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California

  • August 25, 2025

    Oura Gets ITC To Bar Infringing Smart Ring Imports

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has blocked smart ring makers Ultrahuman and RingConn from importing products it found infringed an Ouraring Inc. wearable computing device patent.

  • August 25, 2025

    Crypto Gaming Co. Says Musk's AI Startup Used Its Marks

    A blockchain-focused gaming firm has sued Elon Musk's xAI for infringing on its XAI trademark, accusing the artificial intelligence venture of sewing confusion among consumers and attempting to "bully" the crypto firm into signing off on the use of similar marks.

  • August 25, 2025

    Epic's 9th Circ. Case Against Apple Draws Amicus Support

    Epic Games has received backing from state enforcers, Microsoft, Spotify and others as the Fortnite developer opposes Apple's Ninth Circuit appeal challenging an order blocking commissions on purchases made outside of Apple's own app payment system.

  • August 25, 2025

    Perkins Coie Grows Litigation Group With Ex-Calif. Deputy SG

    Perkins Coie LLP has continued expanding its litigation team with former state and federal prosecutors, announcing Monday it is bringing in the former deputy solicitor general of California as a partner in its San Diego office.

  • August 25, 2025

    Generic-Drugs Group Asks 9th Circ. To Nix Pay-For-Delay Law

    A trade group for generic drugmakers urged the Ninth Circuit to fully scrap a California law banning brand pharmaceutical companies from paying to delay generics competition, in a brief targeting both the law's in-state features upheld by a district court and the extraterritorial reach the state wants revived.

  • August 25, 2025

    Feds, Wind Farm Backers Duel For Wins In Permitting Fight

    As the Trump administration moves to halt work on multiple offshore wind projects, the government and wind farm backers have blasted each other's bids for quick wins in litigation challenging the stoppage of all federal reviews of wind projects.

  • August 25, 2025

    AI Startup Anthropic Picks Legal Legend As GC

    Anthropic, a multibillion-dollar AI startup and public benefit corporation focused on safety, has hired a much-honored California attorney who was special counsel to former President Barack Obama, a corporate chief legal officer and a law clerk to late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist.

  • August 25, 2025

    MusclePharm Ex-CEO Pays $175K To End SEC Fraud Claims

    A former CEO of supplements company MusclePharm Corp. will pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $75,000 and reimburse his former company $100,000 as part of an agreement ending the regulator's claims he failed to properly oversee the company's accounting and financial reporting, including by not reporting $231,000 worth of perks he received.

  • August 25, 2025

    Davis Polk Picks Up White & Case Finance Atty In Calif.

    Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP announced Monday that it has added a former White & Case LLP debt finance partner to its Northern California office.

  • August 22, 2025

    Apple Says Ex-Employee Stole Watch Secrets For Oppo

    Apple is going after a former employee on its Apple Watch team in a California federal lawsuit, claiming he stole trade secrets related to the wearable device to share with his new employer, Chinese phone maker Oppo.

  • August 22, 2025

    Intel Says US Will Take 10% Stake In Business

    Intel Corp. announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with the Trump administration for the U.S. government to acquire a 10% stake in its business in exchange for $8.9 billion in previously awarded grants, a move the company says will help it expand the American semiconductor industry.

  • August 22, 2025

    Ex-Tennis Channel Chief Says Sinclair Fired Him To Duck Pay

    The former Tennis Channel president sued the network, the Sinclair Broadcast Group and others in California state court Friday, alleging that after he spent 20 years building the channel into a success, he was fired last year in a pretextual move to avoid paying him his equity options. 

  • August 22, 2025

    DOJ Investigation Of NY AG Condemned By AGs Of 21 States

    A coalition of 21 attorneys general Friday issued an open letter saying the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James and condemning the probe as political payback for the financial fraud claims she pursued against President Donald Trump and his New York-based businesses.

  • August 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Blocks Meta's MDL Discovery Against State Agencies

    The Ninth Circuit blocked an order requiring California's attorney general and third-party state agencies to respond to Meta's discovery demands in multidistrict litigation concerning the company's allegedly addictive designs, ruling Friday the attorney general isn't deemed to possess or control the state agencies' records and Meta must obtain them through subpoenas.

  • August 22, 2025

    Kratom Co. Says False Ad Addiction Suit Should Be Tossed

    The company behind Kryptic Kratom and K-Chill branded supplements is, once again, urging a California federal court to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that it concealed the "opiate-like" addictive nature of its products, arguing that the latest complaint, which now brings RICO claims, is just as weak as the previous ones.

  • August 22, 2025

    Calif. Justices Say Wage Law Ignorance Prompts Damages

    California employers need to show they took reasonable steps to comply with minimum wage laws to support a good faith defense against liquidated damages, the California Supreme Court ruled, flipping a state appellate court decision.

  • August 22, 2025

    9th Circ. Weighs Religious Bias Suit In LGBTQ+ Post Firings

    An attorney for two Christian flight attendants who say they were illegally fired by Alaska Airlines and abandoned by their labor union for opposing the airline's support for LGBTQ+ rights urged the Ninth Circuit Friday to revive their case, saying it is clear from the record that they were fired for their religious beliefs. 

  • August 22, 2025

    Startup Accelerator Backs Epic In Apple Case At 9th Circ.

    Startup accelerator Y Combinator is backing Epic Games as Apple asks the Ninth Circuit to nix an order blocking it from charging commissions on app purchases made outside its payment system, telling the appeals court Apple "blatantly violated" a previous order.

  • August 22, 2025

    Amazon Doesn't Let Viewers Keep Movies They 'Buy,' Suit Says

    Amazon has been hit with a proposed class action in Washington federal court claiming the company deceptively "sells" movies on Amazon Prime Video without disclosing to consumers that its limited digital license to any audiovisual work might be inaccessible down the line.

  • August 22, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Halts Land Swap With Idaho Tribes' Backing

    A split Ninth Circuit panel on Friday upheld a lower court's decision to invalidate an Interior Department land transfer in Idaho for the expansion of a phosphogypsum plant, saying that a 1900 federal law limits the disposal of treaty-ceded lands.

  • August 22, 2025

    Apple Users' Attys Near OK On $28.5M Fees For Privacy Deal

    A California federal judge indicated Friday he'll grant final approval to Apple's $95 million settlement with tens of millions of users who claimed its voice-activated software Siri eavesdropped on their conversations without consent, and called the plaintiffs' attorneys' request for a 30% cut amounting to $28.5 million "legally appropriate."

  • August 22, 2025

    ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ Inks Synapse Deal That Opens Door To Consumer Relief

    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has reached a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for Synapse Financial Technologies Inc. that could unlock millions of dollars in relief for consumers whose funds were stranded in the middleware provider's collapse.

  • August 22, 2025

    Under Trump, White Collar Crypto Defense Gets New Playbook

    White collar lawyers are crafting new blueprints for crypto-related civil and criminal defense amid the Trump administration's embrace of the industry and the financial world’s growing acceptance of cryptocurrency as a legitimate asset.

  • August 22, 2025

    OpenAI Wants $10M In Atty Fees After Win In Trademark Case

    After winning a trademark case last month, OpenAI has asked a California federal judge to order a company with a similar name to pay almost $10 million in attorney fees, saying the other litigant had "extraordinarily weak positions" and used unreasonable legal tactics.

  • August 22, 2025

    Judge Can't Become Public Defender After Not Practicing Law

    A California state appellate panel has ruled that a sitting superior court judge is ineligible to serve as public defender because he had not been a practicing attorney in the state's courts for the year before he sought the appointment.

Expert Analysis

  • How States Are Taking The Lead On Data Center Regulation

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    While support for data center growth is a declared priority for the current administration, federal data center policy has been slow to develop — so states continue to lead in attracting and regulating data center growth, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • How Medical Practices Can Improve Privacy Compliance

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    In light of recent high-profile patient privacy violations, health practices — especially in California — should better position themselves to comply with medical privacy laws by shoring up strategies ranging from mapping electronic protected health information to building a better compliance culture, says Suzanne Natbony at Aliant Law.

  • Despite Rule Delay, FTC Scrutiny Looms For Subscriptions

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    Even though the Federal Trade Commission has delayed its click-to-cancel rule that introduces strict protocols for auto-renewing subscriptions, businesses should expect active enforcement of the new requirements after July, and look to the FTC's recent lawsuits against Uber and Cleo AI as warnings, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Perspectives

    The Reforms Needed To Fight Sexual Abuse By Prison Staff

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    Prisoners sexually assaulted by corrections staff, such as the California women who recently won a consent decree against FCI Dublin, often delay reporting out of fear of retaliation by their abusers, but several practical reforms could empower prisoners to disclose abuse while the evidence necessary to indict perpetrators is still available, says Jaehyun Oh at Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • High Court Birthright Case Could Reshape Judicial Power

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    Recent arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in cases challenging President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order primarily focused on federal judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions and suggest that the upcoming decision may fundamentally change how federal courts operate, says Mauni Jalali at Quinn Emanuel.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

  • Appellate Guidance Needed On California Chatbot Litigation

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    There is wide variation in how courts are applying the California Invasion of Privacy Act against website owners that allegedly help third parties spy on visitors via chatbots — and the lack of appellate rulings creates uncertainty, especially as these cases move toward the summary judgment stage, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Spoliation Of Evidence Is A Risky And Shortsighted Strategy

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    Destroying self-incriminating evidence to avoid a large judgment may seem like an attractive option to some defendants, but it is a shortsighted strategy that affords the nonspoliating party potentially case-terminating remedies, and support for a direct assault on the spoliator’s credibility, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • State AGs' Focus On Single-Firm Conduct Is Gaining Traction

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    Despite changes in administration, both federal antitrust agencies and state attorneys general have shown a trending interest in prosecuting monopolization cases involving single-firm conduct, with federal and state legislative initiatives encouraging and assisting states’ aggressive posture, says Steve Vieux at Bartko Pavia.

  • Synopsys-Ansys Merger Augurs FTC's Return To Remedies

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent approval of $35 billion merger between Synopsys and Ansys, subject to the divestiture of certain assets, signals a renewed preference for settlements over litigation, if the former can preserve competition and a robust structural remedy is available, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Justices Widen Gap Between Federal, Calif. Enviro Reviews

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court's recent opinion in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, narrowed the scope of National Environmental Policy Act reviews, it may have broadened the gulf between reviews conducted under NEPA and those under the California Environmental Quality Act, say attorneys at Hanson Bridgett.

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