Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Full resentencing not due every time habeas relief granted
A divided California Supreme Court held yesterday that an order altering a defendant’s sentence in habeas proceedings does not automatically trigger a right to a full resentencing hearing such that a defendant is entitled to have a judge consider all applicable laws that have the potential to reduce his penalty, including those that were adopted after his sentence became final.
California Courts Newsroom
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LA gun owners stuck waiting years for concealed carry permits score major DOJ victory
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has slashed lengthy concealed carry permit delays after a Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit accused the agency of leaving thousands of applications in limbo and forcing some gun owners to wait nearly three years for action.
Fox News
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Third-party statement taken in violation of Miranda rightly admitted, C.A. declares
Div. Six of this district’s Court of Appeal has held that a convicted murderer was not deprived of his constitutional right to due process as a result of the admission of statements at his trial that were obtained during a police interrogation of a witness, who was initially suspected of the crime, even if they were made under circumstances that violated that party’s Miranda rights.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Ruling renews scrutiny of tactics used to make Trump loyalist L.A.'s top federal prosecutor
A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling this week has raised new questions about the legality of tactics used by the Trump administration to keep Bill Essayli atop the federal prosecutor's office in Los Angeles. The federal appellate court ruled Monday that the Department of Justice cannot keep an official who has not been confirmed by the Senate in charge of a U.S. attorney's office simply by giving that person a different title and the full powers of the job.
Los Angeles Times
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Eighth U.S. Circuit validates California law requiring obedience to out-of-state warrants
The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a suppression motion was properly denied in a case where a man exchanged sexually explicit images with a 15-year-old and was caught after Snap, Inc., located in Santa Monica, and Google. headquartered in Santa Clara County’s City of Mountain View, provided records, in obedience to a search warrant, leading to ascertainment of the defendant’s identity.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Superior Court of Los Angeles County seeks applicants for 23-member civil grand jury
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County invites civic-minded residents to apply for the 2027-2028 Civil Grand Jury. The Civil Grand Jury offers a unique opportunity to examine the work of various county government agencies within Los Angeles County and contribute to greater transparency and accountability. Civil grand jurors receive in-depth training and briefings before engaging in reviews that may extend over several weeks or months.
Superior Court of Los Angeles County News Release
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Los Angeles court mandates disclosure to combat judicial disqualification abuse
Attorneys and parties seeking to disqualify judges in Los Angeles County will now be required to disclose certain prior challenges against the same judge under a new procedure aimed at addressing potential abuse of California’s judicial disqualification law. The Los Angeles Superior Court issued a general order July 28 requiring attorneys and parties who challenge a judge under Code of Civil Procedure §170.6 to disclose certain prior challenges to that judge, according to an article in the Metropolitan News-Enterprise (MetNews).
Davis Vanguard
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Black LACo DA investigator’s lawsuit survives part of defense challenge
A Black investigator who alleges she’s been harassed in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will get a trial on two of her five allegations, a judge decided in a mixed ruling on the county’s motion to dismiss the case. Sgt. Karen Pewitt’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges that the Bureau of Investigation bullies personnel to muzzle their equity complaints.
MyNewsLA
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Judge wrongly blocked DOJ investigation into 'gender-affirming' telehealth clinic, Ninth Circuit finds
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that a district court judge wrongly blocked a subpoena issued by the U.S. Department of Justice for records kept by QueerDoc, a telehealth clinic that provides “gender affirming care.” The lower court found the subpoena was issued for an “improper purpose,” to “eliminate all gender-affirming care” rather than investigate wrongdoing.
Courthouse News Service
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Norwalk judge rejects mental health diversion, disputes defense claim of schizophrenia
A judge on Thursday, Aug. 13, denied an accused man mental health diversion despite defense arguments that severe mental health concerns contributed to the alleged violence, concluding that the nature of the charges and his history of violence made diversion inappropriate. The preliminary hearing ended with a future pretrial hearing scheduled. The accused had previously been diagnosed with depression, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder through his evaluation process before his preliminary hearing.
Davis Vanguard
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Convicted murderer, a practicing Wiccan, can sue over confiscated items, judges rule
A convicted murderer who said prison guards violated his religious rights by confiscating an altar cloth and medallions he used in rituals for his Wiccan faith can sue the guards and prison officials for damages, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. Shawn Charles Goff, 43, was sentenced to life in prison for a 2001 murder in Maricopa County, Ariz.
San Francisco Chronicle
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Los Angeles man charged with murdering three men in Hollywood apartment
A 57-year-old Los Angeles man, who was previously convicted in 2005 of murder and released from prison in 2022, has now been charged with three counts of murder in connection with a triple homicide involving the shooting deaths of three men at a Hollywood apartment last month.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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LAPD officer who recorded others placed in diversion program
As expected, felony charges filed against a Los Angeles Police Department officer who secretly recorded his colleagues making racist, sexist and homophobic comments were reduced Thursday to misdemeanor counts at the prosecution's request, and he was placed in a diversion program that will allow him to avoid prison time and could result in the case being dismissed in one year.
City News Service
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Opening statements delivered at trial in ambush killing of LA County deputy
Family members of Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer were in court Monday when attorneys delivered opening statements in the murder trial of a man accused of pulling up alongside the 30-year-old law enforcement officer and opening fire.
NBC4/City News Service
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Justice Department finds California women’s prisons violate the Constitution by failing to protect female prisoners from sexual abuse by staff
The Justice Department announced today that it has reasonable cause to believe that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, and the California Institution for Women (CIW) in Chino are violating the U.S. Constitution by failing to protect female prisoners from sexual abuse and harassment by staff.
Office of Public Affairs Press Release
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Man unleashes deadly ‘revenge’ rampage on ex’s family, kills 4 people, 3 dogs before torching home: DA
A California man bent on revenge after a breakup waited until his ex-boyfriend’s family went to bed before entering their home, gunning down four people and setting the house ablaze, prosecutors said. Miguel Diego Sandoval, 21, has pleaded guilty to the November 2024 bloodbath inside a Lancaster home that left Janvi Maquindang, 21, Christine Aca-ac, 25, Edwin Garcia, 24, and Matthew Montebello, 21, dead.
Fox News
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LA County DA still weighing charges in fatal shooting of Keith Porter Jr. by off-duty ICE agent
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has yet to decide whether charges will be filed in the shooting death of Keith Porter Jr., according to the family attorney. An off-duty ICE officer is accused of fatally shooting the 43-year-old on New Year's Eve in Northridge.
Fox11
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Palisades Fire arson suspect faces 1 less criminal charge, indictment revised
A new indictment was filed this week against the Palisades Fire suspect after a mistrial was declared in June and prosecutors vowed to retry the case. Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, now faces two criminal charges instead of three for allegedly starting the Lachman Fire that grew, one week later, into the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire.
CBS News LA
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DA Nathan Hochman, LAPD Chief detail crackdown on hate crime
On Aug. 6 Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman detailed a number of hate crime cases being handled by his office, emphasizing that the acts alleged and in at least one case proven will not be tolerated in one of the most diverse cities in the world. The district attorney painted a portrait of Los Angeles County as a house built on “trust and respect.” “What hate criminals want to do is … destroy the house,” he said.
City News Service
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New York Times loses defamation suit, ordered to pay $9.25M to former Alabama basketball player
The New York Times was defeated in a defamation lawsuit Thursday brought by a former college basketball player and ordered to pay millions in damages. An Alabama jury ruled the Times defamed Kai Spears, then an 18-year-old freshman walk-on basketball player for the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide, who was swept up in a 2023 report linking him to a fatal shooting.
Fox News
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Flock has a powerful new AI tool for police. We got its code
Vehicle surveillance giant Flock Safety has told the public for years that its technology “cannot recognize, identify, or track individuals.” It has now built a system that does both, an artificial intelligence tool for police that can identify drivers and track vehicles by their patterns of movement alone, WIRED has learned.
Wired
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Justice Department creates a new pathway to restore gun rights for some convicted of felonies
The Justice Department finalized a rule Monday that will pave the way for people who've been barred from owning firearms because of criminal convictions to apply to have their gun rights reinstated. The process launched by newly confirmed Attorney General Todd Blanche is a victory for Second Amendment advocates who have long pushed for nonviolent people with felony convictions to be given a pathway to regain their legal right to own firearms.
Associated Press
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Nick Reiner has spent some of his family money on murder defense, lawyers say
Nick Reiner has paid for at least part of his murder defense with money set aside for him by the parents he’s accused of killing - and he argues he’s due even more, probate lawyers revealed Monday. Reiner, 32, wasn’t in court as attorneys argued over his right to the $1.63 million in a trust fund acclaimed director Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner created for him.
NBC News
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AI hallucinated case law in insurance company's filings in L.A. County house fire dispute
Attorneys for State Farm apologized to a court for submitting legal briefings rife with artificial intelligence hallucinations and nonexistent case law, the latest example of lawyers bolstering their arguments with precedents made up by a chatbot. As part of an insurance dispute over a fire-damaged Carson home, attorneys for State Farm cited several cases in court filings this month that they later acknowledged don't exist.
Los Angeles Times
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She pleaded guilty to a drug charge. Then she visited Mexico not knowing she couldn’t return.
At her trial, there's no question that Angela Hernandez signed a form acknowledging that she could be deported after a criminal conviction. An interpreter certified that they had translated the whole form and her attorney was confident Hernandez understood it. But the California Supreme Court said in a ruling handed down Thursday that it's not enough to check a form's boxes - a defendant has to "meaningfully understand" the legal consequences of a plea deal.
The Fresno Bee
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Epstein victims’ suit against FBI poised to survive dismissal, for now
A lawsuit filed by Epstein victims against the FBI should be allowed to proceed, a magistrate judge recommended Tuesday. U.S. Magistrate Judge Ryon M. McCabe encouraged the Florida federal court in his 30-page report to allow claims against the FBI to continue despite the statute of limitations having expired before the suit was filed.
Courthouse News Service
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San Diego County kicks immigration agents out of shooting range. Sheriff says not so fast
A showdown is shaping up between San Diego’s Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s Department over whether federal immigration agents should be allowed to continue firearms training on a shooting range owned by the county. On Tuesday, the board voted 3-2 to terminate agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection over both agencies’ use of the San Diego Regional Firearms Training Center in Otay Mesa.
Los Angeles Times
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Can MacArthur Park be saved? Norm Langer leads the fight
In the 1880s, the city of Los Angeles made a land trade with George S. Patton, father of the vaunted World War II general of the same name, to obtain a 35-acre mud hole. There was nothing special about the land. In fact, quite the opposite. It was basically a swamp of brackish waters, nothing more than an alkaline-choked wetland that the city began to use as a local dump. But visionary urban planners had a plan for the dilapidated site.
Los Angeles Magazine
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LAX people mover sets opening date as YouTuber exposes behind-the-scenes chaos
LAX's long-delayed airport train was 97% complete in May 2024. More than two years later, it still hasn't opened, and now it has a new target date. The $3.34 billion project is targeting passenger service in October 2026, even as a bitter legal fight and massive cost overruns raise fresh questions about whether the latest deadline will hold.
California Post
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LA Mayor Bass wants public transit to be free. Metro puts that price tag at over $1 billion - and more UCLA Media
LAist reported on Mayor Karen Bass’ support for fare-free Metro as the agency weighs the costs and potential consequences of eliminating fares. According to Brian Taylor, a research professor of urban planning and public policy at UCLA, there’s a good economic case for transit systems to go fareless when a large share of its riders are low-income and fares cover less than roughly 10% of operating costs.
UCLA in the News
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Fed up Venice residents hire former gang members to reclaim homeless war zone
Venice Beach property owners have begun paying a private security firm staffed by former gang members to clear homeless encampments from their streets. Rick Swinger, a Venice apartment owner, is among roughly 250 locals and businesses who now pay monthly fees starting around $300 to Ghost Town Consultants, a firm founded by reformed locals Bobby Luna and Ricky Myers.
Pulptastic
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Authorities release images of 27 suspects in East LA AutoZone break-ins
Authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying more than two dozen people in connection with last weekend's break-ins at an East Los Angeles AutoZone that resulted in significant loss and damage to the business. At around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 9, forced entry was made into the store in the 1130 block of South Atlantic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
NBC4
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Burbank police arrest 17 people in statewide organized retail theft operation
Seventeen people were taken into custody in Burbank as part of a statewide organized retail theft operation, police announced today. Los Angeles Organized Retail Crime Association and California Highway Patrol Organized Retail Crime Task Force investigators conducted a joint operation with detectives in a statewide operation known as Summer Blitz between Aug. 11 and 13, according to the Burbank Police Department.
City News Service
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CHP recovers $1.05 million in stolen goods during retail theft blitz
The California Highway Patrol announced the seizure of more than $1 million worth of stolen goods during a nine-day law enforcement blitz targeting organized retail theft. From Aug. 1 to 9, the CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force saturated communities and led coordinated enforcement operations at businesses, shopping centers and retail stores across the state, according to a CHP news release issued Tuesday.
KTLA
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SoCal police say thieves keep targeting these vehicles
An affluent Southern California beach community is sounding the alarm about a surge in vehicle thefts, singling out two automakers in particular. In its weekly crime bulletin, the Manhattan Beach Police Department said there has been a “recent uptick” in stolen vehicles – and also offered tips to help residents avoid becoming victims. Police said thieves have been targeting Hyundai and Kia vehicles at higher rates.
KTLA
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LAPD left stunned as dirt bike rider refuels mid-chase and evades cruisers on foot
High-speed police pursuits are a staple of Southern California news broadcasts, but a recent chase through the streets of South Los Angeles left even the most seasoned helicopter reporters in absolute disbelief. An armed-and-dangerous suspect fleeing on a stolen dirt bike took the LAPD on an hour-long, highly erratic chase that featured off-roading through city parks, mid-pursuit phone calls, and an unbelievable coordinated refueling drop-off.
MotorBiscuit
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House Ethics Committee unveils sexual misconduct probe into Representative Jimmy Gomez
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday a probe into California Representative Jimmy Gomez, confirming reports that the Democratic lawmaker was under investigation for accusations of sexual misconduct. Gomez, 51, joins a growing list of members of Congress facing an ethical reckoning as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle grapple with colleagues accused of sexual harassment, unwanted romantic overtures and unprofessional conduct in the workplace.
Courthouse News Service
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FBI raids former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s home, seizes devices in probe tied to sexual assault claims
Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at the San Francisco airport on Saturday and then raided his home in Washington, DC, the next day as part of an ongoing probe connected to sexual assault allegations, sources familiar with the investigation told CNN. Swalwell did not immediately respond to messages from CNN following the raid, but he has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual assault.
CNN
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California prison towns grasp for new jobs after closures: ‘No one is coming to save us’
California prison towns made a grim bargain decades ago. They built their economies around an industry that relied on an ever-growing prison population, mostly from California’s major metropolitan areas. Then, about 15 years ago, legislators changed sentencing laws in ways that caused the prison population to drop, and the prisons started going away.
CalMatters
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How California’s hospice industry spiraled out of control - and cost millions in fraud
A quiet change in California law in 2018 unleashed a deluge of new hospices and spurred millions of dollars in Medicare fraud that state and federal authorities are still trying to unwind. Hospices shared addresses with burrito stands, car repair shops and vacant lots. They piled into nondescript office buildings offering cheap rent, month-to-month leases and little scrutiny.
Pasadena Star News
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California high-speed rail could run out of money by December 2027, inspector general warns - as authority cuts train order in half
California's high-speed rail project could run out of money as soon as December 2027, the project's inspector general warned in a recent review - unless the state borrows billions to keep construction on schedule. The High-Speed Rail Authority "will exhaust its current funding resources as soon as December 2027 if it does not secure financing," Inspector General Ben Belnap's office found, warning the authority faces a $9.5 billion funding gap over five years.
CBS News California
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The state says he stole millions from California seniors. Courts missed warning signs for years
For over six years, a Los Angeles-area fiduciary altered bank statements and fudged court reports to steal more than $6 million from his clients, the California Attorney General’s Office claims, setting up what it called a “Ponzi-style” scheme to rob people who can’t take care of themselves.
CalMatters
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California's 'money-saving' tire ban just got worse, including threatening reporters
Yesterday, we told you California enacted a ban on 70 percent of the tires currently sold in the state. That means by 2033, California consumers will have far fewer options for replacing their tires unless they drive out of state to Nevada or Arizona. Democrats insist it will save drivers money, which shows how economically illiterate they are: limiting the supply of something never, ever makes it more affordable.
Townhall
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California student athletes fall in fight for licensing payments
Patrick Hall spent his junior year playing varsity football for Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, appearing in his school’s promotional content along the way. He was never paid for it, and under the rules of the California Interscholastic Federation, he couldn’t be. That rule, which bars student athletes from licensing their name, image and likeness when it’s tied to their school jersey, insignia or team affiliation, was what was left of a class action that once challenged nearly every restriction the federation places on high school sports.
Courthouse News Service
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Man convicted of murder in retrial tied to deadly 2018 shooting at Silver Lake Trader Joe’s
A man who engaged in a gunfight with Los Angeles police outside a Silver Lake Trader Joe's store following a pursuit in 2018, leading to a store assistant manager being fatally shot by an officer, was convicted of second-degree murder on Tuesday. Gene Evin Atkins, 36, was convicted in June of 40 other counts, but the first jury to hear his case deadlocked on the second-degree murder charge, leading to the retrial.
ABC7
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Man convicted of shooting at LAPD helicopter sentenced to prison
An ex-con who was found guilty of shooting at and striking a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter last year was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years and eight months in state prison. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mildred Escobedo cited what she called "a very, very stupid, negligent act" by Douglas Byers in opting against imposing the 41-year, eight-month sentence requested by Deputy District Attorney Eric Siddall.
Los Angeles Patch
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Panorama City MS-13 member's life sentence delayed until October
A 27-year-old Panorama City gang member convicted of murdering six people, including rivals killed near Malibu, in the Santa Clarita Valley and twice in Van Nuys, will have to wait longer to learn his fate. Walter Chavez Larin's federal sentencing hearing, originally set for Monday, has been postponed until October 6, 2026. Chavez Larin was convicted in November 2025 following a nine-week trial in downtown Los Angeles, according to MyNewsLA.com.
Hoodline
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