California

  • February 10, 2025

    Former X Workers Can't Force Arbitration For Their Claims

    A California federal judge refused to force X to arbitrate several former workers' claims that they say should have already proceeded through arbitration but for the social media company's unlawful dragging of its feet, saying none of the parties can arbitrate their disputes in his district.

  • February 10, 2025

    Trump Admin Violating Order To Unfreeze Funds, Judge Says

    A Rhode Island federal judge ruled Monday the Trump administration is not complying with the court's temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grants and programs, ordering the administration to immediately restore the frozen funds.

  • February 10, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses Slack Investor Suit After High Court Battle

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday released Slack Technologies Inc. from an investor dispute that was previously ruled on by the U.S. Supreme Court, with the circuit court going a step further than the high court in ruling that none of the suing investors' claims were salvageable due to the unique way that Slack went public. 

  • February 07, 2025

    Trump Isn't Obeying Order To Unfreeze Funds, States Say

    The Trump administration is not complying with a temporary restraining order barring a freeze on funding for federal grant and aid programs, a coalition of states told a Rhode Island federal judge Friday, asking the court to enforce its order and to enter a stiffer injunction blocking the funding freeze.

  • February 07, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Evolving CRE Finance, Tariffs, PFAS

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including how modern commercial real estate financing has changed the way real estate lawyers practice, as well as insights from Big Law attorneys on two major topics of 2025: tariffs and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a.k.a. "forever chemicals."

  • February 07, 2025

    Apple Drops Suit Over Leaks To Press As Engineer Apologizes

    A California judge on Thursday granted Apple's request to drop a lawsuit against a former employee who allegedly leaked sensitive company information to journalists and others, the same day the software engineer issued a public apology for his "profound and expensive mistake."

  • February 07, 2025

    Calif. Student Group Sues Ed Dept. Over DOGE Data Access

    The University of California Student Association sued the U.S. Department of Education in D.C. federal court on Friday, claiming it unlawfully shared access to confidential student data with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.

  • February 07, 2025

    Nippon-US Steel Merger Targeted By Consumers In Calif.

    A group of consumers has asked a California federal court to prohibit Japan's Nippon Steel Corp. from acquiring U.S. Steel Corp. in their proposed $14.9 billion mega-merger, filing suit just days before President Donald Trump suggested that the deal was being called off.

  • February 07, 2025

    70 Depo-Provera Suits Joined In Florida's Northern District

    The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Friday consolidated more than 70 consumer lawsuits claiming that Pfizer Inc. failed to adequately warn patients and doctors about the risk of brain tumors associated with the hormonal contraceptive drug Depo-Provera in the Northern District of Florida.

  • February 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Judge Doubts Justices' FLSA Test Fits Cracker Barrel

    A Ninth Circuit judge was skeptical Friday of Cracker Barrel's bid to upend an order granting servers collective status based on the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that Fair Labor Standards Act exemptions don't warrant heightened evidence standards, telling counsel the justices' conclusion "doesn't seem like a tight fit" for this case.

  • February 07, 2025

    Kroger Chain Says Strike Is Bid To Force 'Multi-Union' Talks

    The Kroger-owned grocery chain King Soopers sued the union representing Colorado workers on Friday in federal court, alleging strikes at King Soopers stores in the state are a pressure tactic to "force multi-union bargaining" on the company and other employers.

  • February 07, 2025

    Maxeon Investors Push To Keep Exchange Act Suit Alive

    The lead plaintiff in a proposed class action against Maxeon Solar Technologies Ltd. urged a California federal judge to reject the company's bid to escape the suit as well as its "fanciful" explanations for a two-day stock plunge that harmed shareholders.

  • February 07, 2025

    OpenAI Can't Avoid Reverse TM Confusion Claim, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has allowed a trademark infringement counterclaim to proceed against OpenAI by a company with a similar name, finding Open Artificial Intelligence Inc. has plausibly alleged its mark became associated with AI tools before OpenAI became widely known for ChatGPT.

  • February 07, 2025

    CFPB Will Mull Axing Google Payment Oversight Order

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has told a Washington, D.C., federal judge that its acting director will review and could rescind the agency's recent order subjecting Google's payment arm to supervision, securing a pause of the tech giant's lawsuit against the order.

  • February 07, 2025

    SolarWinds Accepts $4.4B Sale To PE Firm Turn/River Capital

    SolarWinds said Friday it has agreed to be sold to Turn/River Capital for $4.4 billion, marking a notable turnaround for a company that came back from a consequential 2020 data breach to become what its CEO told Law360 is now "one of the most secure software companies."

  • February 07, 2025

    Judge Won't Transfer Apple IP Fight, Warns Of Circuit Split

    A Texas federal judge has denied Apple's request to relocate Oregon startup Proxense LLC's patent suit against it, saying the case "would not be clearly more convenient to try in the Northern District of California."

  • February 07, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Ex-Bank Auditor's $1.5M Retaliation Suit Win

    The Ninth Circuit upheld a $1.5 million jury verdict in favor of a former bank auditor who claimed he was fired for flagging evidence of wrongdoing, finding evidence suggesting he was treated differently from other workers was enough to back up the jurors' decision.

  • February 07, 2025

    Customs Broker Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud, Tax Evasion

    A customs broker pled guilty Friday in California federal court to evading $1.5 million in taxes and overcharging clients about $5.4 million in import duty fees as part of a plea agreement he reached with the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • February 07, 2025

    Off The Bench: Trump Bans Trans Athletes, NCAA Falls In Line

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA changes course to accommodate a presidential ban on transgender women athletes, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter is sentenced for his gambling-driven embezzlement, and women's soccer players get restitution for abuse at the hands of their coaches and teams.

  • February 07, 2025

    Meta's $725M Deal Downplays Potential Liability, 9th Circ. Told

    A group of objectors urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to vacate Meta Platform Inc.'s $725 million settlement resolving privacy claims over the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal, arguing the trial judge failed to fully consider the minimum $250 billion statutory damages award that could have been awarded if class counsel won at trial.

  • February 07, 2025

    SoCal Edison Says Its Equipment May Have Caused Hurst Fire

    Southern California Edison told a state energy regulator that it believes its utility equipment might have ignited last month's Hurst Fire in northern Los Angeles County, but it's still investigating the cause of the area's far more destructive Eaton Fire.

  • February 07, 2025

    Insurers Say Meta MDL Row Should Be In Del. State Court

    Coverage litigation with Meta over underlying claims that it deliberately designed its platforms to be addictive to adolescents ought to take place in Delaware state court, units of Chubb and Hartford told a Delaware federal court, arguing the court need only examine the fact that Meta is a Delaware citizen.

  • February 07, 2025

    Plaintiffs Lawyers Swarm Los Angeles Post-Fires

    A deadly wildfire may be among the first covered by a new state fund that reimburses at-fault utility companies. This could mean billions of dollars for plaintiffs lawyers, and, if past fires are any indication, frustration and confusion for some victims.

  • February 07, 2025

    GEO Group Urges Full 9th Circ. To Weigh $23.2M Wage Case

    A Ninth Circuit panel decision holding GEO Group to Washington state's minimum wage standards discriminated against the federal government, the private prison giant argued, urging the full court to mull a case that has the company on the hook for $23.2 million.

  • February 07, 2025

    Applicant Seeks Group Status For Workday Age Bias Claim

    A spurned job applicant urged a California federal court to confer collective action status on his claim that Workday's automated hiring tools violate federal age discrimination law, saying the artificial intelligence platform's similar treatment of older job seekers was enough to warrant representative status.

Expert Analysis

  • Permitting, Offtake Among Offshore Wind Challenges In 2024

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    Although federal offshore wind development started to pick up this year, many challenges to the industry became apparent as well — including slow federal permitting, the pitfalls of restarting permits after changes in project status, and the difficulties of negotiating economically viable offtake agreements, say attorneys at Liskow & Lewis.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Nevada Justices Could Expand Scope Of Subrogation Claims

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    The Nevada Supreme Court's recent decision to hear North River Insurance v. James River Insurance could expand the scope of equitable subrogation claims in the state by aligning with the California standard, which doesn't require excess insurers to demonstrate damages, says Daniel Heidtke at Duane Morris.

  • Federal Embrace Of Crypto Regs Won't Lower State Hurdles

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    Even if the incoming presidential administration and next Congress focus on creating clearer federal regulatory frameworks for the cryptocurrency sector, companies bringing digital asset products and services to the market will still face significant state-level barriers, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: Ballpark Lessons For MDLs

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    The baseball offseason has provided some time to ponder how multidistrict litigation life resembles the national pastime, including with respect to home-field advantage, major television markets and setting records, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • What New Calif. Law Means For Cannabis Lounges

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    With a recently enacted California law authorizing licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses to prepare and sell noncannabis food and beverages, the door opens for a more sustainable business model — but challenges related to costs and liability remain, says Tracy Gallegos at Duane Morris.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • What Fed. Circ. Ruling Means For Patent Case Dismissals

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    ​​​​​​​The Federal Circuit's recent decision in UTTO v. Metrotech is significant because it specifically authorizes district courts to dismiss patent infringement lawsuits without a separate Markman hearing, but only when the meaning of a claim term is clear and case-dispositive, says Peter Gergely at Merchant & Gould.

  • 2 Cases Show DAOs May Face Increasing Legal Scrutiny

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    Two ongoing cases that recently survived motions to dismiss in California federal courts concerning Compound DAO and Lido DAO threaten to expand the potential liability for activity attributed to decentralized autonomous organizations — and to indirectly create liability for their participants, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.

  • The Fashion Industry Should Prep Now For State PFAS Bans

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    New York and California have each passed legislation regulating PFAS in apparel and other textiles, so retailers should consult with manufacturers and suppliers and obtain the requisite certification documents as soon as possible to avoid disruptions in supply chains, say attorneys at Venable.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

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    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • Expect More State Scrutiny Of PE In Healthcare M&A

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    While a California bill that called for increased antitrust scrutiny of many healthcare private equity transactions was recently vetoed by the governor, state legislatures are likely to continue introducing similar laws, particularly if the Trump administration eases federal enforcement, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • DC Circ. Decision Opens Door To NEPA Regulation Litigation

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    A recent D.C. Circuit decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal Aviation Administration could open the door to more litigation over the White House Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act regulations, and could affect how many agencies conduct and interpret environmental assessments, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Calif. Ruling May Shield Public Employers From Labor Claims

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    In Stone v. Alameda Health System, the California Supreme Court recently exempted a county hospital from state-mandated rest breaks and the Private Attorneys General Act, granting government employers a robust new bulwark against other labor statutes by undermining an established doctrine for determining if a law applies to public entities, say attorneys at Hunton.

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