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Mealey's California Section 17200

  • March 24, 2026

    Judge Dismisses All Claims Except Conversion In Google Gift Card Scam Suit

    SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California federal judge granted a motion to dismiss without leave to amend several claims, including for violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL), against Google LLC and its affiliates for allegedly failing to protect customers from Google Play gift card scammers because most of the conduct alleged is not “attributable to Google,” declined to dismiss conversion-related claims and narrowed the class definition.

  • March 24, 2026

    Suit Alleging Infant Formula Contained Heavy Metals Dismissed With Prejudice

    OAKLAND, Calif. — A California federal judge granted an infant formula company’s motion to dismiss a putative class action lawsuit accusing it of violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws by concealing the presence of heavy metals in its formula products without leave to amend, and directed defense counsel to show cause why it should not be sanctioned “for including a non-existent quotation.”

  • March 24, 2026

    Coverage Suit Arising From Tubbs Fire Was Not Timely Filed, 9th Circuit Affirms

    SAN FRANCISCO — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on March 23 held that an insured failed to raise a genuine dispute of material fact regarding whether she timely filed her lawsuit seeking coverage for her alleged loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal belongings that were destroyed by the Tubbs Fire in October 2017, affirming a lower federal court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the insurers in her five-year-old pro se lawsuit alleging claims for breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, misrepresentation, emotional distress and violations of the Unruh Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and California Business and Professions Code Section 17200.

  • March 24, 2026

    $68M Settlement For Google Assistant Eavesdropping Claims Gets Preliminary OK

    SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California federal judge granted a motion for preliminary approval of a $68 million settlement of a group of plaintiffs’ putative class claims against Google LLC and Alphabet Inc. (collectively Google) for allegedly eavesdropping on Google Assistant (GA) users in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and privacy laws.

  • March 23, 2026

    Cert Denied In Class Ad Market Antitrust Violations Dispute Against Apple, Google

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court on March 23 denied a petition for a writ of certiorari filed by a professional certification school seeking review of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ affirmance of a lower court’s ruling compelling arbitration and dismissing a class action antitrust suit alleging that Google and Apple violated state and federal antitrust laws by unlawfully agreeing to divide online search and search advertising markets.

  • March 18, 2026

    Minors Sue XAI Over Grok’s Alleged Creation Of Illegal Nude Images

    SAN FRANCISCO — Three minors filed a putative class action lawsuit in California federal court against x.AI Corp. and x.AI LLC (collectively, xAI) over the alleged creation by its generative AI tool Grok of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) using their images seeking injunctive relief and damages against xAI for violation of CSAM laws as well as California’s unfair competition law (UCL), saying “[t]heir lives have been shattered” by the images being spread online.

  • March 18, 2026

    Roblox Plaintiff Didn’t Waive Mental Health Records Privilege, Magistrate Says

    EUREKA, Calif. — A California federal magistrate judge denied Roblox Corp.’s request to compel production of the mental health records of a minor who is one of the class representatives in a suit alleging that Roblox and third-party websites allowed minors to gamble using the digital currency “Robux,” opining that the plaintiffs did not waive privilege over therapy records regarding the minor’s gambling addiction and theft from family members.

  • March 18, 2026

    Tesla Says Certified Class Did Not Prove Members Saw ‘Self-Driving’ Claim

    SAN FRANCISCO — Tesla Inc. and its affiliates ask the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in an appellant brief to reverse the certification of a class action against them for violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws by misrepresenting the capabilities of Tesla vehicles’ “self-driving” technology, writing that the plaintiff did not present sufficient evidence that purchasers were exposed to allegedly false statements.

  • March 17, 2026

    Judge Says PFAS Smartwatch Case Against Apple Valid As Plaintiffs Have Standing

    SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in California on March 16 denied Apple Inc.’s motion to dismiss a putative class’s claims for fraudulent concealment and other causes of action in a case alleging that its smartwatch bands contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ruling that the plaintiffs demonstrated standing and adequately pleaded an injury.  The judge granted Apple’s motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ fraudulent misrepresentation and implied warranty of merchantability claims, however.

  • March 17, 2026

    122K Cy Pres Award Approved In $27.5M Thomson Reuters Data-Selling Settlement

    SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge approved the cy pres distribution of $122,101.51 in remaining funds to a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization from a $27.5 million settlement of a class action over Thomson Reuters Corp.’s online gathering and sale of personally identifiable information (PII) of Californians, holding that the nonprofit has the requisite nexus to the privacy claims asserted on behalf of the class.

  • March 16, 2026

    9th Circuit Affirms Insurer’s Win In Widow’s Suit Over Life Insurance Payment

    PASADENA, Calif. — A Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel affirmed the grant of summary judgment against a widow bringing a putative class action lawsuit against an insurer for alleged underpayment of a life insurance policy, allegedly in breach of contract and violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL), writing that the insurer paid the policy in full and was entitled to deduct unpaid premiums.

  • March 16, 2026

    Deadlines Set In Suit Against JPMorgan Over Alleged $328M Crypto Scam

    SAN FRANCISCO — Deadlines and a case management conference were set in California federal court for a putative class action against JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. brought by a plaintiff who claims that the bank “enabled” a cryptocurrency “Ponzi scheme” that misled him into liquidating and then losing his retirement account in the scam, allegedly in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws.

  • March 16, 2026

    Judge Won’t Reconsider Allowing UCL Claim Against Ford Over ‘E-Latch’ Doors

    LOS ANGELES — A California federal judge denied Ford Motor Co.’s motion for reconsideration of an order declining to dismiss a putative class action accusing it of violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) by concealing an alleged defect with its electronic door handles that could leave the doors locked and unopenable when the vehicles lose power, writing that the plaintiffs need not allege a duty to disclose to plead an unfair prong UCL claim.

  • March 13, 2026

    Judge Stays $623K Attorney Fee Sanction In Avocado Oil Case Pending Mandamus Writ

    LOS ANGELES — A California federal judge granted a plaintiff’s motion to stay a $623,000 attorney fee sanction against her attorneys for allegedly bringing a frivolous suit against Walmart Inc. pending the outcome of their petition for a writ of mandamus before the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on the condition that the plaintiff post a supersedeas bond in the full amount of the sanctions.

  • March 12, 2026

    California Court Coordinates 10 Product Liability Actions Involving ChatGPT

    SAN FRANCISCO — The Judicial Council of California agreed to coordinated proceedings of an initial batch of 10 actions against ChatGPT alleging product liability and violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL).

  • March 12, 2026

    Judge Dismisses Putative Class Action Over Mislabeled Home Depot Christmas Lights

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California federal judge on March 11 granted a motion by Home Depot Inc. (HD) to dismiss a putative class action lawsuit against it for allegedly violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws by mislabeling its Christmas lights in a manner that a consumer says rendered the products defective.

  • March 12, 2026

    Woman Tells High Court To Reject Petition Mulling Daubert Requirements For Class

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals properly found that a lower court relied on “an unexecuted damages model developed by an experienced economist” in granting certification of a class action, but in a petition for a writ of certiorari, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. (J&J) “pivots and seeks review of a different question,” the representative of the class tells the U.S. Supreme Court in a March 11 opposition brief.

  • March 11, 2026

    Judge Grants Preliminary OK To $2.9M Settlement For Toothpaste Water Contamination

    CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — A New York federal magistrate judge granted preliminary approval to a settlement worth $2.9 million against a “naturally sourced” toothpaste maker and its subsidiary company who were accused of violating California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws by not informing consumers the toothpaste maker’s facility received a Food and Drug Administration warning letter in 2024 over water contamination.

  • March 11, 2026

    OpenAI Says State Action Should Take Lead In ChatGPT Murder-Suicide Case

    SAN FRANCISCO — A woman’s California unfair competition law (UCL) action alleging that interactions with ChatGPT led to a murder-suicide threatens to waste court resources and produce piecemeal litigation duplicative of a recently consolidated state court action, OpenAI entities say in a March 10 motion urging the federal court to dismiss the case or stay it while the state court suit proceeds.

  • March 11, 2026

    Crayola Defends ‘Non-Toxic’ Label On Products Against Class Claims

    SAN FRANCISCO — Crayola LLC on March 10 moved to dismiss a putative class action brought against it in California federal court by consumers who allege that its markers, glue sticks and chalk are falsely labeled as “non-toxic” in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL), writing that the consumers failed to allege the label is deceptive based on their “overbroad and fanciful understanding” of that term.

  • March 11, 2026

    Judge Declines To Certify Class Of AirTag ‘Stalking’ Victims Suing Apple

    SAN FRANCISCO — A California federal judge denied a motion that was filed by plaintiffs who claim that Apple Inc.’s “AirTag” tracking devices were used to stalk them in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) and other laws, in which they sought to certify three nationwide classes of people allegedly “tracked without consent by Apple’s AirTag,” and directed the parties to prepare to discuss whether the cases should be severed.

  • March 10, 2026

    Pet Food Class Action Over ‘No Preservatives’ Claim Partly Dismissed

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A California federal judge on March 9 granted in part and denied in part a pet food company’s motion to dismiss a putative class action against it for allegedly falsely labeling its pet food products as containing no preservatives in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL), finding that the plaintiff’s claims in general were sufficient but dismissing her omission-based and punitive damages claims.

  • March 10, 2026

    U.S. Supreme Court Dismisses Google, Epic Fortnite Antitrust Dispute

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — After the parties filed a joint stipulation to dismiss, the U.S. Supreme Court in a docket only order on March 9 dismissed a petition filed by Google LLC and related entities (collectively, Google) seeking review of a Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ ruling affirming a jury verdict and injunction in an antitrust suit filed against it by Epic Games Inc. over Google’s removal of Epic’s Fortnite game from the Google Play Store.

  • March 06, 2026

    Google, Epic Games Ask U.S. Supreme Court To Dismiss Fortnite Antitrust Dispute

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — After filing a motion to modify an injunction in a California federal court, Epic Games Inc. and Google LLC and related entities (collectively, Google) on March 5 filed a joint stipulation of dismissal in the U.S. Supreme Court regarding Google’s petition seeking review of a Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ ruling affirming a lower court’s jury verdict and injunction in an antitrust suit filed against it by Epic Games Inc. over Google’s removal of Epic’s Fortnite game from the Google Play Store.

  • March 06, 2026

    Judge Partly Dismisses ‘Natural’ Marketing Suit Against ‘ZzzQuil’ Maker

    SAN DIEGO — A California federal judge on March 5 granted in part and denied in part a motion filed by The Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) to dismiss a consumer’s putative class action accusing it of misleadingly marketing a sleep aid product as providing benefits “naturally” in violation of California’s unfair competition law (UCL) because it is actually made with “synthesized” artificial ingredients.