California

  • March 31, 2025

    SpaceX Says It's Too Soon To Transfer Battle With NLRB 

    SpaceX urged a Texas federal court to vacate a renewed order making California the location for the aerospace company's lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National Labor Relations Board's structure, saying conditions the Fifth Circuit imposed for renewing a bid for a transfer after blocking it in August haven't been met.

  • March 31, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Stay Injunction On Transgender Troop Ban

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Monday denied the federal government's bid for an emergency stay that would have allowed the U.S. Department of Defense to move forward with the Trump administration's ban on transgender military service following a Washington federal judge's decision to block the prohibition last week.

  • March 31, 2025

    Wells Fargo Sued Over Online Wire Fraud Protections

    Wells Fargo has been hit in by a proposed class action California federal court accusing the bank of leaving its online and mobile banking customers exposed to costly losses from fraudulent wire transfers.

  • March 31, 2025

    Apple Beats Suit From Actor Who Refused COVID Shot

    A California appellate court held Friday that Apple Studios had the right to pull an offer for actor Brent Sexton after he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, ruling that a lower court should've thrown out the actor's suit.

  • March 31, 2025

    Trump Commutes Con Man Jason Galanis' Prison Sentence

    President Donald Trump on Friday commuted the nearly 16-year sentence of fraudster Jason Galanis, who was convicted in a shareholder rip-off and a tribal bond swindle that cost investors $81 million.

  • March 31, 2025

    Samsung Bid To Beat Back $192M Patent Award Falls Short

    Texas U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap unsealed a ruling Friday explaining why he decided that a small Silicon Valley outfit's use of continuations in filing wireless charger patents were not unreasonable delays that made the patents unenforceable or void a $192 million verdict against Samsung.

  • March 31, 2025

    Buyer Class Of Surgical Robots Is Certified In Antitrust Fight

    A California federal judge on Monday certified a class of thousands of hospitals alleging Intuitive Surgical monopolized the market for robotic surgical tools by blocking third-party repairs and tying services to robot purchases, finding the case raises common antitrust questions that can be resolved on a classwide basis.

  • March 31, 2025

    Fla. Man Gets Prison Over 'Grills' Purchases With Public Cash

    An Orlando, Florida, man was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison after he pled guilty to defrauding the state of California out of more than $4 million in unemployment benefits meant to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic and spending it on luxury purchases, including diamond-studded "grills," or teeth jewelry.

  • March 31, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Investor Suit Over $8B Avalara Sale

    The Ninth Circuit on Monday partially revived a proposed class action accusing tax software company Avalara Inc. of underselling investors on its future prospects before taking the company private in an $8.4 billion deal.

  • March 31, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Tells PTAB To Look At Samsung Foe's Patents Again

    Samsung convinced the Federal Circuit Monday that administrative patent board judges used an "erroneous" definition of a term used in two gesture-sensing interface patents that the smartphone giant is accused of infringing in litigation in Texas.

  • March 31, 2025

    Levi Strauss 'Sandbagged' By Bias Case Witness, Court Told

    Levi Strauss urged the California federal judge overseeing a former marketing director's sex-discrimination suit to exclude the woman's therapist from testifying at trial about the alleged emotional distress she suffered while employed by the denim manufacturer, saying Monday that the company was "sandbagged" at the last minute with the witness.

  • March 31, 2025

    Ford Escapes Calif. Driver's Cooling Pump Warranty Claims

    A California federal judge said Ford can evade a proposed class action alleging it violated state law by keeping its cooling system pump out of California's emission control system warranty, saying a state regulator agreed the pump is not an emissions-related part.

  • March 31, 2025

    Trader Joe's Scores Win In Chocolate Heavy Metals Case

    Consumers alleging dark chocolate sold by Trader Joe's contains unsafe levels of lead and cadmium cannot pursue some of their state law claims because information about the presence of heavy metals in chocolate has been reasonably available to consumers for decades, a California federal judge ruled.

  • March 31, 2025

    JB Hunt Drivers Urge 9th Circ. To Revive Piece-Rate Wage Suit

    Delivery truck drivers urged the Ninth Circuit to revive their wage-and-hour suit alleging J.B. Hunt used a piece-rate formula that did not separately compensate for tasks done off-the-clock, which included fueling trucks or completing paperwork, arguing Monday the company's system ultimately failed to pay drivers for all hours worked. 

  • March 31, 2025

    DOI Rescinds Gaming Eligibility In $700M Calif. Casino Project

    The Department of the Interior has temporarily suspended a gaming eligibility determination for a California tribe's $700 million casino and gaming resort project, saying Secretary Doug Burgum is concerned that the agency didn't consider additional evidence regarding the 160-acre parcel's restored lands exception.

  • March 31, 2025

    Insurer Denies Coverage For Crushing Death, Alleging Lies

    A wood company's insurer said it owed nothing in connection with the crushing death of a recycling company worker who was killed by equipment rented from the wood seller, telling a California federal court that its insured misrepresented itself when claiming it didn't lease equipment on its coverage application.

  • March 31, 2025

    Ropes & Gray Guides Commonwealth On $2.7B Sale To LPL

    LPL Financial said Monday it has agreed to acquire Commonwealth Financial Network for approximately $2.7 billion, bringing together two top players in the independent wealth management space.

  • March 31, 2025

    Winston & Strawn Adds Goodwin Transactions Ace In LA

    Winston & Strawn LLP is boosting its transactions team, announcing Monday it is bringing in a Goodwin Procter LLP private equity expert as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • March 31, 2025

    DOJ Seeking Steep Costs To Make Challengers Think Twice

    The U.S. Department of Justice is quickly implementing President Donald Trump's plan to seek huge sums of money from litigants whose cases impede his agenda but ultimately prove unsuccessful, court records show.

  • March 31, 2025

    Feds Seek 10 Years For Ex-Girardi CFO's 'Brazen' Crimes

    Los Angeles federal prosecutors said Girardi Keese's former head of accounting should spend 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to assisting Tom Girardi in siphoning clients' settlement funds and what the government called a "brazen" side fraud to steal from the firm's operating accounts.

  • March 31, 2025

    Calif. Pot Co. Seeks Receivership, Blames Merger 'Disaster'

    A cannabis producer in California has moved to enter receivership in state court, disclosing more than $173 million in liabilities and saying a 2023 merger with its parent company proved to be a "financial disaster."

  • March 31, 2025

    Disbarred Fraudster Gets 25 Years For $18M Hemp Scam

    A disbarred attorney with a history of investor fraud was sentenced to 25 years in prison for a scheme in which he solicited more than $18 million from investors by claiming to own a hemp farm that didn't exist and overhyping an edibles company.

  • March 31, 2025

    Ex-Workday Atty's Bias Claims Axed, Stock Dispute Kept Alive

    A California federal judge tossed a Black ex-Workday attorney's claims that he endured race and disability bias that culminated in the software vendor sending police to his house to conduct an unnecessary wellness check, but the judge allowed the attorney pursue claims that he was shorted on stock options.

  • March 31, 2025

    Wachtell, S&C Build Mechanics Bank, HomeStreet Merger

    Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz LLP-advised Mechanics Bank on Monday announced plans to merge with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP-led HomeStreet Bank in a deal that will create a combined company with 168 branches and $23 billion in assets.

  • March 31, 2025

    Ex-CardReady CEO Gets 7 Years For Aiding In $19M Scam

    A Manhattan federal judge hit a former credit card processing executive from California with a seven-year prison sentence Monday for scheming to saddle thousands of victims with payments that supported a $19 million Florida-based telemarketing fraud.

Expert Analysis

  • A View Of The Shifting Insurance Regulatory Landscape

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    Attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland explore how the Federal Insurance Office's climate report, the new presidential administration and the California wildfires might affect the insurance regulatory landscape.

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Engaging With Feds On Threats To Executives, Employees

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    In an increasingly polarized environment, where companies face serious concerns about how to protect executives and employees, counsel should consider working with federal law enforcement soon after the discovery of threats or harassment, says Jordan Estes at Gibson Dunn.

  • The Risk And Reward Of Federal Approach To AI Regulation

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    The government has struggled to keep up with artificial intelligence's furious pace, but while an overbroad federal attempt to adopt a more unified approach to regulating AI poses its own risks, so does the current environment of regulatory uncertainty, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Why Trump's FTC May Not U-Turn On Robinson-Patman

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent revival of Robinson-Patman Act enforcement may well be here to stay under the Trump administration — albeit with some important caveats for businesses caught in the government's crosshairs, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

  • A Look At Shifting Legal Landscape For Data Brokers

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    An increasingly complex legal landscape at both the federal and state levels has expanded the types of businesses classified as data brokers, so consumer-facing businesses should consider their designations under these new regulations and any consequences for compliance and business operations, say attorneys at Morrison Foerster.

  • State AG Enforcement Is Poised For Another Pivot In 2025

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    Backed by a Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, the Trump administration intends to make substantial policy changes, and attorneys general of both parties around the country are preparing their response playbooks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Del. Dispatch: Lessons From Failed Albertsons-Kroger Merger

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    The allegations in Albertsons' lawsuit against Kroger following the grocery stores' blocked merger demonstrate how a target company can best ensure that a buyer timely and effectively complies with its obligations to pursue the necessary regulatory approvals for a deal, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Series

    Adventure Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Photographing nature everywhere from Siberia to Cuba and Iceland to Rwanda provides me with a constant reminder to refresh, refocus and rethink the legal issues that my clients face, says Richard Birmingham at Davis Wright.

  • What Vinyl Acetate's Prop 65 Listing Means For Cos.

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    California's recent move to add vinyl acetate to the Proposition 65 list of carcinogens, with enforcement starting later this year, will have sweeping compliance and risk implications for businesses in the retail, food and beverage, paint, adhesive, industrial manufacturing, and personal care product industries, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Opinion

    Commercial Tree Thinning Should Be Part of Wildfire Control

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    The devastating wildfires currently afflicting California make it clear that the U.S. Forest Service should step up its use of methods including commercial tree removal to lower fire risk — but litigation that drags on for years stymies many of these efforts and endangers the public, says Jeffrey Beelaert at Givens Pursley.

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