Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
False sex abuse claim filed 'without consent' in L.A.'s $4-billion settlement, man says
Melvin Dunlap says he doesn’t know how he became a plaintiff in the nation’s largest sex abuse settlement. He grew up in Missouri, halfway across the country from L.A. County’s juvenile halls - the subject of a deluge of lawsuits from people who say they were sexually assaulted while detained as children. Dunlap says he has never been to juvie, and he’s never been abused.
Los Angeles Times
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9th Circuit upholds law barring domestic abusers from owning guns
Anyone who has been convicted of domestic violence can be permanently prohibited from possessing guns or ammunition under U.S. law, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The 1996 law, which applied to misdemeanor as well as felony domestic violence convictions, was challenged by gun owners after the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that Americans had a constitutional right to carry concealed firearms in public.
San Francisco Chronicle
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More federal judges warn of an increase in violent threats
A group of federal judges Thursday added to the chorus of concerns raised about the rise in violent threats against members of the judiciary at a time when President Donald Trump has ramped up his criticism of the courts. Four sitting judges spoke during an online forum hosted by a legal group called "Speak Up for Justice" that was formed to defend the judiciary and the rule of law.
NBC News
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A grenade killed three L.A. deputies. The widow of one says Sheriff's Department failed him
One of three L.A. County Sheriff's deputies who died in a grenade blast last year was not formally trained to handle explosives, and was exposed to danger by colleagues who disobeyed department bomb protocols and treated the live munition as if it were inert, according to a legal claim filed by the deputy's widow.
Los Angeles Times
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NRA defeats California gun control law; state must pay nearly $500,000 in attorney fees incurred by NRA
Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted a stipulation for final judgment and permanent injunction in Safari Club International v. Bonta, under which the state conceded that its firearm advertising restriction is unconstitutional and agreed to pay $481,749.72 in attorney fees incurred by the NRA in our fight to vindicate the plaintiffs’ basic free speech rights.
NRA
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Federal judge tosses DOJ’s lawsuit against California’s egg law
A federal judge in Los Angeles tossed out the Trump administration’s attempt to bring down the price of eggs by challenging California’s strict egg production laws March 18, finding the government failed to prove it suffered injury from the state laws. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, dismissed the case filed by the U.S. Department of Justice but gave the government two weeks to file an amended complaint that shows injury.
The Epoch Times
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Court reverses ruling on qualified immunity, denies review of death-row case and First Amendment challenge by citizen journalist
In a list of orders released on Monday morning, the Supreme Court reversed a ruling by a federal appeals court, holding that a Vermont police officer is entitled to qualified immunity from a lawsuit brought by a nonviolent protester who was injured during a sit-in at the state’s capitol. The justices also denied review in the case of a Texas man on death row seeking DNA testing that he says could prove his innocence.
SCOTUSblog
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US appeals court tosses FTC order over Intuit’s “free” TurboTax ads
A U.S. appeals court on Friday set aside a Federal Trade Commission order that had barred Intuit from promoting TurboTax as “free” when many taxpayers did not qualify for the offer, according to Reuters. In a unanimous 3-0 ruling, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans found that allowing an FTC administrative law judge to decide deceptive advertising claims violated the constitutional separation of powers, according to Reuters.
CPI
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State appeals court denies Bonta’s request to stop Bianco’s ballot probe in county special election
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has gone to court to try to halt Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s investigation into the November 2025 special election, arguing the sheriff is pursuing a ballot-counting probe without identifying a specific crime and in defiance of state directives. In a petition filed March 23 in California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal, Bonta’s office asked for immediate relief, including a stay of Bianco’s investigation and a stay of execution of a search warrant signed March 19, 2026.
KESQ
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Jury orders Meta and Google to pay woman $6 million in social media harms trial
A California jury on Wednesday found that Meta and Google were to blame for the depression and anxiety of a woman who compulsively used social media as a small child, awarding her $6 million in a rare verdict holding Silicon Valley accountable for its role in fueling a youth mental health crisis. The jurors concluded that Meta and Google should pay the woman $3 million in compensatory damages and an additional $3 million in punitive damages, with Meta on the hook for 70% of that amount.
NPR
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LA model accused of meeting men online, burglarizing their homes faces 6 felony charges at trial
A Los Angeles model accused of meeting men online and burglarizing their homes has been ordered to stand trial on on six felony charges, prosecutors said Tuesday. Adva Lavie, also known as Mia Ventura, was held to answer on two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, two counts of grand theft, one count of first-degree residential burglary with person present and one count of first-degree residential burglary.
ABC7
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DOJ sues Orange County towing company for auctioning vehicles owned by military members
The Justice Department is suing a San Clemente towing company for allegedly illegally auctioning nearly 150 vehicles owned by members of the military. S&K Towing Inc. is accused of illegally selling or disposing of vehicles, many of which were towed from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
CBS LA
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Justice department notifies California of investigation into whether housing biological men at women’s prisons violates constitution
Today, the United States Department of Justice notified California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Maine Gov. Janet Mills of the initiation of federal investigations into California’s and Maine’s practice of housing men in women’s prisons. The Justice Department will investigate whether California engages in a pattern or practice of violating the constitutional rights of female prisoners incarcerated at the California Institution for Women (CIW) in San Bernardino County and the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) in Madera County.
Office of Public Affairs Press Release
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District attorney files felony charges against former LAUSD employee over $22M in IT contracts
The L.A. County District Attorney alleges a former Los Angeles Unified information technology employee illegally helped a tech company win more than $22 million in district contracts. Prosecutors say the case is “one of the largest money laundering schemes” in the district’s history.
LAist
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Serial arsonist charged with setting Los Angeles gentlemen’s club, electrical vault on fire
The Los Angeles County District Attorney announced Friday that a 47-year-old man is facing felony arson charges for allegedly setting fire to a gentlemen’s club in Canoga Park and repeatedly setting fire to an electrical vault in downtown Los Angeles. Granada Hills resident Cyrus Farsaad was charged with one felony count of arson of property and two felony counts of arson of a structure.
KTLA
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Convicted double murderer out on parole kills South L.A. mother of 6
The Los Angeles County District Attorney says the law that allowed a man convicted of double murder out on parole contributed to a third murder of a South L.A. mother, and now, a day ahead of her killer’s sentencing, her family is speaking out. Fatima Johnson, a 53-year-old mother of six, was found dead by her daughters in her apartment on July 4, 2021.
KTLA
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LA County DA Nathan Hochman on justice, trust and the 'hard middle’
Hochman describes an early focus on restoring trust within the DA’s office while emphasizing a broader shift in mindset among prosecutors, law enforcement and the public. He outlines his approach to criminal justice as a balance between competing philosophies, rejecting both strict punitive policies and broad decarceration efforts in favor of case-by-case evaluation. As he explains, “Blanket policies don’t work.”
Spectrum News1
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Let the DA safeguard consumers with proven expertise, transparency
As your district attorney, my commitment is to ensure that San Diego remains a place where every consumer is protected from deceptive practices when they shop for food, get a loan, remodel their bathroom or sign up for a service online. Everyone deserves to breathe clean air and drink clean water. Every senior deserves to be safe from scams that destroy their livelihoods.
Summer Stephan San Diego County District Attorney
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LAPD union calls for probe into City Council President over alleged call during traffic stop
A high-profile clash between Los Angeles city leadership and the police union intensified Thursday as the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) formally requested that prosecutors investigate City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. The union alleges the Council President attempted to obstruct a peace officer during a recent traffic stop, while Harris-Dawson maintains the incident is being weaponized to stall police reform.
Fox11
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LAPD to consider permanent restrictions on pretext traffic stops
The Los Angeles Police Department's oversight board considered Tuesday whether to permanently restrict certain types of pretext traffic stops, where officers use traffic violations as lawful reasons to stop motorists in order to look for evidence of more serious crimes.
NBC4
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USC played political bouncer and locked out candidates of color
California’s gubernatorial primary is a marathon in disguise as a sprint. It’s a marathon because no one runs statewide without time, money, organization, travel, media, and the stamina to keep going long after the cameras move on. California is too vast and expensive for a serious candidate to quickly introduce themselves to voters. It’s also a sprint because most voters don’t pay attention until the final stretch.
Orange County Register
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LA’s main homelessness agency is at risk of blowing federal audit deadline, auditor warns
L.A.’s main homeless services agency is at risk of blowing a federal deadline to turn in a required audit of its financial records after executives were far behind schedule in providing necessary documents, according to the lead outside auditor. The federally-required review - known as a single audit - is one of the most important oversight checks of the L.A. Homeless Services Authority.
LAist
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LA sat on nearly $500M in homelessness funds last year
More than half the money set aside by the city of Los Angeles for programs and services for unhoused people was not spent last fiscal year, according to an analysis by the city controller. Los Angeles allocates more than $1 billion to agencies and initiatives responsible for helping the city’s unhoused population, which, at about 72,000 people, is among the largest in the nation. In fiscal year 2025, the city left $473 million unspent.
The LA Local
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Bonnie and Claude - the court ruling that could expose fraudster’s AI conversations
A New York federal court just issued the first published ruling to tackle head-on whether conversations with a public AI chatbot are protected by attorney–client privilege or the work product doctrine. To use a legal term: Nope. The decision gives lenders a new weapon when chasing borrowers who engage in behavior to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors.
National Law Review
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SCV sheriff’s station offers virtual meetings with sheriff’s deputies
Santa Clarita Valley residents can now talk to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, without leaving home. Did you know you can schedule a live video appointment with a real deputy to report certain non-emergency crimes? Here’s how: 1. Answer a few quick questions online. 2. If eligible, enter your contact info. 3. You’ll receive an email to schedule (check your spam/clutter folder just in case). 4. Pick a time and connect by video.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department News Release
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LA County CEO resigns
L.A. County CEO Fesia Davenport, who has been on medical leave for the last five months, has announced she’ll be stepping down in mid-April, citing health concerns. While on leave, she has faced scrutiny from the public and county employees - as well as a lawsuit - over a secretive $2 million payout she received last August. The $2 million taxpayer payout from the county was in response to her claiming she was harmed by a voter-approved measure that will change her job almost two years after her employment contract expires.
LAist
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Anti-police pol Eunisses Hernandez voted against LAPD funding - then charged taxpayers a massive sum for her own officers
Eunisses Hernandez has been called a hypocrite for repeatedly calling for police to be abolished - then using taxpayer money to pay for her own security in public. The socialist Los Angeles councilmember has built her political brand crusading against cops, winning election on an abolish-the-police platform, and even voting ”no” to the city’s budget three years running because she claims the $2.4 billion needed to keep them takes funding from her priorities.
California Post
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15 hospices incorporated in a single day, in a single suite in Van Nuys
A group operating out of a Friar Street office building in Van Nuys that advertises “virtual offices” incorporated 22 hospices and home care agencies in one year, including 15 hospices registered in one day to a single suite, according to an investigation by the Southern California News Group. The 15 hospices, all formed in “Suite 205” at 14545 Friar St., later collected $12.3 million from Medicare and Medi-Cal billings in 2023 and 2024, records showed.
Pasadena Star News
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Mrs. Willis, an LAPD volunteer, hailed as an icon like her movie star son
A volunteer extraordinaire, affectionately called Mrs. Willis, has been dedicating her time and effort at the Los Angeles Police Department's West LA station for 22 years. What people often do not realize is that she's the mother of actor Bruce Willis. Marlene Willis, 90 years young, brings warmth to what could be a tough workplace, solidifying herself as a hidden asset to the department.
NBC4
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Man arrested for kidnapping 2 UCLA students and raping a woman in 2025
A man was arrested for kidnapping of two UCLA students as well as a separate sex assault from 2025, the UCLA Police Department announced Tuesday. Detectives said Alexander Schecter was supposed to drop off two UCLA students on March 8. Instead, Schecter prevented them from getting out of the car and continued to drive half a mile on Gayley Avenue, police said.
NBC4
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9 arrested, stolen goods worth millions recovered in SoCal cargo theft investigation, LASD says
Sheriff's investigators have recovered several million dollars' worth of stolen goods after warrants were served at locations in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties as part of an investigation into organized crimes and cargo theft, authorities announced Friday. Nine suspects were arrested as part of the investigation, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
City News Service
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1 hospitalized, 5 others injured in downtown LA after bar fight turns into stabbing, police say
One person was hospitalized and five other people were injured when a bar fight turned into a stabbing in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, according to firefighters. It happened just before 5:15 p.m. in the 500 block of W. 7th Street, Los Angeles Fire Department officials told CBS LA. They said that the victims of the alleged stabbing were found in two different locations in the area.
CBS LA
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LA approves 125 speed camera locations: What drivers need to know
Los Angeles is moving forward with a major automated traffic enforcement pilot, identifying 125 specific locations for speed safety cameras. The program, authorized by state law AB 645, marks a shift toward data-driven, non-police enforcement aimed at reducing the city's rising rate of pedestrian and traffic fatalities. What we know: Los Angeles officials have approved a plan to move forward with a speed safety camera program that will allow up to 125 cameras to be installed citywide.
Fox11
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She uncovered a terrifying lab hidden in California, with alleged ties to China
The case of a lifetime started with a putrid smell and a green garden hose sticking out of the side of a supposedly vacant warehouse in California farm country. Inside the sprawling building on I Street in Reedley, code enforcement officer Jesalyn Harper found vials filled with liquid - some marked in English or Mandarin, others with just a code - that bore frightening labels such as “Malaria,” “COVID-19” and “HIV.” Refrigerators, lined up in columns along a wall, had labels that read “blood” and “Ebola.”
DNYUZ
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Will CA finally grant unions’ bid for confidential conversations with workers?
In California, attorney-client privilege ensures that communication between an individual and their lawyer remains confidential. California labor groups are hoping 2026 will be the year that a similar, albeit lesser, privilege is extended to union representatives and their members. A bill authored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens, D-Sunnyvale, would prohibit employers from asking peace officers, teachers and other public employees about their conversations with their labor representatives.
Sacramento Bee
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Assemblywoman Rhodesia Ransom vows to bring more oversight to 911 upgrades
California's Office of Emergency Services was in the hot seat at the state Capitol this week after taxpayers spent nearly half a billion dollars for upgrades to the 911 system that the office no longer wants to use. In an interview with California Politics 360, the leader of the Assembly's Emergency Management Committee, Rhodesia Ransom, said the hearings proved there needs to be more transparency and oversight into the project.
KCRA
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Meta ordered to pay $375 million in New Mexico trial over child exploitation, user safety claims
A New Mexico jury on Tuesday found Meta Platforms violated state law in a lawsuit brought by the state attorney general, who accused the company of misleading users about the safety of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp and of enabling child sexual exploitation on those platforms. The jury found that Meta violated New Mexico’s consumer protection law and ordered the company to pay $375 million in civil penalties.
Reuters
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FDA flags misleading claims for cancer drug by biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong
Federal health officials posted a warning Tuesday about misleading statements made by biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who recently told podcast listeners that his company’s bladder cancer drug may be able to treat, cure or even prevent other types of cancers. The warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration takes issue with a TV advertisement and a separate podcast episode promoting Anktiva, the lead product of ImmunityBio Inc.
Associated Press
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Trump blocked from defunding groups that help human trafficking victims
The Trump administration’s orders barring references to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) could force a national advocate for victims of human trafficking to forfeit federal grants and close its doors, violating the group’s First Amendment rights, a federal judge in Chicago said in an order enjoining enforcement of the orders.
Courthouse News Service
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Fake product recall notices are the latest scam targeting consumers: ‘Something seemed fishy’
Consumer Reports is warning of a new kind of scam - phony recall notices. Recall notices warn consumers of potential safety risks on products such as kitchen appliances, baby products, child car seats, and so on. Taylor Frost Smith, a mom of three, was recently targeted by one of these scams, Consumer Reports reported, via AZ Family. Smith received a text that claimed to be an Amazon Product Recall Notice for an item she bought in December.
New York Post
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Former KNBC-TV news producer sentenced for distributing child pornography
A former KNBC television producer was sentenced Monday to five years in prison after he admitted to a federal charge of "knowing possession" of child pornography. Phillip A. Drechsler will be placed on 15 years of supervision after he's released from prison, and he was ordered to register as a sex offender and pay a $20,000 fine. Drechsler, 61, has been held without bail since his arrest in April 2023 and will get credit for the time he's spent in custody.
NBC4
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Newport Beach man who stabbed parents, housekeeper to death sentenced to 3 consecutive life terms
A 35-year-old Newport Beach man was sentenced Friday to three consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his parents and their longtime housekeeper in 2019, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Camden Burton Nicholson was convicted in October of three counts of special-circumstances murder.
KTLA
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SFV gang member gets 35-year-sentence for murder
A 27-year-old San Fernando Valley gang member in the United States illegally was sentenced Tuesday to 35 years behind bars for multiple crimes including his role in the knife murder of a perceived rival whose body was thrown down a hill in the Angeles National Forest. Kevin Arteaga, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to a federal charge of racketeering conspiracy, and admitted that prior to becoming recognized as a “homeboy,” or full-fledged member in the gang, he was expected to commit at least one homicide.
MyNewsLA
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Trio gets 13 years each for stealing lottery tickets in 33 robberies targeting 7-Eleven stores
Three defendants have been sentenced to 13 years each in state prison for carrying out a coordinated robbery spree targeting 28 different 7-Eleven stores across Los Angeles County, stealing lottery tickets and other merchandise totaling over $200,000 in 33 separate incidents in 2024. “These defendants carried out a coordinated, repeat robbery operation that targeted dozens of stores, put workers in grave danger, and showed a complete disregard for the law,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Bill Cosby accuser awarded $19 million for 1972 drugging, rape
A Los Angeles County jury has sided in favor of Bill Cosby's accuser in a civil case over an alleged 1972 sexual assault. Donna Motsinger, one of dozens of people who have alleged they were victims of the 88-year-old "Cosby Show" star, on March 23 was awarded $19.25 million in damages, more than 50 years after Cosby allegedly drugged and raped her. Hours later, the jury determined Cosby owed Motsinger $40 million in punitive damages, for a total of $59.25 million.
USA Today
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Swalwell backs off case against Pulte in mortgage fraud fight
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Friday dropped his lawsuit against Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte after Swalwell was accused of mortgage fraud. Swalwell sued Pulte in November, accusing him of abusing his authority in forwarding a criminal referral regarding the lawmaker’s mortgage to the Department of Justice. Swalwell asked the courts to demand Pulte that withdraw the referral, claiming the information was wrongly obtained.
The Hill
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Gavin resists playing kingmaker in California
USC canceled tonight’s gubernatorial debate amid controversy about its selection process, Steve Hilton is shopping favorable internal polling to California Republicans ahead of the party’s endorsement vote next month, and a hotly contested state Senate race is roiling West Hollywood. But first, a special Playbook dispatch from POLITICO’s senior political columnist Jonathan Martin, who is On the Road for his carnivorous new podcast series, stopping off in San Francisco with Gavin Newsom ...
Politico
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