Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Washington
-
July 17, 2025
9th Circ. Panel Appears Split On Trump Order Curbing Unions
A three-judge Ninth Circuit panel appeared divided Thursday on a lower court's ruling that halted enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order axing labor contracts covering agencies that have "national security" aims, with one judge expressing concern over the order's implications while two questioned if they can second-guess the president's determination.
-
July 17, 2025
Insurer Says No Coverage For $1.7M Apartment Damage
A property insurer for an apartment complex owner told a Washington federal court it owes no coverage for a "wind-driven rain" claim that the owner said totals more than $1.7 million in repair costs, alleging that the owner's prior insurer already denied coverage for the same claim.
-
July 17, 2025
REI Escapes 401(k) Suit Over Recordkeeping Fee Threshold
REI defeated a proposed class action claiming it unlawfully only charged 401(k) participants for administrative costs if they had at least $5,000 in their accounts, with a Washington state federal judge saying federal benefits law doesn't require fiduciaries to distribute expenses equally.
-
July 17, 2025
JPMorgan Chase Can't Force Arbitration In Client Racism Suit
A Washington federal judge has rejected a bid by JPMorgan Chase Bank NA to send a customer's racial discrimination suit to arbitration, concluding the bank did not show the arbitration clause in its deposit account agreement is valid and enforceable against the plaintiff family.
-
July 17, 2025
Former Club Rugby Champ Jailed For Crypto Ponzi Scheme
A Seattle federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a former national champion club rugby player to 30 months in prison for wire fraud after he defrauded investors with promises of building a new cryptocurrency mining operation.
-
July 17, 2025
Watchdog Raises Concerns On 9th Circ. Nominee's Crypto Work
President Donald Trump's nominee for the Ninth Circuit has a long record of representing cryptocurrency companies, which a watchdog group fears could aid what it calls the president's "self-enrichment" with digital currency.
-
July 16, 2025
Disbarred Atty Urges 9th Circ. To Nix $243M Loan Scam Order
A Ninth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Wednesday of a disbarred attorney's bid to unwind an order requiring the lawyer to pay $243 million for his role in a student loan scam, pressing back against his claim that he had no opportunity to depose two witnesses because he was in custody.
-
July 16, 2025
Amazon Beats Class Suit Over Prime Video Ads For Good
A Washington federal judge has permanently ended a proposed class action against Amazon.com Inc. over the introduction of commercials on the company's Prime Video streaming service, reiterating on Wednesday her prior ruling that the company's subscriber terms permitted the change.
-
July 16, 2025
American Airlines Pushed Assault Victim Out, Suit Says
American Airlines pushed a customer service agent out of her job after she reported that her supervisor repeatedly physically assaulted her at work by punching, pulling her hair and kicking her, according to a suit the airline removed to Washington federal court.
-
July 16, 2025
DOJ Tells 9th Circ. TPS Cancellation Delay Can't Stand
The U.S. Department of Justice maintained that the Ninth Circuit should vacate a California federal judge's order postponing its termination of temporary protected status for Venezuelans, based on the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling curtailing nationwide injunctions.
-
July 16, 2025
9th Circ. Tosses Atty-Farmer's Suit Over USDA Organic Label
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule allowing farm collectives in the U.S. and other countries to be certified as "organic" under one certificate and not inspected annually, tossing an attorney-turned-Oregon hazelnut farmer's suit alleging Turkish growers were defrauding the system.
-
July 16, 2025
States Push To Keep Nationwide Block On Birthright Order
A coalition of states told a Massachusetts federal court Tuesday that nothing less than a nationwide injunction can provide complete relief in the states' case against President Donald Trump's executive order targeting birthright citizenship.
-
July 16, 2025
FEMA Targeted In 20-State Suit Over Pre-Disaster Grant Cuts
A coalition of 20 states led by Washington and Massachusetts sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Boston federal court Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of illegally cutting off billions of dollars in grants for proactive disaster mitigation projects across the country.
-
July 16, 2025
Kratom Seltzers 'Addictive,' Wash. Class Suit Alleges
A proposed class of kratom product buyers is suing Mitra-9 Brands LLC in Washington federal court, alleging that the company knew — but failed to warn customers — that the products are addictive in the same way as opioids and can cause withdrawal symptoms.
-
July 15, 2025
9th Circ. Backs Nature's Way Loss In Supplements TM Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a lower court's finding that a Doctor's Best Inc. brand of supplements didn't infringe a trademark of competitor Nature's Way Products LLC because the Doctor's Best products were all sold outside the U.S.
-
July 15, 2025
Insurers Prevail In $59M Mishandled Remains Row At 9th Circ.
Two insurers for a provider of medical training have no duty to cover a $58.5 million civil judgment against a man found liable for mishandling donated bodily remains, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday, though also allowing the underlying claimants to still pursue bad faith claims against the insurers.
-
July 15, 2025
9th Circ. Won't Revive SAG-AFTRA Vax Mandate Challenge
The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to reinstate a suit claiming SAG-AFTRA shirked its duties to union members by greenlighting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate to get actors back to work during the pandemic, ruling their claims are either untimely or preempted by federal labor law.
-
July 15, 2025
9th Circ. Rejects Sentencing Enhancement In Gun Case
A Washington state federal court should not have applied a sentencing enhancement in the case of a man who handed a gun to someone who later used it to shoot an undercover federal agent, the Ninth Circuit said Monday, finding there wasn't proof his five-second hold on the weapon emboldened the shooter.
-
July 15, 2025
9th Circ. Backs United Airlines In Worker's Diabetes Bias Suit
The Ninth Circuit upheld United Airlines' win over a lawsuit claiming it refused to accommodate a diabetic employee's restriction barring her from operating a jet bridge, ruling Tuesday that the airline wasn't required to modify the worker's duties to meet her needs.
-
July 15, 2025
Gambling Biz Gets $8.5M In First-Day Ch. 11 Financing
A company that runs casinos and other gambling venues in three states received a Texas bankruptcy judge's permission Tuesday to make an initial draw of $8.5 million from a Chapter 11 financing package its existing secured lenders provided.
-
July 15, 2025
Wash. Court Doubts Hospitals' Bid To Nix $230M Judgment
A Washington state appellate judge criticized a hospital system's attempt to undo a $230 million loss in a class wage and hour suit on Tuesday, suggesting the employer's arguments about meal break waivers and timekeeping practices are at odds with its own records.
-
July 15, 2025
9th Circ. Upholds Axing Of IT Co.'s Microsoft Data Misuse Case
The Ninth Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a cybersecurity supplier's case accusing Microsoft of misusing a proprietary database of login credentials recovered on the black market, concluding that the parties' contract did not impose limits on the tech giant's use of the data.
-
July 15, 2025
Washington Wall Maker Will Pay $3.3M To Settle FCA Claims
A Washington state company that makes rigid wall shelters agreed to pay $3.3 million to settle allegations over false claims submitted under prime vendor contracts the U.S. Department of Defense used to buy goods and services, according to federal prosecutors.
-
July 15, 2025
Judge Lays Out New Framework For Refugee Admissions
A Washington federal judge established a framework for determining which refugees should be admitted to the country, despite President Donald Trump's executive order dismantling the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
-
July 14, 2025
FCC Greenlights Bell Canada's $3.65B Ziply Fiber Deal
The Federal Communications Commission on Monday granted its approval to Canadian communications company BCE Inc.'s planned acquisition of U.S. internet provider Ziply Fiber for about CA$5 billion ($3.65 billion).
Expert Analysis
-
Opinion
Legal Personhood Can Give Natural Entities Their Day In Court
Granting legal personhood to natural entities like the River Thames, or vulnerable species like the Pacific bearded seal and Arctic ringed seal, could protect them from ecological threats and the vagaries of politics, and help us transform our relationship with nature, says Sachin Nandha at the International Centre for Sustainability.
-
Calif. Cannabis Decision Deepens Commerce Clause Divide
In Peridot Tree v. Sacramento, the Eastern District of California joined a growing minority of courts that have found the dormant commerce clause inapplicable to state-regulated marijuana, and the Ninth Circuit will soon provide important guidance on this issue, say attorneys at Perkins Coie.
-
Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year
Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.
-
Algorithm Price-Fixing Ruling May Lower Antitrust Claims Bar
A Washington federal court's refusal to dismiss Duffy v. Yardi Systems, an antitrust case over rent prices allegedly inflated by revenue management software, creates an apparent split in the lower courts over how to assess such claims, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
-
What Insurers Should Know About AI Use In Litigation
As the use of artificial intelligence in litigation evolves, insurers should note standing court orders, instances of judges utilizing AI to determine policy definitions and the application of evidentiary standards to expert evidence that incorporates AI, says Sarah Abrams at Baleen Specialty.
-
Series
Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.
-
5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.