California

  • September 28, 2026

    Newsom Signs Calif. Pesticide PFAS Tracking Bill Into Law

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law new regulations requiring state officials to track and publicly disclose when pesticides that are used on state produce contain "forever chemicals."

  • September 28, 2026

    Paramount, States Urge Court To Approve Merger Deal

    State enforcers and Paramount Skydance responded Monday to several questions raised by a lawmaker over a settlement ending the states' challenge of Paramount's deal for Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., telling a California federal court there's no need for a full-blown review.

  • September 28, 2026

    Black Tesla Workers In Calif. Fired At Higher Rates, Judge Told

    An economics professor testified in a California state bench trial Monday over the California Civil Rights Department's claims Tesla fostered racism at its Fremont factory that he found Tesla's Black workers in California are paid 4.37% less, and involuntarily terminated at a 75% higher rate, than their white counterparts.

  • September 28, 2026

    'Migration' Copying Suit Is For The Birds, Mike White Says

    Universal City Studios, Illumination Entertainment and "White Lotus" creator Mike White urged a California federal judge Monday to toss a writer's lawsuit claiming they stole his script for the 2023 film "Migration," saying the movie is not substantially similar to the unpublished screenplay, and the complaint does not plausibly allege that they had access to it.

  • September 28, 2026

    Calif. Expands Reproductive Care, Abortion Access

    A series of new laws in California aim to expand access to medication abortion on community college campuses, bolster veterans' access to reproductive care including abortions, and make it easier for nursing parents to access lactation support, according to an announcement made Sunday.

  • September 28, 2026

    Cannabis Distributor Says Partner Denied Its $332K Stake

    The manager of a Los Angeles cannabis cultivation facility seized an entire harvest without his business partner's permission, selling much of it until armed men raided the facility and took a significant portion of the inventory, according to a state lawsuit seeking more than $300,000 for the iced-out partner.

  • September 28, 2026

    9th Circ. Rules Cops' Gunpoint Arrest Constitutional

    A Ninth Circuit panel has ruled that two California police officers who allegedly aimed their guns at a compliant suspect acted reasonably and enjoyed qualified immunity protection from the man's civil rights lawsuit, reversing a district court's finding that they may have used unconstitutional excessive force.

  • September 28, 2026

    Feds Defend Handling Of Legal Services For Migrant Kids

    The Trump administration told a California federal judge that it hasn't withheld funding for legal services for unaccompanied migrant children in violation of an injunction, with a $158 million contract award tied up in a bid protest.

  • September 28, 2026

    US Presses High Court To Skip Tesla Case Over PTAB Review

    The federal government has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to pass on Tesla Inc.'s challenge to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's limits on patent challenges, arguing Friday that the agency is under no obligation to grant requests for patent review.

  • September 28, 2026

    WordPress Parent Ducks Extortion But Not Antitrust Claims

    A California federal judge issued a mixed ruling last week in the two-way fight between WordPress parent Automattic and web hosting company WPEngine, dismissing digital extortion claims against Automattic while preserving WPEngine's antitrust allegations, and preserving Automattic counterclaims of trademark infringement but dismissing false advertising accusations.

  • September 28, 2026

    SilverRock Trustee Dismissed Over Ch. 11 Fund Transfers

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge terminated the litigation trustee appointed under the confirmed Chapter 11 plan of California resort developer SilverRock Development on Monday after hearing from creditors that more than $2.2 million had been transferred out of trust accounts in recent months.

  • September 28, 2026

    Calif. Bans Officials From Meme Coin Profits In Trump Callout

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill barring the state's officials from issuing or lending their likeness to meme coins, criticizing President Donald Trump's hundreds of millions in profits from meme coin projects.

  • September 28, 2026

    Ex-Electric Parts CEO Drops ERISA Suit Over Firing

    The former CEO of an electric parts manufacturer has agreed to end his suit alleging the trustee of the company's employee stock ownership plan unlawfully pushed him out without investigating a competing executive's misconduct accusations, according to a filing in California federal court.

  • September 28, 2026

    Newsom Signs Slate Of Bills Bolstering LGBTQ+ Protections

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a slate of bills defending against what he called the Trump administration's "all-out assault on the LGBTQ community," strengthening privacy protections, providing support to discharged service members and enhancing access to medical care.

  • September 28, 2026

    Insurer Seeks Exit From Pharma Co.'s $50M Creditor Dispute

    An insurer for a San Francisco pharmaceutical company told a California federal court it owes no duty to defend the company in a suit from a creditor and shareholder alleging directors and officers mismanaged the company to protect their equity, saying a creditors exclusion bars coverage.

  • September 28, 2026

    Calif. To Add 'Chosen' Family To Bereavement Leave Law

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday signed a bill to expand an existing law that provides workers with a week of bereavement leave if someone an employee identifies as a family member dies — even if the person is not a blood relative.

  • September 28, 2026

    White Worker Gets 2nd Chance In Race Training Bias Suit

    The Ninth Circuit reinstated Monday a white worker's claims that the City of Seattle subjected him to harassment by pushing race bias trainings that caused his colleagues to villainize white people, ruling that negative comments he received about his race were enough to keep the case in court.

  • September 28, 2026

    FTC Touts 'Dismantling' Of Corteva's Pesticide Rebates

    The Federal Trade Commission on Monday touted its new settlement with Corteva Inc. for severely constricting the pesticide company's ability to pay distributors a loyalty rebate in exchange for limiting sales of cheaper generics, the latest in a string of agreements Trump-era antitrust enforcers have struck ending existing claims.

  • September 28, 2026

    Burford Eyes $1.4B Of $5.7B Patent Trial Verdict Against Apple

    Burford Capital said it is entitled to $1.4 billion of last week's historic $5.7 billion patent infringement jury verdict against Apple, but the litigation funder cautioned Monday that the massive payday could still evaporate on appeal.

  • September 28, 2026

    New Dem Bill Aims To Tighten Rules For Immigration Arrests

    Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Senator Alex Padilla, D-Calif., have introduced a new bill to clarify existing requirements for immigration arrests and codify procedures to prevent unlawful arrests and detentions.

  • September 28, 2026

    California Powerhouse: O'Melveny

    O'Melveny & Myers LLP has spent more than a century evolving alongside California, giving the 141-year-old law firm the depth of resources and experience needed to tackle high-stakes matters this past year, from helping Johnson & Johnson shed $950 million in punitive damages to guiding AI assistant platform Moveworks through a $2.85 billion acquisition.

  • September 28, 2026

    California Makes Native American Day A Paid State Holiday

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation making Native American Day a paid holiday, requiring its legislature and courts to formally apologize for the state's role in atrocities against tribes, exempts its federally recognized Indigenous nations from bidding requirements for land management consultation services and strengthens Indian child protections.

  • September 28, 2026

    Cushman Workers Win Class Cert. On Second Meal Breaks

    A California federal judge certified a class of Cushman & Wakefield workers who alleged that the real estate services company failed to provide required second meal breaks, finding that time records showed missing second meals on nearly 80% of eligible shifts.

  • September 25, 2026

    Corteva Will Pay $35M To Resolve FTC Pesticide Rebate Case

    Corteva Inc. has agreed to pay $35 million to put to rest allegations from the Federal Trade Commission and a slew of states that the pesticide-maker blocked competition from generic rivals through the use of loyalty rebates, according to a motion filed in North Carolina federal court Friday.

  • September 25, 2026

    Jay-Z Accuser Recants Rape Claim In Rapper's Buzbee Fight

    A woman who accused Jay-Z of rape and sparked a yearlong legal battle between the rapper and prominent Texas plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee has recanted her testimony and accused Buzbee of pursuing litigation on her behalf without her knowledge and without verifying her testimony.

Expert Analysis

  • A Framework For Habeas Relief After 5th Circ. Bond Ruling

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    Following the Fifth Circuit’s recent Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi decision foreclosing statutory bond for detained nonimmigrants not deemed admitted to the U.S., lawyers should adopt a framework that requests habeas relief pursuant to the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • Startup Founder Disputes Increasingly Turn On Governance

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    Recent Delaware developments suggest that as courts place increasing emphasis on board process, independence and oversight in founder-led startups, the growing intersection of governance, technology risk and investor oversight is accelerating both the emergence and escalation of founder disputes, says mediator Frank Burke.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Sentencing Tips For Defending Crypto Conspiracy Cases

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    The sentencing of Evan Tangeman to 70 months in federal prison for laundering money in a cryptocurrency conspiracy illustrates that defense attorneys representing clients in multidefendant crypto cases need to understand the mechanics of conspiracy liability, loss attribution and restitution exposure before they reach the sentencing table, says Joseph De Gregorio at Sentencing Advocacy.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • Nexstar Offers A Cautionary Tale On State-Level Deal Scrutiny

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    State-enforcement challenges to the $6.2 billion Nexstar-Tegna merger remind legal practitioners that federal approval isn't always sufficient to deliver certainty on closing, integration and timetable assumptions, says Brett Story at Britehorn Securities.

  • How 'Bundling' Enforcement Is Parsing Efficiency, Access

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    Recent antitrust enforcement actions have taken a selective view of companies' bundling of products or services — challenging it when it shuts out rivals, but tolerating it when it creates efficient scale — making the real test now less about lower prices than about whether competition is being blocked, says attorney Alan Kusinitz.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • Operational AI Washing: A New Securities Class Action

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    In rising claims of operational AI washing — plaintiffs alleging that artificial intelligence was invoked to explain corporate business decisions in ways that may obscure underlying financial distress — earnings calls, restructuring disclosures and board-level communications will serve as key defense evidence, say attorneys at Akerman.

  • Where The Preemption Fight Over Prediction Markets Stands

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    While the Third Circuit's recent ruling in Kalshi v. Flaherty remains a significant win for the federal government in its quest to regulate prediction markets, the Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Circuits appear more skeptical, indicating that this fight is likely headed for the Supreme Court, says Johnny ElHachem at Holland & Knight.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • 1st Surveillance Pricing Law In Md. Reflects Broader Scrutiny

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    A new law will make Maryland the first state to target data-driven or surveillance-based price manipulation, highlighting increased scrutiny from federal and state enforcement agencies and policymakers as they consider whether new laws are required to regulate dynamic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Understanding The Insider Trading Gap In Prediction Markets

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    While the first-ever insider trading indictment involving a prediction market — the recent prosecution of a service member involved in the capture of Nicolás Maduro — comprised extreme facts and straightforward legal theories, future cases will test the bounds of insider trading law, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

  • The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

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    With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

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