Newsletters

11.02.10

Court of Appeal Renders Yet Another Arbitration Provision Unconscionable and Unenforceable

The Court of Appeal of the State of California, First Appellate District, Division Four, has held that an arbitration clause in an employment agreement was unconscionable because, among other things, the agreement did not attach the AAA’s National Rules for the Resolution of Employment ...


11.01.10

California Releases Proposed Cap and Trade Regulation

On October 28th, the California Air Resources Board (CARB or Board) published their proposal for the country’s first economy-wide Cap and Trade regulatory program. 


10.27.10

Does Dodd-Frank Contain a Virus for Private Equity Investments in Banks?

A little-noticed provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”) has the potential of curtailing significant investments by private equity firms in banks.


10.27.10

Questions Surround California’s Renewable Electricity Mandate

California was close. Just how close? It depends on whom you ask. Some would say that the California Legislature was only a single roll call away from sending to the Governor legislation expanding the state’s renewable electricity mandate to 33% (SB 722).


10.26.10

Tech Companies Support Rush Privacy Bill; Other Bills in the Pipeline

Three major tech companies—eBay, Intel, and Microsoft—sent a letter to Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Il.) in support of his proposed privacy bill, the Best Practices Act.


10.18.10

Broker Has Duty to Disclose to Buyer Proceeds of Sale May Not Be Sufficient to Pay Off Encumbrances

On October 6, 2010, the California Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District, reversed the Superior Court of Orange County’s judgment in Holmes v. Summer. 


10.14.10

“C” is for Cookie Lawsuits

Half a dozen lawsuits have been filed over the last few weeks against companies that use online cookies to track consumers’ browsing habits. 


10.08.10

FTC Unlocks Charges Against Online Data Broker

The Federal Trade Commission settled charges with the online data broker U.S. Search, Inc. over its “PrivacyLock” service, in which the company charged a $10 fee to “lock their records” of consumers so that they could not be viewed or purchased by others on the site.


10.08.10

Peru—South Korea Free Trade Agreement Update

On August 30, 2010, the Governments of the Republics of Peru (“Peru”) and Korea (“South Korea”) announced the conclusion of negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (“FTA”) between the two countries, which is expected to enter into full force in mid-2011 after the ...


10.07.10

Turning Brownfields Greener: EPA Releases Superfund Green Remediation Strategy

In September 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its Superfund Green Remediation Strategy.