Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

The California Supreme Court has ruled 6-1 in favor of Gilead Sciences in a case which addresses whether ‌manufacturers of drugs that are considered safe must try developing drugs that could be safer. California's ​highest court ordered the dismissal of negligence claims against the Foster City, California-based company by an estimated 24,000 patients using TDF, an HIV drug it produced, over its decision more than 20 ​years ago to stop developing tenofovir alafenamide fumarate, ⁠or TAF, which was similar to TDF but had fewer side effects. "What today’s decision declines to do is ​recognize, for the first time anywhere, sweeping liability for injuries caused by a concededly nondefective ⁠drug because the manufacturer allegedly failed to make a different drug available sooner," Justice Joshua Groban wrote for the majority. "Imposing ​such liability would create substantial burdens and would risk adverse consequences for pharmaceutical innovation, public health, and patient safety."

 

Reuters

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has said that his office has filed 82 lawsuits against the Trump administration, protecting an estimated $207bn in federal funding. “Since President Trump returned to office, California has been under attack - and has led the way in fighting back,” Bonta said. His efforts have defended birthright citizenship, halted National Guard deployments, and blocked federal interference in state elections. Despite some losses, Bonta's office has won 83% of court orders in cases against the administration. He believes California will be remembered for its resilience against federal overreach, saying: “Are these trying times? 100%. Absolutely, yes . . . But we shouldn't be helpless, because we're not helpless.”

 

Los Angeles Times

OpenAI and Statsig, a subsidiary which makes product development software, will pay $3.2m to settle U.S. government claims that they favored foreign workers with temporary employment visas and discriminated ​against U.S. job applicants when hiring. The Justice Department said various steps were taken to discourage U.S. ​workers from applying for positions, including requiring applicants to mail paper applications instead of ​submitting electronic ones, advertising jobs on the radio late at night, and ⁠not posting the openings on an external website. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said that "this substantial settlement ensures that OpenAI redresses harm and ​changes its recruitment practices ​so that U.S. ⁠workers receive a fair opportunity for highly sought-after technology positions."

 

Reuters

Apple has asked a U.S. judge for a preliminary injunction barring two former employees ​and OpenAI from accessing, acquiring, using or disclosing alleged confidential information as ‌it moves ahead with its trade secrets case. The tech giant sued OpenAI last month, alleging that former Apple employees who went to work for the ChatGPT maker stole trade secrets. Quartz notes that the lawsuit marked a sharp deterioration in a relationship that had once produced a 2024 agreement to integrate ChatGPT into Siri, a partnership that has since collapsed.

 

Quartz

CNBC

A New Jersey-based animal health technology firm faces allegations of fraud and deceptive business practices following the death of an 11-year-old dog that was misdiagnosed by an AI diagnostic tool. Columbia Veterinary Hospital has filed a lawsuit in Wasco County Court against Zoetis, seeking at least $50,000 in damages. Veterinarians at the hospital in The Dalles, Oregon, used the company’s Vetscan Imagyst system in October 2025 to evaluate tissue samples from a Belgian Tervuren brought in with a rapidly growing neck mass, according to court documents seen by The Oregonian. The filing alleges Zoetis falsely promoted the device as “the world’s most capable veterinary AI analyzer,” while omitting known operational limitations.

 

The Oregonian

New Jersey has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the company unlawfully uses its dominant position in the market for delivery drivers to suppress competition, keep wages artificially low, and impose poor working conditions on contractors in its Delivery Service Partner (DSP) network. In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, New Jersey charged that Amazon “orchestrated a deliberate and unlawful scheme” to harm thousands who were forced to work under “grueling and often inhumane conditions” through its creation and control over DSPs. Amazon has rejected the allegations, saying its delivery partners are independent businesses that control their own hiring and operations.

 

CNBC

NJ.com

The National Labor Relations Board has ruled that Whole Foods did not breach labor law by prohibiting employees from wearing Black Lives Matter (BLM) clothing and accessories, finding the apparel was not directly connected to workers' own terms or conditions of employment. The ruling also upheld the legality of Whole Foods' former dress code, overturning an earlier administrative judge's decision that the policy was overly broad.

 

Los Angeles Times

Reuters

A senior supervisor at the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) warned staff they could face "the most unpleasant" consequences if they made inflammatory or overly aggressive remarks during examinations of financial firms, according to an internal email obtained by Reuters. The message, sent by Chief Examiner Fatima Batie in May as the agency resumed inspections after a lengthy pause, has prompted criticism from former officials, who argue it could discourage rigorous oversight and embolden the companies the CFPB regulates. The email reflects the Trump administration's broader effort to scale back financial regulation. Former acting CFPB Director Russell Vought has said the agency has recalibrated its supervisory approach to minimize burdens on businesses, while agency leadership has reduced the number of examinations by around 50% and shifted focus away from areas such as student loans and medical debt. Similar changes have been introduced by other federal banking regulators, which have encouraged financial institutions to report concerns about examiner conduct. 

 

Reuters

A federal judge in California has said lawsuits challenging Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery will ​go to trial in March 2027. U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said the antitrust trial will begin March 2 with an expectation that it will run for 12 court days. The Wall Street Journal reports that the ruling could prove costly for Paramount. Its agreement with Warner includes a “ticking fee” with payments to Warner shareholders of roughly $650m a quarter, beginning this October, until the transaction closes.

 

New York Times

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

Germaine Gurr has joined A&O Shearman as a partner in its M&A and private equity practice in Los Angeles, where she will also serve as the managing partner for the office and a member of the AI steering committee. Gurr brings extensive experience advising Fortune 500 companies, NYSE-listed boards, and private equity sponsors on complex cross-border M&A and other legal matters. She previously worked at Sidley Austin. 

 

Bloomberg Law

The Paris state prosecutor has launched a preliminary inquiry into alleged workplace bullying following the attempted suicide of a staff member in a department connected to the French prime minister’s office. A lawyer for the woman who attempted suicide said staff difficulties had been compounded by the recent instability of governments – there have been four prime ministers in two years. Public radio station France Inter reported on Monday that two government workers in different departments had ended their lives in the past year, and two others had attempted suicide. 

 

The Guardian

Extreme heat is reducing productivity and increasing illnesses, with one study finding rising temperatures could be costing informal workers the equivalent of 2% of their country's GDP annually. "Wage losses are only going to worsen as temperatures continue to rise," observes Ameena Kidwai, lead researcher at People's Courage International, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization aiming to strengthen informal workers' rights. "Workers are now putting in many more hours than they did before to complete the same amount of work." Kidwai said the organization's survey of informal workers in five Asian cities found that tasks once completed in eight hours now take 10 to 12 hours during the hottest months, as workers slow down to cope with dangerous heat that is becoming a major occupational hazard. Researchers say an inability to recover is a defining feature of urban heat for informal workers such as construction laborers, street vendors and delivery riders.

 

Deutsche Welle (EN)