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California
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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.
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August 08, 2024
2 States Eyeing Mark Cuban-Backed App's Cash Advances
Dave Inc., the maker of a digital banking app backed by billionaire Mark Cuban, is facing scrutiny from Maryland and Connecticut regulators in the wake of recent state efforts to treat paycheck advance products more like small-dollar loans, the financial technology company has told investors.
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August 08, 2024
Wash. Firm, Atty Say Rehashed $20M Con Claims Can't Stick
A Washington attorney and her former law firm have urged a Washington judge to toss a lawsuit alleging they were part of a scheme to con an asset management company out of $20 million, arguing that they were following instructions as escrow agents making sure funds were disbursed.
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August 08, 2024
Tribe Must Arbitrate Union Card Check Dispute, Judge Says
A California tribe that owns a casino must go to arbitration with UNITE HERE over a spat concerning a representation process with a card check procedure, a federal district court has determined, saying the parties agreed to arbitrate disputes about interpretations of a 2017 accord.
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August 08, 2024
9th Circ. Won't Rethink OK'ing Ad Class Cert. Against Meta
The Ninth Circuit refused Thursday to rethink a split panel decision affirming certification of a damages class of potentially millions of advertisers who were allegedly deceived about Facebook's "potential reach" tool, rejecting Meta Platforms Inc.'s warnings of unchecked fraud class actions.
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August 08, 2024
Apple Wins Bid For 2 Trials In IP Dispute With Masimo
A California federal judge will hold separate trials on Masimo Corp.'s trade secrets and patent claims over the Apple Watch, siding with Apple Inc. and rejecting Masimo's request for one later trial on all the issues, in a case with potentially billions of dollars at stake.
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August 08, 2024
TikTok Says Chinese Co. Doesn't Own IP In Trade Secrets Spat
TikTok Inc. has filed 18 affirmative defenses in California federal court in a copyright and trade secrets complaint it faces from a Chinese company that claims the popular social media platform ripped off proprietary information, saying among other things that Beijing Meishe Network Technology Co. Ltd. does not own some or all of the alleged copyrighted works and trade secrets.
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August 08, 2024
Apple Must Produce Docs In Epic Antitrust Fight By Sept. 30
A California federal judge overseeing discovery in Epic Games' antitrust compliance fight with Apple gave the iPhone-maker a Sept. 30 deadline to hand over documentation on its response to foreign antitrust regulations and other internal documents, rejecting Apple's suggested December deadline and calling the 92,000-document review large but "not huge."
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August 08, 2024
Google Says Epic's Own Tech Experts Undermine Remedies
Google continued Wednesday to battle what it says would be a dramatic and costly overhaul of its Play Store if Epic Games is allowed to dictate the terms of an antitrust remedy, telling a California federal judge claims of a cheaper, easier solution are undermined by Epic's own experts.
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August 08, 2024
VC, PE Firm Says Chinese Co. Cost $150M SpaceX Investment
A California-based venture capital and private equity firm has sued a Chinese company in California federal court, claiming Elon Musk's SpaceX rejected its planned $150 million investment after the Chinese company breached its promise to abide by strict confidentiality requirements and instead publicized its involvement in the planned investment.
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August 08, 2024
States, Industry Back High Court Review Of Calif. Waiver
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Petroleum Institute and a group of states led by Iowa are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the federal government's decision to continue to allow California to set its own vehicle emissions programs.
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August 08, 2024
Cooley Hit With Fla. Malpractice Suit Over Financial Docs
Genetic Networks LLC has sued California-based Cooley LLP in Florida state court, alleging the law firm failed to file documentation needed to secure a lien when preparing loan papers for $1.2 million lent to ECI Pharmaceuticals.
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August 08, 2024
Suspension Recommended For Ex-Calif. Bar Prosecutor
A California State Bar Court judge this week has recommended suspension for a former State Bar prosecutor who failed to disclose that he was moonlighting in private practice alongside disgraced attorney Tom Girardi's son-in-law.
Expert Analysis
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Why Justices Should Rule On FAA's Commerce Exception
The U.S. Supreme Court should review the Ninth Circuit's Ortiz v. Randstad decision, to clarify whether involvement in interstate commerce exempts workers from the Federal Arbitration Act, a crucial question given employers' and employees' strong competing interests in arbitration and litigation, says Collin Williams at New Era.
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Tricky Venue Issues Persist In Fortenberry Prosecution Redo
Former Rep. Jeff Fortenberry was recently indicted for a second time after the Ninth Circuit tossed his previous conviction for improper venue, but the case, now pending in the District of Columbia, continues to illustrate the complexities of proper venue in "false statement scheme" prosecutions, says Kevin Coleman at Covington.
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Series
Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Opinion
'Trump Too Small' Ruling Overlooks TM Registration Issues
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Vidal v. Elster, which concluded that “Trump Too Small” cannot be a registered trademark as it violates a federal prohibition, fails to consider modern-day, real-world implications for trademark owners who are denied access to federal registration, say Tiffany Gehrke and Alexa Spitz at Marshall Gerstein.
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Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice
The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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6 Lessons From DOJ's 1st Controlled Drug Case In Telehealth
Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s first-ever criminal prosecution over telehealth-prescribed controlled substances in U.S. v. Ruthia He, healthcare providers should be mindful of the risks associated with restricting the physician-patient relationship when crafting new business models, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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Navigating The New Rise Of Greenwashing Litigation
As greenwashing lawsuits continue to gain momentum with a shift in focus to carbon-neutrality claims, businesses must exercise caution and ensure transparency in their environmental marketing practices, taking cues from recent legal challenges in the airline industry, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State
On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.
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Expect The Unexpected: Contracts For Underground Projects
Recent challenges encountered by the Mountain Valley Pipeline project underscore the importance of drafting contracts for underground construction to account for unexpected site conditions, associated risks and compliance with applicable laws, say Jill Jaffe and Brenda Lin at Nossaman.
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How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts
As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
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Calif. Ruling Heightens Medical Product Maker Liability
The California Supreme Court's decision in Himes v. Somatics last month articulates a new causation standard for medical product manufacturer liability that may lead to stronger product disclosures nationwide and greater friction between manufacturers and physicians, say attorneys at Cooley.
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Constitutional Protections For Cannabis Companies Are Hazy
Cannabis businesses are subject to federal enforcement and tax, but often without the benefit of constitutional protections — and the entanglement of state and federal law and conflicting judicial opinions are creating confusion in the space, says Amber Lengacher at Purple Circle.
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Series
After Chevron: Various Paths For Labor And Employment Law
Labor and employment law leans heavily on federal agency guidance, so the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to toss out Chevron deference will ripple through this area, with future workplace policies possibly taking shape through strategic litigation, informal guidance, state-level regulation and more, says Alexander MacDonald at Littler.
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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.