Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Judge too quick to deny immunity in unjust conviction case
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that qualified immunity was improperly denied to three Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies accused of falsifying evidence against two men who were charged as teenagers relating to a 2004 shooting and served 17 years in prison before they were declared factually innocent, saying that a District Court judge failed to analyze allegations against each defendant on an individualized basis.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Man re-sentenced for shooting, wounding two LASD deputies
A judge Friday lopped nearly three years off an ex-con’s sentence for carrying out a 2020 crime spree that included an ambush-style shooting that left two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies wounded in their patrol vehicle outside a Compton transit center, leaving him with a state prison term of 164 years to life.
MyNewsLA
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C.A. announces new carve-out to multiple-prosecutions ban
Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held that a ban on filing charges that could have been brought during an earlier prosecution does not preclude a criminal complaint accusing a man of violating a Penal Code section relating to large-capacity magazines where similar counts were dismissed in an earlier case in the interests of justice due to a since-vacated federal decision declaring the law unconstitutional.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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LA judge denies prosecution’s request to change bail over recording claim
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Thursday allowed an accused person to delete an alleged unauthorized recording of a witness’s testimony under law enforcement supervision, despite the prosecutor’s argument that the recording should be preserved as evidence of a possible misdemeanor and grounds for changing the accused’s bail conditions.
Vanguard News Group
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California appellate court overturns pimping, trafficking conviction of East Palo Alto man
A California appeals court overturned the pimping and human trafficking conviction of an East Palo Alto man on the grounds that the trial court made a procedural error in allowing the prosecution to reject a juror for an invalid reason.
Bay Area News Group
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Motorcyclist who lost leg wins $28-million verdict after suing over Los Angeles firetruck crash
A Los Angeles jury awarded $28 million to a motorcyclist whose leg was crushed by a city firetruck, the latest eye-popping sum carved out of city coffers for alleged reckless driving by a city employee. Robert Danbom was heading northbound on Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood on Sept. 2, 2021, when a city firetruck traveling west appeared abruptly in his path.
Los Angeles Times
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California Supreme Court takes up sheriff's ballot seizure case
The California Supreme Court is weighing whether a Southern California sheriff who seized election ballots must return them to county election officials. The high court heard oral arguments Monday regarding Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s seizure of approximately 650,000 ballots from a November 2025 special election on redistricting. The measure passed in the county by roughly 80,000 votes.
Associated Press
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Ninth Circuit lets Border Patrol continue immigration stops in California
A Ninth Circuit panel dealt a setback to an agricultural workers’ union on Monday after it lifted a preliminary injunction prohibiting Border Patrol agents from detaining people without reasonable suspicion they violated immigration laws. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston, a Joe Biden appointee, imposed the preliminary injunction in April 2025.
Courthouse News Service
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Supreme Court backs Trump’s order to curb mail ballots
The Supreme Court on Monday said that President Donald Trump could begin carrying out parts of an executive order intended to restrict mail voting, but additional legal challenges could hinder implementation of his plan before the November midterm election.
CNN
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California fails to convince Ninth Circuit on ghost gun issue
A Ninth Circuit panel on Friday sided with the federal government on an issue involving ghost guns, sending the case back to a lower court with instructions to dismiss it after finding California and a gun prevention organization suffered no injury. The panel found California and the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence had no standing to challenge a final rule created by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Courthouse News Service
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Judge sides against Snap in scraping battle
Snap must face content creators' claims that it wrongly scraped YouTube videos to train generative artificial intelligence models that can create videos from texts or images, a federal judge has ruled. The ruling, issued Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte, Jr. in the Central District of California, comes in a lawsuit brought earlier this year by Ted Entertainment, Matt Fisher (who creates golf videos that he posts to the YouTube channel MrShortGame Golf) and other plaintiffs.
Media Daily News
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Superior Court expands online tool to handle traffic tickets
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County has added traffic services to CourtHelp, its interactive online tool, allowing residents to look up citations, make payments and complete common traffic-related requests without calling or visiting a courthouse. The expansion, available at www.LACourt.ca.gov/help, guides users through citation lookup, identifies options based on individual eligibility and helps them complete eligible requests online. The court expects the traffic services to launch Aug. 17, 2026.
Santa Monica Daily Press
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Striking answer proper without trying lesser sanctions
The Court of Appeal for this district has held that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge did not abuse his discretion in striking the answer of a defendant who, over a two-year period, failed to provide meaningful answers to Form Interrogatory 15.1 seeking identification of facts and witnesses supporting his position, with the justices declaring that, under the circumstances, lesser sanctions need not have been tried first.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Ninth Circuit rejects Trump admin efforts to stay order to immediately improve Adelanto conditions
A panel of three judges for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously rejected the federal government’s request to delay improving conditions at the Adelanto Immigration Detention Center, a privately run facility in San Bernardino County.
LAist
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C.A. announces new carve-out to multiple-prosecutions ban
Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held that a ban on filing charges that could have been brought during an earlier prosecution does not preclude a criminal complaint accusing a man of violating a Penal Code section relating to large-capacity magazines where similar counts were dismissed in an earlier case in the interests of justice due to a since-vacated federal decision declaring the law unconstitutional.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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The fall of ‘Wicked’: How an L.A. crime boss went down - and took his gang out with him
Ezequiel Romo’s gang had plagued Panorama City for decades. Named after Blythe Street - a short thoroughfare flanked by overcrowded apartments - the crew had robbed, stole, peddled drugs and shot up rivals since the 1980s, seemingly untroubled by the city of Los Angeles’ attempts to defeat it. The city poured millions into fixing blight, lining the street with trees and turning a vacant lot filled with stripped cars into a park.
Los Angeles Times
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Orange County District Attorney’s office to hold first e-bike and e-moto buy back event
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer is hosting the first E-Bike and E-Motorcycle Buy Back Program on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at Angel Stadium, offering up to $1,000 in gift cards and tickets to a Los Angeles Angels baseball game in exchange for E-Bikes, pocket bikes, E-Scooters, and E-Motorcycles, in an effort to reduce injuries and deaths.
OC District Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Southern California man charged with stealing $100K from 89-year-old he met at McDonald’s
A 26-year-old Simi Valley man is facing felony charges for allegedly scamming an elderly man out of $100,000 after befriending him at a fast-food restaurant in Ventura County. Prosecutors said William Bao Khoa Ly met the 89-year-old victim at a McDonald’s restaurant in Thousand Oaks in June 2024. “Ly claimed that he was proficient with electronic devices and could assist the victim with technology,” the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Tuesday.
KTLA
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Criminal case paused for LA model accused of dating app theft after attorney questions competency
The criminal case against influencer and former OnlyFans model Adva Lavie, also known as Mia Ventura, was suspended on Wednesday after her defense attorney declared doubt over her mental competency, prompting a halt to all proceedings until the court determines whether she can stand trial.
ABC7
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Janz says Fresno city prosecutors can now carry firearms on the job. Karbassi disagrees
In the wake of an attack on a Fresno County district attorney, Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said city prosecutors and investigators with concealed-carry permits will now be allowed to carry firearms while on the job so long as they’re not in a public building. Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi, however, said that announcement may have been too early and may possibly jeopardize a change to a city ordinance he was working on.
GV Wire
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Removing 12 Section 41.18 zones was the wrong decision
On August 18, the Los Angeles City Council voted 10–3 to remove 12 location-specific Section 41.18 zones in Council District 13 at the request of Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez. I believe that was the wrong decision, and Angelenos deserve to understand why. Section 41.18 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code restricts sitting, lying, sleeping and storing personal property in certain public rights-of-way.
CityWatch LA
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CalMatters sues UC Regents over failure to fulfill public records request
A California news outlet filed a lawsuit against the UC Board of Regents on Monday after UCLA failed to fulfill public records requests for nearly one year. CalMatters, a nonprofit news organization covering issues across California, filed a lawsuit to obtain records about how UCLA pays its student athletes, the outlet reported Monday. The organization filed a similar lawsuit against UC Berkeley.
Daily Bruin
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AI led to mistakes in Nevada County criminal cases. Should the DA be sanctioned?
After Nevada County prosecutors repeatedly used generative AI that added mistakes to criminal court documents last fall, a California appeals court has appointed a judge to consider whether to sanction the district attorney. The decision comes days after Madison Maxwell, a former Nevada County prosecutor who repeatedly filed court documents with mistakes in them after using generative AI, said in a sworn declaration that her supervisor refused to let her immediately report and apologize for those mistakes to the court, defense lawyers, and suspects.
CalMatters
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Gavin Newsom’s Fresno tax battle gets ugly as state, county knock judges off case
Gov. Gavin Newsom's push to force a controversial Fresno County transportation tax onto the November ballot has hit another legal roadblock after the county challenged a second judge in the case. The battle comes as Fresno County fights Sacramento over a half-cent sales tax that would raise money for roads and other transportation projects. The latest fight follows the state's successful effort to remove Fresno County Superior Court Judge Robert Whalen from the case.
California Post
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Fresno County Sheriff and DA call on Sacramento leaders to fix criminal justice system
A man accused of stabbing a Fresno County deputy district attorney outside the Fresno Superior Courthouse has been identified, as county leaders renewed calls for tougher state laws they say would hold offenders more accountable. Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said the attack happened Thursday and described it as a targeted act, not a random one.
Fox26 Fresno
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Meta will pay up to $16.7 billion to settle its social media harms case - and that’s not all
Well, that was quick. Not even a quarter of the way into an expected 19-day federal trial over Meta’s alleged failure to protect young users, the social media giant agreed to settle the case. The company has agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion to 51 US states and territories and make substantive product changes for how teens engage with its platforms.
Wired
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Four appointed to Los Angeles Superior Court
The Los Angeles Superior Court has four new members, with Gov. Gavin Newsom selecting Commissioner Kjehl Johansen for judgeship and calling up for immediate service by way of interim appointments Candice Henry, Ben Forer, and Binh Dang, each of whom was set to take office in January based on success in the June primary election. Newsom announced the appointments late Monday.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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LA County sheriff's motorcycle deputy injured during training accident in Santa Clarita
A Los Angeles County sheriff's motorcycle deputy was injured Wednesday morning after being involved in a training accident in Santa Clarita. The crash was reported just after 10:30 a.m. near San Francisquito Canyon Road and Copper Hill Drive. Video from AIR7 showed the motorcycle on the side of the road. It's unclear what led to the crash. According to an update from the sheriff's department, the deputy suffered only minor injuries.
ABC7
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John McKinney warns City Hall. Enforce the law. Demand accountability.
Los Angeles has laws. It has prosecutors. It has billions of dollars flowing through City Hall. What it does not have, John McKinney argues, is enough accountability for what happens when laws are ignored, taxpayer money is wasted and government fails to deliver. In an interview on The Bottom Line on CityWatchLA, the candidate for Los Angeles City Attorney laid out a blunt case for why he believes the office needs a change in direction.
CityWatch LA
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Jury duty scam prompts warning from LA County Superior Court
Los Angeles County residents were being warned Saturday about a jury duty scam involving callers falsely claiming people missed jury service and could face arrest. The scam involves callers claiming a person failed to report for jury duty and has an outstanding warrant, according to the court.
City News Service
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LAPD chief speaks out on officer accused of making secret recordings (Video)
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell discusses the case involving an officer accused of secretly recording colleagues.
NBC4 LA
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Police officer who recorded colleagues' racism speaks out: LAPD response 'ruined my life’
Daniel Flores, the LAPD officer who set off a political firestorm when he reported some of his police colleagues for making racist, sexist and homophobic comments behind closed doors, broke his silence on Tuesday. Flores, whose only public comments had for months been filtered through his legal team, agreed to speak with The Times, detailing the toll that the prior year and a half had taken on him.
Los Angeles Times
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Replace LA’s Men’s Central Jail
The LA Board of Supervisors continue to kick the proverbial can down the road with its unwillingness to confront the present horrific conditions existing in Men’s Central Jail (MCJ) by irresponsibly seeking its closure without a replacement. Wilford Pinkney Jr., leading the County’s Jail Closure Implementation Team (JCIT), recently gave the LA Board a reality check on its decision to close MCJ.
Medium
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LASD details steps taken to address street takeovers
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Wednesday detailed measures launched to combat the wave of street takeovers and associated crimes that have plagued the county recently. In the wake of a couple of such takeovers last weekend, the department said it is working to “identify and hold organizers and participants accountable through arrests, vehicle impounds, citations and criminal prosecution.”
MyNewsLA
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6 arrested following unrelated Chatsworth home burglaries
Los Angeles Police Department officers arrested six people suspected of their involvement in two unrelated burglaries in Chatsworth on Friday. The first burglary occurred around 1 p.m. at a home in the 10600 block of Willowbrae Avenue, an area west of Canoga Avenue. According to the LAPD, the victim was not there at the time but saw on her home security camera system that at least two people had broken into the home.
NBC4 Los Angeles
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Burglary suspect tries wrong-way 405 move in Granada Hills chase
Los Angeles police officers chased an alleged burglary suspect across the San Fernando Valley on Friday morning after the pursuit began in North Hollywood around 10:15 a.m., with the driver of a black Honda sedan at one point attempting to enter the 405 Freeway going the wrong direction near Granada Hills. The Los Angeles Police Department was pursuing the suspect through multiple Valley communities, according to a live report from FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Hoodline
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Worker at Sherman Oaks Pavilions stabbed while taking out trash, police say
A worker at a Pavilions store in Sherman Oaks was stabbed while taking out the trash overnight. The incident happened around 11 p.m. in the rear parking lot of the shopping center on Ventura Boulevard near Willis Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The alleged attacker followed the victim down an elevator while he was taking out the garbage.
ABC7
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California’s Prop 57 and the shift from accountability to rehabilitation
Proposition 57 was marketed in 2016 to California voters as the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act and passed overwhelmingly with 64% approval. Prop. 57 promised taxpayer cost savings through reducing the prison population. To date, five state prison facilities have closed, and every one of the Youth Authority facilities has been closed.
GV Wire
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The University of California and the Federated University Police Officers’ Association (FUPOA) reach tentative contract agreement
The University of California and the Federated University Police Officers’ Association (FUPOA) have reached a tentative agreement on a new systemwide contract covering approximately 273 sworn, non-supervisory police officers across the University.
University of California Press Release
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FCC warning consumers of scammers pretending to be FCC employee: Here's what you should know
Beware the next time you receive a call or text from someone claiming to be an employee of the Federal Communications Commission. The government agency that regulates communication of radio, TV, internet and more in the U.S. says, in a recent scam, fraudsters contacted consumers, telling them their phone number is under investigation for criminal activity.
ABC7 Bay Area
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Trump can't cut off funding to communities whose policies he opposes, court rules
The Trump administration has no legal authority to cut off billions of dollars in federal health care and housing funds to local governments, including San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties, unless they cooperate with his policies on immigration, abortion and "gender ideology," a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
San Francisco Chronicle
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Ryan Clinkunbroomer: Verdict reached in trial of man accused in LASD deputy’s slaying
On Monday, a jury reached a verdict in the trial of Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, the man accused of killing Los Angeles County Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer during an ambush attack in 2023. What we know: Ryan Clinkunbroomer was shot in the head near the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Palmdale station on Sept. 16, 2023, while stopped at a red light in a patrol car.
Fox11 Los Angeles
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Former Compton Councilman Isaac Galvan sentenced to 18 months in federal prison
Former Compton City Councilman Isaac Galvan and former Baldwin Park City Councilman Ricardo Pacheco were each sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison, sources who attended the sentencing hearing told Los Cerritos Community News. The sentences stem from a years-long federal public corruption investigation involving bribes paid in connection with Baldwin Park’s marijuana permitting process.
Los Cerritos Community News
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Medicare advantage provider Monogram Health agrees to pay $2.4 million to settle False Claims Act lawsuit
Monogram Health Professional Services PC and Monogram Health Inc., headquartered in Tennessee, have agreed to pay $2.4 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by causing the submission of false diagnosis codes to increase payments that they received from the Medicare Advantage program.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Leader of California Energy Commission defends new tire rules
The leader of the California Energy Commission defended new tire rules the commission approved that are facing backlash and criticism for their potential impact on the cost of living in this state. Starting in 2029, tire makers and sellers will be required to sell more energy efficient tires, with a stricter rule taking effect in 2033. The leader of the commission, Chairman David Hochschild, defended the new rules in an interview on California Politics 360.
KCRA
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California's crackdown on addictive social media feeds for kids will proceed as platforms appeal
TikTok, Meta and YouTube must comply with California’s crackdown on addictive algorithmic feeds for kids while their appeals play out, a federal judge ruled, rejecting the platforms’ bid to keep the law from being enforced while they seek review in the Ninth Circuit.
Courthouse News Service
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Screenwriter alleges TV series ‘Yellowstone’ infringed on her copyrighted pilot
The television series “Yellowstone,” which aired on the Paramount Network from 2018-24 and led to spin-offs, infringes on the copyrighted works of a television producer/screenwriter, a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleges. Friday’s pleading was filed on behalf of Lauren J. Salkin who claims that she, not defendant Taylor Sheridan, originated the premise and characters featured in “Yellowstone.”
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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