Courts/Rulings & Lawsuits

‘Qualified immunity' prevents lawsuit against police in Southern California

A divided federal appeals court ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit by a Southern California man against two police officers who allegedly pointed their guns at his head from across a backyard fence, believing he was dangerous and apparently unaware that he was no longer under an arrest warrant for drug crimes.

San Francisco Chronicle

Ninth Circuit vacates methamphetamine conviction, finds judge erred on voluntary consent

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Andres Barron’s methamphetamine conviction after finding that a federal judge clearly erred in concluding that Barron voluntarily consented to a warrantless vehicle search while an officer had a gun drawn and pointed at him during a traffic stop. 

Vanguard News Group

Federal appeals court rules Pentagon’s blacklist of Anthropic was legal

The Department of Defense can blacklist Anthropic’s artificial intelligence technology, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday. The decision is a blow to Anthropic after it won a separate challenge in a California court in August that partially invalidated the Trump administration’s label.

CNN

Judge maintains $150,000 bail in nonviolent theft case, citing repeated court order violations

An accused woman facing nonviolent theft charges remained held on $150,000 bail after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge determined that the amount was reasonable, citing her history of warrants, open cases and repeated failure to comply with court orders despite the defense’s request for lower bail.

Vanguard News Group

California appeals court backs reporter who published sealed arrest records

The California Court of Appeal affirmed on Wednesday a judge’s ruling tossing a defamation lawsuit against a news reporter who published information about a former tech CEO’s 2021 arrest on suspicion of domestic violence.

Courthouse News Service

MALDEF sues Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Los Angeles County for discriminatory treatment and privacy violations of immigrant patient

A Latino civil rights organization filed a lawsuit against Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles County, and the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services for violating the rights of an immigrant patient who was unlawfully detained by Harbor in cooperation with federal immigration agents after he was hospitalized with serious injuries.

MALDEF Press Release

The 5th Circuit rejects qualified immunity for cops who searched a driver after a bogus traffic stop

Around 5 p.m. on a Wednesday in June 2022, Mario Rosales was driving his red Mustang on Jackson Street in Alexandria, Louisiana, waiting to turn left onto Dorchester Drive, when a police SUV pulled up behind him. After the traffic light turned green and Rosales made his turn, Officers Samuel Terrell and Jim Lewis activated their lights and pulled him over.

Reason

Contempt of cop is not active resistance

Active resistance requires more than profanity, verbal hostility or refusal to cooperate with police. In Steger v. Willis, the 6th Circuit held an officer was not entitled to qualified immunity when force was allegedly triggered by a suspect’s profanity rather than physical resistance or an immediate threat. The decision reinforces that law enforcement use of force must be based on objective circumstances, not disrespect or frustration.

Police1

LA prosecutors didn’t know a Long Beach cop had a battery conviction. He now works for Burbank

The City of Long Beach is pushing back against requests to release information about a sustained misconduct finding from the personnel file of one of its former officers - even as more details come out about past incidents. Defense attorney Scott Sanders has requested material in the personnel files of former Long Beach Police Officer Erik Suarez after he learned Suarez was convicted on aggravated battery charges stemming from a 2019 beating in Cobb County, Georgia.

LAist

Simi Valley parents charged for death of their infant from fentanyl intoxication

George James Salas was charged this week with the murder of his 11-month-old daughter Ariya after she died from ingesting fentanyl while at their home in Simi Valley back in December. Ariya's mother, Karina Lucia Yanes, faces one felony count of child abuse as well as the special allegation that the crime resulted in the death of her child, the crime involved great violence, and the victim was notably vulnerable added the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release.

KEYT

Woman charged with shooting at Rihanna's Beverly Hills home found competent to stand trial

A Florida woman who is charged with shooting at Rihanna's Beverly Crest area home was found competent to stand trial, a judge ruled on Tuesday. Ivanna Ortiz, 35, is charged with one count of attempted murder, 10 felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and three felony counts of shooting at an inhabited dwelling or camper. She pleaded not guilty to the charges in March.

CBS News LA

Santa Paula man charged in DUI crash that injured CHP officer

A Santa Paula man has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from an alleged drunken-driving crash that left his passenger and a California Highway Patrol officer injured in Ventura County. Derek Hansen Skinner, 34, was held to answer following a preliminary hearing earlier this month and was arraigned Tuesday, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

KTLA 

DOJ enlisting military attorneys as prosecutors in California and NY

The Justice Department is planning to enlist military attorneys as temporary prosecutors to help with increased federal law enforcement efforts in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Opportunities for active and reserve officers of any rank to serve as special assistant U.S. attorneys are being advertised for the Southern District of New York, the Central District of California and the Eastern District of California, according to an email sent Thursday by a Marine Corps major.

ABA Journal

Prosecutors say a drugged driver killed two people on an LA bus. Three more died covering the crash, and she isn’t charged for those. Yet.

Five people died in Chatsworth on the evening of Sept. 15. Two were riding a Los Angeles Metro bus. Three were killed a short time later when a news helicopter covering that crash fell out of the sky a few blocks away. The driver prosecutors blame for the bus crash is now charged with murder. But only for two of those deaths.

The Auto Wire

Two Chinese nationals charged with misusing U.S. passports belonging to real citizens at John Wayne Airport in O.C.

Two Chinese nationals have been charged in a federal criminal complaint alleging they presented United States passports belonging to other people when they tried to enter the U.S. from Mexico last month at Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, the Justice Department announced today.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release

White supremacists charged with federal hate crimes in Oceanside attack against Marines

Two white supremacists who attacked two U.S. Marines and a third man in a brutal assault in Oceanside, California, last summer were charged with federal hate crimes on Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced in a press release. The two men - Austin Yohe, 23, and Daniel Burns, 30 - were both arrested Tuesday on charges related to the attacks on three people at the Oceanside Pier, as well as obstruction of justice. 

Courthouse News Service

Policy/Legal/Politics

Nithya Raman’s ‘genocide’ remarks rattle Jewish crowd at LA mayoral forum

Nithya Raman walked straight into one of the most explosive issues of her mayoral campaign Tuesday night. The Los Angeles City Councilwoman, appearing at the 2026 Jewish Los Angeles Mayoral Forum, defended her decision to call Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide” - prompting uneasy groans from many in the roughly 1,000-person crowd at the Skirball Cultural Center.

California Post

LA court tentatively approves $78.7M settlement over Delta fuel dump

A federal judge tentatively approved a $78.7 million settlement Monday in a class-action lawsuit over a 2020 Delta Air Lines fuel dump that doused tens of thousands of properties, including homes and schools, in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Delta has denied wrongdoing in the incident, blaming the event on a mechanical issue.

MyNewsLA

Elite Calabasas school covered up teacher’s sick photos of school girls because ‘he bats for the other team’: suit

A $54,000-a-year Calabasas prep school knew a teacher was taking photographs up female students skirts but dismissed it because they said he was gay, according to a new lawsuit. Concerned parents claim they reported Travis Shojinaga, 39, more than a year before he was arrested for child molestation and possession of child pornography at Viewpoint school, the papers say.

California Post

LA’s top financial adviser says city doesn’t need 300 new police vehicles for the Olympics

The city’s top financial adviser is recommending that the Los Angeles City Council deny a police department request to procure 300 additional vehicles for the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. The report, submitted to the council Monday by City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, found that the L.A. Police Department would have enough vehicles to temporarily expand its fleet during the Games without the additional cars.

LAist

LAPD to revise pretextual stops policy after new report details issues with use

The Los Angeles Police Department will revise its policy that allows it’s officer to stop vehicles for minor violations as a pretext to investigate separate crimes after a report showed there were inconsistencies in implementing the department’s current policy. The department’s Board of Police Commissioners voted 3-0 at its Tuesday, Sept. 29 meeting to begin the process of drafting a revised policy with updated language that is more clear for officers and the public.

Los Angeles Daily News

New California law limits prosecutors’ power to reinstate dismissed charges

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation changing how prosecutors can reinstate charges dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing, requiring prosecutors to present evidence and obtain judicial approval before those charges can be restored. The bill signed by Newsom, AB 1917, or the Respect Judicial Decisions Act, would require district attorneys to file a motion to add charges dropped by a judge during a preliminary hearing.

Vanguard News Group

Ridley-Thomas’s conduct in conformity with California law, proposed amicus brief says

Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose conviction of bribery was affirmed by a three-judge panel and is seeking a rehearing by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sitting en banc, has drawn support from a former state senator who is seeking leave to file an amicus brief that questions the propriety of punishing a California public official for conduct that is, he contends, permissible under state law.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

LAPD forwards $235M Axon deal to City Council, approves ALPR pilot

After declining to renew its Flock Safety agreement in July 2026 over privacy, data-ownership and security concerns, LAPD is now pursuing a surveillance arrangement that is larger, longer and currently less specific about the details that ended the last one. On September 22, 2026, the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners voted 3-0 to forward a proposed 10-year, $235 million Axon contract to the City Council.

Gadget Review

Jury orders LAPD officers to pay millions to children of man they shot to death

A jury has ordered two Los Angeles police officers to pay damages to the two minor children of a man shot to death by police in South Los Angeles in 2024. The Los Angeles Superior Court panel on Wednesday found LAPD Officers Stefan Carutasu and Dominique Billew responsible for 60% of the $11 million in total damages awarded the offspring of Wilver Blanco Mendoza. Mendoza was apportioned the remaining 40%.

City News Service

Feds demand L.A. County voter rolls despite new state law

Los Angeles County has been ordered to turn over voting records to the federal government - names that may sound to anonymous informants to be noncitizens who are illegally voting. Saturday, the Trump political appointee in charge of the Los Angeles federal prosecutor's office declared that no state law can prevent his Justice Department from investigating what it believes to be voter fraud on the California voter rolls.

99.1 KBUU

LA County's Measure A: Binding arbitration for public safety labor disputes

Public safety employee unions and L.A. County officials are asking voters to change the county charter to require labor disputes with workers, including firefighters and sheriff’s deputies, to be resolved by three-member arbitration panels. The Board of Supervisors put the measure on the ballot to “level the playing field” in the contract negotiations between the county and unionized public safety employees, who are prohibited by law from going on strike.

LAist

Southern California

L.A. County urges voters to skip the mail, use drop-offs

The L.A. County Registrar is urging voters to either drop their ballot at a vote center or return it in time to be processed - don't put it back in the mail at the last minute. The list of polling places and their operating hours will be published Monday. Registrar Dean Logan told ABC7 that attempts to interfere with voting from Washington are not going to affect the process here in L.A. County.

99.1 KBUU

Lowes to pay $546,600 to settle California gift card law consumer protection lawsuit

Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC will pay $546,600 in civil penalties, investigative costs and restitution to settle allegations that the company failed to let customers redeem cash for gift cards valued at less than $15 as required by California law. “Companies who sell goods and services in California are required to abide by California consumer protection laws, including our law allowing consumers to redeem gift cards for cash if the balance is under $15,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.

L.A. District Attorney’s Office News Release

Lawyers seek extra security for Schwarzenegger after opposing attorney’s ‘Terminator’-style post

Attorneys for Arnold Schwarzenegger have asked a Los Angeles judge for amped-up security at a forthcoming court date in which the former actor and politician is expected to testify. The trial is set to determine the payout for Cheryl Augustine, who was involved in a 2022 four-vehicle traffic crash in which she claims Schwarzenegger’s reckless driving caused her significant, life-altering injuries. 

Los Angeles Times

LAX police union demands audit amid People Mover delays and staffing shortages

More fallout from the delays and cost overruns for the People Mover at LAX. The president of the union representing airport police says the issues are indicative of larger problems at the airport and is now calling for an investigation into the airport's finances. What they're saying: "I’d like an audit to happen," said Marshall McClain, president of the Los Angeles Aiport Peace Officers Association.

Fox11 Los Angeles

Will LAX’s troubled and long-delayed people mover train open soon? A new set of delays awaits

In late July, I noticed a common phrase repeated throughout the construction of Hollywood Burbank Airport’s new $1.3 billion terminal by builders, community backers and countless workers: “on time and on budget.” That motto for a terminal that opens Oct. 13 stands in stark contrast to Los Angeles International Airport’s $3.3 billion people mover. Its scheduled completion date has shifted from 2023 to 2024 to 2025 and 2026, and has been accompanied by increased costs.

Los Angeles Times

LACo attorneys seek internal report as part of defense against retaliation suit

Attorneys for Los Angeles County are asking a judge for access to a lengthy internal report regarding a sheriff’s deputy’s accusations that she was wrongfully demoted earlier in 2022 for resisting sexual harassment by a close associate of then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Deputy Lorraine Anda’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges sexual harassment and retaliation.

MyNewsLA

Discharged LASD sergeant seeks more internal department records

Attorneys for a discharged Black Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant who alleges he was retaliated against for complaining of racial discrimination are seeking additional internal records as part of their trial preparation. Sgt. Reginald Hoffman also maintains he suffered a backlash for speaking out against the reputed presence of members of the Banditos gang of deputies at the East Los Angeles Station. 

MyNewsLA

L.A. Olympics organizers limit some financial disclosures, a Times review shows

Organizers of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles have given vague and sometimes incomplete annual reports to the city on details of their preparations for what has been described as the largest athletic event in the nation's history, records show. A review by The Times of five years of annual reports from LA28 shows that the organization appears at times to have curtailed the reporting requirements that are spelled out in its 2021 contract with Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Times

Son of prominent L.A. lobbyist accused of drunkenly ramming dad with car during dispute

The son of a prominent Los Angeles City Hall lobbyist was arrested on suspicion of drunkenly ramming into his father with a Ford Bronco, leaving him severely injured and bleeding on the ground before fleeing the scene, authorities said. Pasadena police were called to a family disturbance on Mooresque Drive at 12:31 a.m. on Sept. 19, according to Lt. Monica Cuellar.

Los Angeles Times

Public Safety

West Hollywood burglary turns deadly after intruder allegedly kills family dog inside home

A recent case out of West Hollywood has drawn attention not only because of the crimes involved but also because of the emotional shock that follows when violence affects a beloved pet. Authorities report that a man allegedly broke into his former roommate’s apartment in early September and killed the roommate’s dog, an incident now at the center of serious criminal charges. 

GreaterGood

Domestic violence call leads to deputy shooting, 2 wounded in Cudahy

A woman identified as the suspect in a domestic violence call was shot by a sheriff’s deputy in southeast Los Angeles County early Monday morning. The shooting was reported around 4:20 a.m. in the 4000 block of Live Oak Street in Cudahy, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Koerner. “While at the residence, deputies encountered a Female adult (suspect) and a deputy-involved shooting occurred,” the Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release.

KTLA5

Close to 127 citations, 38 arrests made in LACo street takeover crackdown

Over 100 citations and 38 arrests were made during an street takeover enforcement operation in Los Angeles County, authorities announced Monday. The Street Takeover Task Force conducted three operations from Friday through Sunday in Compton, Carson and the area patrolled by the Century Sheriff’s Station, focusing on disrupting illegal street takeovers, street racing, reckless driving, and other dangerous driving behaviors threatening the community and the safety of other motorists and spectators, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

MyNewsLA

Elderly woman found dead at Bellflower home, allegedly armed man shot during investigation

An elderly woman and an allegedly armed man were found dead after a deputy-involved shooting at a home near Bellflower, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to a call in the 9500 block of Maplewood Street a little before 1 p.m. PT on Sunday, September 27. Upon arrival, an elderly woman, believed to be in her 80s, was found unconscious at the home.

Fox11 Los Angeles

6 arrested in Los Angeles, Orange County organized vehicle theft ring investigation

Half a dozen people were arrested in connection with an organized vehicle theft ring that allegedly committed carjackings in Los Angeles and Orange counties in recent months. In a news release shared by the Downey Police Department, investigators said that the crimes began on August 7 and continued through September 22, often targeting high-value vehicles in both counties. 

CBS News Los Angeles

Calif. police announce expansion of DFR system

Oceanside has approved a five-year, $682,556 contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc., to provide two first-responder police drones, extending and expanding a 13-month trial program launched in August 2025. A single remotely operated aerial drone responded to emergency calls about 1,300 times from its base atop the downtown City Hall building during the trial, said police Capt. Nick Nuñez.

San Diego Union-Tribune

Schools hope attack drones will stop active shooters

As students settle back into classrooms around the United States, a small but growing number of schools are set to debut a new way to protect students from mass shootings: drones. Schools in Colorado, Florida and Georgia have agreed to participate in the Campus Guardian Angel pilot program deploying drones made by Texas-based Mithril Defense.

USA Today

Mother arrested on suspicion of murder in death of baby found in South LA dumpster

A mother was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection to the death of her baby, who was found in a dumpster in South Los Angeles, authorities said. The baby was discovered around 10:30 p.m. Monday outside the Pueblo Del Rio housing project near Alba Street and Long Beach Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Authorities added the baby had been left within the last 24 hours.

ABC7

Remains found on Lancaster property tied to missing persons investigation, sheriff's detectives say

A massive law enforcement response was seen Tuesday at a remote property in Lancaster where homicide detectives found human remains amid a missing persons investigation, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Investigators responded to the property in the area of 50th Street East and Avenue F following up on information related to a missing persons investigation, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department said.

ABC7 Los Angeles

Newsom vetoes AB 1383 - and gets this one right

Every once in a while, Sacramento delivers a surprise. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed AB 1383 this week, stopping a high-profile effort by public safety unions to roll back key provisions of California’s 2012 Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) that could have radically increased pension costs for state and local governments.

California Policy Center

California appeals ruling finding state marijuana track-and-trace system fails to comply with law

California’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is asking an appeals court to overturn a ruling requiring changes to the state’s marijuana track-and-trace system after a judge found it does not flag irregular transactions as required by law. The DCC filed a notice of appeal Friday, September 25, challenging a final judgment entered in August in HNHPC Inc. v. Department of Cannabis Control. 

The Marijuana Herald

Oakland Bribery Case: Thao, others accused of trying to kill story of alleged sexual misconduct

A federal judge has ruled that jurors may hear allegations that former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and others sought to prevent publication of a story about alleged misconduct by an East Bay politician during a 2023 trade mission to Vietnam, according to court records. The ruling came after attorneys for the four defendants attempted to block the bribery allegation from being introduced at trial, which is scheduled to begin next month.

ABC7 Bay Area 

$1 million offered for info on newest member of FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list with SoCal ties

Federal authorities announced that a new person has been added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list, and the man in question is charged with serious crimes that are alleged to have taken place in Southern California. At a press conference in Westwood Monday morning, Assistant Director in Charge of the Los Angeles Field Office, Patrick Grandy, confirmed that Satinderjeet Singh was added to the most wanted list; a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest was also instated on Monday. C

‘High-ranking’ officer illegally snooped on officials with California police network

A whistleblower pointed state investigators to an unnamed, high-ranking law enforcement officer who was using California’s statewide law enforcement telecommunication network to find the home addresses and vehicle information of a deputy district attorney, a county supervisor and six of his employees. The officer’s illegal use of the network was among the findings in a report on “improper activities” by California state workers. 

CalMatters

Convictions/Pleas/Sentences/Parole/Corrections

Man sentenced to life in prison for ambush shooting of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale

A man convicted of first-degree murder in the 2023 ambush shooting of Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 32, was convicted Aug. 24 for the Sept. 16, 2023, killing of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, a fourth-generation member of the sheriff's department. 

ABC7 Los Angeles

2 Southern California men allegedly running golf tee-time scheme plead guilty to tax evasion

Two men who allegedly ran a golf tee-time brokering business as a side hustle pleaded guilty to deliberately failing to report more than $1.3 million in income, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Twin brothers, Se Youn "Steve" Kim, 42, of Buena Park, and Hee Youn "Ted" Kim, 42, of Pomona, reserved thousands of golf tee times at golf courses in Los Angeles and Orange counties and resold them for a fee to the public, prosecutors said.

CBS News Los Angeles

Ex-Palisades resident found guilty of running $2 million Ponzi scheme

A former Pacific Palisades resident who founded a smart ring company was found guilty of multiple federal charges after prosecutors accused her of defrauding investors and making extravagant claims about her product's capabilities and business connections, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.

NBC4 Los Angeles

Non-citizen in Winnetka pleads not guilty to alleged voter fraud

A Honduran national living in the San Fernando Valley pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges of fraudulently registering to vote in United States elections. Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, 30, of Winnetka, is charged with felony counts of false claim to U.S. citizenship and fraudulent voter registration. Trial was tentatively set for Nov. 17 in Los Angeles federal court.

City News Service

Former L.A. County sheriff’s deputy sentenced to nearly 2 years in prison for violating rights on crypto-criminal’s behalf, cheating on taxes

A former deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) was sentenced today to 21 months in federal prison for abusing his law enforcement powers to threaten and intimidate a now-imprisoned, self-styled cryptocurrency businessman’s perceived adversaries, to advance that criminal’s interests, and for concealing from the IRS more than $373,000 in income he obtained from that criminal.

U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release

Family-run massage businesses fronted California commercial sex operation

Four members of a family-run criminal enterprise that prosecutors say used massage businesses as fronts for commercial sex operations and laundered the proceeds through banks, real estate, casinos and other assets have been convicted in Ventura County. The case centered on Xiangwei Ma, whom prosecutors identified as the head of the organization, along with her husband, Ming Ma; her brother, Xiangdong Ma; and her sister, Li Ma.

KTLA5 Los Angeles

Jay-Z wants to revive extortion case against lawyer ... after rape accuser recants

Jay-Z is asking a court to reconsider his extortion case against Tony Buzbee, the Texas attorney whose former client just recanted her rape allegation against the rapper. Jay filed a petition with an appeals court in California ... asking the court to reconsider its recent refusal to reinstate his extortion and defamation lawsuit against Buzbee, which was previously dismissed by a lower court ... according to Rolling Stone.

TMZ

Jury awards Bristol, Va., officer $150,000 in defamation case over social media posts

After 20 minutes of deliberation, a jury decided to award Officer Lilly-Kay Tomlinson $150,000 in damages, saying Stephanie Bates-Williams knowingly made defamatory posts on her social media. It started in September 2025 when Officer Tomlinson says she was asked by casino staff to approach Williams about her access to an exclusive lounge in the Hard Rock casino. In court, Officer Tomlinson testified she was trying to de-escalate the situation.

WCYB