California

  • December 22, 2025

    LawFirms.com Beats LegalForce's TM Suit After Bench Trial

    A California judge has concluded that a company that operates LawFirms.com did not infringe a law firm's trademarks for LegalForce, saying that during a four-day bench trial in October the court found "no one was actually confused or misled."

  • December 22, 2025

    Calif. Atty Slams 'Protectionist' ABS Fee-Sharing Ban

    A California attorney has pushed back on opposition from California's attorney general and the state's bar association amid his efforts to block enforcement of a ban on fee sharing with out-of-state law firms owned by nonattorneys, arguing the new state law is a "protectionist act, in defiance of the constitution."

  • December 22, 2025

    Britney Spears Disputes $720K IRS Bill In Tax Court

    Britney Spears is challenging the IRS over the more than $720,000 it assessed against her in 2021, telling the U.S. Tax Court that the agency improperly increased income she received through her pass-through entity.

  • December 22, 2025

    4 Legal Ethics Matters That Rocked 2025

    This year, judges across the country grappled with attorneys' use and misuse of generative artificial intelligence, and prominent federal prosecutor battles dominated headlines in some of the top legal ethics matters of 2025.

  • December 22, 2025

    Cleary, Orrick Guide Alphabet's $4.75B Data Center Biz Buy

    Alphabet Inc. has agreed to pay $4.75 billion to buy Intersect Power, a data center infrastructure developer the Google owner has partnered with for about a year, in a deal advised by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, the companies said Monday.

  • December 22, 2025

    Calif. Judge Moves Insurance Compliance Co.'s Antitrust Suit

    A California federal judge has transferred an artificial intelligence-driven insurance compliance company's antitrust suit against a property management software company to a different California federal court.

  • December 22, 2025

    Mercedes Inks $150M Deal In Emissions Cheating Claims

    Mercedes-Benz USA LLC and Mercedes-Benz Group AG have reached a nearly $150 million national settlement with state attorneys general amid allegations that they sold and leased vehicles equipped with devices capable of defeating emissions tests.

  • December 19, 2025

    The Data Privacy And AI Developments That Shaped 2025

    The past year delivered a pair of major jury verdicts against Meta and Google in two of the first data privacy cases to head to trial, while a controversial effort quickly materialized and gained steam at the federal level to block states from regulating emerging artificial intelligence technologies. 

  • December 19, 2025

    Meta Mostly Defeats 'Bricked' Devices False Ad Suit, For Now

    A California federal judge has explained his decision to toss the bulk of a proposed class action alleging Meta Platforms Inc. deceptively sold video-calling devices it later "bricked" by dropping software support, although he refused to toss an unfair competition claim and gave the consumers the opportunity to take another stab at the complaint.

  • December 19, 2025

    PHH's $29.5M Kickback Deal Gets Final OK After 17 Years

    After 17 years of litigation, a certified class of homeowners got the final stamp of approval in California federal court for a $29.5 million settlement with PHH Mortgage and its captive reinsurer, both of which homeowners alleged received unlawful kickbacks from premiums paid for mortgage insurance.

  • December 19, 2025

    Google Says SerpApi Bypasses Security To Scrape IP

    Google says data-scraping firm SerpApi circumvents its security measures protecting copyrighted content that appears in search results, alleging in a California federal lawsuit Friday that SerpApi steals content Google licenses from others "at an astonishing scale" and then resells it to its own customers.

  • December 19, 2025

    DraftKings Beats Suit Over Calif. Gambling Ban, For Now

    A California federal judge said during a hearing Friday he plans to toss with leave to amend a proposed class action alleging DraftKings' Daily Fantasy Sports games and others violate California's ban on sports betting, while calling the case "significant" for "clearly" implicating public policy and the California penal code.

  • December 19, 2025

    In Reggaeton Case, Judge Asks If Beats Are Commonplace

    A California federal judge questioned Friday whether music created by a pair of Jamaican artists is the foundation of thousands of reggaeton songs, asking one of their attorneys to address defense arguments that they are trying to own commonplace musical elements.

  • December 19, 2025

    Wells Fargo Sued By Ex-Exec Over 'Fake' Diversity Interviews

    A former Wells Fargo executive has filed suit in California federal court, accusing the bank of systemic racial discrimination against Black employees and customers and alleging that he was retaliated against for challenging these practices.

  • December 19, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: How '25 Shaped Offices, Hotels, Data Hubs

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including analyses of how the office, hotel and data center sectors fared in 2025.

  • December 19, 2025

    App Makers Tell 9th Circ. It Got Google Maps Facts Wrong

    App makers asked the Ninth Circuit to rethink their proposed antitrust class action accusing Google of locking out rival maps products, arguing a panel refused to revive the case only because it did "not address and ignored" their allegations.

  • December 19, 2025

    23 AGs Oppose FCC's Possible AI Law Preemption

    Nearly two dozen state attorneys general joined forces to urge the Federal Communications Commission not to issue a ruling that would preempt state-level regulation of artificial intelligence technologies, arguing in a comment letter that the agency lacks such authority.

  • December 19, 2025

    X Can Still Sue Media Matters In Ireland, 9th Circ. Rules

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday vacated a California federal judge's injunction that blocked X Corp.'s ongoing lawsuit against left-leaning watchdog Media Matters in Ireland over an allegedly defamatory article, saying Media Matters waited too long before seeking to bring the case to the Golden State and thus prejudiced X.

  • December 19, 2025

    Mamdani Taps Ex-Biden DOL Chief For 'Economic Justice' Job

    New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Friday named Julie Su, acting labor secretary during the Biden administration, to serve as the city's first deputy mayor for economic justice, a move that was welcomed by labor unions.

  • December 19, 2025

    Squires Issues 21 More Patent Review Denials

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has denied 21 requests for America Invents Act patent reviews, while not agreeing to institute any new proceedings.

  • December 19, 2025

    Calif. Appeals Court Upholds Los Angeles' Mansion Tax

    A property transfer tax that adds 4% to 5.5% to the cost of Los Angeles real estate deals of more than $5 million is legal under the U.S. and California constitutions, a state appeals panel ruled, upholding a trial court.

  • December 19, 2025

    The Top Patent Damages Of 2025

    The largest patent verdict of the year was Apple's $634 million loss against Masimo, and juries issued eight other nine-figure verdicts in 2025 — many of which were against Samsung.

  • December 19, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Declines To Save MemoryWeb Digital File Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Friday affirmed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision striking claims in a patent covering a digital files management system, one of several that MemoryWeb has asserted against big technology companies. 

  • December 19, 2025

    Green Groups Sue Over Interior's Environmental Policy Shift

    Two conservation groups are asking a Northern California federal district court to vacate an interim U.S. Department of the Interior final rule that rescinds decades-old environmental policies concerning the public's right to participate in reviews for logging, drilling and other industrial projects on public lands.

  • December 19, 2025

    Gunderson-Led Tax Firm Andersen Trades Up After Rare IPO

    Tax valuation and advisory firm Andersen Group Inc. has closed a $202 million initial public offering, marking a rare IPO that required legal teams to navigate uncommon structural and governance challenges, according to attorneys who steered the offering.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • Trader Joe's Ruling Highlights Trademark Infringement Trends

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Trader Joe's Co. v. Trader Joe's United explores the legal boundaries between a union's right to advocate for workers and the protection of a brand's intellectual property, and illustrates a growing trend of courts disfavoring early dismissal of trademark infringement claims in the context of expressive speech, say attorneys at Mitchell Silberberg.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • What 9th Circ.'s Rosenwald Ruling Means For Class Actions

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in Rosenwald v. Kimberly-Clark has important implications around the Class Action Fairness Act and traditional diversity jurisdiction — both for plaintiff-side and defense-side class action litigators — and deepens the circuit split concerning the use of judicial notice to establish diversity, says Grace Schmidt at DTO Law.

  • Compliance Steps To Take As FCRA Enforcement Widens

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    As the Fair Credit Reporting Act receives renewed focus from both federal and state enforcers, regulatory and litigation risk is most acute in several core areas, which companies can address by implementing purpose processes and quick remediation of consumer complaints, among other steps, say attorneys at Wiley.

  • How Calif. Law Cracks Down On Algorithmic Price-Fixing

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    Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws this month significantly expanding state antitrust enforcement and civil and criminal penalties for the use or distribution of shared pricing algorithms, as the U.S. Department of Justice has recently wielded the Sherman Act to challenge algorithmic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Opinion

    Expert Reports Can't Replace Facts In Securities Fraud Cases

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    The Ninth Circuit's 2023 decision in Nvidia v. Ohman Fonder — and the U.S. Supreme Court's punt on the case in 2024 — could invite the meritless securities litigation the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act was designed to prevent by substituting expert opinions for facts to substantiate complaint assertions, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.

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