Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Claim against governmental entity need not be filed before suing under FEHA
Div. Eight of the Court of Appeal for this district has reversed an order dismissing three causes of action against the Los Angeles Community College District for alleged employment discrimination, saying that a judge erred in declaring that there was noncompliance with the statute that generally requires presentation of a claim against a governmental entity before suing it.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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LACo awards attorneys’ fees, costs for winning antiSLAPP motion
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has been awarded more than $25,000 in attorneys’ fees and related costs stemming from the 2025 dismissal of defamation allegations filed by a lawyer who says she was demoted for her support of former top prosecutor George Gascon’s reform policies. Former Deputy District Attorney Tiffiny Blacknell, who is Black, also alleges she was targeted due to her race, age and gender.
MyNewsLA
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Cops have to treat marijuana in your car differently after new California Supreme Court ruling
When it comes to impaired driving and the state’s open container law, a rolled and ready joint is more like a can of beer in giving police cause to search a car than a few crumbs of marijuana, according to the California Supreme Court. The court’s reasoning: You can smoke a joint and drink a beer, but loose marijuana isn’t readily consumable.
CalMatters
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Judge denies temporary restraining order in Rose Bowl and UCLA lawsuit
On November 12, 2025 a Judge in Los Angeles County Superior Court denied a request by the city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Committee (RBOC) for a temporary restraining order that would have forced UCLA to maintain their home at the Rose Bowl. On October 29, 2025, the city of Pasadena and the (RBOC) sued UCLA in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles for breach of contract and anticipatory repudiation.
Sports Litigation Alert
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California appeals court backs street vendor in challenge to San Diego ordinance
A three-judge panel in the California Courts of Appeal ruled in favor of a San Diego street vendor on Thursday in a decision that deemed the city’s street vending ordinances in direct conflict with state law. Imhotep Mustaqeem brought the suit against the city in 2024 after he was fined for violating a 2022 municipal code on street vending in the downtown area.
Courthouse News Service
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Spouse not bound by separation date in her own pleading
A woman who said in her dissolution-of-marriage petition that she separated from her husband in 2012 was not foreclosed from arguing at trial that the actual year of the parting was 2020, Div. Four of the First District Court of Appeal held yesterday. The fact that the husband concurs in the contention that separation incurred in 2020 rendered the trial court’s ruling that the wife was bound by the pled assertion error, the justices declared.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Judge finds Trump admin unlawfully froze EV infrastructure funding
A coalition of states and nonprofits scored a win on Friday after a federal judge found the Trump administration unlawfully froze electric vehicle infrastructure funding. “This case puts to the test our system of government’s emphasis on consistency, comity and continuity,” U.S. District Judge Tana Lin wrote in a 57-page opinion.
Courthouse News Service
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First Amendment, excessive force suit filed by Oregon racial justice protesters survives attempt to dismiss
Oregon protesters who claim police violated their free speech rights and used excessive force against some participants during a 2020 racial justice march scored a victory Friday in their suit against the city of Springfield and its officers.
Courthouse News Service
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Judge who didn’t preside at trial wrongly acted on motion
Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has found that a judge erred in granting a motion for a new trial in a criminal case on the ground of ineffective assistance of counsel because another judicial officer, who died, had presided over the defendant’s trial.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Judge shuts down firm accused of stealing nearly $50 million
A Santa Ana federal judge has permanently shut down the Growth Cave scam, a phony business opportunity and credit repair scheme that stole nearly $50 million from consumers since 2020, the Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday. The FTC filed suit last year against the San Fernando Valley-based operation and its leaders - Lucas Lee-Tyson, Osmany “Ozzie Blessed” Batte and Jordan Marksberry - accusing them of deceptive marketing and false income promises.
City News Service
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Gunowners rip ATF clawback order for unredacted document
A D.C. Circuit panel on Thursday seemed skeptical it could reverse a lower court’s order that allowed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to claw back a document listing individuals whose firearm purchases were monitored after it was released without redactions.
Courthouse News Service
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Former Santa Monica business owner arrested for stealing $10M in homeless fraud
A Westwood man was arrested Friday on federal charges alleging he fraudulently obtained $23 million in public money intended to combat homelessness and pocketed at least $10 million for personal luxuries, including a $7 million house, private jet travel and a vacation property in Greece. Alexander Soofer, 42, faces wire fraud charges after federal agents arrested him at his Westwood home Friday morning.
Santa Monica Daily Press
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More than 13 years after LA bribery arrest, John Noguez may finally face trial
The year was 2012. President Barack Obama was wrapping up his first term, children’s movie “Frozen” was in theaters and LeBron James had just won his first NBA title with the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, L.A. County Assessor John Noguez was arrested and charged with 24 felony counts of bribery, conspiracy and misappropriation by a public officer.
Courthouse News Service
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Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price to face trial in felony public corruption case
The felony public corruption case against sitting Los Angeles Councilmember Curren Price will proceed to trial, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled today. “This is a significant step toward holding L.A. Councilmember Curren Price accountable for years of alleged corruption,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Friend of singer D4vd jailed in Montana after failure to appear as witness
A friend of singer D4vd has been jailed on an out-of-state warrant in Montana after failing to appear as a witness in Los Angeles, a law enforcement source told NBC4 Investigates. NBCLA is attempting to determine whether the detention of Neo Langston in Lewis and Clark County, Montana is related to the grand jury hearing witnesses in the killing of 15-year-old Celeste Rivas.
NBC4
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Trump moves to seize control of LA wildfire rebuilding from California
President Donald Trump has issued a second executive order aimed at accelerating rebuilding in Los Angeles neighborhoods devastated by the 2025 Pacific Palisades and Eaton Canyon wildfires - immediately prompting sharp backlash from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who says the administration is withholding disaster aid, mischaracterizing the state’s progress, and attempting an unprecedented federal takeover of local permitting authority.
USA Today
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LAFD Foundation says $65,000 went to celebrity PR firm
The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation said it paid $65,000 to hire a celebrity public relations firm to help the LAFD shape its messaging after the deadly Palisades fire. The foundation addressed the controversy Tuesday in an email blast to supporters, about a week after The Times disclosed that charitable donations were quietly used to pay the Lede Co. to help LAFD leaders communicate with the public as they faced heavy criticism for their preparations and response to the disaster.
Los Angeles Times
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L.A. County to pause some payouts amid investigations into $4-billion sex abuse settlement
Los Angeles County will halt some payments from its $4-billion sex abuse settlement, leaving many plaintiffs on edge as prosecutors ramp up an investigation into allegations of fraud. L.A. County agreed last spring to the record payout to settle a flood of lawsuits from people who said they'd been sexually abused by staff in government-run foster homes and juvenile camps.
Los Angeles Times
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Thousand Oaks murder raises questions about state's youth offender law
Thousand Oaks resident Kelly Welling did not know California's youth offender law existed until roughly a year after her son's murder, but she has since vowed to do whatever she can to prevent it from applying to other violent crimes. On April 18, 2023, during a violent countywide crime spree that ended with him intentionally driving his car into a group of Westlake High School students, Austin Eis killed 15-year-old Wesley Welling and injured four others.
Ventura County Star
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LAPD oversight commission overrules chief, says fatal shooting of trans woman was 'out of policy’
The use of lethal force on a transgender woman who had reported being held against her will inside a Pacoima motel last year was not in line with Los Angeles Police Department policy, the Board of Police Commissioners determined this week.
Los Angeles Times
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LAPD chief slams ‘vile’ mob that shuts down police meetings and silences free speech - and admits there’s nothing they can do
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell has slammed the mob responsible for hijacking Tuesday’s Police Commission for poisoning the process that’s meant to hold his own department accountable to the public. A group of roughly 40 anti-police agitators led by Jason Reedy stormed Tuesday’s commission meeting, screaming obscenities, hurling slurs, and turning their fury on a California Post reporter.
California Post
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Owners of Marilyn Monroe’s former LA home sue city over historic designation
The owners of the Los Angeles house briefly owned by Marilyn Monroe in 1962, where she died that year, sued the city over belatedly designating the property a historic-cultural monument and preventing them from tearing down the home.
Courthouse News Service
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Army vet wins $6.8 million from jury after suing LAPD over mental health '5150' hold
When two Los Angeles police officers refused to leave his apartment during a welfare check, Slade Douglas felt he had no choice but to call 911. The Aug. 27, 2019, encounter began after someone from the Department of Veterans Affairs incorrectly reported to authorities that Douglas may be suicidal, according to a lawsuit he later filed against the city and the two officers who responded to his door.
Los Angeles Times
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The bigger they are the more column inches they get
Within our ranks, some attorneys want not only a low profile but no profile in the media, social or otherwise. But many have no trouble when it comes to getting and retaining clients. There are others who have a modest presence on line and may do some advertising, and then there are those who have a gigantic media presence of their own making, be it radio or television advertising, billboards, call centers, or any other means to reach the public.
Above the Law
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Actress Sydney Sweeney could face legal trouble after draping Hollywood Sign with bras
An apparent publicity move by Sydney Sweeney could bring legal trouble for the actress. The 28-year-old pulled a promotional stunt at the Hollywood Sign for what's believed to be her new lingerie brand. Sweeney could be looking at possible trespassing and vandalism charges after draping the Hollywood Sign with dozens of bras. The actress had a crew filming the whole thing, and the video was first obtained by TMZ.
ABC7
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Homicide case tainted by 'OC Snitch Scandal' ends in reduced prison sentence
The Orange County District Attorney dropped murder charges in a decades-old case tainted by the so-called jailhouse snitch scandal, instead accepting a lesser guilty plea of voluntary manslaughter. A decade ago, in the wake of the county’s biggest mass murder, the O.C. Public Defender’s Office discovered that local law enforcement had been illegally using informants - sometimes called snitches - to get information and confessions from defendants in jail.
LAist
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LA considers asking voters to raise a variety of taxes: Hotels, vacant properties, weed and more
What measures are up for discussion? There are seven! On Tuesday, the L.A. City Council directed the city attorney to draft two options for a hotel tax. The first is a 4% increase that falls to 2% after the Olympics; the second is a 2% increase that drops to 1% after the Games. The council will choose one of those options to put before voters. Another ballot measure ordinance will be drafted to start taxing unlicensed cannabis shops.
LAist
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Los Angeles might tweak its 'mansion tax.' Here's why that matters for the rest of California
To save the City of Los Angeles’ controversial “mansion tax” - and fend off the threat of fiscal calamity across the state - Angelenos need to re-write the law. That’s according to City Councilmember Nithya Raman who introduced a motion on Friday to put a mansion tax do-over on the June 2026 ballot. The council is scheduled to vote on the measure Tuesday.
CalMatters
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Employees discover hidden spy camera inside bathroom at Los Angeles Kaiser Permanente hospital
Employees at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in West Los Angeles made the shocking discovery of a hidden camera in a staff-only bathroom. Tyesha Sullivan, a registered nurse who works in the emergency room, said she found the camera in the back of the stall but had no idea what it was at first. By the end of her shift in late November, a number of her co-workers had their suspicions as well.
CBS LA
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Search for bodies, guns in LA’s notorious MacArthur Park is allegedly halted by lefty pol - as California Post watches on
A high-tech search for dead bodies, guns and other criminal evidence dumped in MacArthur Park Lake was halted at the last minute on Monday morning, The California Post has learned. Park rangers told the search’s organizers that they shut down the planned operation on Monday morning at the last minute after the intervention from LA City Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez.
California Post
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Metro sued over woman’s stabbing death in Universal City
Metro is being sued for wrongful death and negligence by the three children of a 67-year-old woman who was stabbed to death on a Metro train in Universal City in 2024. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, comes just over a month after Mirna Soza Arauz’s killer, 47-year-old Elliott Tramel Nowden, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
City News Service
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Serial ‘windshield smasher’ terrorizing Los Angeles neighborhood again
A serial windshield smasher who seemingly targets parked vehicles at random has residents of a Los Angeles neighborhood frustrated and on edge. The man’s most recent rampage occurred in Silverlake Jan. 24, but he was also captured on surveillance cameras shattering windshields in the same area in November and, according to resident Mesa Dihl, the vandalism appears indiscriminate.
KTLA
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Homeowner shoots teen burglary suspect at luxury LA home
A Los Angeles homeowner opened fire on a pair of burglars as they were trying to break into the resident’s $2.4 million home overnight, leaving a 16-year-old suspect injured. The shooting happened at the Laurelcrest Drive home in Studio City around 4 a.m. Tuesday, when the suspects allegedly forced their way into the home – but were met by the gun-toting owner, NBC Los Angeles reported.
California Post
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California bill would make it a crime for the governor, state officials to sign or request NDAs while lawmaking
A new proposal in California would prohibit the governor and top officials in the administration from signing or requesting anyone to sign non-disclosure agreements when creating new state laws and determining how to use taxpayer dollars. Non-disclosure agreements are contracts that legally force people to keep information a secret.
KCRA
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Gun rights groups fiercely criticize top L.A. federal prosecutor for response to Minneapolis shooting
Top Los Angeles federal prosecutor Bill Essayli faced blistering criticism from gun rights groups, including the NRA, after he posted on X Saturday about the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen in Minneapolis by federal immigration officers. Essayli, the first assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, wrote: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.”
Los Angeles Times
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San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie pushes for California law toughening penalties for sideshows
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has teamed up with a state lawmaker in seeking a new law that would toughen penalties on sideshows across California. On Friday, Lurie announced a partnership with Asm. Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco) on Assembly Bill 1588, which was introduced in the state legislature this week.
CBS San Francisco
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Gavin Newsom’s record is a problem
Gavin newsom is currently in the lead for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. Newsom’s early advantage is especially impressive for the way that it puts him well ahead of candidates with better name recognition, including Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg. Every other Democrat who hasn’t already run for president is stuck polling in the single digits. A key source of Newsom’s appeal is the belief that he’s electable.
The Atlantic
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ICE has been entering homes without judicial warrants since last summer, sources say
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers began forcibly entering homes without judicial warrants last summer, two administration officials told NBC News. An internal document, dated May 12, 2025, but made public by two whistleblowers earlier this week, told officers they could rely on an administrative warrant to enter homes if there was an order to remove someone from the country.
NBC News
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Stanford, family of Katie Meyer settle wrongful death lawsuit
Stanford and the family of Katie Meyer, the former star soccer goalkeeper and two-time team captain who died by suicide in 2022, settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the university, the two sides announced Monday. At the time of her death, Meyer, 22, was facing disciplinary action for allegedly spilling coffee on a Stanford football player who was accused of sexually assaulting a women's soccer player.
ESPN
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Focus on the mission, and tell the truth
For as long as I’ve been instructing young cops on the intricacies of the job, I have most often boiled it down to four simple words: Focus on the mission. God only knows how many disastrous outcomes might have been avoided had police officers simply focused on their mission and not had their attention diverted to tangential and inconsequential problems. However lengthy that list may be, today we can add the Alex Pretti shooting to it.
Jack Dunphy/PJ Media
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
LA man sentenced to 12+ years for child sex abuse; longest sentence for such crimes in LA history
A Los Angeles man was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in jail for sexually abusing a minor, the City Attorney's Office announced Monday, touting the case as an example of its efforts to crack down on people who victimize minors. Jacinto Mendez, 36, was convicted in December of 13 misdemeanor charges including sexual battery, lewd acts on a child, corporal injury to a child and willful cruelty to a child, according to court records.
ABC7
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Meet Jingliang Su, Chinese man gets 46 months sentence for $36.9M crypto scam
A US federal court has sentenced Chinese national Jingliang Su to 46 months in prison for laundering more than $36.9 million tied to a cross‑border crypto investment scam that targeted 174 US victims. Prosecutors say the case marks a fresh escalation in Washington’s campaign against large‑scale “pig butchering” fraud rings leveraging digital assets.
Crypto.News
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Jury finds ex-Google engineer guilty of stealing AI trade secrets for Chinese companies
Former Google software engineer Linwei Ding stole proprietary information on Google’s artificial intelligence technology and secretly transferred it to tech companies in China, a 12-person jury found Thursday. Ding was accused of stealing trade secrets from Google, which hired him in 2019 as a software engineer to help develop its supercomputing data centers.
Courthouse News Service
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The L.A. cop who took the gun out of MacGyver’s hand
You may not recognize the name Stephen Downing, but if you’re a fan of American cop shows over the last 50 years or so, you are no doubt familiar with his work. Downing, a longtime Long Beach resident who died of sepsis in November at 87, drew on his years of experience as a Los Angeles police officer, crafting stories for “Dragnet,” “Adam-12,” “Emergency” and “TJ Hooker,” among many others.
PageSuite
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Holy smokes! The Post puts the best pastrami in New York and Los Angeles to the test - who will win, Langer’s or Katz’s?
New York and Los Angeles - two world-class burgs, divided by thousands of miles of flyover country, disagreeing on almost everything. How should cities be built, for example? Do they belong to pedestrians, or to cars? And what’s “cold weather” - should we break out the shorts when it goes above freezing, or start shivering when the mercury plummets to a chilling 59? And who, more importantly, has the better pastrami?
California Post
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ICE ignores hard lessons LAPD learned after Rodney King beating
Scenes from Minneapolis raise deep questions about the limits of federal authority, the legality and purpose of immigration enforcement and the specter of masked agents harassing, manhandling and even killing Americans who dare to speak out against their actions. Whatever side you land on with those questions, one issue is beyond dispute: ICE is poorly staffed and badly led.
CalMatters
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