California

  • January 07, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Suggests Sepsis Test IP Needs Claim Construction

    U.S. Circuit Judge Todd M. Hughes appeared largely persuaded Wednesday that a Delaware federal jury improperly engaged in post-trial claim construction when overriding Magnolia Medical Technologies Inc.'s $2 million infringement verdict, in an appeal that also had the Federal Circuit jurist thanking God that he doesn't try patent cases.

  • January 07, 2026

    Warner Bros. Again Tells Shareholders To Nix Paramount Bid

    Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday implored shareholders to reject Paramount Skydance Corp.'s amended hostile takeover offer, saying the media conglomerate remains committed to the $82.7 billion deal it reached with Netflix in December.

  • January 07, 2026

    DOJ Seeks Nod For HPE Merger Deal Over State Objections

    The U.S. Department of Justice has requested court approval for its settlement that would end a challenge of Hewlett Packard Enterprise's acquisition of a networking equipment rival, despite objections raised by state enforcers over allegations of improper lobbying influence.

  • January 07, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Faults Lower Court In Parking Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit said a new trial is needed to determine if a parking lot management patent is invalid under a rule prohibiting patents for technologies that were used or were on sale for more than a year before a patent application is filed.

  • January 06, 2026

    Thompson Hine Lands In Silicon Valley With IP Boutique Attys

    Cleveland-based Thompson Hine LLP is expanding its California footprint, announcing Tuesday it is combining with Silicon Valley intellectual property litigation boutique Turner Boyd Seraphine LLP.

  • January 06, 2026

    Uber Can't Show Bellwether Jury That Driver Wasn't Charged

    Ahead of next week's first-ever bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation accusing Uber Technologies Inc. of failing to prevent drivers from sexually assaulting passengers, a California federal judge ruled Tuesday that Uber can't introduce evidence that the alleged assailant wasn't criminally charged.

  • January 06, 2026

    Section 230 Knocks Down Addiction MDL, Meta Tells 9th Circ.

    Meta Platforms Inc. urged a Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday to find that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act shields it from sprawling social-media-addiction multidistrict litigation, arguing that the claims go to "the heart of what the statute intends to protect."

  • January 06, 2026

    Feds Sue Calif. Cities To Extinguish Natural Gas Bans

    The Trump administration is going after two cities in California over building codes that ban natural gas infrastructure in newly constructed buildings, alleging in a lawsuit Monday that these local rules "impose crushing costs" on Californians and run afoul of federal law.

  • January 06, 2026

    Ramey Blocked As Atty In Image Patent Fight In NY

    Intellectual property attorney William Ramey was prevented from representing the owner of image processing and modifying patents used in special eyeglasses in an infringement suit in New York federal court, leading the company to abandon the case.

  • January 06, 2026

    1st Circ. Questions Feds' Mootness Claim In NIH Grant Suits

    The First Circuit appeared to push back Tuesday on assertions by the government that new guidance for terminating medical research grants over supposed links to issues like DEI, gender identity and vaccines — along with a partial settlement last week — moot a pair of lawsuits challenging the directives.

  • January 06, 2026

    Coupang Brass Face Suit Over Alleged Cybersecurity Failures

    The top brass of e-commerce company Coupang Inc. have been sued in California federal court by a shareholder who claims the company's executives and directors failed to maintain adequate cybersecurity protocols, leading to a data breach that exposed the personal information of millions of customers.

  • January 06, 2026

    SEC Lands $2.6M Default Win In Biofuel Investor Fraud Case

    A purported commercial fueling entrepreneur and his companies must pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nearly $2.6 million after failing to retain new counsel in an enforcement action alleging that they scammed retail investors out of more than $1.2 million.

  • January 06, 2026

    Feds Seek More Than 21-Year Sentence In Navy Espionage Case

    The federal government has asked a California federal court to sentence a former U.S. Navy member to more than 21 years in prison for sharing classified information about its amphibious assault ships with the Chinese government.

  • January 06, 2026

    Ex-NBA Player Fights To Keep Suit Over Agents' Fees Alive

    Former NBA player Noah Vonleh's suit accusing several agents of wrongly charging him fees for his contract to play in China should stay in court and out of arbitration, Vonleh has told a California federal judge.

  • January 06, 2026

    Calif. Tribe Rejects Feds' Delay In 40-Acre Land Transfer Fight

    A California tribe is asking a D.C. federal court to deny a bid by the U.S. Department of the Interior for an indefinite stay in responding to a challenge to the agency's decision to approve a 40-acre land transfer for a fellow state tribe's casino project.

  • January 06, 2026

    Calif. Locomotive Emissions Rule Repeal Ends Industry Suit

    A California federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a legal challenge from rail industry groups to a since-repealed regulation that would've required railroads to transition to zero-emission locomotives in the Golden State, closing the book on the dispute after the parties agreed to drop the case.

  • January 06, 2026

    OpenAI Says Cameo Lacks Name Recognition For TM Claim

    Artificial intelligence startup OpenAI has asked a California federal judge to dismiss part of a trademark infringement suit brought by celebrity video service Cameo, saying Cameo hasn't shown its mark is well-known enough to support a dilution claim.

  • January 06, 2026

    9th Circ. Says Christian Ministry Can Reject Gay Applicants

    The Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that a Christian ministry is constitutionally clear to refuse employment to people based on their sexual orientation, explaining that the First Amendment allows religious ministries to prefer candidates who share their beliefs about marriage and sexuality.

  • January 06, 2026

    Meta Downplayed $10B Ad Changes 'Tsunami,' 9th Circ. Told

    Meta Platforms Inc. investors urged a Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday to revive a proposed securities class action alleging the social media giant hid the financial effects of privacy changes by Apple Inc., arguing that Meta executives publicly assured investors while knowing the company would be hit with a "$10 billion tsunami."

  • January 06, 2026

    Employment Trio Joins Ogletree In California, Oregon

    Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC announced Tuesday that the labor and employment firm has added three experienced shareholders to bolster its efforts in California and Oregon.

  • January 06, 2026

    Girardi Keese CFO Must Use His Own Atty For Chicago Appeal

    Girardi Keese's former financial chief cannot have counsel appointed to help him challenge the Illinois sentence he is serving alongside his 10-year California sentence for helping Tom Girardi steal millions from clients because he isn't pursuing the appeal in good faith, an Illinois federal judge has ruled.

  • January 06, 2026

    'Jersey Boys' Producer Slips $1M Pension Tab At 9th Circ.

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday reversed a win for a stagehands union pension plan in a dispute with a producer for the jukebox musical "Jersey Boys," saying an entertainment industry exemption to federal benefits law shielded the production company from approximately $1 million in withdrawal liability. 

  • January 06, 2026

    Live Nation Settles Workers' Claims Of Excessive 401(k) Fees

    Live Nation has agreed to a settlement of a proposed class action from former employees who alleged their 401(k) plan was saddled with excessive fees, after a California federal judge said in December he would reconsider his earlier decision requiring arbitration of some claims in the dispute. 

  • January 06, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Ax Of Transmission Signal Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday refused to revive a suit accusing gaming hardware maker Razer of infringing a transmission signal decoding patent, agreeing with a California federal court that claims in the patent were invalid under the U.S. Supreme Court's Alice standard.

  • January 06, 2026

    San Diego Sues DHS Over Marines' Border Barrier

    The city of San Diego has sued the Department of Homeland Security over what it described as an unauthorized installation of razor-wire fencing by the U.S. Marines in a city-owned protected wildlife habitat area near the southern border.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Courts Must Continue Protecting Plaintiffs In Mass Arbitration

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    In recent years, many companies have imposed onerous protocols that function to frustrate plaintiffs' ability to seek justice through mass arbitration, but a series of welcome court decisions in recent months indicate that the pendulum might be swinging back toward plaintiffs, say Raphael Janove and Sasha Jones at Janove Law.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • AG Watch: Illinois A Key Player In State-Level Enforcement

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    Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has systematically strengthened his office to fill federal enforcement gaps, oppose Trump administration mandates and advance state policy objectives, particularly by aggressively pursuing labor-related issues, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • How A 9th Circ. False Ad Ruling Could Shift Class Certification

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    The Ninth Circuit's July decision in Noohi v. Johnson & Johnson, holding that unexecuted damages models may suffice for purposes of class certification, has the potential to create judicial inefficiencies and crippling uncertainties for class action defendants, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • What To Know About Interim Licenses In Global FRAND Cases

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    Recent U.K. court decisions have shaped a framework for interim licenses in global standard-essential patent disputes, under which parties can benefit from operating on temporary terms while a court determines the final fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms — but the future of this developing remedy is in doubt, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Compliance Tips Amid Rising FTC Scrutiny Of Minors' Privacy

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    The Federal Trade Commission has recently rolled out multiple enforcement actions related to children's privacy, highlighting a renewed focus on federal regulation of minors' personal information and the evolving challenges of establishing effective, privacy-protective age assurance solutions, say attorneys at Nelson Mullins.

  • Insights From Recent Cases On Navigating Snap Removal

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    Snap removal, which allows defendants to transfer state court cases to federal court before a forum defendant is properly joined and served, is viewed differently across federal circuits — but keys to making it work can be drawn from recent decisions critiquing the practice, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Workday Case Shows Auditing AI Hiring Tools Is Crucial

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    Following a California federal court's recent decisions in Mobley v. Workday signaling that both employers and vendors could be held liable for discriminatory outcomes from artificial intelligence hiring tools, companies should consider two rigorous auditing methods to detect and mitigate bias, says Hossein Borhani at Charles River Associates.

  • Tips For Cos. Crafting Enforceable Online Arbitration Clauses

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    Recent rulings from the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California indicate that courts are carefully examining the enforceability of online arbitration clauses, so businesses should review the design of their websites and consider specific language next to the "purchase" button, say attorneys at DTO Law.

  • 7 Lessons From The Tractor Supply CCPA Enforcement Action

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    The California Privacy Protection Agency's recent enforcement action targeting Tractor Supply for alleged violations of the California Consumer Privacy Act provides critical insights into the compliance areas that remain a priority for the California regulator, including businesses with significant consumer interactions, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Parody Defendants Are Finding Success Post-Jack Daniel's

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    Recent decisions demonstrate that, although the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products did benefit trademark plaintiffs by significantly limiting the First Amendment expressive use defense, courts also now appear to be less likely to find a parodic work likely to cause confusion, says Andrew Michaels at University of Houston Law Center.

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