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California
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April 28, 2025
Meta Gets Jury In Damages Trial Over NSO's WhatsApp Hack
A California federal judge empaneled eight jurors Monday to decide how much Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes Meta Platforms for hacking into 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, selecting from a pool of dozens of San Francisco Bay Area residents, many of whom criticized Meta, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the Israeli government.
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April 28, 2025
Feds' Bid To Spring False Biden Accuser Shot Down By Judge
A California federal judge rejected a request Monday by prosecutors to release a former FBI informant imprisoned for lying to federal agents that former President Joe Biden accepted bribes, saying he does not agree the court made a mistake at sentencing that should result in his release pending appeal.
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April 28, 2025
Nivea Maker Hit With False Ad Greenwashing Suit
The Nivea brand of products such as lotions, body creams, deodorants and cleansing wipes are falsely advertised as made predominantly of ingredients derived from natural products, like aloe or avocado oil, even though nearly all the ingredients are synthetic, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.
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April 28, 2025
Levi's Biased Against Pregnant Exec, Jury Told At Trial's Start
Counsel for a former Levi Strauss executive suing for sex discrimination told a California federal jury Monday that her manager told the then-pregnant woman she lacked "work capacity" for a promotion, while Levi's lawyer said she merely "grew impatient" climbing the corporate ladder at a company where many mothers are leaders.
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April 28, 2025
Chinese Cos. Lose Immunity Fight In 9th Circ. IP Case
The Ninth Circuit on Monday shot down arguments from related Chinese steel companies that they shouldn't have to face espionage charges that they stole DuPont trade secrets for creating titanium dioxide, saying they aren't protected by foreign sovereign immunity.
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April 28, 2025
Wells Fargo Exits CFPB's Mortgage, Auto Loan Consent Order
Wells Fargo & Co. announced Monday it has exited a consent order it inked with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a 2018 settlement that stemmed from allegations of improper practices in the bank's auto lending and mortgage divisions.
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April 28, 2025
Wells Fargo Investors Win Class Cert. In 'Sham' Hiring Case
A California federal judge has certified a class of thousands of Wells Fargo & Co. investors in litigation over the bank's alleged practice of conducting "sham" job interviews to meet diversity targets, a strategy investors say led to stock prices dropping when the truth came to light, according to an order issued Friday.
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April 28, 2025
DOJ Wants Live Nation Case Split Between Liability, Damages
The U.S. Department of Justice asked a New York federal court on Monday to split the case accusing Live Nation of quashing competition in the live entertainment industry by having a jury decide if the company violated antitrust law and the judge decide what remedies to impose.
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April 28, 2025
Viasat, Feds Settle Protest Of $424M Satellite Contracts
The federal government and Viasat Inc. said they have settled the communications company's bid protest claims after the Space Development Agency revealed in February that its director shared bidding information with Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems before awarding it a $254 million contract.
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April 28, 2025
Ziploc 'Microwave Safe' Bags Shed Microplastics, Buyer Says
S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. falsely markets Ziploc bags and containers as "microwave safe" and suitable for use in freezers despite knowing they are made from materials that shed microplastics into food when the products are used as directed, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court.
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April 28, 2025
FAIR Plan Failed To Pay For LA Fire Smoke Claims, Suit Says
Another group of California homeowners has accused the state's insurer of last resort of illegally denying and underpaying claims for smoke damage following the Los Angeles wildfires despite its obligation to cover all fire-related damage under California law, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.
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April 28, 2025
Tenant Right To Counsel Grows But Faces Major Hurdles
Five states, 17 cities and one county enacted laws between 2017 and 2024 guaranteeing tenants the right to legal counsel in eviction proceedings, but uneven implementation, chronic underfunding and persistent court barriers have sharply limited the programs' effectiveness, according to a new national study published Friday.
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April 28, 2025
Wells Fargo Tells Judge Cash Sweep 'Conflict' Was Disclosed
Wells Fargo said it should be allowed to escape customers' proposed class action alleging the bank's cash sweep investment program disproportionately benefits the bank, arguing it disclosed in its signed agreements with customers the bank's intentions to secure financial gains for itself through the program.
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April 28, 2025
Tax Services Provider Andersen Files Confidential IPO Plans
Tax and legal services provider Andersen Group Inc. said Monday it confidentially filed for an initial public offering, marking a first step toward going public amid market volatility that has largely frozen IPOs in recent weeks.
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April 28, 2025
Trump To Target Sanctuary Cities With New Executive Order
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday evening directing the attorney general and secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to publish a list of sanctuary cities, which are often found in Democratic states, as they "obstruct" the federal immigration efforts, according to the administration.
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April 28, 2025
9th Circ. Nixes COVID-19 App Suit Appeal Against Apple
The Ninth Circuit has once again shut the door on a doctor's suit accusing Apple of illegally refusing to distribute his COVID-19 tracking app through its app store, affirming a lower court ruling from October 2024 that denied his motion to reopen.
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April 28, 2025
Judge Weighs Impact Of Top Court Ruling On DOE Grant Cap
A federal judge hearing a challenge to a Department of Energy grant cap on Monday expressed concerns about the case's potential overlap with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that cast doubt on a bid to revive federal teacher training grants.
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April 28, 2025
Nikola Seeks Court OK For $9M Climate-Credit Sale Process
Electric truck maker Nikola Corp. has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to approve a sale process for environmental credits the company earned by selling zero-emission vehicles, saying it has secured an $8.97 million bid that will set a floor price for the assets.
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April 28, 2025
Class Attys Seek $6.5M Cut In $29.5M Plantronics Settlement
Lead counsel for Plantronics investors who secured a $29.5 million deal resolving claims the company used "channel stuffing" tactics to bolster revenue are seeking $6.5 million in fees, telling a California federal judge Friday the request is reasonable, given the strong recovery and their track record successfully prosecuting similar securities cases.
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April 28, 2025
Chancery Tosses Palantir Suit Targeting Direct Sale Gains
Observing that corporate insiders can't be penalized for profiting from public information, a Delaware vice chancellor has thrown out a derivative suit filed by Palantir Technologies stockholders accusing the private company's directors and officers of unfairly profiting from direct-to-market stock sales without taking the company public.
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April 28, 2025
High Court Declines Review Of 'Server Test' In Copyright Suit
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge to the Ninth Circuit's criteria for determining copyright liability when photos are embedded online, denying a photographer's appeal in a case where he is suing Canadian media company Valnet Inc.
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April 28, 2025
Justices Won't Disturb 9th Circ.'s AT&T 401(k) Suit Revival
The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear AT&T's bid for review of a Ninth Circuit panel decision reviving a class action against the telecom giant alleging mismanagement of an employee 401(k) plan, rejecting employers' request for more clarity from the court on the pleading standard for federal benefits lawsuits alleging excessive fees.
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April 25, 2025
Baby Food Maker Keeps Win In Suit Saying It Concealed Toxins
The Ninth Circuit on Friday affirmed a summary judgment win for California-based Plum Organics, saying in an unpublished opinion that parents who accused the baby food maker of failing to disclose potential toxins in its baby food products didn't sufficiently prove that Plum's products pose an unreasonable safety hazard.
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April 25, 2025
HHS Sued Over Withholding Of $65.8M In Title X Funding
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unlawfully withheld $65.8 million in federal grants for critically needed family planning services, a nonprofit alleged in a suit filed Thursday in D.C. federal court, saying the withholding seemed to be based, in part, on grantees' support for diversity, equity and inclusion.
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April 25, 2025
Ramey Loses Last-Minute Attempts To Avoid Sanctions
Texas attorney Bill Ramey and two others will have to pay more than $64,000 and alert disciplinary bodies that they have been sanctioned by Saturday, after a California federal court and the U.S. Supreme Court refused a last-minute stay on the sanctions.
Expert Analysis
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Navigating Title IX Compliance In The NIL Era
As universities push to move more name, image and likeness activity in-house, it's unclear how the NCAA and its members will square implementation of the House settlement with Title IX requirements, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.
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National Bank Act Rulings Facilitate More Preemption Analysis
Two recent National Bank Act preemption decisions from an Illinois federal court and the Ninth Circuit provide the first applications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling in Cantero v. Bank of America, opening the potential for several circuit courts to address the issue this year, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.
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Series
Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.
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It Starts With Training: Anti-Harassment After 'It Ends With Us'
Actress Blake Lively's recent sexual harassment and retaliation allegations against her "It Ends With Us" co-star, director and producer, Justin Baldoni, should remind employers of their legal obligations to implement trainings, policies and other measures to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.
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Complying With Calif. Price-Gouging Law After LA Fires
The recent tragic Los Angeles fires have brought attention to the state's sometimes controversial price-gouging protections, and every California business should keep the law's requirements in mind, despite the debate over whether these statutes help consumers, say attorneys at Cooley.
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Opinion
Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.
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How Cos. Can Use Data Clean Rooms To Address Privacy
Implementing comprehensive administrative controls, security processes and vendor management systems are vital steps for businesses leveraging data clean rooms for privacy compliance, especially given the Federal Trade Commission's warnings of complicated user privacy implications, say attorneys at Troutman.
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Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example
Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
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SEC Motion Response Could Reveal New Crypto Approach
Cumberland DRW recently filed to dismiss the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement action against it for the unlawful purchase and sale of digital asset securities, and the agency's response should unveil whether, and to what extent, the Trump administration will relax the federal government’s stance on digital asset regulation, say attorneys at O'Melveny.
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What Calif. Bill Could Mean For Battery Energy Storage
A newly proposed bill in the California Legislature would place major restrictions on the development of battery energy storage system projects in the state — but with Gov. Gavin Newsom's strong support for clean energy technology, the legislation will likely face significant obstacles, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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3 Ways Trump Can Nix SEC's Climate Disclosure Rules
Given President Donald Trump's campaign statements and agency appointments, it's likely that his administration will try to annul the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's climate disclosure rules, but his options for doing so present unique opportunities and challenges, with varying levels of permanence and impact, say attorneys at DLA Piper.
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Perspectives
Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines
KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.
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Zuckerberg's Remarks Pose Legal Risk For Meta Amid Layoffs
Within days of announcing that Meta Platforms will cut 5% of its lowest-performing employees, Mark Zuckerberg remarked that corporations are becoming "culturally neutered" and need to bring back "masculine energy," exposing the company to potential claims under California employment law, says Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law Center.
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Perspectives
DC Circ. Cellphone Ruling Upends Law Enforcement Protocol
The D.C. Circuit’s recent U.S. v. Brown decision, holding that forcibly requiring a defendant to unlock his cellphone with his fingerprint violated the Fifth Amendment, has significant implications for law enforcement, and may provide an opportunity for defense lawyers to suppress electronic evidence, says Sarah Sulkowski at Gelber & Santillo.
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Reg Waiver Eases Calif. Rebuilding, But Proceed With Care
California Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order suspending some environmental review and permitting requirements for the reconstruction of homes and businesses damaged by recent wildfires may streamline rebuilding efforts, but will require careful navigation of the evolving regulatory landscape, says Gregory Berlin at Alston & Bird.