California

  • September 22, 2026

    Juul Buyers Defend Antitrust Classes At 9th Circ.

    Juul buyers are defending the certification of several classes in a case over tobacco giant Altria's past investment in the e-cigarette company, telling the Ninth Circuit it does not matter if they purchased different quantities on different terms or live in different states.

  • September 22, 2026

    Foley & Lardner Steers Cognex On $500M RealSense Buy

    Industrial machine-vision company Cognex Corp. said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire RealSense for about $500 million, expanding its business into robotic perception and adding exposure to the growing market for 3D sensing technology.

  • September 22, 2026

    California Powerhouse: Keker

    Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP partners helped Google and Netflix beat major patent litigation in the past year, while representing OpenAI and other tech companies in precedent-setting IP cases, and fostering a strong pro bono practice, earning the boutique firm a spot on the list of Law360 2026 California Powerhouses.

  • September 22, 2026

    Dispensary's Tax Deduction Properly Nixed, IRS Tells 9th Circ.

    The U.S. Tax Court correctly ruled that a San Francisco marijuana dispensary's expenses found to be tied to trafficking in controlled substances aren't deductible, the IRS told the Ninth Circuit, saying such a deduction shouldn't be allowed in determining an amount to settle the business's $3 million tax debt.

  • September 22, 2026

    Judge Sinks Patent Judgments Against Chilisin In Cyntec Suit

    A California federal judge has nullified judgments against Chilisin Electronics Corp. in a patent case from Cyntec Co. over Cyntec's failure to disclose an agreement to license a pair of its patents to Apple, while also agreeing to sanction Cyntec's counsel.

  • September 22, 2026

    Vape Purchasers Say MDL Complaint Shows Price-Fix Scheme

    Direct purchasers of vaping products are defending their amended complaint in multidistrict litigation alleging that a Chinese vape company conspired with its distributors to fix prices, saying new allegations in their latest complaint show there was more at work in the arrangement than "ordinary" business dealings.

  • September 21, 2026

    British Columbia Joins In Blaming OpenAI In School Shooting

    The Canadian province of British Columbia on Monday became the latest to sue artificial intelligence company OpenAI over a deadly February shooting at a small-town school, telling a California federal court that company leadership rejected an internal recommendation to notify law enforcement of the shooter's ChatGPT communications that company staff flagged as dangerous.

  • September 21, 2026

    Tesla Atty Misled Witness Days Before Bias Trial, Judge Hears

    The California Civil Rights Department asked a California judge for a protective order Monday on the first day of a bench trial over claims Tesla Inc. fostered racism at its Fremont factory, after a witness testified that an in-house Tesla attorney recently called him and misled him into believing he represented the agency.

  • September 21, 2026

    Insider Critiques Of Meta Came From Ignorance, Jury Told

    A Meta vice president testified before a New Mexico state jury Monday that, "with all due respect," criticisms of the company's data handling from investigation partner Gibson Dunn and from then-Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg were born of a lack of understanding.

  • September 21, 2026

    AI-Native Healthcare Service Co. Says Rival Copied 'N' Logo

    Nitra Inc., an artificial intelligence-native all-in-one platform that provides fintech related services helping healthcare practices save time and money, accused a rival company of impermissibly using a "strikingly and confusingly similar" design mark for the stylized letter "N," according to a trademark infringement action filed Friday in California federal court.

  • September 21, 2026

    Anthropic Can't Shake Reddit's AI Content-Scraping Suit

    A San Francisco judge largely rejected Anthropic's bid to toss Reddit Inc.'s suit accusing it of improperly gathering user content to train its artificial intelligence products, finding that most of Reddit's allegations have extra elements exempting them from federal preemption.

  • September 21, 2026

    Ex-Girlfriend Of $36M Crypto Schemer Gets 18 Months

    A California federal judge sentenced an Orange County woman to 18 months in prison and ordered her to pay more than $1.48 million in restitution for failing to report more than $2.6 million in taxable income she received through accounts funded by her then-boyfriend's criminal activities related to a $36 million hacking scheme.

  • September 21, 2026

    Vape Co. Gets $304K Judgment Over Unpaid Order

    The Illinois-based owner of the Urb vape brand has secured a $300,000 judgment in Illinois federal court against a California company that ordered tens of thousands of empty vape devices but never paid for them, but it won't be getting attorney fees.

  • September 21, 2026

    L3Harris Says Navy Deal Aims To Bolster Missile Supplies

    L3Harris Technologies said Monday that it's inked a multiyear agreement with the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, California, to manufacture key missile components needed for national defense.

  • September 21, 2026

    Meta Trims But Can't End Cybersecurity Pro's Retaliation Suit

    The former head of cybersecurity at messaging platform WhatsApp can pursue some, but not all, of his whistleblower retaliation suit against Meta Platforms, a California federal judge has ruled, saying the complaint plausibly alleges protected activity regarding his reports that claim Meta violated U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules.

  • September 21, 2026

    AI Cos. Hit With Antitrust Suit Over Deal To 'Pace The Frontier'

    Artifical intelligence users in Florida and California have accused Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceX and Google of illegally restraining competition by publicly agreeing to "pace the frontier" and collectively slow down their AI development.

  • September 21, 2026

    ICE Contractor To Pay $48.75M To End Family Separation Suit

    U.S. government contractor MVM Inc. has agreed to pay $48.75 million to resolve a proposed class action over its alleged participation in a policy that separated thousands of immigrant families during the first Trump administration, according to a motion for preliminary approval.

  • September 21, 2026

    'So What?': Judge Pans DOJ Bid To End TikTok Consent Decree

    A California federal judge said Monday he will not end a 2019 consent decree the government reached with TikTok Inc. predecessor Musical.ly over its collection of data on kids under 13 just because the U.S. Department of Justice is asking him to, saying the DOJ gave him no information about why he should.

  • September 21, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Says Profit Measurement Patents Ineligible

    The Federal Circuit on Monday said claims in a trio of patents relating to management profit measures were not patent-eligible, handing a win to software company Teradata Operations Inc. and industrial supply business W. W. Grainger Inc. in a suit accusing them of infringement.

  • September 21, 2026

    Smart-Ring Maker Oura Launches $2.1B IPO Plan

    Fitness-tracking ring maker Oura on Monday unveiled a target price range for its public debut, telling the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it plans to raise roughly $2.1 billion.

  • September 21, 2026

    Varian, Gov't Appeal Foreign Dividend Decision To 9th Circ.

    Varian Medical Systems Inc. is appealing a U.S. Tax Court decision that it owes more than $7.2 million to the Internal Revenue Service as a result of the court limiting its deemed dividends deduction, while the government is also appealing, according to filings in the Ninth Circuit.

  • September 21, 2026

    $1.35M Class Deal Reached Over Botched Calif. Bar Exam

    Takers of the February 2025 California bar exam that was marred by technical failures have agreed to settle their proposed class action against the proctor for $1.35 million, while the company also agreed to complete quality checks before proctoring future bar examinations, according to a motion seeking preliminary approval in federal court.

  • September 21, 2026

    Boies Schiller Gets Womble Bond AI Practice Co-Founder

    Boies Schiller Flexner LLP announced Monday that it has added an experienced intellectual property attorney who co-founded Womble Bond & Dickinson's artificial intelligence and machine learning practice and also led two of his former firm's San Francisco-area offices.

  • September 21, 2026

    California Powerhouse: Fenwick

    Fenwick & West LLP proved last year why it has long been a go-to firm for technology companies, as it guided several clients through blockbuster IPOs, secured a precedential appellate win confirming nonfungible tokens are "goods" under the Lanham Act and scored dismissal of a securities class action against Docusign.

  • September 21, 2026

    New Calif. Law Bars Legal Funders From Influencing Litigation

    Corporate investors and litigation funders will be barred from influencing litigation strategy in California under a new bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Expert Analysis

  • Hims & Hers Suit Spotlights Health Data-Sharing Privacy Risks

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    Regulators' complaint against telehealth company Hims & Hers alleging deceptive practices serves as a reminder that the privacy principles developed under consumer protection laws and predating omnibus statutes remain in force, and sensitive data governance continues to be a crucial component of compliance, say attorneys at Venable.

  • 4 Paths To AI Safety Coordination Amid Antitrust Debate

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    Frontier artificial intelligence companies have more room for collective safety work than the debate over an antitrust waiver suggests, with several existing avenues providing different degrees of protection and oversight, says Evan Miller at V&E.

  • 'Demon Hunter' IP Suit Highlights Reverse Confusion Perils

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    A metal band named Demon Hunter's recently filed lawsuit against Netflix, alleging that consumers mistakenly believe it to be connected to the "KPop Demon Hunters" movie, provides a useful vehicle for examining the reverse confusion doctrine and its practical implications, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • How Calif. Privacy Bill Could Change CIPA Tracking Cases

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    If California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs S.B. 690, the bill could materially reduce the leverage behind a pen-register-only claim or demand, so California Invasion of Privacy Act website tracking claims should not be evaluated the same way they were six months ago, says Alexandra Samofalova at Spencer Fane.

  • 5th Circ. Embedding Decision Could Recast Copyright Claims

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    The Fifth Circuit's decision in Emmerich v. Particle Media addresses decades of ambiguity surrounding whether embedded content can constitute copyright infringement, potentially affecting how defense counsel fight against such claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Glusker.

  • How Cos. Can Avoid Infant Product False Advertising Suits

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    As lawsuits proliferate over products marketed for infant use and sold at a premium that are identical to cheaper general-use products, manufacturers should review related product lines, and scrutinize contextual cues that may contribute to the overall message received by consumers, say attorneys at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Raises Bar For Arbitration Pacts Via Email

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent holding in Rickes v. Thermo Fisher that the mere delivery of an email doesn't establish an employee's assent to the arbitration agreement underscores that rollout processes should both give employees notice of the agreement and create evidence of their assent, say attorneys at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • How GCs Can Assess The Risks Of Emerging AI Laws

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    Amid a swirl of momentous legislative activity aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, general counsel must return to first principles when determining whether new laws will apply and whether the company’s use could cause regulators to subject it to additional regulation, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • How FTC's $20B Amazon Suit May Shake Up Ad Enforcement

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    Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye discusses the significance of the Federal Trade Commission's recent suit against Amazon for allegedly overcharging advertising customers more than $20 billion, the company's potential defenses, and the context of rapidly evolving digital advertising technology.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Marks New Chapter In Risk Factor Tug-Of-War

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent dismissal of a securities fraud class action against SunPower is the latest in a growing line of cases addressing whether, if ever, a company's risk factor disclosures can give rise to potential liability, an area where the law remains unsettled, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Meta Deal Highlights Advisory Jury Issues, Litigation Risk

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    The $17 billion settlement of youth safety claims brought against Meta offers lessons for all consumer-facing companies because the court made the rare move of empaneling an advisory jury and the case was built on what the company learned from its own studies, says Mark Morgan at McCarter & English.

  • What State AI Election Laws Mean For The 2026 Midterms

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    In the absence of federal rules governing artificial intelligence in elections and no consensus emerging across state laws, campaigns, their vendors and AI developers must address the risks associated with outdated rules written for other problems, says Matthew Shapanka at Covington.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Cultivating Good Judgment

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    Law schools generally overlook the role that solid judgment skills play in real-world practice, but attorneys can bridge the gap by strengthening their abilities to assess a case’s strengths and weaknesses, develop and execute effective strategies, and provide clear recommendations to clients, says Manny Caixeiro at Venable.

  • Responding To State Packaging Law Uncertainty

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    As states roll out new packaging and recycling mandates, companies face expanding compliance duties and a growing wave of constitutional challenges that offer key lessons for managing regulatory risk, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • CMS Rule, DOJ Probes Deepen Gender Care Compliance Risk

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    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' final rule restricting Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care is likely to face immediate litigation, but the CMS rulemaking is already working alongside U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement campaign to create operational risk for providers, say attorneys at Arnall Golden.

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