California

  • September 09, 2026

    Womble Bond Adds 15 Lewis Brisbois Auto Defense Attys

    Womble Bond Dickinson has added a 29-person consumer warranty and product liability litigation group from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP that specializes in defending automobile manufacturers, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • September 09, 2026

    Calif. Judge Seeks Clearer Limits On ICE Use Of Medicaid Data

    A California federal judge ordered 22 states and the Trump administration to reach an agreement on the proper scope of his injunction limiting Medicaid data use for immigration enforcement, saying he's unsure how it should apply to people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status.

  • September 09, 2026

    AMC Settles 'Walking Dead' Suit With Creator, Producers

    Television studio AMC has reached a deal to pay the creator of its hit show "The Walking Dead" and some of its producers $120 million to settle claims that they were not paid the correct amount under their contracts and left out of a previous settlement with the show's former executive producer.

  • September 09, 2026

    Analog, Alif Ink $1.4B Deal Steered By Wachtell And DLA Piper

    Analog Devices said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Alif Semiconductor for $1.35 billion in cash, with Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and DLA Piper advising on the transaction. 

  • September 09, 2026

    Katten Adds Kasowitz Data Strategy Team Leader In LA

    Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has bolstered its offerings in Los Angeles with the addition of the chair of Kasowitz LLP's data strategy, privacy and security team and co-chair of its artificial intelligence industry group.

  • September 08, 2026

    Eli Lilly 'Sabotaged' Rezpeg's Development, Nektar Tells Jury

    Eli Lilly & Co. breached its deal with Nektar Therapeutics to co-develop the autoimmune-disease drug Rezpeg and instead "sabotaged" its development in favor of a different Eli Lilly drug, a Nektar lawyer told a California federal jury during opening statements Tuesday, while Lilly's counsel countered that Nektar was unharmed by the deal's termination.

  • September 08, 2026

    Certain Apple Devices Infringe Touch Screen IP, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has held that some functions of certain Apple iPhones and iPads infringe some claims of a touch screen patent owned by Smith Interface Technologies LLC, though he also ruled that the functions don't infringe other claims and that other disputes belong before a jury.

  • September 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Upholds Former Atty's Murder-For-Hire Conviction

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday refused to disturb the conviction of a former New York attorney accused of arranging to pay a hitman to kill the mother of his two young children in the midst of a custody battle, ruling that it doesn't matter that his payment was made to an undercover agent rather than a person who really intended to arrange for murder.

  • September 08, 2026

    Feds Say Migrant Kids' Legal Aid Is Stalled By Bidding Process

    An Office of Refugee Resettlement official testified Tuesday during an evidentiary hearing into whether the Trump administration is violating an injunction requiring the government to provide legal representation to immigrant minors, blaming recent legal service interruptions on the federal government's contract bidding process.

  • September 08, 2026

    State Coalition Can Pursue Challenge To HHS Vax Overhaul

    A California federal judge allowed a coalition of states to proceed with their challenge to the Trump administration's decision to cut vaccine recommendations for children, ruling Tuesday the states plausibly alleged those decisions could increase costs of running their healthcare programs and burden them with having to adjust their laws. 

  • September 08, 2026

    WB Asks Panel To Pull Plug On Claim 'The Pitt' Copied 'ER'

    Warner Bros. Television told a California appellate panel Tuesday that a trial court should have tossed a lawsuit by writer Michael Crichton's widow alleging the studio ripped off her husband's show "ER" with the hit medical drama "The Pitt," arguing that a plaintiffs' expert who opined on similarities never even watched the Warner Bros. show.

  • September 08, 2026

    Apple Fights Masimo Bid To Add $243M To $634M Patent Win

    Apple has pressed a California federal judge to reject Masimo's request for nearly $243 million in interest atop a $634 million patent jury verdict on the Apple Watch's heart rate feature, saying the "staggering" damages are so large that adding more would be an "enormous windfall."

  • September 08, 2026

    Amazon Nearly Controls Full Delivery Driver Market, Suit Says

    Amazon rigged its delivery service partner program to abuse its monopsony power, suppressing wages and imposing working conditions so atrocious that drivers resort to relieving themselves in water bottles to meet inhuman delivery requirements, according to a proposed antitrust class action filed in California federal court.

  • September 08, 2026

    Meta Accused Of Using Photos To Train AI Without Consent

    Facebook and Instagram users hit Meta with a proposed class action accusing the company of harvesting biometric data from photos posted to its platforms without consent to develop its artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology.

  • September 08, 2026

    Tax Court Adds Five New Trial Locations, Expands Roles

    The U.S. Tax Court's chief judge announced that the court will hear cases in five new cities starting Tuesday, bringing the total to 79, while allowing all types of cases to be heard at each location.

  • September 08, 2026

    Ex-Facebook Exec Must Arbitrate Memoir Publicity Fight

    A California federal judge ruled Friday that a former Facebook executive waited too long to challenge in court an interim arbitral award that bars her from promoting her "Careless People" whistleblower memoir, finding that she waived her court challenge by "thoroughly" participating in arbitration for over a year before suing.

  • September 08, 2026

    Walmart Illegally Fired Worker For Positive Pot Test, Suit Says

    Walmart illegally fired an employee who tested positive for a nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolite that showed up on his urine drug test, despite lacking evidence that he possessed or used cannabis at the workplace or showed any signs of impairment, alleges a wrongful termination suit removed to California federal court on Friday.

  • September 08, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court this past week saw disputes involving a former NFL star and a $2.5 million solar venture, Morgan Stanley's role in Fox Corp.'s planned $22 billion acquisition of Roku Inc., and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s effort to pause more than $20 million in legal-fee payments to former Frank executives.

  • September 08, 2026

    Top LA Prosecutor Faces New DQ Attempt After 9th Circ. Ruling

    A criminal defendant has renewed his attempt to disqualify top Los Angeles federal prosecutor Bill Essayli from overseeing his case, following a Ninth Circuit decision that upheld a similar ruling against Nevada's lead federal prosecutor, saying the government is "playing shadow games" with prosecutorial powers.

  • September 08, 2026

    Calif. Urges Justices To Let Paramount Merger Case Play Out

    California and other state enforcers that are challenging Paramount Skydance Corp.'s planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery have urged the U.S. Supreme Court not to expedite Iowa and Montana's case seeking to block the merger challenge.

  • September 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Reopens Immigration Case After Flat-Tire Delay

    A split panel of the Ninth Circuit has found immigration officials erred by not reconsidering the case of a Guatemalan man facing removal after he was five minutes late to his hearing, saying documentation was not required to prove a flat tire caused the delay.

  • September 08, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Backs Atty Fees In 3D Motion Sensor Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday turned down network testing company Viavi Solutions Inc.'s challenge to a lower court's decision ordering it to pay another company's attorney fees after Viavi unsuccessfully brought suit alleging patent infringement.

  • September 08, 2026

    Former Fox Legal Chief Joins Sullivan & Cromwell In Calif.

    Fox Corp.'s former legal and policy chief, Viet D. Dinh, has returned to private practice as a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • September 08, 2026

    777 Partners Gets OK To Ditch 6 Leases In Ch. 11 Case

    Investment firm 777 Partners secured a Texas bankruptcy judge's approval Tuesday to reject six leases for offices the debtor occupied before seeking Chapter 11 protection in August.

  • September 07, 2026

    USPS Asks High Court To Allow 'Modest' Mail Ballot Rules

    The Trump administration has once again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a Massachusetts federal judge's order barring the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new mail-in ballot regulations ahead of this year's midterms, arguing the "modest" changes are well within USPS' authority and don't affect election administration. 

Expert Analysis

  • 3 Disgorgement Questions Linger After Justices' SEC Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Sripetch v. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission avoided placing new limits on the SEC’s disgorgement powers, it passed over several questions, including whether the commission can seek disgorgement when returning the money to investors isn't possible, says David Slovick at Kopecky Schumacher.

  • Checking For AI Errors Is Now A Two-Way Street

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    A handful of recent federal and state cases demonstrate the importance of checking for errors generated by artificial intelligence not only in your own court submissions, but also your opponent's, as well as when catching opposing counsel's AI mistakes could result in an award for attorney fees, says Tamara Barago at Hollingsworth.

  • Green Card Memo Warps Long-Standing Adjustment Process

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    A recent policy memorandum that treats a nonimmigrant visa holder’s decision to seek adjustment of status in the U.S., rather than at a U.S. consulate, as an adverse factor reinterprets existing discretionary frameworks, compounds risks for applicants required to apply abroad and changes practitioner approaches to application preparation, says attorney Jack Jrada.

  • Celebs May Need Federal Protection To Fight Voice Deepfakes

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    Deepfakes and digital replicas are increasingly misappropriating celebrities' voices for commercial purposes, but unless federal right of publicity protections are developed, celebrities are left to rely on ill-equipped trademark and state law, say attorneys at Brown Rudnick.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Shoring Up Corporate Law In Maryland

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    Launched more than 20 years ago to improve complex corporate adjudication, Maryland's Business and Technology Case Management Program has been a solid success in some areas, but there always is room for improvement, says Bill Krulak at Miles & Stockbridge.

  • State Enviro Agencies Give Cosmetics Regulation A Makeover

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    As state oversight of cosmetics rapidly expands, the new statutes and regulations governing these products are being implemented by environmental agencies rather than consumer product regulators, requiring manufacturers, distributors and retailers to reevaluate their supply chains and procedures, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • How End Of SEC 'Gag Rule' Affects Free Speech Certiorari Bid

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    The Securities and Exchange Commission's recent rescission of the so-called gag rule, which forbade defendants in settlements from denying the SEC’s allegations, may sway the outcome of a petition to the Supreme Court in a case challenging the rule on First Amendment grounds, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Perfectus Settlement Illuminates DOJ's Tariff Fraud Strategy

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    The Department of Justice's recent False Claims Act settlement with Perfectus Aluminum illustrates the government's continuing interagency focus on customs and tariff enforcement, and the related criminal indictment provides insight into conduct enforcers may associate with tariff evasion schemes, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Product-Or-Content Question Is Pivotal In AI Litigation

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    A growing range of civil cases against OpenAI address the question of whether the output of a generative artificial intelligence system is a product, subject to traditional tort doctrine, or third-party content — and the framing courts adopt will shape software liability well beyond AI, says David Meldofsky at Lawsuit Informer.

  • Citron Founder Verdict Tests Reach Of 'Half-Truth' Fraud

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    A California federal jury's conviction this week of Citron founder Andrew Left may be remembered less as a conventional manipulation prosecution than as a case about how far the "half-truth" doctrine can reach when applied to modern market speech, says Elisha Kobre at Sheppard.

  • Series

    Competing At Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing poker in male-dominated rooms taught me to treat skepticism as background noise when my opponents seem to underestimate me, to apply pressure when it matters and to adapt without losing strategic discipline — skills that are all indispensable in restructuring and insolvency matters, says Alexis Gambale at Pashman Stein.

  • Why IPR Slowdown Has Not Led To More Patent Litigation

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    Despite sustained strength in patent application filings and a decline in inter partes review and post-grant review, 2026 has not seen the anticipated surge in patent litigation in district courts and at the U.S. International Trade Commission, potentially due to four reasons, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Revisiting TransUnion's Underused Standing Rule, 5 Years On

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    The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' recent use of the U.S. Supreme Court’s now five-year-old TransUnion v. Ramirez rule specifying that the "mere risk of future harm" isn't concrete enough to support a damages claim presents an opportunity to revisit this underutilized standing rule, say attorneys at Horvitz & Levy.

  • 5 Things Associates Must Ask About Their Firm's Merger Plan

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    The associates who navigate law firm mergers best ask the right questions early, such as inquiring about partners' plans, to assess how the merger could affect their workflow and career path, says Jackie Bokser-LeFebvre at Major Lindsey.

  • Turning To The Courts When PBM Reform Falls Short

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    The effectiveness of state laws intended to regulate pharmacy benefit managers remains uncertain, but litigation — utilizing tried-and-true theories like breach of contract and fair dealing — offers another mechanism through which stakeholders may seek relief from PBMs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

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