Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits

Prosecutor tentatively settles retaliation suit with former DA’s office

A veteran Los Angeles County prosecutor has tentatively settled a lawsuit against her employer concerning the actions of former District Attorney George Gascon in the handling of a highly publicized use-of-force case. Deputy District Attorney Amy Pellman Pentz contended in her Los Angeles Superior Court retaliation suit that Gascon was trying to undermine former Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s unsuccessful re-election bid.

mynewsLA.com

LA judge denies motion to suppress evidence in concealed handgun case

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied a defense motion to suppress evidence Friday, despite concerns over probable cause stemming from contradictory police testimony and questions about the lawfulness of an impound search. The hearing took place at the Van Nuys Courthouse. The accused faces two misdemeanor charges: carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle and carrying a loaded firearm in a public place.

Vanguard News Group

Judge rules Sheriff commander’s retaliation suit can move forward

A Los Angeles County sheriff’s commander can proceed to trial with his lawsuit against the county, in which he alleges he was wrongfully reassigned to a less prestigious position after questioning why deputies involved in a 2021 incident in which nearly 70 shots were fired during service of a search warrant were not disciplined. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner denied a defense motion to dismiss Cmdr. William E. Jaeger’s most recently revised complaint, finding that there is a triable issue of whether the plaintiff was subjected to retaliation.

City News Service

Justices appear sympathetic to victims of SWAT raid on the wrong house

The Supreme Court on Tuesday morning was sympathetic to the victims of a “wrong house” raid in 2017, with several justices expressing surprise at the federal government’s efforts to contend that the actions of FBI agents were shielded from liability because their acts were discretionary. But it was not clear whether that their skepticism of the agents’ conduct would lead to the result that the victims were seeking.

SCOTUSblog

‘Discrete acts’ can lead to hostile work environment, California court holds

A federal district court in California refused on April 22 to dismiss a former employee’s lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service alleging she was harassed and discriminated against because she is a transgender woman (Scannell v. DeJoy). When the employee started working at USPS’s Culver City station, she presented as a man while privately undergoing gender transition, according to court documents. After a co-worker saw a photo of her on a messaging app and outed her, other employees called her homophobic slurs, shared unwanted personal information and made threats, she alleged.

HRDIVE

$1.5 million award is proper in case over officer negligence

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday upheld a $1.5 million award to the sister of a man who died following an encounter with two Riverside County Sheriff’s Department deputies, who had left the decedent lying on his stomach in handcuffs, despite his pleas for help, after deploying a taser and applying a knee to his back, saying that the jury’s verdict finding no Fourth Amendment violation did not preclude relief on a state law negligence claim.

Mettopolitan News-Enterprise

State Bar admits failure to ask Supreme Court before allowing firm to draft AI bar questions

The State Bar has responded to the California Supreme Court’s demand for information about how artificial intelligence was used to develop some of the multiple-choice questions on the problem-riddled February examination, admitting that 23 of the 171 questions ultimately recommended for inclusion in the scored portion of the exam were generated with the assistance of AI.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Prosecutors

DA Nathan Hochman says Menendez brothers’ recusal effort Is ‘devoid of merit’ in opposition filing

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a opposition filing Friday that the Menendez family’s April 25 motion for him to recuse his office from the imprisoned brothers’ resentencing process is “devoid of merit” and “desperate.” “In the opposition, the District Attorney’s Office has argued that in a ‘drastic and desperate step,’ the defense has decided to ‘sidestep the central issue of resentencing’ and present an argument ‘devoid of merit’ to recuse the entire District Attorney’s Office,” Hochman said.

The Wrap

3 men linked to Woodland Hills home invasion charged with murder

Three men suspected of breaking into a Woodland Hills home and killing a man inside before escaping with undisclosed items from the residence were charged Tuesday with murder and other counts. Paata Kochyashvili, 38, Zaza Otarashvili, 46, and Besiki Khutsishvili, 52, were all charged with murder, along with a special circumstance allegation of murder during a robbery. 

City News Service

Driver charged in Pepperdine students' deaths to stand trial for murder and vehicular manslaughter

The man who was allegedly speeding when he crashed on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and killed four Pepperdine University students a year and a half ago, has been ordered to stand trial on murder and vehicular manslaughter charges. Fraser Michael Bohm, 23, appeared in a Van Nuys courtroom on Wednesday where a judge ordered him back in court on July 1 to be arraigned on four counts each of murder and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence for the Oct. 17, 2023 crash that killed the sorority sisters. 

KCAL News

LA City Attorney declines to file criminal charges on most arrests at encampment

The Los Angeles City Attorney declined to file criminal charges on most arrests made in April and May 2024 during pro-Palestine protests. LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced in a Friday press release that UCPD referred 245 arrests to her office relating to May campus protests, all of which were declined due to insufficient evidence.

Daily Bruin

Los Angeles County changes sex crime policy after boy's slaying

Los Angeles County prosecutors must speed up the filing of felony charges against persons accused of sex crimes or violence against family members, according to a new policy announcement Thursday. The announcement follows a recent Los Angeles Times report highlighting how a backlog of criminal cases in the district attorney's office may have played a role in the sexual assault and slaying of a 13-year-old boy. 

Los Angeles Times

5 charged for making false claims for FEMA benefits in wake of Southern California wildfires, prosecutors say

Five people have been arrested for making false claims to get federal disaster relief money in the wake of the January Los Angeles wildfires, the US. Justice Department said on Friday, April 25. The defendants claimed their property was damaged or destroyed in the Eaton and Palisades fires, prosecutors said. The fires began on Jan. 7 and burned a total of almost 60,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures and killed at least 30 people.

East Bay Times

Proposition 36 update covers reforms to theft and drug laws

On April 28, 2025, the West Hollywood Public Safety Commission received a presentation from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on California’s Proposition 36, a voter-approved measure addressing homelessness, drug addiction, and theft. Special Assistant Michele Hanisee detailed reforms to Proposition 47, new penalties for repeat offenders, and efforts to curb fentanyl-related deaths, prompting questions from commissioners and a public comment on implementation challenges.

WEHOnline

DA adds 5 more child victims to case against former Santa Paula school counselor

Additional charges involving five children who were allegedly molested by a man who worked as a school counselor in Santa Paula and a recreation employee in the Conejo Valley have been filed. In an amended criminal complaint filed April 29 against David Lane Braff Jr., the Ventura County District Attorney's Office alleges Braff molested 13 children in all, up from the eight alleged in November. All of the victims were under age 14, the DA's office said in a news release.

Ventura County Star

Prosecutors file federal charges against suspect in Noem purse theft

Prosecutors filed federal robbery and wire fraud charges Monday against the man accused of stealing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse at a restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C. Mario Bustamante Leiva, a 49-year-old Chilean national, was also charged with aggravated identity theft. Authorities say he admitted to stealing Noem’s purse upon his arrest Saturday.

The Hill

Two defendants arrested in Serbia for allegedly directing interstate stalking and harassment of L.A.-based critic of China’s president

Serbian law enforcement authorities have arrested two foreign nationals, Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom, at the request of the United States, the Justice Department announced today. The United States today unsealed its criminal complaint alleging that Cui and Miller coordinated and directed a conspiracy to harass, intimidate, and threaten a Los Angeles resident (the victim) who had been publicly critical of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California

US Attorney for Los Angeles says billions for homeless has gone 'missing' - is it fraud or bad bookkeeping?

While homelessness in Los Angeles County declined 5% last year, it remains a huge problem affecting roughly 73,500 people. The good news: Billions of dollars have been allocated to address the issue. The bad news: A large chunk of that money can't be accounted for. Now, Bill Essayli - President Donald Trump's newly appointed U.S. attorney for L.A. - has announced plans to investigate possible fraud and corruption.

moneywise

California proposes decriminalizing welfare fraud

California lawmakers have introduced a proposal that would decriminalize certain forms of welfare fraud. The proposal to decriminalize small-scale welfare fraud in California highlights a broader debate about how the justice system should handle low-level financial offenses, particularly those involving vulnerable populations. Supporters argue that many alleged fraud cases stem from administrative mistakes rather than deliberate wrongdoing, and that criminalizing errors as minor as $25 disproportionately harms low-income individuals.

Newsweek

California lawmakers to block effort to make it a felony to buy 16 and 17-year-olds for sex

California lawmakers in the Assembly Public Safety Committee are blocking a proposal that would make it a felony to purchase 16 and 17-year-old children for sex. Assemblyman Nick Shultz, the Democratic chairman of the committee, confirmed AB 379, a bill to crack down on the consumers of the child sex trafficking industry, will move forward on Tuesday, but without the proposed felony charge.

KCRA 3

DuPont Clinic files new lawsuit against city

DuPont Clinic, a Washington, D.C.-based women’s health care facility, filed a second lawsuit against the city of Beverly Hills on April 23. The new complaint alleges the city violated the clinic’s civil rights by illegally preventing it from opening in Beverly Hills in 2023. “DuPont’s new claims against the city of Beverly Hills result from the city’s violation of DuPont’s civil rights,” a statement from the clinic read. “Just like any other lawful business, DuPont had the right to freedom from government interference in its operations.”

Beverly Press/Park La Brea News

Ex-Justice Department prosecutor from LA challenges White House firing after Laura Loomer post

A former career Justice Department prosecutor is challenging his firing by the White House, saying it was for “unprecedented partisan and political reasons” and undermines a “bedrock principle” of the justice system after he was dismissed following a post by right-wing activist Laura Loomer. Adam Schleifer, an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, was fired without explanation last month in an email from a White House official.  

Los Angeles Daily News

Baby murderer granted early parole thanks to Prop 57

San Luis Obispo District Attorney Dan Dow just sent California Governor Gavin Newsom a letter urging reversal of the Board of Parole Hearings’ decision to release Allie Brown (formerly Herbert David Brown, III) early from prison. “It is shameful for the Parole Board to grant Herbert David Brown III early release from prison,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “Mr. Brown was convicted of murdering his own 22-month young daughter Lily due to abuse he inflicted upon her while he was using and under the influence of methamphetamine."

California Globe

‘Disgrace’ DOJ filing faults congestion pricing case, sparking feud with Transportation Department

The Department of Transportation and its Justice Department lawyers are at odds over their ongoing legal effort to axe Manhattan’s congestion pricing pilot program after federal attorneys accidentally docketed an internal memo outlining their concerns with the case.  Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plans to kill the program in February, calling it a “slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners."

Courthouse News Service

Oceanside approves using drones to respond to 911 calls

An airborne drone will carry the first eyes responding to 911 emergency calls under a 13-month pilot program approved Wednesday for the Oceanside Police Department. The single drone would be positioned atop City Hall and could fly to all areas west of Interstate 5 from the harbor to the Carlsbad border, said police Lt. Michael Provence. If successful, police hope to use the system throughout the city. “When a high priority call comes in, we can launch the drone within seconds,” Provence said.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Southern California

LAFD union head made $540,000 in a year, with huge overtime payouts

Long before the devastating fire in Pacific Palisades, leaders of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s labor union complained that the agency did not have enough money to keep the city safe. Union leaders, along with top LAFD commanders, said budget cuts had resulted in a backlog of engines needing repairs and not enough mechanics to fix them. But even as they denounced those reductions, the union leaders secured four years of pay raises for the city’s 3,300 firefighters through negotiations with Mayor Karen Bass.

Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles' parking enforcement losses top $300 million over the past decade

The last time LADOT’s parking enforcement operation turned a profit was back in 2016. Since then, the city has accumulated more than $315 million in losses tied to managing its parking citation system. While issuing parking tickets is the primary responsibility of LADOT’s traffic officers, they also assist with traffic control during outages and major events. 

Parking Network

Rifles, shotguns and handguns found in burned homes of Pacific Palisades

Hundreds of burned guns have been found in the ashes of homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades. Examiners and detectives inside the firearms unit within the LAPD’s forensic science division are working to find serial numbers or other identifying clues so that the rifles, shotguns and handguns can be returned to their legal owners or officially recorded as destroyed. 

NBC 4

How serious is L.A. City Hall about layoffs? The messages have been mixed

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass delivered the bad news last week to a room full of activists in South Los Angeles: With the city in financial trouble, jobs were on the chopping block. Yet the way Bass framed the situation, it was hard to tell how bad the news really was. “I’m going to have to propose layoffs,” she told the audience convened by Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles. “But I don’t think it’s going to happen, OK? I don’t. I don’t. But I have to propose that, because by law the budget has to come out on Monday, by April 21.

Los Angeles Times

LA County Sheriff's Department launches emergency vehicle campaign

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is launching its latest public safety campaign, “Emergency Lights? Pull to the Right.” It aims to educate drivers about the importance of staying vigilant when maneuvering near emergency vehicles and pulling to the right when emergency vehicles are approaching.

City News Service

In largest settlement in its history, LA County approves $4 billion in massive child abuse case

In what is the largest settlement in L.A. County history, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a $4 billion payout for thousands of people who said they were sexually abused as children while in the county’s care. The landmark settlement may also be one of the largest - if not the largest - in a sex abuse case in U.S. history, according to the attorneys.

LAist

Public Safety

Soaring burglaries in post-fire Altadena rattle residents: 'Trauma on top of the trauma'

When the smoke of the Eaton fire cleared, residents whose homes were left standing believed they had escaped disaster. But many are finding that blessing comes with a curse. They are now prime targets for opportunistic thieves who prowl their neighborhoods at night. Jenna and Howard Morris' home has been burglarized three times: first on the night they evacuated, then at the start of April and then again the following week.

Los Angeles Times

AI-powered cameras gave out nearly 10,000 tickets along L.A. bus routes. Are you next?

In a one-month period, artificial-intelligence-assisted cameras mounted on Los Angeles Metro buses generated nearly 10,000 citations for parking violations, according to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. Cameras were first installed on the windshields of some Metro buses last year, but the first tickets were issued in mid-February.

Los Angeles Times

Festival guests report stolen belongings from hotel rooms during Coachella

Multiple Coachella festivalgoers contacted News Channel 3, saying their belongings were stolen from their hotel rooms while they were away at the festival. Ellie Brownridge said she’s attended Coachella for years with her best friend, Zoe Grober. Grober said they’ve stayed at La Quinta Resort & Club before. “We always love this property,” Grober said. “It’s just so disappointing that something like this happened and it’s totally tainted the experience.”

KESQ

Deputies arrest Upland man for falsely impersonating an attorney at Riverside Superior Courthouse

Riverside County Sheriff's Office officials report that on April 16, 2025, deputies were alerted to a person in the Riverside Superior Courthouse impersonating an attorney during court proceedings. The suspect fled the courthouse before being contacted by deputies. Deputies began an investigation that revealed the suspect had collected retainer fees from a client while fraudulently representing himself as a licensed attorney.

Sierra Sun Times

L.A. County inmate death marks 13th suspected homicide in California prisons this year

A convicted Los Angeles County rapist was allegedly killed by a fellow inmate over the weekend amid a surge of prison violence that has claimed the lives of over a dozen incarcerated men in California this year. State prison officials said Renee Rodriguez, 51, died at California State Prison-Los Angeles County on Sunday after staff saw fellow inmate Kenneth Wilson attacking him in the day room at 7:15 p.m.

Los Angeles Times

Trump says he would 'never defy' SCOTUS, commits to complying with courts despite flurry of legal setbacks

President Donald Trump said in an interview this week that he would "never defy" the Supreme Court and reiterated his respect for the lower district courts, comments that come as his administration tangles with various federal judges and faces accusations of defying their orders. Trump made those statements in an interview with Time magazine, published Friday, as he nears his first 100 days in office. 

Fox News

After Biden commuted federal death row sentences, DAs are weighing state charges

Several district attorneys have considered charging former death row prisoners whose sentences were commuted by former President Joe Biden months after a White House executive order called on them to do so. So far, a Louisiana prosecutor successfully sought a first-degree murder charge against Thomas Steven Sanders in the death of a 12-year-old girl who was killed in Catahoula Parish in 2010. 

NBC News

Trump targets US 'sanctuary cities' in migrant crackdown

Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to crack down on "sanctuary cities" that defy his hardline immigration policies, as the US president closes in on his first 100 days back in office. The order directs officials to publish within 30 days a list of states and local authorities that "obstruct the enforcement of Federal immigration laws," saying those named risk losing access to certain government funding. 

AFP

Car subscription features raise your risk of government surveillance, police records show

Automakers are increasingly pushing consumers to accept monthly and annual fees to unlock preinstalled safety and performance features, from hands-free driving systems and heated seats to cameras that can automatically record accident situations. But the additional levels of internet connectivity this subscription model requires can increase drivers’ exposure to government surveillance and the likelihood of being caught up in police investigations.

Wired

DOJ strips UNRWA of immunity, clears way for lawsuit over Oct. 7 attack

The US Department of Justice submitted a letter on Thursday arguing that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is not entitled to immunity from lawsuits in the United States. The lawsuit, filed last June in the Southern District of New York, accuses UNRWA, which coordinates much of the aid to Gaza, of enabling Hamas's operations. The plaintiffs argue that the agency’s activities played a direct role in facilitating the October 7 attacks. 

Jerusalem Post

South Bay man pleads guilty to sex trafficking woman addicted to fentanyl and admits to raping her in Angeles National Forest

A South Bay man pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for forcing a fentanyl-addicted woman to work for him as a prostitute in Orange County, then raping her and abandoning her in the Angeles National Forest. Leslie Anthony Bailey, 33, of Wilmington, pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking by force and coercion. He has been in custody since March 2024.

U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California

Former county probation employee sentenced for helping son evade capture in murder case

A former San Diego County probation department employee who used her position to try to help her son evade capture while he was wanted on suspicion of murder was sentenced Wednesday to one year in county jail, plus probation. Prosecutors said Carla White, 54, drove her son Hunter Randall White from the scene of a fatal shooting in East County and later shared a be-on-the-lookout flyer with him, which indicated law enforcement was seeking him for the homicide.

City News Service

Parole denied: Serial rapist Andrew Luster loses bid for early release

Andrew Luster, in prison since 2003 for drugging and raping three women at his beachfront house in Ventura County, won’t be getting out just yet. On April 29, a panel of the California Board of Parole Hearings rejected his request for an early release. It is likely to be his last such hearing - the denial covers three years, and Luster will be released in 18 months. 

Ventura County Star

Netflix’s ‘Baby Reindeer’ legal battle quietly rumbles on as series targets BAFTA glory

Netflix‘s bitter legal fight over Baby Reindeer is expected to gather pace next month as the Richard Gadd series continues to win awards. Fiona Harvey, a lawyer from Scotland, slapped the world’s biggest streamer with a $170M defamation lawsuit last year after Baby Reindeer became a global sensation and she was identified as the show’s alleged stalker, played by Jessica Gunning.

Deadline

Prosecutors are already bringing Karen Read’s interviews to the jury. It has hurt defendants before

In a courtroom where every word is scrutinized, defense attorneys say “the right to remain silent” is golden. Karen Read did not testify in her first trial in the death of John O’Keefe, but comments she made to media outlets and in a recent documentary have already been presented this week to the jury in her retrial on murder and manslaughter charges. And prosecutors are taking advantage.

CNN

Google Chrome exec testifies DOJ’s proposed breakup likely not feasible

The first week of the landmark antitrust trial set to reshape Google’s dominance over internet search wrapped on Friday, with a Google Chrome executive testifying how important the browser is for the tech giant. The Justice Department has urged U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to order Chrome to be sold off to remedy Google’s monopoly over internet search.

Courthouse News Service