On September 22, 2024, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (“SB”) 1053, which prohibits grocery stores from offering single-use plastic carry out bags for sale. Instead, stores must offer only paper bags.

Beginning on January 1, 2026, stores may not offer single-use plastic carry out bags for the purpose of carrying purchased goods, with limited exceptions. Only “recycled paper bags,” would be permitted. Beginning on January 1, 2028, recycled paper bags must be made from a minimum of 50% postconsumer recycled materials.

The legislation targeted a perceived loophole in ...

The FTC’s effort to implement a nationwide ban on the use of most non-compete agreements has been stalled indefinitely following a recent court ruling by a district court judge in Texas.  Specifically, in Ryan, LLC v. FTC, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown issued a ruling blocking the FTC’s final rule from going into effect, finding that the FTC “lack[ed] statutory authority to promulgate the Non-Compete Rule” and noting that the FTC’s rule was “arbitrary and capricious” as the FTC failed to provide a reasonable explanation to justify the breadth of the rule.

Originally ...

Q: I have a client who owes money to the IRS. While I know the IRS likely has a tax lien, my understanding was it just waits until a taxpayer’s property is sold and then gets paid out of escrow. Instead, here, the IRS has filed suit and is asking the court to appoint a receiver to take my client’s property and sell it. I thought receivers can’t be appointed if there is an adequate remedy at law, which would be the case here, since the IRS could get a judgement for what it contends it is owed and then attempt to collect on its money judgment. The US Attorney on the case disputes this, saying the IRS ...