California

  • March 03, 2025

    Calif. BMO Worker Can Bank On Litigating 401(k) Suit In Ill.

    A proposed class action challenging BMO Financial Corp.'s alleged misuse of forfeited retirement contributions should be litigated in Illinois, where most of the bank's evidence and witnesses are located, a California federal judge said on Friday. 

  • March 03, 2025

    Former X Exec Says Sanctions Not Warranted In Bonus Fight

    A former X Corp. executive urged a California federal court to reject his former employer's bid to sanction him for filing a "frivolous" class certification motion in his unpaid bonuses lawsuit, saying the company refused to let him modify his filing or dismiss his claims.

  • March 03, 2025

    Jones Day Hires Pair Of Weil IP Litigators In California

    Jones Day is expanding its California intellectual property team, announcing Monday that it is bringing in two Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP litigators as partners in the northern part of the state.

  • March 03, 2025

    Kraken Joins Crypto Cos. Announcing SEC Case Dismissals

    Crypto exchange Kraken said Monday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is also walking away from its registration suit amid a bevy of crypto case dismissals and investigation closures that have come as part of a new approach to digital asset policy.

  • March 03, 2025

    Activist Investor Nominates 2 Candidates To Portillo's Board

    Activist investor Engaged Capital LLC on Monday unveiled its slate of directors to stand for election to Portillo's Inc.'s board ahead of the company's annual meeting, saying that the Chicago street food-focused restaurant chain's performance has been suffering due to outdated restaurant operations.

  • March 03, 2025

    Justices Deny Google Foe's Bid For Patent Eligibility Clarity

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a patent owner's appeal arguing that the Federal Circuit has a "broken approach to patent eligibility" and that the justices must clarify the law, in a case where advertising patents asserted against Google were found to cover abstract ideas.

  • February 28, 2025

    Align Tech Deal Directs Buyers To A Monopolist, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has soundly rejected Align Technologies Inc.'s proposed $27.5 million antitrust settlement with teeth-aligner buyers, slamming Align as a monopolist and saying that the deal "will direct still more customers to the monopolist."

  • February 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Keeps Mass Starz Privacy Arbitration Consolidated

    The Ninth Circuit on Friday refused to allow a consumer whose video privacy arbitration claims against Starz Entertainment LLC have been merged with more than 7,000 similar allegations to break off from the pack, finding that the television network couldn't be blamed for the current "procedural stalemate" in the consolidated arbitration proceedings. 

  • February 28, 2025

    Trump Still Isn't Obeying Order To Free FEMA Funds, AGs Say

    The Trump administration still has not restored millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds as part of 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.

  • February 28, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Orders Interest Recalculation In Hardware IP Row

    Halo Electronics' nearly two-decades-old dispute with a rival completed its fifth trip to the Federal Circuit, with the appeals court on Friday ordering a Nevada federal court to recalculate the amount of interest Halo could collect on a jury verdict.

  • February 28, 2025

    Ex-USF Ballplayers In Uphill Battle For Sex Harassment Cert.

    A California federal magistrate judge said Friday she is unlikely to certify a class of potentially hundreds of ex-University of San Francisco baseball players in a case alleging that former coaches created a sexually abusive environment, but agreed to hold her decision to review additional information on the claims.

  • February 28, 2025

    Judge Denies OpenAI's Bid For Discovery In Meta's IP Fight

    A California federal judge rejected OpenAI's request to see discovery produced in Meta Platforms Inc.'s copyright battle with authors over its artificial intelligence tool, writing Thursday that the "broad swath of information" it requested is not proportional to the company's needs in its own case.

  • February 28, 2025

    Calif. Bar Using Forensics To Determine Who Leaked Exam Qs

    The State Bar of California will tap "digital forensic experts" to figure out who's been improperly posting bar exam questions online following the disastrous administration of the Golden State's February exam, according to a notice from the bar.

  • February 28, 2025

    Intel Wants License Question Settled Before VLSI Trial In May

    Intel Corp. is asking U.S. District Judge Alan Albright to hold that a license it has with Finjan Holdings also covers patents owned by its affiliates, meaning a jury would only decide whether its litigation foe VLSI Technology is one of those affiliates.

  • February 28, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Didn't Comply With Tobacco Laws, Judge Says

    Federal tobacco regulators were justified in blocking the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians from shipping cigarettes after its wholesale products were resold to people without tribal affiliation, a California federal judge has ruled in a lawsuit that argued the concept of tribal sovereignty was being turned on its head.

  • February 28, 2025

    Calif. Justices Revive Yacht Club Worker's Injury Suit

    The California Supreme Court has revived a suit brought by a yacht club maintenance worker seeking to hold his employer liable for his workplace injuries under federal maritime law, saying the law preempts California's workers' compensation statute.

  • February 28, 2025

    5 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch In March

    The Ninth Circuit will mull Express Scripts and OptumRx's bid to force a public nuisance suit brought by the state of California into federal court, and the Second Circuit will hear from pensioners who say that IBM's use of outdated mortality tables shrank their benefits payouts. Here, Law360 looks at these and other appellate arguments happening in March that should be on benefits lawyers' radar.

  • February 28, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Gov't Lease Limbo, AI Upset, Profiteering

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney insights into federal lease upheaval, the impact of AI efficiency on data centers and price-gouging in the aftermath of the Los Angeles wildfires.

  • February 28, 2025

    Up Next At High Court: Gun Violence Liability & Nuclear Waste

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return to the bench Monday to consider Mexico's attempt to hold gun manufacturers and distributors liable for cartel-related gun violence and a nuclear waste site dispute that could determine who can challenge future agency actions.

  • February 28, 2025

    More Sanctuary Jurisdictions Join Suit Against Trump Admin

    U.S. cities and counties challenging the Trump administration's targeting of sanctuary jurisdictions have escalated their legal battle to fend off federal funding cuts and civil or criminal prosecution, adding nearly a dozen more localities to the suit.

  • February 28, 2025

    'Moana' IP Theft Accuser Forged Evidence, Jury Hears

    Counsel for a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co. sought during cross-examination Friday to undercut the credibility of an artist claiming "Moana" ripped off his work, pointing out that the plaintiff doctored a key document in the case and offered money to potential witnesses.

  • February 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Says Risk Justified Firing Vax-Refusing Actor

    A split Ninth Circuit panel declined Friday to revive an actor's suit claiming she was illegally removed from a Starz Network show because she rejected its COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds, ruling her immunization status posed too much of a risk to the production.

  • February 28, 2025

    Space Co. Lied About Rocket Launch Timeline, Investors Say

    Aerospace company Rocket Lab USA Inc. has been hit with a proposed shareholder class action in California federal court alleging it intentionally concealed issues that would delay the test and commercial launches of a vehicle it developed.

  • February 28, 2025

    BofA Customer Gets Class Cert. In Revived ATM Fee Dispute

    A class of account holders who allege Bank of America breached a contract by charging out-of-network fees for balance inquiries at certain ATMs can now proceed with claims as a class after their initial attempt at certification was denied.

  • February 28, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Developer's Conviction For Bribing LA Pol

    The Ninth Circuit upheld a developer's conviction for bribing former Los Angeles City Councilor Jose Huizar to foil a challenge to a downtown project, ruling Thursday the district court didn't have to instruct jurors that the government had to prove the developer bribed Huizar to take a specific, official act.

Expert Analysis

  • Health Tech Regulatory Trends To Watch In 2025

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    With an upcoming change in administration and the release of some long-awaited rules, the healthcare industry should prepare for shifting trends, including a growing focus on health data and interest in technology-enabled delivery of healthcare, say attorneys at Orrick.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • The Justices' Securities Rulings, Dismissals That Defined '24

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's 2024 securities rulings led to increased success for defendants' price impact arguments, but the justices' decisions not to weigh in on important issues relating to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act's pleading requirements may be just as significant, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 2024 Has Been A Momentous Year For ESG

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    Significant developments in the environmental, social and governance landscape this year include new legislation, evolving global frameworks, continued litigation and enforcement actions, and a U.S. Supreme Court decision that has already affected how lower courts have viewed some ESG challenges, say attorneys at Katten.

  • 2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI

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    In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • Trends In Section 101 Motions 6 Years After Berkheimer

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    A half-dozen years after the Federal Circuit's landmark patent eligibility ruling in Berkheimer, empirical data offers practitioners some noteworthy insights on Section 101 motions, both nationally and across four exemplary jurisdictions, says Alexa Reed at Fisch Sigler.

  • Ledbetter's Legacy Shines In 2024 Equal Pay Law Updates

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    The federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act turned 15 this year, and its namesake's legacy is likely to endure in 2025 and beyond, as demonstrated by 2024's state- and local-level progress on pay equity, as well as several rulings from federal appellate courts, say attorneys at Fisher Phillips.

  • Opinion

    Justices Rightly Corrected Course In Nvidia And Facebook

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    By dismissing both the Nvidia and Facebook class actions, over investors' ability to hold corporations accountable for fraud, the U.S. Supreme Court was right in refusing to favor corporations over transparency, and reaffirmed its commitment to corporate accountability, investor protection and the rule of law, says Laura Posner at Cohen Milstein.

  • When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

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    As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Notable 2024 Trademark Cases And What To Watch In 2025

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    Emerging disputes between established tech giants and smaller trademark holders promise to test the boundaries of trademark protection in 2025, following a 2024 marked with disputes in areas ranging from cybersquatting to geographic marks, says Danner Kline at Bradley Arant.

  • How A 9th Circ. Identicality Ruling Could Affect AI Cos.

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    If the Ninth Circuit agrees to settle a district court split over whether the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires a copy to be identical to an original to support an actionable claim for removing copyright management information, the decision could have important ramifications for artificial intelligence businesses, says Maria Sinatra at Venable.

  • Why Class Cert. Is Unlikely In Cases Like Mattel 'Wicked' Suit

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    A proposed class action recently filed in California federal court against Mattel over the company's "Wicked" doll boxes accidentally listing a pornographic website illustrates the uphill battle plaintiffs face in certifying a class when many consumers never saw or relied on the representation at issue, says Alex Smith at Jenner & Block.

  • What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

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    The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

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