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TOP NEWS Fate Of Apple's $1B IP Fight With Samsung In Jury's Hands
Following closing arguments Friday, the five women and three men of a California federal jury filed out of a San Jose courthouse for a weekend break with a billion-dollar question hanging in the air: How much in damages must Samsung pay Apple for infringing its smartphone design and utility patents?
Analysis USC, Workers Battle At The 9th Circ.: A Cheat Sheet
The University of Southern California and workers who brought a $150 million proposed class action claiming the school mismanaged their retirement savings recently squared off before the Ninth Circuit, crossing swords before a three-judge panel over whether the plan participants' claims should be kicked from federal court into arbitration. Here, Law360 breaks down the oral arguments from the closely watched case.
Wells Fargo Investor Sues Over 'Culture Of Lawlessness'
A Wells Fargo & Co. shareholder has accused CEO Timothy Sloan, Chair Elizabeth Duke and other top brass of having enabled a “culture of lawlessness” at the bank in a derivative suit filed Thursday, the same day that new allegations emerged about a problem in the bank’s wholesale division.
Drone Maker Hushed Up Bomb-Laden Flight: Whistleblower
A defense contractor that makes weaponized drones for the military has been accused in California state court of firing an employee who tipped off federal investigators about the company's efforts to cover up an incident in which a worker traveled on a commercial flight with a drone containing a bomb, according to a lawsuit unsealed Friday.
9th Circ. Revives Vitamin E Labeling Row Over Heart Claims
The Ninth Circuit resurrected a proposed class action alleging that the heart health claims on Pharmavite LLC’s vitamin E supplements are misleading, saying under California law, individual class members don't have to show they relied on the allegedly misleading statements.
Nissan Must Face 5-State Shattering-Sunroof Suit
A California federal judge on Thursday rejected an effort by Nissan North America Inc. to partly dismiss a suit that accuses the automaker of violating five states’ consumer protection laws by selling vehicles with defective panoramic sunroofs, saying the latest version of the suit passes muster under the laws of Illinois, California and Colorado.
Homeowners Ask 9th Circ. To Revive Citi, Chase Fee Fights
Homeowners claiming Citibank NA and JPMorgan Chase & Co. charged them unnecessary fees for property inspections after they defaulted on their loans asked the Ninth Circuit to revive their suits Friday, saying a lower court erred in finding no basis for their racketeering allegations against the banks and inspection companies.
Class Cert. Denied In Herbicide False-Advertising Suit
A California federal judge refused Thursday to certify a class of consumers on false-advertising claims about how much herbicide could be made from bottles of concentrate, saying the lead plaintiff’s own personal claims put him outside the class.
Yahoo Settles With Rivals.com Users Over Auto Renewals
Yahoo Inc. agreed Thursday in California federal court to give cash or a membership credit and up to $300,000 in attorneys’ fees to subscribers of its college-sports site who claim the company has violated state consumer protection laws by automatically renewing their subscriptions without their permission.
Funeral Home Chain Can’t Bury Deceptive Sales Class Suit
A Texas-based nationwide funeral home company lost its bid to dismiss a class action alleging deceptive sales practices when a California federal judge held on Friday that although the evidence is slim that its Golden State subsidiary is an alter ego, there’s enough room for limited discovery.
Illumina Can't Enforce Fetal DNA Testing Patent, Natera Says
Natera Inc. on Thursday asked a California federal court to free it from patent infringement litigation brought by competitor Illumina Inc., arguing the fetal DNA testing technology at issue isn’t patent eligible because it covers naturally occurring phenomena.
Tesla Inks $1M OT Deal With Calif. Car Salespeople
Tesla Inc. reached a $1 million deal Thursday to end a putative class action alleging the electric-car maker failed to pay overtime and provide proper meal and rest breaks to hundreds of California-based owner advisers and sales advisers, according to court filings.
9th Circ. Affirms Staffing Agency's 2nd Try At $4.5M Deal
The Ninth Circuit affirmed a $4.5 million settlement resolving wage and meal break claims between Labor Ready Southwest Inc. and a class with more than 200,000 members after rejecting the parties’ earlier agreement, finding Friday that the district court adequately examined the deal’s fairness the second time around.
Calif. Hospital Must Reinstate Canceled Raises, DC Circ. Says
A California hospital violated federal labor law by canceling anniversary raises for a group of registered nurses without permission from the Service Employees International Union local that represents them, the D.C. Circuit said Friday in an opinion enforcing a National Labor Relations Board order.
FTC Says Biz Threatened To Delete Companies From Google
The Federal Trade Commission in California federal court on Thursday accused a Florida-based company of scamming small businesses through false threats to remove them from Google search results and sham search engine optimization products.
BMW Seeks Toss Of German Auto Antitrust MDL
BMW asked a California federal court Thursday to reject multidistrict litigation claiming it participated in a decadeslong antitrust conspiracy with fellow German automakers Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and others on car technology, costs, suppliers and emissions equipment, saying the buyers’ ill-defined antitrust injuries and illogical claims do not hold up.
Lennar Wants $970M CalPERS Fraud Suit In Bankruptcy Court
A suit alleging that Miami-based home builder Lennar created and bankrupted a development company in order to swindle $970 million from the California Public Employees' Retirement System belongs in a Delaware bankruptcy court, the builder said Thursday.
Calif. Judge Urged To Block Suit Over 'Sanctuary' Policies
A number of immigrant advocacy groups have urged a California federal judge to consider the “tragic state” of immigration detention centers in light of the U.S. Department of Justice’s suit challenging statutes in California that allegedly obstruct federal immigration law enforcement.
Taxation With Representation: Gibson, Freshfields, Wachtell
In this week’s Taxation with Representation, gas pipeline operator Williams swallowed up its master limited partnership Williams Partners for $10.5 billion, Enbridge acquired several of its sponsored vehicles for $8.9 billion, EQT merged its hearing aid business with Widex A/S for $8.3 billion and Zoetis snapped up Abaxis for $2 billion.
Gov't Gets Quick Win In Executor's $3.8M Estate Tax Row
A California federal judge has granted summary judgment against an estate to deny a $3.8 million estate tax refund, ruling its decedent retained control over assets placed in a trust to fund her annuity.
Advertiser Self-Regulation And Class Actions: Part 3
Companies take part in National Advertising Division proceedings as a form of industry self-regulation — and as an alternative to potentially costly litigation. Analysis of which plaintiffs firms are filing lawsuits after NAD rulings, and whether NAD decisions have any impact on federal courts, supports the conclusion that NAD participation has little correlation with consumer class actions, say attorneys with Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.
Feature Bharara, Rosenstein & Hill On What Law Grads Need To Know
The 2018 law school commencement season is underway, and keynote speakers at academic institutions across the country have sought to impart lasting advice to new grads. Here, five high-profile lawyers, including Preet Bharara, Rod Rosenstein and Anita Hill, shared their advice for improving local communities and the world, guidance which even seasoned attorneys may be able to apply to their own careers. Analysis 3 Things To Know About Congress' New Litigation Funding Bill
A recent bill introduced in the U.S. Senate that sponsors say will discourage gambling by the multibillion-dollar litigation funding industry is far from the first effort to regulate private legal investors. Here, Law360 looks at three things that distinguish the Litigation Funding Transparency Act of 2018. Feature Volume Of Undecided High Court Cases Raises Eyebrows
Even after issuing five opinions last week, the U.S. Supreme Court still has a whopping 34 cases that need to be decided by the end of the term just over one month away, leaving court-watchers to speculate about what’s been slowing things down on First Street. NJ Federal Judge Shortage Continues, Chief Jurist Says
The judicial shortage in New Jersey federal court continues, with no appointments by President Donald Trump on the horizon, leaving a mounting caseload for a short-staffed bench spanning three outposts throughout the state, U.S. District Judge Jose J. Linares told his colleagues on Friday at the state bar association's convention in Atlantic City. Feature GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week
The general counsel of Novartis stepped down in the wake of news reports that the pharmaceutical company paid a business owned by President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, and GCs ranked the firms they think have the strongest brands. These are some of the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week. In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360
For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week. Podcast Law360's Pro Say: Is Sports Betting Coming To Your State?
On the latest episode of Law360's Pro Say podcast, we tell you what you need to know about the U.S. Supreme Court's sports betting ruling; break down the latest battle in Apple and Samsung’s smartphone patent war; discuss law schools demanding answers from BigLaw about the use of nondisclosure agreements; and talk about a woman who took a painful toilet tumble.
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