Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Sentence reduced for man who rammed patrol car in Harbor City, killing LA officer in 2014
A 32-year-old man convicted of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter for slamming his SUV into a police car in 2014, killing an officer and critically injuring his partner during a Harbor City pursuit, had his sentence reduced to 22 years to life in state prison after a change in state law.
Southern California News Group
| | |
Supreme Court won’t let Trump boot top copyright official, for now
The Supreme Court will allow the nation’s top copyright official to retain her post for now, deferring President Donald Trump’s request on Wednesday to exert control over the office that advises Congress on issues like artificial intelligence. In a short order, the high court indicated that it wouldn’t rule on Trump’s pending emergency appeal to nix the official’s reinstatement until hearing arguments on other executive branch terminations in December and January.
Courthouse News Service
| | |
US appeals court pauses California’s disclosure rules
A US appeals court has paused a landmark California law that would require large companies to report the risks of climate change on their business operations. Known as Senate Bill 261, the rule was meant to take effect on 1 January. A second rule, Senate Bill 253, which requires companies operating in California to annually report their carbon emissions, was allowed to stay in place. Oral arguments are scheduled for 9 January 2026.
Green Central Banking
| | |
Appeals court disqualifies Alina Habba, Trump's former personal lawyer, as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey
A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a lower court decision that disqualified Alina Habba, who served as a personal lawyer to President Trump, as the acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey. The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit was unanimous against the Trump administration, which has attempted to use a novel mechanism to place lawyers who have not received Senate approval into temporary U.S. attorney positions across the country.
CBS News
| | |
Hochman wins dismissal of claims
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and the head of his major crimes division all won a round in court Wednesday when a judge granted their motions to dismiss defamation allegations filed by a lawyer who says she was demoted for her support of former top prosecutor George Gascón’s reform policies. Former Deputy District Attorney Tiffiny Blacknell, who is Black, also alleges she was targeted due to her race, age and gender.
City News Service
| | |
Why DA is not charging 7-eleven worker in death of co-worker (Video)
The LA District Attorney’s Office said no one involved had the intent to kill. Eric Leonard reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
NBC4
| | |
Man set his own apartment on fire, then threw Molotov cocktails at LA Federal building: DOJ
A Los Angeles man was charged Tuesday with throwing Molotov cocktails at people inside the downtown Los Angeles Federal building hours after setting his own apartment on fire, according to prosecutors. Jose Francisco Jovel, 54, of Koreatown, was arrested after the incident on Monday. He's charged with attempted malicious damage of federal property, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Los Angeles Patch
| | |
LA County deputies accused of filing false reports acquitted by jury
After less than a day of deliberations, a jury Monday acquitted two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were charged with filing a false report involving a 2018 arrest in East Los Angeles. Deputies Woodrow Kim and Jonathan Miramontes were charged in August 2021 with one count each of filing a false report. The charges were dismissed in August 2022 by a judge who found "insufficient evidence" against the pair, but a state appeals court reinstated the case in February 2024.
City News Service
| | |
SoCal 70-year-old filmed himself killing a homeless man. But his case ends in a mistrial
An Orange County man who recorded himself fatally shooting a homeless man he said was blocking his path remained free this week after a jury deadlocked in his manslaughter trial. Craig Sumner Elliott, 70, of Garden Grove was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter for the 2023 shooting of Antonio Garcia Avalos.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Are homelessness policies helping downtown? City Council may take a closer look
Despite city police saying crime has dropped in Long Beach, a growing number of business owners and lobbyists say the amount of vandalism, theft and threats, especially downtown, has only worsened, to an extent that it’s forced some to move elsewhere. Now, three City Council members are asking the city to review the effectiveness of its homeless programs, from CARE Court - aimed at addressing mental illness - to its encampment-clearing policies.
Long Beach Post
| | |
Cities weigh Chapter 9 as liability pressures strain municipal budgets
Los Angeles County and City of Santa Monica both owe large legal settlements to childhood sex abuse plaintiffs. And over the last two years, the City of Los Angeles has been on the hook for a half-billion dollars in liability payouts, largely from LAPD claims - way above the budgeted amount. That raises the prospect that L.A. city or county or Santa Monica could be forced to seek shelter under Chapter 9 of the Bankruptcy Code, the provision designed for public entities.
Daily Journal
| | |
Disapproval vs withdrawal of regulations
What is a disapproval of a regulation? What is the withdrawal of a regulation? What roles do these two procedures play in the California rulemaking process? The Office of Administrative Law (OAL) can either approve a rulemaking package or they can disapprove it. OAL is required to use six statutory standards of review found in the California Administrative Procedure Act (APA), which is contained in the state’s Government Code.
California Globe
| | |
Public defenders and prosecutors warn of crisis fueled by Prop 36
With the public defenders less available for new cases, pressure increased on the conflict panel, who have also declared unavailability for increased workloads. The Superior Court said in October it was left with the unenviable decision of releasing pre-trial criminal defendants who had overstayed their constitutional 45-day custody. However, the court has identified only one person released on the these terms.
Daily Journal
| | |
LAPD can continue to use military weapons, foam bullets and tear gas after City Council vote
The L.A. City Council voted 8-4 on Tuesday to continue allowing the Los Angeles Police Department to be armed with 40 mm foam bullet launchers and tear gas. California law enforcement agencies are required to track and publicly document how they use military equipment, including less-lethal bean bag shotgun rounds, drones and armored vehicles, under state law AB 481 passed in 2022.
LAist
| | |
Congressional members allege Acting U.S. Attorney Essayli violated professional standards
On Tuesday, 13 members of Congress signed a letter requesting that the Department of Justice look into allegations that Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli violated the agency's standards of conduct as well as the state bar's rules of professional conduct. "The rule of law depends upon the strict adherence of government lawyers, particularly those who serve in the highest levels of the DOJ," opened Tuesday's letter.
KEYT
| | |
LAUSD settles with 9 more girls over claims of teacher's abuses
Four years after the Los Angeles Unified School District agreed to pay $14.7 million to resolve a lawsuit filed by on behalf of seven girls who alleged they were molested by a San Fernando Valley elementary school teacher, the LAUSD has reached an accord with nine additional girl plaintiffs. The teacher, Rene Tenas, pleaded no contest in 2018 to two felony counts of lewd acts on a child.
City News Service
| | |
LAPD shot at a party then improperly used a search warrant to investigate a shooting victim
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer Nathaniel Beck exited his vehicle and charged across Broadway Avenue, baton in one hand and a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson in the other, toward the parking lots on 86th Place, where a block party had spilled into the early hours of June 3, 2020. He shot five times towards the crowds of partygoers, who had already been shaken up by another shooting about 6 minutes before LAPD showed up to the dimly lit neighborhood-adjacent lots.
Calo News
| | |
LACo supervisors preliminarily approve ban on officers concealing identities
The county Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval Tuesday to an ordinance that would ban law-enforcement officers from concealing or disguising their identities while on duty in unincorporated areas - a response to federal immigration agents who generally wear masks during their operations. The proposal introduced by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis follows similar efforts at the state and federal levels.
MyNewsLA
| | |
Brother of slain LACo firefighter settles wrongful death suit
The brother of a firefighter engineer who was shot to death by a colleague at the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Agua Dulce station in 2021 has reached a settlement in a lawsuit originally filed against the county by his parents. An attorney for Bent Carlon filed court papers with Chatsworth Superior Court Judge Gary Micon on Wednesday notifying than an “unconditional” accord in the case was reached a day earlier.
MyNewsLA
| | |
He pushed a $1-billion Hollywood studio project. Now, he wants to be L.A.’s next city controller
L.A. City Hall is not known for making things simple for real estate developers - especially those seeking approval of large, complicated projects. Yet earlier this year, Westwood resident Zach Sokoloff navigated the city’s bureaucratic obstacle course, winning City Council approval of a $1-billion plan to redevelop Television City, the historic studio property on Beverly Boulevard.
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Stephen Downing, a lawman-writer who hated the War on Drugs, took the gun out of MacGyver’s hands, dies at 87
Stephen Downing, who redefined when Los Angeles police officers can use deadly force, transformed public perception of law enforcement through shows like “MacGyver,” and whose reporting inspired reforms in Long Beach, died on Nov. 20 at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. He was 87. The cause was sepsis, according to his family.
Long Beach Post
| | |
Bob Foster, pivotal former mayor who led Long Beach through recession, dies at 78
Robert “Bob” Foster, the longtime businessman whose expertise helped guide his two-term mayoral tenure through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, died at a hospital in Palm Springs Sunday following an accidental fall at his La Quinta home. He was 78. In a statement released Monday, a spokesperson said he was “surrounded by family” at the time of his death. A funeral is still being arranged with details to be announced.
Long Beach Post
| | |
Getting a gun permit in LA County shouldn’t be rarer than a Nolan Ryan no-hitter
Getting a concealed-carry permit in Los Angeles County is a hundred times less likely than it was for Angels legend Nolan Ryan to win a game without allowing any hits. A new lawsuit by the U.S. Department of Justice could change that. Ryan was celestial on the mound. He won 324 games - seven of them no-hitters. (Four of those were with the Angels.)
Los Angeles Daily News
| | |
What is the first house rebuilt after the wildfires in Los Angeles? It’s complicated.
On the Friday before Thanksgiving, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced “a major milestone” in the recovery from January’s wildfires that razed 13,000 homes across the region: A four-bedroom house in Pacific Palisades had received its final approval from the city, making it the first house to be rebuilt after the fires. But Bass didn’t mention the family that would be moving back into the finished property. That’s because there isn’t one.
Politico
| | |
LA28 volunteer program invites Angelenos to make an impact
The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced the launch of the LA28 Volunteer Program presented by Delta Air Lines. This dynamic program enables participants to get involved as soon as this year with service opportunities throughout the LA region leading up to the LA28 Games. Details on Games-time volunteer roles will be shared in 2026 as the program continues to evolve leading up to 2028.
Los Angeles Sentinel
| | |
Council hopeful says he’ll live in Los Angeles park until it’s cleaned up
An activist running for Los Angeles City Council has made an audacious promise: If elected, he’ll live in MacArthur Park until it’s cleaned up. The park, which has a reputation for homelessness and drug use, could be home to Raul Claros, 45, if he unseats Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez for the District 1 spot next year. As the Los Angeles Times reports, Claros plans to live in and work out of a trailer in the park “until the park is ‘cleared out and cleaned up.’”
KTLA
| | |
Body cameras used in L.A. County jails to get demonstration
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna will join other LASD high-ranking officers Wednesday in launching the introduction of body-worn cameras for LASD deputies. This initiative is designed to enhance safety, accountability and transparency within all the custody facilities run by the department, officials said.
MyNewsLA
| | |
L.A. sets up hotline to report child sex abuse by county employees
After settling the largest sex abuse payout in U.S. history, Los Angeles County has established a 24/7 hotline for reporting suspected child sexual assault or exploitation involving government-run facilities or personnel. Beginning this month, people who witness, experience or suspect child sexual abuse related to a Los Angeles County employee, contractor or volunteer can call 211 or submit an online child abuse reporting form as part of a confidential, multilingual and “trauma-informed” process.
The Imprint
| | |
Killer son lay in wait to ambush, execute parents inside $1.3M Simi Valley home: neighbor
Chilling new details have emerged in the execution of a Simi Valley doctor and his wife: Their son sat in wait to ambush and gunned down the beloved couple in their own garage, a neighbor told The Post. Keith Cordes drove past the home in his black Honda Civic, then staked it out as he waited for the perfect moment to strike, the witness said Wednesday.
New York Post
| | |
Pro-Palestinian protest turns violent at Wilshire Boulevard temple event
UCLA medical student Eliana Jolkovsky arrived on Wednesday, December 3, at Wilshire Boulevard Temple and saw a group of about 15 protesters, their faces masked by keffiyehs, chanting, “Baby Killers,” “Zionist Pigs,” and “Occupation no more.” Jolkovsky, who is also a Jewish activist with 30,000 followers on Instagram, asked one of the demonstrators why they were protesting in front of the synagogue.
Jewish Journal
| | |
Driverless Waymo vehicle inadvertently takes riders through tense police stop in L.A.
This trip was Waymo dangerous than it needed to be. Passengers in a robotaxi operated by Waymo were driven just a few feet away from police stop in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday - a brief brush with danger that was caught on video by incredulous onlookers and which ended with nobody hurt. The driverless vehicle could be seen in the video making a left turn into a street and passing a white pickup truck pulled over at the corner by several police cruisers with their lights flashing.
NBC4 & NBC News
| | |
LAPD officers shoot man using piece of glass to stab himself in Koreatown
Los Angeles police officers shot a man who was allegedly using a large piece of glass to harm himself in the Koreatown area on Friday morning. They were called to the 800 block of S. Vermont Avenue at around 7:15 a.m. after learning of an assault with a deadly weapon, LAPD officers told CBS Los Angeles. Callers told police that a man, since identified as 35-year-old Freisman Sanchez, had broken the windows of a business in the area and was using large shards of the broken glass to stab himself.
CBS LA
| | |
The FBI has seized an ultra-rare 2002 Mercedes CLK-GTR Roadster worth $13 million tied to Ryan Wedding
The saying "crime doesn’t pay" usually fails to consider the vast wealth certain criminals amass. Just look at the recent seizure made by Kash Patel’s FBI: an uber-rare 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR Roadster. Of the 28 total CLK-GTRs ever built, Roadsters are the most scarce as Mercedes made just six examples, this one estimated to be worth $13 million. The car's seizure was part of an investigation into Ryan James Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned drug trafficker who is on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
MotorTrend
| | |
2 arrested for allegedly stealing over $200,000 worth of merchandise from Southern California stores
Two suspects were arrested for allegedly stealing over $200,000 worth of merchandise from stores across Southern California. The suspects were identified as Jashawn Murphy, 27, and Keniya Shaney Stallworth, 25, both Los Angeles residents, according to the Irvine Police Department. The pair is believed to be responsible for stealing goods from retailers throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, police said.
KTLA
| | |
LA influencer and hip-hop artist arrested for rape; LAPD seeks additional victims
A Los Angeles hip-hop artist and social media influencer has been arrested and is accused of raping several women. Investigators believe there may be more victims and are asking them to come forward. The Los Angeles Police Department released a photo of 32-year-old Clinton Adams following his arrest in hopes additional victims of unreported sexual assaults will come forward.
Fox11
| | |
California police warn of new trend among criminals stealing cars
The Anaheim Police Department is warning the public of a new trend being used by criminals to steal cars. Within the past two weeks, police investigators have come across thieves using sophisticated equipment and computer smarts to steal cars. Both incidents happened in Anaheim Hills. Police say in one of the incidents, thieves smashed into the car, then plugged a tablet into the car's computer system, re-programmed the car, then drove away.
Fox11
| | |
Doctor sentenced to 30 months in prison in connection with Matthew Perry's fatal ketamine overdose
A doctor who admitted to distributing ketamine to Matthew Perry weeks before he died was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison on Wednesday - the first to be sentenced among the five people convicted in connection with the "Friends" actor's 2023 overdose death. Salvador Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine.
ABC News
| | |
US shooting suspect faces murder charge as anti-migrant stance hardens
The United States is freezing all asylum decisions, officials said Friday, as President Donald Trump hardens his anti-migrant stance after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members this week in Washington. Wednesday's attack on the soldiers - one of whom died from her injuries - has ignited a fresh crackdown on foreigners in the United States, with Trump also pledging to suspend migration from "third world countries."
AFP
| | |
International travel. Fancy meals. Missing receipts. Who paid the tab for this top official?
Ricardo Lara’s transition from influence-brokering state legislator to autonomous insurance regulator was rocky. Almost immediately upon assuming office in 2019, the California insurance commissioner was discovered soliciting money from those he regulated, even allowing his campaign fundraiser to set his office calendar. “I must hold myself to a higher standard,” Lara vowed in the aftermath. “I can and will do better.”
Los Angeles Times
| | |
Michael and Susan Dell donate $6.25 billion to fund ‘Trump Accounts’ for millions of American kids
In a major philanthropic move, billionaires Michael and Susan Dell are donating $6.25 billion to deposit $250 into savings accounts for up to 25 million American children. The funding will dramatically expand the amount of money available to be invested into a tax-advantaged investment account. It will apply to children ages 10 and under living in ZIP codes where the median income is below $150,000.
ABC News
| | |
San Francisco files landmark lawsuit, comparing ultra-processed food companies to 'big tobacco’
In a historic first, San Francisco's city attorney has filed a lawsuit against some of the largest U.S. manufacturers of ultra-processed foods that he says have made Americans sick. The companies named in the lawsuit, obtained and reviewed by ABC News, include Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, Post, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, General Mills, Nestle, Kellanova, Kellogg, Mars,and ConAgra.
GMA
| | |
Accused DC pipe bomber told FBI he believed the 2020 election was stolen, sources say
During interviews with the FBI, the suspect arrested in the pipe bomb probe told investigators that he believed the 2020 election was stolen, providing perhaps the first indication of a possible motive for the bombs placed near the DNC and RNC headquarters, people briefed on the matter told CNN. Brian Cole Jr. spent hours with FBI investigators and made multiple statements, the sources said.
CNN
| | |
NASCAR legal saga hits home stretch as antitrust trial begins
With settlement talks fizzled, it’ll soon be up to a jury to decide basketball legend Michael Jordan’s antitrust case against racing giant NASCAR. Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing - a team partially owned by Jordan - took on NASCAR in 2024, filing suit after the teams refused to sign the 2025 charter agreements. The racing agreements, which are NASCAR’s version of having franchise status, grant teams a cut of merchandising and broadcasting profits while also guaranteeing entry into Cup Series races.
Courthouse News Service
| | |
Netflix not liable for its ad triggering invasions of privacy
Netflix faces no liability for invasion of privacy based on using, in an advertisement for a video, the image of the plaintiffs’ home captured with a telephoto lens from a drone without consent of the owners, causing to the residents from droves of persons coming to the house, Div. Three of the Court of Appeal for this district has held, drawing a dissent. Justice Mark Hanasono authored the unpublished majority opinion, filed Tuesday.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | |
Megan Thee Stallion wins defamation civil suit against blogger Milagro Gramz in trial
Megan Thee Stallion has won a defamation case against blogger Milagro Gramz. On Monday, Dec. 1, NBC News reported that a Florida jury ruled in favor of Megan (real name Megan Pete), 30, after she filed an October 2024 lawsuit against the blogger (real name Milagro Elizabeth Cooper) for alleging that she was "a paid surrogate" for Tory Lanez and spread lies on his behalf.
People
| | |
Fifth attorney sanctioned for unchecked AI-drafted brief
A fifth California attorney in less than three months yesterday drew a monetary sanction imposed by a court of appeal for using artificial intelligence in crafting a brief and not checking to make sure the cases cited actually exist and are quoted accurately. Div. One of this district, in a “By the Court” opinion - signed by Presiding Justice Rothschild and Justices Helen I. Bendix and Gregory Weingart - ordered Tarzana attorney Fahim Farivar to pay $7,500 to the clerk of the court.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
| | | | |
