Hermes Gets Birkin Bag Antitrust Claims Tossed For Good

By Matthew Perlman

A California federal court on Wednesday tossed a proposed class action accusing Hermes of unlawfully tying the sale of its iconic Birkin handbag to other expensive items, finding the latest version of the complaint still fell short of making a plausible antitrust claim.

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Ex-Calif. Judge Gets 35 Years For Shooting Wife To Death

By Gina Kim

Former California state court judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson lost his bid for a new trial Wednesday and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for shooting his wife to death at home in a drunken rage, with the presiding judge expressing sympathy for his "extraordinary" son who tried to save his mother's life.

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Disney's $233M Deal In Living Wage Suit Gets Final OK

By Rae Ann Varona

A California state court has granted final approval of Walt Disney Co.'s $233 million settlement with more than 51,000 Disneyland workers who accused the entertainment company of flouting the city of Anaheim's minimum wage ordinance, handing the workers' lawyers $35 million in attorney fees.

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NCAA Volunteer Coaches Secure $49M Wage-Fix Settlement

By Elaine Briseño

A California federal court approved a $49 million settlement between the National Collegiate Athletic Association and 1,000 Division I volunteer baseball coaches that resolves an antitrust dispute stemming from a now repealed bylaw that allegedly prevented the coaches from receiving market value wages.

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Uber Stalled On Women-Only Rides, Jury Hears In Assault Trial

By Bonnie Eslinger

Uber executives pumped the brakes for years on a proposed safety program that would have matched woman drivers with woman riders, fearing legal risks and the potential for a public perception that the service is unsafe for women, a San Francisco jury heard Wednesday in a bellwether sexual assault trial.

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'It Doesn't Look Good': CoComelon Foe Faces Uphill IP Fight

By Dorothy Atkins

Ninth Circuit panel judges doubted Wednesday a Chinese company's appeal of its $23.4 million copyright-trial loss to the maker of the children's YouTube channel CoComelon, with one judge telling counsel "it doesn't look good for you," and another observing he's "never seen copying evidence quite as compelling as this record."

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Feds Want 3 Years For Girardi Son-In-Law's Chicago Contempt

By Lauraann Wood

Tom Girardi's son-in-law should receive a three-year prison sentence for his admitted role in helping the once-celebrated plaintiffs' lawyer steal millions from Lion Air crash victims, federal prosecutors in Chicago argued Wednesday.

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9th Circ. Judge Hints At Upholding Seattle Housing Ordinance

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit judge suggested on Wednesday that a waiver provision written into a Seattle affordable housing policy is enough to "save" the ordinance from a homeowner's constitutional claim that it kept her from realizing her property's full value by adding townhomes.  

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Herbal Co.'s Supplements Lack FDA Disclaimer, Buyers Claim

By Mike Curley

A proposed class of herbal supplement buyers is suing Traditional Medicinals Inc. in California federal court, alleging that its line of supplements makes claims that they support sleep, digestion and other functions, but they lack federally required disclaimers.

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Anthropic, Reddit Spar Over Keeping AI Case In Federal Court

By Elliot Weld

Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has asked a California federal judge to keep Reddit's claims that user content is used to train large language models in federal court, saying that at least one of Reddit's claims are preempted by the Copyright Act and effectively arise from federal law.

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9th Circ. Seems Split On School Principal's Free Speech Suit

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit panel appeared split on Wednesday over a Washington state public school employee's claims that he was unfairly punished for a political rant on Facebook, with one judge pushing back on his stance that he was speaking privately while also balking at the district's position that the post was disruptive.

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Calif. Cheesemaker Files Ch. 11 After Listeria Shutdown

By Rick Archer

A California cheesemaker has filed for Chapter 11 protection in California bankruptcy court after listeria contamination closed down its operations for more than 16 months and left the company facing more than $74 million in legal liability.

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VC-Backed Cybersecurity Biz Netskope Prices $908M IPO

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Netskope, a cybersecurity firm with venture capital backing, is set to begin trading on the Nasdaq Thursday after pricing a $908 million initial public offering, at the top of its upwardly revised range.

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Yale Health System Settles $435M Hospital Sale Suit

By Brian Steele

Yale New Haven Health Services Corp., Connecticut's largest hospital system, has reached a settlement in principle with bankrupt Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. that would resolve a $435 million contract dispute over the sale of several hospitals in the state.

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9th Circ. Denies Appeal Of Wash. Anti-Vaxxers' Med Board Suit

By Ben Adlin

The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday rejected an appeal brought by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on behalf of anti-vaxxers challenging a Washington state medical board's disciplinary proceedings against doctors who allegedly spread false information about COVID-19.

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Trump Admin Can't Get Suit Challenging Voting Order Tossed

By Chris Villani

A Massachusetts federal judge declined Wednesday to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration's executive order requiring physical proof of citizenship to vote and invalidating ballots received after Election Day.

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H-2A Truck Drivers' Wage Suit Heads To Arbitration

By Irene Spezzamonte

Four seasonal truck drivers did not cross state lines when they transported agricultural products from fields to a cooling facility, and therefore their wage and hour suit belongs in arbitration, a California federal judge ruled.

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Tribal Members Tell 9th Circ. Tariff Suit Belongs In Fed. Court

By Dylan Moroses

Counsel for members of the Blackfeet Nation tribe told the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday their suit challenging President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs should stay in federal district courts, where constitutional and congressional claims over tribal commerce must be heard.

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Calif. Residents Look To Block Tribe's Recognition, Casino

By Crystal Owens

A group of residents and a nonprofit are seeking an expedited order that would block a decision by the Interior Department to give federal recognition to California's Ione Band of Miwok Indians, arguing the federal government is delaying the case to make sure construction of the tribe's casino is completed.

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FCC Told To Take Care When Adding AI To Public Alerts

By Nadia Dreid

As the Federal Communications Commission mulls how to best overhaul its emergency alert rules, one California county is warning the agency to tread carefully when it comes to adopting emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

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Don Jr.-Backed Patent Co. Hires Nokia Licensing Exec

By Dani Kass

SIM IP, the newest venture by high-profile patent monetizer Erich Spangenberg, has brought on Nokia's chief licensing officer to serve as managing director.

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Saul Ewing Lands Greenspoon Marder Enviro Atty Trio In LA

By James Mills

Saul Ewing LLP is expanding its environmental team, bringing in a trio of Greenspoon Marder LLP litigators in the firm's Los Angeles office.

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What Prop 65 Ruling Means For Cosmetics, Personal Care Biz

A California federal court's recent decision on Proposition 65 warnings is good news for companies in the cosmetics and personal care space, as it will relieve businesses of the need to apply such warnings to products containing titanium dioxide and likely stop a wave of pending failure-to-warn litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

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Diverging FAA Preemption Rulings Underscore Role Of Venue

Two recent rulings evaluating Federal Arbitration Act preemption of state laws — one from the California Supreme Court, upholding the state law, and another from a New York federal court, upholding the arbitration agreement — demonstrate why venue should be a key consideration when seeking to enforce arbitration clauses, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

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A Reminder Of The Limits Of The SEC's Crypto Thaw

As the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's regulatory thaw has opened up new possibilities for tokenization projects, the Ninth Circuit's recent decision in SEC v. Barry that certain fractional interests are investment contracts, and thus securities, illustrates that guardrails remain via the Howey test, say attorneys at Skadden.

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Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From Va. AUSA To Mid-Law

Returning to the firm where I began my career after seven years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Virginia has been complex, nuanced and rewarding, and I’ve learned that the pursuit of justice remains the constant, even as the mindset and client change, says Kristin Johnson at Woods Rogers.

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DC Judge Included In Senate's Bloc Confirmation

By Courtney Bublé

A judge for the Superior Court of Washington, D.C., was confirmed on Thursday as part of the en bloc confirmation of 48 nominees to various positions following Republicans voting in favor of changing the rules.

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Alston & Bird Adds Ex-K&L Gates IP Litigator In Chicago

By Kevin Penton

Alston & Bird LLP has hired an intellectual property litigator previously with K&L Gates LLP as a partner in its Chicago office, the firm announced Thursday.

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Trump Asks High Court To Let Him Remove Fed's Cook

By Jon Hill

President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to allow him to move forward with firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, escalating a fight over presidential removal power that will test the boundaries of the central bank's traditional independence.

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DOJ Seeks Rehearing On Copyright Chief's Reinstatement

By Elliot Weld

The federal government has asked the D.C. Circuit to rethink its decision to temporarily reinstate the head of the U.S. Copyright Office who was fired by President Donald Trump, saying the president has the authority to remove the copyright chief because the position is part of the executive branch.

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Uber Says Philly Law Firm, Doctors Fabricated Injuries

By James Boyle

Ride-sharing company Uber has accused personal injury firm Simon & Simon PC and a network of healthcare providers of fabricating medical records to inflate accident complaints, according to a RICO suit filed in Philadelphia federal court.

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Nelson Mullins Adds Jones Day Corporate Pro In Atlanta

By Emily Johnson

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP has brought a Jones Day partner into its Atlanta office, bolstering its corporate practice with an attorney with experience in C-suite roles and as general counsel for companies, the firm said Thursday.

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Dems Demand Even More Funds For Courts, Judicial Security

By Courtney Bublé

An alternative continuing resolution unveiled by the Democrats in the House and Senate on Wednesday evening includes more funding for judicial security and the courts than the Republicans' version, but it's unlikely it will be adopted as is.

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Ex-Trump Atty Says Fla. Discipline Case Is Over 'Void' Charges

By Chart Riggall

Former Trump campaign attorney Kenneth Chesebro told the Supreme Court of Florida this week to reject a push to discipline him over his conviction in Georgia's election interference racketeering case, arguing his name was cleared by a court order invalidating the charge to which he pled guilty.

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