If a competitor has ever tried to hire away one of your teams, you know the real damage is rarely limited to the people who leave. It is the customers who follow them, the deals already in the pipeline, and the confidential information that walks out the door alongside them. The hardest version of this is when the raid is …
California’s “Actually Viewed” Defense Just Died in Data Breach Cases
If your company handles other people’s sensitive data through a software vendor, two questions are now urgent. First, can you still rely on the longstanding California defense that says no liability attaches unless an unauthorized party actually viewed the data? And second, when a vendor sits between you and the end users whose information was exposed, who exactly has the …
When the Memo Line Won’t Save You: A California Court of Appeal Lesson on Reviving Time-Barred Debts
If your business is sitting on an old written loan that the borrower never repaid, and the only thing keeping your hopes alive is a couple of small, sporadic payments that arrived years after the due date, the California Court of Appeal just handed down a decision you should read carefully. Not because it broke new ground. Because it confirmed, …
The “28-Day Shuffle” Just Got a Lot More Dangerous for California Hotel Operators
Horst Legal Counsel | April 2026 If you own, operate, or invest in a hotel or extended-stay property in California, you have probably heard of the “28-day shuffle.” The playbook is familiar: require all guests to check out before they hit 30 consecutive days of occupancy, make them stay away for a few days, and then let them re-register. The …
When the Bank Says “You’re Good to Go,” You Might Still Be on Your Own
Horst Legal Counsel | April 2026 Check fraud targeting businesses and professionals has become a routine hazard of commercial life. The scheme is almost always the same: someone poses as a client or counterpart, sends a check that looks legitimate, asks you to wire money once it “clears,” and disappears the moment you do. Banks know this pattern well enough …
California’s False Claims Act Just Got Harder to Dismiss
Horst Legal Counsel | April 2026 If your company does construction work for a California city or county, you need to know about a case the Second District Court of Appeal just published. The short version: any private individual with knowledge of fraud against public funds can sue you under the California False Claims Act, and the procedural technicalities you …
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2





