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California

  • June 18, 2025

    State Farm Likely To Face 200K Calif. Homeowner Class

    A California federal judge indicated Wednesday that he'll likely certify a class of nearly 200,000 homeowners in litigation alleging that State Farm underpays property insurance claims by depreciating sales tax when calculating replacement costs, saying a common issue predominates and noting he'd sided with plaintiffs in a similar 2017 case.

  • June 18, 2025

    Cities Sign On To Chicago's Suit Over DHS Funding 'Pause'

    Boston, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle have joined Chicago's federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of illegally suspending federal counterterrorism funding meant for urban areas, saying the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has failed to fulfill nearly $3 million in preapproved reimbursement requests.

  • June 18, 2025

    BofA Judge Doubts Class Certification Bid In Unpaid PTO Suit

    A California federal judge doubted Wednesday whether a named plaintiff can adequately represent a proposed class of Bank of America employees who claim they weren't paid for unused vacation time when they left the bank, observing during a hearing that her individualized issues "could make her very differently situated."

  • June 18, 2025

    Hong Kong-Based Airline Sued Over Failed Takeoff To LA

    Plane passengers injured during a failed takeoff and "chaotic emergency evacuation" are suing Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., claiming the company failed to maintain equipment and properly train crew.

  • June 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses NLRB Order On Union Jurisdiction Dispute

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday axed a National Labor Relations Board order barring a longshore union from going after maintenance work in the Port of Seattle that was awarded to the Machinists, with one judge inviting en banc review of appeals court precedent about work preservation defenses.

  • June 18, 2025

    Trump's Attack On Fed. Worker Unions Meets Skeptical Judge

    A California federal judge Wednesday appeared open to temporarily blocking President Donald Trump's executive order reclassifying hundreds of thousands of federal workers to bar them from collective bargaining, calling the order "dramatic" and "unprecedented," and asking about the downsides of keeping the status quo until trial.

  • June 18, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Partly Undoes Walmart Copyright Verdict

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed part of a jury's verdict that found Walmart had violated a sculptor's copyrights by selling knockoffs of her lamps, allowing the retail giant to escape paying her attorney fees for now.

  • June 18, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs Papa John's Win Against Wiretapping Suit

    The Ninth Circuit refused to reinstate a customer's proposed class action accusing Papa John's of recording website visitors' activities in violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, ruling Wednesday the pizza chain, as a party to the communications, can't be liable for spying on its own conversation. 

  • June 18, 2025

    Reddit Execs Downplayed Google AI's Impact, Investors Say

    Reddit and its top brass downplayed the impact Google's artificial intelligence-generated search results had on the forum website's traffic and ad revenues, causing stocks to drop when the truth emerged about weakening revenues, according to an investor's proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court.

  • June 18, 2025

    Judge Warns Overeager Samsung, ZTE Attys Not To Bug Staff

    A California federal judge has issued a short, stern warning to counsel in Samsung's antitrust fight against ZTE over its standard essential patents' licensing practices, telling counsel not to contact court staff again about the status of their pending stipulation and noting "future improper communications to court staff may result in sanctions."

  • June 18, 2025

    Netflix Gets Fed. Circ.'s Backing In Streaming Patent Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding that invalidated claims in a streaming patent challenged by Netflix while also vacating the board's decision to decline to scrub other claims.

  • June 18, 2025

    Feds Want Pa. Inmate To Face $810K Tax Refund Case

    Massachusetts federal prosecutors want a Pennsylvania inmate returned to the Bay State by July to face claims he impersonated a corporate executive and swiped an $810,000 tax refund bound for a Stamford, Connecticut, investment firm.

  • June 18, 2025

    California Bar Exam Woes Latest Chapter In Ongoing Scrutiny

    Recent headline-grabbing blunders with the February California bar exam represent a stumbling block in a yearslong effort to reshape the exam, with an eye toward equity and accessibility for the more than 10,000 applicants who sit for the exam each year.

  • June 18, 2025

    DOJ Defends Using Written Depos In HPE-Juniper Merger Trial

    The U.S. Department of Justice is defending its proposal to include written deposition testimony into the record for its upcoming antitrust trial against Hewlett Packard Enterprise's $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks, saying that playing depositions live would waste crucial time in what is scheduled to be an eight-day trial.

  • June 18, 2025

    Judge Says A Ruling Unfreezing Wind Projects May Be Pyrrhic

    A Massachusetts federal judge said on Wednesday he will allow key claims to move forward in a suit challenging the Trump administration's halt of wind farm project reviews, yet he suggested even if the plaintiffs ultimately prevail, the administration could still simply deny requests for permits and leases.

  • June 18, 2025

    Fed. Circ. OKs Google's PTAB Win In Sonos Patent Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board finding that claims in a Sonos music playback patent were invalid, handing a win to Google in a larger fight between the companies.

  • June 18, 2025

    California Cities Say Enviro Group Destroyed Testing Data

    The cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View, California, are asking a federal judge to sanction environmental group San Francisco Baykeeper in a suit alleging the cities allowed sewage into the bay, saying the group destroyed key evidence either by "conscious effort or gross negligence."

  • June 17, 2025

    Cancer Diagnostics Firm, Insurer Price 2 IPOs Totaling $902M

    Cancer-diagnostics test provider Caris Life Sciences Inc. and coastal-focused residential insurer Slide Insurance Holdings Inc. will begin trading Wednesday after pricing two initial public offerings that raised a combined $902 million, guided by five law firms.

  • June 17, 2025

    States Say Trump Admin Can't Freeze EV Charging Funds

    An attorney for the Washington Attorney General's Office on Tuesday urged a federal judge in Seattle to issue a preliminary injunction requiring the Trump administration to release funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects in 16 states, saying the administration cannot "go back in time" and eliminate congressionally approved funding.

  • June 17, 2025

    Samsung Says Jurors Lied In Netlist IP Trial, Seeks Do-Over

    Samsung told a California federal judge it needs a fourth trial against Netlist Inc. after losing a suit over a deal to license computer memory patents, saying three jurors lied during voir dire in a case that bolsters Netlist's position regarding $421 million worth of related verdicts in Texas.

  • June 17, 2025

    9th Circ. Skeptical Of Blocking National Guard Deployment

    A Ninth Circuit panel appeared open Tuesday to striking down a temporary restraining order — currently paused — that would block President Donald Trump from sending the National Guard into Los Angeles, with two judges repeatedly citing case law suggesting the president has broad discretion to mobilize the Guard.

  • June 17, 2025

    Split 9th Circ. Wants Review Of Migrant's Mental Competency

    The Ninth Circuit has revived a Guatemalan man's bid for deportation relief, with a split panel of judges saying in a published opinion that the Board of Immigration Appeals should have had an immigration judge look into the man's competency.

  • June 17, 2025

    ImmunityBio's $10.5M Investor Deal Gets Final OK

    A California federal judge has granted final approval to a $10.5 million settlement between oncology drug company ImmunityBio Inc. and investors who claim they were misled over the likelihood the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would approve the company's bladder cancer drug.

  • June 17, 2025

    AgTech Co. Can Block Rival's Weeding Tool In Patent Fight

    A California federal judge has sided with agriculture technology company Carbon Autonomous Robotic Systems to block a rival from selling a laser-based weeding tool that Carbon claims infringes its patents.

  • June 17, 2025

    Nissan Asks Justices To Void Certified Sunroof Defect Classes

    Nissan North America Inc. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to unravel certified classes of drivers alleging the automaker sold vehicles with defective panoramic sunroofs, saying the Ninth Circuit endorsed a "grossly unfair" standard that allows uninjured plaintiffs to level inflated class claims against corporate defendants.

Expert Analysis

  • Signed, Sealed, Deleted: A Look At The California Delete Act

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    The California Delete Act, proposed Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform regulations, and California Privacy Protection Agency enforcement raise a number of compliance considerations — even for data brokers that have existing deletion processes in place, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: A Rare MDL Petition Off-Day

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    In an unusual occurrence in the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's history, there are zero new MDL petitions scheduled for Thursday's hearing session, but the panel will be busy considering a host of motions regarding whether to transfer cases to eight existing MDL proceedings, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • Energy Order Brings Risks For Lenders And Borrowers Alike

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    A recent executive order directing the attorney general to submit a report next month with recommendations for halting enforcement of state laws the administration says are hampering energy resources presents risks for lenders and borrowers using state-generated carbon credits, but proactive steps now can help insulate against adverse consequences, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Customs Fraud Enforcement In The Age Of Tariffs

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    In the wake of the Trump administration’s new approach toward tariffs, two recent Justice Department developments demonstrate aggressive customs fraud enforcement, with the DOJ emphasizing competitive harm to American businesses, and signaling that investigations will likely involve both civil and criminal enforcement tools, say attorneys at Bernstein Litowitz and London & Naor.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: An Untapped Source For Biz Roles

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    Law firms looking to recruit legal business talent should consider turning to paralegals, who practice several key skills every day that prepare them to thrive in marketing and client development roles, says Vanessa Torres at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Collective Cert. In Age Bias Suit Shows AI Hiring Tool Scrutiny

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    Following a California federal court's ruling in Mobley v. Workday, which appears to be the first in the country to preliminarily certify a collective action based on alleged age discrimination from artificial intelligence tools used for hiring, employers should move quickly to audit these technologies, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Using Federal Forum Provisions To Nix State Securities Cases

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    A California appeals court's recent decision in Bullock v. Rivian clarifies that underwriters may enforce federal forum provisions to escape state court Securities Act claims, marking progress in restoring such lawsuits to federal court and reducing the litigation costs arising from duplicative state court litigation, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Series

    Playing Poker Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Poker is a master class in psychology, risk management and strategic thinking, and I’m a better attorney because it has taught me to read my opponents, adapt when I’m dealt the unexpected and stay patient until I'm ready to reveal my hand, says Casey Kingsley at McCreadyLaw.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Becoming A Firmwide MVP

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    Though lawyers don't have a neat metric like baseball players for measuring the value they contribute to their organizations, the sooner new attorneys learn skills frequently skipped in law school — like networking, marketing, client development and case evaluation — the more valuable, and less replaceable, they will be, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 9th Circ. Ruling Clarifies Derivative Suit Representation Test

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    The Ninth Circuit's recent ruling in Bigfoot Ventures v. Knighton clarifies the test used to assess the adequacy of a plaintiff's representation in a shareholder derivative action, and will likely prove useful to litigants by ensuring that courts can fully examine all relevant circumstances, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • How Mass Arbitration Defense Strategies Have Fared In Court

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    As businesses face consumers who leverage arbitration agreements to compel mass arbitration, companies are trying defense strategies like batching arbitration cases to reduce costs, and escaping specific mass arbitrations without rejecting the process completely, with varying results in the courtroom, say attorneys at Montgomery McCracken.

  • FTC Focus: Interlocking Directorate Enforcement May Persist

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    Though the Federal Trade Commission under Chair Andrew Ferguson seems likely to adopt a pro-business approach to antitrust enforcement, his endorsement of broader liability for officers or directors who illegally sit on boards of competing corporations signals that businesses should not expect board-level antitrust scrutiny to slacken, says Timothy Burroughs at Proskauer.

  • Calif. Climate Superfund Bill Faces Legal, Technical Hurdles

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    California could soon join other states in sending the fossil fuel industry a massive bill for the costs of coping with climate change — but its pending climate Superfund legislation, if enacted, is certain to face legal pushback and daunting implementation challenges, says Donald Sobelman at Farella Braun.

  • How Cos. Can Navigate Risks Of New Cartel Terrorist Labels

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    The Trump administration’s recent designation of eight drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations gives rise to new criminal and civil liabilities for companies that are unwittingly exposed to cartel activity, but businesses can mitigate such risks in a few key ways, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • 5 Tribunals' Rules To Help Patent Litigators Avoid AI Disasters

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    Tech-savvy patent litigators are uniquely poised to stay current on the latest developments in artificial intelligence, such that courts may have even higher expectations for their compliance with AI rules, including the standing orders of several patent-heavy fora, say attorneys at Finnegan.

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