Kat Black
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Articles by Kat Black
Google, Meta, TikTok Sue Calif. AG to Block Landmark State Children's Online Safety Bill
Google, Meta, and TikTok.. Photos: LAW.COM Google LLC, Meta Platforms Inc. and TikTok Inc. filed federal suits in California this week in attempt to block a first-in-the-nation children's online safety bill that is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
Alarm sounded as Anthropic IPO filing reveals “catastrophic” risks
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'Preying on Children'? OpenAI Faces Novel Class Action for Alleged Use of Minors' Data to Train AI Models
Credit: Squtye/Adobe Stock A novel class action in California federal court accuses OpenAI of using children's data, in violation of state law that protects minors' property rights, to train its artificial intelligence models.
California AG Subpoenas OpenAI in Investigation of 'Hugging Face' Hack
California Attorney General Rob Bonta during a summit hosted by Politico on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. Photo: Annie Barker/AP In the second state-led enforcement action to hit OpenAI over a hacking incident involving another AI company, California Attorney General Rob Bonta disclosed on Thursday that he has subpoenaed OpenAI as part of an "ongoing" investigation conducted by the state Department of Justice.
DOJ Seeks to Intervene in Musk, X Corp. Actions Contesting €120M EU Fine
Credit: Koshiro/Adobe Stock The U.S. Department of Justice has reported that it is pursuing intervention in support of cases filed by billionaire Elon Musk and his technology company X Corp. that seek to overturn a €120 million fine imposed by the European Union on social network platform X. The DOJ announced it had filed an application to intervene in the cases, with the help of the U.S. Department of State, in a news release published on Sept. 24.
'Pay-to-Play': San Francisco City Attorney Announces Lawsuit Against Trump Media
17th District Assemblymember David Chiu speaks out against Asian American violence at a press event held Chinatown's Chinese Cultural Center on March 19, 2021. Photo: Jason Doiy/ Law.com The city attorney of San Francisco, David Chiu, has announced a legal action on behalf of the people of California against Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., the parent company of social media platform Truth Social that is majority-owned by President Donald Trump.
Former NJ AG's Firm Helms Copyright Fight Against OpenAI, Microsoft on Behalf of 500-Plus Regional News Publishers
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. Courtesy photo Platkin LLP, a boutique law firm founded by the former attorney general of New Jersey, filed a second copyright infringement lawsuit on behalf of regional news publishers against OpenAI Inc. and Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday. The suit, captioned Times Publishing Company v. Microsoft, represents more than 150 local publications across the U.S. and marks Platkin's third complaint against OpenAI since its launch in February 2026.
Former NJ AG's Firm Helms Copyright Fight Against OpenAI, Microsoft on Behalf of 500-Plus Regional News Publishers
NewsArtificial Intelligence Platkin LLP, a boutique law firm founded by the former Attorney General of New Jersey, has filed two copyright infringement lawsuits on behalf of more than 500 regional news publishers against OpenAI Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in ongoing multidistrict litigation. 6 minute read September 17, 2026 at 08:25 PM New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.
Newsom Signs Landmark California Children’s Online Safety Bills Into Law
Gov. Gavin Newsom at a press conference announcing Rob Bonta as his pick for Attorney. Photo: Jason Doiy/Law.com California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the most robust legislation regulating children's artificial intelligence chatbot and social media use in the U.S. to date on Thursday. The bills could prove to be a national blueprint for children's online safety amid a recent slate of watershed state-led actions targeting Big Tech's alleged harms to minors. AB 1709, which goes into effect on Jan.
9th Circuit Affirms Roblox Waived Arbitration Enforcement Right in Child Safety Class Action
Credit: Rokas/Adobe Stock The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld a district court ruling finding that gaming platform Roblox Corp. waived its right to force a child safety class action against it into arbitration.
9th Circuit Affirms Roblox Waived Arbitration Enforcement Right in Child Safety Class Action | Law.com
The Los Angeles Dodgers fanbase has become the new version of what New York Yankees fans used to be. The LA faithful are akin to those spoiled …
FTC, 22 States Sue Amazon Over Alleged 'Secret Surcharge' Scheme in Online Ad Auctions
U.S. Federal Trade Commission Building. May 21, 2014. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ Law.com The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and 22 states have sued Amazon.com Inc. in Washington federal court, accusing the e-commerce giant of engaging in unfair and deceptive practices by using undisclosed surcharges to artificially inflate prices in its digital advertising auctions.
FTC, 22 States Sue Amazon Over Alleged 'Secret Surcharge' Scheme in Online Ad Auctions
NewsGovernment Attorneys from Dunn Isaacson Rhee and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher have stepped in to represent Amazon, which the FTC and 22 U.S. states accuse of using undisclosed surcharges to artificially inflate prices in its digital advertising auctions. 5 minute read September 02, 2026 at 10:45 PM U.S. Federal Trade Commission Building. May 21, 2014. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ Law.com The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and 22 states have sued Amazon.com Inc.
OpenAI Subpoenaed in Alabama Probe Over Hugging Face Hack
Credit: sdx15/Adobe stock ChatGPT-maker OpenAI Inc. has been hit with a subpoena from Alabama's attorney general as part of a probe into a hacking incident disclosed by the company in July. The filing could, experts say, signal a wave of potential multi-state enforcement actions against AI companies in the future as OpenAI continues to weather a novel surge of product liability litigation primarily concentrated in California state court.
'A New Wave of AI Enforcement': Alabama AG Subpoenas OpenAI in Probe Over Hugging Face Hack
Steve Marshall, attorney general of Alabama. Courtesy photo The office of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on Monday that it had subpoenaed ChatGPT-maker OpenAI Inc. as part of a probe into a hacking incident disclosed by the company in July.
DOJ Reaches $400M Settlement With TikTok in Children's Privacy Claims
TikTok app displayed on an iPhone. August 7, 2020. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had reached a $400 million settlement with TikTok on Friday, resolving two-year claims that the short-form video app giant and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, breached federal children's privacy laws.
DOJ Reaches $400M Settlement With TikTok in Children's Privacy Claims
Law.com CompassLaw.com RadarVerdict SearchScholar .China Law & PracticeLegal Dictionary Click to enter your existing username and password or create a new account. Click to purchase an individual user subscription with your credit card. Related information Documents Companies/Organizations Law Firms/Representation Topics NewsPrivacy The U.S. Department of Justice called the settlement "one of the largest recoveries ever obtained" in a case alleging violations of the Children's Online Privacy Act.
Monitor Says ICE Has Failed to Provide 'Constitutionally Adequate' Medical Care to Detainees
Steven Ragland of Keker, Van Nest & Peters. Courtesy photo Attorneys at Keker, Van Nest & Peters and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a public report from a court-appointed monitor in a class action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which held that ICE is in noncompliance with a federal court order. The report said the agency has not fulfilled obligations under a Feb.
Monitor Says ICE Has Failed to Provide 'Constitutionally Adequate' Medical Care to Detainees
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One Year Later, Labaton Partner Assesses Legacy of Landmark Meta Privacy Verdict
Carol Villegas of Labaton. Courtesy photo In August 2025, a California federal Jury found Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc. liable for violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act by mining sensitive sexual and reproductive health data from fertility tracking app Flo Health. Though plaintiffs had previously reached settlements with co-defendants Google, Flo Health Inc.
One Year Later, Labaton Partner Assesses Legacy of Landmark Meta Privacy Verdict
AnalysisPrivacy New York-based Labaton Keller Sucharow senior partner Carol C. Villegas told Law.com about the implications for privacy litigation and consumer protection protocols for Big Tech in the wake of a groundbreaking verdict by a California jury against Meta. 9 minute read August 04, 2026 at 10:32 AM Carol Villegas of Labaton. Courtesy photo In August 2025, a California federal Jury found Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc.
Apple-OpenAI lawsuit opens new front in AI trade secret litigation
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Apple’s Suit Against OpenAI Signals New Era of AI Trade Secret Litigation
L-R:Manav Das of MBHB, Kirk A. Sigmon of KellDan Law, and Justin K. Beyer of Saul Ewing. Courtesy photos We hope you enjoy this excerpt from Litigation Daily, the exclusive source for sharp commentary on mega court battles, winning strategies and the issues that obsess elite litigators. Law.com subscribers can sign up for The AmLaw Litigation Daily newsletter here.
‘This Industry Is Going to Be Cutthroat’: Apple’s Suit Against OpenAI Signals New Era of AI Trade Secret Litigation
L-R:Manav Das of MBHB, Kirk A. Sigmon of KellDan Law, and Justin K. Beyer of Saul Ewing. Courtesy photos On its surface, Apple’s high-profile new lawsuit against OpenAI may look like a routine trade secrets dispute between Big Tech heavyweights—but the case may herald the next wave of intellectual property litigation in the AI industry, say tech and IP litigators.
'Wave of the Future': Meta Faces Novel Suit for Allegedly Using AI Systems to Fire Workers
Credit: Suriyo/Adobe Stock Meta Platforms Inc. is facing a novel employment lawsuit alleging the social media giant made termination decisions based on artificial intelligence-fueled metrics that discriminated against people with disabilities. 26 anonymous current and former employees of Meta sued the Facebook and Instagram parent on July 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Spokeo Reaches $10M Settlement With Plaintiffs in Data Privacy Class Action
Michael Ram of Morgan & Morgan. Courtesy photo Spokeo has reached a $10 million settlement with plaintiffs in a five-year California federal class action, which accused the data aggregator and people search website of allegedly mining people's personal information to advertise website subscriptions without their consent. The class action settlement agreement, filed on July 14 and announced by plaintiffs counsel on July 17, resolves claims of multiple state publicity statute violations.
Judge Upholds Retroactivity of Federal Sex Trafficking Law in Case Against Visa
Wesley L. Hsu testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California, on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM A California federal judge has ruled that card payment giant Visa Inc.
Quinn Emanuel Team Led by Alex Spiro Disqualified as Defense Counsel in Real Estate Copyright Dispute
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan sign logo (Photo: Jason Doiy/The Recorder) A California federal judge has disqualified Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan from appearing as defense counsel in a long-running and contentious copyright dispute between two competing commercial real estate data analytics firms. District Judge Consuelo B.
Calif. Federal Court Disqualifies Quinn Emanuel as Defense Counsel in Commercial Real Estate Copyright Dispute
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan sign logo (Photo: Jason Doiy/The Recorder) A California federal judge has disqualified Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan from appearing as defense counsel in a long-running and contentious copyright dispute between two competing commercial real estate data analytics firms. District Judge Consuelo B.
'Hidden Workforce': Lawsuits Accuse Meta-Owned Startup of Misclassifying AI Trainers as Independent Contractors
Credit: Supatman/Adobe Stock A startup owned by Meta Platforms Inc. faces three new lawsuits in California state court for allegedly misclassifying employees who train large language models and other artificial intelligence systems as independent contractors, failing to appropriately compensate them and provide acceptable working conditions, and subjecting them to discrimination and whistleblower retaliation.
'No One Is Safe': Child Exploitation Class Action Against xAI Lists New Plaintiffs, Adds Stability AI as Co-Defendant
Credit: maurice norbert/Adobe Stock A novel class action in California, which alleges that xAI facilitated the production of deepfake pornography featuring minor children on its flagship generative AI chatbot, Grok, has added Stability AI as a co-defendant and two new plaintiffs in an amended complaint.
Novel Privacy Ruling Could Narrow Scope of 'Wiretapping' Statute
Credit: DutchMen/Shutterstock.com In a decision that may have the potential to shape future privacy litigation brought under state wiretapping statutes, a California federal judge granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment in a privacy case against pizza chain Papa John's International Inc. and a call-center services company, Cognizant Technology Solutions U.S. Corp.
Girard Sharp's Sarah London Wins Attorney of the Year at 2026 California Legal Awards
Sarah London of Girard Sharp. Courtesy photo Sarah London, a partner at Girard Sharp in its San Francisco office, has won Law.com's Attorney of the Year at the 2026 California Legal Awards. London, who worked at Lieff Cabraser for 15 years before joining Girard Sharp in February 2025, accepted the honor on Wednesday evening at the 2026 California Legal Awards ceremony, which was held at the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles in downtown Los Angeles.
More Than 10,000 L.A. Wildfire Survivors File Petition to Intervene in State Enforcement Action Against Insurer
State Farm insurance office. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ Law.com Every Fire Survivor’s Network, a coalition of more than 10,000 survivors of the Eaton and Palisades wildfires that devastated Los Angeles County in January 2025, has filed a petition to intervene in a state agency enforcement action against State Farm alleging the insurer mishandled potentially thousands of wildfire claims.
Attorney of the Year Finalist: Sarah London, Girard Sharp
Sarah London of Girard Sharp. Courtesy photo For Girard Sharp partner Sarah London, representing "those who have less of a voice against the powerful" has been a "life calling" since childhood. Growing up in the Chicago metropolitan area, she told Law.com in an interview, she was "raised in a family of organizers and advocates for social justice." "My grandmother was a teacher and a leader in her teachers union," she said. "My mother was a teacher and a leader in her teachers union.
California Federal Judge Denies Class Certification in Proposed Privacy Class Action Against Capital One
Photo: Jer123/Shutterstock.com A California federal judge has denied class certification in a proposed class action that accuses financial services giant Capital One Financial Corp. of disclosing sensitive personal and financial data to third-parties, including Big Tech companies such as Meta, Google, Microsoft and Adobe, through tracking technologies installed on its website. District Judge Trina L.
Orrick Secures Dismissal of Class Action Against PayPal Over Subsidiary's Marketing Claims
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe notched its fourth defense win for global fintech giant PayPal Holdings Inc. and its subsidiary, Honey Science LLC, after a California federal judge dismissed a class action accusing the defendants of falsely claiming that the Honey browser extension finds the "best" available discounts for online shoppers. This marks the third time that District Judge P.
Google Sues Anonymous Cybercriminals Over Alleged Text Phishing Scams Fueled by AI
Google office building in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. Credit: IanDewarPhotography/Adobe Stock Google has filed suit in New York federal court against anonymous defendants allegedly involved in a cybercriminal operation, accusing them of swindling "hundreds of thousands" of victims out of "millions" of dollars through spam texts powered by artificial intelligence.
Whistleblower Sues xAI, SpaceX Ahead of Historic IPO Debut
Credit: gguy/maurice norbert/Adobe Stock A former engineer for xAI, the artificial intelligence firm founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against xAI and Musk's spaceflight company, SpaceX, just days ahead of SpaceX's historically large initial public offering. Devin Kim, who worked at xAI from 2024 to 2025, sued X.AI Corp. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp.
'Outright Homophobia'? Ex-Law School Dean Sues Chapman University for Allegedly Firing Him Over Sexual Orientation
Paul Paton, former dean of Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law. Courtesy photo Paul Paton, the former dean of the law school at Chapman University in Orange, California, has accused the university in a new lawsuit of allegedly firing him due to his sexual orientation and same-sex marriage. Paton, the first openly gay dean of The Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman, sued the university on June 1 in the Superior Court of California, County of Orange and announced the filing on June 5.
Ruling in 'Rent-a-Bank' Fintech Case Upholds 'Bedrock' of National Banking Law, Says Plaintiff's Counsel
Ali Abugheida (L) and Fredrick Levin (R) of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe ,. Courtesy photos A precedential ruling in a case filed by a digital finance platform against California's financial regulator is the first court decision, said the platform's counsel at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, to solidify the model upon which bank-fintech partnerships are built—and will have national reverberations for the fintech industry.
Rulings Against Workday Offer Plaintiffs a New Path Amid Spread of AI Employment Screening
Credit: Andrey Popov/Adobe Stock We hope you enjoy this excerpt from Litigation Daily, the exclusive source for sharp commentary on mega court battles, winning strategies and the issues that obsess elitel litigators. Law.com subscribers can sign up for The AmLaw Litigation Daily newsletter here. Eighty-eight percent: That’s the percentage of employers who already use artificial intelligence-powered applicant screening tools in their hiring processes, according to the World Economic Forum.
As AI Employment Screening Spreads, Rulings Against Workday Offer Plaintiffs a New Path
Credit: InfiniteFlow/Adobe Stock Eighty-eight percent: That’s the percentage of employers who already use artificial intelligence-powered applicant screening tools in their hiring processes, according to the World Economic Forum. Litigation aimed at these tools’ potential for hiring bias based on protected characteristics such as age, race, disability and gender is still in its early phases. But a recent landmark decision in Mobley v. Workday Inc.
Esports Company's Bid to Arbitrate Consumer Class Action Fails as SCOTUS Rejects Cert Petition
Courtesy logo The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to consider defendant AviaGames Inc.'s petition to review the denial of its motion to compel arbitration in a federal consumer class action, which accused the mobile gaming company of rigging the outcomes of its online games through the deployment of computer bots.
School District Settles Claims Against Meta in Social Media Addiction Bellwether Case
NewsSocial Media "Our focus remains on pursuing justice for the remaining 1,200 school districts who have filed cases," said plaintiffs counsel in a statement. 4 minute read May 22, 2026 at 08:47 AM Meta sign in front of Facebook headquarters on 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California, USA.
3rd Circ Ruling in Amazon Biometric Data Case May Signal 'Narrowing' Scope of BIPA Litigation, Experts Say
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New Appellate Opinion in Amazon Biometric Data Case May Signal 'Narrowing' Scope of BIPA Litigation, Experts Say
Credit: Vadi Fuoco/Adobe Stock Amazon.com's cloud-computing branch, Amazon Web Services Inc., clinched a recent win in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that, experts say, may signal a broader movement in the courts toward favoring the defense in and trimming the scope of privacy litigation brought under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).
New Appellate Opinion in Amazon Biometric Data Case May Signal 'Narrowing' Scope of BIPA Litigation, Experts Say
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Calif. Judge Approves $303M Settlement for Volunteer Division I Coaches in Antitrust Class Action
National Collegiate Athletic Association headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana/photo courtesy of Shutterstock A federal California judge on Tuesday granted final approval to a $303 million settlement resolving an antitrust class action involving thousands of NCAA Division I "volunteer" coaches, which plaintiffs counsel previously called "one of the largest recoveries ever in a Sherman Act case filed on behalf of workers seeking lost wages" in court papers.
Toyota-Backed Nonprofit Sued Over Alleged Theft of EV Tech Trade Secrets
Photo: Shutterstock A social enterprise that provides electric vehicles to rural communities in Africa sued a nonprofit arm of Toyota Motor Corp. in California federal court on Tuesday, alleging misappropriation of trade secrets related to EV technology.
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