Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Judge refuses to dismiss restrictions on LAPD use of ‘less lethal’ projectiles at protests
A federal judge refused Monday to dissolve her previous order restricting the Los Angeles Police Department‘s use of “less lethal” 40-millimeter and 37-millimeter projectile launchers against crowds at demonstrations except by officers trained and certified to use such weapons. In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall also forbade police from aiming the weapons at the upper bodies or kidneys, chest, groin or spine of persons.
City News Service
| | |
Terminated deputy seeks internal investigator logs denied earlier
A former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy whose department vehicle crashed into two small children in Boyle Heights, killing them both, is seeking internal department information on the accident that she was denied during her disciplinary hearing and subsequent appeal of her termination with the Civil Service Commission. Former Deputy Carrie Robles-Placencia was in training when driving the LASD vehicle that struck Maria Munoz and her two sons as they stood on a sidewalk on Nov. 16, 2017.
City News Service
| | |
Former LACo deputy acquitted of criminal charges, sues for discrimination
A Black former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy is suing the department for damages and reinstatement, alleging he was terminated in 2024 on criminal charges for which he was acquitted earlier this year. Ex-Deputy Brandon Michael Garmon also names Sheriff Robert Luna and other department individuals as defendants in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Thursday that alleges racial discrimination, failure to prevent discrimination, equal protection and malicious prosecution.
MyNewsLA
| | |
California court blocks liability mandate on FAIR Plan property insurance
California’s appeals court ruled the FAIR Plan cannot be compelled to add liability coverages to basic property insurance, reversing a trial court order. In a decision filed December 5, 2025, California’s Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Three, sided with the California FAIR Plan Association over Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
Insurance Business
| | |
Speech to the public laying out legal theories isn't unauthorized practice of law
Thursday’s decision in Salazar v. Majestic Realty Co., by California Court of Appeal Justice Helen Bendix, joined by Justices Frances Rothschild and Gregory Weingart, dealt with plaintiff’s attempt to leaflet at large privately owned shopping centers. The California Supreme Court has (rightly or wrongly) held that the California Constitution protects such a right; so the court ended up applying pretty much the same rule (to oversimplify slightly) as to leafletting on public sidewalks.
Before It’s News
| | |
“John Doe’s” days may be numbered in California lawsuits
In recent years, it has become increasingly common for plaintiffs to sue anonymously - while at the same time identifying the defendant(s) by name as well as their alleged acts often in lurid and excruciating detail. A lawsuit, of course, is nothing more than a series of allegations and is not in and of itself proof of wrongdoing. But that fact offers cold comfort to those defendants facing unrelenting media coverage of a freshly filed lawsuit particularly if the complaint is chock-full of salacious claims.
California Employment Law Update
| | |
Action may proceed against serial ADA/Unruh Act plaintiff
The Court of Appeal for this district yesterday ordered reinstatement of a malicious prosecution action against a frequent litigator in actions under state and federal anti-discrimination laws, holding that one Los Angeles Superior Court judge - Timothy Patrick Dillon - did not accord deference to findings by a colleague, Frederick C. Shaller, in earlier litigation. Litigation in the case began in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | |
California's ammunition background check law gets second life
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals hit the reset button on California's ammunition background check case on December 1, vacating a July ruling that struck down the state's restrictive ammunition laws and ordering the case reheard by an 11-judge en banc panel. For California gun owners who've been dealing with these restrictions since 2019, this means the background check requirement for every ammunition purchase isn't going anywhere soon.
The Firearm Blog
| | |
Cellular numbers required in limited jurisdiction unlawful detainer cases, effective Jan. 2, 2026
Beginning on Jan. 2, 2026, in accordance with General Order 2025-GEN-022-00 issued by Presiding Judge Sergio C. Tapia II, all plaintiffs filing a limited jurisdiction unlawful detainer (UD) complaint in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County must, at the time of filing the complaint, submit all cellular telephone numbers for defendant(s), if they have them.
Superior Court of California News Release
| | |
C.A.: Reducing qualifying murder convictions does not flout special circumstances shield
Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held that a trial judge did not err in vacating a defendant’s otherwise valid first-degree, special-circumstances murder convictions and imposing sentences on lesser offenses at a resentencing hearing triggered by an unrelated enhancement based on the accused’s having purportedly “turned himself around.”
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | |
Judge blocks Trump National Guard deployment to Los Angeles
A federal judge ordered President Trump to end his deployment of the California National Guard in Los Angeles, ruling Wednesday that he must return control of the force to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Roughly 100 troops remain in the city, and U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that Trump illegally kept them deployed months after sending troops to combat immigration protests this summer.
The Hill
| | |
California dodges early bullet in Trump clawback of high-speed rail money
In its push to keep some $4 billion in federal money attached to its high-speed rail project, California overcame an attempt to dismiss the case on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Dale Drozd ruled that he has jurisdiction over the case, which stems from the Trump administration’s attempt to pull back money previously granted to the rail project. Also, the judge determined the federal government’s decision to take back those dollars doesn’t fall under exclusive agency discretion.
Courthouse News Service
| | |
DC Circuit hands Trump power to remove independent agency heads
A D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday that President Donald Trump had the authority to unilaterally remove independent officials atop two labor boards earlier this year, further chipping away at legal precedents that long prevented such terminations. The three-judge panel ruled 2-1, finding that the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board were not protected by the landmark Supreme Court decision in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, and thus leadership could be removed without cause.
Courthouse News Service
| | |
More LA County employees charged with unemployment benefit fraud
More Los Angeles County employees were charged for fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic while they were working full time for the county, the LA County District Attorney’s Office said Friday. Eleven additional county employees were facing felony grand theft charges for their alleged stealing of jobless benefits between 2020 and 2023, just a month after 13 county workers were accused of stealing a combined $430,000.
NBC4
| | |
LA city attorney accused of ethics breach before settling major case for $18M
It was one of the higher-profile lawsuits against the city of L.A. over the past year. Two brothers in their 70s said they suffered serious injuries - including fractured skulls and spines - from a speeding LAPD officer crashing into the side of their car at 55 mph. An investigator for the police department determined the officer was at fault for driving at an unsafe speed. The city ultimately settled in the middle of the trial this September for $18 million.
LAist
| | |
LA rapper lured rape victims to area vacant by fires, prosecutors say
Prosecutors and investigators in Southern California are seeking additional victims and witnesses after charging Clinton Adams, also known as hip-hop musician Clintn Lord, with rape counts "against multiple victims.” In a Dec. 9 news release, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office detailed four felony charges against Adams, 32, who pleaded not guilty to each count during a Nov. 21 arraignment.
USA Today
| | |
Father, stepmother accused of torturing, killing 14-month-old girl
A California man and his wife have been charged with torturing and killing a young girl. Alfredo Munoz, Jr. and Kelly Anelalani Munoz both face one count each of murder, torture and assault on a child causing death. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Alfredo Munoz’s daughter, a 14-month-old, was admitted to the Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach on Nov. 7 and placed on life support.
Gray News
| | |
DA files charges, issues warning over unlicensed contracting in Eaton Fire burn zone
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it filed charges against five people accused of being unlicensed contractors in the Eaton Fire burn zone. Thursday afternoon, District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Supervisor Kathryn Barger stood on one of the properties destroyed in Altadena and issued a warning about the possible risks when hiring an unlicensed contractor.
ABC7
| | |
LA district attorney will not seek death penalty for Johnny Wactor's alleged killer
Los Angeles prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for the man accused of killing actor Johnny Wactor during a catalytic converter theft last year, the LA County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to NBC Los Angeles Monday. The accused shooter, 18-year-old Robert Isaiah Barceleau of Huntington Park, was charged with murder and the special circumstance allegation of murder in August following the "General Hospital" actor's May 25 killing.
NBC4 & City News Service
| | |
California district attorneys call for long-term state funding for Prop 36 treatment programs
It's been nearly one year since Proposition 36 took effect in California, an effort to tighten laws around property and drug crimes while expanding access to treatment instead of jail for nonviolent offenders. But from the start, funding has been the biggest obstacle. On Wednesday, district attorneys and supporters gathered in Sacramento to talk about progress and the growing urgency for stable funding.
CBS Sacramento
| | |
Justice Department announces actions to combat two Russian state-sponsored cyber criminal hacking groups
The Justice Department announced two indictments in the Central District of California charging Ukrainian national Victoria Eduardovna Dubranova, 33, also known as Vika, Tory, and SovaSonya, for her role in conducting cyberattacks and computer intrusions against critical infrastructure and other victims around the world, in support of Russia’s geopolitical interests. Dubranova was extradited to the United States earlier this year on an indictment charging her for her actions supporting CyberArmyofRussia_Reborn (CARR).
Office of Public Affairs Press Release
| |
Son of slain Grammy-nominated singer charged with murder
The son of Grammy-nominated opera singer Jubilant Sykes was charged with murder Thursday for allegedly stabbing his father at the family's Santa Monica home. Micah Curtis Sykes, 31, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles. The murder charge against him includes sentence-enhancing allegation of use of a deadly weapon.
City News Service
| |
California Attorney General Bonta announces arrest and charges against couple in $1.9 million investment scheme targeting members of Los Angeles’ Vietnamese community
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), today announced the arrest and charges against a Van Nuys couple for their part in an alleged investment scheme targeting members of the close-knit Vietnamese community in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.
Attorney General Bonta Press Release
| |
District Attorney Hochman marks first year in office with restored accountability and rebuilding trust
One year after taking office and restoring prosecutorial discretion and criminal accountability, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman is marking his first 365 days with an increase in public safety efforts, major takedowns of organized crime and burglary crews, busting the largest illegal cannabis operation in Los Angeles County history, aggressive prosecution of human traffickers, exonerating factually innocent convicted individuals, and filing thousands of Proposition 36 charges against repeat retail thieves.
L.A. District Attorney’s News Release
| | |
Pro-police group urges Supreme Court to shield LAPD officer from liability in shooting
A national pro-police organization has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the high court to overturn an appellate decision that reversed a ruling shielding a Los Angeles police officer from liability in a fatal shooting, it was announced Thursday. The brief filed by the National Police Association asks the court to reaffirm decisions made by now-retired Los Angeles Police Department Officer Toni McBride in April 2020 when she fired her weapon to subdue a knife-wielding assailant - the final shots fired while the suspect was rolling on the ground, court papers show.
City News Service
| | |
Activists paint Westwood crosswalk to improve safety. Police shut down effort, cite volunteer for vandalism
Jonathan Hale and more than a dozen other activists were halfway through painting a third crosswalk at an intersection in Westwood on Sunday when two police cars pulled up. Los Angeles Police Department officers told the group to stop painting and cuffed Hale, video footage posted to social media shows. "Leave him alone. He's not doing anything wrong," says a woman out of frame.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
The battle for street parking in L.A.: One man wages war through TikTok requests
Joey Morales’ Ford SUV stopped along a quiet residential street in South L.A., its headlights shining on what would be a perfect parking spot if not for the three orange cones blocking it. Cones in this part of town carry weight - they’re used not just by public works and construction crews but by locals as de facto gatekeepers blocking vehicles from crossing.
DNYUZ
| | |
L.A. City Council president moves to delay full Olympic wage boost for tourism workers
The fight over an effort to boost wages for Los Angeles tourism workers to coincide with the 2028 Olympics has taken a fresh twist, with the City Council president introducing a new motion that critics say would significantly water down the measure. The issue ostensibly had been put to rest in September, when a business group-backed effort to repeal a $30 per hour minimum wage for Los Angeles hotel and airport workers failed to secure enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
How the Supreme Court emboldened Democrats in California and elsewhere redrawing US House maps
The Supreme Court’s endorsement of how Texas Republicans redrew the state’s congressional map is offering hope to California Democrats as they prepare to defend their map in court this month - and emboldening other states to move ahead. The high court allowed Texas to use a congressional map giving Republicans a better chance at five additional US House seats, staying a district court’s ruling that the new boundaries were likely unconstitutional because they were drawn based on race.
CNN
| | |
Newsom wouldn’t budge on his duplex ban for the Los Angeles wildfire rebuild. So, a YIMBY group is suing him.
A pro-development organization has sued Gov. Gavin Newsom over an executive order blocking duplexes in Los Angeles neighborhoods stricken by January’s wildfires. The lawsuit, filed by YIMBY Law on Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges the governor unlawfully restricted homeowners’ ability to rebuild after the fires by allowing local governments to set aside Senate Bill 9, a 2021 state law that permits duplex construction and lot-splitting on single-family-home parcels.
Politico
| | |
Crime is down and kids are back, but drugs still plague Los Angeles’ MacArthur Park
A year ago, vendors had set up shop across the street from MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. They were dealing drugs and stolen goods from underneath makeshift tables at their stands. Langer’s, the neighborhood’s historic deli, was threatening to leave for good. And assaults in the area were on the rise. Today crime is down in MacArthur Park, Langer’s is staying, and the drug vendors are gone - or at least displaced.
CALmatters
| | |
Inside the fentanyl ‘zombie zone’ public park thriving under LA’s DSA regime - where people die daily
MacArthur Park has erupted into LA’s fentanyl ground zero - a collapsing, chaos-soaked war zone where overdoses hit by the hour, people die daily, crime crews corner the market - and what used to be a neighborhood park now teeters on the brink of total collapse. The park, the largest green space in the district, now hosts an unknown number of unhoused people, though on most days it’s fair to estimate the population in the hundreds.
New York Post
| | |
LA to start removing certain abandoned RVs from streets and destroy them
The city of Los Angeles will soon begin removing certain abandoned recreational vehicles (RVs) off the streets as a new state law is set to take effect next year, making it easier for city officials to dispose of the cars. The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved a plan to implement Assembly Bill (AB) 630 or the Abandoned Recreational Vehicles Act, which allows police officers or city employees to get rid of abandoned or inoperable RVs that are estimated to be $4,000 or less in value.
NBC4
| | |
The number of LAPD shootings continues to rise in the second half of 2025
New data from the LAPD shows the number of shootings involving police officers has continued to rise in the second half of 2025, with at least 43 shootings representing a 60% increase - compared with last year. According to an LAPD crime data summary circulated late last week, as of Nov. 29, 2025, officers had fired their guns in 40 incidents, compared with 26 shootings during the same period in 2024.
NBC4
| | |
In Council District 13, four challengers emerge to take down incumbent Hugo Soto-Martinez
A few months ago, District 13 incumbent Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez appeared to have a free ride to a second term. That has changed, as four people are now trying to topple him. If no one gets a majority of the vote next June, the top two finishers will advance to the November general election. A Dec. 31 campaign finance deadline will help determine who has the cash to connect with voters.
The Eastsider LA
| | |
L.A. County inspector general to retire after 12 years as Sheriff's Department watchdog
Los Angeles County's inspector general is retiring as chief watchdog for the Sheriff's Department, stepping down from the post he has held since it was created a dozen years ago. Max Huntsman, 60, announced his plans in a letter Tuesday. “It has been my honor to work with a talented, brave, and tireless group of public servants to ensure that the public knows what its government is doing," he wrote.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Officials release photos of ‘pocket bike’ riders who hurled rocks at CHP during ICE protest
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is still searching for three people who they say threw large rocks at CHP officers during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles earlier this year. According to LASD, the three individuals each hurled projectiles at CHP officers stationed along the southbound span of 101 Freeway during a large demonstration on June 8 - one of many that took place across SoCal, and the entire United States, in early June.
KTLA
| | |
‘F- ICE, F- LAPD!’: LA’s radical protestors behind synagogue firestorm
They storm City Hall, scream in the faces of cops and drag babies into the chaos - using them like shields. Los Angeles’ loudest agitators brought their fury to a historic Mid-Wilshire synagogue this week, spewing hateful rhetoric and threatening attendees as they tried to enter a community event. Dramatic video posted on Instagram painted the scene: protesters packed outside Wilshire Boulevard Temple chanting “Free Palestine” and unleashing a volatile confrontation that left families shaken and police scrambling to keep order Wednesday.
New York Post
| | |
Man holding toddler is shot dead by sheriff’s deputies after standoff in Paramount
An armed man holding a two-year-old toddler has died after he was shot in a standoff with sheriff’s deputies Thursday in Paramount. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said deputies from its Lakewood station responded to a call regarding a man possibly armed with a gun. They arrived at the location on the 8000 block of Alhambra Avenue, where they encountered a man with a gun in one hand and the toddler in the other.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
19-year-old killed, over 12 detained in Anaheim officer-involved shooting
At least one teen was killed and more than a dozen people were detained following an officer-involved shooting in Anaheim overnight, authorities confirmed Sunday morning. The shooting happened around 9:32 p.m. Saturday, officials said, after two officers patrolling the 800 block of South Philadelphia Street encountered several subjects in front of a residence, leading to a confrontation.
City News Service
| | |
17-year-old girl possibly targeted by human trafficker at San Fernando Valley mall
The parents of a teenage girl are warning others to be alert after they said she was possibly targeted by a human trafficker at a Canoga Park shopping mall. The girl’s parents said the incident happened at the Westfield Topanga Mall on Dec. 4. The 17-year-old was replacing her phone screen protector at the Zagg kiosk around 6:30 p.m.
KTLA
| | |
Suspect heard bragging during flash-mob robbery at 7-Eleven: 'Bro, it's worth it’
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers responded to the 7-Eleven on Beverly Boulevard on Saturday afternoon after the store clerk activated a panic alarm. Police say a masked suspect pointed a gun at the employee while a large group of teens swarmed inside, stealing merchandise and throwing items outside to others waiting near the entrance. Dramatic cellphone video shared publicly to Instagram is now part of the police investigation.
Fox11
| | |
California Department of Corrections ignored serious felony violations in Troy McAlister case
When parolee Troy McAlister struck and killed 60-year-old Elizabeth Platt and 27-year-old Hanako Abe in San Francisco on Dec. 31, 2020, he was driving a car stolen from a woman after he displayed a firearm. According to newly obtained information, that arrest was one of several over a six-month period that should have resulted in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO), and San Francisco Parole Unit 1 agents and supervisors issuing a parole hold, despite relaxed Covid protocols.
The Voice of San Francisco
| | |
Cal State University unions seek notice of federal subpoenas in antisemitism investigation
California State University is caught between a federal government eager to investigate alleged antisemitism and employees concerned about privacy. That dilemma has landed the nation’s largest four-year public university in Los Angeles County Superior Court, where labor unions representing employees around the 22-campus system are waiting to see if they can win the support of a Superior Court judge - or perhaps reach an agreement with CSU itself - to allay members’ fears of harassment and surveillance by the Trump administration.
EdSource
| | |
List: New California laws taking effect in 2026
New year, new laws. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several new bills into law over the past year, many of them addressing issues that continue to impact Californians such as consumer protections, labor and workplace rights, and education. Take a look at some of the new laws that will impact your life in the new year.
Fox11
| | |
Sacramento’s spending addiction continues
In a recently released report, California’s Legislative Analyst provides an analysis of the state’s General Fund budget condition including both revenue and expenditure estimates. For taxpayers, the news isn’t good. One of the more depressing conclusions from the report was the statement that, “As it stands - with larger forecasted deficits and many fewer tools available to address them - California’s budget is undeniably less prepared for downturns.”
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | |
‘We may be deporting the wrong people’: New poll shows doubts about immigration crackdown
If you found out your neighbor had a past criminal conviction, your knee-jerk reaction might be that you’d want them relocated. But what if that person committed a burglary in their late teens, served years in state prison, turned their life around, and now mentors at-risk youth? Do the details matter? Researchers found that they do.
CalMatters
| | |
Ex-FBI agents just sued Kash Patel. Why their case could prove complex
A dozen former FBI agents this week sued President Donald Trump’s administration in part on First Amendment grounds over their firings for kneeling during protests over George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, references nine unnamed women and three unnamed men as plaintiffs.
USA Today
| | |
U.S. authorities shut down major China-linked AI tech smuggling network
Two businessmen are now in custody for allegedly violating U.S. export control and smuggling laws. As part of the overall investigation, a Houston company and its owner also pleaded guilty to smuggling cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology out of the United States, and the United States has seized over $50 million in Nvidia technologies and cash.
Office of Public Affairs Press Release
| | |
As California prisons face ‘wave’ of sex assault lawsuits, new audit highlights slow discipline
Five California correctional officers who were accused of sexually assaulting incarcerated people over the last dozen years remain employed by the state, according to a new audit from the state prisons’ inspector general. The audit, released last week, is a twice-a-year summary of how the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation addresses complaints about its staff members.
CalMatters
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Cherie Townsend convicted in 2018 killing of woman in Rolling Hills Estates mall garage
A 47-year-old woman was convicted Thursday in the stabbing death of a woman at a Rolling Hills Estates mall parking garage, a crime that led to a years-long investigation and the arrest, release and re-arrest of the suspect. Cherie Lynnette Townsend was convicted of first-degree murder for the May 2018, killing of Susan Leeds, 66, of Rancho Palos Verdes.
City News Service
| | |
Carson woman and ex-U.S. Postal Service employee sentenced to over 5 years in prison for stealing checks and credit cards from mail
A South Bay woman who formerly worked as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service in Torrance pleaded guilty today to stealing checks and debit and credit cards from the mail then selling them to her accomplices for three years, using the illicitly obtained funds to take international trips and buy luxury goods, and then flaunting the cash on Instagram. Mary Ann Magdamit, 31, of Carson, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
| | |
Ex-Compton city councilman pleads guilty to bribery charge
A former Compton city councilmember has pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges after he was accused of bribing a Baldwin Park city official to receive commercial marijuana permits, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. Isaac Galvan, 38, facilitated $70,000 bribes to former Baldwin Park City Councilman Ricardo Pacheco, who began soliciting bribes in June 2017 in exchange for marijuana cultivation, manufacture and distribution permits within the city limits, federal prosecutors said.
NBC4
| | | | |
