Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
Waymo and Santa Monica sue each other over autonomous vehicle charging facilities
After negotiations collapsed over complaints tied to autonomous vehicle charging sites, Santa Monica and Waymo are headed for a courtroom showdown in the new year. The dispute centers on two Waymo facilities that began operating in a Santa Monica neighborhood in January to recharge about 50 of the company’s driverless, battery-electric vehicles used across the greater Los Angeles area.
Santa Monica Mirror
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Proposition 36 doesn’t bar pretrial mental health diversion
The First District Court of Appeal has rejected the position of the Office of Attorney General that a 2024 voter-enacted measure cracking down on possessors of hard drugs with two or more priors are ineligible for pre-trial mental health diversion. At issue in a writ proceeding, decided Tuesday, is whether Proposition 36, “The Homelessness, Drug Addiction, and Theft Reduction Act” - codified at Health & Safety Code §11395 - precludes a judge from ordering diversion pursuant to Penal Code §1001.36, as urged by the People.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Reconsideration of another judge’s decision required in light of new case, C.A. holds
One judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court erred in declining to review a “no-bail” decision by a member of that same tribunal in light of an intervening appellate opinion rejecting the analysis contained in the decision relied upon by the first bench officer, Div. One of the Court of Appeal for this district has held. Justice Michelle C. Kim authored the unpublished opinion, filed Tuesday.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Parents can proceed to trial vs. USC over son's film shoot death: Judge rules
A judge has denied a motion by USC to dismiss the university as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by the family of a cinematographer who was killed in a 2022 off-road vehicle crash during a student film shoot at the Glamis Sand Dunes in Imperial County.
City News Service
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Ninth Circuit won't rehear Trump admin challenge to discovery order in mass layoffs suit
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, on Monday, declined to rehear a challenge by the Trump administration to a discovery order in a case filed by federal labor unions to block the executive branch from initiating mass layoffs. The terse ruling spurred a blistering dissent from five judges - all Republican, four of whom had been appointed by President Donald Trump.
Courthouse News Service
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No constitutional issue with commissioners deciding bail at revocation hearings
Div. Five of this district’s Court of Appeal has rejected a criminal defendant’s assertion that a court commissioner was not authorized, absent his stipulation, to preside over a bail review hearing, saying that such matters qualify as “subordinate” actions under the California Constitution even in light of the liberty issues at stake. The hearing was held pending a petition to revoke his post-prison-release community supervision (“PRCS”).
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Federal appeals court pauses ruling on student gender identity disclosure in California
A federal order that would allow California educators to freely disclose a student’s gender identity to parents without a student’s consent was blocked this week from taking immediate effect by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A panel of three judges, including Chief Judge Mary H. Murguia, wrote Monday that they have “serious concerns” with the district court’s order, including its decision to certify the case as a class action covering every parent and public school employee in California.
EdSource
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Lil Durk trial nears, government reveals multiple cooperating witnesses to testify
Lil Durk is heading toward a federal trial in Los Angeles as prosecutors disclose they plan to call multiple cooperating witnesses who they say will testify that the rapper ordered and financed a deadly 2022 ambush tied to a long-running Hip-Hop feud. Federal prosecutors revealed their witness strategy in a new court filing this week as they fight the defense’s efforts to block key testimony and related evidence.
All HipHop
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Verizon Wireless to pay $7.7 million to settle environmental violations following statewide investigation
Verizon Wireless will pay $7.7 million to settle a civil enforcement action alleging widespread violations of California environmental laws governing hazardous materials storage, reporting and permitting at cell tower sites throughout the state. “Companies that store hazardous materials have a legal obligation to protect the public, first responders, and the environment,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Woman who led police pursuit from Ventura County into Mexico is charged with 2 felonies
The woman who allegedly stole a minivan from a Thousand Oaks sober living home and led police on a multi-county pursuit into Mexico is facing two felony charges. A 29-year-old Simi Valley resident who was residing in the sober living home faces felony unlawful taking of a vehicle and felony evading of a peace officer with reckless disregard for public safety.
CBS News
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Death threats to federal judge won't derail murder-for-hire case against rapper Lil Durk
A murder-for-hire case against a prominent rap artist could begin in late April after a judge on Wednesday rejected a motion to dismiss the case or recuse the entire Los Angeles federal bench because death threats against the bail hearing judge weren’t disclosed to defense attorneys for several months. “There is just absolutely no basis for this motion. Just none. Absolutely none,” U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald said.
Legal Affairs and Trials with Meghann Cuniff
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Mother charged with murder in death of 17-month-old girl in Santa Monica
A mother has been charged with murder and felony child assault resulting in death following the killing of her 17-month-old daughter in Santa Monica. “The allegations in this case describe extreme violence against a child who was entirely vulnerable and unable to protect herself,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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California law lets a politician avoid jail for child abuse charges. Lawmakers are furious
A mental health diversion granted to a former Kern County politician is coming under fire from numerous California lawmakers and child welfare advocates, who say a repeatedly amended state law is allowing an accused child abuser to avoid prosecution and possible jail time. Zack Scrivner, a former Kern County supervisor, was charged with felony child abuse in February after he was accused of inappropriately touching one of his children in 2024.
Los Angeles Times
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LACC Swap Meet sues city of LA over street vendor woes
LACC Swap Meet has been running in Los Angeles City College’s parking lot for nearly 30 years, but one of its owners says city officials are trying to destroy the business to support street vendors. The owners are suing the city of L.A. for allegedly interfering with business and contractual relations at the swap meet.
LAist
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DOJ official fact-checks California Democrat after he falsely claims ICE mask ban is in effect
A Department of Justice official took a jab at a California state senator on Friday after the lawmaker, a Democrat running to succeed retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., erroneously claimed his state began enforcing a mask ban against federal immigration officers. Jesus Osete, the No. 2 official in the DOJ Civil Rights Division, pointed out that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration agreed in court to temporarily hold off on enforcing the ban while a lawsuit over it plays out.
Fox News
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LA coalition challenges city's rollout of new RV law
A coalition of housed and unhoused residents in West L.A. is asking a court to stop the city of Los Angeles from moving ahead with a pilot program that allows local officials to remove and dismantle more recreational vehicles the city deems a nuisance. The move from the CD11 Coalition for Human Rights comes in response to a new state law that gives L.A. County the authority to dispose of abandoned or inoperable RVs worth up to $4,000, a major increase from the previous $500 threshold.
LAist
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California delayed cancellation of immigrant truckers' licenses. So feds will withhold $160 million
After California paused a plan to cancel the licenses of thousands of immigrant truckers, federal officials announced Wednesday they would withhold $160 million in transportation funds from the state. The state was set to revoke 17,000 commercial driver's licenses for immigrants by Jan. 5 but instead extended the deadline amid the threat of a civil class-action lawsuit by immigrant rights groups.
Los Angeles Times
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Court announces it will hear case on gun rights among several others in February sitting
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 2 in a case on the federal government’s efforts to prosecute a Texas man for violating a federal statute that prohibits gun possession by users of illegal drugs. That case, United States v. Hemani, is one of seven cases scheduled for the justices’ February argument session, which will begin on Feb. 23 and end on March 4.
SCOTUSblog
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Santa Monica Airport violated federal law over fees, FAA rules
The Federal Aviation Administration has determined Santa Monica Municipal Airport violated federal law by accumulating surplus revenues it intends to spend on general city services when the airport closes, rather than using those funds for aviation purposes. In a Director's Determination issued Dec. 22, FAA Director Michael Helvey found the city's actions do not conform with federal grant assurances and revenue use restrictions.
Santa Monica Daily Press
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US appeals court appears skeptical of Meta, social media companies' bid to cut off addiction lawsuits
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday appeared inclined to allow lawsuits alleging major social media platforms were designed to be addictive for young users to proceed, as several judges questioned whether it was too early to consider whether the companies are immune from such claims.
Reuters
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Judge’s critiques do not undermine judgment of conviction
The Third District Court of Appeal yesterday rejected a criminal defendant’s assertion that a judge’s comments at sentencing, suggesting that something is “seriously wrong” with the accused and bemoaning that the Legislature has “made it very difficult for judges to sentence offenders the way we used to sentence” them, did not undermine the judgment of conviction even if they might have been “better left unsaid.”
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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District Attorney Hochman announces innovative approach to address sex exploiters/buyers and pimps during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman today outlined the Office’s continued efforts and innovative approach to combat human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, combining tougher felony charging decisions against sexual exploiters/buyers, commonly referred to as ‘johns’ and sex traffickers/pimps as well as providing services from community-based organizations to directly support sex worker victims and survivors.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Tran, Kamlager-Dove urge LA Deputy Sheriffs, County to come to contract agreement
Two Los Angeles area members of Congress are wading into a year-long labor dispute between the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to encourage both sides to come to an agreement. For over 12 months, negotiators from LA County and the ALADS have been trying to reach a contract deal that would run through 2028.
Spectrum News1
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Anaheim offials took part in mock meeting to prep for failed stadium sale, records suggest
Five years ago, Anaheim city officials received a calendar invitation to rehearse a council meeting that could have led to a deal to sell Angel Stadium. The idea was to rehearse with Angel executives and consultants in advance of a formal council meeting that would move ownership of the stadium and the land around it from the city to a company headed by Angels owner Arte Moreno.
Daily Pilot
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LAFD chief admits Palisades fire report was watered down, says it won’t happen again
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore admitted Tuesday that the department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire was watered down to shield top brass from scrutiny. The admission comes more than two weeks after The Times found that the report was edited to downplay the failures of city and LAFD leadership in preparing for and fighting the Jan. 7, 2025, fire, which killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Los Angeles Times
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Restoring public safety: Los Angeles deserves better
Over the past year, I’ve completed five ride-alongs with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), including patrols in the San Fernando Valley. I don’t show up to campaign. I show up to listen, observe, and understand what our LAPD officers and our neighborhoods are up against. If I’m elected to City Council, public safety won’t just be a campaign talking point; it will be my top priority.
CityWatch LA
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'The Hills' star Spencer Pratt announces he's running for LA mayor
After a year of lambasting California officials over their response to the devastating Los Angeles County wildfires that consumed his and wife Heidi Montag's Pacific Palisades home, Spencer Pratt wants to take charge. The 42-year-old "The Hills" alumnus, podcaster and author on Jan. 7 announced his run for Los Angeles mayor, billing himself on his new campaign website as the "worst nightmare" for current Mayor Karen Bass, whom he's frequently criticized on social media.
USA Today
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LASD highlights 2025 crime reduction, department-wide progress
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released information on 2025 LASD department-wide progress in several areas including employee wellness, recruitment and overall crime reduction in the county. The press release from LASD can be read below: “In 2025, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department made substantial progress in public safety, accountability, operational improvements, employee wellness and technology modernization, all while managing unprecedented operational demands such as the wildfire natural disaster and major public demonstrations.
LASD News Release
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Home invasion robbery leads to pursuit in Brentwood
A person posing as a delivery driver orchestrated a home invasion robbery at a Brentwood home on Wednesday after asking the homeowner for water, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The robbery was reported around 3:30 p.m. at a home on Walther Way, LAPD said. Law enforcement did not say what was taken from the home or if any injuries occurred.
NBC4
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L.A. sees lowest homicide rate in decades - but why killings are down is up for debate
The city of Los Angeles just recorded its lowest homicide total in more than half a century, mirroring precipitous drops in many other large cities nationwide last year - and sparking a range of theories about what's going on. According to tentative numbers reported by the LAPD through Dec. 31, the city tallied 230 homicides in 2025 - a nearly 19% decrease from the year before.
Los Angeles Times
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Man arrested for extensive damage in New Year's Day break-in at L.A. City Hall rotunda
A man has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing City Hall on New Year’s Day, police said Saturday. Officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Security Services Division responded at approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday to reports of extensive damage to both the interior and exterior of City Hall, according to an LAPD statement.
Los Angeles Times
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County agrees to give Sheriff’s Department more money for north county enforcement
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a request from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department for $220,000 in expected overtime pay for officers participating in a federally designated task force targeting northern L.A. County. That money, according to the memorandum of understanding approved by the board Tuesday between the Sheriff’s Department and the FBI, would then be reimbursed by the FBI.
The Signal
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Thieves in Orange County caught mid burglary with $100K in luxury handbags
An estimated $100,000 in luxury merchandise was recovered from two alleged thieves caught in the act of burglarizing a high-end Orange County handbag store, authorities announced Monday. The incident played out in the early morning hours in the area of Jamboree Road and Dupont Drive, according to an Instagram post from the Irvine Police Department.
KTLA
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At least $300,000 in Pokémon cards stolen in armed robbery in Sawtelle
About $300,000 in Pokemon cards were stolen at a card shop in West Los Angeles in a heist that police said might be connected to another similar crime in Simi Valley. The cards belonged to a shop regular's personal card collection, said the owner of RWT Collective in Sawtelle. The customer was leaving the store Sunday night when he encountered the robbers, who had also been inside the store, as he walked to an underground parking garage and was held up with a handgun.
NBC4
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House Republicans release report on FireAid fund distribution
Organizers of last January's FireAid benefit concert are once again facing accusations that the $100 million in donations did not directly help victims of the Los Angeles fires, after House Republicans published findings from their investigation on Tuesday. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), who helped launch the investigation, claimed the "report highlights where the funds were not used in the way that the donors would likely have wanted them to be used."
CBS LA
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Newsom’s final year in office begins with an $18 billion deficit. How will he address it?
In 2019, first-year Gov. Gavin Newsom inherited a state flush with cash. With a $21.4 billion budget surplus to play with, an ambitious Newsom invested billions in affordable housing, child care and health care expansion while paying down the state’s debt and shoring up reserves. The next governor won’t be that lucky.
CalMatters
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Trump's DOJ hires voting rights lawyer behind L.A. case cited by conspiracy theorists
Eric Neff’s tenure at the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office ended after he was placed on administrative leave in 2022 over accusations of misconduct in the prosecution of the CEO of Konnech, a software company that election conspiracy theorists said was in the thrall of the Chinese government.
Los Angeles Times
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These are the biggest challenges facing California's economy in 2026
A weak job market, concerns over federal policies and an artificial intelligence bubble could spell trouble for the California and the Bay Area economies in 2026, experts said. In November, the state legislative analyst's office forecast an $18 billion budget deficit this year, citing "significant headwinds" that include tariff uncertainty and the possibility of an overheated stock market that's betting too heavily on AI.
San Francisco Chronicle
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California legislation would add protections for news media
A California lawmaker started the new year by introducing three bills intended to provide more protections for journalists and ensure their access to the courtroom. Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a Sacramento Democrat, pointed to increased political retaliation that’s grown over the years as a reason for the legislation.
Courthouse News Service
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Trump's DOJ is suing two Bay Area cities over a policy they no longer enforce
The Trump administration is suing Morgan Hill and Petaluma for banning natural gas in most new buildings - something both cities say they're no longer doing. In a lawsuit filed Monday in San Francisco federal court, President Donald Trump's Justice Department said both cities have adopted "energy policies that threaten American energy dominance and our economic and national security."
San Francisco Chronicle
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Ex-CHP captain sentenced for sexual abuse, exposure on flight to Los Angeles
A former California Highway Patrol captain was sentenced Monday for abusive sexual contact and exposure aboard a JetBlue flight from Florida to Los Angeles last spring, federal prosecutors said. Dennis Wally Woodbury, 50, of Azusa, pleaded guilty in October to one count of abusive sexual contact within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
KTLA
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Southern California judge faces up to 2 decades in prison for fraud
An Orange County judge could spend 20 years in federal prison after he agreed to plead guilty to fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Superior Court Judge Israel Claustro was charged Tuesday with one count of mail fraud, the same day he signed an agreement to plead guilty and step down as a judge. Claustro, 50, faces up to 20 years in federal prison on that charge. He’s due to appear in court in Santa Ana on Monday.
KTLA
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2 plead not guilty in alleged New Year's Eve bombing plot in Southern California
Two people accused of planning coordinated New Year's Eve bombings in Southern California pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges. Audrey Carroll, 30, of South Los Angeles, and Zachary Aaron Page, 32, of Torrance, were arraigned in Los Angeles federal court on charges of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and possession of unregistered firearms.
NBC4 & City News Service
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California man convicted of murdering 5 of his children
A California man has been convicted of murdering five of his infant children in a case prosecutors have described as “pure evil.” A Yolo County jury convicted Paul Allen Perez, 63, of multiple counts of murder this week in the killings of his infant children between 1992 and 2001 throughout California. Perez was described as “a transient” by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
SF Gate
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Notorious California school shooter who killed 2, injured 13 could soon go free
Charles “Andy” Williams, who was 15 years old in 2001 when he opened fire inside a San Diego school, killing two students and wounding 13 other people, may soon go free. On the morning of March 5, Williams carried a black, eight-shot revolver he’d taken from his father’s locked gun cabinet into Santana High School where he was a student and let loose gunfire in the hallway, bathroom and the campus courtyard.
KTLA
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NoHo woman pleads guilty to acting as getaway driver in LA, OC robbery spree
A San Fernando Valley woman pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges for her role as the getaway driver in a series of robberies of smoke shops, donut shops and convenience stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties two years ago. Abigail Luckey, 50, of North Hollywood, entered a plea to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery under the Hobbs Act, which criminalizes robbery or extortion affecting interstate commerce.
MyNewsLA
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Federal appeals judge tells fellow judges 'to get over themselves’
A federal appeals judge on Monday blasted fellow judges, claiming that too many of them "have an overinflated view of their intelligence and their abilities," and they ought "to get over themselves.” In an opinion piece published Monday by the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Judge James C. Ho of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans wrote that he was “tired of hearing judges today complain about threats to judicial independence.”
ABA Journal
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Billionaire Larry Page moves businesses amid California tax proposal
The Google cofounder has cut ties between California and many of his assets that risked exposing him to a proposed new wealth tax in the state, meeting an end-of-2025 deadline, according to filings reviewed by Business Insider. Page's family office, Koop, was converted out of California in late December and incorporated in Delaware, per filings with both states.
Business Insider
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Parents may bear some blame for coach’s abuse of minor
A case in which the plaintiff was awarded $5 million in damages based on having entered into a romance with the assistant coach of the girl’s basketball team when she was a 17-year-old high school senior and was subjected to sexual touchings by him will be heading for a new trial on apportionment of damages because, the Court of Appeal has held, her parents might be partially responsible based on a lack of supervision.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Judge likely to toss Chris Brown's defamation lawsuit over HBO doc
A Superior Court judge indicated Thursday he is likely to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed by R&B artist Chris Brown over the HBO documentary, “Chris Brown: A History of Violence,” on First Amendment grounds. Brown’s long and successful music career, having sold over 140 million records worldwide, has been eclipsed by his sordid legal history, which began in 2009 when he pleaded guilty to assaulting his then-girlfriend, Rihanna.
Courthouse News Service
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