Washington

  • November 21, 2025

    Amazon Secures 1st Deal In Suit Targeting 'Refund Abuse'

    Amazon will be off-limits for five years to an accused fraudster who allegedly took advantage of a "refund abuse" scam that manipulated the company's return process to allow him to receive refunds for products without actually returning the goods, according to a settlement agreement approved Friday by a Seattle federal judge.

  • November 21, 2025

    IP Notebook: Kahwa Mix-Up, WallStreetBets, Hotel California

    This round of Law360's look at emerging copyright and trademark issues includes a Federal Circuit case over an obscure tea drink and a nod to the Eagles' "Hotel California" in a precedential decision that is a primer on having an actual intent to use a trademark.

  • November 21, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: REIT Reporting, Defining Water

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including reactions from real estate attorneys in two areas primed for deregulation.

  • November 21, 2025

    OpenAI Tells 9th Circ. TM Injunction Is 'Based On Guesses'

    OpenAI Inc. urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to scrap a preliminary injunction won by IYO Inc. which blocks OpenAI from using the trademark associated with acquired competitor IO Products Inc., arguing there is no evidence that IYO faces irreparable harm and the injunction is "based on guesses" about OpenAI's future products.

  • November 21, 2025

    Tesla's Runaway Acceleration Led To Fatal Crash, Suit Says

    A Tesla Model 3 accelerated on its own, crashing into a utility pole and exploding into an inferno that killed a Washington woman and left her husband with serious injuries, according to a lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court.

  • November 21, 2025

    Nike Worker Blows Whistle On Alleged Wash. Wage Violations

    A Pacific Northwest retail worker is calling foul on Nike for allegedly denying employees rest and meal breaks, sick leave, overtime pay and other wages owed, according to a new lawsuit in Washington state court.

  • November 21, 2025

    9th Circ. Shuts Down Northern Mariana Retiree's COLA Claim

    The Ninth Circuit rejected a retiree's claim that a retirement fund for Northern Mariana Islands government employees owed her cost of living adjustments in her benefits, backing a ruling that a law promising COLAs to retirees doesn't extend to her.

  • November 20, 2025

    Starbucks Can't Dump Investors' 'Triple Shot' Strategy Suit

    Starbucks and its former CEO can't shed investor class action claims that the company harmed shareholders by concealing its struggles to implement a "reinvention plan," which came to light when the company disclosed that its sales were being harmed by longer waits for customized drinks in its U.S. stores and by fierce competition in China.

  • November 20, 2025

    9th Circ. Urged To Revive Google Maps Antitrust Suit

    App makers urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to revive a proposed class action targeting Google's Maps product, arguing that the lower court erred in failing to accept at the pleading stage their antitrust arguments that Google's terms suppressed competition, allowing Google to increase developer costs up to 1,400%.

  • November 20, 2025

    States Back Hockey Players In Antitrust Fight Over Contracts

    More than a dozen states have thrown their support behind current and former players in an antitrust lawsuit against the National Hockey League and its pipeline junior organizations, arguing a lower court's dismissal ignores how exclusive recruiting territories reduce competition for labor.

  • November 20, 2025

    Chancery Nixes Toss Of West Coast Diner Failure Suit

    Three fiduciaries of a now-shuttered Pacific states restaurant chain and its affiliates must face a claim in Delaware that they breached or aided breaches of fiduciary duties to the venture's Oregon-based affiliate, brought by an investor that pumped $18 million into the business, a vice chancellor ruled on Wednesday.

  • November 20, 2025

    Tacoma ICE Detainees To Get Notice Of Bond Hearing Rights

    A Washington federal judge indicated at a hearing Thursday that a certified class of immigrants detained at an ICE facility deserves notice about their rights to a bond hearing and potential release, asking government lawyers and the plaintiffs' attorneys for proposals on what that notice should look like.

  • November 20, 2025

    Musk Lied About Tesla To Fund Twitter Buy, 9th Circ. Told

    Tesla shareholders urged the Ninth Circuit Thursday to revive their allegations that Elon Musk lied about the capabilities and safety record of Tesla's self-driving technology, saying the district court erred in finding no evidence of fraudulent intent since the billionaire clearly needed to boost Tesla's share price to buy Twitter.

  • November 20, 2025

    State AGs Want Further HPE-Juniper Integration Barred

    The Democratic state attorneys general challenging the controversial U.S. Department of Justice settlement clearing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks want a California federal judge to bar the companies from "further integration" while they push the court to reject the deal outright.

  • November 19, 2025

    Wash. Judge Narrows Claims In Seaplane Crash Dispute

    A Washington state judge largely denied a charter flight company's attempt to put blame for a seaplane crash that killed 10 people onto an aircraft company, and said there are genuine questions about whether sole cause can be attributed to either party.

  • November 19, 2025

    Senior Living Co. Inks $7.2M Deal To End Wash. AG's Probe

    Oregon-based senior living provider Bonaventure will invest $7 million in staffing and upgrades and shell out $200,000 in resident credits to resolve allegations of substandard care at 10 Washington state facilities, under a settlement filed Wednesday.

  • November 19, 2025

    Nestle Asks 9th Circ. To Nix False Ad Class In Child Labor Suit

    Nestle urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse certification of a class of millions of consumers who purchased chocolate labeled "sustainably sourced," saying claims the chocolate is produced through child labor and deforestation are untrue and the question of whether consumers purchased due to the labeling is highly individualized.

  • November 19, 2025

    Wash. Gov. Makes First Appeals Pick, Lifting Grant Co. Judge

    Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson on Wednesday announced his first Court of Appeals appointment since taking office in January, tapping current Grant County Superior Court Judge Tyson R. Hill to fill a seat being vacated next year by Judge George Fearing, who is retiring.

  • November 19, 2025

    Amazon Drivers Push For Class Cert. In Mass. Law Tip Suit

    Amazon delivery drivers who claim the e-commerce giant skimmed from their tips are asking a Seattle federal judge to revive claims under Massachusetts state law, arguing that drivers from that state may be eligible for "significant relief" beyond what they received through a 2021 settlement between Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission.

  • November 19, 2025

    Cintas Corp. Owes Wash. Workers OT And Breaks, Suit Says

    Cintas Corp., which provides supplies and services to businesses, routinely shortchanged Washington-based employees on rest and meal breaks, sick leave, overtime pay and other wages, according a proposed class action the employer took to federal court in the Evergreen State on Tuesday.

  • November 19, 2025

    9th Circ. Renews Exotic Dancer's Indirect Retaliation Claim

    The Ninth Circuit revived an exotic dancer's suit claiming a manager canceled their performance after the dancer sued another club for wage violations, ruling their employer didn't need to be directly responsible for the retaliation for the case to be viable.

  • November 19, 2025

    Air Force Asks Justices To Nix Guam Munitions Disposal Suit

    The U.S. Air Force is urging the Supreme Court to sink a Guam community group's challenge to the branch's request for a renewed permit to explode expired munitions on the island.

  • November 18, 2025

    Sig Sauer Let Ad Men Guide 'Defective' Gun Design, Suit Says

    Sig Sauer Inc. allowed its marketing team to remove key safety features on its popular P320 pistol, resulting in a "defectively designed" weapon with a light trigger that's killed at least one person, a Washington gun owner alleged Monday in the latest of dozens of suits over the gun's design.

  • November 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Halts 1 Of 2 Calif. Corporate Climate Disclosure Laws

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday blocked a new California law requiring large companies to publicly disclose financial risks tied to climate change, barring enforcement as an appeal by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups challenging the policy unfolds in federal appellate court.

  • November 18, 2025

    Flagstar Urges 9th Circ. Redo For Escrow Interest Ruling

    Flagstar Bank pushed the entire Ninth Circuit to reconsider its prior ruling in a putative class action that accused the bank of violating a California law that requires banks to make interest payments for escrow accounts connected to certain types of residential mortgage loans, arguing that the court deciding that the state law is not preempted by the National Bank Act clashes with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in a similar case.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • APA Relief May Blunt Justices' Universal Injunction Ruling

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    The Administrative Procedure Act’s avenue for universal preliminary relief seems to hold the most promise for neutralizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. CASA to limit federal district courts' nationally applicable orders, say attorneys at Crowell.

  • Managing Risks As State AGs Seek To Fill Enforcement Gap

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    Given an unprecedented surge in state attorney general activity resulting from significant shifts in federal enforcement priorities, companies must consider tailored strategies for navigating the ever-evolving risk landscape, say attorneys at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Wash. Law Highlights Debate Over Unemployment For Strikers

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    A new Washington state law that will allow strikers to receive unemployment benefits during work stoppages raises questions about whether such laws subsidize disruptions to the economy or whether they are preempted by federal labor law, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments

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    The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • 9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing

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    Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.

  • What 9th Circ. Cracker Barrel Ruling Means For FLSA Cert.

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Harrington v. Cracker Barrel suggests a settling of two procedural trends in Fair Labor Standards Act jurisprudence — when to issue notice and where nationwide collectives can be filed — rather than deepening circuit splits, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Calif. Air Waivers Fight Fuels Automakers', States' Uncertainty

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    The unprecedented attempt by Congress and the Trump administration to kill the Clean Air Act waivers supporting California's vehicle emissions standards will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court — but meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers, and states following California's standards, are left in limbo, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • 9th Circ. Customs Ruling A Limited Win For FCA Plaintiffs

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    While the decision last month in Island Industries v. Sigma may be welcome news for False Claims Act relators, under binding precedent courts within the Ninth Circuit still do not have jurisdiction to adjudicate customs-based FCA claims pursued by the government, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

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