California

  • September 01, 2026

    Image Search Technology Raises New Copyright Questions

    Technology that can uncover decade-old online images is testing the practical limits of copyright’s discovery rule, as courts weigh reasonable diligence against the reality that sophisticated search tools still miss infringement and defendants may no longer possess records proving authorization.

  • September 01, 2026

    Pot Co. CEO Says US Can't Recoup PPP Loan On Fraud Claim

    The former CEO of a group of California cannabis companies is urging a Southern District of California court to throw out the U.S. government's intervenor complaint seeking to recoup $2.5 million in PPP loans, saying that she doesn't live in the district and that the alleged fraud was not a factor in her companies getting the loans.

  • August 31, 2026

    AGs, WGA Slam Paramount's Bid For $1.9B Merger Suit Bond

    The Writers Guild of America and Democratic attorneys general urged a California federal judge Monday to reject Paramount Skydance Corp.'s bid to make them put up a $1.9 billion bond, saying it was the studio's idea to pause closing its planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

  • August 31, 2026

    Calif. Passes Bills To Limit Tracking Suits, Boost Privacy

    California lawmakers have sent to the governor's desk legislation that would block private litigants from bringing website tracking lawsuits under a key provision of the state's wiretap law, as well as a separate pair of bills to expand protections under the state's data privacy law. 

  • August 31, 2026

    Tesla Asks 9th Circ. To Decertify 'Full Self-Driving' Ad Class

    Tesla urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to decertify classes of Tesla buyers who accuse the company of making false and deceptive promises about the capabilities of their "self-driving" electric vehicles, arguing that there's no proof showing all class members viewed the alleged misstatement at issue on Tesla's webpage.

  • August 31, 2026

    EPA Sued Over Herbicide Challenged As Likely Carcinogen

    Environmental organizations urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to review the Trump administration's recent approval of a herbicide, trifludimoxazin, that critics describe as a likely carcinogen that could pose risks to wildlife and human health.

  • August 31, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Rehear Eye Drop Antitrust Suit Despite Dissent

    A forceful dissent from a pair of Ninth Circuit judges wasn't enough to keep the full appellate court from letting stand a panel decision preserving wholesalers' district court win accusing the maker of Clear Eyes drops of illegal price discrimination favoring Costco.

  • August 31, 2026

    Kalshi Bans George Santos, Candidates Over Improper Trades

    Prediction market platform Kalshi said Monday that it permanently banned George Santos from the platform and imposed a $71,000 penalty against the convicted former U.S. representative for allegedly manipulating a prediction market on whether he would attend the 2026 State of the Union address.

  • August 31, 2026

    How Did Litigants Fare In Judge Albright's 55 Patent Trials?

    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright oversaw more than 50 patent trials between his 2018 arrival on the bench and planned Monday departure, and in a surprise for many attorneys, there was a near-even split between victories for patent owners and accused infringers.

  • August 31, 2026

    Controversial Tweak To Calif. Antitrust Law Heads To Newsom

    A bill that would expand California's Cartwright Act to allow the state to pursue monopoly and monopsony claims against a solo company, instead of requiring multicompany coordinated conduct, is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk after state lawmakers passed a narrowed version of the controversial measure Sunday.

  • August 31, 2026

    Whistleblower Atty Award Cut To $5.4M After 9th Circ. Remand

    A California federal judge cut fees and expenses to $5.4 million for attorneys representing a whistleblower in her suit against Academy Mortgage Corp., after a Ninth Circuit remand deemed the previously awarded $8.6 million to be too high.

  • August 31, 2026

    FTC, AGs Say Amazon Pocketed $20B With Fraudulent Auctions

    The Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan coalition of 22 states sued Amazon Monday, alleging it secretly overcharged advertising customers more than $20 billion by manipulating how it set prices for ads on its e-commerce website.

  • August 31, 2026

    Sec. Of State Can't Deport Students For Speech, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has ruled in a suit from Stanford University's student newspaper that provisions of federal immigration law the Trump administration used to cancel the visas of pro-Palestinian students and try to deport them violate the First Amendment and due process.

  • August 31, 2026

    Calif. Bar Drops Disciplinary Action Against 4 DTLA Law Attys

    The California State Bar dismissed, without prejudice, disciplinary charges against four DTLA Law Group attorneys alleging they illegally practiced law outside the state as part of their work with the personal injury law firm, which is under investigation for its involvement in Los Angeles County's $4 billion sex abuse settlement.

  • August 31, 2026

    Ford, Bronco Builder Rev Up TM Fight Over Custom Builds

    Ford Motor Co. and a custom Bronco builder are trying to pare down their trademark fight in dueling summary judgment bids, with Ford targeting defenses to its claims over Bronco-inspired SUVs and the defendants accusing the automaker of improperly renewing its Bronco registration while the model was out of production.

  • August 31, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Block On MSN Cancer Drug In Exelixis Win

    The Federal Circuit on Monday rejected MSN Laboratories' argument that three Exelixis patents on the blockbuster cancer drug Cabometyx are invalid, while dismissing as moot an appeal on a fourth patent, a ruling Exelixis said will block MSN's generic version until 2030.

  • August 31, 2026

    Sony, Warner Music Sue Anthropic Over 'Brazen' IP Theft

    Sony Music and Warner Chappell Music have accused Anthropic in California federal court of carrying out a "brazen campaign" of musical composition theft, alleging the Claude-maker stole lyrics and sheet music by scraping websites, exploiting datasets and "destructively scanning" physical copies of copyrighted music.

  • August 31, 2026

    House Passes Bill Adding Texas, California Court Sites

    The House voted 378-10 on Monday evening to expand access to federal courts in Texas and California, the two most populous states in the nation.

  • August 31, 2026

    Senators Say Roblox, Discord Can't Arbitrate Sex Abuse Suit

    Sens. Dick Durbin, Richard Blumenthal and Kirsten Gillibrand are urging a California state appeals court to reject Discord Inc. and Roblox Corp.'s bid to compel arbitration in a suit from a teenager alleging he was groomed and abused on the platforms.

  • August 31, 2026

    States Ask Fed. Circ. To Revive Their Temporary Tariff Claims

    Two dozen states pushed the Federal Circuit on Monday to revive their specific claims against now-expired temporary tariffs while simultaneously pushing the panel to otherwise back the U.S. Court of International Trade's ruling that the tariffs were illegal.

  • August 31, 2026

    LA County Says State Farm Botched Fires Claims Handling

    Los Angeles County on Monday accused State Farm of systemic violations of California consumer protection laws in its property insurance business and its handling of homeowners claims connected to the 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires.

  • August 31, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Salvadoran's Bid For Torture Protection

    The Ninth Circuit has faulted the Board of Immigration Appeals for creating a "quantitative evidence" requirement in assessing a Salvadoran's bid under the Convention Against Torture to avoid deportation to El Salvador, saying that no such requirement exists.

  • August 31, 2026

    Tesla, Calif. Family Settle Suit Over Fatal Autopilot Crash

    Tesla has agreed to settle a suit alleging the automaker's autopilot technology and marketing of its self-driving capabilities contributed to a fatal 2023 crash that killed a driver and seriously injured his passenger, according to documents filed in California federal court.

  • August 31, 2026

    Paul Mitchell Urges 9th Circ. To Untangle False Ad Class

    Paul Mitchell urged the Ninth Circuit Monday to decertify a class of customers alleging the company deceptively concealed its animal testing in China while touting its U.S. haircare products as cruelty-free, arguing there's no evidence that all class members saw and relied on its cruelty-free labels before their purchases.

  • August 31, 2026

    Webinar Site Says Recorded Meetings Were Public

    A webinar site accused of secretly recording and posting private videoconferences online for profit told a California federal court Friday the "dissonance" required to assume the meetings are private is enough to end the proposed class action.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Disgorgement Questions Linger After Justices' SEC Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission avoided placing new limits on the SEC’s disgorgement powers, it passed over several questions, including whether the commission can seek disgorgement when returning the money to investors isn't possible, says David Slovick at Kopecky Schumacher.

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

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    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Green Card Memo Warps Long-Standing Adjustment Process

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    A recent policy memorandum that treats a nonimmigrant visa holder’s decision to seek adjustment of status in the U.S., rather than at a U.S. consulate, as an adverse factor reinterprets existing discretionary frameworks, compounds risks for applicants required to apply abroad and changes practitioner approaches to application preparation, says attorney Jack Jrada.

  • Celebs May Need Federal Protection To Fight Voice Deepfakes

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    Deepfakes and digital replicas are increasingly misappropriating celebrities' voices for commercial purposes, but unless federal right of publicity protections are developed, celebrities are left to rely on ill-equipped trademark and state law, say attorneys at Brown Rudnick.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

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    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • State Enviro Agencies Give Cosmetics Regulation A Makeover

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    As state oversight of cosmetics rapidly expands, the new statutes and regulations governing these products are being implemented by environmental agencies rather than consumer product regulators, requiring manufacturers, distributors and retailers to reevaluate their supply chains and procedures, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • How End Of SEC 'Gag Rule' Affects Free Speech Certiorari Bid

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    The Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of the so-called gag rule, which forbade defendants in settlements from denying the SEC’s allegations, may sway the outcome of a petition to the Supreme Court in a case challenging the rule on First Amendment grounds, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Perfectus Settlement Illuminates DOJ's Tariff Fraud Strategy

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    The Department of Justice's recent False Claims Act settlement with Perfectus Aluminum illustrates the government's continuing interagency focus on customs and tariff enforcement, and the related criminal indictment provides insight into conduct enforcers may associate with tariff evasion schemes, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Product-Or-Content Question Is Pivotal In AI Litigation

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    A growing range of civil cases against OpenAI address the question of whether the output of a generative artificial intelligence system is a product, subject to traditional tort doctrine, or third-party content — and the framing courts adopt will shape software liability well beyond AI, says David Meldofsky at Lawsuit Informer.

  • Citron Founder Verdict Tests Reach Of 'Half-Truth' Fraud

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    A California federal jury's conviction this week of Citron founder Andrew Left may be remembered less as a conventional manipulation prosecution than as a case about how far the "half-truth" doctrine can reach when applied to modern market speech, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

  • Why IPR Slowdown Has Not Led To More Patent Litigation

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    Despite sustained strength in patent application filings and a decline in inter partes review and post-grant review, 2026 has not seen the anticipated surge in patent litigation in district courts and at the U.S. International Trade Commission, potentially due to four reasons, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Revisiting TransUnion's Underused Standing Rule, 5 Years On

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    The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' recent use of the U.S. Supreme Court’s now five-year-old TransUnion v. Ramirez rule specifying that the "mere risk of future harm" isn't concrete enough to support a damages claim presents an opportunity to revisit this underutilized standing rule, say attorneys at Horvitz & Levy.

  • 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

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    The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

  • Turning To The Courts When PBM Reform Falls Short

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    The effectiveness of state laws intended to regulate pharmacy benefit managers remains uncertain, but litigation — utilizing tried-and-true theories like breach of contract and fair dealing — offers another mechanism through which stakeholders may seek relief from PBMs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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