Washington

  • September 08, 2026

    Underdog Says Federal Law Bars Wash. Betting Crackdown

    Prediction market operator Underdog sued Washington's attorney general and state gambling commission Tuesday in an attempt to block enforcement of state anti-gambling laws against the company, contending that wagers on its platform qualify as derivative contracts that fall under the "exclusive jurisdiction" of the federal government.

  • September 08, 2026

    Reusable-Rocket Maker Stoke Space Gets $1B Series E Boost

    Washington-based Stoke Space Technologies on Tuesday announced the initial closure of a $1 billion Series E financing round, saying the fresh funding will propel its plans to launch a fully reusable rocket early next year and accelerate its development of a larger, more advanced model.

  • September 08, 2026

    Seattle Times, Newsday Sue OpenAI Over Content Use

    The Seattle Times and Long Island-based newspaper Newsday sued OpenAI and Microsoft with claims of copyright infringement, adding to the long list of news organizations claiming their articles were used improperly to train large language models.

  • September 08, 2026

    Boeing Avoids Broad Financial Discovery In IP Suit

    A Washington federal judge has ordered The Boeing Co. to provide some, but far from all, of the information Wilson Aerospace LLC sought for its suit accusing the aerospace giant of stealing patented technology for a NASA moon program.

  • September 08, 2026

    ConocoPhillips Exits Wash. Tribes' Suits Over Climate Harm

    A Washington state judge has granted ConocoPhillips' bid to exit two Native American tribes' revised lawsuits accusing the oil corporation of downplaying the risks of burning fossil fuels, concluding that the tribes haven't pointed to deception that was aimed at Washington state.

  • September 08, 2026

    Insurer Says It Owes No Coverage For Exploding Vape Suit

    An insurer has urged a Washington federal court to find that it does not owe coverage to a vape seller in a product liability suit from a user whose leg was amputated after a vape exploded in his pocket, arguing tobacco and nicotine product and premises exclusions bar coverage. 

  • 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 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

    Boeing OT Suit Says Incentive Pay Was Omitted From Rates

    Boeing shorted its workers in Washington state by failing to factor in bonuses and other nondiscretionary compensation when calculating overtime and sick leave payments, according to a proposed class action that the company removed to federal court Thursday.

  • 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

    Wash. AG Opposes PacifiCorp $1.9B Sale Of State Assets

    The Washington Attorney General's Office has asked the state's Utilities and Transportation Commission to reject Pacific Power and Light Co.'s $1.9 billion sale of its Washington service area to Portland General Electric, saying the deal would raise costs and cut customers off from one of the state's clean energy sources.

  • 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

    United Airlines Violates Wash. OT And Break Laws, Suit Says

    United Airlines is accused of violating Washington labor laws by shorting overtime pay and denying compliant meal and rest breaks to hourly employees who held ground job positions for the carrier, according to a notice filed by the airline Thursday removing the case to the Western District of Washington. 

  • September 04, 2026

    Wash. High Court Won't Review Dispensary License Fight

    The Washington Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal from a cannabis company, ending the retailer's lawsuit claiming state regulators prevented it from opening a lucrative Seattle dispensary by failing to force a competitor's license to be forfeited due to not being fully operational.

  • 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

    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

    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.

  • September 04, 2026

    'Bad Faith' Subpoenas On Apple Execs Spur Fee Sanctions

    A California federal magistrate judge imposed sanctions Thursday on Joseph M. Alioto of Alioto Law Firm for repeatedly trying to depose senior Apple executives, including then-CEO Tim Cook, in an attempt to drag the iPhone-maker back into consumer antitrust litigation accusing Google of shutting out rival search engines.

  • September 04, 2026

    Court Slams 'Half-Hearted Compliance' In Crab Price-Fix Suit

    A California federal magistrate judge has given a seafood company until Sept. 11 to meet the discovery obligations it has repeatedly fallen short of in a proposed class action accusing it of fixing prices for Dungeness crabs.

  • September 04, 2026

    4th Circ. ERISA Docs Ruling Deepens Split, High Court Told

    A participant in Netflix's employee health plan asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the Ninth Circuit's dismissal of his lawsuit alleging that the company unlawfully refused his request for plan documents, arguing that a recent Fourth Circuit decision discredits the streaming giant's argument against a circuit split.

  • September 03, 2026

    Wash. Justices To Hear Gordon Rees Malpractice Transfer Suit

    Washington's Supreme Court will consider whether a Great American insurance unit can inherit an equipment manufacturer's legal malpractice claims against two law firms in what the insurance company has called an issue of first impression, according to a high court order published Wednesday.

  • September 03, 2026

    Oil Cos. Seek Quick Appeal To Nix Suit Over Heat Wave Death

    Exxon, Chevron, Shell and other oil giants say they plan to seek appellate review of a Washington judge's order refusing to dismiss a civil suit over a woman's 2021 death that alleged the defendants knew their products were intensifying extreme weather patterns but downplayed risks to maximize profit.  

  • September 03, 2026

    More Suits Filed Blaming ChatGPT In Canada School Shooting

    OpenAI Inc. on Wednesday was hit with another wave of 30 lawsuits in California federal court over the February school shooting in Canada brought by surviving teachers, staff members and students who say that ChatGPT assisted and encouraged the shooter in planning the attack.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Isshin-Ryu Karate Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My involvement in martial arts, specifically Isshin-ryu, which has principles rooted in the eight codes of karate, has been one of the most foundational in the development of my personality, and particularly my approach to challenges — including in my practice of law, says Kaitlyn Stone at Barnes & Thornburg.

  • CFTC Chair's Speech Hints At Innovation-Friendly Policies

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    Remarks made by Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig at the Futures Industry Association's conference last month provided the most comprehensive articulation of his regulatory agenda and signaled a shift in the CFTC's regulatory posture, including a rare focus on agency coordination and support for digital asset innovation, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • 'Made In America' EO May Not Survive Section 230

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    President Donald Trump's recent executive order to combat fraudulent "Made in America" claims in advertising directs the Federal Trade Commission to deem online marketplaces' failure to verify third-party origin claims as unlawful, but such a rule would likely run into Section 230's publisher immunity doctrine, say attorneys at Blank Rome.

  • CFTC Actions Show Prediction Market Insider Trading Risks

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    It is a myth that insider trading law does not apply in prediction markets, as the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's recent enforcement actions illustrate that it has full authority to pursue such cases federally — and intends to, says attorney Gregg Goldfarb.

  • Prepping For White House's Proposed AI Framework

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    The artificial intelligence legislative framework issued by the White House last month reframes the policy landscape, creating a number of near-term developments for companies to track as congressional committees attempt to convert the framework into legislative text, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Apple Discovery Fight Could Revive DOJ's Antitrust Appetite

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    Winning discovery disputes in the ongoing federal antitrust litigation over Apple’s app store practices is a huge opportunity for the Justice Department to return to its once-vigorous pursuit of product tying by tech monopolies, catch up with foreign competition regulators and establish clear standards for digital markets, says Ediberto Roman at Florida International University.

  • Opinion

    State Bars Need To Get Specific About AI Confidentiality

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    Lawyers need to put actual client information into artificial intelligence tools to get their full value, but they cannot confidently do so until state bars offer clear, formal authority on which plan tiers of the three most popular generative AI tools are safe to use when sharing specific client details, says attorney Nick Berk.

  • What Justices' Review Of Guam Case Will Mean For Permitting

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    In U.S. Department of the Air Force v. Prutehi Guahan, the U.S. Supreme Court will address whether a federal agency's permit application is a final decision that courts can review — a question whose answer could reshape the timing and strategy of environmental litigation across the federal permitting landscape, say attorneys at Foley Hoag.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Restraint Anchors Constitutional Order

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    Contrasting opinions in two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Trump v. CASA and Bost v. Illinois State Board of Elections — demonstrate how the judiciary’s constitutionally entrusted role can easily be preserved or disrupted, and invite renewed attention to the enduring importance of judicial restraint, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

  • Series

    Alpine Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skiing has shaped habits I rely on daily as an attorney — focus, resilience and the ability to remain steady when circumstances shift rapidly — and influences the way I approach legal strategy, client counseling and teamwork, says Isaku Begert at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Telehealth Suit May Redraw Rules For Physician Classification

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    A new class action in California federal court, Cioppettini v. Mochi Medical, alleging a telehealth company misclassified providers as independent contractors, suggests that traditional markers of physician independence may not apply to telehealth, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Opinion

    Wash. Amazon Ruling Should Reshape Suicide Liability

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    The Washington Supreme Court's reinstatement of negligence claims in Scott v. Amazon.com, brought by the families of people who died by suicide after purchasing chemicals online, signals a reckoning for digital commerce and the rejection of the defense that online marketplaces are merely passive technology platforms, says Donald Fountain at Clark Fountain.

  • Pivotal 6th Circ. Ruling Threatens Decades Of NLRB Decisions

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    The Sixth Circuit's recent decision in Brown-Forman v. National Labor Relations Board fundamentally challenged the NLRB's long-standing practice of establishing policies through adjudication rather than formal rulemaking, giving employers and unions a new avenue to procedurally attack the vast majority of its rules, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • What A Court Doc Audit Reveals About Erroneous Filings

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    My audit of 1,522 court documents from last month found that over 95% contained at least one verifiable error, with fewer than 1% showing clear indicators of artificial intelligence use — highlighting above all else that lawyers may want to focus most on strengthening their review processes, says Elliott Ash at ETH Zurich.

  • Pension Case Offers Entertainment Work Exception Insights

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    A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarified that any amount of entertainment work can satisfy the entertainment industry exception under the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act, reinforcing that statutory language, rather than evolving business models, dictates withdrawal liability outcomes, say attorneys at Seyfarth.

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