Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits

2 more lawyers tentatively settle lawsuits against former DA George Gascón

Two lawyers who served under former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón have tentatively settled lawsuits alleging they faced retaliation and demotions for challenging his progressive policies. Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami and retired prosecutor Victoria Adams filed conditional settlement documents in Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month. Hatami expects to request dismissal of his case by July 23, while Adams plans to seek a dismissal by Dec. 1, according to court documents.

Orange County Register

Judge orders LA County juvenile hall youth relocation plan, officers plead not guilty

Matters involving the troubled Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall made their way through court on Friday, with a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordering the county to come up with a plan to move youth out of the facility, while a group of corrections officers pleaded not guilty to child abuse charges and more. Los Padrinos has faced management and operational issues since it hastily reopened in 2023 to house detainees relocated from Central Juvenile Hall in Boyle Heights and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, which were both ordered closed by the state.

KCAL News

Judge who oversaw Camp fire settlement now suing LADWP after losing home to Palisades blaze

Jay Gandhi, a retired federal judge who served as the mediator in settlements with Pacific Gas & Electric, related to the Camp, Butte and North Bay fires, is joining a lawsuit against Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power. Gandhi also mediated settlements with Southern California Edison after the Woolsey, Thomas and Koenigstein fires, and Montecito debris flows. Though he is experienced in mediating wildfire settlement negotiations, this time, it is more personal - Gandhi and his family lost their home in the Palisades fire in January.

Los Angeles Daily News

Ninth Circuit reinstates S.F. sheriff program that allows warrantless searches

San Francisco sheriff’s officers can conduct warrantless searches of criminal defendants who have been released while awaiting trial, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, reversing a judge’s decision that the search orders exceed the sheriff’s authority and violate the right to privacy. The search requirements are reasonable safety measures and do not intrude on a judge’s authority to order pretrial release, said the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

San Francisco Chronicle

LA Courts mull court closures to serve public with kiosks, storefronts

The Los Angeles Superior Courts’ first county-wide survey, released Thursday, shows support for a plan to close some of its 36 courthouses in favor of digital kiosks, mobile units and storefronts, some manned by judges, to provide services more easily and at less cost. A new website, informational videos and allowing the public to conduct more business online are among the plans.

Daily Journal

Court favors city in mayor lawsuit

The city of Glendale has successfully defended the City Council’s selection of Elen Asatryan as mayor in April 2024 against a lawsuit by Councilmember Ara Najarian challenging that decision, according to a city press statement. The lawsuit, filed on July 1, 2024, alleged that the council’s selection process violated his constitutional rights. In October 2024, a Los Angeles Superior Court rejected all of Najarian’s claims, ruling that he had no constitutional entitlement to or property interest in the mayorship and affirmed that the council’s decision was lawful and within its discretion.

Glendale News-Press

Federal judge blocks gutting of consumer watchdog agency

A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from terminating nearly 1,500 employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at 6 p.m. ET, finding the government was clearly in violation of her and a D.C. Circuit panel’s ruling. The National Treasury Employees Union informed the court on Thursday that 1,483 employees had received reduction-in-force notices, informing them they would be cut from computer access by the end of the day Friday.

Courthouse News Service

Parties challenging city fees in court need not first protest

Div. Seven of this district’s Court of Appeal has held that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin erred in denying a petition for writ of mandate, filed by taxpayers challenging new trash fees imposed by the City of Azusa that they claim funnel money into the municipality’s general fund in violation of the California Constitution, based on the plaintiffs’ failure to first file a claim for a refund with the tax collector.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Judge denies San Diego mother has parental rights in claim child was tortured by adoptive parents

The biological mother of an 11-year-old that prosecutors claim died after she was repeatedly tortured by her adoptive parents can’t pursue her own wrongful death and negligence claims against San Diego County, the church the adoptive mom was a youth ministry leader at and other defendants because she lacks inheritance rights, a judge ruled. 

Courthouse News Service

Data broker not liable for privacy violation over secret trackers installed on cars

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that a class action complaint asserting a privacy law claim against a company that sells data collected from its electronic tracking devices, which are installed by automakers and allegedly collect real-time location information of unsuspecting drivers, was properly dismissed because the statute in question does not contemplate liability for built-in components.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

District Attorney Hochman announces man charged with vandalizing trees in Los Angeles

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced that a 44-year-old man was charged today with cutting down multiple trees across the City of Los Angeles with a chainsaw. Samuel Groft (dob 10/15/80) was charged in case 25CJCF02255 with eight felony counts of vandalism. He is scheduled to be arraigned today in Department 30 of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

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

U.S. Attorney to review deputy’s civil rights conviction in Lancaster incident 

The newly appointed U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California will review the conviction of Deputy Trevor Kirk, a Santa Clarita resident found guilty of a 2023 civil rights violation in Lancaster, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Professional Association. Kirk was found guilty of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law for an incident that occurred in June 2023 when responding to a call for service regarding a robbery at a Lancaster grocery store, where two suspects allegedly assaulted the security officers.  

The Signal

Talent agency chief arraigned after allegedly stealing $1.8M from 160 actors

Mark Measures, owner and president of talent agency KMR, was arraigned in the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday after allegedly stealing money from the clients he represented. Measures is alleged to have stolen $1.8 million from 160 actors based in New York and about $26,000 from six employees between June 2021 and March 2024.

The Hollywood Reporter

LA real estate agent had 164 pounds of cocaine in his luggage at Chicago Union Station, prosecutors say; ‘Wow. That’s a lot.’

A 57-year-old real estate agent from suburban Los Angeles has been arrested for the first time in his life - for allegedly having nearly 164 pounds of cocaine inside his luggage at Chicago Union Station. “Wow. That’s a lot. I mean, that’s a lot,” observed Judge Deidre Dyer during the first court appearance for the agent, Jerome Nalbandian. Prosecutors said Nalbandian was arrested at Union Station on April 13 with 75.15 kilos of suspected cocaine stuffed into four roller bags. That converts to 163.47 pounds.

CWB Chicago

L.A. pawn shop owner indicted for allegedly conspiring to sell stolen Andy Warhol trial proof and lying to the FBI about its sale

The owner of a pawn shop in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles was indicted today for allegedly conspiring to sell a stolen Andy Warhol print trial proof, which was shipped from the Beverly Hills office of an auction house to Dallas, then lying about it to federal agents. Glenn Steven Bednarsh, 58, of Farmington, Michigan and formerly of Beverly Hills, is charged in a two-count federal grand jury indictment with conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen goods.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release

Los Angeles man allegedly beats his dog with metal chain leash

A 40-year-old man faces an animal cruelty charge for allegedly beating his dog with a metal chain leash inside a downtown Los Angeles apartment building last month. Security cameras inside the complex captured Donald Jeffes, 40, allegedly carrying his American Micro Bully by the collar while whipping his dog with the pet's metal chain leash on March 18, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. 

KCAL News

DOJ files felony charge against illegal migrant set for early release after DUI crash

United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bilal Essayli on Wednesday announced his office had filed a felony immigration charge against an illegal migrant who was originally set for early release. Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, after killing two Americans in a 2021 California car crash, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The National News Desk

Federal law enforcement officer arrested for allegedly fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 business-relief funds for shell companies

A United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has been arrested on a five-count federal grand jury indictment alleging he fraudulently obtained nearly $150,000 in COVID-19 pandemic business-relief loan funds for two of his sham businesses, the Justice Department announced today. Amer Aldarawsheh, 45, of Moreno Valley, is charged with five counts of wire fraud.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release

Prosecutors are revisiting their plea deal with Andrew Do, OC supervisor says

Prosecutors are revisiting their plea deal with former Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do, a top county official said Tuesday. The remarks came as supervisors were about to approve a letter asking the federal Department of Justice to revisit the deal and consider a tougher sentence. Supervisor Don Wagner said prosecutors were already doing that. “We're asking the DOJ to reassess - review and reassess. We understand from our DA's Office that's being done. And so we're, you know, a little Johnny-come-lately to this,” Wagner said.

LAist

Simi Valley woman faces battery charges after pushing food vendor to the ground

A Simi Valley woman has been charged after pushing a female food cart vendor to the ground, causing her to fall and sustain minor injuries on Monday, April 14th. At approximately 4:30pm Monday afternoon, officers were called to a neighborhood at the intersection of Torrance Street and Brandon Avenue where a battery incident had taken place between a food vendor, identified as Mary B., and 56-year-old resident Julie Christine Sanchez.

KEYT

Man convicted of 1993 East L.A. murder declared factually innocent

A man who spent nearly three decades behind bars after being convicted of a 1993 murder in East Los Angeles was declared Friday to be factually innocent of the crime. Last October, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke II had vacated Humberto "Beto" Duran's conviction and potential life prison sentence for the Dec. 18, 1993, killing of Albert Gonzalez. Prosecutors noted then in a court document that the only percipient witness to the killing has repeatedly recanted her testimony during the trial that he was one of the two gunmen.

The Eastsider

Policy/Legal/Politics

California halts medical parole, sends several critically ill patients back to prison

California has halted a court-ordered medical parole program, opting instead to send its most incapacitated prisoners back to state lockups or release them early. The unilateral termination is drawing protests from attorneys representing prisoners and the author of the state’s medical parole legislation, who say it unnecessarily puts this vulnerable population at risk. The move is the latest wrinkle in a long-running drive to free those deemed so ill that they are no longer a danger to society.

San Francisco Chronicle

Lancaster mayor's remedy for homelessness: 'Free fentanyl' and 'a purge’

The mayor of Lancaster, Rex Parris, has ignited a controversy after musing during a council meeting that one approach to homelessness would be to "give them free fentanyl … all the fentanyl they want.” Parris, a larger-than-life trial lawyer, made the incendiary comments about the drug - responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths - during a February City Council meeting, in a retort to a resident who objected to his musings of congregating unhoused residents into an "encampment."

Los Angeles Times

What’s next after LA homeless officials withheld public records on $800K in whistleblower payouts?

A lot has been happening with the agency that manages homelessness funding for L.A. city and county. One of the latest controversies is over public records about alleged wrongdoing at the L.A. Homeless Services Authority. As LAist revealed earlier, LAHSA leaders and their attorneys at the County Counsel’s Office have repeatedly refused to release public records about allegations of high-level wrongdoing - including whistleblower retaliation - that led to $800,000 in taxpayer-funded payouts to settle the claims.

LAist

State Bar of California admits it used AI to develop exam questions, triggering new furor

Nearly two months after hundreds of prospective California lawyers complained that their bar exams were plagued with technical problems and irregularities, the state's legal licensing body has caused fresh outrage by admitting that some multiple-choice questions were developed with the aid of artificial intelligence. The State Bar of California said in a news release Monday that it will ask the California Supreme Court to adjust test scores for those who took its February bar exam.

Los Angeles Times

California bill banning lawmakers from signing NDAs when making new laws, using taxpayer dollars, clears another hurdle

A bill that would make it a crime for California lawmakers to sign non-disclosure agreements when they create new laws or decide how to use taxpayer dollars cleared another hurdle at the Capitol. The Assembly Judiciary Committee approved it Tuesday through its "consent calendar," meaning it was part of a batch of bills that were unanimously passed by the committee, but without discussion. The bill now heads to the Assembly's Appropriations Committee.

KCRA

Appeals court appears split on AP access to White House

A federal appeals court panel seemed split over The Associated Press’s exclusion from certain White House spaces as it weighs whether to halt an order directing the Trump administration to restore the wire service’s access to such areas. AP’s battle with the White House, which stems from its refusal to use the term Gulf of America in its popular stylebook, came to a head last week when a federal judge deemed unlawful the outlet’s exile from the press pool, a small group of journalists who document the president’s movements and statements in and around the White House.

The Hill

Southern California

Villanueva applies to work at Metro after controversial investigation into agency: LAT reporter

During his time as sheriff of Los Angeles County, Alex Villanueva investigated Los Angeles Metro and local political leaders, and he also threatened to pull his deputies off of the transit system amid a public outcry over safety. Just a few years later, he’s apparently applied to be a Metro employee. Los Angeles Times reporter Keri Blakinger wrote on social media that during a deposition for Villanueva’s suit against the county for placing him on its “do not rehire” list, he admitted that he applied to work for L.A. Metro.

KTLA

LA faces a nearly $1 billion budget shortfall. ABC7 took a deep dive into the financial mess

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says city finances are so tight right now, she is proposing laying off more than 1,600 city workers to balance the budget. So how did the city of L.A. get into such a financial mess that it's facing a nearly $1 billion deficit? Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' proposed budget includes 1,600 layoffs amid a nearly $1 billion deficit. One reason is because more and more of taxpayer money is being used to pay out civil lawsuits against the city.

ABC7

Documentary highlights L.A. County first responders during January wildfires

A new documentary follows the Los Angeles County first responders who battled the Palisades and Eaton fires. Resilience: The Untold Stories of LA County First Responders features never-before-seen footage and firsthand accounts of firefighters, deputies, and lifeguards in the thick of the fires. “This documentary is a tribute and a testimony to what we went through, but it's also a call to action,” said L.A. County Fire Captain Dave Gillotte, president of Firefighters Local 1014.

KNX News

Public Safety

Man allegedly fires gun at LAPD helicopter, is fatally shot by police

Authorities fatally shot a man in Reseda on Sunday evening after he allegedly fired a gun at a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter. The deadly shooting began with a call to police around 6:25 p.m. about an assault with a deadly weapon in the 6400 block of Reseda Boulevard, according to the LAPD. Upon arriving, officers said they saw a man run into an apartment complex near the intersection of Reseda and Victory boulevards.

Los Angeles Times

Violent crime reports have decreased on L.A. Metro trains since police presence increased: report

Last year, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called a spike in violent crime on Los Angeles Metro buses and trains “absolutely unacceptable,” and she pledged to make public transit safer in the city. Since then, Metro rail lines have seen a 15.5% drop in violent crimes per transit rider from 2023 to 2024, according to a report from L.A.-based nonprofit newsroom Crosstown. The report correlates a decrease in violent crime reports and arrests with a significant increase in patrols aboard trains.

KTLA

LAPD arrests 2 in theft of $1.2M in cargo found in San Fernando Valley and $2.7M in computers at LAX

Two men suspected of stealing more than $3.9 million worth of cargo found at San Fernando Valley storage facilities and Los Angeles International Airport have been arrested. Following the execution of search warrants at the storage facilities, LAPD Commercial Crimes Division-Cargo Theft Unit detectives, with the assistance of Los Angeles Port Police, Union Pacific Police Department and Los Angeles World Airport Police personnel, began an investigation during the past week that led to the arrests of 41-year-old Oscar David Borrero-Manchola and 25-year-old Yonaiker Rafael Martinez-Ramos, police said.

City News Service

Criminals using $20 'distraction' tactic to scam victims

"It’s your lucky day. You’re so lucky. You’re full of luck." That’s what Sarah - who asked us to withhold her last name - says a stranger told her as she stood at the checkout counter at a Ralphs grocery store in Van Nuys. But it wasn’t her lucky day - it was the setup for a classic $20 distraction scam. By the time it was over, thousands of dollars had vanished from both her and her daughter’s bank accounts.

Fox11

Pursuit ends with broken arm for 10-year-old in Simi Valley

A driver who crashed while trying to flee from police in Simi Valley Monday night is facing multiple charges, including child endangerment, after a 10-year-old passenger suffered a broken arm. The incident occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. when an officer attempted to pull the motorist over for failing to stop at a posted stop sign at Simi Town Center Way and Jefferson East, the Simi Valley Police Department stated in a news release.

KTLA

Property owners sue California insurance companies over alleged 'collusion' following wildfires

A group of property owners affected by the January wildfires is suing major California insurer carriers, including the state's largest, State Farm, for allegedly violating California's antitrust and unfair competition laws. The lawsuits follow others regarding insurers' handling of the aftermath of the Eaton and Palisades fires, including against Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and the California FAIR Plan (specifically about smoke damage), the state's beleaguered insurance plan of last resort.

Los Angeles Times

Former Edison executive Calderon, now a lawmaker, seeks to cut rooftop solar credits

Nearly 2 million California rooftop solar owners could lose the energy credits that help them cover what they spent to install the expensive climate-friendly systems under a proposed state bill. The bill’s author, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier), is a former executive at Southern California Edison and its parent company, Edison International. She says the credits that rooftop owners receive when they send unused electricity to the grid is raising the bills of customers who don’t own the panels.

Los Angeles Times

Banked vacation leads to a $1.2-million payday: How state workers cash in on days off

When the state of California paid prison supervising dentist George Soohoo $1.2 million last year, it wasn't for a job well done. It was for vacation never taken. Soohoo joined the rare club of state employee millionaires by cashing out thousands of hours of unused time off when he retired, setting a new record for the payouts. He topped a list of nearly 1,000 workers who left state service last year with $100,0000 or more in banked leave benefits, a Los Angeles Times analysis of state payroll records found.

Los Angeles Times

Prop. 36 triggers retail theft crackdown aimed at repeat offenders in Southern California

On a recent, drizzly afternoon in Lake Elsinore, Riverside County sheriff’s Deputy Ian Noel was staked out in an unmarked SUV in the Home Depot parking lot, waiting patiently. Then, over the police radio, he was informed that a woman had been seen placing items in her purse inside a Target store across the street. Without hesitation, Noel darted over to the Target lot, where he parked and waited.

Riverside Press-Enterprise

Patel says FBI arrested Wisconsin judge, Trump immigration enforcement effort escalates

Federal authorities have arrested a former New Mexico judge and a Wisconsin judge in two separate cases, accusing them of interfering with Trump administration immigration enforcement efforts. Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested Friday morning and charged with obstruction for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant evade arrest after he appeared in her courtroom last week.

CNBC

California crime rates drop as state credits enforcement strategy

California crime rates fell in 2024, with both violent and property offenses showing notable declines, according to preliminary data released by state officials. An analysis by the Public Policy Institute of California found violent crime dropped 4.6% in 2024 compared to the previous year, while property crime fell 8.5%. The institute examined Real Time Crime Index data from 29 law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

CNN

California Republicans want to get tougher on crime. Are Democrats shifting their way?

Republican state Sen. Brian Jones has been trying to block sex offenders from being released from prison through California’s elderly parole program for several years. Last week, for the first time, his bill to do so made it out of its first committee. It was just one of many votes Senate Bill 286 will have to survive in a long road ahead in the Capitol, but it caught Jones’ attention. In a Legislature dominated by Democrats who often shelve Republican tough-on-crime proposals, the approval from the Senate Public Safety Committee was unanimous.

CalMatters

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s bag, including $3,000 in cash, is stolen from DC restaurant

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem fell victim to a thief while eating dinner at a downtown Washington, DC, restaurant Sunday night, the secretary confirmed Monday. Noem, who was asked about the theft at the White House Easter Egg Roll, acknowledged the incident and said the matter has not been resolved.

CNN

Harvard sues the Trump administration, taking the fight over federal funding and academic freedom to court

Harvard University sued the Trump administration Monday in a new escalation of the fight over institutional oversight, independence and federal funding for the Ivy League school. University President Alan M. Garber said in a letter to the Harvard community that the administration’s recent actions - including a $2.2 billion federal funding freeze at Harvard, with even more money potentially on the line - “have stark real-life consequences for patients, students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the standing of American higher education in the world.”

CNN

OC judge convicted of second-degree murder in wife's shooting death

An Orange County judge accused in the shooting death of his wife in the couple's Anaheim Hills home was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder at his retrial in Santa Ana. Jurors began deliberations Monday afternoon and returned with the guilty verdict about 24 hours later against Jeffrey Ferguson, 74, in the Aug. 3, 2023 shooting death of his wife Sheryl, 65, at the couple's Anaheim Hills home.

NBC4

San Fernando Valley man sentenced to more than 5 years in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining at least $1.8 million through mail and ID theft

A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 61 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining at least $1.8 million by stealing Beverly Hills residents’ identities - often by stealing mail and packages from their homes - then using that information to open fraudulent bank accounts to which he unlawfully transferred money from the bank accounts of the victims, of which included elderly people.    

U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release

Tesla whistleblower wins latest legal victory against Musk

Cristina Balan, a former Tesla engineer, has emerged victorious in her long-running legal dispute with Tesla and CEO Elon Musk. Balan, who was dismissed in 2014 after raising concerns about a design flaw that could affect the braking system of Tesla cars, has seen a panel of California appeal judges reverse a previous ruling that dismissed her defamation case. The latest legal development gives Balan a chance to continue her battle against Tesla, with the goal of facing Elon Musk in open court. 

DMR News

Businessman withdraws defamation suit vs. Reggie Bush

A businessman has withdrawn his motion for a judge’s confirmation of an arbitration award he obtained against former USC running back Reggie Bush in which he alleged he was defamed by the Heisman trophy winner. Plaintiff Lloyd Lake filed the petition to confirm the award on April 14 with Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Eric Harmon. The amounts Lake won in compensatory and punitive damages are redacted from the plaintiff’s petition. However, Lake’s attorneys filed court papers on Friday withdrawing the motion.

MyNewsLA

Escaped California inmate wanted for killing Mexican police commander caught, officials say

An escaped U.S. inmate, who was wanted for killing a member of a Mexican police unit known as the "Gringo Hunters" during a shootout last week, has been caught in Tijuana, officials said. Cesar Hernandez, who had been convicted and sentenced for murder in California, allegedly killed Abigail Esparza Reyes, who was part of a specialized Mexican state police unit responsible for locating foreign fugitives who cross the border, during a shootout on April 9, officials said.

ABC News