Under current California law, a deceased person's reputation cannot be injured, and thus you cannot defame the deceased. Acros...
Litigation
Creditors settle with Bank of America over failed Las Vegas hotel
By Henry Meier
Attorneys representing creditors of the failed Fontainebleau Las Vegas development claim the $300 million settlement reached w...
The CEO of a San Diego-based holding company pleaded guilty Friday to defrauding investors in a complex securities scheme. ...
Orange County attorney Thomas J. Umberg is in Afghanistan this week, meeting with applicants for a unique program that brings ...
Criminal
Attorneys usually cannot reveal much when clients flee, experts say
By Laura Hautalan
When a criminal defendant flees, he certainly doesn't make things easier for himself in the courtroom. But what happens to his...
A state appellate court ruling that fills in one of the gaps left by a landmark California Supreme Court employment ruling has...
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Alessandro Ricciardulli keeps learning as he teaches.
Judge Ronald Bauer doesn't issue tentative rulings, but he still lets lawyers know where he stands.
A weekly roundup of lateral attorney moves, law firm office openings and partner promotions from around California.
Judge W. Michael Hayes' approach to his felony docket was shaped by 20 years as a police reservist.
Administrative/Regulatory
Milestone net neutrality vote tees up challenges
By Kevin Lee
The Federal Communications Commission faces a lengthy legal fight to defend the incoming set of new net neutrality rules, expe...
In December the Council on Environmental Quality proposed draft guidance on how to deal with climate change impacts under NEPA...
The particular wording of different policy forms may mean the difference between having or not having insurance coverage where...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Handing over the reins to a practice
By Ben Armisteadn
A lack of succession planning carries with it enormous risk for the law practice and can deprive attorneys the assurance of a ...
An Orange County judge ruled Wednesday that anyone staying in a motel in Costa Mesa as of Feb. 25 would be granted an exemptio...
Intellectual Property
Patent office nominee moves approved by Senate Judiciary Committee
By Kevin Lee
Longtime Silicon Valley lawyer Michelle Lee is on the cusp of becoming the permanent director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark...
Labor/Employment
High court punts on highway patrol reponsibility for tow truck crash
By Matthew Blaken
The state Supreme Court opined Thursday that the California Highway Patrol is probably not liable for an accident caused by a ...
State Bar & Bar Associations
State Bar committee votes to abandon unit that targets nonattorneys
By Saul Sugarman
A State Bar committee voted Thursday to recommend to drop the agency's investigative unit that pursues nonattorneys who practi...
Labor/Employment
State appeals court rules for company in arbitration dispute
By John Roemer
A state appellate panel on Thursday ruled that plaintiffs' Private Attorneys General Act claims must remain on hold while clai...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
New ABA standards toughen ethical best practices for prosecutors and defenders
By Don Debenedictisn
Two new chapters in the oft-cited ABA Criminal Justice Standards say defense counsel have a continuing duty to former clients ...
Judicial Dispute Resolution Inc., Center for Mediated Divorce Costa Mesa, Irvine ...
Jason Keyes and Kevin Fox founded Keyes, Fox & Wiedman LLP on the conviction that they could build a business dedicated to...
Criminal
State Supreme Court justices disagree on death penalty affirmance
By Henry Meier
While the entire court agreed to uphold a death sentence imposed on a murderer, a partial dissent by two of the high court's j...
Do NFL franchises truly possess the right to abandon their cities? Stated differently, might cities possess and be well counse...
Environmental
Advocacy groups file emergency petition over in-state fracking
By Kibkabe Arayan
Over 150 environmental advocacy groups filed an emergency petition Thursday asking Gov. Jerry Brown to cease harmful oil drill...
California Courts of Appeal
State appeals court rules Santa Barbara's 'franchise fee' is a tax
By Melanie Brisbon
Santa Barbara's 1 percent surcharge on residents' electricity bills is an "illegal tax masquerading as a franchise fee", a 2nd...
In 2012, the state Supreme Court rejected and remanded two dozen plea bargains worked out between State Bar prosecutors and la...
Data Privacy
New privacy bill would require businesses encrypt customer data
By Paul Jones
Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, and Sen. Ted Gaines, R-Roseville, announced a spate of privacy legislation Wednesday mo...
Litigators often believe they are prepared for any contingency, yet are baffled when an adverse party succumbs to a most predi...
Some considerations for employers thinking about requiring their employees to be vaccinated. By Daniel H. Handman ...