California

  • 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

    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. 

  • September 04, 2026

    Real Estate Recap: Law Firm Office Tips, Remote Data Centers

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into law office strategies in premier markets and the pros and cons of building data centers on unincorporated land.

  • September 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Tosses Conviction Over Hand Tattoo Testimony

    The Ninth Circuit has ordered a new trial for a man convicted of robbing a store in Washington, finding that he was not testifying in his own defense when he showed jurors that he had tattoos on his hand, unlike the hand of the man seen committing the robbery in security camera footage.

  • September 04, 2026

    Verisign, ICANN Accused Of Locking In .Com Monopoly

    Verisign, which controls the database that makes every .com website functional, has monopolized .com registry services and keeps its power through a financial arrangement with the nonprofit charged with promoting competition in the domain name marketplace, according to a consumer antitrust lawsuit filed Friday in California federal court.

  • September 04, 2026

    Calif. Privacy Agency Flags Data Brokers' Reporting Gaps

    California's privacy agency is warning data brokers that they run the risk of accumulating hefty daily fines for not only failing to register with the agency, but also for providing inaccurate information about their data collection and sale activities in connection with that registration. 

  • September 04, 2026

    DivX Loses Bid For New Patent Trial After Loss To Netflix

    DivX cannot have a new trial over anti-copying and image-quality patents after a California jury cleared Netflix of infringement in March, a federal judge ruled Friday, saying the video compression technology company hasn't shown the jury's decision was not supported by substantial evidence.

  • September 04, 2026

    Injury Law Roundup: Meta's Social Media Addiction Deal

    A $17.1 billion social media addiction settlement between Meta and 29 states and Johnson & Johnson's $5.5 billion ovarian cancer deal over its talc products lead Law360's Injury Law Roundup.

  • September 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Restores Idaho Abortion Ban Enforcement, For Now

    The Ninth Circuit will allow Idaho to fully enforce its abortion ban while the state briefs its request for emergency relief from an order that blocked the ban's application in certain health-related circumstances and declared a fundamental right to some abortions under the U.S. Constitution.

  • September 04, 2026

    Judge Asks Atty To Explain Absences In Nurses' Wage Suit

    A Colorado federal magistrate judge ordered Friday that an attorney for nearly 40 nurses in a wage lawsuit against Colorado-based U.S. Nursing Corp. explain why he has not appeared in the case for months and why the court should not therefore toss the suit.

  • September 04, 2026

    Split PTAB Gives Amazon Win On Speech Patent

    A split Patent Trial and Appeal Board has found that Amazon was able to show that claims in a speech recognition patent were invalid, the latest in a larger fight involving a patent litigation outfit that targeted the retail giant's Alexa virtual assistant.

  • September 04, 2026

    Judge Again Blocks USPS Mail Ballot Rule

    A Massachusetts federal judge late Friday again blocked the U.S. Postal Service from implementing a new rule that would allow it to refuse delivery of mailed ballots in this November's midterm elections.

  • September 04, 2026

    Meta Hit With Class Action Claiming AI Tools Aid Crypto Fraud

    Three cryptocurrency scam victims hit Meta Platforms Inc. with a proposed class action Thursday, accusing the social media giant of turning a blind eye to reports of rampant crypto-ad scams on its platforms and instead perpetuating the scams by providing scammers with artificial intelligence tools that boost their impact.

  • September 04, 2026

    9th Circ. Won't Let Roblox Arbitrate Online Safety Suit

    The Ninth Circuit denied Roblox Corp.'s bid to compel arbitration in a suit by a man alleging his daughter was targeted on the platform by adult predators, saying its delay in seeking arbitration while it litigated the suit on the merits waived any right to arbitrate.

  • September 04, 2026

    SF Archdiocese Seeks Approval Of Ch. 11 Plan Disclosures

    The Archdiocese of San Francisco asked a California bankruptcy judge Thursday to approve its Chapter 11 plan disclosure statement and the form of ballots to be sent to voting creditors as the organization moves toward confirmation of a $395 million settlement with childhood sexual abuse victims.

  • September 04, 2026

    Passengers Say State Laws Offer No Immunity In Lyft MDL

    Lyft Inc. passengers are urging a California federal court to reject the company's bid to throw out their claims in multidistrict litigation that it failed to protect them from sexual assault, saying no Texas or California law or regulation offers the immunity Lyft seeks.

  • September 04, 2026

    ERISA Recap: 5 Appellate Rulings To Know From August

    The Seventh Circuit kept an Arkansas pharmacy benefit manager rule in place as not preempted by federal benefits law, the Fourth Circuit revived an Altria ex-worker's dispute over benefit plan documents, and the Eleventh Circuit reversed a pretrial win for Royal Caribbean in cruise workers' suit challenging 401(k) funds. Here, Law360 looks at those and two other major appellate decisions from August involving ERISA that benefits attorneys may want to know.

Expert Analysis

  • FDA Closeout Letter Suggests Relaxing Stance On Wearables

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent decision not to pursue enforcement action against Whoop's wearable blood pressure tracker, read together with guidance released earlier this year, suggests a softer shift in the FDA's approach to regulating wearables, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How Rogue AI May Shape Corporate Liability, Responsibility

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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