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August 09, 2024
Real Estate Recap: Big 4 Market Views, Gas-Ban Backfire, AI
Catch up on this week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including what the largest commercial real estate brokers expect from capital markets in the second half of the year, how municipalities are reacting to the Ninth Circuit striking down Berkeley, California's natural gas-hookup ban, and why Brookfield Corp. is betting big on AI.
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August 09, 2024
Split 9th Circ. Affirms Ax Of Meta Anti-Vax Censorship Suit
A split Ninth Circuit panel Friday affirmed the dismissal of Children's Health Defense's lawsuit challenging Meta's policy of censoring its anti-vaccine Facebook posts, with the majority concluding that the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-founded nonprofit failed to show Meta was acting on the government's behalf to state viable constitutional claims.
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August 09, 2024
9th Circ. Wipes Out BNSF's Retaliation Win
The Ninth Circuit on Friday overturned BNSF Railway Co.'s win in a late conductor's retaliation suit on Friday, saying the railroad failed to show it would've terminated the worker regardless of his refusal to stop conducting a brake test — even though the employer has insisted he was mainly fired for insubordination and misreporting his time card.
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August 09, 2024
Valeant's Legal Gripe A Total 'Nothingburger,' Justices Told
A lawyer who assembled a whistleblower lawsuit against a major pharmaceutical company using publicly available patent board filings says the larger legal question of whether he can do that is way too niche for the U.S. Supreme Court to bother thinking about.
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August 09, 2024
Tesla Can't Duck Workers' PAGA Case Under Anti-SLAPP
A California appellate court has rejected Tesla's attempt to ditch a Private Attorneys General Act case brought by former employees seeking personnel records, agreeing with a lower court that the workers' status as members of a class in a related action against Tesla doesn't entitle the electric-car maker to protection under anti-SLAPP.
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August 09, 2024
SVB's $1.9B FDIC Suit Won't Open 'Floodgates,' Judge Says
A California federal judge trimmed claims from the parent of Silicon Valley Bank's lawsuit against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seeking $1.93 billion, but rejected the agency's arguments that allowing some claims to move forward will "open the floodgates" for every failed bank's uninsured depositors to bring a claim.
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August 09, 2024
Rugby League's US Subscribers Say Private Info Was Stolen
The international streaming service for Australian professional rugby disclosed personal information to Meta and other parties without the subscribers' knowledge or consent, according to a proposed class action from subscribers filed on Friday in California federal court.
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August 09, 2024
Meta Urges Justices To Ax Investors' Risk Disclosure Suit
Meta Platforms Inc. filed its opening brief Friday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit decision that kept alive a class action stemming from the Cambridge Analytica data abuse scandal, arguing that decision would create unnecessary disclosure obligations and encourage "fraud by hindsight" lawsuits.
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August 09, 2024
Lucid Narrows Securities Suit Over EV Production Targets
A California federal judge has trimmed a suit alleging electric-vehicle startup Lucid Group Inc. misled investors about its production target, trimming the case down to four out of 30 statements the investors said were misleading.
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August 09, 2024
Aetna Illegally Axed Exec's Disability Benefits, Judge Says
A California federal judge said Aetna was wrong to end an executive's disability benefits after it found he suffered from a mental illness instead of a physical disability, stating the insurer used flawed doctor opinions and may have been motivated by cutting costs.
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August 09, 2024
Justices Urged To Turn Away $1.3B Sovereign Immunity Case
A commercial division of India's space agency is urging the U.S. Supreme Court not to revisit a Ninth Circuit decision refusing to enforce a $1.3 billion arbitral award issued to a satellite communications company, arguing that the jurisdictional question raised in the petition has been long settled.
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August 09, 2024
Former Syrian Prison Chief Accused Of US Immigration Fraud
Federal grand jurors in California have charged a former Syrian official with covering up his time running a Syrian prison where political dissidents were physically abused on U.S. immigration applications.
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August 09, 2024
Investor Can't Drop Fraud Suit Against Crowdfunding CEO
A California cannabis investor cannot withdraw his lawsuit against a CEO he accused of helping to operate a $2 million crowdfunding scheme, a federal judge ruled, saying the investor now needs the defendant's permission.
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August 09, 2024
Fisher Phillips Adds Tharpe & Howell Litigator In Calif.
Labor and employment firm Fisher Phillips added a new partner from Tharpe & Howell LLP in California to bolster its bench of attorneys handling high-stakes class action matters and Private Attorneys General Act claims.
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August 08, 2024
Amazon Actors' Overtime Dispute Can Go Back To State Court
A background actor can take her unpaid wages class action against Amazon Studios back to state court, a California federal judge concluded, finding federal labor law doesn't preempt the claims, which involved the payment of hourly rates that didn't fall under collective bargaining agreements with SAG-AFTRA.
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August 08, 2024
SPAC Investors Can't Sue Lucid Over Merger, 9th Circ. Says
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday refused to revive investors' proposed class action alleging that Lucid duped them into buying stock in a special purpose acquisition company ahead of the electric-vehicle maker's $11.75 billion merger, saying an acquiring company's investors can't sue the target company over its alleged misstatements before the merger.
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August 08, 2024
Oracle's $115M Deal For Selling Internet Users' Data Gets OK
A California federal judge on Thursday preliminarily approved Oracle's $115 million deal to end a proposed class action alleging that the software company illegally sold internet users' electronic profiles, but expressed concern over an "overly burdensome" opt-out process that Oracle's lawyer said would prevent "mass" opt-outs.
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August 08, 2024
Uber's $200M Deal To End Investors' 'Train Wreck' IPO Suit OK'd
A California federal judge granted preliminary approval Thursday to Uber's $200 million class action deal with investors who claim the ride-hailing giant made false and misleading statements ahead of its $8.1 billion initial public offering regarding its passenger safety record, financial condition and the legality of its business model.
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August 08, 2024
House Rep. Wants Calif. To Pump Brakes On AI Safety Bill
Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who represents Silicon Valley in Congress, has taken the rare step of voicing her opposition to a proposed California bill to set safety standards for large artificial intelligence models, arguing that the measure lacks a "sound evidentiary basis" and would stifle innovation without addressing real-world harms.
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August 08, 2024
Calif. Justices Side With Hartford Unit In Virus Coverage Fight
The California Supreme Court on Thursday reversed an appellate court's finding that a virus endorsement rendered a restaurant's policy illusory in a coverage dispute with a Hartford entity over pandemic-related losses, instead ruling that the endorsement clearly provides coverage "only if the virus results from certain specified causes of loss."
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August 08, 2024
Credit Repair Software Co., CEO To Pay $3M CFPB Fines
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday said a California-based software company and its CEO have agreed to pay a combined $3 million in fines to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the company assisted credit repair businesses that charged illegal advance fees to consumers.
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August 08, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Negligence Claims In Uber Sex Assault Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived a woman's negligence claim against Uber Technologies Inc. over her sexual assault by a suspended driver, saying the company had a duty of care because it contributed to the situation that led to her being assaulted.
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August 08, 2024
Fla. Judge Won't Pause E-Scooter Co.'s Ch. 11 Plan
California plaintiffs with tort claims against Bird Global Inc. can't stop a Chapter 11 plan for the bankrupt e-bike and e-scooter rental company while they appeal its confirmation because of the plan's third-party releases, a Florida bankruptcy judge ruled Thursday.
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August 08, 2024
Calif. Yacht Group Urges Toss Of Fee Antitrust Suit In Fla.
The California Yacht Brokers Association has urged a Florida federal court to toss a proposed class action alleging that it's part of a scheme to inflate boat sales fees, saying it's not violating the Sherman Antitrust Act because the Golden State allows commission sharing and requires sellers to pay for buyer representation.
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August 08, 2024
Ex-Girardi Keese Atty Tearfully Recalls Withheld Client Funds
A former Girardi Keese attorney shed tears Thursday as she testified in Tom Girardi's California federal criminal trial, recalling that she became increasingly confused over several months about why he did not issue a settlement check to her client, saying his excuses for withholding the money made no sense.
Expert Analysis
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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
In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 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.
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Arbitration Implications Of High Court Coinbase Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent Coinbase v. Suski ruling not only reaffirmed the long-standing principle that arbitration is a matter of contract, but also established new and more general principles concerning the courts' jurisdiction to decide challenges to delegation clauses and the severability rule, say Tamar Meshel at the University of Alberta.