California

  • October 15, 2026

    Banks, Credit Union Escape Pig Butchering Scam Suit

    Several financial institutions have been released from a suit brought by a California couple accusing them of allowing a so-called pig butchering investing scam that cost the pair $600,000, with a federal judge ruling the couple does not show how the defendants are liable for the harm, and that some of the claims were brought too late.

  • October 15, 2026

    Crowell Faces DQ Bid Over AI Tool At Heart Of Client's IP Suit

    DeviantArt urged a California federal judge Wednesday to disqualify Crowell & Moring LLP from representing Evox Productions in litigation alleging multiple AI companies used Evox's copyrighted car photos to train artificial-intelligence image generators, arguing the firm "unquestionably" represented DeviantArt and has "sued its own client on behalf of another client."

  • October 15, 2026

    Medical AI Platforms Report Settlement Amid Discovery Battle

    Medical artificial intelligence startup OpenEvidence and competitors Doximity Inc. and Pathway Medical Inc. told a Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday that they have reached a settlement in principle to resolve a contentious lawsuit and counterclaim.

  • October 15, 2026

    Zoom Can't Move Ricoh Patent Suit From Delaware To Calif.

    A Delaware federal court denied Thursday a bid from Zoom Communications Inc. to move a patent infringement suit brought by Japanese camera and electronics maker Ricoh Co. Ltd. to California, ruling that keeping the case in Delaware was more convenient.

  • October 15, 2026

    Gov't Urges Justices To Reject Google, Intel Fight Over Fintiv

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject Intel Corp. and Google LLC's challenge to a precedent allowing Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions to be denied based on related litigation.

  • October 15, 2026

    Cyber Incident Halts Bankruptcy Court Noticing Nationwide

    The nationwide system for providing notice to creditors in bankruptcy cases has been disrupted by a cybersecurity incident, and it is not currently known when the outage will end.

  • October 15, 2026

    Tesla Says Gov't Brief Shows USPTO Wants 'Absolute Power'

    Electric carmaker Tesla told the U.S. Supreme Court that it should take a case over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office leadership's discretionary standards for granting or denying patent review, saying a recent government brief illustrates how the office wants "absolute power" when it comes to restricting such reviews.

  • October 15, 2026

    GKN Says Insurers Owe Defense In Overheated Tank Suits

    GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems Inc. told a California federal court Thursday that its insurers are improperly refusing to honor their duty to defend the company in lawsuits and a civil investigation stemming from the overheating of a storage tank and subsequent evacuation of residents in Orange County.

  • October 15, 2026

    Calif. Owners Claim Lennar Homes Have Cracks, Leaks

    A group of homeowners in a California subdivision built by Lennar sued the homebuilder in state court, claiming that construction flaws such as cracking concrete and leaking plumbing have caused at least $1 million in damage.

  • October 15, 2026

    Warehouse Workers Win $1.55M Settlement In Wage Suit

    Thousands of California warehouse workers have reached a $1.55 million settlement with a staffing company over allegations that they were denied proper meal and rest breaks and were not fully paid for their work, according to a court filing.

  • October 15, 2026

    Calif. Pot Shop Escapes Suit Over Alleged Gummy Reaction

    A California appeals court threw out a man's fraud and unfair competition claims against a cannabis dispensary that sold him a gummy he said induced a panic attack, saying his complaint fails to indicate the dispensary or its employee knowingly misled him.

  • October 14, 2026

    Unions, Nonprofits Get USDA Reorganization Plan Blocked

    A California federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Agriculture from closing offices and reshuffling staff, saying the department's planned reorganization likely amounted to "reprogramming" prohibited by statutory spending restrictions.

  • October 14, 2026

    OpenAI Tells Court Ex-Worker Took Confidential Files To Apple

    OpenAI Foundation on Wednesday alleged one of its former employees absconded with confidential files about an unreleased artificial intelligence product and gave the information to Apple Inc., asking the California federal judge overseeing Apple's nearly identical trade secret allegations for time to investigate and potentially file counterclaims.

  • October 14, 2026

    State Dept. Ordered To Open 2027 Diversity Visa Program

    A California federal judge ordered U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to swiftly open up registration for the 2027 diversity visa program and to make a public announcement of the registration period "no later than midnight" Thursday.

  • October 14, 2026

    Ex-Oakland Mayor Thao Put 'Power Up For Sale,' Jury Told

    Prosecutors told a California federal jury during trial openings Wednesday that Oakland's then-mayor Sheng Thao put "power up for sale" when she and her boyfriend accepted bribes in exchange for potential city contracts to build prefab "tiny homes" for the unhoused.

  • October 14, 2026

    Software Patent Claims Invalidated In Google, Amazon Suits

    A California federal judge found Tuesday that claims in a pair of VirtaMove software patents are invalid, agreeing with Amazon and Google's arguments that the claims asserted against them in the infringement litigation are indefinite.

  • October 14, 2026

    Samsung Says Rival Leans On Fabricated 'Mini LED' Definition

    Samsung moved to dismiss a competitor's suit alleging it falsely markets some of its TVs as having Mini LED technology that provides a higher-quality picture, telling a California federal judge Tuesday the plaintiff wants her to adopt a "fabricated three-part definition" for Mini LED that only exists in the complaint. 

  • October 14, 2026

    Quinn Emanuel Seeks Arbitration Of $1.7M Fee Dispute

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP is urging a California federal court to order an entrepreneur to arbitrate malpractice claims stemming from the firm's representation of her in a sexual harassment claim against a technology investor as it seeks to collect more than $1.7 million in unpaid fees.

  • October 14, 2026

    Founder-Focused VC Firm Closes $333M Fifth Fund

    Venture capital firm Pear VC on Wednesday revealed that it closed its fifth fund after raising $333 million in capital, bringing the Menlo Park, California-based firm's total assets under management to $1.1 billion.

  • October 14, 2026

    9th Circ. Blocks Calif. Law Requiring Fed Agents To Show IDs

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday reversed the implementation of a California law requiring federal agents to display identification, saying the Trump administration is "certain to succeed" on its argument that the state statute violates the U.S. Constitution's supremacy clause.

  • October 14, 2026

    AGs Say Character.AI Chats Must Be Protected In Ch. 11 Sale

    A group of state attorneys general told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday that protection of minors and privacy concerns need to be addressed before the company behind artificial intelligence entertainment platform Character.AI is allowed to sell its data in its Chapter 11 case.

  • October 14, 2026

    Paramount, State AGs Chose Certainty Over Merger Trial Risk

    Paramount Skydance closed its $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6, after reaching a settlement with state enforcers that experts say was driven by both politics and the underlying litigation risk for both sides.

  • October 14, 2026

    Live Nation Says FTC Twists BOTS Act To Target Ticketmaster

    Live Nation and Ticketmaster fought back against the Federal Trade Commission's case accusing the companies of ignoring ticket scalpers and failing to disclose significant Ticketmaster fees upfront, telling a California federal judge the agency is targeting the companies "for not perfectly blocking all ticket purchase abuse on Ticketmaster's platform."

  • October 14, 2026

    Utz Sued Again Over Avocado Oil Potato Chip Labeling

    Utz was sued again Wednesday by customers who alleged in California federal court that they were misled into thinking its Boulder Canyon potato chips are cooked only with avocado oil, despite a recent UC Davis study that suggests the chips aren't consistent with a product containing only avocado oil.

  • October 14, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Affirms Toss Of Hulu Digital Advertising Patent Suit

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday upheld a California federal judge's decision dismissing a suit brought by a patent-holding company accusing streaming giant Hulu of infringing patents covering advertising in digital media, finding the patent claims cover an abstract idea and lack an inventive concept.

Expert Analysis

  • How Rogue AI May Shape Corporate Liability, Responsibility

    Author Photo

    Recent artificial intelligence cyber incidents offer a window into how companies deploying autonomous systems should document risk controls even when systems exceed their intended boundaries, as jurors may treat unexpected AI conduct as foreseeable evidence of inadequate safeguards, says Jorge Monroy at Verdict Insight Partners.

  • The State Of Prediction Market Litigation After 9th Circ. Ruling

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Kalshi v. Assad gives state regulators significant appellate backing to enforce state gaming laws over prediction markets, creating a direct split with the Third Circuit that will likely lead to Supreme Court review of the question, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Meta Layoff Suit Serves As Early Test Of AI Bias Claims

    Author Photo

    A lawsuit in California federal court alleging that Meta's use of artificial intelligence in recent layoffs negatively affected employees on protected leave provides insight for plaintiffs about what evidence to preserve and how to build these discrimination claims, says Manny Starr at Frontier Law Center.

  • Series

    Ballet Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    A lifetime of learning and performing ballet taught me that success — whether in dance or practicing law — comes only through hours of thorough preparation, boundless energy and relentless effort, says Sharon Katz-Pearlman at Greenberg Traurig.

  • 9th Circ. 'Bad Spaniels' Ruling Rewrites TM Dilution Playbook

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling that each element of the Jack Daniel's packaging parodied by the Bad Spaniels dog toy must be independently assessed for fame narrows trademark owners' ability to use a flagship mark's halo effect to protect the entire brand from tarnishment, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • How Texas' Protein Powder Probe Reflects Prop 65's Influence

    Author Photo

    Texas' recently announced investigation into contaminants in protein powder illustrates how California's Proposition 65, with its hundreds of listed chemicals, safe harbor levels and consumer warnings, may have an influence on enforcement and regulation in other states, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Calif. Ruling Opens Del. Cos. Up To Stockholder Inspection

    Author Photo

    A California appellate court's recent decision in Salamon v. Orchid Global underscores that despite last year's amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware companies with principal operations in California remain subject to California's broader and more stockholder-protective inspection regime, say attorneys at Sheppard.

  • 10 Ways To Avoid Privacy Risks Revealed In AI Notetaker Suits

    Author Photo

    Litigation claiming Otter.ai trained its AI-powered transcription tool on user conversations and a recent complaint alleging Granola’s notetaking bot joined video calls unbeknownst to participants show companies should assess these technologies as communications-capture tools with privacy and wiretap risks, says Jennifer Ruehr at Hintze Law.

  • What 9th Circ. Devas Ruling Means For AI Infrastructure Deals

    Author Photo

    The Ninth Circuit's recent confirmation of a $2 billion arbitration award in Devas Multimedia's arbitration against a state-owned commercial arm of India’s space agency creates a cross-border enforcement road map for disputes that are bound to arise from the current generation of artificial intelligence infrastructure deals, says Fernanda Merouco at Davis Wright.

  • 9th Circ. Wage Ruling Shows Arbitration Pacts Are Still Useful

    Author Photo

    After years of uncertainty for California employers, the Ninth Circuit’s recent Cocom v. ABM Aviation decision signals that workplace arbitration agreements remain a powerful and enforceable tool — if thoughtfully drafted and employment-focused, says Benjamin Runge at Thompson Coburn.

  • The Expanding Litigation Front Against The Data Center Boom

    Author Photo

    A survey of environmental and land use claims raised in disputes over data center projects across the country shows that the outcomes of these disputes will have significant implications not only for the future of data center development, but for infrastructure projects in general, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Taekwondo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Taekwondo has taught me to recognize when to fight for a position and when to focus on finding a solution, and that the best outcomes are often achieved by solving problems — all of which has improved my work as a bankruptcy lawyer, mediator and Subchapter V trustee, says Amy Denton Mayer at Berger Singerman.

  • Early Action Can Benefit Distressed Restaurant Franchisees

    Author Photo

    As rising costs put increased pressure on restaurants, as evidenced by recent bankruptcy filings by Popeyes, Farmer Boys and Applebees franchisees, distressed businesses should move early to preserve profitable locations, reject uneconomic obligations, manage brand defaults and choose the appropriate restructuring path, says Christopher Caplinger at Kean Miller.

  • What To Know As Legal Duty To Consider AI Takes Shape

    Author Photo

    While the U.K. Jurisdiction Taskforce’s recent statement on liability for artificial intelligence harms is nonbinding for both U.K. and U.S. lawyers, it highlights the importance of being able to distinguish between the availability of a tool and a professional obligation to use it, say Jonny Frank and Michael Costa at StoneTurn.

  • Patent Ruling Shows Concrete Tech Solution Key To Eligibility

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit’s recent Ceiva Opco v. Amazon.com decision offers an important reminder that software-related inventions can remain patent eligible when they claim a concrete technological solution to a specific problem, says Irah Donner at Manatt.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California archive.