California

  • September 12, 2024

    Disneyland Performers Can Join Colleagues In Existing Union

    Certain Disneyland performers can have the opportunity to vote to join an existing bargaining unit, the National Labor Relations Board ruled, overturning an NLRB judge's decision that they didn't share enough in common with existing members of the union to be part of their unit.

  • September 12, 2024

    Medline Can't Force Arbitration In Transportation Wage Suit

    Medical supply giant Medline can't compel a warehouse employee to arbitrate her wage-and-hour claims, the Ninth Circuit ruled, upholding a lower court's decision that she's exempted under the interstate-commerce exemption of the Federal Arbitration Act because she loads goods that cross state lines.

  • September 12, 2024

    Feds Eye Nixing Girardi's Ill. Case After Calif. Theft Conviction

    The federal government might drop its criminal charges in Illinois against disbarred attorney Tom Girardi following his recent conviction in California on similar charges of stealing millions from clients, a prosecutor indicated Thursday during a status hearing in the Prairie State matter.

  • September 12, 2024

    Buchanan Ingersoll Looks Inward For New COO

    Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC didn't have to look far for its new chief operating officer.

  • September 12, 2024

    Faegre Drinker Adds White Collar Trio From Greenberg Traurig

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP is building out its white collar team with former veteran prosecutors, announcing Wednesday it had added two partners and an associate from Greenberg Traurig LLP who will bolster its San Francisco and Philadelphia offices

  • September 12, 2024

    Calif. OTA Denies Refund For Criminal Restitution Payments

    California's Office of Tax Appeals said it is unable to refund criminal restitution payments to a couple who operated 21 Subway franchises in the southern part of the state between 2003 and 2010 and pleaded guilty to tax fraud and evasion for some of those years.

  • September 12, 2024

    Weinstein Hit With New Charges In NY Ahead Of Retrial

    Harvey Weinstein was charged in a new indictment Thursday as Manhattan prosecutors prepare to retry the disgraced Hollywood mogul after his previous sex-crimes conviction was overturned.

  • September 11, 2024

    Litigation Spending To Rise As Cases Grow More Aggressive

    A substantial number of large companies are expecting to increase their litigation spending by double digits next year in the face of more complex and hard-fought cases — and they are more open to bringing in new legal talent to navigate the matters, according to a report released Thursday. 

  • September 11, 2024

    The Firms That Handle The Most Trade Secrets Work

    Gordon Rees remains the most active law firm representing plaintiffs in trade secrets disputes, according to a new report by Lex Machina analyzing a three-year period from 2021 to 2023, while Littler Mendelson continues to lead the pack on the defendants' side during that same timeframe.

  • September 11, 2024

    Dua Lipa Can't Slip Copyright Claim In 'Levitating' IP Suit

    Pop singer Dua Lipa wasn't able to persuade a California federal judge to toss a copyright infringement claim in a suit over her hit song "Levitating" by a producer who alleges some of his samples were used without permission, but did get an accounting claim thrown out.

  • September 11, 2024

    Sprout Foods Can't Get 9th Circ. Redo In Baby Food Label Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel declined Tuesday to rethink its decision that federal law doesn't preempt a couple's California state law claim over allegedly misleading nutrition labels on Sprout Foods baby food labels.

  • September 11, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Lets Roku IP Dispute Move From Texas To Calif.

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to reverse a Texas district court's transfer of a suit accusing Roku of infringing patents on automatic content recognition technology for commercial advertising, holding the Texas court wasn't wrong to find California had a stronger local interest in the dispute.

  • September 11, 2024

    Cedars-Sinai Workers Seek Class In Retirement Plan Case

    A pair of former Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Inc. workers asked a California federal judge to greenlight a 16,000-person class in a lawsuit claiming their retirement plan was burdened with excessive fees and subpar investment options.

  • September 11, 2024

    Top Calif. Biz Bills Sitting On Gov. Newsom's Desk

    Among the hundreds of bills awaiting California Governor Gavin Newsom's signature are a number that would create new guidelines for Golden State employers, healthcare industry players, as well as artificial intelligence labeling, textile recycling and increasing criminal penalties for corporate malfeasance by tens of millions of dollars.

  • September 11, 2024

    Uber, Postmates Ask Justices To Address AB 5 Classifications

    Postmates and Uber urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Ninth Circuit's decision dismissing their constitutional challenge to California's worker classification law, arguing that A.B. 5 singles them out and strips them of equal protection under the law, according to their petition to the high court.

  • September 11, 2024

    Studio Behind 'Sound Of Freedom' Worth $1.6B In SPAC Deal

    Angel Studios, which released the controversial 2023 film "Sound Of Freedom" about human trafficking, will go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company in a deal announced Wednesday that stands to value the combined company at $1.6 billion.

  • September 11, 2024

    San Diego Utility Hit With Suit Over Wood Waste Runoff

    San Diego Gas & Electric is using a wood treatment mixture on its power poles and in its facilities that includes toxic chemicals that poison the environment and pose a danger to humans and animals nearby, according to a suit filed in California federal court Tuesday.

  • September 11, 2024

    Reality Star Says Cosmetic Co. Can't 'Give Them Lala'

    Lala Kent, one of the stars of Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules," has hit a cosmetic company with a suit alleging it violated her intellectual property rights by selling an unauthorized lip product under her "Give Them Lala" brand.

  • September 11, 2024

    Kirkland Can't Shake Former Associate's Bias Suit

    A California federal judge has mostly rejected efforts by Kirkland & Ellis to pare down the discrimination suit of a former intellectual property associate, while also backing a prior order that prevented the firm from subpoenaing her former BigLaw employers for confidential personnel information.

  • September 11, 2024

    Sanford Heisler Taps Whistleblower Leader As Named Partner

    Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP has tapped a co-leader of its whistleblower practice group to be a named partner and co-vice chair of the firm, promoting an attorney whose record includes helping to secure a $3 billion settlement with Wells Fargo over its sales practices.

  • September 11, 2024

    Sidley, Other Attys Get $850K In Fees For Migrant Family Suit

    A California federal judge signed off on $850,000 in legal fees for Sidley Austin LLP's and Public Counsel's work advising plaintiffs in a class action that saw the federal government ordered to provide mental health treatment for migrant families separated at the border.

  • September 11, 2024

    Calif. Judge Admonished For Silencing Harassment Defendant

    A California state judicial ethics watchdog publicly reprimanded a San Mateo County judge on Tuesday over her refusal to hear evidence from a defendant who had failed to show up to a previously scheduled civil restraining order proceeding in the judge's court.

  • September 11, 2024

    Constangy Brings On More Jackson Lewis Attys In San Diego

    Three former Jackson Lewis PC attorneys have come aboard at the San Diego office of labor and employment firm Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP, joining four onetime Jackson Lewis colleagues who arrived at Constangy this summer. 

  • September 11, 2024

    No Dice: Ex-Studio Mogul Slams Casino's Retooled Debt Suit

    A former Hollywood studio bigwig saddled with a gambling debt lawsuit has told a Connecticut state court that Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority is relying on an invalid contract to support its breach claim.

  • September 11, 2024

    TV Property Developer Appears In Court On Fraud Charges

    A television property developer appeared at a London criminal court on Wednesday to face charges for the first time that he defrauded a U.S. rental company out of £2 million ($2.6 million).

Expert Analysis

  • What Cos. Should Know About New Global Plastics Regs

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    As the global regulatory landscape for plastics and recycling changes rapidly — with new policies coming into effect in California, at the federal level, in the European Union and at the United Nations — businesses that operate across jurisdictions must stay informed to remain compliant, mitigate legal risk and achieve stewardship goals, say attorneys at O'Melveny.

  • How Calif. Ruling Alters Worker Arb. Agreement Enforcement

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    The California Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Ramirez v. Charter Communications should caution employers that while workers’ arbitration agreements will no longer be deemed unenforceable based on their number of unconscionable provisions, they must still be fair and balanced, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor.

  • The Rise Of State And Local Environmental Leadership

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    While Congress is deadlocked, and a U.S. Supreme Court with a hostility toward the administrative state aggressively dismantles federal environmental oversight, state and local governments are stepping up with policies to shape a more sustainable future for all species, says Jonathan Rosenbloom at Albany Law School.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 2 Lessons From Calif. Overtime Wages Ruling

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    A California federal court's recent decision finding that Home Depot did not purposely dodge overtime laws sheds light on what constitutes a good faith dispute, and the extent to which employers have discretion to define employees' workdays, says Michael Luchsinger at Segal McCambridge.

  • New State Climate Liability Laws: What Companies Must Know

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    New legislation in Vermont and New York creating liability and compliance obligations for businesses deemed responsible for climate change — as well as similar bills proposed in California, Massachusetts and Maryland — have far-reaching implications for companies, so it is vital to remain vigilant as these initiatives progress, say Gregory Berlin and Jeffrey Dintzer at Alston & Bird.

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • Utilizing Liability Exemption When Calif. Cities Lease Property

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    With rising costs pushing California municipalities to lease real estate assets instead of purchasing them, municipalities should review the ample case law that supports certain exceptions to California Constitution Section 18(a) requirements, providing that certain long-term lease obligations are not considered to be liabilities, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.

  • Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming

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    Progress continues on state, federal and international climate disclosure regimes, making compliance a key concern for companies — but the timeline for implementation of California's disclosure laws remains unclear due to funding and timing disputes, says David Smith at Manatt Phelps.

  • Dueling Calif. Rulings Offer Insight On 401(k) Forfeiture Suits

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    Two recent decisions from California federal courts regarding novel Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims around 401(k) forfeitures provide early tea leaves for companies that may face similar litigation, offering reasons for both optimism and concern over the future direction of the law, say Ashley Johnson and Jennafer Tryck at Gibson Dunn.

  • 3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage

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    A California decision from June, Practice Fusion v. Freedom Specialty Insurance, denying a company's claim seeking reimbursement under a directors and officers insurance policy for its settlement with the Justice Department, highlights the importance of coordinating coverage for all operational risks and the danger of broad exclusionary policy language, says Geoffrey Fehling at Hunton.

  • Loss Causation Ruling Departs From Usual Securities Cases

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    A California federal court recently dismissed Ramos v. Comerica, finding that the allegations failed to establish loss causation, but the reasoning is in tension with the pleading-stage approaches generally followed by both courts and economists in securities fraud litigation, say Jesse Jensen and Aasiya Glover at Bernstein Litowitz.

  • PAGA Reforms Encourage Proactive Employer Compliance

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    Recently enacted reforms to California's Private Attorneys General Act should make litigation under the law less burdensome for employers, presenting a valuable opportunity to streamline compliance and reduce litigation risks by proactively addressing many of the issues that have historically attracted PAGA claims, say attorneys at Mintz.

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