Washington

  • January 31, 2025

    Judge Blocks Symetra Life Policyholders' $32.5M Deal

    A Washington federal court rejected a $32.5 million settlement bid brought by a proposed class of Symetra life insurance policyholders who accused the life insurer of using undisclosed nonmortality factors to overcharge monthly rates, noting the proposed settlement notice leaves information on the class counsel's cost reimbursement blank.

  • January 31, 2025

    DOI Wins Remand Request In Wash. Tribe's Recognition Bid

    A Washington federal judge has granted the U.S. Department of the Interior's voluntary motion to remand the Duwamish Tribe's federal recognition case so the DOI can review the tribe's petition under more recent guidelines, ruling that sending the matter back to the department may result in a new outcome.

  • January 31, 2025

    Dem AGs Say Trump's DEI Attacks Undercut Anti-Bias Efforts

    A dozen state attorneys general decried President Donald Trump's attempts to roll back diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs across the federal government, saying Friday his stance threatens decades of bipartisan work to combat discrimination and provide equal job opportunities.

  • January 31, 2025

    NJ, 15 Other States Urge 5th Circ. To Revive ATF Trigger Ban

    New Jersey led a coalition of 16 states urging the Fifth Circuit to reverse a Texas federal court decision blocking the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from classifying forced reset triggers as illegal machine guns, arguing, "FRTs are new, but the mechanical principles on which they operate are not."

  • February 05, 2025

    Law360 Seeks Members For Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is looking for avid readers of our publications to serve as members of our 2025 editorial advisory boards.

  • January 31, 2025

    Trump Funding Freeze Blocked As Court Doubts Reversal

    A Rhode Island federal judge on Friday issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from freezing spending on federal grant and aid programs, calling the move illegal and saying the issue was not mooted by a White House memo claiming the directive had been rescinded.

  • January 30, 2025

    Amazon 'Siphoned' App Users' Location Data, Suit Claims

    Amazon is secretly collecting "incredibly sensitive" information about millions of consumers' precise location and movements through software-building tools embedded on third-party mobile apps, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court Wednesday. 

  • January 30, 2025

    Calif. AG Asks 9th Circ. To Block Meta's MDL Discovery Win

    The California attorney general urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to block orders requiring third-party state agencies to respond to Meta Platforms' discovery demands in multidistrict litigation over social media's alleged harms, arguing in a mandamus petition the "clearly erroneous" ruling "runs roughshod" over the state's constitutional divisions of power.

  • January 30, 2025

    Insurer Says It Owes No Coverage For Boys Home Abuse

    An insurer told a Washington federal judge Thursday that it should be off the hook for coverage in an underlying case involving sexual abuse claims at home for boys because the alleged harm occurred years before the first policy was issued to the group home operator.

  • January 30, 2025

    FERC Says Pacific NW Pipeline Approval Was By The Book

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is defending its approval of a controversial TC Energy Corp. pipeline expansion project in the Pacific Northwest, telling the Fifth Circuit it reasonably determined that the project was needed and adequately reviewed its environmental impacts.

  • January 30, 2025

    Wash. Court Rejects Palestinian Patient's Verdict Bias Appeal

    A Washington state appeals court said Thursday it would not touch a doctor's win in a medical malpractice trial, rejecting arguments from the Palestinian plaintiff that the jury's verdict was tainted by racial bias, while further clarifying the benchmark for judges to make such a determination.  

  • January 30, 2025

    Patent Lawyer Moves From DLA Piper To Kilpatrick

    A Seattle lawyer who does patent work for branded drug developers is taking her practice to Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP from DLA Piper.

  • January 30, 2025

    Symetra To Pay $2M To End Structured Settlement Suit

    Insurance conglomerate Symetra has agreed to pay more than $2.1 million to settle a proposed class action in Washington federal court accusing two Symetra entities of luring roughly 2,000 recipients of personal injury settlements into selling their future stream of payments for a heavily discounted lump sum.

  • January 30, 2025

    Canadian Pot Equipment CEO Says CBP Illegally Booted Him

    The Canadian CEO of a company that makes cannabis agricultural equipment has sued the U.S. Homeland Security Department and Customs and Border Protection, saying they detained him at the U.S.-Canada border and ordered his removal for allegedly abetting the spread of narcotics despite a prior U.S. Court of International Trade finding that his company was operating legally.

  • January 30, 2025

    Amazon Can't Lob 'Hail Mary' In Price-Gouging Suit, AG Says

    Washington's attorney general said Wednesday that Amazon can't dodge a proposed class action alleging price-gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic, telling a federal judge that a pivotal state high court ruling in the case was clear on how Washington law allows the consumers to sue.

  • January 30, 2025

    Wash. Justices Won't Apply SLAPP Law In Newspaper Case

    Washington's highest court revived a former sheriff's sergeant's defamation suit against a local newspaper owner over a story about him, recognizing on Thursday the publishing company can't be shielded from the case by a state statute safeguarding free speech because the original suit was filed before the law took effect.

  • January 30, 2025

    Drivers' Collective Cert. In Amazon Suit Won't Go To 9th Circ.

    Amazon didn't show how letting the Ninth Circuit mull a collective certification will speed up litigation in an 8-year-old suit accusing the company of misclassifying workers as independent contractors, a Washington federal judge ruled, denying the company's appeal bid.

  • January 30, 2025

    Dentons Partner Joins Mintz's Energy And Sustainability Team

    Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC has hired a former Dentons partner who will split time between New York and Washington, D.C., working with clients on project finance matters in the energy space, the firm recently announced.

  • January 29, 2025

    Cities Urge Judges To Halt Trump Birthright Citizenship Order

    Local governments and officials representing more than 70 jurisdictions spanning 24 states expressed support on Wednesday for a nationwide pause on President Donald Trump's order restricting birthright citizenship, warning federal judges the mandate will otherwise fuel administrative dysfunction and detract from publicly funded programs.  

  • January 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Affirms Ax Of Patent Atty's Allergan FCA Fight

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday affirmed the dismissal of a patent attorney's False Claims Act lawsuit alleging Allergan and Adamas Pharma fraudulently obtained patents to block generic competition for two Alzheimer's drugs, finding the information he disclosed was already publicly available and so his FCA claims are barred.

  • January 29, 2025

    Amazon Says Docs FTC Wants For Prime Case Are Privileged

    Amazon fired back in a discovery dispute in the Federal Trade Commission's case accusing the e-commerce giant of Prime subscription deception, saying the regulator is not entitled to documents tied to a company meeting because the records reflect legal advice and work product.

  • January 29, 2025

    CFPB Cheers On State Bids To Restrict Medical Debt Reporting

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has signaled support for bills that lawmakers in Massachusetts and several other states are considering to restrict medical debt reporting, efforts that could build on the agency's own new medical debt rule.  

  • January 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Halts Calif. Social Media Addiction Law For Appeal

    The Ninth Circuit stayed a slew of California limitations on social media platforms aimed at curbing addiction among young people, temporarily siding with a tech industry lobbying group arguing that the state law runs afoul of First Amendment speech protections.

  • January 29, 2025

    Shopper Says Costco Adds Hidden Fees To Online Deliveries

    Costco is the target of a proposed consumer class action alleging the membership retailer is reneging on promises to waive online delivery fees by adding hidden charges that make products bought through the company's e-commerce site more expensive than the same products sold in stores.

  • January 29, 2025

    India Asks High Court To Nix $1.3B Telecom Award

    The Republic of India urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a Ninth Circuit order that refused to enforce a $1.3 billion arbitral award against the commercial arm of its space agency, arguing that a lower court had baselessly said that India held control over the division.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • Predicting Where State AGs Will Direct Their Attention In 2025

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    In 2025, we expect state attorneys general will navigate a new presidential administration while continuing to further regulate and police financial services, artificial intelligence, junk fees and antitrust, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • A Look At Sweepstakes Casinos' Legal Issues In Fla., Beyond

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    Scheduled for trial in Florida federal court this fall, the VGW sweepstakes case underscores the growing urgency for gambling states to clarify and enforce their laws in response to emerging online gaming models, as the expansion of sweepstakes casinos challenges traditional interpretations of gambling regulations, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • Mass Arbitration Procedures After Faulty Live Nation Ruling

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    Despite the Ninth Circuit's flawed reasoning in Heckman v. Live Nation, the exceptional allegations of collusive conduct shouldn't be read to restrict arbitration providers that have adopted good faith procedures to ensure that consumer mass arbitrations can be efficiently resolved on the merits, says Collin Vierra at Eimer Stahl.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Looking Back At 2024's Noteworthy State AG Litigation

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    State attorneys general across the U.S. took bold steps in 2024 to address unlawful activities by corporations in several areas, including privacy and data security, financial transparency, children's internet safety, and other overall consumer protection claims, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

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    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Top 10 Noncompete Developments Of 2024

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    Following an eventful year in noncompete law at both state and federal levels, employers can no longer rely on a court's willingness to blue-pencil overbroad agreements and are proceeding at their own peril if they do not thoughtfully review and carefully enforce such agreements, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • 5 Advertising Law Trends To Watch In 2025

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    Although advertisers are encouraged by the incoming Trump administration's focus on deregulation, this year could feel like wading through uncharted waters, and decreased federal government regulation may mean increased state regulation, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

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    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • When Judging Product Label Claims, Follow The Asterisk

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    A recurring question in false advertising class actions is whether misleading or ambiguous statements on a product's front label can be cured by information on the back label — but recent decisions from the Ninth Circuit suggest that a front-label asterisk can help alert consumers to seek further clarification, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

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