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October 23, 2024
LeBron, Bronny James Face Crash Suit Amid Historic Debut
NBA legend LeBron James and his rookie son, Bronny James, were hit with a car accident lawsuit in California state court Tuesday, the same day they took the basketball court together for the first time as teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers.
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October 23, 2024
Securities Claim Cut From Fraud Suit Against Calif. Developer
A California federal judge trimmed a securities claim from a Sonoma resident's suit against a real estate company embroiled in a fraud scandal and recommended that the rest of the claims be brought in state court.
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October 23, 2024
OpenAI Hires Uber Ethics Head As New Compliance Chief
OpenAI Inc. has brought on Uber Technologies Inc.'s chief ethics and compliance officer to head up its compliance department as it works to "build on [its] ongoing efforts to responsibly advance AI," the company said Tuesday.
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October 23, 2024
United Worker Fired Over Online Pics Gets Bias Suit Revived
A California appeals court revived a United Airlines flight attendant's sex bias suit claiming she was unlawfully fired for appearing in uniform on a social media page advertising her OnlyFans account, crediting her argument that male flight attendants didn't face the same consequences for similar behavior.
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October 23, 2024
Ex-SEC Atty, Fintech GC Joins Stradling's Securities Team
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth PC has added a former fintech general counsel and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission attorney, reinforcing the firm's offerings for companies facing enforcement investigations or grappling with other compliance issues.
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October 23, 2024
9th Circ. Orders Michael Avenatti To Be Resentenced
The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday ordered the resentencing of Michael Avenatti over his California conviction for tax violations and stealing from clients, saying the lower court made multiple mistakes when it handed down a 14-year prison term to the onetime celebrity attorney.
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October 23, 2024
9th Circ. Backs Injury Firm's Win In Fight Over Google Ads
The Ninth Circuit has upheld an Arizona federal court's ruling in favor of a Tempe-based personal injury firm that was sued by another personal injury firm, Lerner & Rowe, over its purchases of Google advertising search terms, with the judges finding little "actual confusion" was caused by the advertising strategy.
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October 23, 2024
'MetaBirkins' TM Appeal May Split 2nd Circ. On Art Question
A Second Circuit panel appeared divided Wednesday over whether a Los Angeles man should be liable for infringing Hermès International's handbag trademarks with his "MetaBirkins" nonfungible tokens, with two judges seemingly siding with the Paris designer and one with the purported artist.
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October 23, 2024
Harvey Weinstein Must Face All NY Charges At Retrial
A New York state judge on Wednesday denied Harvey Weinstein a separate trial for his new sexual assault charge, ruling that he must face that allegation alongside his original indictment at a retrial that is now expected to begin in early 2025.
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October 23, 2024
CFPB Says Goldman, Apple To Pay $89.8M Over Card Program
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it has ordered Goldman Sachs and Apple to pay more than $89 million for alleged violations tied to their Apple-branded credit card partnership, including claims of mishandled customer disputes, misleading marketing and wrongful charges.
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October 22, 2024
Calif. Supreme Court Signs Off On Remote Bar Exam
The California Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the green light to the California State Bar's push to make the Golden State's bar exam mostly remote starting in February 2025, according to an order that also backed a study pretesting "experimental" exam questions.
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October 22, 2024
Calif. Panel Says Panera Must Face PAGA Claims
A California state appeals court on Monday reversed a state trial court's ruling compelling a Panera restaurant employee to arbitrate Private Attorneys General Act claims against the bakery and café chain, saying an arbitration agreement the worker had entered explicitly excluded PAGA claims.
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October 22, 2024
Texas Rebar Giant Accused Of Crushing Rivals As Trial Opens
Pacific Steel Group's counsel told a California federal jury during trial openings Tuesday that Texas rebar giant Commercial Metals Co. used anticompetitive tactics to "crush" competition and drive up rebar prices in the Golden State, while CMC's counsel said evidence will show PSG can only blame itself for its problems.
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October 22, 2024
Activist Short Seller's Associate To Pay $1.8M In SEC Fraud Suit
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Tuesday that an associate of Andrew Left, founder of popular trading advice website Citron Research, has agreed to pay more than $1.8 million to resolve allegations that he negligently took part in a scheme to defraud readers through two trading recommendations.
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October 22, 2024
Ex-Google GC Must Be Investigated By Calif. Bar, Groups Say
A trio of groups led by the American Economic Liberties Project on Tuesday pressed the State Bar of California to investigate former Google general counsel Kent Walker for "coaching" the company to "engage in widespread and illegal destruction of records relevant to multiple ongoing federal trials."
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October 22, 2024
'A Lot Of Nerve': Judge Slams Ex-Sparks Owners' Fee Claim
A California judge overseeing a suit by former Los Angeles Sparks basketball team co-owners claiming they're owed free game tickets for life said their argument that they also deserve attorney fees because the lawsuit serves the public interest is potentially frivolous, adding, "Somebody in my view has a lot of nerve."
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October 22, 2024
Fintech Co. Ryvyl Investors' Accounting Fraud Suit Trimmed
Executives of fintech company Ryvyl Inc. have shed some claims from an investor suit accusing them of concealing accounting problems, with a California federal judge ruling that the investors have not sufficiently pled that the defendants knowingly acted recklessly or committed wrongful acts.
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October 22, 2024
Walmart Pays $7.5M To End Hazardous Waste Disposal Suit
Walmart Inc. has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the state of California and district attorneys of several counties who alleged the retail giant improperly disposed of hazardous and medical wastes from its locations to municipal landfills, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday.
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October 22, 2024
Calif. Official Cops To Taking Bribes For $10M In Contracts
A member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors has admitted to steering $10 million worth of COVID-19 relief funds to a charity affiliated with his daughter in exchange for more than $500,000 in bribes, California federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
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October 22, 2024
Organic Food Group Asks 9th Circ. To Upend GMO Label Rule
An organic food industry advocacy group urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a district judge decision that largely left a Trump-era organic food labeling rule intact, saying the U.S. Department of Agriculture's implementation of a nationwide labeling law for genetically modified foods has been "arbitrary and capricious."
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October 22, 2024
Paramount Again Foils Suit Over 'Romeo & Juliet' Nude Scene
Paramount Pictures again defeated a lawsuit by two actors challenging the redistribution of the 1968 film adaptation of "Romeo & Juliet" that contained a nude scene, because a California judge said a prior court already decided the film's distribution was protected activity and, accordingly, the actors are barred from relitigating the issue.
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October 22, 2024
Appliance Co., Customers Agree To End Stove Pollutant Row
Luxury kitchen appliance maker Sub-Zero Group Inc. and the customers behind a proposed class action have agreed to drop the litigation, bringing to an end claims the company sold them gas stoves that emit "health-harming" pollutants.
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October 22, 2024
Meta Escapes Child Protection Investor Suit For Good
A California federal judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit alleging Meta Platforms misled investors about its efforts to protect children from sexual predators, holding that the social media giant's so-called "half-truths" are not actionable under securities laws.
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October 22, 2024
Dormant Commerce Blocks Wash. Licenses, 9th Circ. Told
Would-be cannabis dispensary Peridot Tree WA Inc. has urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse orders denying an injunction and dismissing its suit challenging Washington's social equity licensing program, saying it violates the dormant commerce clause by favoring in-state operators.
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October 22, 2024
Judge Skeptical Amgen Can't Sue Over Colo. Drug Price Caps
A Colorado federal judge on Tuesday seemed to doubt the state could short-circuit drugmaker Amgen's challenge to the state's drug price cap system, pressing the state to explain why limiting what consumers ultimately pay does not affect what companies like Amgen can charge.
Expert Analysis
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RealPage Suit Shows Growing Algorithm, AI Pricing Scrutiny
The U.S. Department of Justice's suit against RealPage for helping fix rental rates, filed last week, demonstrates how the use of algorithmic and artificial intelligence tools to assist with pricing decisions is drawing increasing scrutiny and action across government agencies, and specifically at the Federal Trade Commission and the DOJ, say Andre Geverola and Leah Harrell at Arnold & Porter.
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Fed. Circ. Patent Ruling Clarifies Section 101 Procedures
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Mobile Acuity v. Blippar affirming a dismissal at the pleading stage illustrates important considerations and potential pitfalls for both filing and opposing a Section 101 motion to dismiss, say Thomas Sprankling and Vikram Iyer at WilmerHale.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Calif. Ruling Clarifying Paystub Compliance Is Win For Cos.
In rare good news for California employers, the state Supreme Court recently clarified that workers couldn’t win extra penalties in wage and hour cases by claiming their employer intentionally violated state paystub law if the employer believed it had complied in good faith, say Drei Munar and Kirk Hornbeck at Hunton.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Crypto Gatekeepers May Be The Next Front Of Enforcement
Lawyers and other professionals who advise cryptocurrency companies should beware regulators' increasing focus on gatekeeper accountability, and should take several measures to fulfill their ethical and legal obligations, including implementing a robust vetting mechanism when representing crypto clients, say Temidayo Aganga-Williams and Xinchen Li at Selendy Gay.
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Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions
Mark Johnson and Mathew Drocton at BakerHostetler discuss the muted nature of the property and casualty insurance class action space in the second quarter of the year, with no large waves made in labor depreciation and total-loss vehicle class actions, but a new offensive theory emerging for insurance companies.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opting In To CIPA Risk Mitigation After New Precedent
A recent California federal court decision, adopting a new, broad interpretation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, will likely increase the volume of CIPA claims and should prompt businesses to undertake certain preventative measures, including adopting an opt-in approach to using third-party website advertising technologies, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Bankruptcy Courts May Be Budding Open To Cannabis Cases
Two recent California bankruptcy court rulings, denying motions to dismiss the respective debtors' bankruptcies, provide persuasive authority to allow cannabis debtors the protections of federal bankruptcy law, say Noah Weingarten and Bethany Simmons at Loeb & Loeb.
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CFPB's Earned Wage Access Rule Marks Regulatory Shift
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's newly issued interpretive rule on earned wage access products, classifying them as extensions of credit, marks a significant shift in their regulatory landscape and raises some important questions regarding potential fringe cases and legal challenges, say Erin Bryan and Courina Yulisa at Dorsey & Whitney.