Courts, Ruling & Lawsuits | |
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Malicious prosecution action doesn’t lie based on warrantless arrest, alone
The Court of Appeal for this district yesterday declined to repudiate an opinion declaring that a false report to the police causing a person to be subjected to a warrantless arrest does not give rise to an action for malicious prosecution where no prosecution ensues, affirming a judgment of dismissal and rejecting the contention that the plaintiffs should have been allowed to reassert causes of action that had been voluntarily dropped.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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California’s ban on assault weapons is constitutional
California’s statute barring possession of assault weapons does not violate the Second Amendment, the Third District Court of Appeal held on Friday, rejecting the contention of a man convicted under that statute that he is entitled to a reversal based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year upsetting New York City’s ban on carrying firearms in public.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Los Angeles v. Ben Camacho: Judge rejects city’s injunction against journalist
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff sided with journalist Ben Camacho when he rejected the LA City’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent him from publishing images of LAPD officers online. The City of Los Angeles first sued Camacho on April 5 after he obtained data on approximately 9,000 LAPD officers through a public records request six months prior.
LA Downtown News
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Jurist says his opinion conferred ‘significant benefit’
A woman who pursued an appeal from the denial of disability retirement benefits, with the 2019 opinion establishing new law, is entitled to an award of attorney fees under California’s private attorney general statute, Code of Civil Procedure §1021.5, Div. One of the First District Court of Appeal has held. The opinion was issued April 3 and was certified for publication on Tuesday. It reverses an order by Lake Superior Court Judge David W. Herrick.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Threat to sue complainer can be civil rights violation
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday reinstated a civil rights action against a Long Beach animal control officer who allegedly threatened to sue a caller who complained of the conduct of the defendant’s co-worker, with Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke asserting in a partial dissent that the majority had fabricated facts.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Ninth Circuit drains $48 million judgment over city’s polluted water supply
A unanimous Ninth Circuit panel ruled Friday there isn't enough evidence to support a $48 million award for the city of Pomona, California, in its lawsuit against a Chilean fertilizer manufacturer that polluted the city's drinking water system decades ago. The lawsuit brought against SQM North America, the U.S. subsidiary of Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile found that the company’s sodium nitrate fertilizer used in citrus orchards around Pomona between the 1930s and 50s polluted the city's drinking water system, including with a contaminant called perchlorate.
Courthouse News Service
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Judge must reconsider effort to block Catholic diocese libel suit, appellate court rules
A trial court must reconsider its denial of a motion to block a libel suit stemming from an email allegedly containing a false insinuation that Diocese of Orange Bishop Kevin Vann used Orange Catholic Foundation funds to cover legal expenses for clergy accused of child sex abuse, a state appellate court has ruled. Suzanne Nunn, former interim executive director of the foundation, sent the email to 47 Catholic leaders throughout the country after Vann unilaterally terminated her and the organization’s board of directors in June 2020.
Orange County Register
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Court upholds California’s AR-15 ban in first ruling since new Supreme Court standards
In the first ruling on a California gun law since the U.S. Supreme Court reduced the government’s authority to regulate firearms, a state appeals court has upheld a ban on semiautomatic AR-15 rifles that state law classifies as “assault weapons.” The Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento said the high-capacity rifles, which can be fired repeatedly without reloading, are weapons “not typically possessed by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.”
Daily Republic
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Innocent LA father killed after DA Gascon gives violent career criminal multiple diversions
A violent career criminal who was on the streets and not in jail because she was assigned mental health treatment instead of prison time is accused of killing an innocent Los Angeles father. Jade Simone Brookfield, 23, was arrested in April and charged with murder after she allegedly fatally stabbed 40-year-old Dennis Banner during an argument in a street.
Fox News
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Family of slain El Monte police officer sues DA George Gascón for not following ‘three-strikes’ law
The family of slain El Monte police Officer Joseph Santana has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, alleging his disregard for California’s “three-strikes” law enabled a convicted felon to commit the 2022 double homicide that also claimed the life of another officer.
Orange County Register
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Reasonable centralization or rank cynicism - LA DA Gascon’s special crimes shake-up
In February, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon re-organized the office’s Victim Impact Program (VIP), the internal group of prosecutors dedicated to handling some of the most heinous and delicate crimes - elder abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse (both physical and sexual.) The idea, said Gascon, was to centralize the handling of these crimes - they had been handled at the branch offices - in order to allow “more specialized prosecutors (to handle cases) in each category” said Gascon spokesman Greg Risling.
California Globe
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Alleged shooter said he wanted to kill deputies, DA tells jurors
A man who allegedly shot and wounded a deputy sheriff who confronted him in a parking lot near a Newhall apartment complex in 2017 once told a Los Angeles County jail custody assistant that he wanted to kill deputy sheriffs “because of what they do,” a prosecutor told a jury on Monday, May 1. Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall addressed a Los Angeles Superior Court jury hearing final arguments in the trial of 35-year-old Monolito Guerra, who is charged with attempted murder of a peace officer and other counts and was brought into court in a wheelchair.
Antelope Valley Times
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Grand jury indicts former KNBC producer on child porn charges
A former Los Angeles news producer has been indicted by a federal grand jury on three criminal charges related to child pornography. The indictment was filed Thursday in the Central District of California against Phil Drechsler, 60, who worked as an investigative producer for Comcast-owned KNBC (Channel 4) in Los Angeles until he was laid off earlier this year. Drechsler was arrested last month after police raided his Southern California home in connection with a broad child pornography investigation.
TheDesk.net
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Suspect charged for allegedly biting off LAPD sergeant’s finger
A man accused of biting off part of a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant’s finger during an assault at a Metro B (Red) Line station was charged Monday with aggravated mayhem. Ephraim Okorie, 36, was also charged with two felony counts of assault on a peace officer or firefighter, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He was expected to appear in court Monday, but it was unclear if the arraignment occurred.
MyNewsLA
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Audio reveals tense, emotional meeting in DA’s office over San Diego State gang rape allegations
Nearly eight minutes into a meeting last year, the prosecutor broke the news to an 18-year-old woman who reported that multiple men had raped her at a College Area house party: There would be no criminal charges. She started to sob. The young woman had gone to police the day after the October 2021 incident, which happened when she was 17 and a high school senior. She’d undergone an invasive sexual assault exam.
San Diego Union-Tribune
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Kern DA to retry ex-KCSO deputy who murdered 2 prostitutes in death penalty phase of trial
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in court Monday her office will retry a former Kern County Sheriff’s deputy who was convicted of killing two prostitutes - jurors will once again consider if the 76-year-old man should be sentenced to die or spend the rest of his life in prison. David Keith Rogers was convicted of first- and second-degree murder for killing Tracie Clark, 15, and Janine Benintende, 21, respectively.
Bakersfield.com
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SF prosecutors decline to charge security guard in fatal Walgreens shooting, cite self-defense
The security guard arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a person inside a San Francisco Walgreens last Thursday has been released from jail after prosecutors declined to pursue charges. According to a statement released by the district attorney's office Monday, they decided to not file murder charges, at this time, after a review of the evidence gathered by the San Francisco Police Department.
KGO
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Governor Newsom reverses parole for Kaylee Ann Weisenberg who killed CHP Officer
District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that Governor Gavin Newsom has reversed the Parole Board's December 2022 decision to release Kaylee Ann Weisenberg from prison. In March 2023, District Attorney Dow submitted a letter to Governor Newsom urging him to reverse the decision to release Weisenberg on parole because the District Attorney believed that Ms. Weisenberg still remains a dangerous threat to public safety.
District Attorney/County of San Luis Obispo
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Decades of failures leave L.A. County facing up to $3 billion in sex abuse claims
As California legislators prepared to pass a law providing victims of childhood sexual abuse a new window to file lawsuits, the bill's chief backer recalls most of the resistance coming from entities with famously troubled histories: school districts, colleges and youth athletic groups, along with some of their insurance companies. Los Angeles County "just didn't come up," said former Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), who sponsored the Child Victims Act.
Los Angeles Times
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LA County says Judge Carter exceeded authority by rejecting homeless settlement
Los Angeles County on Friday, April 28, filed papers arguing that the federal judge overseeing a lawsuit brought by a coalition of downtown businesses and residents over the homelessness crisis exceeded his authority by refusing to dismiss the case even after the plaintiffs agreed to accept the county’s settlement offer. Last week, for the second time in five months, U.S. District Judge David Carter rejected the county’s proposal and refused the county and the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights’ joint stipulation to dismiss the case, saying he needed more “oversight and enforcement powers.”
Los Angeles Daily News
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Judgment entered in favor of Baldwin Parks schools chief, trustee
A judge has entered judgment in favor of the superintendent and a board member of the Baldwin Park Unified School District, dismissing both as defendants in a lawsuit in which the former district police chief alleges she was subjected to disparate treatment after disclosing in 2015 that she is gay. Plaintiff Jill Poe was terminated in 2021 when the district disbanded its police department.
City News Service
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EU big tech platforms face tough regulatory scrutiny
The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) is a new law requiring 19 social media, search and e-commerce services to comply with strict new rules by August 2023, according to The Wall Street Journal. Platforms named include Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Alibaba's AliExpress. Companies must conduct regular assessments to determine all possible risks their systems could pose to individuals or public figures, such as free expression or electoral participation, and show regulators they are addressing them with robust systems.
The Counterfeit Report
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California public defenders oppose governor plan to slash funding for successful resentencing program
Public defenders are urging California legislators to block Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal that would diminish a successful resentencing program. “In recent years, the Legislature passed significant reforms to address harsh and unjust sentences,” said Manu Raju, Public Defender of San Francisco. But, he added, “those eligible for shorter sentences need public defenders to help bring their cases to judges to review. The resentencing program does that.”
The Davis Vanguard
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Lawsuit: California prisons target ‘foreign-born’ inmates
California’s corrections agency routinely refers inmates who appear to be “foreign-born” to federal immigration authorities even if they are U.S. citizens and lawful residents, with some improperly detained by the government for weeks after their sentences, said a lawsuit filed in state court Thursday. The lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Foundation of Northern California also says that inmates singled out as being born outside the U.S. are denied access to rehabilitative programs.
AP
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Judge shreds Soros-backed prosecutor, moves to hold her in criminal contempt: ‘Rudderless ship of chaos’
A Missouri judge on Thursday moved to hold a George Soros-bankrolled prosecutor in "indirect criminal contempt" after she and her subordinates failed to show up for multiple court dates, lambasting her office as a "rudderless ship of chaos." Judge Michael Noble announced he will appoint a special prosecutor to oversee the contempt case against St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, the city's top prosecutor, and Assistant Circuit Attorney Chris Desilets after no one from Gardner's office appeared at a trial and subsequent hearing in an assault case involving the wounding of an 11-year-old girl.
Fox News
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How a lawyer cashed in on criminal justice reform by fanning the hopes of inmates’ families
When California enacted landmark criminal justice reforms several years ago, inmates and their families saw a chance at freedom. Aaron Spolin saw a business opportunity. After the laws went into effect in 2019, the then-33-year-old attorney incorporated a law firm West Los Angeles and began marketing legal services to the incarcerated and their loved ones.
Los Angeles Times
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Criminal justice reforms have unleashed ‘mass victimization’ in California
Have California’s criminal justice reforms gone too far? Yes. Last year I was commissioned by the Pacific Research Institute to conduct a study on crime in California. That study is titled “Paradise Lost - Crime in the Golden State 2011-2021,” which was published February 2022. The results of the report show a decline in public safety in California.
San Bernardino Sun
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Los Angeles City/CountyCity/Cit | |
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L.A. Mayor Karen Bass pledges to rebuild LAPD under new budget proposal
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass recently pledged to rebuild the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), which has lost around 1,000 officers since 2019, through her new budget proposal. Officials blame the decrease in staff numbers on a variety of factors, including retirements, resignations and difficulties with recruitment and retention.
American Police Beat
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Sheriff’s Department investigates memo alleging captain wouldn’t promote ‘angry Black’ sergeant
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has launched an investigation into a memo claiming that the captain overseeing the troubled East L.A. station allegedly schemed to give valued detective bureau positions to Latinos to avoid promoting an “angry Black” sergeant. According to several pages of the January memo reviewed by The Times, Capt. Pilar Chavez also said the Black sergeant in question - Sgt. Reginald Hoffman - had “nothing coming to him” at the station ever since he’d testified to an oversight committee about the existence of deputy gangs within the department.
Los Angeles Times
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Footage of unarmed LA 'security ambassadors' sparks outrage from residents: 'Kids with reflector vests’
Residents of Los Angeles are sounding the alarm after a video showed a pair of Los Angeles' "security ambassadors" standing idly by as an apparent road rage assault unfolded in the West Hollywood area. The incident comes as the push to defund the police and replace them with unarmed law enforcement personnel has fallen short of expectations.
Fox News
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Excessive force, cover-ups: LAPD whistleblower expands 'SWAT Mafia' allegations
Anthony Soderberg was wounded, no longer armed and positioned precariously on a steep embankment when Los Angeles Police Lt. Ruben Lopez radioed to the surrounding SWAT team that the mentally ill man they'd just flushed from a nearby home remained a threat and must not be allowed to leave. SWAT Sgt. Tim Colomey, a crisis negotiator standing next to Lopez in the command center, was stunned - interpreting the remark, as he knew other officers would, as a kill order.
Los Angeles Times
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More turmoil at LA probation department: Interim chief resigns
Karen Fletcher, the interim chief of the troubled Los Angeles County Probation Department who was elevated to the position less than two months ago when the Board of Supervisors fired her predecessor, has resigned. Fletcher told LAist she submitted her letter of resignation on Monday, and said May 19 is her last day on the job. She declined to discuss her reasons beyond saying, "It's a general decision to retire. I have been in the field for 34 years."
LAist
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At the LAFD, pay for sex on duty, batter a cop, lie on medical records - and keep your job
One firefighter made off with a Los Angeles Fire Department cellphone last year and used it to solicit a prostitute while on duty. He then abandoned his dispatch post at the department’s downtown communications center, which handles 911 calls, drove to a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport and had sex with her before returning to work.
Los Angeles Times
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Release of LAPD officers' information sparks controversy
The release of headshots and career information of Los Angeles police officers has become a point of contention between community organizers and the Los Angeles Police Department. The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition runs an online, searchable database designed to hold LAPD officers accountable and provide transparency for residents called: “Watch the Watchers.” The platform allows people to look up LAPD officers and provides headshots of the officers, their rank, their badge number and their salary.
Spectrum News1
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Convictions/Sentences/Pleas/Appeals | |
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Newhall man convicted in pair of 2017 shootings
A joint investigation of a theft ring accused of draining millions of dollars each month in California financial aid resulted in 13 arrests, Los Angeles police reported. Investigators arrested 13 people accused of being involved with the fraud on April 25 at a Los Angeles motel, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release. The theft ring used card skimmers and ATMs to drain millions from electronic benefit transfer card accounts, such as those for food assistance, in the state, police said.
The Signal
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Ex-convict convicted of trying to kill sheriff's deputy
An ex-convict was found guilty today of trying to kill a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy in a parking lot near a Newhall apartment complex in 2017. Jurors deliberated about 3 1/2 hours before convicting Monolito Guerra, 35, of the attempted murder of Deputy Albert White, now a sheriff's detective, who survived being shot in the neck on Nov. 28, 2017. Guerra is facing a potential life prison term, with sentencing set June 21.
City News Service
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Mark Ridley-Thomas, convicted on corruption charges, pushes for acquittal and new trial
Former Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who was convicted of federal bribery and conspiracy charges, is asking the judge overseeing his case to vacate his guilty verdicts and grant a new trial due to procedural error and other issues, according to court papers obtained on Wednesday, May 3. Ridley-Thomas’ attorneys say that during the March trial there were multiple instances of prosecutorial misconduct, a lack of proper jury instructions and misstatements of the law that ultimately deprived the longtime Los Angeles politician of his right to a fair trial.
City News Service
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Former UCLA gynecologist sentenced to 11 years in sex abuse case
A former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing female patients, in a criminal trial that came after the university system made nearly $700 million in lawsuit payouts connected to the case. Dr. James Heaps, 66, has been in custody since a jury convicted him in October of three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of two patients.
AP
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Riverside County man found guilty of killing 3 teen boys after ding-dong-ditch prank
A Corona man accused of killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming their car after they played a doorbell-ringing prank on him was found guilty Friday of murder. Anurag Chandra was convicted in a Riverside County courtroom of three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. "The murder of these young men was a horrendous and senseless tragedy for our community. I thank the jury for their verdict. This is an important step toward justice," county District Attorney Mike Hestrin said in a statement.
AP
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‘Motherhood’ influencer convicted of lying about attempted kidnapping on social media
An Instagram influencer was found guilty by a jury in California after she made a viral video about a fake kidnapping, prosecutors said. Kathleen “Katie” Sorensen, 31, went viral in 2020 when she told her Instagram followers that two strangers tried to kidnap her children while she was shopping in Petaluma, in Sonoma County. The jury convicted Sorensen on one count of knowingly making a false report of a crime.
KRON
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Video shows customer confront, knock alleged thief to the ground at Mira Loma T.J. Maxx store
A customer was captured on video taking matters into his own hands and knocking an alleged thief to the ground as she tried to walk away with bags of merchandise from a T.J. Maxx store in Mira Loma. Bystander footage showed the man confront the suspected shoplifter and reach for her bags, which set off a scuffle between the two near the entrance. A witness said the altercation happened Sunday around 1:30 p.m. at a T.J. Maxx store on Limonite Avenue.
ABC7
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After 18 years in prison, he took over his old L.A. gang. A string of murders followed
Ezequiel Romo had been gone a long time. He went to prison in 1996. When he returned to Panorama City 18 years later, he didn’t like what he saw. He was going to “clean out house,” Romo told another veteran of his gang. He would rid the neighborhood of rivals, of informants, of drug addicts and the do-nothings he considered dead weight.
Los Angeles Times
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Teen arrested in stabbing of students, ages 15 and 16, outside Los Angeles high school
A 17-year-old was arrested in connection with the stabbings of two students outside Los Angeles High School, and another teen and an adult were questioned and released, police said Tuesday. The attack was reported at about 4:30 p.m. Monday near the school in the 4600 block of Olympic Boulevard, between West and Rimpau boulevards. "None of them attended LA High School," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday of the three who were detained.
NBC4
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LA street takeover crackdown: 21 arrested, 13 cars impounded
More than a dozen people were arrested and 13 cars impounded over the weekend during a street takeover crackdown in Los Angeles, according to police. The LAPD said it happened early Sunday but did specify the locations in the city where vehicles were impounded by officers with the LAPD's Street Racing Taskforce. Video posted on social media shows the LAPD arresting people and towing several vehicles during the "operation to eliminate dangerous and disruptived takeover activity."
Fox11
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2 adults, 2 teens arrested following AK-47 armed robbery in Beverly Hills
Four people have been arrested in connection with a robbery involving AK-47s in West Hollywood, and authorities believe they are the same suspects sought for a similar robbery last week. The four suspects were arrested by Beverly Hills police officers, according to West Hollywood City Manager David Wilson. Beverly Hills PD identified the suspects as 18-year-old Briana Threets and 26-year-old Keymaurie Clark, both of Oakland.
Fox11
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Dumb decarceration idea may rear head elsewhere in California
A new word entered the California political lexicon the other day, when two of the five elected supervisors running America’s largest county decided they could greatly reduce crime by depopulating Los Angeles County’s many jails and other penal facilities. The new word: decarceration. This is the process of supposedly fighting crime by letting people out of jails and prisons, a favorite of the far left, the same folks who for several years have advocated defunding police everywhere.
The Mercury News
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Amazon fails to protect consumers from counterfeits and fraud
Amazon claims its mission is "earning and maintaining customer's trust." However, the Amazon shopping experience, brand owner complaints, and history of Amazon inaction tell an entirely different story. Amazon has published its third dubious Annual Brand Protection Report filled with illusory chest-pounding and sanctimonious claims illuminating the enormity of Amazon's counterfeit problem. 700,000 brands are fighting Amazon fakes, begging the question, how many products on Amazon are authentic?
The Counterfeit Report
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California elected officials have lost their minds as they turn their backs on public safety
The California Public Safety Committee recently voted on a bill (SB 94) authored by Senator Dave Cortese (D-Santa Clara) which states that those individuals convicted of murder, even with special circumstances up to and including multiple victims, or killed in concert with rape, robbery, kidnapping or torture and who received a Death Sentence or Life without the Possibly of Parole prior to June 5th, 1990 - be given the opportunity to be provided with a public defender to petition the courts for re-sentencing, which would then allow them to have their sentences invalidated and make them eligible for parole.
CityWatch LA
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Judge moves to hold Gardner, assistant attorney in 'indirect criminal contempt' at Thursday hearing
Judge Michael Noble on Thursday moved to hold St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and Assistant Circuit Attorney Chris Desilets in "indirect criminal contempt" of court after her office failed to show up at a trial and subsequent hearing in an armed robbery case. At the 1:30 p.m. hearing Thursday, Gardner's office was asked to explain why Gardner or someone from her office shouldn't be jailed, fined or both for contempt of court.
KSDK
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People are just realizing two hidden Google ‘boost buttons’ give you extra battery life - they’re free to switch on
No matter if you are using your computer for streaming, work, or online shopping, running out of battery can ruin anyone’s day. To combat the problem, Google recently launched two features to save computer battery life and make browsing smoother. In December of last year, the tech giant introduced Memory Saver and Energy Saver, saying it would allow Google Chrome to use up to 40% battery and 10GB less memory when in use.
The Sun
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Woman can sue vet after learning her cat’s euthanasia wasn’t pain-free, court rules
A San Francisco woman whose cat died painfully in a euthanasia she allegedly had been assured would be pain-free can sue the veterinarian for her own emotional distress and for fraud, a state appeals court ruled Friday. The decision by the First District Court of Appeal is apparently the first in California to allow a pet owner to seek damages after learning of her pet’s suffering during euthanasia. If upheld, it will set a precedent for future cases.
San Francisco Chronicle
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Former county employee accidentally shot by sheriff’s deputy wants answers on what happened to her
When Barbara Bossenmeyer walked into work at John Wayne Airport she was unaware there was an AR-15 assault rifle pointed right at her - a weapon that would soon blow a gaping hole in her arm. On the other side of the office wall on Aug. 26 2020, an Orange County Sheriff sergeant was fiddling with his rifle, eventually pointing it at the wall and clicking the trigger to verify his fix. That click fired off a bullet that ripped through the wall and left a massive hole in Bossenmeyer’s right arm, one that required multiple surgeries to fix.
Voice of OC
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Insured claiming Covid damage must prove specific harm
The Court of Appeal for this district held yesterday that while businesses seeking payments by insurers for losses occasioned by government-ordered shutdowns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic are able to get past the demurrer stage, under some recent opinions, by claiming the virus adhered to the contents of the premises, causing damage, they cannot prevail on summary judgment without showing specific property loss or damage.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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UBS whistleblower’s retaliation case taken up by Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court agreed to examine whether a former UBS Securities LLC research strategist suing the company for allegedly firing him for whistleblowing must prove that he was intentionally retaliated against. The justices on Monday granted Trevor Murray’s bid to review a US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decision overturning a $1.7 million jury verdict against UBS Securities and parent UBS AG in his whistleblower suit.
Bloomberg Law
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Ruling leaves lemon law attorneys ruing rejection of $60K settlement offer
Lawyers for a man who rejected Hyundai’s offer to pay $60,500 over a supposedly defective car can’t collect nearly $100,000 in fees after negotiating a much lower settlement on the eve of trial, a California appeals court ruled. Deciding for the first time the reach of a fee-shifting provision that has been in California law since 1851, California’s Third Appellate District Court ruled that the term “judgment” in the law applies to settlements as well as verdicts obtained at trial.
Legal Newsline
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Musk settles defamation suit brought by Randeep Hothi
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle a defamation case brought against him by Indian-American Sikh critic and independent researcher, Randeep Hothi. Hothi, a doctoral student in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, had filed a defamation case against Musk in 2020, alleging that the billionaire businessman falsely accused him of actively harassing and “almost killing” Tesla employees.
NRI Pulse
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Anti-SLAPP motion filed by woman who lied in election papers properly denied
An action by a county clerk/registrar of voters to bar a woman from seeking an office after she filed a declaration of candidacy saying she had never been convicted of a felony involving the theft of public money when, in fact, she had, is not a SLAPP. Justice Shama Hakim Mesiwala authored the opinion, filed Monday and not certified for publication.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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