California

  • September 30, 2024

    GM's Cruise To Pay $1.5M Penalty Over SF Robotaxi Crash

    General Motors Co.'s Cruise LLC agreed to pay a $1.5 million civil penalty for failing to promptly disclose that one of its self-driving vehicles last year had dragged a pedestrian for 20 feet, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on Monday.

  • September 30, 2024

    Newsom Signs Landmark Intersectionality Anti-Bias Bill

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill enshrining intersectionality in the state's anti-discrimination laws, making California the first state in the country to explicitly recognize the concept, the governor's office announced over the weekend.

  • September 30, 2024

    Google Investors' Attys Snag $66.5M In $350M Privacy Deal

    A California federal judge on Monday gave final approval to Alphabet's $350 million deal settling a Google data breach securities suit and awarded $66.5 million for attorney fees amid objections, calling the deal "an excellent result" and noting the 19% cut was below the benchmark for similar cases.

  • September 30, 2024

    Jones Day, Akin Gump, Latham Alums Tapped For Calif. Bench

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom elevated a former Jones Day partner on Monday to a leadership role on the state's Second District Court of Appeal as part of a slew of judicial picks that also include alums of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP.

  • September 30, 2024

    Latham, Davis Polk Steer AI-Focused Chipmaker's IPO

    Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence startup Cerebras on Monday filed plans for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, hoping to tap investors' enthusiasm for AI-linked companies, and with Latham & Watkins LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP guiding the process.

  • September 30, 2024

    Netflix Must Face Trimmed 'Baby Reindeer' Defamation Fight

    A California federal judge trimmed a Scottish lawyer's multimillion-dollar lawsuit alleging Netflix's popular stalker miniseries "Baby Reindeer" defamed her, tossing negligence and publicity claims but allowing the attorney's defamation and emotional distress allegations to proceed.

  • September 30, 2024

    Private Trading Platform Scraps SPAC Merger In Favor Of IPO

    Special-purpose acquisition company Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition Corp. I said Monday that its merger agreement with private investment platform Linqto Inc. has been terminated, while Linqto separately announced it will go public through an initial public offering instead.

  • September 30, 2024

    Biden Admin Expands Asylum Curbs At Southern Border

    The Biden administration on Monday quadrupled the length of time during which stringent asylum restrictions that were introduced in June will remain in effect.

  • September 30, 2024

    Kids Face 'Very Uphill' Climb To Save Reworked Climate Suit

    A California federal judge indicated Monday that he will likely toss amended allegations that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's climate policies run afoul of children's constitutional rights, saying the plaintiffs face a "very uphill" battle to conform the lawsuit with binding Ninth Circuit precedent.

  • September 30, 2024

    9th Circ. Asked To Interpret DMCA In GitHub Code Suit

    A California federal court has asked the Ninth Circuit to determine if the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires an infringing copy be identical to the original to have an actionable claim for removing copyright management information, a key question in a case where developers sued Microsoft and GitHub for allegedly ripping off code to develop AI tools.

  • September 30, 2024

    Calif. Gov. Signs Bill To Allow Cannabis Cafes

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday approved a bill that would pave the way for cannabis retailers to sell food and drink for on-site consumption — akin to the cannabis cafes found in Amsterdam — as well as host live events on their premises.

  • September 30, 2024

    SEC Fines LA Man In Truth Social-Linked Insider Trading Case

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Eric Hannelius will pay over $365,000 to settle allegations that he traded on inside information ahead of a blank check company's acquisition of the owner of social media platform Truth Social.

  • September 30, 2024

    PE-Backed IT Provider Ingram Micro Files Long-Awaited IPO

    Private equity-owned technology company Ingram Micro made public its U.S. initial public offering filing Monday, more than two years after the Irvine, California-based electronics distributor laid the foundation for its return to stock markets.

  • September 30, 2024

    Epic Accuses Samsung Of Helping Google Block App Fix

    Epic Games filed a new federal lawsuit Monday against Google and Samsung, alleging the search giant and the phonemaker have teamed up "to preemptively undermine" a looming order forcing Google to permit competition with its Play Store.

  • September 30, 2024

    5 Firms Guide DirecTV, Dish On $10B Debt Exchange Merger

    DirecTV said Monday it has agreed to purchase EchoStar's video distribution business Dish DBS, including Dish TV and Sling TV, for a nominal $1 while absorbing nearly $10 billion worth of its debt, in a rare debt exchange-driven megadeal that is being led by at least five law firms. 

  • September 27, 2024

    Twitter Investors Win Cert. In Suit Over Musk's Backpedaling

    A California federal judge on Friday certified a class of thousands of Twitter investors over claims Elon Musk fraudulently tweeted about the social media company's alleged bot problem to get out of his $44 billion acquisition, rebuffing the billionaire businessman's contention that individual issues in the suit eclipse common questions.

  • September 27, 2024

    Binance Founder Zhao Released From Federal Custody

    Binance founder Changpeng Zhao was released from a California correctional facility Friday after he was sentenced to four months in prison for his failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering program at the global cryptocurrency exchange, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to Law360.

  • September 27, 2024

    Corporate Raider Accused Of Shirking $180M SEC Judgment

    Corporate takeover specialist Paul A. Bilzerian, accused of ducking a more than $180 million judgment owed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for decades, was indicted alongside his longtime accountant and his cannabis company on Thursday, California federal prosecutors said Friday.

  • September 27, 2024

    'So What?': OnlyFans' Dismissal Bid Faces Skeptical Judge

    A San Francisco federal judge indicated Friday that he won't dismiss a proposed class action against OnlyFans' parent company alleging the video platform dupes customers into automatically renewing their subscriptions, waving away arguments that a Los Angeles federal judge dismissed a similar suit and asking its lawyers, "So what?"

  • September 27, 2024

    Real Estate Recap: Loving Or Leaving The Law Office

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including takeaways from a new survey of BigLaw firms that have either renovated their office or relocated entirely.

  • September 27, 2024

    Man Federally Charged In Calif. Courthouse Bombing

    A California man accused of throwing a bomb into the lobby of a Santa Barbara County courthouse Wednesday that injured at least five people has been federally charged with maliciously damaging a building with the use of an explosive, federal prosecutors announced on Friday.

  • September 27, 2024

    FCC Chief Quotes Taylor Swift In Tough Stance On Deepfakes

    Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel vowed during a speech Friday to take a strong position on enforcing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act against AI-generated robocalls and noted the FCC is considering new AI election-related disclosure regulations, quoting pop singer Taylor Swift who said, "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

  • September 27, 2024

    Calif. Appeals Court Won't Revive Suit Targeting Zero Emission Reg

    A California appeals court has refused to jump-start a natural gas vehicle coalition's lawsuit targeting an Advanced Clean Trucks regulation aimed at boosting the sale of electric zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, ruling state regulators properly considered alternatives and impacts.

  • September 27, 2024

    Sick Juror Goes Virtual To Keep Cognizant Trial On Track

    A California federal judge proposed an "outside the box" idea Friday after a juror in a trial considering allegations that Cognizant Technologies is biased in favor of Indian workers came down with COVID-19, allowing the juror to view the proceedings from home via video.

  • September 27, 2024

    Western Digital Wants $262M Patent Verdict Thrown Out

    Western Digital has asked a California federal court to either toss a jury's $262 million verdict against it and rule that the hard drive maker did not infringe any MR Technologies patents, or order a new trial in the dispute over technology that increases storage capacity of disk drives.

Expert Analysis

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • 5 Ways Life Sciences Cos. Can Manage Insider Trading Risk

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    In light of two high-profile insider trading jury decisions against life sciences executives this year, public companies in the sector should revise their policies to account for regulators' new and more expansive theories of liability, says Amy Walsh at Orrick.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Bayer Antitrust Case Hinged On Evolving Market Definition

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    Generic flea and tick medication manufacturer Tevra's evolving market definition played a key role in the development and outcome of its five-year antitrust litigation against Bayer Healthcare, highlighting challenges that litigants may face when a proposed definition is assessed at trial, say Amy Vegari and Colleen Anderson at Patterson Belknap.

  • NYC Wage Info Bill Highlights Rise In Pay Transparency Laws

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    With New York City the latest to mull requiring companies to annually report employee wage data, national employers should consider adapting their compliance practices to comply with increasingly common pay transparency and disclosure obligations at state and local levels, says Kelly Cardin at Littler Mendelson.

  • The Bank Preemption Ripple Effects After Cantero, Flagstar

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    The importance of federal preemption for financial institutions will only increase as technology-driven innovations evolve, which is why the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Cantero v. Bank of America and vacatur of Kivett v. Flagstar Bank have real modern-day significance for national banks, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Election Outlook: A Precedent Primer On Content Moderation

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    With the 2024 election season now in full swing, online platforms will face difficult and politically sensitive decisions about content moderation, but U.S. Supreme Court decisions from last term offer much-needed certainty about their rights, say Jonathan Blavin and Helen White at Munger Tolles.

  • Banking Compliance Takeaways From Joint Agency Statement

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    Federal bank regulatory agencies’ recent joint statement warning of risks associated with third-party fintech deposit services spotlights a fundamental problem that may arise with bank deposit products that are made through increasingly complex customer relationships, says Tom Witherspoon at Stinson.

  • Workday AI Bias Suit Suggests Hiring Lessons For Employers

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    As state laws and a federal agency increasingly focus on employment bias introduced by artificial intelligence systems, a California federal court's recent decision to allow a discrimination suit to proceed against Workday's AI-driven recruitment software, shows companies should promptly assess these tools' risks, say attorneys at Williams & Connolly.

  • Assessing The Practicality Of Harris' Affordable Housing Plan

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    Vice President Kamala Harris' proposed "Build the American Dream" plan to tackle housing affordability issues takes solid recommendations into account and may fare better than California's unsuccessful attempt at a similar program, but the scope of the problem is beyond what a three-point plan can solve, says Brooke Miller at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • The Ethics of Using Generative AI In Environmental Law

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    The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools is challenging environmental lawyers, consultants and government agencies to determine when and how these tools can be responsibly, ethically and productively integrated into their practices to streamline research, predictive analytics and regulatory compliance, say Ahlia Bethea and Pamela Esterman at Sive Paget.

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