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Washington
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July 30, 2025
Wash. Ex-Officer's Conviction Upheld In Plot To Shoot Him
A former Washington corrections officer cannot overturn conspiracy convictions for persuading his sister to shoot him at work, a state appellate panel has ruled.
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July 30, 2025
NFT Trademark Ruling Highlights Free Speech Limits In Art
In ruling that nonfungible tokens qualify as trademarks, the Ninth Circuit last week followed guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court that the First Amendment cannot always protect expressive marks from infringement.
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July 30, 2025
Refugee Class Certified In Suit Over Trump's Admissions Ban
A Washington federal judge said Wednesday that a challenge to the Trump administration's halt on refugee admissions may move forward as a class action on behalf of individuals seeking entry into the country and others impacted by the suspension, while also spurning the federal government's dismissal bid.
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July 30, 2025
State Farm Ordered To Pay $54.6M Over Vehicle Valuations
State Farm must pay more than $54.6 million across two class actions for underpaying the value of totaled vehicles via a "typical negotiation" deduction, a Washington federal court ruled, noting the plaintiffs provided "undisputed" evidence that State Farm violated the state's Consumer Protection Act.
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July 30, 2025
Cash App Parent's $12.5M Spam Text Settlement Gets 1st OK
A Washington federal judge has granted preliminary approval to Cash App parent Block Inc.'s $12.5 million class action settlement with customers who alleged they were bombarded with "annoying and harassing spam texts" from the company.Â
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July 30, 2025
9th Circ. Upholds Life Sentences In Kidnapping Case
The Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that a man must continue to face two life sentences for his role in the kidnapping of a California medical marijuana dispensary owner who the kidnappers wrongly believed had $1 million buried in the Mojave Desert.
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July 30, 2025
8th Circ. Tosses Ruling Striking Binding NEPA Regulations
The Eighth Circuit has granted blue states' bid to vacate a ruling that faulted the White House Council on Environmental Quality for issuing binding regulations under the National Environmental Policy Act, following the Trump administration's decision to withdraw those regulations.
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July 30, 2025
Wash. Condo Group Seeks $10M In Water Damage Coverage
A condominium association said its Country Financial insurers must provide coverage for an estimated $10.4 million in hidden water damage, telling a Washington federal court the insurers have failed to make a coverage determination in the two years since the association submitted its damage claim.Â
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July 30, 2025
Amazon Denied 'Mini-Trial' Against Shoppers' Proposed Class
A Washington state federal judge summarily refused Wednesday to let Amazon interrogate the expert witness backing a bid for class action status covering tens of millions of consumers, finding that the proposal for evidentiary hearing, with cross-examination, is unneeded.
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July 30, 2025
Trump Official Denies Shutting Down FEMA Disaster Program
The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told a Massachusetts federal judge that President Donald Trump's administration has not decided whether to end the agency's flagship natural disaster protection program, despite a lawsuit by 20 states claiming it had been shut down.
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July 30, 2025
Dem Senators Press 9th Circ. Pick On Gender Role Beliefs
Eric Tung, a partner at Jones Day and nominee for the Ninth Circuit, faced questions from Democratic senators during his nomination hearing Wednesday about his views on gender roles, based on remarks he gave to the Yale Daily News in 2004, when he was in college.
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July 30, 2025
Honeywell, Fund's $1.2M Liability Dispute Sent To Arbitration
A Washington federal judge has paused a union pension fund's suit seeking nearly $1.2 million after, the suit says, Honeywell International Inc. stopped contributions and withdrew from the fund, ordering the parties to arbitrate over when the company received notice for its withdrawal liability.
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July 29, 2025
States Sue To Block Feds' Demand For Benefit Recipient Data
Nearly two dozen state attorneys general are fighting the USDA's directive for states to turn over private information about millions of food assistance benefit recipients, arguing in a new lawsuit filed in California federal court that this demand violates multiple privacy laws and the U.S. Constitution.
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July 29, 2025
Axos Wants Justices To Undo Auditor's $1.5M Retaliation Win
BofI Federal Bank, now operating as Axos Bank, has taken its dispute with a former auditor to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to vacate a Ninth Circuit decision upholding a $1.5 million jury verdict in favor of the auditor, who claimed he was fired for whistleblowing.
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July 29, 2025
9th Circ. Urged To Rehear Alaskan Willow Project Ruling
Alaskan Native and environmental advocacy groups are asking the Ninth Circuit for a rehearing on its ruling to uphold the federal government's decision to evaluate only alternatives for the ConocoPhillips Willow project that they say will result in full development of the Arctic oil reservoir.
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July 29, 2025
Ambulance Co. Can't Undo $2.3M Verdict In Wash. Crash Case
A Washington Court of Appeals panel has affirmed an ambulance operator's $2.3 million trial court loss in a patient's family's wrongful death case over a crash, rejecting the company's argument that its crew was shielded from liability by a state law that protects first responders providing emergency medical services.
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July 29, 2025
Trump Says High Court Rulings Undermine Wash. Halt On EOs
Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court undermine a Washington federal judge's finding that portions of two executive orders concerning gender-affirming care and transgender identity likely violate the Constitution, the Trump administration argued in recent filings.
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July 29, 2025
9th Circ. Won't Renew Suit Over Wash. Ban On 'DIY' Rape Kits
A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday refused to revive a constitutional challenge to Washington state's ban on self-administered DNA evidence collection kits for sexual assault survivors, concluding that the plaintiff company failed to show the law illegally restricts commercial speech.
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July 29, 2025
Jack Daniel's Toy TM Win Violates Free Speech, 9th Circ. Told
The maker of a dog toy parodying Jack Daniel's iconic whiskey bottle has urged the Ninth Circuit to reverse a finding that its "Bad Spaniels" toy tarnishes Jack Daniel's mark, arguing the ruling constitutes unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination over "mild poo jokes" that weren't similar to famous Jack Daniel's marks.
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July 29, 2025
9th Circ. Rescinds Ruling On Wash. Abortion Coverage Law
A Ninth Circuit panel has walked back a published March opinion rejecting a Christian church's challenge to a Washington state law mandating employer health coverage of abortion services, saying in a Tuesday order that the federal appeals court would issue a new ruling following additional oral arguments.
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July 29, 2025
Symetra Gets Final OK On $2.1M Structured Settlement Suit
A Washington federal judge has given final approval to a $2.175 million deal to end allegations that insurance conglomerate Symetra tricked structured settlement recipients into trading their long-term payments for a heavily discounted lump sum.
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July 29, 2025
Calif. Privacy Agency Fines Data Broker For Skirting Registry
The California Privacy Protection Agency on Tuesday announced its latest enforcement action under a groundbreaking state data deletion law, imposing a more than $55,000 fine on a Washington-based data broker on allegations it failed to fulfill its registration obligations last year.Â
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July 29, 2025
22 States Sue To Block Defunding Of Planned Parenthood
California and more than 20 other states on Tuesday launched their own legal challenge to budget legislation that halts federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, alleging the measure illegally targets the organization and violates its First Amendment rights.
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July 29, 2025
9th Circ. Won't Revive Drag Queen's Likeness Claims
The Ninth Circuit has affirmed Netflix's win in a case brought by a famous Los Angeles drag queen who sued over use of her likeness in an adult animation show, saying it had not been shown that Netflix used that likeness as a mark rather than some other expressive function.Â
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July 29, 2025
Justices Can Fix Circuit Split On Compassionate Release
The First Step Act drastically reduced the mandatory minimum sentences for certain federal crimes, but it will be up to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle a 6-4 circuit split over whether courts can consider those changes when weighing a prisoner's compassionate release, attorneys tell ¼«ËÙÈü³µ.
Expert Analysis
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What 9th Circ. Ruling Shows About Rebutting SEC Comments
The Ninth Circuit's June opinion in Pino v. Cardone Capital suggests that a company's lack of pushback to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission comment may be evidence of its state of mind for evaluating potential liability, meaning companies should consider including additional disclosure in SEC response letters, say attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg.
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9th Circ. Decisions Help Clarify Scope Of Legal Lab Marketing
Two Ninth Circuit decisions last week provide a welcome development in clarifying the line between laboratories' legal marketing efforts and undue influence that violates the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, and offer useful guidance for labs seeking to mitigate enforcement risk, says Joshua Robbins at Buchalter.
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What 9th Circ. Cracker Barrel Ruling Means For FLSA Cert.
The Ninth Circuit's decision in Harrington v. Cracker Barrel suggests a settling of two procedural trends in Fair Labor Standards Act jurisprudence — when to issue notice and where nationwide collectives can be filed — rather than deepening circuit splits, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.
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Series
Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator
Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.
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Calif. Air Waivers Fight Fuels Automakers', States' Uncertainty
The unprecedented attempt by Congress and the Trump administration to kill the Clean Air Act waivers supporting California's vehicle emissions standards will eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court — but meanwhile, vehicle manufacturers, and states following California's standards, are left in limbo, says John Watson at Spencer Fane.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma
Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.
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9th Circ. Customs Ruling A Limited Win For FCA Plaintiffs
While the decision last month in Island Industries v. Sigma may be welcome news for False Claims Act relators, under binding precedent courts within the Ninth Circuit still do not have jurisdiction to adjudicate customs-based FCA claims pursued by the government, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.
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Opinion
4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding
As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.
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Preparing For Trump Pushback Against State Climate Laws
An April executive order from President Donald Trump mandated a report from the U.S. attorney general on countering so-called state overreach in climate policy, and while that report has yet to appear, companies can expect that it will likely call for using litigation, legislation and funding to actively reshape energy policy, say attorneys at Bracewell.
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DOJ Actions Signal Rising Enforcement Risk For Health Cos.
The U.S. Department of Justice's announcement of a new False Claims Act working group, together with the largest healthcare fraud takedown in history, underscore the importance of sophisticated compliance programs that align with the DOJ's data-driven approach, say attorneys at Debevoise.
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How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery
E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.
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Justices Rethink Minimum Contacts For Foreign Entities
Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Devas v. Antrix and Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization, suggest that federal statutes may confer personal jurisdiction over foreign entities that have little to no contact with the U.S. — a significant departure from traditional due process principles, says Gary Shaw at Pillsbury.
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Gauging The Risky Business Of Business Risk Disclosures
With the recent rise of securities fraud actions based on external events — like a data breach or environmental disaster — that drive down stock prices, risk disclosures have become more of a sword for the plaintiffs bar than a shield for public companies, now the subject of a growing circuit split, say attorneys at A&O Shearman.
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Series
Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care
Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.