Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
L.A. wanted to dismantle homeless RVs. A judge just shut that down
A judge has struck down the latest effort by the city of Los Angeles to tow and destroy broken down recreational vehicles, handing a legal victory to a group of Westside homeless advocates. In a two-page ruling, Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin said Los Angeles officials lack the legal authority to carry out a state law that permits the dismantling of abandoned or inoperable RVs in key parts of the state.
Los Angeles Times
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Former LAFD chief files lawsuit against city over her removal after Palisades Fire
The former chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department has filed a lawsuit against the city over her ouster as head of the agency after the deadly Palisades Fire. The employment retaliation lawsuit alleges violation of retaliation protections in the state labor code and in the state constitution. The suit seeks unspecified damages.
NBC4
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Judge erred in applying 2020 deadly force law to 2019 case
Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has reversed a $3.5 million wrongful death judgment awarded to the mother of a 19-year-old teenager killed by police during a traffic stop in Orange County due to the trial judge’s error in instructing the jury on the use of deadly force by officers based on a legal standard not yet in effect at the time of the fatal incident.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Justice Department suit accuses UCLA of failing to protect Jewish employees from campus hostility
The Justice Department is suing the University of California over allegations that UCLA failed to protect Jewish employees from antisemitic harassment amid pro-Palestinian protests that roiled the campus in 2023 and 2024. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in California, is the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign to punish top universities that it says have been soft on antisemitism.
Associated Press
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LA County’s eye-popping $2M payout to outgoing CEO is an illegal gift, lawsuit says
A bombshell new lawsuit alleges that the LA County Board of Supervisors handed over a massive seven-figure payout to county CEO Fesia Davenport in what critics are calling an illegal “gift of public funds.” The payout, which was quietly approved in a backroom deal last year and kept under wraps until LAist sniffed it out, was supposedly intended to compensate Davenport for “alleged damage to reputation, embarrassment, and emotional distress” after voters passed a ballot measure that would change her appointed position into an elected one starting in 2028.
California Post
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California appeals court says exclusivity bars asbestos tort claims
Workers compensation is the exclusive remedy for workers suing San Diego and a city official for injuries they allegedly suffered after being exposed to asbestos, a California appellate court held. In an unpublished decision handed down Tuesday in Alina Cadena et al. v. City of San Diego et al., the 4th District Court of Appeal rejected the argument that the lawsuit fits an exception to exclusivity for cases where the employer concealed the existence of injuries and the connection to employment.
Work Comp Central
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Judge’s failure to find threat to witness was willful obstruction requires resentencing
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday ordered that a sentence be vacated because it was enhanced based on a threat to a witness without the judge making the requisite finding that the defendant “wilfully” obstructed or attempted to obstruct justice, drawing a dissent saying that the subjective intent is so clear from the evidence that any error is harmless.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Lawsuit against Amazon over suicides linked to chemical can go to trial, court rules
A lawsuit against Amazon alleging the retailer sold a chemical on its website that played a role in the suicides of several teenagers and adults can proceed to trial, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. In their complaint, four families whose loved ones died after consuming sodium nitrite allege that Amazon sold the compound despite being aware it could be used for suicide.
MoneyWatch
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Supreme Court agrees to hear from oil and gas companies trying to block climate change lawsuits
The Supreme Court said Monday that it will hear from oil and gas companies trying to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for billions of dollars in damage linked to climate change. The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, one of multiple lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change.
Associated Press
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Gibson Dunn loses appeal in partner retirement pay case
A California appellate court has upheld a major arbitration award requiring Gibson Dunn to pay retirement benefits to a former partner, marking a significant development in law firm partnership compensation disputes. In a recent decision, the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District affirmed a lower court ruling that confirmed an arbitration award in favor of Mark A. Perry, a longtime Gibson Dunn partner who later joined Weil Gotshal and Manges.
JD Journal
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Ninth Circuit won't pause injunction against feds' discontinuation of school mental health grants
A Ninth Circuit panel Tuesday refused to stay a judge’s order that prevents the U.S. Department of Education from canceling funding for mental health services at primary and secondary schools without going through the legally required procedures. The three-judge appellate panel denied an emergency request for a stay pending appeal of the permanent injunction, which a federal district court judge in Seattle issued in December.
Courthouse News Service
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Judge erred in denying ‘big law’ fee rate to four-party firm
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that a District Court judge erred in declining to award fees at “big law rates” to a “four-person firm representing mom-and-pop” wholesalers who prevailed on claims that an eye-drop manufacturer violated both federal and California law by giving price advantages to Costco stores, declaring that size alone cannot determine market rate for purposes of lodestar calculation.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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LAPD officer accused of skydiving while on disability leave in high-flying fraud case
A Los Angeles police officer who said he was too injured to complete any work was not too injured to jump out of airplanes, prosecutors allege. Christopher Brandon Carnahan, 43, of Norwalk has been charged with two counts of felony insurance fraud after going skydiving multiple times in Lake Elsinore and working out at a fitness center while also collecting disability benefits by exaggerating an on-duty work injury, according to the L.A. County district attorney's office.
Los Angeles Times
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Court documents reveal new details in Celeste Rivas murder case
Court documents filed in Texas reveal LAPD detectives and LA County prosecutors sought to force the father, mother, and brother of pop singer D4vd to testify before a grand jury investigating the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, whose remains were found inside a Tesla sedan that was impounded and brought to a tow yard.
NBC4
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Pennsylvania man accused of assaulting SoCal girl as part of extremist online group
A local 13-year-old girl was rescued from a Pennsylvania man who allegedly found her online and targeted her as part of a cult, flying cross-country to commit horrific acts of violence against the teen girl. The life-saving operation involving local and federal law enforcement rescued the girl from a Castaic motel room on Friday.
ABC7
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29-year-old man charged with killing renowned Caltech astrophysicist at his Llano home
A 29-year-old Llano man is in custody, charged with killing a Caltech astrophysicist Monday after carjacking his own relative and burglarizing a home. Los Angeles County Sheriff's detectives say 67-year-old Carl Grillmair was found shot to death on the porch of his home in rural Llano. Deputies had arrested Freddy Snyder later in the day for carjacking and soon linked him to Grillmair's shooting.
ABC7
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Credit One Bank to pay $10.2M to settle consumer protection lawsuit alleging unlawful debt collection calls
Credit One Bank will pay $10.2 million to resolve a civil lawsuit filed by the District Attorneys’ Offices of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego and Santa Clara counties alleging that the company or its vendors made repeated, intrusive and harassing debt collection calls in violation of California’s consumer protection laws and the state constitutional right to privacy.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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CarMax to pay $500K to settle illegal repossession claims involving military members
CarMax Inc., the nation’s largest used-car retailer, will pay at least $420,000 to service members to settle allegations that it illegally repossessed vehicles owned by them, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday. Federal officials said the settlement resolves claims that the company violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which prohibits auto finance or leasing companies from repossessing active-duty service members’ vehicles without a court order, as long as the service member made at least one payment on the vehicle before entering service, according to the Justice Department.
Stars and Stripes
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Nostalgia for George Gascón at the Los Angeles Times
In the 2020 race for Los Angeles County district attorney, George Gascón, flush with $2.25 million in cash from George Soros and millions more from other well-heeled, progressive donors, defeated incumbent Jackie Lacey, taking advantage of the anti-police hysteria that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, when an astonishing number of people came to adopt the magical thinking that criminals would be less inclined to mischief if we would but stop treating them like criminals.
Jack Dunphy/PJ Media
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CA officials ask for quick fix after new DMV cards trigger problem for gun dealers
California gun and ammunition vendors may soon be required to switch their ID-scanning technology - a consequence of a new driver’s license and identification card design rolled out last year - according to state justice officials. The Department of Justice on Wednesday published an emergency rulemaking package requesting that firearms dealers be allowed and required to get new barcode scanning systems to adjust to the new ID design, which rolled out in October, according to a department news release.
Sacramento Bee
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Downtown LA Law Group moves to block state bar record review in sex abuse probe
A State Bar of California probe into Downtown LA Law Group, the firm at the center of the scandal that has engulfed Los Angeles County’s $4-billion sex abuse settlement, is in limbo as the firm fights to keep thousands of legal filings out of the hands of investigators. The bar subpoenaed the records four months ago as it began an investigation into the firm, also known as DTLA, after The Times reported that nine clients said they’d been paid by recruiters to sue the county over alleged sex abuse.
Los Angeles Times
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LA’s WFH nightmare: Empty City Hall leaves once-thriving mall an apocalyptic ruin - infuriating Angelenos
Los Angeles City Hall looked less like the nerve center of America’s second-largest city Friday - and more like an abandoned office complex after a zombie apocalypse. Entire hallways with deserted offices. Corridors eerily silent. Parking garage empty besides the city hall guards. When the California Post visited City Hall Friday, the Office of Finance, a council liaison office, and the Los Angeles Housing Department were closed for business.
California Post
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California union pushes work-from-home bill as Newsom calls state employees back to the office
One of California’s larger public employee unions is pushing legislation to make remote work a permanent option for state workers as the clock ticks down on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s July 1 mandate for most employees to be in the office four days a week. The measure, authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Milpitas Democrat, would require state agencies to offer work-from-home options “to the fullest extent possible” and provide written justifications when they require employees to work in person, according to a news release from the Professional Engineers in California Government.
Los Angeles Times
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L.A. County pushes to change law that opened floodgates for billions in sex abuse payouts
At a luncheon this week for L.A. County politicos, Supervisor Kathryn Barger pitched what she framed as a common-sense reform. Legislators in Sacramento, she argued, need to change a 2019 law that extended the statute of limitations for sex abuse lawsuits, opening the floodgates for decades-old claims that have cost the county nearly $5 billion and counting in payouts.
Los Angeles Times
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L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family Services sued over infant’s brutal death
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services is being sued over the death of a 14-month-old who attorneys say was subjected to prolonged abuse at the hands of two Long Beach residents with past criminal convictions who had the infant placed in their care.
KTLA
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Cardroom-dependent LA County municipalities warn of bankruptcy risk as California moves to enforce blackjack ban
California municipalities are assessing the fiscal fallout from finalized regulations prohibiting cardrooms from offering blackjack-style “player-banked” games. The regulation takes effect April 1 after officials announced it on Feb. 9. Cardrooms have until May 31 to submit their compliance plans.
Gambling Insider
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LA Superior Court: 464,000 criminal case results weren’t reported to state DOJ
Citing technical shortcomings in a decades-old case-management system, Los Angeles Superior Court officials said Tuesday the results of roughly 464,000 criminal cases dating back to the 1980s were never reported to the state Department of Justice, affecting the official criminal records of more than 400,000 people.
City News Service
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Bipartisan-backed California bill would limit eligibility to receive treatment instead of prison time
California Sen. Shannon Grove introduced a bill Tuesday that would allow fewer accused criminals to be eligible for mental health diversion under California law. Her bill would also give judges more discretion to deny diversion. During a news conference Tuesday morning, the Republican senator, along with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, highlighted several cases in which those charged with crimes had been granted diversion before re-offending with violent consequences.
KCRA
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FBI raids of LAUSD Supt. Alberto Carvalho's home and office appear tied to AI chatbot probe
Federal authorities raided the home and office of Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Alberto Carvalho on Wednesday morning in what appears to be a probe related to a company that developed an AI chatbot for the nation's second-largest school system. Authorities have not provided any details about the investigation. But one source with knowledge of the matter said it involved AllHere, a failed AI company whose founder was charged with fraud in 2024.
Los Angeles Times
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Beverly Hills police accused of racial profiling amid Jaylen Brown controversy
Amid an ongoing controversy with Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown, who said he’s considering legal action against the Beverly Hills Police Department for shutting down a “cultural and leadership” event at a private home earlier this month, attorneys and activists are demanding an investigation into what they say is a practice of racial profiling by police in the city.
KTLA
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Los Angeles pulls PSA urging riders to not poop on city buses
The Los Angeles Department of Transportation has pulled public service announcement videos asking riders to refrain from pooping on city buses. The videos were part of their PSA campaign called "If you see something, do something about it." The campaign featured six different videos urging riders to report disturbing behavior, including smoking, drinking, fare evasion, loud music and pooping.
CBS LA
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L.A. Unified approves up to $250 million to settle sexual abuse claims
The Los Angeles Unified School District board this week quietly approved up to $250 million in bonds to settle additional claims of sexual abuse in the district. This is the second time the state’s largest district has done so in the past year. In June, the board voted to authorize $500 million in bonds, bringing total authorizations to roughly $750 million.
EdSource
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LA’s lead homelessness agency owes at least $69M to service providers in overdue payments
As the region’s lead homelessness agency, the main job of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority this year was to dole out nearly $700 million to contractors who operate shelters and other services for unhoused people. But it turns out that more than halfway through the budget year, many of LAHSA’s 116 service providers are still waiting for LAHSA to pay them for those services.
LAist
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Deputies evict Beverly Hills businesswoman accused of wrongfully placing massive liens on homes
A Beverly Hills businesswoman, who a group of homeowners in the area claim recorded massive, multimillion-dollar liens against their homes, was evicted Wednesday. Rita Ortiz was evicted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department from a home she also recorded liens against, located on Glendon Avenue in Los Angeles. Ortiz was seen arguing that she was not given any notice about the eviction.
ABC7
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Video shows man trying to carjack vehicle with woman's baby inside at LA County gas station
A jarring video shows the moments that a man attempts to carjack a vehicle from a woman pumping gas at a Los Angeles County gas station while her baby was still inside in early February. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies say that the incident happened on February 9, when the victim was pumping gas at the Chevron Lakewood station located in the 11500 block of E. Carson Street across from the Long Beach Towne Center.
CBS LA
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CHP officer who crashed near West L.A. office died from fentanyl exposure
Medical examiner confirms cause of death in July 2025 patrol car collision. Fentanyl exposure caused the death of a California Highway Patrol officer whose patrol vehicle crashed in Culver City last summer, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. Officer Miguel Cano, 34, was driving a CHP cruiser shortly after 12:30 a.m. on July 2, 2025, near Bristol Parkway and Green Valley Circle when the vehicle veered off the roadway and struck a tree.
Westside Today
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Child predator cleared for parole arrested after surprise warrant drops hours before prison release
A convicted California child molester who was set to walk free this week was instead turned over to law enforcement after a new arrest warrant was issued in Placer County, state officials confirmed. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) said that at approximately 7:30 a.m., David Allen Funston, 64, was transferred to law enforcement authorities after Placer County filed new criminal charges and issued a warrant for his arrest.
Fox News
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Rage at the machine: California’s gang suppression policies
Aaron Harvey was living outside Las Vegas in 2014 when California authorities swept in and arrested him for conspiracy in a series of gang murders that had occurred in his absence. They knew Harvey wasn’t in California when the bullets flew. They knew his finger wasn’t on the trigger. But he was from a neighborhood with gangs, and was friendly with suspected gang members, and had social media posts of same.
Orange County Register
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Los Angeles man murdered while serving sentence in state prison
A man from Los Angeles County was killed inside his cell at California State Prison, Sacramento in Folsom while serving a 33-year sentence for robbery and sex crimes, state authorities announced Wednesday. Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said John Cisneros, 49, was found unresponsive inside his cell at around 9:15 p.m. on Monday.
NBC4
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All truckers and bus drivers will be required to take commercial driver's license tests in English
All truckers and bus drivers will have to take their commercial driver's license tests in English as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers.
Associated Press
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Judge who held government lawyer in contempt blasts DOJ's handling of immigration cases: "Real consequences on real human beings"
A federal judge who took the extraordinary step of holding a government lawyer in contempt of court earlier this week blasted the Justice Department for its handling of immigration cases on Friday, accusing the department's Minneapolis office of skirting orders and blaming staffing shortages "again, and again, and again.”
CBS News
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Former DOJ attorneys warn agency has been ‘decimated'
Speaking at an event on Friday, two former attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice said the once-independent and nonpartisan agency had been decimated as the rule of law comes increasingly under attack. During a conference with the Georgia First Amendment Foundation, former antitrust division attorney Seth Kirschenbaum said that when he worked for the Justice Department in the early ’80s, it was the highest honor of his career.
Courthouse News Service
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Investigation into High-Speed Rail CEO also includes conflict of interest concerns, Gov. Newsom confirms
An investigation into California's High-Speed Rail CEO following his arrest will also include concerns around his possible conflict of interest that has come to light, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed on Thursday. Ian Choudri has been on leave since Tuesday after KCRA 3 first reported police arrested him earlier this month on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence.
KCRA
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California lending $590 million to keep Bay Area Rapid Transit running
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation authorizing the state to lend $590 million to keep major public-transit operators around San Francisco running as post-pandemic travel patterns continue to strain their finances. The funds, which officials called an “emergency loan,” are aimed at agencies such as Bay Area Rapid Transit that are still recovering from fare revenue lost to remote work and weaker ridership roughly six years after the Covid outbreak.
Bloomberg
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Governor Gavin Newsom pardons criminal illegal alien convicted for attempted murder and assault with a firearm
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today released the following statement after Governor Gavin Newsom pardoned an illegal alien from Cambodia who was convicted for attempted murder and assault with a firearm, criminal convictions which made this illegal alien lose his green card and removable from the U.S. Following the convictions, he was issued a final order of removal from an Immigration Judge in 2019.
Homeland Security Press Release
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North Hollywood man sentenced to more than 16½ years in federal prison for armed robbery spree targeting one dozen SoCal businesses
A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 199 months in federal prison for committing armed robberies of smoke shops, donut shops, and convenience stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties during a two-week crime spree in early 2024. Antonio Lamar Bland, 36, of North Hollywood, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt, who also ordered him to pay $17,829 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release
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Woodland man sentenced to state prison for fatal Long Beach hit-and-run
A Woodland man was sentenced today to two years in state prison for running a red light in Long Beach, striking 78-year-old Nikki Rash, and fleeing the scene. The victim later died from the injuries she sustained in the crash. “I extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Nikki Rash,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Chilean burglary crew sentenced to prison for $3 million Southern California jewelry heist
Three members of a burglary crew were sentenced to prison for their roles in a $3 million jewelry store heist in Ventura County. Ibarra and Lara were each sentenced to four years and four months, while Trujillo was sentenced to four years in jail. The fourth member, Mejía-Machuca, had his sentencing hearing continued to March 26.
KTLA
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Prominent Washington lawyer Tom Goldstein convicted at tax trial
A U.S. jury on Wednesday convicted prominent Washington lawyer Thomas Goldstein of tax and financial crimes tied to his side career as a high-stakes poker player, a stunning fall for a man who was one of the top U.S. appellate attorneys and often argued cases at the Supreme Court. The 12-person jury announced the verdict on the third day of deliberations after seven weeks of a trial in the Washington suburb of Greenbelt, Maryland.
Reuters
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Nexstar lays off local TV journalists including KTLA's Glen Walker and Lu Parker
Nexstar Media Group is slashing personnel from its TV stations, including several on-air veterans at Los Angeles outlet KTLA. Glen Walker and Lu Parker, anchors of KTLA's late morning and midday newscasts, are out along with meteorologist Mark Kriski, according to people briefed on the moves not authorized to speak publicly. Kriski had been with KTLA since 1991, while Walker has been at the station's anchor desk since 2010.
Los Angeles Times
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Inside Jeffrey Epstein's spin machine: How Hollywood's top PR kingpins defended him
Jeffrey Epstein has kept public relations professionals busy with crisis management work ever since Palm Beach police first arrested him on prostitution charges in 2006. The latest tranches of Justice Department documentation provide fresh insight into who they were, what they did and how much they were paid.
The Hollywood Reporter
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Man accidentally gains control of 7,000 robot vacuums
A software engineer’s earnest effort to steer his new DJI robot vacuum with a video game controller inadvertently granted him a sneak peak into thousands of people’s homes. While building his own remote-control app, Sammy Azdoufal reportedly used an AI coding assistant to help reverse-engineer how the robot communicated with DJI’s remote cloud servers.
Popular Science
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A class-action lawsuit seeks to stop TSA from unlawfully seizing flyers’ cash
If you get stopped at an airport security checkpoint with $100 or more in cash, Transportation Security Administration agents can fleece you. TSA has stripped more than 10,000 travelers of their money since 2014, but the supposed “criminals” are almost never charged after their cash is taken. A class-action federal court case could finally end this outrage.
California Post
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JPMorgan concedes it closed Trump's accounts after Jan. 6 attack
JPMorgan Chase acknowledged for the first time that it closed the bank accounts of President Donald Trump and several of his businesses in the political and legal aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, the latest development in a legal saga between the president and the nation’s biggest bank over the issue known as “debanking.”
Associated Press
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Chemical recycling debates influence state and legal discussions in California, New York
Ongoing policy and legal discussions about the role of chemical recycling could shape how the industry and its investments move forward in coming years. A high-profile set of lawsuits between California Attorney General Rob Bonta, environmental groups and ExxonMobil is still moving through court. Meanwhile, a battle over the potential role of chemical recycling in a New York EPR for packaging bill is playing out between lobbyists and activists.
Waste Drive
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