, with its hundreds of listed chemicals, safe harbor levels and consumer warnings, may have an influence on enforcement and regulation in other states, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Calif. Ruling Opens Del. Cos. Up To Stockholder Inspection

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    A California appellate court's recent decision in Salamon v. Orchid Global underscores that despite last year's amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware companies with principal operations in California remain subject to California's broader and more stockholder-protective inspection regime, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • 10 Ways To Avoid Privacy Risks Revealed In AI Notetaker Suits

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    Litigation claiming Otter.ai trained its AI-powered transcription tool on user conversations and a recent complaint alleging Granola’s notetaking bot joined video calls unbeknownst to participants show companies should assess these technologies as communications-capture tools with privacy and wiretap risks, says Jennifer Ruehr at Hintze Law.

  • What 9th Circ. Devas Ruling Means For AI Infrastructure Deals

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent confirmation of a $2 billion arbitration award in Devas Multimedia's arbitration against a state-owned commercial arm of India’s space agency creates a cross-border enforcement road map for disputes that are bound to arise from the current generation of artificial intelligence infrastructure deals, says Fernanda Merouco at Davis Wright.

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