California

  • July 16, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Opposes Dismissal Of Suit Over Cannabis Raids

    The Round Valley Indian Tribes urged a California federal court not to dismiss their claims against Mendocino County and its sheriff alleging they illegally raided cannabis growers on tribal lands, saying the complaint sufficiently contends that the sheriff and county have an ongoing policy of continuing the raids.

  • July 16, 2025

    Paramount Fired VP For Return-To-Office Concerns, Suit Says

    Paramount fired an executive for raising concerns that the company's return to in-person work during the COVID-19 pandemic put her at risk because of her autoimmune condition and then replaced her with a less experienced man, she said in a disability and gender bias suit filed in California state court.

  • July 16, 2025

    After Hiring Blitz, Dunn Isaacson Formally Opens In DC

    After quickly growing its ranks to more than 20 attorneys, the new litigation boutique Dunn Isaacson Rhee LLP said Wednesday it has opened its first location in Washington, D.C., and plans offices in New York and San Francisco.

  • July 15, 2025

    Auto Dealership Software Biz Must Face Rival's Monopoly Suit

    A California federal judge Tuesday denied Texas tech company CDK Global's bid to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of cornering the auto dealership management software market, saying its rival, Tekion, plausibly alleged that CDK holds a monopoly power and made it hard for dealerships to switch to competing platforms.

  • July 15, 2025

    MaxLinear, Silicon Motion Beat Suit Over Failed $3.8B Merger

    A California federal judge on Tuesday threw out a proposed class action that accused semiconductor company MaxLinear and chipmaker Silicon Motion of misleading investors about a $3.8 billion merger that fell through, saying Silicon Motion shareholders couldn't sue MaxLinear or prove that Silicon Motion knew about an alleged breach of the merger agreement.

  • July 15, 2025

    FDIC Says Farella Braun Can't Get Fees In First Republic Suit

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has asked a California federal court to toss a more than $50,000 legal fee claim tied to First Republic Bank's collapse, arguing that Farella Braun, the law firm behind the claim, failed to submit a valid written agreement or itemized invoices and its claim is legally insufficient.

  • July 15, 2025

    Consumers Say Apple's Bid To End App Store Case Will Fail

    A massive class of consumers accusing Apple of monopolizing the distribution of apps on its devices has told a California federal court the tech giant's planned summary judgment bid should be rejected because there's evidence showing harm to both users and developers.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Nature's Way Loss In Supplements TM Suit

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's finding that a Doctor's Best Inc. brand of supplements didn't infringe a trademark of competitor Nature's Way Products LLC because the Doctor's Best products were all sold outside the U.S.

  • July 15, 2025

    Insurers Prevail In $59M Mishandled Remains Row At 9th Circ.

    Two insurers for a provider of medical training have no duty to cover a $58.5 million civil judgment against a man found liable for mishandling donated bodily remains, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday, though also allowing the underlying claimants to still pursue bad faith claims against the insurers.

  • July 15, 2025

    Calif. Homeowners Win Cert. In State Farm Underpayment Suit

    A California federal court certified a class of nearly 200,000 homeowners alleging State Farm systematically underpaid property insurance claims in violation of the state's insurance code, ruling Tuesday that the plaintiffs offered a feasible methodology for calculating damages classwide and demonstrated that class members are identifiable.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Revive SAG-AFTRA Vax Mandate Challenge

    The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate a suit claiming SAG-AFTRA shirked its duties to union members by greenlighting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate to get actors back to work during the pandemic, ruling their claims are either untimely or preempted by federal labor law.

  • July 15, 2025

    Feds Urge Calif. Judge To End Suit Over Border Patrol Sweep

    The U.S. government moved Tuesday to end a proposed class action alleging Border Patrol agents conducted race-based stops and warrantless arrests of people who appear to be farmworkers, arguing the government has required agents to evaluate flight risks and reasonable suspicion for stops, which renders the suit's claims moot.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Rejects Sentencing Enhancement In Gun Case

    A Washington state federal court should not have applied a sentencing enhancement in the case of a man who handed a gun to someone who later used it to shoot an undercover federal agent, the Ninth Circuit said Monday, finding there wasn't proof his five-second hold on the weapon emboldened the shooter.

  • July 15, 2025

    X Says Laid-Off Twitter Worker Not Owed A Jury Trial

    X Corp. has urged a California federal judge against holding a jury trial on a former Twitter worker's claims the company and owner Elon Musk violated state and federal laws requiring advance warning of mass layoffs, arguing the statutes don't provide for more than a bench trial.

  • July 15, 2025

    Fizz Social Loses Bid To Block Instacart's 'Fizz' Drink App

    A California federal judge has denied social media platform Fizz Social Corp.'s bid for a preliminary injunction in its trademark infringement and anti-cybersquatting lawsuit accusing Instacart and Partiful of ripping off its "FIZZ" mark to launch a rival "Fizz" beverage-delivery app that targets the so-called Gen Z demographic.

  • July 15, 2025

    Tax Return Preparer Cops To Role In $25M Fraud Scheme

    A tax return preparer pled guilty in a California federal court for his role in a fraud scheme that involved submitting fake federal income tax returns to claim $25 million in refunds.

  • July 15, 2025

    5th Circ. Says Media Matters Can Challenge X Suit Venue

    The Fifth Circuit gave left-leaning watchdog Media Matters for America another shot at transferring a business disparagement lawsuit launched by X Corp. to California, saying Tuesday the Texas federal judge overseeing the case didn't do an adequate venue analysis.

  • July 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Axing Of IT Co.'s Microsoft Data Misuse Case

    The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a cybersecurity supplier's case accusing Microsoft of misusing a proprietary database of login credentials recovered on the black market, concluding that the parties' contract did not impose limits on the tech giant's use of the data.

  • July 15, 2025

    Weedmaps, SPAC Officers Want Out Of Investor SEC Fine Suit

    Cannabis tech company Weedmaps Technology Inc. and leaders of a blank check company that it merged with have asked to be released from an investor's proposed class action alleging damages following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's announcement that it fined Weedmaps $1.5 million for allegedly making misleading statements about its monthly active users.

  • July 15, 2025

    Workers Seek Class Status In United Pricing Scheme Suit

    A group of workers urged a California federal judge to award them class certification in their suit alleging United Behavioral Health and a billing contractor shorted them on coverage for out-of-network substance use disorder treatments, arguing they put forward new detail that clears class status requirements.

  • July 15, 2025

    High Court Term Yields Gains For Criminal Defendants

    The U.S. Supreme Court addressed several contentious issues this term, with the conservative majority prevailing in numerous high-profile cases. Yet, in a notable trend, the court also issued multiple rulings favorable to criminal defendants, including expanding prisoners' rights in civil lawsuits and reinforcing due process protections in capital cases.

  • July 15, 2025

    Anthropic Seeks 9th Circ. Fair Use Appeal Over Piracy Claims

    Anthropic PBC asked a California federal judge Tuesday to let the Ninth Circuit review his decision that making fair use of copyrighted books to train artificial intelligence technology did not absolve the company of potential liability for alleged piracy.

  • July 15, 2025

    Frito-Lay Settles Flamin' Hot Cheetos Defamation Suit

    Frito-Lay Inc. and a former employee have reached a settlement Monday in his suit claiming he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos and had his livelihood destroyed when the company disavowed his story, according to a Monday filing in California federal court.

  • July 15, 2025

    State Farm 'Maliciously' Denied Property Coverage, Court Told

    A California property owner accused State Farm of "maliciously" denying its property insurance claim in a lawsuit removed to federal court, further alleging that the insurer intentionally ignored evidence of the extent of the property damage.

  • July 15, 2025

    50 Cent Can't Stop Release Of Horror Film, Calif. Judge Rules

    50 Cent cannot block the release of Hollywood producer Ryan Kavanaugh's horror film that allegedly uses his name and likeness without a final contract in place, after a California federal judge decided there was evidence suggesting the rapper assented to the parties' agreed-upon terms to do so.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Copyright Takeaways From 2 Calif. GenAI Rulings

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    Two California federal court decisions suggest that the fair use defense may protect generative artificial intelligence output, but given the ongoing war between copyright holders and AI platforms, developers should still consider taking steps to reduce legal risk, says Lincoln Essig at Knobbe Martens.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • 9th Circ. Customs Ruling A Limited Win For FCA Plaintiffs

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    While the decision last month in Island Industries v. Sigma may be welcome news for False Claims Act relators, under binding precedent courts within the Ninth Circuit still do not have jurisdiction to adjudicate customs-based FCA claims pursued by the government, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • What To Know About Bill Aiming To Curb CIPA

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    A bill pending in the California Assembly would amend the California Invasion of Privacy Act to allow for the use of website tracking technologies for commercial business purposes, limiting class actions seeking damages under the act for industry standard practices, say Katherine Alphonso and Avazeh Pourhamzeh at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • Preparing For Trump Pushback Against State Climate Laws

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    An April executive order from President Donald Trump mandated a report from the U.S. attorney general on countering so-called state overreach in climate policy, and while that report has yet to appear, companies can expect that it will likely call for using litigation, legislation and funding to actively reshape energy policy, say attorneys at Bracewell.

  • Tips For Managing Social Media And International Travel Risks

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    Employers should familiarize themselves with the legal framework governing border searches and adopt specific risk management practices that address increasing scrutiny of employees’ social media activities by immigration enforcement, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • DOJ Actions Signal Rising Enforcement Risk For Health Cos.

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's announcement of a new False Claims Act working group, together with the largest healthcare fraud takedown in history, underscore the importance of sophisticated compliance programs that align with the DOJ's data-driven approach, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Brand Protection Takeaways From OpenAI Trademark Case

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    The ongoing battle between IYO and OpenAI offers critical lessons on diligent trademark enforcement and proactive risk management for startups and established players alike navigating branding in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • How McKesson Ruling Will Inform Interpretations Of The TCPA

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    Amid the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson, we can expect to see both plaintiffs and defendants utilizing the decision to revisit the Federal Communications Commission's past Telephone Consumer Protection Act interpretations and decisions they did not like, says Jason McElroy at Saul Ewing.

  • Series

    Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2

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    The second quarter saw California become a more active protector of consumers in response to federal regulatory pullback, with regulators proposing a licensing framework for digital asset businesses, ending an enforcement exemption and otherwise signaling further expansions of oversight and enforcement, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Navigating Court Concerns About QR Codes In FLSA Notices

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    As plaintiffs attorneys increasingly seek to include QR codes as a method of notice in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, counsel should be prepared to address judicial concerns about their use, including their potential to be duplicative and circumvent court-approved language, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • Justices Rethink Minimum Contacts For Foreign Entities

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    Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Devas v. Antrix and Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, suggest that federal statutes may confer personal jurisdiction over foreign entities that have little to no contact with the U.S. — a significant departure from traditional due process principles, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.

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