California

  • May 21, 2024

    Feds Can't Show Autonomy Jury Report Showing Audit Issues

    The California federal judge overseeing a criminal trial over claims Autonomy's former CEO conned HP into buying the U.K. company for $11.7 billion denied prosecutors' bid Tuesday to show jurors a British accounting watchdog's findings that Deloitte failed to catch misleading information in Autonomy's books.

  • May 21, 2024

    Pacific Seafood Beats Crab Price-Fixing Claims, For Now

    A California federal magistrate judge on Tuesday dismissed a proposed class action claiming Pacific Seafood fixed the price paid to fishers for Dungeness crab in the Pacific Northwest but will allow the fisherman who filed the suit the opportunity to amend most of his claims.

  • May 21, 2024

    Paramount Pictures Violated Wage Laws, Crew Member Says

    Paramount Pictures Corp. failed to pay crew members working on movie productions their total wages, denied them proper rest breaks and refused to reimburse them for out-of-pocket expenses, according to a proposed Private Attorneys General Act class action filed Monday in California state court.

  • May 21, 2024

    Calif. Justices Mull COVID-19 Business Interruption Coverage

    Counsel for Sentinel Insurance urged the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse an appellate court's finding that a San Francisco restaurant's policy covered COVID-19 business interruption losses, disputing that court's finding that the policy's promise of virus coverage would otherwise be "illusory." 

  • May 21, 2024

    9th Circ. Axes Forest Service's Calif. Mining Exemption

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday cut down the U.S. Forest Service's approval of gold exploration mining in California's Inyo National Forest, handing a win to environmentalists who had opposed the project for its potential impacts to threatened sage grouse and endangered fish.

  • May 21, 2024

    9th Circ. Vacates, Remands Tribe's Fishing Rights Dispute

    A Ninth Circuit panel said Tuesday that a challenge by a Washington tribe seeking to expand its fishing rights warrants further review, arguing that a lower court's ruling that a 19th century treaty did not include its accustomed grounds should be vacated and remanded to examine evidence of its village, presence and activities in the claimed waters. 

  • May 21, 2024

    Calif. Justices Doubt App-Based Drivers' Prop 22 Challenge

    Several California Supreme Court justices pushed back Tuesday against arguments by ride-hailing drivers that the Proposition 22 ballot measure carving out certain app-based workers from a worker classification law unconstitutionally runs afoul of the Legislature's authority, with one justice saying their position could "freeze out" voter-approved initiatives.

  • May 21, 2024

    Toll Bros. Lobs Legal Malpractice Claims At Gordon Rees

    Luxury home builder Toll Bros. Inc. has filed legal malpractice and breach of contract claims against Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, claiming that the California-based firm didn't comply with discovery obligations, among other failures while representing Toll Bros. in a dispute over a project in Washington state.

  • May 21, 2024

    Banks Urged To Vote Out Exxon Leaders Who Sued Investors

    A group of state and city financial officials sent letters to some of the biggest banks and asset managers Tuesday urging them to vote against Exxon Mobil Corp.'s CEO and lead independent director at an upcoming annual meeting because of the company's lawsuit against a pair of environmentally minded activist investors.

  • May 21, 2024

    LoanDepot's $3.5M Deal In IPO Disclosure Suit Gets Final OK

    A California federal judge has granted final approval to LoanDepot's $3.5 million settlement in a suit alleging it misled investors leading up to the company's initial public offering, despite a shareholder's objection that the settlement is insufficient.

  • May 21, 2024

    Bankrupt SVB Fights To Keep $1.9B Suit Against FDIC Alive

    The bankrupt former parent company of Silicon Valley Bank urged a California federal judge on Tuesday not to toss its suit against the Financial Deposit Insurance Corp. that seeks to get the deposit insurer to return $1.93 billion, saying the FDIC has not fulfilled its obligation to turn over the company's account funds.

  • May 21, 2024

    Eye Drops Must Sell On Even Terms Under Rare Antitrust Win

    A California federal judge cemented a rare win under a little-used antitrust law, following up on a December jury verdict against an eye drops company with a decision barring it from offering Costco better terms than the retail wholesaler plaintiffs.

  • May 21, 2024

    PetroSaudi Says $380M Award Feud Close To Resolution

    A PetroSaudi unit and the Biden administration are nearing a settlement to resolve a bitter dispute over the proceeds of a nearly $380 million arbitral award allegedly tied to embezzled 1Malaysia Development Berhad funds, which the government has been looking to seize for years, the parties said Monday.

  • May 21, 2024

    Va. Judge Ships Splenda IP Suit Against Peet's To Calif.

    A Virginia federal judge has agreed to ship a lawsuit accusing Peet's Coffee Inc. of breaching trademark laws across the country to California federal court, finding that the companies that brought the claims aren't connected enough to the Old Dominion.

  • May 21, 2024

    X Corp., Hate Speech Watchdog Settle Atty Fees Bid

    A California federal judge Tuesday signed off on an agreement that X Corp. and the Center for Countering Digital Hate reached to resolve the nonprofit organization's bid for $300,000 in attorney fees following a successful defense against the Elon Musk-led social media platform's claims that the center used improper tactics to write one of its articles.

  • May 21, 2024

    Apple Tees Up Bid To Toss DOJ IPhone Monopoly Suit

    Apple argued that it has the right to choose how it does business in a preview Tuesday of its upcoming explanations for why a New Jersey federal judge should dismiss the Justice Department lawsuit accusing the iPhone maker of restricting third-party app access to monopolize the smartphone market.

  • May 21, 2024

    Tuna Buyers Seeking $1B In July Price-Fixing Trial

    Tuna buyers who are taking StarKist, its parent company and a private investment firm that put money into Bumble Bee Foods to trial on allegations of conspiring to hike the price of the tinned fish will be asking for over $1 billion in damages once all is said and done.

  • May 21, 2024

    9th Circ. Rejects Quick Section 230 Appeal In Casino App MDL

    The Ninth Circuit refused to weigh in Tuesday on whether the Communications Decency Act's Section 230 shields Google, Apple and Meta from consolidated multidistrict litigation over allegedly illicit "social casino" game apps on their platforms, finding that deciding the issue on an interlocutory appeal would be a premature, advisory opinion.

  • May 21, 2024

    Ex-LA DA Sues State Farm Over Gun Incident Legal Fees

    Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey sued her insurer in California state court Tuesday, alleging State Farm cost her more than $2.1 million by failing to cover legal fees when she and her late husband were sued because he brandished a gun against protesters at their home.

  • May 21, 2024

    Split Fed. Circ. Revives IP Suit Against Nokia Over Standing

    A split Federal Circuit on Tuesday threw out a lower court decision that found an inventor's company didn't have standing to sue Nokia, Cisco and ADVA over a fiber optic patent, saying it was unclear if the company had the rights to the patent.

  • May 21, 2024

    ABA Faces Racial Bias Complaint Over Diversity Programs

    A conservative nonprofit on Tuesday hit the American Bar Association with a Title VI complaint, claiming a handful of "nefarious" ABA-led programs meant to connect minority law school students with judges are "racially discriminatory."

  • May 21, 2024

    DOJ, VW Ask 9th Circ. To Void Jones Day Docs Release Order

    The U.S. Department of Justice and Volkswagen have told the Ninth Circuit that forcing them to release confidential Volkswagen documents that were part of a Jones Day investigation into the automaker's 2015 emissions-cheating scandal would have far-reaching, chilling implications for federal criminal prosecutions.

  • May 21, 2024

    Scale AI Valued At $14B After Series F Round Led By Accel

    San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company Scale AI on Tuesday announced that it hit a nearly $14 billion valuation after closing its latest financing round with $1 billion in tow.

  • May 21, 2024

    Altria Unit Fights Bids To Toss Illegal Vape Sale Suit

    Altria Group Inc. subsidiary NJOY LLC is fighting a pair of bids to dismiss its suit seeking to block illegal sales of flavored vapes, saying it has shown both how it has been harmed by their sale and how preventing the sales would redress its injuries.

  • May 21, 2024

    Strategic Hiring Was The New Normal For BigLaw In 2023

    The 400 largest law firms by headcount in the U.S. grew more slowly in 2023 than in the previous two years, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP surpassed the 3,000-attorney threshold, according to the latest Law360 ranking.

Expert Analysis

  • Despite Risks, AI Is A Worthy Tool For Healthcare Industry

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    Artificial intelligence appears to provide a productive path forward for the healthcare industry, improving economic and human health outcomes, though companies must continue to address certain technology and compliance pain points, says Sarah Abrams at Bowhead Specialty Underwriters.

  • NCAA's Antitrust Litigation History Offers Clues For NIL Case

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    Attorneys at Perkins Coie analyze the NCAA's long history of antitrust litigation to predict how state attorney general claims against NCAA recruiting rules surrounding name, image and likeness discussions will stand up in Tennessee federal court.

  • SAG-AFTRA Contract Is A Landmark For AI And IP Interplay

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    SAG-AFTRA's recently ratified contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers introduced a framework to safeguard performers' intellectual property rights and set the stage for future discussions on how those rights interact with artificial intelligence — which should put entertainment businesses on alert for compliance, says Evynne Grover at QBE.

  • Reducing Carbon Footprint Requires A Tricky Path For CRE

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    As real estate owners find themselves caught between rapidly evolving environmental, social and governance initiatives and complicated societal debate, they will need to carefully establish formal plans to remain both competitive and compliant, say Michael Kuhn and Mahira Khan at Jackson Walker.

  • Ore. Insurance Ruling Opens Door To Extracontractual Claims

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    The Oregon Supreme Court's recent Moody v. Oregon Community Credit Union decision expanding an insurer's potential liability when adjusting life insurance policies exposes insurers to extracontractual tort liability, and the boundaries of this application will likely be tested through aggressive legal action, says Tessan Wess at GRSM50.

  • Navigating New Regulations In Healthcare And Other M&A

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    While notice requirements recently enacted in several states are focused on the healthcare industry for now, this trend could extend to other industries as these requirements are designed to allow regulators to be a step ahead and learn more about a transaction long before it occurs, say Kathleen Premo and Ashley Creech at Epstein Becker.

  • The Corporate Disclosure Tug-Of-War's Free Speech Issues

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    The continuing conflict over corporate disclosure requirements — highlighted by a lawsuit against Missouri's anti-ESG rules — has important implications not just for investors and regulated entities but also for broader questions about the scope of the First Amendment, say Colin Pohlman, and Jane Luxton and Paul Kisslinger at Lewis Brisbois.

  • What Brands Must Know For Calif. Recycle Label Compliance

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    A brand that stamps nonrecyclable packaging with the chasing arrows symbol could face liability under California's new law on labeling recyclable material, so brand owners should keep an eye on the state's pending survey process to identify which materials meet the criteria before requirements go into effect, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • What New Calif. Strike Force Means For White Collar Crimes

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    The recently announced Central District of California strike force targeting complex corporate and securities fraud — following the Northern District of California's model — combines experienced prosecutorial leadership and partnerships with federal agencies like the IRS and FBI, and could result in an uptick in the number of cases and speed of proceedings, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • FTC AI Inquiry Signals Intensified Focus On Emerging Tech

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent inquiry into investments and partnerships between Big Tech companies and artificial intelligence startups appears to be directed at guiding future enforcement decisions in competition, privacy and consumer protection — and three principles discussed at a related tech summit give insight on the agency's approach, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Preparing For A New Wave Of Litigation Under Silicosis Rules

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    After the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of California issued an emergency temporary standard to combat noncompliance with assessments of workers' exposure to particles of crystalline silica, companies that manufacture, distribute or sell silica-containing products will need aggressive case-specific discovery to navigate a new wave of litigation, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout

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    While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • A Key Tool For Calif. Policyholders With Nonadmitted Insurers

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    As insurers increasingly flee California and residents of the Golden State are forced to insure their properties with nonadmitted insurers, it is crucial to understand the Unauthorized Insurers Process Act, a critical but underutilized tool for policyholders, say Keith Meyer and Kya Coletta at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Gilead Ruling Signals That Innovating Can Lead To Liability

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    A California appeals court's ruling last month in Gilead Life Sciences v. Superior Court of San Francisco that a drug manufacturer can be held liable for delaying the introduction of an improved version of its medication raises concerns about the chilling effects that expansive product liability claims may have on innovation, says Gary Myers at the University of Missouri School of Law.

  • Vagueness In Calif. Climate Law Makes Compliance Tricky

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    California's recently enacted Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act requires companies making claims of carbon neutrality, or significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions, to disclose information supporting those claims — but vague and conflicting language in the statute poses multiple problems for businesses, say John Rousakis and Chris Bowman at O'Melveny.

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