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October 31, 2024
IP Forecast: Another Apple Watch Trial Kicks Off In California
Apple and Masimo will face off next week in their long-running feud over whether the tech giant misappropriated Masimo's trade secrets for some of the health-monitoring features used in newer versions of the Apple Watch. Here's a spotlight on that case — plus all the other major intellectual property matters on deck in the coming week.
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October 31, 2024
$268K Fee Challenge Nixed In 9th Circ. Chevron Award Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday refused to reconsider its order slapping a six-figure fine against a Seattle attorney for fabricating a news article to bolster his clients' efforts to enforce an allegedly fraudulent $18 billion arbitral award against Chevron, effectively ending the long-running saga for now.
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October 31, 2024
Drug Cos. To Pay $49M For State-Led Generic Pricing Claims
A contingent of state-level enforcers reached settlements totaling $49.1 million on Thursday with Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Apotex Corp. for their alleged part in a wide-ranging conspiracy to inflate the price of generic drugs.
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October 31, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Revive 'Ghost Cattle' Contract Fight With Tyson
The Ninth Circuit said Thursday a rancher who admitted to invoicing Tyson Foods Inc. for nonexistent cattle cannot sue the meat company for allegedly using his name and photograph in marketing materials without giving him a cut of the profits, rejecting the rancher's argument that Tyson had agreed orally to the deal.
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October 31, 2024
Jury Awards Synopsys $550K In IP Suit Against Software Rival
A California federal jury has awarded software company Synopsys Inc. nearly $550,000 in damages after its competitor, Real Intent Inc., was found to have breached contractual agreements by copying certain commands from Synopsys' software — but the defendants' counsel considers the damages award a victory.
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October 31, 2024
Rebar Giant's Economist Rips Rival's 'Narrow' Antitrust Market
Commercial Metals Co.'s expert economist testified in a federal antitrust jury trial Thursday that Pacific Steel Group's theory of the rebar market is "too narrow" by only focusing on California, although he conceded under cross-examination that CMC sold most of its rebar within 500 miles of its since-shuttered California mill.
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October 31, 2024
'Extraordinary' Fed. Circ. Ruling Revives Seirus Invalidity Row
Seirus Innovative Accessories Inc. will be able to pursue its defense that a Columbia Sportswear clothing design patent is invalid as obvious "under the new, less-rigid approach" established by the Federal Circuit in an "extraordinary" decision earlier this year, a California federal judge ruled.
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October 31, 2024
Beverly Hills Agrees To Abortion-Rights Training In Settlement
The city of Beverly Hills will develop training materials and take other steps to comply with California's reproductive health laws, as part of a stipulated judgment resolving the state's allegations that it illegally pressured an abortion clinic to stay out of the city, the parties announced Thursday.
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October 31, 2024
Megan Thee Stallion Sues Over Trial Lies, Deepfake Porn
Hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion sued a social media personality in Florida federal court for allegedly acting as a paid surrogate of her convicted shooter, fellow rapper Tory Lanez, to spread lies about the trial and for promoting an AI-generated pornographic video that appears to depict her.
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October 31, 2024
Valero To Pay 'Historic' $82M Fine For Bay Area Air Pollution
Valero Refining Co. will pay a record $82 million penalty to settle claims that it failed to report cancer-causing emissions from its Northern California petroleum refinery for nearly two decades, state and Bay Area air pollution regulators announced Thursday, saying nearly all of the fine will fund local community projects.
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October 31, 2024
LA Hits Pepsi, Coca-Cola With Plastic Waste, Deception Suit
Los Angeles County hit PepsiCo Inc. and The Coca-Cola Co. with a California state suit claiming the longtime soft drink rivals are spouting falsehoods about recycling's ability to address their single-use plastic waste and flooding the environment with growing amounts of harmful plastic despite pledges to reduce it.
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October 31, 2024
Fridge Owners Seek OK On Whirlpool Defect Suit Settlement
A proposed class of refrigerator owners is asking a California federal court to give the go-ahead to a settlement to resolve claims that Whirlpool Corp. sold refrigerators with a defect that caused food to spoil or go moldy.
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October 31, 2024
Meta Users Fight Uphill For Cert., But Advertisers Have A Shot
A California federal judge who was asked to certify two classes in litigation alleging that Facebook parent Meta Platforms monopolized the social media advertising market and misused users' data said Thursday that the users' damage theory wasn't "plausible," but appeared open to the advertisers' claim they suffered the same alleged injury.
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October 31, 2024
Nixon Peabody Lands Norton Rose Real Estate Pros In LA
Nixon Peabody LLP took another step this week to strengthen its affordable housing and real estate practice on the West Coast and beyond, bringing on a pair of real estate attorneys from Norton Rose Fulbright with six years of experience working together.
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October 31, 2024
Web Designer Who Built IcomTech Ponzi Site Gets 8 Years
A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday hit a California website designer with eight years in prison for his role in building online properties that made it look as if the $58 million IcomTech cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme was legitimate.
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October 31, 2024
6th Circ. Judge Frets Tech Updates May Stymie Class Actions
Sixth Circuit judges closely questioned Thursday whether claims about faulty automatic braking systems in certain Nissan cars should proceed as a class action or if different software versions divide the class irreconcilably, prompting one judge to wonder about the case's implications for an age of ubiquitous software updates.
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October 31, 2024
Playboy Gets PE Investment After Rejecting Takeover Bid
The owner of Playboy, PLBY Group Inc., on Thursday announced that it had secured a "significant" equity investment from privately held online entertainment company Byborg Enterprises SA.
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October 31, 2024
The 2024 Law360 Pulse Leaderboard
Check out the Law360 Pulse Leaderboard to see which firms made the list of leaders in all-around excellence this year.
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October 31, 2024
Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot
Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.
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October 31, 2024
Meta Says CFPB Mulling Enforcement Action Over Advertising
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said Thursday that it is facing a potential Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement action following an agency probe into financial-related advertising on its platform.
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October 30, 2024
'Vague' Witness Sinks Green Materials Co. Investor Suit
A California federal judge dismissed an investor suit Tuesday filed against a maker of sustainable materials alleging it failed to disclose a change in direction in its manufacturing plans and a delay in building a new plant, saying the suit relies heavily on statements of a confidential witness that are "fatally vague."
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October 30, 2024
Calif. Panel Axes $10.6M Abex Asbestos Verdict
A California appellate panel has thrown out a $10.6 million asbestos verdict against Pneumo Abex LLC and ordered a new trial, finding that the trial court erred in granting a directed verdict that rejected the now-bankrupt braking lining manufacturer's sophisticated user defense.
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October 30, 2024
9th Circ. Says Calif. City Can't Sue State Over Housing Laws
The Ninth Circuit refused to revive the city of Huntington Beach, California's challenge to Golden State laws requiring it to build a certain number of housing units to keep up with population growth, writing in an order Wednesday that the city lacked standing to sue the state in federal court.
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October 30, 2024
Dole Whip Buyer Says Labels Belie Artificial Ingredients
Dole Food Co. falsely lauds its Dole Whip products as containing "no artificial ingredients," despite the sweet snacks containing manufactured citric acid and other artificial additives, according to a consumer's proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court.
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October 30, 2024
Judge Quizzes Attys As $1.5M Mascara TM Trial Wraps
A California federal judge quizzed counsel during bench trial closings Wednesday in Benefit Cosmetics' $1.49 million lawsuit alleging e.l.f. Cosmetics' "Lash 'N Roll" mascara ripped off Benefit's blockbuster "Roller Lash" mascara, questioning why Benefit didn't conduct a consumer survey and asking whether it matters that Benefit inspired e.l.f.'s product.
Expert Analysis
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Series
After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law
Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.
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Series
Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.
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Opinion
Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.
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3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron
The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
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Roundup
After Chevron
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.
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Navigating Scrutiny Of Friendly Professional Corps. In Calif.
In light of ongoing scrutiny and challenges to private equity participation in the California healthcare marketplace, particularly surrounding the use of the friendly professional corporation model, management services organizations should consider implementing four best practices, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.
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Series
Calif. Banking Brief: All The Notable Legal Updates In Q2
The second quarter of 2024 in California, which saw efforts to expand consumer protection legislation and enforcement actions in areas of federal focus like medical debt and student loans, demonstrated that the state's role as a trendsetter in consumer financial protection will continue for the foreseeable future, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
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Opinion
Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem
The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.
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Calif. Long-Tail Ruling Continues Policyholder-Friendly Trend
The California Supreme Court's recent ruling in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Kaiser Cement & Gypsum, rejecting horizontal policy exhaustion, was the latest in a string of its decisions involving insurance coverage for continuous or progressive injury claims that favor policyholders, say Billie Mandelbaum and David Goodwin at Covington.
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A Case Study For Calif. Cities In Water Utility Takeovers
With growing water scarcity and drier weather looming, some local governments in California have sought to acquire investor-owned water utilities by eminent domain — but the 2016 case of Claremont v. Golden State Water is a reminder that such municipalization attempts must meet certain statutory requirements, say attorneys at Nossaman.
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Series
Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Justices' Removal Ruling Presents Hurdles, But Offers Clarity
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Campos-Chaves v. Garland and two other consolidated cases endorses a multistep notice practice that could impair noncitizens' access to adequate judicial notice, but its resolution of a longstanding circuit split also provides much-needed clarity, says Devin Connolly at Reeves Immigration Law Group.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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Justices' 'Blind Mule' Ruling Won't Change Defense Strategy
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Diaz v. U.S., holding that expert witnesses can testify broadly about the mental state of “most people” in a group, simply affirms the status quo for the majority of defendants, and is unlikely to change defense counsel’s strategy at trial, says Walter Gonçalves at the Arizona Federal Public Defender's Office.
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Compliance Countdown To New Calif. Workplace Safety Rules
Nearly all California employers should be taking steps to prepare for the July 1 deadline to comply with a Labor Code update that will introduce the first general industry workplace violence prevention safety requirements in the U.S., say attorneys at Littler.