Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits

LA Superior Court warns of traffic text scam

Residents were being warned Friday about an ongoing text-message scam falsely claiming recipients owe toll road fees or traffic fines and purporting to be from the Los Angeles County Superior Court. “Spam texts claiming toll and traffic violations requesting payment are not from the Court,” officials said in a statement. The court “continues to receive reports of spam texts, often including a link or QR code for payment, that have been sent to the public informing them that they have a traffic ticket or toll violation that they must pay ….,” according to the statement. 

City News Service

In rare move, California Supreme Court overturns death sentence of man who killed a police chief

In a rare move, the state Supreme Court unanimously overturned the convictions and death sentence Monday of a man who was found guilty of murdering his mother and the police chief who tried to protect her. The court said the trial judge wrongly seated a juror who was friends with the police chief and had planned to attend his funeral.

San Francisco Chronicle

Man charged in Palisades Fire says firefighters' actions broke chain of blame

The man accused of causing the January 2025 wildfires in the Pacific Palisades has asked to include 'governmental negligence' as part of his defense, arguing in new court filings this week that firefighters' failure to extinguish the first of the two fires is a major factor jurors should be allowed to consider. Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, faces three federal arson charges for the Jan. 1, 2025 Lachman Fire in the Palisades, that federal prosecutors and ATF agents say smoldered undetected underground until high winds reignited embers six days later and became the Palisades Fire.

NBC4

Judge grants stay in February 2025 California bar examinees' case against ProctorU

The February 2025 class of California bar examinees and the proctor of that ill-fated launch of the state’s remote and hybrid exam are soon to be in mediation. U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar of the Northern District of California granted a stay Wednesday, after ProctorU, the vendor operating as Meazure Learning, and the test-takers of ill-fated launch of the state’s two-day remote and hybrid exam jointly requested that the case filed the same month as the exam be put on hold.

ABA Journal

Federal court ruling exposes AG Rob Bonta

An adverse legal ruling by a federal court in Texas may mean legal trouble for California Attorney General Rob Bonta in more than one way. The Texas court’s decision not only allows Exxon to continue to prosecute a serious defamation lawsuit against Bonta, but a key finding by that court may also implicate him in multiple violations of California anti-corruption laws.

California Policy Center

Supreme Court clears path for Trump’s DOJ to dismiss criminal case against Steve Bannon

The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump’s administration to drop the government’s criminal case against Steve Bannon, a former White House adviser convicted in 2022 of defying a subpoena from lawmakers investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The Supreme Court’s decision follows a move by federal prosecutors in February to drop the indictment brought during President Joe Biden’s administration.

CNN

Ninth Circuit to decide, en banc, effect of no-contest plea

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will rehear an en banc case in which the majority of a three-judge panel held that a California state prisoner may pursue a civil rights claim against two prison guards for use of excessive force in connection with an altercation notwithstanding that he pled no contest to a charge, related to the incident, of resisting an executive officer. Circuit Judge Consuelo M. Callahan partially got what she wished for, saying in her Oct. 20, 2025 dissent: “The majority’s opinion is wrong and should be overturned, if not by our court sitting en banc then by the Supreme Court.”

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

CBS beats former news anchor's suit claiming he was replaced for being white

CBS Broadcasting Inc. prevailed in a lawsuit brought by Jeff Vaughn, a former evening news anchor at its KCBS and KCAL local Los Angeles stations, who claimed he got replaced because he was an older, white, heterosexual, male. U.S. District Judge Hernán Vera granted summary judgment to the network because, the judge said, “there was no ’there’ there” to Vaughn’s claims that he was replaced by a Black man just because he was white.

Courthouse News Service

DA charges suspect in alleged UCLA student kidnapping, separate rape

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced charges Monday against a Santa Monica man accused of kidnapping two UCLA students and sexually assaulting a woman in a separate incident. Alexander Schecter, 26, was arrested by UCLA police on March 12, several days after two female students reported that he was dropping them off on Landfair Avenue around 3 a.m. but refused to let them out of his vehicle.

KTLA

California dismantles $267 million hospice fraud ring in 'Operation Skip Chase'; 21 charged

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) have announced the takedown of a staggering $267 million healthcare fraud ring. The operation, which involved 21 suspects and 14 fraudulent companies, targeted the state’s Medi-Cal system by billing for hospice services that were never rendered.

Fox11

'Gladiator fight' cases against L.A. juvenile hall staffers are falling apart

More than a year after California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced indictments against 30 probation officers accused of coordinating or allowing so-called "gladiator fights" between youths inside L.A. County juvenile halls, almost half of the criminal cases are falling apart. In recent weeks, state prosecutors dismissed charges against at least 10 of the 30 officers from the initial indictment, according to court documents and interviews with defense attorneys. 

Los Angeles Times

Man charged with three counts of murder in Pomona crash that killed pregnant woman, boyfriend

A 31-year-old man has been charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of a 25-year-old pregnant woman and 26-year-old man after allegedly ramming his pickup truck into a police car, fleeing police at over 100 mph and slamming his truck into the victims’ car, killing them instantly. “The senseless death of a young couple just weeks away from the birth of their first child is heartbreaking and enraging,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.

L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release

Details of $22M kickback scheme at troubled LAUSD revealed in court

An alleged fraudster within the Los Angeles Unified School District appeared in a downtown court on Friday charged with taking part in a huge money laundering scam. Hong “Grace” Peng, 53 - who worked as a technical project manager for LAUSD - pled not guilty to facilitating an alleged eye-popping $22 million kickback scheme. The case comes as the scandal-plagued school district reels from fraud claims against Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. 

New York Post

Man charged with attempted murder in unprovoked Downtown Los Angeles stabbing

A 39-year-old man out on parole for a previous conviction has been charged with attempted murder for a random stabbing of a 70-year-old woman in downtown Los Angeles. “This was a random and vicious attack on an innocent woman who was doing nothing wrong,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. On March 31, shortly after 10 a.m., the victim was walking along Hope Street near Olympic Boulevard when Gibson allegedly approached from behind and stabbed her in the neck without provocation.

L.A. County District Attorney’s News Release

Policy/Legal/Politics

John McKinney enters L.A. city attorney race just before deadline

John McKinney, a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office for 30 years, announced his candidacy for Los Angeles City Attorney on March 24, 2026. McKinney’s campaign focuses on public safety, neighborhood protection, and a critique of the current administration’s fiscal management regarding civil payouts. McKinney filed for the race at the beginning of March 2026, shortly before the filing deadline.

Circling the News

Police union pulls support for city attorney after leak of thousands of LAPD files

The disciplinary files of Los Angeles police officers are closely guarded secrets, protected by some of the nation's strictest confidentiality laws. But now, many of those secret files have been splashed across the internet, along with tens of thousands of other sensitive records from the L.A. city attorney's office. The extent of the data breach is still unclear, and city officials have said they are investigating to find out what was taken, who was responsible and how the city's cybersecurity was compromised.

Los Angeles Times

State senator sues Sacramento, accuses police of fabricating evidence in 'retaliatory' DUI arrest

A California state senator alleges that police officers fabricated evidence to falsely accuse her of driving under the influence after she was T-boned at an intersection near the state Capitol. Their motive, she claims, was discriminatory bias and a piece of legislation she wrote that law enforcement agencies did not like. Now, she is suing the city of Sacramento alleging "a deliberate and unlawful campaign to falsely accuse, arrest, and discredit her.”

Los Angeles Times

California gas prices are the highest in the U.S., but there's no proof of price gouging. Here's why

For years, California leaders accused oil companies of price gouging.

Instead, a six-month-long CBS News California investigation revealed a complicated reality shaped by state policies, refinery closures, and global supply risks that uniquely impact California's isolated fuel market. What CBS News California Investigates found: Why California gas costs more: Higher taxes, labor and business costs, combined with environmental programs, regulations, and the state's unique fuel blend, drive up baseline prices.

CBS News

Newsom appoints ex-LA prosecutor to Ventura County Superior Court

California's governor has appointed a commissioner at the Ventura County Superior Court to take over the position of a Ventura County Superior Court judge, who died in 2025. Brian Sottile is a former Los Angeles City Attorney's Office prosecutor, who has been with the Ventura County Superior Court since last year as commissioner, according to a California Governor's Press Office release.

Ventura County Star

How to fix Cal-OSHA? A new bill says deputize DAs to investigate the workplace

Assemblymember Liz Ortega, D-San Leandro, has a novel solution for mismanagement and chronic understaffing at Cal-OSHA: Assembly Bill 2321 would “deputize” district attorneys’ offices across the state to perform some of Cal-OSHA’s most serious investigations involving death and life-altering injuries. The legislation targets one small, chronically understaffed corner of Cal-OSHA.

Sacramento Bee

CA lawmakers consider making parole harder for some prisoners

In a rare showing of bipartisanship, Republicans in the Assembly’s public safety committee are backing a tough-on-crime bill authored by a Democrat. On Tuesday the committee advanced a measure by Elk Grove Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen that would raise the parole eligibility requirements for some elderly prisoners. Currently, incarcerated people ages 50 and up who have served at least 20 years of their sentence can be considered for the Elderly Parole Program. 

CalMatters

Southern California

County pays $8M to settle lawsuit over 'Banditos’ sheriff’s department gang

The county Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to pay $8 million to settle a long-pending lawsuit by multiple sheriff’s deputies who claimed they were pressured to quit or leave the East Los Angeles station by an internal deputy clique known as the Banditos. After months of review at the county level, the Board of Supervisors approved the $8 million settlement amount on Tuesday.

MyNewsLA

Under L.A. mayor's $300-million homeless program, 40% have returned to the street

It was a risky move and Jonathan Torres knew it, but he did it anyway. He let an out-of-town guest stay with him in his room. Torres, 40, had been living at the Highland Park Motel as part of Inside Safe, Mayor Karen Bass' flagship program to combat homelessness. He and his neighbors, many of them from a downtown encampment, were told that visitors were not allowed.

Los Angeles Times

‘Unprecedented’ rule change helps radicals seize control of LA’s multi-billion-dollar budget

Los Angeles’ ethics watchdog has quietly rewritten election rules to hand $500,000 to a radical socialist controller who’s supposed to be monitoring how the city spends its billions. The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission has scrapped a requirement that candidates must participate in public debates to unlock taxpayer-funded campaign cash - delivering radical Green Party incumbent Kenneth Mejia $500,000.

New York Post

What’s stopping thousands from rebuilding, 15 months post-Eaton fire?

Days before the 15-month anniversary of the deadly Eaton fire, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger quantified one obstacle to recovery this week that many in the community know firsthand. Barger, while highlighting the more than 1,025 homes under construction in the burn area, and the 2,000 building permits issued, noted that these numbers also show up another tally: with more than 6,000 homes lost in the blaze, only about 50% have applied to rebuild.

Torrance Daily Breeze

Activists suing LAPD allege officer shot foam rounds at their groins at point-blank range

Three prominent activists have filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department, claiming an LAPD officer shot them at point-blank range with foam rounds without provocation during a protest over the summer. The suit, filed Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that the officer, Rick Linton, used excessive force against community activist Jason Reedy and civil rights attorneys Ricci Sergienko and Shakeer Rahman outside LAPD headquarters on the night of June 9, 2025.

Los Angeles Times

Public Safety

Bomb squad called after traffic stop in Sun Valley; police shoot, kill dog

A man was detained and a dog was shot and killed by police following what started as a traffic stop in Sun Valley early Monday morning. The incident unfolded near Telfair Avenue and Penrose Street just south of the 5 Freeway around 1 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. When officers searched the driver's white sedan, they found a suspicious package, prompting LAPD's bomb squad to respond as police evacuated those living in the area.

ABC7

Hidden cameras discovered outside L.A. County homes prompt warning

Hidden cameras recently discovered in a Los Angeles County neighborhood have prompted a warning from law enforcement. “Please be aware of your surroundings around your home and report anything out of the ordinary,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a social media post after a surveillance camera was found concealed in bushes near a home on the 12500 block of Summerwind Street in Cerritos.

KTLA

Mayor Bass aims to keep LAPD from shrinking. As for growth: 'We are not there now'

When she ran for mayor four years ago, Karen Bass said she wanted to regrow the Los Angeles Police Department to the 9,500-officer force it was before the ranks began to shrink. Now up for reelection - and facing a budget crunch - Bass says her plan has shifted. The aim going forward, she told The Times in a recent interview, is to simply stop the department from getting smaller.

Los Angeles Times

AI is helping 911 dispatchers respond to emergencies

In one of the last places where a real live person answers the phone immediately, AI is now playing an increasingly important role in helping 911 dispatchers speed police, firefighters and paramedics to emergencies. The most sophisticated AI systems can listen and interact with callers, in some cases by handling nonemergency calls while staying alert for something that's actually a crisis. Other AI systems can automatically translate languages to make sure every caller gets the help they need immediately.

USA Today

Costs soar for troubled state program that pays workers up to $1,700 weekly for various ailments

A state workers’ compensation fund created after World War II primarily to help injured veterans get jobs has morphed into a program that pays up to $1,700 weekly to workers claiming disability for such conditions as diabetes, asthma and allergies. Some receiving payments also have claimed erectile dysfunction, toenail fungus, urinary tract infections and acid reflux in their medical evaluations.

Orange County Register

Lack of outreach leaves Black voters disengaged in California governor's race

In neighborhoods across South Los Angeles, some Black voters say California's crowded gubernatorial race still feels distant, raising questions about turnout and who stands to benefit in a wide-open contest to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. Interviews with voters, political observers and community leaders suggest a widening gap between campaigns and the communities they aim to reach, a dynamic that could shape turnout in an election where a significant share of voters remains undecided.

Los Angeles Today

California cracks down on Montana Loophole luxury car tax evasion

As California faces a billionaire exodus, state officials are continuing to target the wealthy, with a crackdown on individuals who register luxury vehicles out of state to avoid California taxes and registration fees. Known as the "Montana Loophole," the practice involves California residents purchasing and registering luxury vehicles through a Montana-based limited liability company, LLC, because Montana has no statewide sales tax and has significantly lower registration fees than the Golden State.

Fox Business

Thousands of California immigrant drivers face delays after DMV license revocations

Thousands of immigrant truckers and bus drivers could wait months to find out whether they’ll recover commercial driver’s licenses that the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked on March 6 under federal pressure because they contained a clerical error. A California state judge said Thursday she will oversee the DMV until it complies with her earlier order to reissue corrected licenses to about 13,000 impacted drivers, which the agency maintains it cannot do yet due to a directive from the Trump administration.

KQED

Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole

Ex-con’s appeal denied in LAPD officer’s 1983 killing

A state appellate court panel Thursday rejected the latest appeal from an ex-con who is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of a Los Angeles Police Department officer during a traffic stop in Lake View Terrace more than 40 years ago.

MyNewsLA

Israeli crime world figure helped run illegal high-stakes L.A. poker ring, authorities say

A man with alleged ties to Israeli organized crime helped run high-stakes illegal poker games at a luxury Encino mansion owned by former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, according to authorities and court documents. Yevgeni Gershman, 50, of Woodland Hills, has agreed to plead guilty to four federal counts including conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, immigration fraud, money laundering and being a prohibited person in possession of firearms, authorities said.

Los Angeles Times

California man pleads guilty to orchestrating $270M medication reimbursement fraud scheme

A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims over an 11-month span to California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) for expensive prescription drugs that were medically unnecessary and, in many instances, not provided to the purported recipients. The Department of Justice announced this case and two others in support of President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud at a press conference in Washington today.

Office of Public Affairs Press Release

Mom, stepdad sentenced for torturing teen daughter to death after she sent 'inappropriate' texts to boys

A mother and stepfather have been sentenced to 22 years to life in state prison for the 2021 torture and murder of 16-year-old Pearlene V. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday that Oriana Estela Elias, 38, and Vincent Gibbs, 39, were convicted on March 17 of second-degree murder, torture, and child abuse. The abuse was triggered by the parents' anger over Pearlene sending "inappropriate text messages to teenage boys." 

Fox11

'Ketamine queen' gets lengthy prison sentence for selling drug that killed Matthew Perry

A woman known as the “Ketamine queen” who provided the drugs that killed actor Matthew Perry was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison. Jasveen Sangha, who prosecutors said operated a high-volume drug trafficking business out of her North Hollywood home, pleaded guilty in September to one count of maintaining a drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

Los Angeles Times

Three defendants get 13 years each for stealing lottery tickets in 33 robberies targeting 7-Eleven stores

On March 25, 2026, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that three defendants have been sentenced to 13 years each in state prison for carrying out a coordinated robbery spree targeting 28 different 7-Eleven stores across Los Angeles County, stealing lottery tickets and other merchandise totaling over $200,000 in 33 separate incidents in 2024.

CSLEA

Report: Lil Nas X granted mental health diversion in assault case

Rapper Lil Nas X was reportedly granted entry into a mental health diversion program by a judge Monday after his arrest on suspicion of assaulting police officers while wandering nearly naked last year in Studio City. The Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, appeared in court Monday, where a judge said the charges could be dismissed if he completes the program and follows all laws for the next two years, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

MyNewsLA

San Fernando Valley clinic operator sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for role in ring that sold illegal opioid prescriptions for cash

A San Fernando Valley man who operated corrupt medical clinics was sentenced today to 216 months in federal prison for participating in a drug trafficking ring that sold thousands of illegal opioid prescriptions for cash. Justin Douglas Cozart, 48, of Woodland Hills, who operated and supervised the ChiroMed medical clinics, was sentenced by United States District Judge David O. Carter. 

U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release

Why are people allowed to bet on politics? (Video)

Right now, at least $13 million has been placed in bets on the California governor's race in a state that doesn't allow online sports betting. KCRA's Ashley Zavala on why people are allowed to bet on politics.

KTVU

Google engineer rejected by 16 colleges uses AI to sue universities for racial discrimination

A father in Palo Alto, California, who has filed multiple lawsuits against major university systems over his son's college rejections, says artificial intelligence has become the key to pursuing the cases after no law firm agreed to represent them. The legal fight stems from a 2023 story by our sister station ABC7 News in San Francisco about Stanley Zhong, a then 18-year-old Gunn High School student with a 4.4 GPA and a near-perfect 1590 SAT score who was rejected by 16 out of the 18 colleges he applied to.

ABC7