California

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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."

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • October 22, 2024

    LA-Based Wound Group Hits Ch. 11 After Medicare Pay Pause

    A Los Angeles-based multistate wound care practice has filed for Chapter 11 protection in a Texas bankruptcy court, saying it can't pay nearly $156 million in charges from its management company after its Medicare payments were suspended last month.

  • October 22, 2024

    Anthropic Says Fair Use Bars Authors' Copyright Class Action

    Anthropic PBC will mount a fair use defense against allegations from a proposed class of authors and journalists who sued the artificial intelligence company in August for allegedly ripping off their copyrighted work to train its large language model Claude.

  • October 22, 2024

    A Piece Of Baseball Lore Went Over The Fence And Into Court

    Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run of the season caused a mad dash in the stands for a piece of baseball history. That melee has carried over into Florida state court, where at least three people are claiming ownership of the ball and its seven-figure price tag.

  • October 22, 2024

    Haynes Boone Adds Fish & Richardson Patent Atty In SF

    Haynes and Boone LLP announced Tuesday the firm has added a patent prosecutor from Fish & Richardson PC to its San Francisco office, where the leader said the new partner's AI experience will assist the firm in helping clients to innovate and remain competitive.

  • October 22, 2024

    Luxury Cinema Chain Accused Of Shorting Workers On Wages

    Luxury movie theater chain Cinepolis maintained a practice of not paying workers for all their hours worked and failed to provide them with uninterrupted rest breaks, according to a proposed class action filed in California state court.

  • October 22, 2024

    Insurer Beats Sacramento Kings' COVID-19 Coverage Suit

    A California federal court handed a win to the Sacramento Kings' insurer in a coverage dispute over pandemic-related losses that the basketball team and its arena operator incurred, finding that a contamination exclusion bars coverage.

  • October 22, 2024

    How Law Firms Get And Keep Elite Status

    For decades, a handful of New York-based law firms thoroughly dominated the national consciousness when it came to power, profitability and prestige. But in today's legal market, increased movement of partners and clients from one firm to the next has begun to shake things up and create opportunities for go-getters to ascend the ranks.

  • October 22, 2024

    The 2024 Prestige Leaders

    Check out our Prestige Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their financial performance, attractiveness to attorneys and law students, ability to secure accolades and positive legal news media representation.

  • October 22, 2024

    In-House Counsel For Veeva, SingleStore Joins Stoel Rives

    Stoel Rives LLP has hired the former in-house counsel for technology companies SingleStore and Veeva Systems Inc. in Boise, Idaho, positioning the firm to better serve the increasing demand for sophisticated transactional representations in the area.

  • October 22, 2024

    DraftKings, Former Exec Eye Settlement Over Noncompete

    DraftKings and a former vice president accused of violating a noncompete agreement by jumping to competitor Fanatics are attempting to settle their differences, according to a Tuesday filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • October 21, 2024

    EV Charging Co. Defeats Investor Suit Over Merger Statements

    A California federal judge on Monday threw out, for good, an investor suit accusing electric-vehicle charging company Volta Inc. of making false and misleading statements around the time of its merger, finding once again that the investors failed to show how the statements were actually false and misleading.

  • October 21, 2024

    Mazda Buyers Ask 9th Circ. To Revive Water Pump Defect Suit

    Counsel for a group of Mazda vehicle owners urged the Ninth Circuit on Monday to reinstate their putative class action alleging that Mazda sedans and SUVs contain a design defect that results in leaky water pumps, saying a district court judge wrongly found fault with their engineering expert's report and tossed the case.

  • October 21, 2024

    Nissan Fights Uphill To Undo Cert. In Sunroof Defect Fight

    Ninth Circuit judges on Monday doubted Nissan's bid to undo an order certification of a class of drivers who allege the Japanese carmaker sold vehicles with panoramic sunroofs that are prone to shattering, telling Nissan's counsel the appeal appears to challenge the claims' merits, and not whether they could be resolved classwide.

  • October 21, 2024

    Calif. Atty Disbarred For Gambling With Client Cash

    A California attorney has been disbarred after misappropriating almost $117,000 from his clients and using much of that money for his gambling habit while claiming to be terminally ill with cancer.  

  • October 21, 2024

    9th Circ. Judge Slams 'Reprehensible' Policy In Jail Death

    A Ninth Circuit judge on Monday blasted a healthcare contractor's policy that denied hospital treatment for a woman in a Washington jail who died from a ruptured intestine, but nevertheless questioned if a $24 million punitive damage jury award was excessive.

  • October 21, 2024

    FDA Tells Court Menthol Cigarette Ban Is Still Under Review

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has said it's still evaluating whether to finalize a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes, urging a California federal court to throw out a lawsuit that's attempting a "judicial end-run" around the ongoing review.

Expert Analysis

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    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.

  • Calif. Ruling Clarifying Paystub Compliance Is Win For Cos.

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    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.

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    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.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    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.

  • Crypto Gatekeepers May Be The Next Front Of Enforcement

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    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.

  • Notable Q2 Updates In Insurance Class Actions

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    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.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    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.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    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.

  • Opting In To CIPA Risk Mitigation After New Precedent

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    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.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    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.

  • Bankruptcy Courts May Be Budding Open To Cannabis Cases

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    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.

  • CFPB's Earned Wage Access Rule Marks Regulatory Shift

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    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.

  • How Calif. Justices' Prop 22 Ruling Affects The Gig Industry

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    The California Supreme Court's recent upholding of Proposition 22 clarifies that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other companies in the gig industry can legally classify their drivers as independent contractors, but it falls short of concluding some important regulatory battles in the state, says Mark Spring at CDF Labor.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

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