Insights

On May 27, 2026, the California State Assembly advanced AB 2564, which would prohibit surveillance pricing by retailers. Assemblymember Christopher Ward originally introduced AB 2564 on February 20, 2026, to “ensure that people are not being unfairly charged higher prices due to their actual or perceived characteristics.”

On April 30, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a significant ruling in an insurance coverage dispute between a commercial general liability insurer and its policyholder. The decision addresses several critical issues in insurance law, including the scope and continuity of the duty to defend and the standard for insurer reimbursement of defense costs in mixed-claim actions. The court ruled largely in favor of the insured, SVO Building One, LLC ("SVO"), and the matter now heads toward settlement or trial on SVO's remaining counterclaims.

On April 6, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the draft Sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL 6), marking a significant step in the agency's effort to identify and evaluate unregulated contaminants in public water systems. The CCL 6 includes 75 chemicals, four chemical groups (disinfection byproducts (DBP), microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and pharmaceuticals), and nine microbes.