California

  • October 16, 2024

    Feds Say EMTALA Trumps Idaho Abortion Ban In Emergencies

    A legal fight over a federal law governing emergency medical care and Idaho's strict abortion ban is back in the Ninth Circuit where the federal government argued that the ban conflicts with the federal statute, but only in narrow circumstances requiring emergency abortions to stabilize a pregnant woman.

  • October 16, 2024

    'Fat Leonard' Faces 11 Years For Navy Bribery Scheme

    Federal prosecutors are seeking more than 11 years in prison for Leonard Francis, the Malaysian defense contractor and ex-fugitive known as "Fat Leonard" who led a sprawling bribery and corruption scheme that allegedly caused over $20 million in losses for the U.S. Navy.

  • October 16, 2024

    Skadden Drives Forest Road To Formula E Team Acquisition

    Los Angeles-based investment firm The Forest Road Company, advised by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, has purchased the ERT Formula E team. The team is rebranding as Kiro Race Co as it prepares to enter the 11th season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship under new ownership.

  • October 15, 2024

    Meta Limits But Can't Shake Social Media Addiction MDL

    A California federal judge on Tuesday refused to ax sprawling multidistrict litigation accusing Meta Platforms Inc. and other social media giants of designing their platforms to addict children, finding that a broad tech liability shield required claims pressed by dozens of state attorneys general to be narrowed but not tossed. 

  • October 15, 2024

    Qualcomm Milked 'Weak Patents' For Monopoly, 9th Circ. Told

    An attorney for a proposed class of cellphone buyers urged the 9th Circuit Monday to revive antitrust claims against Qualcomm, saying it used "weak patents" to secure licensing agreements that forced companies to give up their right to challenge the patents, although one judge questioned whether the plaintiffs had waived that argument.

  • October 15, 2024

    UBH Surprise Billing Fight 'Begs' For Issue Cert., Judge Says

    A California federal judge deciding whether to certify classes of patients who allege United Behavioral Health and billing contractor MultiPlan underpaid thousands of claims for out-of-network substance use disorder treatment told counsel Tuesday the case "begs" for issue certification, while adding that the U.S. medical system is "an absolute mess."

  • October 15, 2024

    Western Digital Had No Way Around Patent, Spex Chief Says

    Western Digital owes between $5 and $8.50 per unit for infringing Spex's data security patent based on Spex's 2009 licensing deal with Kingston Technology, Spex's president told California federal jurors Tuesday, noting that Western Digital had no noninfringing alternative to implement hardware encryption in its storage devices. 

  • October 15, 2024

    'Gold Standard' PFAS Test Rejected In Tampax Class Suit

    A California federal judge on Tuesday rejected the reliability of a testing method described by a putative consumer class as the "gold standard" for detecting so-called forever chemicals, tossing for now claims that The Procter & Gamble Co. falsely advertised its "pure cotton" Tampax tampons.

  • October 15, 2024

    NYT Says Perplexity Violating IP Law, AI Firm Claims Fair Use

    The New York Times has hit Perplexity AI Inc. with a cease-and-desist letter claiming that the artificial intelligence startup is unlawfully using its copyrighted news content, while Perplexity contends that its AI search engine is lawfully indexing web pages and surfacing facts as citations.

  • October 15, 2024

    Gamers End Challenge Of Microsoft's $69B Activision Deal

    Microsoft reached an agreement ending a challenge from a group of gamers targeting its $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard as a merger challenge from the Federal Trade Commission remains pending at the Ninth Circuit.

  • October 15, 2024

    Ex-Dodger Bauer Sues Accuser For Alleged Settlement Breach

    Former Major League Baseball pitcher Trevor Bauer has filed a California state court lawsuit against a woman who previously accused him of sexual assault, alleging that the two reached an out-of-court settlement but that she violated the deal by falsely claiming in public he paid her $300,000.

  • October 15, 2024

    4 Firms Steer Ownership Shakeup At 'Dune' Movie Maker

    Legendary Entertainment has completed a buyout of Chinese company Wanda Group's remaining equity interest in the movie studio behind "Dune" and "Dune: Part Two," a deal that gives sole ownership of the company to Legendary's management and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo.

  • October 15, 2024

    SD Calls Foul On NCAA For Moving NIL Suit From State Court

    The state of South Dakota and its flagship universities on Tuesday asked that their suit challenging the NCAA's $2.78 billion settlement over name, image and likeness compensation be moved back to state court, claiming the NCAA "does not come within a country mile" of proving that it should have been removed to federal court.

  • October 15, 2024

    Three Cos. Combine On $3.4B Texas Data Center Complex

    Blue Owl Capital, infrastructure firm Crusoe Energy Systems and investor Primary Digital Infrastructure said Tuesday they are pooling $3.4 billion to build a 1 million-square-foot data center campus in Abilene, Texas.

  • October 15, 2024

    Google Became Search Giant On Stolen IP, Suit Says

    Internet search engine company LookSmart sued Google LLC on Monday for patent infringement, claiming that the tech giant "clearly knew" it was using LookSmart's technology for ranking and searching documents without authority or license, all the while generating "over $150 billion in search-related revenue."

  • October 15, 2024

    Google Seeks To Pause Play Store Injunction Amid Appeal

    Google has urged a California federal judge to issue an immediate stay in its antitrust battle with Epic Games Inc. that would pause a three-year injunction requiring Google to open up its Play Store to competing app stores pending the outcome of its Ninth Circuit appeal.

  • October 15, 2024

    LA Injury Law Firm Sued Over Unsolicited Robocalls

    A California man is suing Los Angeles-based personal injury firm Wilshire Law PLC in federal court, alleging the firm is violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by making unsolicited robocalls to drum up business.

  • October 15, 2024

    J&J Hit With $15M Verdict In Builder's Mesothelioma Suit

    A Connecticut state court jury on Tuesday slammed Johnson & Johnson and several subsidiaries with a $15 million compensatory damages verdict for a real estate developer who sought to hold the companies liable for his mesothelioma diagnosis.

  • October 15, 2024

    PE-Backed Ingram Micro Leads 2 IPOs Seeking $466M Total

    Private equity-backed information technology company Ingram Micro Holding Corp. on Tuesday unveiled a price range on an estimated $400 million initial public offering set to price next week, one of two companies to launch plans for IPOs that could net $466 million combined.

  • October 15, 2024

    Aerospace Firm Must Hand Over Bank Accounts To Buyer

    A Colorado state judge entered an emergency order Monday forcing a Colorado aerospace company that sold its assets to California-based Interconnect Solutions Co. for $15 million to turn over its business accounts to ISC, which said the accounts are needed to perform work for customer Lockheed Martin.

  • October 15, 2024

    Atty Says Appellate Co.'s Ads Look Like Case Updates

    A California attorney has launched a proposed class action against appellate case management company Record Press in California federal court alleging that the New York-based company sends lawyers spam emails that deceptively appear to be important updates about ongoing litigation.

  • October 15, 2024

    EPA Pitches Deal For Endocrine-Disruptor Screening Suit

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a plan to settle a lawsuit that farmworker and environmental health groups brought over its alleged inaction on an Endocrine-Disruptor Screening Program meant to consider how pesticide chemicals may harm people's hormone systems.

  • October 15, 2024

    Baker Botts IP Leader In Calif. Jumps To Morgan Lewis

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP has grown its intellectual property team in California with the addition of the chair of Baker Botts LLP's IP department in the state.

  • October 15, 2024

    Law Firms Diverge As Anti-ESG Pushback Continues

    A continuing onslaught of legislation and litigation opposing corporate environmental, social and governance actions has created a fork in the road for law firms, with some choosing to scale back efforts and others pushing ahead with their internal ESG and diversity, equity and inclusion goals.

  • October 15, 2024

    The 2024 Law360 Pulse Social Impact Leaders

    Check out our Social Impact Leaders ranking, analysis and interactive graphics to see which firms stand out for their engagement with social responsibility and commitment to pro bono service.

Expert Analysis

  • Justices' Criminal Law Decisions: The Term In Review

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    Each of the 11 criminal decisions issued in the U.S. Supreme Court’s recently concluded term is independently important, but taken together, they reveal trends in the court’s broader approach to criminal law, presenting both pitfalls and opportunities for defendants and their counsel, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: July Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers cases touching on pre- and post-conviction detainment conditions, communications with class representatives, when the American Pipe tolling doctrine stops applying to modified classes, and more.

  • Utilizing Liability Exemption When Calif. Cities Lease Property

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    With rising costs pushing California municipalities to lease real estate assets instead of purchasing them, municipalities should review the ample case law that supports certain exceptions to California Constitution Section 18(a) requirements, providing that certain long-term lease obligations are not considered to be liabilities, says Steven Otto at Crosbie Gliner.

  • Despite Calif. Delays, Climate Disclosure Rules Are Coming

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    Progress continues on state, federal and international climate disclosure regimes, making compliance a key concern for companies — but the timeline for implementation of California's disclosure laws remains unclear due to funding and timing disputes, says David Smith at Manatt Phelps.

  • Dueling Calif. Rulings Offer Insight On 401(k) Forfeiture Suits

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    Two recent decisions from California federal courts regarding novel Employee Retirement Income Security Act claims around 401(k) forfeitures provide early tea leaves for companies that may face similar litigation, offering reasons for both optimism and concern over the future direction of the law, say Ashley Johnson and Jennafer Tryck at Gibson Dunn.

  • 3 Policyholder Tips After Calif. Ruling Denying D&O Coverage

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    A California decision from June, Practice Fusion v. Freedom Specialty Insurance, denying a company's claim seeking reimbursement under a directors and officers insurance policy for its settlement with the Justice Department, highlights the importance of coordinating coverage for all operational risks and the danger of broad exclusionary policy language, says Geoffrey Fehling at Hunton.

  • Loss Causation Ruling Departs From Usual Securities Cases

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    A California federal court recently dismissed Ramos v. Comerica, finding that the allegations failed to establish loss causation, but the reasoning is in tension with the pleading-stage approaches generally followed by both courts and economists in securities fraud litigation, say Jesse Jensen and Aasiya Glover at Bernstein Litowitz.

  • PAGA Reforms Encourage Proactive Employer Compliance

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    Recently enacted reforms to California's Private Attorneys General Act should make litigation under the law less burdensome for employers, presenting a valuable opportunity to streamline compliance and reduce litigation risks by proactively addressing many of the issues that have historically attracted PAGA claims, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • What FTX Case Taught Us About Digital Asset Recoverability

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    FTX's Chapter 11 plan has drawn lots of attention, but the focus should be on the anticipated outcome for investors, which counters several myths about digital currencies, innovation and recoverability, says Kyla Curley at StoneTurn.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

  • A Midyear Forecast: Tailwinds Expected For Atty Hourly Rates

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    Hourly rates for partners, associates and support staff continued to rise in the first half of this year, and this growth shows no signs of slowing for the rest of 2024 and into next year, driven in part by the return of mergers and acquisitions and the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, says Chuck Chandler at Valeo Partners.

  • Synapse Bankruptcy Has Ripple Effects For Fintech Industry

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    Synapse Financial Technologies’ recent bankruptcy filing marks a significant moment in the fintech industry's evolution, highlighting that stringent compliance and risk management in fintech partnerships are essential to mitigate risk and protect consumers, say Joann Needleman and Ryan Blumberg at Clark Hill.

  • California Adds A Novel Twist To State Suits Against Big Oil

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    California’s suit against Exxon Mobil Corp., one of several state suits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for climate-related harms, is unique both in the magnitude of the alleged claims and its use of a consumer protection statute to seek disgorgement of industry profits, says Julia Stein at UCLA School of Law.

  • Opinion

    States Should Loosen Law Firm Ownership Restrictions

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    Despite growing buzz, normalized nonlawyer ownership of law firms is a distant prospect, so the legal community should focus first on liberalizing state restrictions on attorney and firm purchases of practices, which would bolster succession planning and improve access to justice, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

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