Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | |
C.A. says German auto maker is subject to product liability action in California
The Third District Court of Appeal has held, in a 2-1 decision, that the German car manufacturer Audi AG, which sells cars in the U.S. market through a domestic distributor, had sufficient minimum contacts with California - under a stream-of-commerce theory - to justify the assertion of personal jurisdiction over it in a state-court product liability action.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Jury finds CNN committed defamation against Navy veteran, settlement reached on punitive damages
A jury found that CNN committed defamation against U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young and is responsible for punitive damages on Friday after more than eight hours of deliberation. The six-person jury ruled Young was awarded $4 million in lost earnings, $1 million in personal damages such as pain and suffering and said that punitive damages are warranted against CNN.
Fox News
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Ex-49er Dana Stubblefield to remain in prison for now after judge denies bail ruling
Former San Francisco 49er Dana Stubblefield, whose 2020 rape conviction was vacated late last year, will remain in California state prison for now after a judge declined to make a bail ruling Friday. Santa Clara County's Superior Court Judge Hector Ramon said he couldn't grant bail or release the former football star because the case remains under the jurisdiction of an appeals court, The Mercury News reported.
AP
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US Supreme Court weighs police conduct in fatal Houston shooting
The U.S. Supreme Court appeared inclined on Wednesday to revive a Texas woman's civil rights lawsuit against the Houston police officer who fatally shot her son during a traffic stop in a case that could make it easier for plaintiffs to show that police unlawfully used excessive force. The nine justices heard arguments in an appeal by Janice Hughes, whose 24-year-old son Ashtian Barnes was killed in the 2016 incident.
Reuters
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DA announces special prosecutor to handle police misconduct cases
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Thursday that he had selected a new special prosecutor to review police misconduct cases, as well as review shootings and alleged misconduct by police and other law enforcement. Michael Gennaco, a former federal prosecutor and one-time Sheriff’s Department watchdog, was appointed by Hochman.
LAist
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Cartels are now assaulting cargo trains inside the U.S. in search of electronics, tools, and sneakers
Eleven individuals are in federal custody following the theft of over $200,000 worth of Nike shoes from a BNSF train in northern Arizona. Federal authorities allege that the suspects, linked to a Sinaloa-based transnational criminal organization, targeted the train while it was in motion by sabotaging its braking system.
Latin Times
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Rapper A$AP Rocky rejects potential plea deal shortly before trial begins
Rapper A$AP Rocky rejected a potential plea deal Tuesday that would have included 180 days in jail shortly before jury selection began in his trial on assault charges stemming from allegations that he pulled a gun on a hip hop artist during an altercation in Hollywood and then fired at him soon afterward in a separate confrontation.
MyNewsLA
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Audio reveals Ohtani’s former interpreter impersonating Dodgers star in call with bank
Federal prosecutors on Thursday disclosed a nearly four-minute audio recording which they said showed Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter convicted of defrauding Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, attempting to push through a $200,000 wire transfer from one of the player’s accounts.
The Athletic
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‘Detail’ seeks more evidence, dismissal of charges
Four and a half years after Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies arrested a Grammy-winning producer in his Stevenson Ranch home, evidence in the case is still being prepared for trial and the charges are still being contested, according to court records. Noel Christopher “Detail” Fisher, the 46-year-old producer of “Drunk in Love,” now stands charged with 26 counts related to claims from 11 women who have come forward saying the artist sexually assaulted them.
The Signal
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District Attorney Hochman announces felony charges in commercial sexual exploitation crimes during human trafficking prevention month
District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced today that felony charges have been filed against three individuals who allegedly engaged in human sex trafficking and pandering of multiple victims. “Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar business and should be viewed as nothing short of modern-day slavery,” District Attorney Hochman said.
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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DA IDs teen as shooter; 2nd suspect seeks plea deal
The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office has for the first time identified a juvenile gang member as the lone suspected shooter in a March 2023 Newhall double-murder believed to be behind a growing spate of gang threats and violence in that community. The DA’s Office has been quiet on its plans to charge the boy as an adult - he was 16 when the deaths occurred.
The Signal
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‘Dead girls don’t talk’: Alleged rapist left drugged L.A. women to die, witness testifies
Michael Ansbach said he had been snorting cocaine with David Pearce for hours, but he knew something was wrong with the last bump he took. After a day spent filming material for a documentary Pearce was supposedly producing, the pair went out to a Koreatown nightclub, then an East L.A. warehouse rave, where Ansbach said they met two young women - Christy Giles and Hilda Marcela Cabrales Arzola.
Los Angeles Times
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Commissioner Lara and Los Angeles DA Hochman announce rapid response effort to prevent and prosecute insurance fraud
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman today announced a rapid response effort to prevent and prosecute insurance fraud targeting wildfire survivors. The partnership focuses on raising awareness, prosecuting fraud, and equipping survivors with tools to navigate recovery safely.
California Department of Insurance Press Release
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Feds slap former Oakland mayor with bribery charges after FBI investigation
Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has been charged with six counts of conspiracy and bribery, federal officials confirmed at a news conference on Friday. According to the federal grand jury indictment, the former mayor stands accused of taking bribes of up to $95,000 in cash payments to further the business interests of the Duong family, which owns local recycling business Cal Waste Solutions.
Courthouse News Service
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Menendez brothers resentencing hearing postponed due to raging Los Angeles fires
The resentencing hearing for the Menendez brothers, who notoriously shot their parents to death in 1989, is being pushed back by nearly two months due to California’s devastating wildfires. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Friday that the resentencing hearing for Erik and Lyle Menendez will now take place on March 20-21.
Fox News
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U.S. Department of Justice and OCDA reach agreement on informants usage
The U.S. Department of Justice and Orange County District Attorney's Office have reached an agreement on prosecutors' use of jailhouse informants following an investigation triggered by the misuse of snitches in the prosecution of the worst mass killer in county history. The agreement, reached Tuesday, comes two years after the release of a Department of Justice report sharply critical of the use of informants by sheriff's investigators and prosecutors that came out of the case against Scott Dekraai in the Seal Beach hair salon massacre.
City News Service
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Prosecutor reaches tentative settlement in retaliation suit involving former DA Gascón
A veteran prosecutor has tentatively settled his lawsuit against Los Angeles County alleging he was demoted for bucking former District Attorney George Gascón’s controversial sentencing directives. Deputy District Attorney Michael K. Matoba alleged in the suit he was transferred in October 2021 from a high-profile post in the Sex Crimes Unit to a less prestigious job in the Elder Abuse Unit because he informed the court that Gascón’s blanket policy to exclude special circumstance allegations was unlawful.
Orange County Register
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Trump’s order to cut off funding to sanctuary cities could threaten L.A. fire relief
As Los Angeles rebuilds from a devastating wildfire that destroyed swaths of Pacific Palisades, the city’s access to federal money could be imperiled by one of President Trump’s first-day immigration actions targeting “sanctuary cities.” An executive order that Trump signed Monday, shortly after he was sworn in, directs federal officials to take actions “to ensure that so-called ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions, which seek to interfere with the lawful exercise of Federal law enforcement operations, do not receive access to Federal funds.”
Los Angeles Times
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Trump administration throws out policies limiting migrant arrests at sensitive spots like churches
Officers enforcing immigration laws will now be able to arrest migrants at sensitive locations like schools and churches after the Trump administration threw out policies limiting where those arrests could happen as the new president seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations.
AP
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Justice Department directs prosecutors to probe local efforts to obstruct immigration enforcement
The Justice Department has ordered federal prosecutors to investigate state or local officials who they believe are interfering with the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, saying they could face criminal charges, in an apparent warning to the dozens of so-called sanctuary jurisdictions across America.
AP
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NFL families demand justice without exhumations for CTE diagnoses
The Third Circuit heard arguments Friday from the families of deceased NFL players who argued they should not be forced to exhume their loved ones' remains to receive compensation from the national concussion settlement. “Remember that in this case, we're talking about family members who lost a loved one - who was dead at the time that this settlement agreement was approved,” attorney David Campbell told the appeals court.
Courthouse News Service
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Cheerleader’s mom urges Third Circuit to make police pay for faulty case of underage deepfakes
A cheer mom who was internationally vilified after authorities accused her of harassing minors with deepfaked images of themselves wants officials to pay after they acknowledged they had insufficient evidence to charge her. Police arrested Doylestown, Pennsylvania, resident Rafaella Spone in December 2020 after multiple teenage cheerleaders reported they had been sent deepfaked images of themselves edited to appear as though they were drinking alcohol, smoking cannabis, vaping or nude.
Courthouse News Service
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Palisades couple unable to get FEMA assistance due to identity theft
A family that lost everything to the Palisades Fire has been victimized - this time by a fraudster who filed a FEMA claim on their property after stealing their identity. Stefan and Judy Zweig are navigating the loss of their Pacific Palisades home following the fire. It’s where they say they raised their children and where they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.
NBC4
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New task force will fight wildfire-related crimes in Los Angeles
A new task force focused on fighting crimes related to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires was announced Thursday as residents work to recover and rebuild. The Joint Regional Fire Crimes Task Force is comprised of federal and local law enforcement agencies that will investigate fire-related crimes and prosecute those seeking to exploit the wildfire crisis, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
KTLA
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Rick Caruso tells Bill Maher he predicted Palisades fire: “I’m so sad that I was right”
Rick Caruso isn’t holding back on his thoughts surrounding the devastating Los Angeles wildfires and what he felt leadership did wrong when it came to prevention. The billionaire real estate developer and former L.A. mayoral candidate was a guest on the season 23 premiere of Real Time With Bill Maher, where the host asked him about how he would have handled the fires differently.
Hollywood Reporter
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Gov. Newsom extends rental price gouging protections; A.G. vows to prosecute violators
Gov. Gavin Newsom extended price gouging protections on rental housing Thursday, while the state’s top law enforcement official vowed to crack down on landlords who are ignoring the rules, jacking up rent in the wake of Los Angeles County’s devastating fires. Under California law, price gouging protections kick in during a state of emergency and generally bar landlords, hotel and motels from charging more than 10% more than what they were charging or advertising before the crisis.
Los Angeles Times
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When the fire came to Pacific Palisades, where were the firefighters?
Gentle readers, my apologies for including some erroneous information in my last column. Commenting on the catastrophic fire that destroyed much of Pacific Palisades last week, I wrote the following: “The Los Angeles Fire Department is excellent, and when red-flag conditions occur as they did last week, the department redeploys resources into areas most vulnerable to wildfires.”
Jack Dunphy/PJ Media
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2 people used firetruck purchased at auction to impersonate firefighters in Pacific Palisades
Two people suspected of impersonating firefighters were detained Saturday after trying to go through a checkpoint limited to emergency crews responding to the Palisades Fire. Sheriff’s deputies stopped two individuals from trying to access a checkpoint in a vehicle that looked like a fire engine, Commander Minh G. Dinh of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced in a press conference Sunday.
NBC4
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DA Hochman announces charges against Oregon man, woman for impersonating firefighters during LA County wildfires
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman announced today that Dustin and Jennifer Nehl, a couple from the state of Oregon, are charged with impersonating firefighters during the Los Angeles County wildfires this month. “Impersonating first responders endangers the safety of our community and the well-being of those who choose to engage in such reckless behavior, especially during a state of emergency,” said District Attorney Hochman.
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Mother of woman killed in Eaton Fire sues Southern California Edison
The mother of a woman who was killed in the Los Angeles-area Eaton Fire on Friday sued Southern California Edison (SCE) in what may be the first death-related case brought against the electric utility in connection with the disaster. Multiple fires that began to burn and quickly spread across Los Angeles in strong Santa Ana wind gusts last week have killed more than two dozen people and charred some 40,000 acres of the second-largest U.S. metro area.
News Nation
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LA officials face firefighting strategy questions
It’s been more than a week since two of the most destructive wildfires in California history broke out within hours of each other in Los Angeles. Both blazes remain active and uncontained, and Angelenos again held their breath while firefighters worked to prevent the flames from spreading or expanding amidst dangerously dry and windy conditions. Stephanie Sy reports.
PBS
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UCLA hires LAPD Cmdr. Steve Lurie to lead safety overhaul following protest violence
UCLA has hired a 27-year LAPD veteran and top commanding officer to lead its eight-month-old Office of Campus Safety created in the wake of a violent melee last spring at a pro-Palestinian encampment, which was among the university’s darkest chapters. LAPD Cmdr. Steve Lurie, who previously oversaw the department’s West Bureau, will begin his role as an associate vice chancellor on Feb. 1.
Today Headline
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Credit ratings agency warns it may soon lower Los Angeles bond ratings due to fires
Credit ratings agency S&P placed a credit watch warning on Los Angeles’s general obligation and municipal improvement lease revenue bonds, signaling at least a one-in-two chance that the agency could “take a negative rating action during the next 90 days.” L.A.s general obligation bonds are currently rated at AA, while its municipal improvement corporation leave revenue bonds are rated AA-.
The Center Square
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Why is Karen Bass getting so much blame for the LA fires but county supervisors so little?
As the Palisades fire began, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone appeared before the Board of Supervisors for a previously scheduled discussion on how to spend the first $152 million in property taxes that county voters approved in November for fire protection and emergency response. Few other local governments could have this type of conversation, Supervisor Janice Hahn told him at the Jan. 7 meeting.
CalMatters
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4 Chilean nationals arrested in connection with Bengals' Joe Burrow home burglary
Four Chilean men have been arrested in connection with a string of burglaries that includes the home of Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow. The four suspects were arrested following "an ongoing investigation involving burglaries of multimillion-dollar homes in multiple states," according to WLWT-TV, citing court documents.
Fox News
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24 Democratic states and cities sue over Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship
Two dozen Democratic-led states and cities are challenging President Donald Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship in court, a major constitutional challenge to one of the White House’s signature policies. The lawsuits allege that a Trump executive order signed Monday violates the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which gives a constitutional right of citizenship to all children born in the United States.
CNN
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We tracked California’s lawsuits against Donald Trump. Here’s where the state won - and lost
That revving you hear from Sacramento is the sound of California’s Democratic leaders preparing to sue the tar out of the Trump administration. We’ve seen this all before. California sued the Trump administration 123 times between 2017 and 2021, according to Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office. It spent about $10 million a year in doing so. A majority of the lawsuits dealt with environment rules, immigration and health care.
CalMatters
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Biden preemptively pardons Anthony Fauci, Mark Milley and Jan. 6 committee members
President Joe Biden on Monday issued preemptive pardons to potential targets of the incoming Trump administration, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and lawmakers who served on the House Jan. 6 Committee. "Our nation relies on dedicated, selfless public servants every day. They are the lifeblood of our democracy," Biden said in a statement just hours before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office.
ABC News
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Federal workers told to name DEI colleagues or risk 'adverse consequences’
Federal employees received emails Wednesday warning that they could face repercussions if they do not report on co-workers who work in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility positions that might have gone unnoticed by government supervisors. "We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language," said emails sent to government employees and obtained by NBC News.
NBC News
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Serious misconduct alleged in report former UCLA professors sought to block. They moved on with no discipline
Revelations that three UCLA orthodontics professors solicited unauthorized fees from international students sent shock waves through the university’s highly regarded dentistry school in 2020. An independent investigation commissioned by UCLA - including scores of interviews, reviews of over 300,000 emails, and 79,000 other documents and financial records - concluded that the influential faculty members had engaged in serious misconduct, leading them to leave their prestigious positions.
Los Angeles Times
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Police search for shooting suspect that left 6 people injured in Westlake District
Los Angeles Police Department officers are searching for a suspect involved in an early Wednesday morning shooting in the Westlake District, where gunshot wounds injured six people. Police responded just before 1 a.m. at Wilshire Boulevard and South Alvarado Street to the shooting incident. Three victims are in stable condition, and three others are in critical condition. All of the victims were taken to the hospital for treatment.
KCAL News
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Malibu man arrested after running over officer’s foot in attempt to enter fire zone
On January 13th at about 6:45 AM Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to the intersection of Ocean Ave and California Ave in response to a call of a hit-and-run of a department employee. Northbound California toward Pacific Coast Highway is closed to vehicular traffic and only accessible by emergency vehicles.
Santa Monica Daily Press
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As if LA officials don’t have enough on their plates, they have another problem: Arsonists
As devastating wildfires have destroyed huge swaths of Los Angeles County, incinerating homes and leaving at least 27 people dead, fire and law enforcement authorities have also had to contend with multiple cases of arson. Authorities have arrested at least eight people accused of setting new, small fires in the days since the larger fires erupted, including suspects setting trees, bushes, leaves and trash ablaze, officials said.
CNN
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Convictions/Pleas/Sentences | |
Crypto ‘godfather’ and LASD detective agree to plead guilty to violating civil rights of business rivals and tax crimes
A cryptocurrency businessman who dubbed himself “The Godfather” and a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy have agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges, including for their roles in a conspiracy that targeted multiple victims in Los Angeles, violating their civil rights via intimidation, extortion, illegal search warrants and other abuses of police power, the Justice Department announced today.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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New Mexico man pleads guilty to federal criminal charge for setting a fire at San Bernardino county church and preschool last year
A New Mexico man pleaded guilty today to setting on fire a San Bernardino County church and preschool last year while children and school employees were inside. Jonathan A. Barajas Nava, 37, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, pleaded guilty to a single-count superseding information charging him with damage to religious property.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Four SoCal residents found guilty of participating in an armed robbery and carjacking at car repair shop in San Bernardino County
Three San Gabriel Valley residents and one San Bernardino County man have been found guilty by a jury of participating in an armed robbery and carjacking of a car repair business last year in Bloomington in which one victim was pistol-whipped into near unconsciousness, the Justice Department announced today.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Wisconsin man pleads guilty to ‘swatting’ scheme that took over Ring doorbell cameras to livestream police response
A Wisconsin man pleaded guilty today to participating in a one-week nationwide “swatting” spree that gained access to Ring home security door cameras, placed bogus emergency phone calls designed to elicit an armed police response, then livestreamed the events on social media, sometimes while taunting responding police officers in communities such as West Covina and Oxnard.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Ex-lawyer Paradis to receive compassionate release
Paul O. Paradis, a key figure in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power scandal, has been granted compassionate release from prison after serving one year of his two-year-and-three-months sentence, pursuant to a guilty plea, for bribery. U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. of the Central District of California said in an order filed Wednesday: “The Court grants the motion, reduces Defendant’s sentence to time served, and imposes home confinement as an additional condition of supervised release.”
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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2 inmates from Southern California suspects in deadly prison yard attack
Two inmates from Southern California are suspects in a deadly attack on a third inmate at California State Prison (SAC), previously called New Folsom Prison, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Thursday. The violence unfolded in the prison’s main exercise yard just after 5 p.m. on Jan. 15, according to a CDCR news release.
KTLA
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CNN staff seen in leaked depositions opposing on-air apology to Afghanistan veteran
Deposition videos show several CNN staffers opposing an on-air apology to an Afghanistan veteran who is suing the network for defamation. The footage comes from recorded video depositions shown to jurors on Tuesday, in the high-profile court case surrounding Zachary Young. Young is suing the network for allegedly suggesting that he was part of a black market in evacuating people from Afghanistan when the US suddenly and dramatically pulled troops out in 2021.
Daily Mail UK
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How accents sway the scales of justice: Study reveals bias in perceptions of guilt
The way we speak says a lot about us, but what people think it says may not always be true. Accents often indicate where we're from, our social status, and sometimes even whether we're likely to commit a crime. In the justice system, those assumptions can lead to bias. The way we speak could hold much more power than we realize - for better or worse.
Courthouse News Service
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Judge rules 'Baby Reindeer' is potentially libelous, allows defamation lawsuit to continue
A judge has ruled that the breakout hit Baby Reindeer could be potentially libelous, paving the way for the ongoing defamation lawsuit against the series and streaming service Netflix to continue. According to a recent judicial order obtained by People, Judge Gary Klausner ruled that viewers could easily perceive the show to be a "true story," allowing for real-life Martha Fiona Harvey to continue seeking $170 million in damages.
Marie Claire US
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‘Ultrahigh-stakes’: Supreme Court attorney now repped by Trump lawyers failed to report millions in poker winnings and used law firm’s assets to ‘satisfy’ gambling debts, DOJ says
A lawyer known for handling high-profile cases and co-founding the popular Supreme Court news and analysis site SCOTUSblog has been indicted on federal tax evasion charges for allegedly failing to report millions of dollars that he won gambling in high-stakes poker matches, according to federal prosecutors.
Law & Crime
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Near-$100 million forfeiture is proper in ‘get thin’ scheme
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that all proceeds derived, directly or indirectly, from a healthcare fraud scheme must be forfeited even if such amounts may be downstream from some legitimate transactions, affirming a forfeiture judgment of $98,280,221 against a surgery center aggressively marketed in Southern California as “1-800-Get-Thin.”
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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