California

  • July 08, 2025

    'Practice Better Judgment,' Judge Tells Comscore Foe

    A California federal judge "strongly" admonished a film distribution and data company for filing an amended monopolization complaint against Comscore on the Fourth of July, while also concluding that the filing mooted, for now, a bid to force the box office giant to continue sharing data.

  • July 08, 2025

    Judge Doubts OpenAI Rival Used Similar TM Commercially

    A California federal judge appeared skeptical Tuesday that Open Artificial Intelligence Inc. began using its name commercially earlier than ChatGPT developer OpenAI Inc., pushing the lesser-known company for evidence and expressing impatience over what she viewed as a lack of any substantive backing.

  • July 08, 2025

    FinCEN To Appeal Block Of Trump's Border Cash Biz Order

    The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, its director and others on Tuesday filed a notice of their plan to appeal a California federal judge's decision to temporarily block the Trump administration's order singling out cash-moving businesses along the southwest border for heightened anti-money laundering reporting.

  • July 08, 2025

    Wells Fargo Wants Investors' 'Sham' Hiring Suit Tossed

    Wells Fargo & Co. is once again looking to rid itself of a California-based class action accusing it of deceiving investors about its hiring practices, arguing that suing shareholders have not found any evidence that so-called sham job interviews were widespread at the bank.

  • July 08, 2025

    Prospect Medical Doctor Groups Hit Ch. 11 After Astrana Sale

    About two dozen physician practices linked to bankrupt healthcare company Prospect Medical have filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas, days after Prospect sold some of the entities' assets to Astrana Health Inc. for $708 million.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. Bar Seeks 30-Day Suspension For Ex-Exec's Misconduct

    The California State Bar Court has recommended a 30-day "actual" suspension for its onetime executive director, who last year was found culpable for a "significant ethical violation" in making misrepresentations to the State Bar Board of Trustees regarding his 2014 visit to Mongolia, which allegedly cost thousands of dollars in bar funds.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. 'Trail Immunity' Blocks Suit Over Bicyclist's Death

    A California appeals court has refused to revive a woman's suit against East Bay Regional Park District over her husband's death, rejecting her argument that the state's "trail immunity" doesn't apply to paved trails.

  • July 08, 2025

    Vaxart Investors Can Pursue Suit Over COVID Vax Claims

    A California federal judge declined to grant an early win to the onetime controlling shareholder of Vaxart in an investor suit alleging it dumped stock at inflated prices following deceptive headlines about the biotechnology company's ability to produce a COVID-19 vaccine.

  • July 08, 2025

    High Court Allows Trump's Gov't Cuts And Restructuring

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled the Trump administration can move forward with its plans for large-scale layoffs and reorganizations at various federal departments and agencies, lifting a California federal judge's order that had paused the efforts while a legal challenge continues.

  • July 08, 2025

    The Biggest Copyright Rulings Of 2025: A Midyear Report

    Two California judges were the first to deliver crucial rulings about what constitutes fair use in training generative artificial intelligence models — a question expected to test the boundaries of the copyright doctrine amid the emergence of the groundbreaking technology. Here is Law360's list of the biggest copyright decisions so far this year.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. Agency Rolls Out Guidance For Violence Survivor Leave

    The California Civil Rights Department rolled out its latest guidance and model notice for employees who are victims of violence or abuse and wish to take time off under a law that went into effect in the state in January.

  • July 08, 2025

    Frost LLP Adds Entertainment Vet As Partner

    Longtime entertainment attorney Gary Stiffelman has joined Frost LLP as a partner after several years at his own firm, bringing the experience of four decades representing what the firm said were numerous high-profile artists, cultural leaders and executives.

  • July 08, 2025

    Calif. Justices Say Elected Officials Lack Whistleblower Shield

    California elected officials are not covered by the state's whistleblower protections because they don't fall under the definition of employees, the California Supreme Court ruled, affirming a state appeals court decision to nix a retaliation suit from the City of Inglewood's former elected treasurer.

  • July 07, 2025

    Calif. Justices Disbar SF Atty For Defrauding Elderly Client

    The California Supreme Court has ordered the disbarment of a San Francisco lawyer who authorities say overcharged an elderly trust account client with advanced dementia, finding that he "repeatedly failed to uphold the most basic duties of an attorney" and is "unfit to serve as a member of the bar."

  • July 07, 2025

    DC Judge Nixes Challenge To Immigrant Legal Services Cuts

    A D.C. federal judge said nonprofit groups failed to show that the Trump administration acted beyond its authority when it decided to end or take over Justice Department programs that previously tapped them to provide legal services to immigrants.

  • July 07, 2025

    Citron Founder Seeks Dismissal Of 'Absurd' DOJ Fraud Case

    An attorney for Citron Research's founder, short-seller activist Andrew Left, urged a California federal judge Monday to dismiss the federal government's "absurd" criminal securities fraud case against Left, arguing that it's an unprecedented effort to criminalize free speech. 

  • July 07, 2025

    Lenders Accused Of Using Calif. Tribe To Dodge Usury Laws

    A California resident has accused River Valley Loans and some business leaders allegedly associated with the company — including the son of TV host Dr. Phil — of operating a predatory lending scheme involving the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe to make short-term, small-dollar loans with illegally high interest rates.

  • July 07, 2025

    Personal Injury & Med Mal Cases To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

    The social media addiction multidistrict litigation against the biggest tech companies and a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding state medical malpractice lawsuit requirements are among the cases injury and malpractice attorneys will be following closely in the second half of 2025.

  • July 07, 2025

    Etsy Shares User Data With Google And Meta For Ads, Suit Says

    Etsy flouts privacy laws by illegally sharing website visitors' information with third parties through the surreptitious use and deployment of tracking pixels created by Google, Meta, TikTok and Microsoft for behavior profiling and real-time digital ad bidding auctions, according to a proposed class action filed last week in California federal court. 

  • July 07, 2025

    As New Era Dawns For College Athletes, Repairs Still Needed

    As far back as late 2023, when a broad cross-section of former college athletes was certified as a class to sue the NCAA for unpaid name, image and likeness compensation, all parties involved have known that the eventual settlement of its claims would repair just one specific broken part of the college sports ecosystem. With the portion of the $2.78 billion settlement designed to share institutional revenues directly with athletes going into effect on Tuesday, legal experts still wonder how and when enough will be done to set right the scales that went unbalanced for decades.

  • July 07, 2025

    Feds Tell 9th Circ. Ayahuasca Church Not Owed $2M In Fees

    Federal officials told the Ninth Circuit on Monday that a Phoenix-based church that reached an agreement with the government to use the psychedelic ayahuasca in religious ceremonies was not entitled to more than $2 million in attorney fees.

  • July 07, 2025

    Calif. Coastal Agency Gets SpaceX Launch Suit Trimmed

    A California federal judge has trimmed SpaceX's suit alleging the California Coastal Commission wrongly tried to block its plan to increase rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, saying the reworked complaint adequately alleges some, but not all, of the purported harms the company faces.

  • July 07, 2025

    Law Firm Partners United Co-Founder Joins King & Spalding

    A Goodwin Procter LLP intellectual property partner who earlier this year co-founded a coalition of BigLaw attorneys challenging the Trump administration's attacks on law firms has jumped to King & Spalding LLP.

  • July 07, 2025

    Calif. Fails To Pause 23andMe's Sale During Appeal

    A Missouri bankruptcy judge on Monday refused California's request that genetic testing company 23andMe Holding Co.'s $305 million Chapter 11 sale be tabled while the Golden State seeks an appeal.

  • July 07, 2025

    AI Weather Startup Claims Rival Used Trade Secrets

    An artificial intelligence-powered weather simulation startup has sued a rival company in California federal court, claiming a consultant took its source code and used it to found the competitor.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Attorney To BigLaw

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    When I transitioned to private practice after government service — most recently as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — I learned there are more similarities between the two jobs than many realize, with both disciplines requiring resourcefulness, zealous advocacy and foresight, says Zach Terwilliger at V&E.

  • Rebuttal

    Forced Litigation Funding Disclosure Threatens Patent Rights

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    A recent Law360 guest article argued that courts should adopt stronger disclosure requirements for third-party litigation funding, but rather than enabling fairness or transparency, such measures would only undermine patent holders' access to capital and weaken their ability to assert valid patent rights, says Anup Misra at Curiam Capital.

  • The Ins And Outs Of Consensual Judicial References

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    As parties consider the possibility of judicial reference to resolve complex disputes, it is critical to understand how the process works, why it's gaining traction, and why carefully crafted agreements make all the difference, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • How Focus On Menopause Care Is Fueling Innovation, Access

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    Recent legislative developments concerning the growing field of menopause care are creating opportunities for increased investment and innovation in the space as they increase access to education and coverage, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • Calif. Digital Assets Proposal Provides Only Partial Clarity

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    Recently proposed regulations under California's Digital Financial Assets Law answer some important questions about the new regime, particularly regarding its interaction with the state's money transmission law, but many key compliance questions remain, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Opinion

    The BigLaw Settlements Are About Risk, Not Profit

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    The nine Am Law 100 firms that settled with the Trump administration likely did so because of the personal risk faced by equity partners in today's billion‑dollar national practices, enabled by an ethics rule primed for modernization, says Adam Forest at Scale.

  • What Gene Findings Mean For Asbestos Mesothelioma Claims

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    Recent advances in genetic research have provided substantial evidence that significant numbers of malignant mesothelioma cases may be caused by inherited mutations rather than asbestos exposure — a finding that could fundamentally change how defendants approach personal injury litigation over mesothelioma, say David Schwartz at Lumanity and Kirk Hartley at LSP Group.

  • State Tort Claims May Help Deter Bribes During FCPA Pause

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    As the U.S. pauses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, companies that lose business due to competitors' bribery should consider using state tortious interference suits to expose corruption, deter illegal practices and obtain compensation for commercial losses, says Jason Manning at Levy Firestone.

  • 4 States' Enforcement Actions Illustrate Data Privacy Priorities

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    Attorneys at Wilson Elser examine recent enforcement actions based on new consumer data privacy laws by regulators in California, Connecticut, Oregon and Texas, centered around key themes, including crackdowns on dark patterns, misuse of sensitive data and failure to honor consumer rights.

  • Series

    Brazilian Jiujitsu Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in Brazilian jiujitsu – often against opponents who are much larger and younger than me – has allowed me to develop a handful of useful skills that foster the resilience and adaptability necessary for a successful legal career, says Tina Dorr of Barnes & Thornburg.

  • Birthright Ruling Could Alter Consumer Financial Litigation

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming decision about the validity of the nationwide injunctions in the birthright citizenship cases, argued on May 15, could make it much harder for trade associations to obtain nationwide relief from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement of invalid regulations, says Alan Kaplinsky at Ballard Spahr.

  • Signed, Sealed, Deleted: A Look At The California Delete Act

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    The California Delete Act, proposed Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform regulations, and California Privacy Protection Agency enforcement raise a number of compliance considerations — even for data brokers that have existing deletion processes in place, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: A Rare MDL Petition Off-Day

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    In an unusual occurrence in the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's history, there are zero new MDL petitions scheduled for Thursday's hearing session, but the panel will be busy considering a host of motions regarding whether to transfer cases to eight existing MDL proceedings, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • Energy Order Brings Risks For Lenders And Borrowers Alike

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    A recent executive order directing the attorney general to submit a report next month with recommendations for halting enforcement of state laws the administration says are hampering energy resources presents risks for lenders and borrowers using state-generated carbon credits, but proactive steps now can help insulate against adverse consequences, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Customs Fraud Enforcement In The Age Of Tariffs

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    In the wake of the Trump administration’s new approach toward tariffs, two recent Justice Department developments demonstrate aggressive customs fraud enforcement, with the DOJ emphasizing competitive harm to American businesses, and signaling that investigations will likely involve both civil and criminal enforcement tools, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz and London & Naor.

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