Administrative/Regulatory
State water agency claims it can issue $11B in bonds
By Malcolm Maclachlan
The California Department of Water Resources has filed a validation action in Sacramento Superior Court seeking to confirm its...
The jury must determine how much of a $30 million request by Quincy Jones is owed, if any.
On Monday, the lead counsel for Pepperdine University attempted to pick apart the credibility of one of the two plaintiffs sui...
Companies hoping to compel websites to identify anonymous users who post defamatory statements received a major victory when a...
Criminal
Seeking new trial or acquittal, attorney says juror lied
By Meghann M. Cuniff
A federal judge on Monday expressed skepticism about arguments for two men convicted of insider stock trading.
A secondary issue in a 12-day-old Supreme Court ruling proved binding Monday in a Private Attorneys General Act trial court di...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
In misclassification feud, Uber moves to sanction drivers’ lawyer
By Matthew Blake
The lawyer for a class of more than 240,000 current and former Uber drivers in California defied a judge’s protective order an...
Jury hits Nissan for $24.9M in brake failure, but found no malice or fraud
By Justin Kloczko
A Los Angeles Superior Court jury delivered a $24.9 million verdict against Nissan North America Friday, finding the car manuf...
State Bar & Bar Associations
Staff had suggested destroying more than 2,300 fingerprint cards the agency had never sent to law enforcement.
End to driver’s license suspensions for nonpayment would help poor, hurt budget
By Malcolm Maclachlan
A budget bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown could reduce collections for traffic fines and fees by $40 million to $100 million an...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
To send message, State Bar proposes six-month suspension of DA accused of withholding evidence
By Andy Serbe
The State Bar recommended a six-month suspension for an Orange County prosecutor whom they accused of withholding exculpatory ...
Criminal
Changing standard for traffic trials could save court resources but undermine due process
By L.J. Williamson
At the request of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the Commission on the Future of California’s Court System has examined tr...
A state constitutional amendment could be passed ahead of a repeal of federal restrictions.
A second plaintiff in the Pepperdine University discrimination trial took the stand on Friday to testify about her interaction...
Inside the packed courtroom of Judge Randolph Hammock, Bowman & Brooke LLP attorney Thomas Klein contested the plaintiffs’...
Defense counsel grilled one of the former college athletes suing Pepperdine University for discrimination during a grueling cr...
Saying that a State Bar counsel misled him in a previous hearing about an attorney’s ability to get discovery in State Bar Cou...
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
9th Circuit Conference panel grapples with ‘fake news’
A panel discussed the phenomenon of ‘fake news’ and the impact and it has on courts and judges on the last day of the 9th Circ...
As four other pharmaceuticals companies fight a lawsuit over opioid promotion, drugmaker Pfizer Inc. has reached an agreement ...
Retired Los Angeles Superior Court judge Lillian M. Stevens, who spent nearly 20 years on the bench, died March 17. She was 87.
California Courts of Appeal
The 4th District Court of Appeal on Wednesday declined to publish an opinion that affirms a new trial for an Orange County mur...
Obituaries
Patent litigator Rachel Krevans, known for trial wins, dies at 60
By Joshua Sebold
Rachel Krevans, a star patent litigator at Morrison & Foerster LLP, died Wednesday after battling cancer for two and a hal...
Philip L. Reznik, an associate at Ballard Rosenberg Golper & Savitt LLP, moonlights as an improv artist at the LA Connecti...
Federal judge dismisses suits against Renovate America, government partners
By Lila Seidman
The suits alleged the company used deceptive means to implement its HERO Loans program, which is designed to encourage homeown...
Insurance claim denial because of Airbnb rental may have wider implications
By Andy Serbe
A lawsuit alleging bad faith dealings by the Travelers insurance company, when it refused to cover damages from a fallen tree ...
Government
Bill to make elder abuse claims easier approved by key committee
By Malcolm Maclachlan
An elder abuse bill long sought by plaintiffs’ attorneys has passed a key state Senate committee.
Government
Federal asset forfeiture order should not impact California
By Matthew Blake
A Donald Trump policy directive expanding federal forfeiture of property taken from alleged crime scenes rocked the Beltway We...
The increase comes as the State Bar is set to administer a two-day exam rather than three.