Courts, Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Ninth Circuit: Domestic battery in California does not qualify as ‘violent’ for U.S. scheme
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that a violation of California’s domestic violence statute that renders a “person who willfully inflicts corporal injury” on a current or former romantic partner guilty of a felony, does not qualify the offense as a “crime of violence” for purposes of a sentencing enhancement under federal guidelines.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Police face new limits on cell phone location searches after Supreme Court ruling
Law enforcement agencies around the country are facing new limits on their ability to sweep up location data from cell phone users near crime scenes, as a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a bank robbery case in Virginia found that so-called geofence searches are bound by constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
Southern California News Group
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California appeals court finds that license plate data collection alone is not harm
A San Diego-based appellate court has found that the collection of license plate data by a company that supplies plate readers does not, in and of itself, constitute harm, thus rejecting a bid to revive a class action lawsuit alleging invasion of privacy.
San Diego Union-Tribune
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Search valid where trailer seemed to be parolee’s abode
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision interpreting California law, yesterday reversed an order suppressing evidence found in a trailer and pickup truck, saying that officers reasonably believed that the vehicles belonged to, or were under the control of, a man who was on parole, a condition of which was submitting to warrantless searches of his residence or property under his control.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Long Beach must rehire police officer it fought for years to keep off the force, appeals court rules
A state appeals court ruled Monday that Long Beach must rehire an officer it fired four years ago after he was accused of lying in official reports. The unanimous decision from the three-judge panel upholds a previous ruling from a city employment panel and a lower court.
LAist
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Court halts overnight charging operations at Waymo facilities in Santa Monica
Los Angeles County Superior Court judge on Monday granted the City of Santa Monica's request for a preliminary injunction barring Waymo from running its Broadway autonomous vehicle charging facilities overnight, delivering a legal win to residents who have complained for more than a year about noise, light and traffic from the sites.
Santa Monica Daily Press
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Orange County judge denies immediate warrant bid, citing mental health access
A judge on July 29 refused a prosecutor’s request to immediately issue a warrant for a woman accused of robbery after the defense argued that doing so could derail her access to mental health treatment, underscoring the tension between routine criminal court procedures and efforts to connect accused individuals with behavioral health care.
Vanguard News Group
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Lawsuit questions role of video evidence in prison use of force ruling
The agency in charge of refereeing disciplinary cases for California state workers was called into question this month when the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sued the State Personnel Board. Corrections officials wanted to reduce a correctional officer’s pay by 5% for roughly 30 weeks after he was accused of using force against an inmate and failing to report a colleague’s use of force in two January 2024 incidents.
Sacramento Bee
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Ex-union accountant asks appeals court to throw out LA politician's lawsuit over racist recording
A former union accountant argued on Friday before a California Court of Appeals panel that a lawsuit by a former Los Angeles City Council member, which accuses the accountant and his wife of secretly recording an infamous 2021 meeting, ought to be thrown out because it involves constitutionally protected activity.
Courthouse News Service
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Court rejects fixed deadline for production under Public Records Act
In Voice of San Diego v. San Diego Unified School District, 120 Cal.App.5th 923 (2026), the Fourth District Court of Appeal held that the California Public Records Act (CPRA) does not impose a fixed deadline for producing public records after an agency determines that a request seeks disclosable records in its possession. Rather, whether records have been produced “promptly,” as required by Government Code section 7922.530, depends on the circumstances of each case.
JD Supra
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Student tells school ‘Go f- yourself,' gets expelled; panel says he can still sue
When his college in Oregon required students to be vaccinated against Covid-19, Chal McCollough refused, accusing the school, in profane language, of trying to poison him and he was expelled. On Thursday, a federal appeals court stopped short of reinstating McCullough as a student, but said he could sue the school for allegedly violating his freedom of speech.
San Francisco Chronicle
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Woman’s online ridicule of former spouse not ‘protected’
The Fifth District Court of Appeal, affirming an order denying a special motion to strike brought by a woman who is being sued by her ex-husband to halt her derisive Facebook posts, has rejected the contention that under case law, discussions of personal matters that have a link to topics of public interest are necessarily protected speech for purposes of the anti-SLAPP statute.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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How predictable is the Supreme Court from oral argument?
Some Supreme Court arguments seem relatively easy to read. After the court reheard Louisiana v. Callais, SCOTUSblog reported that the court appeared “ready to curtail [a] major provision of the Voting Rights Act.” Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch had questioned the constitutionality of race-conscious redistricting, while Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggested that such remedies might require a time limit.
SCOTUSblog
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Former California police officer charged with alleged sexual relationship with teen Explorer
A former Southern California police officer has been charged with multiple felonies for allegedly having an illegal sexual relationship with a 16-year-old participant in a police Explorer program, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Roberto Machuca, 32, of Riverside, is charged with three felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor more than three years younger than him, one felony count of sexual penetration of a minor with a foreign object and one felony count of oral copulation with a minor.
KTLA
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Justice Department drops criminal charge against labor leader David Huerta
David Huerta, president of SEIU-United Service Workers West, celebrated Monday’s decision by the U.S. Attorney’s Office to drop its charge against him. Huerta’s arrest stemmed from the backlash against federal immigration actions during summer 2025. Protests erupted in Los Angeles as federal agents descended on the city. President Donald Trump said on social media that the city had been “invaded and occupied by illegal Aliens and Criminals.”
Courthouse News Service
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Film producer accused of defrauding clients out of over $100 million, running Ponzi scheme
A federal grand jury in Chicago has indicted a film producer on charges that he defrauded clients out of more than $100 million. The U.S. Attorney's office said Jason Cloth, 60, of Beverly Hills, California, solicited clients to invest in purported film and entertainment products in a Ponzi scheme. Cloth was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the same day the indictment against him was unsealed.
CBS Chicago
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Ripped by judge, DOJ drops subpoenas of New York Times reporters
The Department of Justice on Thursday agreed to withdraw grand jury subpoenas of a group of New York Times reporters who covered President Donald Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One jet - only after a federal judge grilled the department for issuing them in the first place. The Times was seeking to quash the subpoenas, claiming they were issued in bad faith to deter the journalists from continuing to produce reporting that enraged the president.
Courthouse News Service
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Judge rules singer D4vd must stand trial in killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez
A judge ruled Monday that there is enough evidence to put D4vd on trial in the killing and dismemberment of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who authorities said had threatened to expose their relationship and crater the indie-pop singer’s rising career just a few days before his debut album dropped. “i will end ur career and ur life,” she told him in a text message sent the night before her death.
Associated Press
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O.C. woman abandoned body of dead puppy, prosecutors say
An Orange County woman who claimed to be running a charity animal rescue has been arrested for felony animal cruelty after prosecutors say she locked 18 dogs in her car without water in Newport Beach and left the body of one dead pup in some bushes in Irvine.
Los Angeles Times
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FBI serves warrants at home, office of San Bernardino County supervisor
Federal agents served warrants Tuesday on the home and office of a San Bernardino County supervisor. Details about the investigation at locations connected to Supervisor Curt Hagman were not immediately available. The FBI told NBC4 Investigates that agents were serving federal search warrants that are under seal. Video showed FBI agents in the garage of the Chino home about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
NBC4
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A U.S. citizen deleted his phone’s data. Now he faces a felony charge
It sounds like something that James Bond would use: a gadget that self-destructs if it falls into the wrong hands. But it’s actually an open-source operating system that can be downloaded onto Android phones. Federal prosecutors in Atlanta are bringing an obstruction charge against a U.S. citizen who gave customs officers what is known as a duress passcode, which activated software that erased the contents of his phone.
New York Times
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Crips leader, music label owner and purported anti-gang activist hit with more federal charges, including soliciting witness murder
A jailed South Los Angeles gang leader, music label owner, and purported anti-gang activist awaiting a federal trial was charged today with seven additional federal felonies, including that he solicited two fellow jail inmates to murder or seriously injure a witness against him and attempting to tamper with that witness’s testimony.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Conviction tossed in $1 million Bay Area COVID fraud case over juror bias
Three years ago a federal jury threw the book at a man who allegedly carried out a $1 million COVID fraud scheme while running a rehab home for parolees under a state program. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Attila Colar’s conviction fell apart this week when the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found the judge in the case allowed a juror with a disqualifying bias to participate in the trial.
CalMatters
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Voter ID backers sue California attorney general over ballot description
Backers of a November ballot measure that would require Californians to verify their identity when voting sued state officials on Monday, alleging bias in how the ballot's summary is written. A group led by California Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego) allege in a 10-page lawsuit filed in Sacramento Superior Court that Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta violated election laws that require the "impartial" labeling of a measure's purpose.
Los Angeles Times
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A California-funded homeless shelter gave us meth pipes
Gov. Gavin Newsom has supported “harm reduction” policies that enable drug use by the homeless in the name of making it “safer.” He created the state’s Harm Reduction Initiative, which funded “syringe services programs” for “people who inject and smoke fentanyl and/or methamphetamines.” His Department of Public Health has endorsed distributing syringes, glass pipes and “[c]ontainers for mixing injectable drugs” to drug users.
California Post
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Soros network rebuilds progressive prosecutor push after string of election losses
The Soros family has pumped more than $1 million into political action committees (PACs) dedicated to electing progressive prosecutors this election cycle, campaign finance documents show. While some predicted that Soros-backed district attorneys would become a thing of the past after sustaining a string of defeats between 2022 and 2024, records suggest that the liberal family is giving their criminal justice reform crusade another go.
Fox News
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Court monitor cites laundry list of healthcare failings at major California ICE detention center
The largest immigration detention center in California “lacks a reliable system to consistently provide adequate health care, placing individuals at serious risk of both immediate and long-term harm,” according to a report issued this week by a court-appointed monitor.
Los Angeles Times
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Downtown LA protester says cops blasted her 11 times, sues City and State
Joyti Chand says a day of protest in downtown Los Angeles left her battered by so called less lethal rounds, and now she is taking some of California’s biggest public agencies to court. In a lawsuit filed July 10, 2026, in Los Angeles Superior Court, Chand alleges she was struck 11 times by law enforcement projectiles during June 8, 2025 demonstrations downtown.
Hoodline Los Angeles
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CA’s privatized public defense leads to caseloads 3x the most basic standards, report finds
In 2025, a single lawyer in Kings County represented almost 600 poor people accused of crimes. That figure, which rivals some of the worst public defense caseloads in the nation, does not include the attorney’s private personal injury clients. The high caseloads in Kings are part of a new report on California’s privatized public defender systems, which leave criminal defendants in many rural counties without access to appropriate representation.
CalMatters
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Lawmaker told court her mom had dementia in family property battle. Not so, said doctors
AnaMaria Ávila Bugarin had racked up tens of thousands of dollars in bills for psychological evaluations, legal costs and fiduciary fees to prove what seemed obvious to most of the people around her: She didn’t have dementia. But one of her daughters claimed she couldn’t take care of herself. Ávila Bugarin wanted to show she didn’t need a court-appointed conservator.
CalMatters
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An LA County sheriff oversight panel now has subpoena power. So why hasn't it been able to use it?
Civilian commissions that review the conduct of local law enforcement agencies have long been criticized for lacking teeth. One way to remedy that is to give the civilian groups subpoena power so they can compel witnesses to testify or a department to provide documents. Law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, have pushed back against that idea.
LAist
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LA's homelessness spiral laid bare by bombshell report in latest blow to beleaguered mayor
Los Angeles County’s homelessness crisis has surged, a new report has found, marking the latest major setback for beleaguered Mayor Karen Bass. The county's homeless population rose 1.2 percent from last year, reaching an estimated total of 73,040 people across the county, which comprises 85 cities. In the city of Los Angeles alone, homelessness spiked 3.4 percent to an estimated total of 45,194 people.
The Daily Mail
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Orange County Sheriff partners with the OC Health Care Agency to refine crisis response program
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department, in partnership with the OC Health Care Agency (HCA), is refining its crisis call diversion program to better serve those experiencing behavioral health disorders. In March 2024, Sheriff’s Department dispatchers began triaging non-violent and non-criminal behavioral health calls for service and diverting to OC Links as appropriate.
Orange County Sheriff’s Department News Release
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"Protected by Ghost Town"
Ana Petrova, 84, lives in Venice, “about a mile from the sand.” Two years ago, an encampment popped up outside her front door. Her first response, she said, was empathy: “I’d get in the shower, and I’d think about: ‘Oh my God, look at me. I'm having this wonderful, warm shower, and these people are out there in the rain.’” Her second response was to call the police.
L.A. Material
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Car plows into crowd during takeover in Northridge, injuring 5; crash caught on surveillance video
Hundreds of spectators gathered for dangerous street takeovers overnight Sunday in Los Angeles County, leaving at least five people injured, including a collision in Northridge involving a car that plowed into a crowd of onlookers at an intersection. The injuries stemmed from a separate takeover near Wilbur Avenue and Parthenia Street in Northridge just after 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
ABC7
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LAPD’s top cop reveals staggering extent of police shortage
The Los Angeles Police Department’s officer shortage has gone from bad to worse - with the city’s top cop revealing that he has lost hundreds of officers in recent months while trying bolster the beleaguered force by a staggering 4,000 more. LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell exclusively told The California Post that the department’s uniformed force currently stands at about 8,550, down about 200 officers from February when the LAPD had more than 8,700 cops.
California Post
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Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy shoots, kills allegedly armed man in Bellflower
Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shot and killed a man who was allegedly armed in Bellflower on Friday night, authorities said. According to LASD, deputies responded to reports that an assault with a deadly weapon suspect was armed at the 10400 block of Artesia Boulevard at about 9:06 p.m. Upon arrival, at least one deputy fired their weapon at the suspect.
CBS Los Angeles
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Police chase suspect stops, fills full tank of gas mid-pursuit in Los Angeles County
A police chase suspect is in custody - but not before leading a dramatic half-hour pursuit across Los Angeles County. SkyFOX was over the scene as the suspect - believed to be wanted for possible DUI - led the Los Angeles Police Department on a chase on Sunday, July 26. Over the course of the chase, the suspect drove through parts of Mission Hills, Elysian Park and Montrose before ending up in Pasadena.
Fox11
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UCLA assaults suspect arrested with zip ties, duct tape and rope
UCLA assaults suspect arrested with zip ties, duct tape and rope
A man suspected of violently assaulting several female students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been arrested. Police found him in possession of zip ties, duct tape and rope. The suspect, identified as Olumuyiwa Akindahunsi, a 29-year-old homeless man not affiliated with the university, was taken into custody early on Friday.
British Brief
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Cops shift tactics for street takeovers as the bloody events tormenting LA neighborhoods worsen
Police are making more arrests at the out-of-control Los Angeles street takeovers as cops attempt to gain control of the ongoing scourge. From the start of the year through July 11, cops made 249 arrests at the chaotic takeovers - including 11 felony collars, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Mike Bland exclusively told The Post. “These felonies were largely as a result of violence that occurred,” he said. “These takeovers are crime scenes.”
California Post
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19 suspects identified in half-million dollar cannabis farm heists in Carpinteria
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives have identified 19 suspects believed to be responsible for two large-scale burglaries at a Carpinteria-area cannabis cultivation site, where approximately 2,000 pounds of cannabis valued at over $500,000 was stolen earlier this year. Felony arrest warrants with $20,000 bail have been issued for each of the 17 adult suspects. Two juvenile suspects have been referred to the Santa Barbara County Juvenile Court.
Edhat.com
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Los Angeles high school coach arrested for alleged sexual assault of minor
A Los Angeles high school soccer coach was arrested for the alleged sexual assault of a minor. The Westminster Police Department identified the suspect as Michael Avila, 20, of Norwalk. In mid-July, police began investigating a reported sexual assault that occurred near the 13500 block of Edwards Street in Westminster. Following an investigation, Avila, who is a soccer coach at a Los Angeles area high school, was identified as the suspect.
KTLA
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Former Newsom aide challenges his version of their affair
A former aide to Gavin Newsom is challenging the governor’s characterization of their 20-year-old affair, complicating his narrative about a relationship that once imperiled his political career. Ruby Rippey’s account in Vanity Fair of her much-dissected affair with Newsom when he was the unmarried mayor of San Francisco is reopening scrutiny of the relationship ahead of Newsom’s likely run for president.
Politico
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In new lawsuit, families say state, local officials could have prevented fatal Esparto Fireworks Warehouse explosion
The families of those who died in an explosion at a Yolo County fireworks warehouse over a year ago are suing state and local officials for alleged negligence associated with their actions leading up to the blast. “The entire incident was preventable and should have been prevented,” the lawsuit reads.
KQED
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US appeals court upholds injunction that blocks Trump’s order to create a federal voter list
A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that in nearly half of U.S. states halted President Donald Trump’s executive order to create a federal list of eligible voters and limit delivery of mail ballots only to people on that list. The ruling Saturday by judges of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s effort to move forward with the mail-in voting restrictions in 23 U.S. states that sued ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Associated Press
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California family says they were violently attacked at Maui resort
A large California family vacationing in Maui says they were violently attacked by a group of people while on private property at a luxury beachfront resort. The July 17 incident occurred around 10 p.m. at Kaanapali Alii resort in Lahaina, where Maui police responded to reports of a disorderly gathering involving about 30 people, Hawaii News Now reported.
KTLA
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Why California prisons are using their own employees as human fire alarms
California prisons are increasingly relying on an unusual fire alarm system: humans. Between 2020 and 2025, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has spent nearly $50 million on “fire watch” staffing costs. In recent years, prison employees have spent roughly 270,000 hours monitoring for smoke or fire. They patrol prisons and visually inspect different areas during their shifts, according to job postings reviewed by CalMatters.
CalMatters
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The latest trend for lawmakers seeking to rein in Trump: Let everyone sue the feds
As the war between California and the Trump administration continues to rage, California lawmakers are increasingly trying to carve out ways for residents to seek justice that either bypass the federal government or even challenge it directly. "If a local or state police officer uses excessive force, you can sue and get compensation. If a federal agent engages in the same behavior, it's almost impossible to sue" under current law, said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.
San Francisco Chronicle
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences | | |
Man who caused one of largest fires in California history is convicted of arson
It was a blistering day in Butte County when a man revved his wheels in dry grass until a spark ignited, then pushed the flaming vehicle down a 60-foot hill. Whipped by strong winds amid 100-plus degree temperatures, that spark grew into California’s fourth-largest wildfire on record, ultimately scorching some 429,000 acres and destroying 427 homes.
Los Angeles Times
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SoCal woman convicted of murder for supplying lethal fentanyl dose: ‘She’s an evil person’
When Esther Lopez went to her son’s bedroom to check if he was hungry, she found him slumped over on a table, cold to the touch. She called 911 and paramedics rushed to the Moreno Valley home and started CPR, according to court documents. But it was too late. Jesse Jimenez was dead of a fentanyl overdose at 27.
Los Angeles Times
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Reputed Mexican Mafia figure ‘Snuffy’ convicted in home invasion killing of club owner
One night nearly 16 years ago, two men broke into the Downey home of Hermilio Franco. Franco, who owned a popular nightclub called El Farallon and acted in low-budget Mexican films, awoke when one of the intruders pressed a taser to his neck. He drew a chrome-plated .45 from under his pillow and opened fire. One of the prowlers was shot in the neck and paralyzed instantly.
Los Angeles Times
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Supreme Court litigator gets 6 years in prison for tax evasion case after gambling millions on poker
A prominent Supreme Court litigator was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison for evading a multimillion-dollar IRS tax debt and engaging in mortgage fraud, a case that cast a spotlight on his secretive lifestyle as a high-stakes poker player and featured trial testimony from a Hollywood movie star. Thomas Goldstein, who also published a popular blog about the nation's highest court, had asked U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby to spare him from a prison sentence.
Associated Press
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Conviction over threat to ‘Unabomb’ L.A. FBI office upheld
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed the conviction of an ex-FBI confidential informant accused of sending an email to a former handler in which he said that he was going to “UNABOMB THE LOS ANGELES FBI HQ,” rejecting the claim that the trial judge abused his discretion by not explicitly instructing the jury to apply an objective standard to determine if the statement qualifies as a “threat” under federal law.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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ICC chief prosecutor booted over accusations of sexual misconduct
Members of the International Criminal Court elected Friday to permanently remove its chief prosecutor Karim Khan amid accusations of sexual misconduct, following a closed-door special meeting among diplomats at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The claims have dogged the 56-year-old Khan for the past two years after a series of reports accused the British lawyer of groping a female aide against her will and trying to coerce her into a sexual relationship.
Courthouse News Service
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LA Dodgers-owner’s insurer acknowledges loans to ‘Dodger Tickets’
Billionaire Mark Walter’s insurer Delaware Life for years labelled loans to “Dodger Tickets LLC” as unaffiliated despite Walter owning the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, before changing tack after US prosecutors started scrutinizing the insurer’s private credit holdings. Last month, filings show Delaware Life reclassified the loans as “level 1” related-party investments - the most closely tied and potentially conflict-riddled type of related-party asset an insurer can own.
Financial Times
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