Criminal, Ethics/Professional Responsibility, Law Practice
2 Hemet attorneys arrested on charges of stealing deceased client’s funds
By Kamila Knaudt
Trent Wayne Thompson and Quinton Ray Swanson of the Law Offices of Thompson & Swanson LC were charged with identity theft,...
Antitrust & Trade Reg., Civil Litigation, Technology
Judge asks if non-Apple app stores would mean less fraud and privacy problems
By Winston Cho
“One problem with limiting competition is that you don’t get innovation,” U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said duri...
Civil Litigation, Environmental & Energy
Plaintiffs oppose SoCal Edison settlement protocol
By Gina Kim
Los Angeles County Judge William F. Highberger, who is presiding over the litigation, has stayed until the fall trials and dis...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility, State Bar & Bar Associations
Tom Girardi ‘will never practice law again,’ State Bar is told
By Blaise Scemama
Sheppard Mullin partner Nicholas Van Brunt, who represents Robert Girardi in his brother’s probate case, told the State Bar la...
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Civil Litigation, Labor/Employment
CalSavers not preempted by US law, circuit panel says
By Craig Anderson
The lawsuit by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association was the first to challenge a program like CalSavers on ERISA preemption...
Covid Court Ops, Judges and Judiciary
All Imperial County main court hearings are in person as of Monday
By Blaise Scemama
The El Centro Courthouse will continue screenings and visitors will be asked if they have been exposed to someone who has test...
Native Americans
Gaming tribes oppose state’s stay request for completing compacts
By Malcolm Maclachlan
The tribes’ attorneys rejected the state’s arguments that a stay would preserve the status quo while litigation plays out, not...
Civil Litigation, Government
Prosecutors suing Contra Costa County DA call dismissal motion ‘frivolous’
By Tyler Pialet
The plaintiffs allege they were demoted and denied opportunities for growth after Diana Becton was elected district attorney i...
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Civil Litigation
LA County says US judge’s order not based on facts
By Gina Kim
“The county saw the district court’s ‘evidence’ and learned about its novel legal arguments for the first time on April 20, 20...
Government, Judges and Judiciary
Legislative Analyst’s Office has lots of questions on remote courts
By Malcolm Maclachlan
Anita Lee, principal fiscal and policy analyst with the Legislative Analyst’s Office, said, “The Legislature may want to consi...
Antitrust & Trade Reg., Civil Rights, Technology
Judge objects to Epic Games counsel’s suggestion rulings aren’t fair
By Winston Cho
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will decide whether Apple maintains a monopoly over its App Store, and if so, the r...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility, Judges and Judiciary
Judges told to treat family members as pro se litigants when giving legal advice
By Jessica Mach
The California Supreme Court ethics committee opinion advised judges to explain to family members that they are prohibited fro...
Administrative/Regulatory, Civil Litigation
Utility commission can’t make rules for low-cost phone service
By Blaise Scemama
U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney said the Public Utility Commission’s rule requiring certain service plans be available t...
Antitrust & Trade Reg., Civil Litigation, Data Privacy
Google fights class action over users’ data collection
By Craig Anderson
The complaint says Google LLC, while selling advertising space in its proprietary auction process, shares personal information...
Civil Litigation, Land Use
Santa Barbara ban on short-term rentals invalid, appellate panel says
By Jessica Mach
Under a California law that aims to protect coastal natural resources and enhance public access, actions that impact how coast...
Civil Litigation, Corporate
Judge finds $2.12M fees for Illumina securities class action reasonable
By Gina Kim
While a lodestar could be adjusted to increase a fee award, U.S. District Judge M. James Lorenz of the Southern District of Ca...
California Courts of Appeal
Newsom’s mail ballot for all order upheld by 3rd District Court of Appeal
By Malcolm Maclachlan
“The 3rd District Court of Appeal rejected Governor Newsom’s attempt to dismiss our case as moot, recognizing that it raises ‘...
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Criminal, Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Ex-lawyer’s compassionate release must await appeal outcome, district judge rules
By Tyler Pialet
Responding to a request from federal prosecutors to reconsider her April 28 order, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston on Tuesda...
Administrative/Regulatory, Labor/Employment
Labor Department withdraws Trump gig worker rule
By Jessica Mach
The rule streamlined the test for classifying workers as either independent contractors or employees.
Civil Litigation, Technology
Apple defense challenges Microsoft witness over app competition
By Winston Cho
The defense strategy aimed to impugn the credibility of Xbox Game Studio’s parent company, which failed to secure approval fro...
Civil Litigation
State expert’s data questioned by defense in Orange County opioid trial
By Blaise Scemama
In cross-examination of the state’s analytical expert, the defense brought out her admission that her calculations of billions...
Administrative/Regulatory, Civil Litigation, Tax
San Francisco cryptocurrency exchange summoned in tax probe
By Malcolm Maclachlan
The latest order is part of a wider effort to catch people who hide transactions using virtual currencies such as Bitcoin.
Ethics/Professional Responsibility, State Bar & Bar Associations
State Bar prosecutor seeks default in Tom Girardi’s discipline action
By Henrik Nilsson
The famed plaintiffs’ lawyer is accused of stealing millions of dollars from clients. Neither he nor any representative has re...
California Courts of Appeal, Health Care & Hospital Law, Labor/Employment
Can anti-SLAPP be used to squelch employment claims?
By Craig Anderson
During oral arguments, the justices appeared skeptical of an Orange County hospital’s argument that the statute can be used to...
Bankruptcy
Former CFO of Girardi firm must appear in bankruptcy court, even if he takes the 5th
By Jessica Mach
The attorney for Chris Kamon says his client is concerned about legal exposure in a federal investigation of the Girardi firm ...
More than a dozen district attorneys have partnered with the Oakland nonprofit For the People over the last year to evaluate c...
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Panel revives suit claiming Snapchat speed filter negligently designed
By Gina Kim
The parents of the two teens killed in a crash sued Snap, saying the speed filter is what caused their children to drive at hi...
Civil Litigation
Defense stymies expert testimony and materials in opioid trial
By Blaise Scemama
"There is quite literally nothing I could anticipate from this witness that could authenticate this material," Orange County S...
Criminal, Government
LA County defenders track how staffing impacts results
By Tyler Pialet
The direction from the county board of supervisors comes four months after the board asked Public Defender Ricardo Garcia to p...
Government, State Bar & Bar Associations
Senate leader threatens to freeze bar fee over long-vacant position
By Malcolm Maclachlan
“The State Bar has been in active recruitment for both the executive director and the chief trial counsel,” Interim Executive ...