Washington

  • March 27, 2024

    9th Circ. Rejects Rust-Oleum's Bid To Sink Class Cert.

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld the certification of a class of Rust-Oleum customers who are suing the company for allegedly greenwashing its degreaser products with the terms "non-toxic" and "Earth friendly."

  • March 27, 2024

    Bungie, YouTuber Settle False Copyright Infringement Suit

    An online gamer has settled a lawsuit filed by video game developer Bungie Inc. after a Washington federal judge ruled earlier this month that the gamer illegally posed as a company employee and reported Bungie fans' YouTube videos as copyright violations, according to a court order Wednesday.

  • March 27, 2024

    Meta Settles Fired Worker's COVID Vax Religious Bias Suit

    Facebook parent company Meta has agreed to settle a Washington federal suit brought by a former project manager who claimed he was illegally fired after refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 because of his religious beliefs.

  • March 26, 2024

    Consumers Push For New 9th Circ. Panel In Qualcomm Case

    Cellphone buyers are coming out strong against Qualcomm's request to have the same Ninth Circuit panel that vacated their class certification hear an appeal to revive the long-running antitrust litigation over the company's licensing practices, saying there is no reason for "meddling with the usual practice for assigning cases."

  • March 26, 2024

    9th Circ. Frees College From Off-Campus Rape Suit

    The Ninth Circuit says a Washington university does not need to face claims by a woman who was raped at an off-campus party during her freshman year, as it was expected to do following a state supreme court ruling in the school's favor. 

  • March 26, 2024

    9th Circ. Says Tanker Can't Be Used To Enforce $10M Debt

    The Ninth Circuit affirmed on Monday that a nearly 800-foot crude oil tanker could not be seized to enforce some $10 million in arbitral awards against a defunct gas shipping company, ruling that the plaintiffs couldn't prove the tanker's owner had helped to hide the shipping company's assets.

  • March 26, 2024

    Subaru Can't Duck Suit Over Starlink Infotainment Defect

    A New Jersey federal judge on Tuesday declined to throw out a proposed class action alleging the Starlink infotainment system in certain Subaru vehicles is defective, throwing out one plaintiff's state consumer protection claim, while allowing the remaining claims to go forward.

  • March 26, 2024

    Pilot HOA Tells Justices Rail Easement Clouds Airstrip Access

    An Alaska homeowners association made up largely of pilots has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Ninth Circuit ruling granting a railroad full control of an easement jutting into an airstrip used by residents of a surrounding subdivision.

  • March 26, 2024

    9th Circ. Unsure Uber Can Dodge Suit Over Slain Driver

    A pair of Ninth Circuit judges seemed to question Tuesday if Uber Technologies Inc. could avoid liability after a driver was murdered in a carjacking, with one judge asking if the law needed to catch up with new technology in a case where the company controlled information about the identity of riders.

  • March 26, 2024

    Starbucks Settles Worker's Suit Alleging Manager Groped Her

    Starbucks Corp. has settled a lawsuit with an employee who alleged her reports of groping and harassment by a manger resulted in a retaliatory investigation, stunting her career with the coffee chain.

  • March 26, 2024

    Fishers Say Tire Cos. Can't Escape Salmon ESA Suit

    Fishing groups are fighting tire companies' attempt to dismiss an Endangered Species Act suit over the use of a rubber additive known as 6PPD, which harms salmon, telling a California federal judge the companies are trying to delay accountability.

  • March 26, 2024

    Boeing Can't Exit Wash. Worker's Birth Defect Suit

    A Washington state judge has declined to throw out a lawsuit accusing Boeing of exposing a factory worker to chemicals that caused birth defects in his child, after casting doubt last month on the company's assertion it had no legal duty to protect employees' future children from foreseeable harm.

  • March 26, 2024

    Greens Sue NRC Over Delayed Diablo Canyon Inspections

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission violated federal law when it rejected community and environmental groups' request for a public hearing over allegedly outdated inspections at Diablo Canyon, California's last remaining nuclear power plant, the groups told the Ninth Circuit on Monday.

  • March 26, 2024

    Wash. Appeals Court Reinstates Nurse's Sex Harassment Suit

    A trial court jumped the gun when it tossed a lawsuit from a nurse who said a University of Washington-owned air ambulance outfit transferred her after she complained about sexual harassment, a state appeals court ruled, saying a reasonable jury could find in her favor.

  • March 26, 2024

    K&L Gates Adds Ex-Suncor Atty To Energy Team In Seattle

    K&L Gates LLP has announced it is expanding its environment, land and natural resources practice capabilities in Seattle with the addition of a seasoned partner with two decades of diverse environmental policy experience including private practice, in-house and government work.

  • March 25, 2024

    Boeing Called Out For 'Circular' Logic In Love-Triangle Murder

    A Washington federal judge suggested on Monday that it would be unfair to let Being avoid liability in the early stages of a case involving a love-triangle among workers that ended in murder, calling the argument against allowing litigation to move forward "circular."

  • March 25, 2024

    COVID 'Cure' Claims Can't Sustain Fraud Suit, 9th Circ. Rules

    A biopharmaceutical company's "enthusiastic" statements to Fox News and others about a potential COVID-19 cure do not amount to fraud and cannot sustain a shareholder lawsuit accusing the company and its top executives of deceiving the market by pretending that a breakthrough was much more consequential than it actually was, the Ninth Circuit ruled on Monday.

  • March 25, 2024

    Wash. Asks Judge To Undo Block Of ICE Detention Center Law

    Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has urged a federal judge to reconsider a recent ruling halting the state from conducting unannounced inspections and imposing new health and safety standards at an immigration detention facility, saying the decision "rests on legal error."

  • March 25, 2024

    Kroger Says Sweetened Merger Deal Will Sink Antitrust Doubts

    Kroger told a Colorado state judge Monday that it plans to "enhance" its $24.6 billion Albertson's merger to satisfy federal and state regulators, a plan it did not yet describe in detail and that Colorado said it has not seen.

  • March 25, 2024

    DOJ Slammed For Backing GEO Group In Detainee Wage Fight

    A group of immigrant detainees has urged the Ninth Circuit to reject the federal government's stance that a privately run detention center in Tacoma is exempt from Washington's minimum wage, saying the United States has failed to point to any conflicting federal laws.

  • March 25, 2024

    OSU, WSU Finalize $65M Deal With Departing Pac-12 Schools

    Oregon State University and Washington State University finalized the terms of their settlement with the departing members of the Pac-12 conference Monday, splitting $65 million in fees and securing additional protections for their slimmed-down partnership.

  • March 25, 2024

    Boeing CEO To Exit At Year's End Amid 737 Max Crisis

    The Boeing Co. announced Monday that President and CEO Dave Calhoun will exit the company at the end of the year, and the chair of its board will also step down, as the American aerospace giant overhauls its leadership ranks amid an enduring 737 Max crisis.

  • March 25, 2024

    Justices Preserve Obama-Era Forest Monument Expansion

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review two appellate court rulings upholding former President Barack Obama's expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument on the Oregon-California border.

  • March 22, 2024

    Feds Urge Justices To Reject Idaho's Abortion Ban Revival Bid

    The federal government said Idaho is pushing inconsistent positions on healthcare law as it tries to reinstate its abortion prohibition, telling the U.S. Supreme Court that the state still hasn't clearly articulated when it thinks abortions are federally required to save a person's life.

  • March 22, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Abortion, Jury Trials And Estate Tax

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision expanding access to popular abortion pill mifepristone as well as whether juries should determine a defendants' eligibility for repeat offender enhanced sentencing under the Armed Career Criminal Act and how long federal employees have to appeal adverse employment decisions.

Expert Analysis

  • How High Court Is Assessing Tribal Law Questions

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's four rulings on tribal issues from this term show that Justice Neil Gorsuch's extensive experience in federal Native American law brings helpful experience to the court but does not necessarily guarantee favorable outcomes for tribal interests, say attorneys at Dorsey & Whitney.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

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    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Trends Emerge In High Court's Criminal Law Decisions

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    In its 2022-2023 term, the U.S. Supreme Court issued nine merits decisions in criminal cases covering a wide range of issues, and while each decision is independently important, when viewed together, key trends and takeaways appear that will affect defendants moving forward, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • It All Comes Down To Choice Of Law In Nazi-Looted Art Case

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent decision in a nearly 20-year ownership battle over a Nazi-looted painting shows the court lacked adequate guidance on how California's choice-of-law rule should be applied to stolen property and that the choice of law — between California or Spain — will likely determine whose claim to the painting prevails, says Kevin Ray at Greenberg Traurig.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • 4 New State Geofencing Bans And How They Differ

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    Washington, New York, Connecticut and Nevada have now enacted laws prohibiting geofencing around locations that provide certain health care services, but these new laws vary widely, with Washington taking the broadest and most restrictive approach, say Andreas Kaltsounis and Nichole Sterling at BakerHostetler.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • The Issues Brewing Around Starbucks Labor Practice Cases

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    Starbucks is faced with fighting off another push for a nationwide injunction against firing any employees that support unionization, and there's a distinct possibility that the company and the National Labor Relations Board could be fighting the same fight over and over in various locations, says Janette Levey at Levey Law.

  • Tools To Fight Delay From Arbitrability Appeals After Coinbase

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Bielski decision mentioned a series of procedural tools litigants facing an automatic stay due to a Section 16(a) appeal can use to mitigate resulting harms and costs from the delay, and counsel should weigh the potential benefits and risks of these options, say Glenn Chappell and Spencer Hughes at Tycko & Zavareei.

  • High Court's Tribal Water Rights Ruling Steadies The Boat

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Arizona v. Navajo Nation — concerning the federal government's obligations to help secure tribal access to water — overturns a Ninth Circuit decision that could have undermined existing state adjudication processes and unleashed a wave of tribal water rights claims, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.

  • Immigration Program Pitfalls Exacerbate Physician Shortages

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    Eliminating shortcomings from U.S. immigration regulations and policies could help mitigate the national shortage of physicians by encouraging foreign physicians to work in medically underserved areas, but progress has been halted by partisan gridlock, say Alison Hitz and Dana Schwarz at Clark Hill.

  • Perspectives

    Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

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    Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

  • 9th Circ. Gap Ruling Creates Split On Forum Selection Clause

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    The Ninth Circuit recently held in Lee v. Fisher that a forum selection clause in Gap's bylaws requiring all derivative claims to be brought in Delaware state court is enforceable, but since the Seventh Circuit struck down a similar clause in Boeing's bylaws last year, Supreme Court review may be on the horizon, say attorneys at Davis Polk.

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