US jury orders NSO Group to pay WhatsApp $168M in damages over spyware use
JURIST
MAY 7, 2025
A California jury ordered NSO Group Technologies to pay WhatsApp $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167,254,000 in punitive damages on Tuesday.
California appeals court upholds $86 million verdict in “Roundup” suit against Monsanto, Bayer
JURIST
AUGUST 11, 2021
A California appeals court on Monday upheld an $86 million verdict against The Monsanto Company, a subsidiary of German pharmaceutical and life sciences company, Bayer AG. The decision comes amidst a number of lawsuits filed against Monsanto, which Bayer inherited as the parent company.
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California sues Tesla for discrimination and harassment of Black workers
JURIST
FEBRUARY 11, 2022
Following a three-year investigation, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Tesla Motors and fifty representatives Thursday, alleging its work environment violated the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and other laws with regard to Black employees.
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Federal appeals court affirms $25 million judgment in Bayer’s Roundup cancer case
JURIST
MAY 17, 2021
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a $25 million judgment and jury verdict Friday finding that a California man, Edwin Hardeman, developed cancer from exposure to agribusiness Monsanto’s weed-killer, Bayer’s Roundup.
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US federal judge significantly reduces damages in Tesla workplace racial harassment lawsuit
JURIST
APRIL 15, 2022
Orrick of the US District Court of Northern California Wednesday reduced damages Tesla owed in a workplace racial harassment suit from $137 million to $15 million. Last October, worker Owen Diaz sued Tesla for violating California state law and 42 USC §1981 , which guarantees non-discrimination in the making of contracts.
Hunter Biden sues Rudy Giuliani for accessing hard drive
JURIST
SEPTEMBER 26, 2023
Hunter Biden sued Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday, alleging violations of federal and California law. ” Biden also claims violations of California Penal Code § 502 , which prohibits knowingly accessing another’s information to execute any scheme to “defraud, deceive, or extort.”
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Account holders sue PayPal for allegedly withholding account funds
JURIST
JANUARY 14, 2022
Account holders Thursday filed a class action lawsuit against PayPal in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. PayPal also allegedly violated the Electronic Funds Transfer Act and the California Business & Professions Code.
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California judge orders new trial in Tesla racial discrimination lawsuit
JURIST
JUNE 28, 2022
A federal judge in California Monday granted Tesla’s motion for a new trial in a former employee’s racial discrimination lawsuit. million in compensatory damages and $13.5 million in punitive damages. Plantiff Owen Diaz turned down an award of $15 million which was originally $137 million.
Facebook sued for giving preference to visa workers
JURIST
MAY 19, 2022
Plaintiff Purushothaman Rajaram Tuesday filed a class action lawsuit in a California US District Court against Meta Platforms Inc., Facebook’s new parent company for employment discrimination. The post Facebook sued for giving preference to visa workers appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Dow Hit With $56M Punitive Damages In Calif. Cleanup Trial
Law 360
OCTOBER 24, 2022
A California jury on Monday found that Dow Chemical owes $56.3 million in punitive damages for its role manufacturing dry cleaning chemicals that contaminated the city of Modesto's soil and groundwater, according to attorneys for the city.
Jury awards semiconductor manufacturer $40M in trade secrets case against rival
JURIST
MARCH 24, 2022
A jury for the US District Court for the Northern District of California awarded Comet Technologies $40 million in damages on Wednesday, finding that a rival company had misappropriated trade secrets on equipment used in the manufacturing of semiconductor chips. Comet had sought compensatory damages of $32.5
Couple Harassed By EBay May Not Get Maximum Damages
Law 360
OCTOBER 4, 2024
A federal judge said Friday she will have to decide count by count whether she can allow a Massachusetts couple suing eBay over a harassment campaign against them to seek punitive damages under California law while pursuing compensatory damages for the same claims under the laws of the pair's home state.
“Bayer Loses Third Appeal of Roundup Herbicide Cancer Verdict”
HowAppealing
AUGUST 9, 2021
“Bayer Loses Third Appeal of Roundup Herbicide Cancer Verdict”: Joel Rosenblatt and Jef Feeley of Bloomberg News have this report on a ruling that a partially divided three-judge panel of California’s First District Court of Appeal issued today.
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The Supreme Court of Japan on Punitive Damages…
Conflict of Laws
JUNE 3, 2021
Assume that you successfully obtained a favourable judgment from a foreign court that orders the losing party to pay punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. Could the judgment be enforced in Japan where punitive damages are considered as contrary to public policy?
Online gaming platform sues content creator over false terror threats
JURIST
NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Roblox, an online game platform, sued content creator Benjamin Robert Simon on Tuesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California for encouraging “unlawful acts designed to injure Roblox and its users.”
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Farmers Owes $137M For Bias, Agent Name-Calling, Jury Told
Law 360
MAY 3, 2023
Ex-insurance agents' counsel asked a California jury during closings Wednesday to award $17.24 million in compensatory damages and $120 million in punitive damages against Farmers Group Inc.
Shareholder sues Elon Musk and Twitter over stock decline
JURIST
MAY 26, 2022
Heresniak seeks a jury trial, declaratory and injunctive relief, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees. Therefore, Heresniak believes Musk intentionally engaged in “unlawful conduct” to tank Twitter’s value. The post Shareholder sues Elon Musk and Twitter over stock decline appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Meta Seeks Punitives For NSO WhatsApp Hack As Trial Opens
Law 360
APRIL 29, 2025
Meta's counsel told a California federal jury during trial openings Tuesday that Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes nearly $445,000 plus punitive damages for its "despicable" conduct hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, while NSO's counsel denied owing Meta anything and criticized Meta's case as a PR attempt to "own the narrative."
BREAKING: Jury Finds Natera Owes Guardant $292.5M In False Ad Suit
Law 360
NOVEMBER 25, 2024
A California federal jury on Monday awarded Guardant Health $292.5 million in actual and punitive damages after finding that medical test company Natera Inc. falsely advertised its colorectal cancer assay Signatera as superior to Guardant's competing product Reveal.
EBay Resists Calif. Damages In Mass. Stalking Case
Law 360
AUGUST 5, 2024
employees shouldn't be able to seek punitive damages available under California law while having Massachusetts law otherwise govern liability for their myriad civil claims, the e-commerce giant is arguing. Married Massachusetts bloggers who were stalked and terrorized by eBay Inc.
Jury Hits SoCal Edison With $460M Worker Retaliation Verdict
Law 360
JUNE 2, 2022
A California state jury awarded more than $460 million, including $440 million in punitive damages, to two former Southern California Edison workers who say they were retaliated against for reporting sexual and racial harassment, attorneys for the workers announced Thursday.
Dow, PPG Hit With $4M Verdict Over Calif. Chemical Cleanup
Law 360
OCTOBER 20, 2022
A California federal jury ruled Thursday that Dow Chemical and PPG Industries jointly owe the city of Modesto $4 million to clean up dry cleaning chemicals they produced that contaminated city land, and concluded Dow must face possible punitive damages.
Calif. Panel Affirms $87M Roundup Award Against Monsanto
Law 360
AUGUST 9, 2021
A California appellate court Monday rejected Monsanto's bid to overturn an $87 million award and trial win for a couple who claimed glyphosate in Roundup weedkiller gave them cancer, with one judge largely concurring but dissenting as to the "grossly excessive" punitive damages.
BREAKING: Tesla Hit With $3.2M Bias Verdict After $137M Award Nixed
Law 360
APRIL 3, 2023
A California federal jury on Monday ordered Tesla to pay $175,000 in noneconomic damages and $3 million in punitive damages to a Black ex-subcontractor who was harassed and subjected to racial slurs, capping a damages retrial that began after the overseeing judge threw out a prior $137 million verdict as excessive.
Limited blogging for two weeks
At the Lectern
AUGUST 21, 2024
Horvitz & Levy partner Curt Cutting, the primary writer for the firm’s “ California Punitive Damages ” blog, will be filling in. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be away until a few days after Labor Day. But blogging might be lighter than usual.
Sexual Harassment in California
JayS.Rothman&Associates
MAY 1, 2022
In California, employees are protected from sexual harassment in the workplace by the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) (Labor Code secs. as well as general damages for any mental anguish, emotional distress, or other pain and suffering. In addition, punitive damages are available if the additional elements of Cal.
Limited blogging for several days
At the Lectern
MARCH 22, 2023
Horvitz & Levy partner Curt Cutting, the primary writer for the Horvitz & Levy blog “ California Punitive Damages ” will be filling in. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be away for a little while. But blogging might be lighter than usual.
BREAKING: HP Spinoff Hit With $30M Verdict In Copyright Fight
Law 360
JUNE 14, 2022
A California federal jury on Tuesday found that Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. 30 million for knowingly stealing Oracle's customers by offering software updates that ripped off Oracle's copyrights, but concluded that HPE was not liable for punitive damages. owed Oracle Corp. $30
Biotech Firm Can't Nix Researcher's Suit Tied To $35M Buyout
Law 360
AUGUST 22, 2023
A Colorado biotech company must face a lawsuit by a co-founder of a firm the biotech company bought in a $35 million deal, a California federal judge ruled Monday despite tossing the co-founder's bid for exemplary and punitive damages, as well claims against unknown defendants.
Monster Wins $293M Verdict Against VPX In False Ad Trial
Law 360
SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
A California federal jury awarded Monster Energy Co. nearly $293 million and teed up possible enhanced and punitive damages Thursday after finding Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Tesla Can't Get New Bias Trial, But $137M Verdict May Get Cut
Law 360
JANUARY 19, 2022
Tesla won't get a new trial after a jury awarded $137 million to a Black ex-subcontractor who was harassed and subjected to racial slurs on the job, a California federal judge indicated on Wednesday, but the judge said he's "troubled" by the "extremely high" emotional distress award and punitive damages.
Supreme Court will hear follow-up to its Tirado decision on sentence enhancements
At the Lectern
SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
Punitive damages reversal. A divided Second District, Division Eight, published opinion overturned a $3,000,000 punitive award against the supplier of talc with asbestos fibers that was found to be a cause of the plaintiff’s mesothelioma. Tirado (2022) 12 Cal.5th The court denied review in McNeal v.
BUSINESS OWNER GOT SMOKED OUT
NewmanFerraraLLP
JANUARY 26, 2023
” ( Complaint , paragraph 13) Alleging, among other things, negligence, breach of the lease, and a constructive eviction, Jin seeks to recover general, special damages, exemplary and punitive damages, together with an award of her fees and costs. Complaint, preamble.) .” Posner ~ Complaint
Mastering Numbers in Legal Writing: A Complete Guide to Style & Formatting
Legal Writing Launch
SEPTEMBER 16, 2024
Legal professionals must follow standard conventions, often dictated by specific style guides like The Bluebook or the California Style Manual. Example: $1,000 or One thousand dollars ($1,000) (It is interesting that both The Blue Book and the California Style Manual are silent on this point.
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Supreme Court will hear case on reimbursements to Medi-Cal service providers
At the Lectern
NOVEMBER 18, 2021
Whether a supermajority is necessary to approve a tax increase by an initiative rather than by a governmental body is a question left open by the 2017 5-2 decision in California Cannabis Coalition v. The partial dissent found the punitive damages to be “grossly excessive.” City of Upland (2017) 3 Cal.5th
Supreme Court dumps criminal case two years after granting review
At the Lectern
SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
The opinion reversed an award, including $2,500,000 in punitive damages, against an insurance company regarding the sale of the company’s annuity, because, the appellate court concluded, the person who sold the annuity was not the company’s agent. See here.). The court denied review in Linovitz Capo Shores LLC v.
Trademark Basics, Halloween Special: Tips and Tales From the Trademark Crypt
Broadcast Law Blog
OCTOBER 25, 2016
million in damages (which was reduced to $678,302 on appeal) and $16.8 million in punitive damages (which was reduced to approximately $4.1 (It should be noted, however, that in 1974, the ability to locate marks that were in use, but were not registered, was far more limited than today.) In any event, a jury awarded Big O $2.8
No straight grants at the Wednesday conference
At the Lectern
DECEMBER 2, 2021
Superior Court , where review was granted in September to decide if Government Code section 818 , which bars punitive damages against government defendants, precludes recovery under Code of Civil Procedure section 340.1 , subdivision (b), which permits an award of up to treble damages after a child is sexually abused as a result of a cover up.
Risky Business: Appearance of ‘Risk’ Manager Sends Oberlin Students into Frenzy over the Danger of ‘Risk Aversion’
JonathanTurley
MAY 8, 2023
The jury in June 2019 awarded the Gibsons $44 million in compensatory and punitive damages. Feminist studies associate professor Mireille Miller-Young was sentenced for criminally assaulting pro-life advocates on campus at the University of California – Santa Barbara. A judge later reduced the award to $25 million.
Supreme Court to address private employee whistleblower protections and public entity damages for covering up childhood sexual assault
At the Lectern
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
concerning California’s whistleblower statute. ” Justices Goodwin Liu and Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar recorded dissenting votes from the denial of review in Stand Up for California! State of California. The court agreed to hear People ex rel. Garcia-Brower v. Kolla’s Inc. ” (Link added.)
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Small Tech Company Takes On Major Law Firm Over Ownership of Bill-Drafting Software
LawSites
NOVEMBER 29, 2022
A 25-person legal technology company in California is fighting back against one of the world’s largest law firms in a lawsuit over ownership rights to legislation-drafting software that each side says was its idea.
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From Forever 21 to FC Barcelona, a Look at adidas’ History of 3-Stripe Legal Battles
The Fashion Law
JUNE 29, 2021
Amid escalating behind-the-scenes tensions, Skechers filed suit against adidas in February , asking a California federal court to declare that despite adidas’s claims of infringement, it has not run afoul of the notoriously litigious German sportswear giant’s 3-stripe trademark by way of its 4-stripe Goldie-Peaks shoe. Crew’s mark.
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December 2020 Updates to the Climate Case Charts
ClimateChange-ClimateLaw
DECEMBER 11, 2020
Like the district court, the Ninth Circuit rejected an argument that the regulations were a “project” subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because the rules could impact the environment by increasing “deadhead” trips to and from the airport. 1:20-cv-00056 (D.D.C. Union of Concerned Scientists v. 19-1230 (D.C.
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US and UK Rohingya refugees sue Facebook alleging dissemination of ‘hateful and dangerous misinformation’
JURIST
DECEMBER 6, 2021
The causes of action in the suit include strict product liability and negligence, and specifically addresses the following questions of law: whether Facebook (i.e. ” Plaintiffs demand a jury trial.
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