Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits | | |
LA County Sheriff settles lawsuit over delays in concealed carry permits
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has agreed to resolve a lawsuit brought by the California Rifle and Pistol Association and other Second Amendment advocates over the long delays in getting a concealed carry permit. The Sheriff’s Department on Friday filed a notice of tentative settlement in federal court in LA.
Courthouse News Service
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Hochman, major crimes prosecutor seek dismissal of defamation claims
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and the head of his major crimes division are seeking dismissal of defamation allegations from a lawyer who alleges in a lawsuit that she was demoted for her support of former top prosecutor George Gascon’s reform policies and also due to her race, age and gender.
MyNewsLA
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Judge erred in denying immunity to officer accused of lying
A divided panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a trial judge erred in denying a motion for summary judgment filed by a Los Angeles Police Department officer who asserts that qualified immunity shields her from liability against claims that she violated the Fourteenth Amendment by deliberately fabricating evidence in a case in which the plaintiff was later found to have been wrongly convicted.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Judge rules UCLA encampment protesters can move forward with lawsuit
A judge has ruled that a group of UCLA professors and students can proceed for now in their lawsuit brought against the UC Regents in which they allege their rights to free speech and expression were violated when they and others, who are pro-Palestinian, were bullied and attacked by counter-protesters in spring 2024.
City News Service
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Court lets stand ruling that says UC’s ban on hiring students without legal status is discriminatory
The California Supreme Court has let stand a lower-court ruling that the University of California’s policy barring students without legal status in the US from campus jobs is discriminatory and must be reconsidered. Officials with the university system say the decision puts them in a precarious position as they negotiate with the Trump administration after the withdrawal of federal research funds.
Associated Press
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State Bar of California announces disbarment of eight attorneys in California during third quarter of 2025
The State Bar of California’s Office of Chief Trial Counsel announced a significant development in the legal community, revealing that eight attorneys were disbarred during the third quarter of 2025. This announcement, made on Thursday, also included the news that 21 other attorneys faced suspension or probation for their actions.
Action News Now
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Federal judge rules Trump can’t require citizenship proof on the federal voting form
President Donald Trump’s request to add a documentary proof of citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form cannot be enforced, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C., sided with Democratic and civil rights groups that sued the Trump administration over his executive order to overhaul U.S. elections.
Associated Press
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Huntington Beach voter ID measure violates California law, appeals court says
A California appeals court ruled Monday that a Huntington Beach measure requiring voter identification at the polls violates state law. The Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana determined that the measure passed by voters in the seaside city of 200,000 people should be struck down because it conflicts with state election law, said Lee Fink, a lawyer for Huntington Beach resident Mark Bixby, who challenged the city's measure.
Associated Press
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Random nature of us attack does not erode intent to kill
Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held that a defendant was properly convicted of attempted premeditated murder relating to an unprovoked attack on an unidentified woman riding in the back of a public bus, rejecting the accused’s assertion that the random, short nature of the incident undermined the jury’s finding that he acted with an intent to kill.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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MS-13 gangsters used mountains around L.A. as killing grounds, prosecutors say
Suspected MS-13 gang members in Los Angeles are charged with killing four people between 2017 and 2019 in remote areas of the San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountains. Authorities say the gang used killings to evaluate new members, with extreme brutality drawing respect. One victim was stabbed 107 times; another was disemboweled.
Los Angeles Times
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Charges filed against motorcycle pursuit suspect accused of killing California deputy
Charges were filed against the suspect accused of killing a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy. Deputy Andrew Nunez was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call on Oct. 27 in Rancho Cucamonga. The suspect, Angelo Jose Saldivar, 47, was involved in an alleged domestic violence incident involving his ex-spouse and several witnesses.
Fox11
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Mother, father, grandmother charged with murder and torture of child found in Lynwood apartment
A Lynwood mother, father and grandmother were charged today with killing and torturing Isaiah H., a boy believed to be 8 years old at the time of his death last Friday. “The horrific abuse that Isaiah endured is made even worse by the fact that, as alleged, it was at the hands of the people who were meant to love and protect him,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.
L.A. County District Attorney’s Office News Release
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Federal prosecutors subpoena L.A. firefighter text messages
A federal grand jury subpoena has been served on the Los Angeles Fire Department for firefighters' text messages and other communications about smoke or hot spots in the area of the Jan. 1 Lachman brushfire, which reignited six days later into the massive Palisades fire, according to an internal department memo.
Los Angeles Times
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Shakedown in Beverly Hills: High-stakes poker, arson and an alleged Israeli mobster
Assaf “Ace” Waknine is charged with extorting money from the host of high-stakes poker games. Prosecutors say Waknine is an organized-crime figure who referenced a 2023 murder outside a Hollywood Hills poker game when demanding protection fees. Waknine’s lawyer denied his client threatened or extorted money from people: “That’s just not what he does.”
Los Angeles Times
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BLM financial scrutiny: Years of ‘lavish’ spending preceded federal fraud probe
Reports of a revived federal investigation into potential widespread fraud within the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF) broke on Thursday, but scrutiny over the group's lavish donor fund spending was reported years ago. Following nationwide anti-police protests in 2020 that made Black Lives Matter a household name, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly renewing an investigation into whether the BLMGNF defrauded donors.
Tampa Free Press
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U.S. arrests five fugitives in California wanted by Germany for massive fraud scheme
The United States arrested five international fugitives at the request of the Federal Republic of Germany, which has charged the individuals for their roles in a network involving German payment service processors that defrauded thousands of victims of more than €300 million and created a shadow financial system in Germany.
Office of Public Affairs Press Release
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Facing murder charge, ex-LAPD officer released on bail
A former Los Angeles Police Department officer charged with murder for fatally shooting an unarmed man in Venice in 2015 was released on bond Wednesday after a judge dramatically reduced his bail. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen slashed the bail of 60-year-old Clifford Proctor from $2 million to $100,000 during a hearing Wednesday.
City News Service
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15 DUIs, still driving: California’s failure to take repeat drunk drivers off the road
The state of California gave Sylvester Conway every opportunity to kill. He already had two DUI convictions by 2019, when the California Highway Patrol arrested him for driving drunk in Fresno County. The jail released him three days later. Conway didn’t show up to court and a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
CalMatters
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A fence might deter MacArthur Park crime and homelessness, but is it enough?
My first reaction, when I heard about the proposed $2.3-million fence around MacArthur Park, was skepticism. Yeah, the park and the immediate neighborhood have long dealt with a nasty web of urban nightmares, including homelessness, crime and a rather astonishing open-air drug scene, all of which I spent a few months looking into not long ago.
Los Angeles Times
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LAPD refuses to release crime map records, says data could lead to 'public panic’
Do you ever wonder where and when Los Angeles police officers have responded to crimes, made arrests or used force against civilians? For over a decade you could have looked at the LAPD’s online crime map and gotten an idea of what the department was doing in your neighborhood at any given time.
LAist
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Anonymous letter demands independent Palisades Fire investigations
An anonymous letter emailed to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmembers Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Traci Park says the LA Fire Department's After-Action Report on the Palisades Fire wasn't thorough because some of the fire officials who made decisions during the fire also supervised the report's preparation.
NBC4
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Mayor Bass denies city’s own data on nearly $400M LAPD liability costs
At a virtual town hall event on Monday evening, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass disputed the city’s own data on the hundreds of millions of dollars in liability costs the city’s police department has racked up over the past six years. In an LA Public Press article published Monday morning, reporter Joey Scott cited data published on an online dashboard by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s office showing that police misconduct and related claims have cost the city $384 million since September 2019.
Los Angeles Public Press
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Newsom defies voters by undercutting Prop. 36
When Californians backed Proposition 36 - a ballot initiative requiring stiffer penalties on some theft offenses and mandating treatment for some repeat drug crimes - last November with 70% of the vote, it wasn’t just about checking a box on a ballot. It was a demand from families like ours - families torn apart by violence - for a justice system that puts safety first by responding to California voters’ pleading for accountability and safer communities.
Guest Commentary
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ICE unmasked: California officials clash over enforcement of looming law
The gloves are off in the fight over whether federal law enforcement can keep their masks on in California. Bill Essayli, a former Republican state lawmaker who is now the top prosecutor for the Central District of California, has blasted passage of a law that would prohibit federal law enforcement from wearing masks while on the job, with some exceptions.
Courthouse News-Service
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Prop. 36 one year later: Thousands more prosecuted, but is it working?
Prosecutors in three Southern California counties have charged more than 13,000 people under Proposition 36, the tougher-on-crime law passed overwhelmingly a year ago this week, according to data collected by the Southern California News Group. The law placed stricter punishments on repeat drug and theft offenders, but also promised to provide those with addictions and mental illness an option to have cases dismissed by completing a court-approved treatment program instead.
Orange County Register
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Program offers more options for remote courtroom appearances
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County unveiled a redesigned interface on Nov. 3 for LACourtConnect, the free remote courtroom appearance technology platform. The site now includes a redesigned welcome page and same-day check-in page for court users wishing to appear remotely. Additionally, the court will unveil new LACC integration with CourtHelp, a conversational online tool that will allow court users to directly access remote hearings from the homepage.
Beverly Press
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What does a journalist look like? Asking for the city attorney.
How do you spot a journalist? The question lies at the center of a legal battle between Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto and the Los Angeles Press Club, as well as a political battle between Feldstein Soto and the City Council. Two weeks ago council members called on her to give up her opposition to a federal judge’s order prohibiting LAPD officers from targeting journalists with crowd control weapons.
Los Angeles Times
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LA woman gets t-boned leaving Whole Foods. Then ‘bandit towers’ pose as AAA
According to LAist, these scammers often claim that they were sent to help. They sound convincing, especially when you’ve just been in a car accident. But once they have your signature, they can take your car wherever they want - and charge thousands in towing and other fees. The National Insurance Crime Bureau told the outlet that the scheme is designed to maximize the bill.
Motor1
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Langer's Deli is here to stay, at least through 2028 Olympics
The owner of Los Angeles' famed Langer's Deli, who has previously suggested shuttering the iconic eatery over concerns about homelessness and crime in its neighborhood near MacArthur Park, said Tuesday the restaurant will remain open through at least the 2028 Olympics. "Langer's and Los Angeles share a story that spans generations," owner Norm Langer said in a statement Tuesday.
City News Service
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New LA County communication system aims at confiscating guns in restraining order cases
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County has launched a new digital communication system designed to more quickly get guns out of the hands of people hit with domestic violence restraining orders. The system automatically notifies the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the LAPD and the 86 other law enforcement agencies in the county when a firearm relinquishment restraining order violation is determined.
ABC7
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L.A. County moves to ban 'predatory solicitation' amid questions about sex abuse lawsuits
L.A. County supervisors want to bar “predatory” salespeople who they say prey on vulnerable residents seeking benefits from the region's social services offices. The supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to explore creating a “buffer zone” outside county offices, prohibiting certain types of "aggressive" solicitation toward people seeking food stamps and cash aid.
Los Angeles Times
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Pasadena sues UCLA over reported plan to move football games to SoFi Stadium
The city of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company filed a lawsuit Wednesday against UCLA, seeking to block the university from relocating its home football games to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood and to compel it to honor its lease agreement at the historic Rose Bowl through 2044.
Century City/Westwood News
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Juveniles moved to new LA County detention facilities with limited medical care, recreation
The Probation Department’s rush to reduce the population at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall has left dozens of juvenile offenders at a Sylmar facility without adequate recreational programs and others in Malibu facility without overnight medical care, according to members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Pasadena Star News
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Meet the McOskers: How one South Bay family wields power at City Hall
As Los Angeles city officials worked on an agreement to modernize the Convention Center, more than one member of the McOsker family was playing a key role. City Councilmember Tim McOsker supported the $2.6-billion expansion, which could bring more tourism but threatens to further exacerbate Los Angeles' dire fiscal situation.
Los Angeles Times
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Multiple people in South LA chase believed to be linked to street robberies, LAPD says
Multiple people involved in a pursuit Wednesday in the South Los Angeles area are believed to be connected to violent street robberies and other crimes, the Los Angeles Police Department told NBC4 Investigates. Police chased the white Toyota Camry on Compton streets and the 10 Freeway in a pursuit that included several close calls with other cars. Multiple people were inside the sedan, police said.
NBC4
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‘Violation of the oath’: Deputy arrested in case of Orange County hospital assault
An Orange County sheriff’s deputy is out on bail after being arrested this week in connection with the reported sexual assault of an incarcerated woman. The 29-year-old deputy, Leobardo Martinez Garcia, was arrested Wednesday, two weeks after the victim made a report, according to authorities. In March 2025, the victim was in custody and being treated at a local hospital when Martinez Garcia assaulted her, authorities allege.
Los Angeles Times
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More than $2 million in cargo recovered after San Bernardino County train burglaries
Three people were arrested and more than $2 million in stolen train cargo was recovered when San Bernardino County deputies served a series of search warrants in Los Angeles County last week. On Thursday, a group of local law enforcement agencies that included deputies from the Victor Valley Detective Bureau, BNSF Railroad Police, Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department served seven search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation into train burglaries in the Victor Valley area, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
CBS LA
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Son of LA Crips leader and music executive Eugene ‘Big U’ Henley shot dead on Halloween
The son of longtime LA Crips leader and music mogul lauded as the “godfather” of rap was gunned down outside a smoke shop Friday night. Jabari “Baby Uiie” Henley, whose father Eugene Henley Jr. is the former head of the Rollin’ 60’s Neighborhood Crips, was on the corner of 69th Street and Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles around 11 p.m. when a gunman opened fire, according to TMZ.
New York Post
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Dashcam shows LAPD cruiser fatally hitting skateboarder in Highland Park
Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department have released dashcam and body-worn video of a fatal collision between officers and a 30-year-old man in Highland Park that occurred earlier this year. The Sept. 19 incident happened at around 7:17 p.m. as officers were responding with lights and sirens to a police perimeter on Figueroa Street and Piemont Avenue for a parolee at large, a spokesperson for LAPD said at the time.
KTLA
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LAPD to improve radio coverage, disaster planning after review of Palisades Fire response
The LAPD said in a new after-action report that officers rushed into neighborhoods as the Palisades Fire exploded on Jan. 7 to help with evacuations and traffic control, but some of the initial response was hampered by road congestion, communications difficulties, and a lack of coordination with firefighters.
NBC4
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Gov. Newsom says California Legislature's secrecy around Capitol Annex is ‘inappropriate'
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday promised to get the California Legislature to be more transparent around the construction of the California Capitol Annex, a project that is currently underway to build a new office building and parking garage for state lawmakers and the governor. The California Legislature's Joint Rules Committee has been overseeing and leading the project.
KCRA
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New warning signs emerge for Lindsey Halligan’s effort to prosecute Trump’s foes
President Donald Trump’s effort to install loyalist U.S. attorneys without Senate approval could sink the Justice Department’s criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. In recent weeks, federal courts in New Jersey, Nevada and California have ruled that unusual maneuvers by the Justice Department to appoint Trump’s unvetted prosecutors violated federal law.
Politico
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Federal agents allegedly wear Halloween masks during Los Angeles patrol
Federal agents were spotted this week wearing what appeared to be Halloween masks while on patrol in Los Angeles, according to a community patrol group. The Harbor Area Peace Patrols says it observes federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, daily as they leave U.S. Coast Guard Base Los Angeles/Long Beach, which is located on Terminal Island.
CBS LA
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Jury awards $16.8 million to California prison doctor who complained about inmate’s threat
A jury awarded a $16.8 million judgment to a California prison doctor who alleged her employer did not respond appropriately to a threat she received from an incarcerated person, fired her when she raised concerns about her safety and then defamed her by allowing rumors to spread among staff.
CalMatters
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Political violence has gripped the U.S. this year. Experts say it's not as simple as left and right.
It's a bipartisan problem in a country beset by polarization: Since the start of 2025, political violence has killed, injured or threatened conservative and liberal political figures alike. This month, a pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested for allegedly threatening to "eliminate" House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at an event in New York City, and a Minnesota man was charged with offering a $45,000 bounty for Attorney General Pam Bondi, the latest in a jarring trend of threats and violent acts against political figures.
CBS News
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California has one of highest tax burdens in the nation, new study says
California’s tax climate ranks near the bottom among all 50 states, according to a new State Tax Competitive Tax Index by the Tax Foundation. California ranks 48th, ahead of only New Jersey and New York, the foundation said. Wyoming and South Dakota rank first and second “The states in the bottom 10 tend to have a number of issues in common,” the foundation’s analysis said, notably what it called complex, relatively high tax rates.
Merced Sun-Star
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California's antisemitism law gets pushback from teachers, parents
A group of teachers and parents filed suit Monday in federal court against a controversial new California law intended to protect students from antisemitism. Assembly Bill 715 drew strong support, as well as some tears, when lawmakers debated and passed it two months ago on the Legislature’s final night. Effective on Jan. 1, 2026, the law will create an Office of Civil Rights under the Government Operations Agency, along with an antisemitism prevention coordinator.
Courthouse News Service
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2 California prison officers hurt in alleged attack by inmate
Two California prison officers were hospitalized after an alleged attack by an incarcerated man, and authorities are investigating it as an attempted homicide, officials said Sunday. The incident happened Saturday at California State Prison, Sacramento, as the suspect was being escorted from his cell to allow staff to conduct a search, according to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Associated Press
| | Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole | | |
Ex-officer admits to on-duty South Bay shooting
A former Torrance police officer - who was charged with an on-duty shooting that left a man wounded - pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony count of assault in a deal that is expected to result in the case against him being dismissed in one year. David Chandler Jr., 37, pleaded guilty to one count of assault by an officer and must perform 100 hours of community service and relinquish his certification as a peace officer in California, with the case expected to be dismissed Nov. 5, 2026, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
City News Service
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Baby Emmanuel's father sentenced to more than 30 years after guilty plea in 7-month-old son's murder
The Cabazon man who killed his 7-month-old son, Emmanuel Haro, was sentenced to over 30 years in prison on Monday. Baby Emmanuel's parents reported him missing back in August, but his body has not been found. He is presumed to be dead. In 2023, Jake Haro pleaded guilty in a child abuse case involving another one of his children. The judge in that case sentenced him to probation and community service, saying he was giving him "a second chance.”
ABC7
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Man pleads not guilty to murder, torture of LA model found stuffed inside refrigerator
A Minnesota man pleaded not guilty on Thursday to murder and torture charges stemming from the death of a model who was found bound, gagged and stuffed inside the refrigerator in her downtown Los Angeles apartment. What we know: Magnus Daniel Humphrey, 43, is charged in the September 2023 death of Maleesa Mooney, 31. The murder charge includes the special-circumstance allegation of murder involving the infliction of torture.
Fox11
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Scandal in the courtroom: LA tech execs claim judge’s secret love affair stole their justice
Tech executives Bahar and Bardia Dejban, who rose to prominence through their work with an innovative e-commerce startup, have filed a lawsuit accusing one of Texas’s largest law firms of cheating them out of justice. They say it all ties back to a powerful judge’s secret romantic relationship with his former law clerk turned big law partner to allegedly amass and exploit a bankruptcy haven for the firm and the judge.
Los Angeles Magazine
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Roblox dodges lawsuit claims over in-game currency gambling
A federal judge dismissed claims against Roblox in a class action brought by parents who claim the game essentially functions as an illegal gambling ring for children. Parents sued Roblox in August 2023, according to their complaint, their children lost money while gambling with the game’s virtual currency, Robux, on third-party websites.
Courthouse News Service
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California falls into the gerrymander trap
The election is over and, barring any successful legal challenges, California will join the growing ranks of politically polarized states where Congressional Districts are grievously gerrymandered. Gerrymandering has been around in the United States for more than 200 years and is almost as old as our earlies political parties. Drawing Congressional Districts is an innately political process, so a certain amount of bias is to be expected when one party controls the mechanisms of power in any given state. But lately the practice has become invidious.
Daily Journal
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