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California

  • September 12, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Backs Cert. Denial In Progressive Car Value Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a lower court's refusal to certify a class of Progressive policyholders in a suit over adjustments the insurer makes when calculating the actual cash value of a totaled vehicle, finding that individual questions predominate over common ones.

  • September 12, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: CMBS Distress, Nuclear AI, Campus Golf

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including attorney perspectives on commercial mortgage-backed securities distress, the dawn of nuclear-powered data centers, and the albatross of golf courses on colleges and universities.

  • September 12, 2025

    Receiver Wants To Sell Calif. Property With Illegal Ex-Pot Shop

    A court-appointed receiver asked a California state court to approve the sale of a two-story Compton commercial building that used to have an illegal cannabis dispensary.

  • September 12, 2025

    Shein Uses AI To Steal Popular Designs, Suit Claims

    Fast-fashion e-commerce giant Shein is facing a suit in California federal court by a Florida artist who claims the company uses artificial intelligence and other automated technology to dredge the internet and steal popular works to be misappropriated for profit.

  • September 12, 2025

    What To Know About Anthropic's Pending $1.5B IP Settlement

    The largest settlement in copyright history may still materialize, but the path for authors and Anthropic negotiating a $1.5 billion agreement is filled with challenges, including determining what portion of the millions of books the tech company allegedly downloaded from pirate sites is eligible for compensation.

  • September 12, 2025

    9th Circ. Won't Rethink Rejection Of Vegas Newspaper Pact

    The Ninth Circuit refused to reconsider a panel's decision finding that a long-standing arrangement between the Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal is unlawful because the rival newspapers needed approval from the U.S. attorney general.

  • September 12, 2025

    In Fees Fight, OpenAI Rival Says TM Case Not Exceptional

    Nothing "stands out" from a successful trademark case brought by OpenAI against Open Artificial Intelligence Inc., the latter company told a California federal judge, urging the court to deny OpenAI's request to make it pay $10 million in attorney fees.

  • September 12, 2025

    When The Supreme Court Says Using Race Is OK

    The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing government agencies to expressly use race in furthering their immigration enforcement goals, while prohibiting the use of race as even one of the factors to consider in college admissions. Some legal scholars see a double standard.

  • September 12, 2025

    Woman Gets Another Shot At LA Fitness Treadmill Suit

    A California appeals court has revived a woman's suit alleging that she was injured by a faulty treadmill at an LA Fitness gym, saying there is a triable issue of fact regarding whether she electronically signed an injury waiver.

  • September 12, 2025

    DOJ Fights To Keep LA Sanctuary Policy Lawsuit Alive

    The government urged a California federal judge on Thursday to reject Los Angeles' bid to dismiss its lawsuit over the city's immigration sanctuary ordinance, claiming the law discriminates against immigration agents, is preempted by federal law and is not protected by the 10th Amendment. 

  • September 12, 2025

    Contract Claims Trimmed In Missile Antenna Seizure Fight

    A federal judge has granted the U.S. government's bid to dismiss breach of contract claims a California company brought after Air Force officials seized surplus missile antennas it was trying to sell, but said the government must face a takings claim.

  • September 12, 2025

    Off The Bench: NCAA Athlete Ban, WNBA Sun Controversy

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA administered permanent bans to three basketball players, and two high-profile politicians warned the WNBA that it could be at risk of violating antitrust laws if it interferes in the sale of the Connecticut Sun.

  • September 12, 2025

    Appeals Courts Rethink Harsh Youth Sentences, Search Rules

    State appellate courts across the country have issued major criminal law opinions this year, softening some of the harshest sentences for young defendants while shifting rules for searches and evidence collection.

  • September 12, 2025

    Buyers Seek Final OK In $1.5M Rust-Oleum Greenwashing Suit

    A class alleging that Rust-Oleum Corp. has been "greenwashing" its cleaning products with labels claiming they are "non-toxic" and "Earth Friendly" is asking a California federal court to grant final approval of a $1.5 million settlement to resolve the suit.

  • September 12, 2025

    Hagens Berman Doubles Down On AI-Tainted Brief Correction

    Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP said that the firm has an ethical duty to correct briefs tainted by artificial intelligence errors and that the corrected versions shouldn't be stricken from a proposed class action against online platform OnlyFans' parent company.

  • September 12, 2025

    Calif. Bill Blocking Fee Sharing With ABS Firms Heads To Gov.

    A bill heading to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk is poised to tighten rules to restrict alternative business structure law firms from operating in the Golden State by blocking lawyers from sharing fees with out-of-state firms owned by non-lawyers.

  • September 12, 2025

    LA Lawyer Disbarred For Overcharging Inmate Clients

    The Golden State's Supreme Court has disbarred a Los Angeles attorney who repeatedly collected "unconscionable legal fees" after misleading inmate clients about their chances for resentencing, the State Bar of California has announced.

  • September 12, 2025

    Frost Adds In-House Compliance Pro As New Group Leader

    Frost LLP has added an experienced former chief compliance officer and in-house counsel to serve as the leader of its new investigations, compliance and privacy practice.

  • September 12, 2025

    Calif. Court Refuses To Block Climate Reporting Rules, Again

    A California federal court judge would not bar two new state climate disclosure regulations while a coalition of business groups takes its bid for an injunction up to the Ninth Circuit, saying his perspective hasn't shifted since the groups' last injunction request. 

  • September 12, 2025

    Davis Wright Adds Stradling Yocca M&A Pro In LA

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is boosting its Southern California corporate team, bringing in a Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth PC mergers and acquisitions expert as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • September 11, 2025

    Uber Sued By Feds, Accused Of Disability-Based Bias

    The federal government Thursday hauled Uber Technologies Inc. into a federal court in San Francisco, accusing the transportation company of discriminating against riders with disabilities, including by allegedly refusing service to individuals traveling with service animals or using stowable wheelchairs.

  • September 11, 2025

    Retired Federal Judges Throw Shade On Shadow Docket

    Retired federal judges speaking at a Federal Bar Association panel in California Thursday criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's increasing use of "shadow docket" emergency rulings that offer little or no explanation, with retired Ninth Circuit Judge Paul Watford saying the high court has "an obligation to give more of a ruling."

  • September 11, 2025

    9th Circ. Says News Article Doesn't Doom Biotronik FCA Suit

    The Ninth Circuit revived a False Claims Act suit alleging that Biotronik orchestrated an illicit compensation scheme to boost the implantation of its cardiac devices in patients at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, saying the whistleblower's complaint presents new information that is not barred by fraud allegations disclosed in an earlier news article.

  • September 11, 2025

    Girardi's Atty, Judge Debate If His Conviction Is 'Debatable'

    A California federal judge pushed back Thursday on arguments by Tom Girardi's lawyer that he should be free on bond while he appeals his wire fraud conviction, saying that debating the case doesn't automatically mean it raises "fairly debatable" questions sufficient to meet the Ninth Circuit's standard for remaining free on appeal.

  • September 11, 2025

    Capital One Sues FDIC Over $149M SVB Bailout Charge

    Capital One has sued the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in Virginia federal court challenging a $149 million charge in a special assessment levied by the agency as part of an effort to recoup losses from the 2023 regional banking crisis, saying the FDIC improperly included certain data in its calculation of the special assessment.

Expert Analysis

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • How State AG Consumer Finance Enforcement Is Expanding

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    As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau becomes less active, state attorneys general are increasingly shaping the enforcement landscape for consumer financial services — and several areas of focus have recently emerged, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Comparing New Neural Data Privacy Laws In 4 States

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    Although no federal law yet addresses neural privacy comprehensively, the combined effect of recent state laws in Colorado, California, Montana and Connecticut is already shaping the regulatory future, but a multistate compliance strategy has quickly become a gating item for those experimenting with neuro-enabled workplace tools, says Kristen Mathews at Cooley.

  • Employer Tips For Responding To ICE In The Workplace

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    Increased immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration has left employers struggling to balance their compliance obligations with their desire to provide a safe workplace, so creating a thorough response plan and training for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's presence at the workplace is crucial, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Tips For Litigating Apex Doctrine Disputes Amid Controversy

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    Litigants once took for granted that deposition requests of high-ranking corporate officers required a greater showing of need than for lower-level witnesses, but the apex doctrine has proven controversial in recent years, and fights over such depositions will be won by creative lawyers adapting their arguments to this particular moment, say attorneys at Hangley Aronchick.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Focusing On Fluoride: From FDA To Class Action

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    A class action filed two days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced plans to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of the connection between government pronouncements on safety and their immediate use as evidence in lawsuits, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Is Turning Point For Private Funds In 401(k)s

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Anderson v. Intel reinforces that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act's duty of prudence permits fiduciaries to use private market assets in diversified funds, yet it also exposes the persistent litigation and regulatory uncertainties that continue to temper wider adoption in 401(k) plans, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • How Dfinity Timeliness Ruling Can Aid Crypto Issuers

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    A California federal court's recent dismissal of a class action against Dfinity, holding that the claims were time-barred by the Securities Act's three-year statute of repose, provides a useful defense for cryptocurrency issuers, which often solicit investments years before minting and distributing the associated tokens, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • 4 Precautions For Responsible AI Use In Bid Protests

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    Despite the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s May warning that it will impose stiff sanctions on bid protesters whose filings contain artificial intelligence-generated mistakes and hallucinations, generative AI can be a valuable tool for the bid protest bar if used with safeguards, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

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