Courts, Rulings & Lawsuits | |
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Another day, another lawsuit filed against Los Angeles DA George Gascon
Another day, another lawsuit filed against Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. Wednesday, the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys - the union that represents the 750 or so DDA’s under Gascon’s employ - filed its fourth lawsuit, alleging Gascon has “repeatedly and deliberately” ignored the state’s public records act.
California Globe
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City of LA asks judge to toss police officers’ lawsuit over headshots posted on cop watchdog site
The city of Los Angeles asked a Superior Court judge at a hearing Wednesday to dismiss three lawsuits filed by hundreds of anonymous police officers over photographs released to a journalist as part of a public records request. The judge dismissed a legal malpractice count against the city but asked for more briefing over the intent of a law that provided exceptions to the confidentiality of police officer records.
Courthouse News Service
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Murder conviction stands where victim died following removal of life support
Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld Friday the murder conviction of a defendant who struck a homeless man on the back of the head with a three-foot long dowel - and proceeded to bludgeon the unresponsive victim three more times in rapid succession - despite the fact that the injured party did not die until five days later when his life support systems were removed upon the request of his family.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Court strikes down S.F. law requiring 10-day waiting period for eviction notices
A San Francisco ordinance giving renters who face eviction more time to meet their property owners’ requirements has been struck down by a state appeals court, which said California law requires compliance within three days. The ordinance, approved by the Board of Supervisors in February 2022, said that before someone can be evicted for failing to pay rent on time or several other reasons - such as severely damaging the property, using it for illegal purposes, violating other lease conditions or refusing to allow the owner to enter for inspection - the renter must be given an additional 10 days to remedy the problem.
San Francisco Chronicle
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Judge rules in favor of Gallegly for first phase of CLU lawsuit
A Ventura County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of former Congressmember Elton Gallegly yesterday in the first phase of his lawsuit against California Lutheran University regarding the on-campus center that bears his name. Judge Henry Walsh issued the Tues., Sept. 17 statement more than a month following a nine-day declaratory relief trial, in which a judge determines the rights of parties without ordering any specific action or listing awards for damages.
The Acorn
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Due process violated by unrecorded interview of minor
Div. One of the First District Court of Appeal held yesterday that the failure of a judge to memorialize her private, in-chambers conversation with a 12-year old girl during a domestic violence restraining order hearing being litigated by the child’s parents violated the due process rights of the father, who was restrained following the proceedings.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Judge strikes down city of L.A.’s ban on new oil drilling
A high-profile law intended to phase out oil production within Los Angeles city limits has been struck down by a judge who ruled that the state, not the city, has jurisdiction over many aspects of drilling operations. The ruling by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin invalidated a law spearheaded by environmental justice activists and unanimously backed by the L.A. City Council in 2022.
Los Angeles Times
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Former high-ranking L.A. city attorney charged by State Bar over DWP billing scandal
The State Bar of California filed disciplinary charges Thursday against a former high-ranking official in the Los Angeles city attorney’s office for his alleged role in a Department of Water and Power scandal. Jim Clark, a top deputy under then-City Atty. Mike Feuer, secretly directed other attorneys to orchestrate a class-action lawsuit so that claims over a botched DWP billing system could be settled on terms favorable to the city, State Bar prosecutors allege.
Los Angeles Times
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UC Irvine pro-Palestinian protest: 10 charged, including teachers, with failing to disperse
Prosecutors in Southern California have charged 10 people, including two professors, with failing to disperse during a pro-Palestinian protest last spring at the University of California, Irvine that led to a clash with police, officials said Wednesday. The Orange County District Attorney’s office said those charged included two UCI professors and four students. All are due to appear in court on Oct. 16 to be arraigned on misdemeanor charges, the office said.
AP
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White supremacist pleads guilty to riot conspiracy after charges twice thrown out
A California white supremacist who twice had his federal rioting charges thrown out, only to have those charges reinstated both times by the Ninth Circuit, ended up pleading guilty Friday after years of legal wrangling. Robert Rundo, 34, admitted to one count of conspiracy to riot at a hearing in downtown Los Angeles. As part of his plea deal, prosecutors with the U.S. attorneys' office in LA have agreed not to seek more than two years in prison.
Courthouse News Service
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs indicted on federal sex trafficking charges
Federal prosecutors unsealed criminal charges on Tuesday morning accusing rap producer and entertainment mogul Sean Combs of carrying out a sprawling sex trafficking conspiracy involving physical abuse, drug-fueled sexual exploitation and surreptitious video recording. The three-count indictment charges Combs on criminal counts: racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Courthouse News Service
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Witness video in former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías’ domestic battery case released
As former Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías awaits a decision from Major League Baseball on potential discipline over a domestic violence incident last year, the Los Angeles Times has obtained a copy of video of the incident. Urías was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence last September outside BMO Stadium. The case was resolved in May, with Urías pleading no contest to misdemeanor domestic battery.
Los Angeles Times
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FTC keeps its secrets from Amazon in Prime lawsuit
The Federal Trade Commission will not have to hand over internal documents that show how it has interpreted a federal online shopping law through the years, as a federal judge has declined Amazon's request for access. The FTC's lawsuit against the retail giant in Seattle federal court has made far fewer headlines than the antitrust case it faces, but stakes are still high as the FTC and chair Lina Khan allege Amazon tricks shoppers into enrolling in its Prime program.
Legal Newsline
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Gascón vs. Hochman: Diverging visions for L.A. County's future highlighted in district attorney debate
In a defining moment for Los Angeles County's political landscape, incumbent District Attorney George Gascón and challenger Nathan Hochman engaged in a vigorous debate that spotlighted their contrasting views on the future of criminal justice in the region. The event, held by the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and proudly sponsored by Westside Current, underscored the important choice facing voters this November.
Westside Current
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Nathan Hochman discusses run for LA County District Attorney
Former federal prosecutor and defense attorney Nathan Hochman is running against incumbent District Attorney George Gascón. He joined “Inside the Issues” host Amrit Singh for an in-depth conversation on crime, public safety and his campaign to replace Gascón. The lifelong Angeleno said crime in Los Angeles County has been on the rise since Gascón took office, pitching himself as the tough on crime candidate.
Spectrum News1
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L.A. Chamber, Hollywood Chamber and BizFed L.A. PACs announce support of Nathan Hochman for D.A.
Nathan Hochman, the former Assistant U.S. Attorney General running for District Attorney of Los Angeles County, announced today that he has received endorsements from three important business groups - the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s L.A. Jobs PAC, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce PAC and the L.A. BizFed PAC.
Nathan Hochman Press Release
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Prop. 47 led to an increase in property crime in California, report says. How bad was it?
Proposition 47 achieved its goal of decreasing incarceration by reclassifying certain drug- and theft-related felony offenses as misdemeanors, but contributed to a rise in property crime as a result. That’s the finding of a newly released Public Policy Institute of California report that looked at the impact of the ballot measure nearly a decade after it passed. The findings come as California voters are preparing to decide the fate of Proposition 36, which would roll back many of Prop. 47’s reforms.
Sacramento Bee
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California Democrats try to change the subject from shoplifting to drugs
Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to defeat a tough-on-crime ballot initiative by convincing voters it would mark a return to the drug war launched by Richard Nixon. Newsom, one of the few prominent Democrats speaking out against the Proposition 36 initiative, calls it a “drug policy reform that takes us back decades.” Civil rights groups refer to the measure as the “War on Drugs 2.0.”
Politico
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Gang member sentenced to life in murder-for-hire of Buena Park man released at 39
A Pacoima gang member sentenced to life in prison for his role in the high-profile 2002 murder-for-hire of a Buena Park businessman was quietly released last month after nearly 18 years behind bars, the Southern California News Group has learned. Gerardo Lopez was three months shy of 18 when he participated in the botched kidnapping of 44-year-old Buena Park businessman David Montemayor, who managed a family trucking company in the unincorporated Dominguez Hills area between Carson and Long Beach.
Orange County Register
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Lawyers, law professors, ex-DOJ officials tell 11th Circuit that Trump's dismissed yet 'seemingly straightforward' Mar-a-Lago case must be taken away from Judge Cannon
In somewhat of a replay of what took place in the lower courts, two groups of amici curiae (“friends of the court”) composed of lawyers, law professors, former DOJ officials, and at least one retired judge sought permission to file briefs, but this time they argue Judge Aileen Cannon’s wrongful dismissal of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago prosecution should be reversed and the case reassigned to another jurist.
Law & Crime
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Federal judge declines jurisdiction in Arizona ‘fake elector’ case
A federal judge Monday declined to assume jurisdiction over the state of Arizona’s criminal prosecution of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, remanding the case to a state court in Maricopa County. Meadows, indicted in April on nine counts of conspiracy, fraud and forgery relating to illegitimate electoral votes for Donald Trump in 2020, filed a motion to remove the state charges to federal court on Aug. 14 - 48 business days after his initial arraignment and 18 days after the legal deadline to do so.
Courthouse News Service
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Bill Cosby can’t dodge lawsuit by 10 women after Nevada lifted statute of limitation
A federal judge in Las Vegas allowed 10 women to proceed with their sexual assault lawsuit against Bill Cosby Jr. in the wake of a state law last year that lifted the statute of limitations for civil claims by survivors of sexual violence. U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro on Monday rejected Cosby's argument that the law, Senate Bill 129, violates Nevada's prohibition on laws that only apply to a select group of people - in this case, victims of sexual assault.
Courthouse News Service
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Parents of sorority sisters and college seniors killed while walking along ‘Dead Man’s Curve’ by alleged speeding BMW driver are now suing California
Families of two college seniors and sorority sisters who were struck and killed along “Dead Man’s Curve” on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, allegedly by a speeding BMW driver who lost control in October 2023, are now suing the state, the city, and the California Department of Transportation in an attempt to “force” change.
Law & Crime
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After spending $550 million, over 70 percent of Los Angeles County’s Project Homekey homeless rooms vacant
L.A. County’s homelessness crisis is the source of much debate and rancor. However, one area on which there is increasing agreement is that the status quo, which focuses on providing every homeless person with “permanent supportive housing” (PSH), has failed. Housing takes years to construct and make available, if it ever materializes at all. Meanwhile, at least six homeless people die every day in the County.
Westside Current
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This LA neighborhood remains free of homeless tents. The I-Team reveals why
For years, one residential section of Hollywood had been plagued by homeless encampments that brought trash, drugs and fires to the area. But now, the tents have been gone for five weeks with no signs of returning. "It's so much safer without the tents. People can now use the sidewalks again," 70-year-old longtime resident Keith Johnson told the I-Team.
NBC4
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The whistleblower, LASD Sergeant Rosa Gonzalez, Part 2
It’s been almost exactly a month since, on August 15, 2024, LASD Sergeant Rosa Gonzalez, challenged the demotion she received after becoming a whistleblower for the second time during her 25-years with the nation’s largest sheriff’s department. Last month, Gonzalez challenged the punitive demotion in what is known as a Skelly hearing. For weeks after the hearing, she heard nothing.
Witness LA
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LAPD probing allegation that officer cheated on exam with camera-equipped glasses
A Los Angeles police officer is under investigation for allegedly recording the questions to a promotional exam on a pair of camera-equipped smart glasses, "Mission Impossible"-style, with the intention of passing the information to others taking the test. Department officials have launched a probe into allegations that the officer, perhaps working with others, cheated on a sergeant's exam this year.
Los Angeles Times
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Kathryn Barger opposes release of `pillowcase rapist’ to Antelope Valley
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger has written to the Los Angeles Superior Court to formally oppose the placement of a sexually violent predator in the Antelope Valley community of Juniper Hills, her office said Tuesday. “I submitted this letter to formally add my voice to the scores of others urgently asking the L.A. Superior Court to not place Christopher Hubbart in the Antelope Valley,” Barger said in a statement.
MyNewsLA
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Sheriff’s Department announces long-awaited policy banning deputy gangs
Nearly two years after Sheriff Robert Luna took office and promised to eradicate deputy gangs, and three years after state lawmakers greenlighted a measure requiring police agencies to ban the groups, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department unveiled a much-awaited anti-gang policy Wednesday to comply with the law. The controversial tattooed groups and their alleged misconduct have plagued the nation’s largest sheriff’s department for decades, spurring oversight investigations, an FBI probe and a stream of lawsuits.
Los Angeles Times
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Who’s the next LAPD chief? Likely finalists spotted at mayor’s mansion
Mayor Karen Bass said she would conduct a nationwide search for the next chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, but in the end it seems she found three finalists close to home. Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides and Robert “Bobby” Arcos, a former LAPD assistant chief who works in the L.A. County district attorney’s office, were seen arriving at Getty House, the mayor’s residence, for their candidate interviews over the span of a few hours Tuesday.
Los Angeles Times
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RV sweeps: ‘I don’t know where they think we’re going to go’
Sun Valley business owner Val Mijailovic has reached his breaking point. Since 2007, he’s operated a martial arts video production company in what was once a quiet industrial area. But during the pandemic, the city relaxed parking enforcement, and the block of Randall Street where he works began transforming into an unsanctioned RV park, cluttered with rundown vehicles, piles of trash, and disruptive behavior.
KCRW
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LAPD discovers thousands of pounds of stolen metal scraps in San Fernando Valley
Authorities recovered thousands of pounds of stolen metal pieces used for street lighting from San Fernando Valley recycling centers and metal yards, the Los Angeles Police Department said Wednesday. Through compliance checks, the LAPD uncovered 290 pounds of street lighting wire stolen from the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting and an additional 290 pounds from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.
NBC4
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Popular fitness influencer in ICU after being shot during attempted robbery in Los Angeles
The victim of an attempted armed robbery in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air has been identified as a popular fitness influencer. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the incident occurred at 4:20 p.m. Friday in the 11400 block of Thurston Circle. “Four men approached the victim and demanded property,” LAPD Officer Terzes confirmed to KTLA.
KTLA
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New threat facing homeowners whose properties are featured online
Burglars once lurked around neighborhoods and scanned obituaries to determine whom to target. Now, with free services easily available online, they can plan potential robberies from their computers or phones. Although hard data on burglar's methodologies is hard to come by, California's Riverside Police Department has seen a number of criminals using these online means after they are arrested for prospective burglaries, or after completing one successfully.
Fox News
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Los Angeles ‘Romeo and Juliet’ accused of toting an AK-47 and terrorizing weed dispensaries
A pair of young lovers have been accused of robbing four Los Angeles cannabis dispensaries during a six-week-long crime spree last year, according to authorities. Gabriella Tovar and Jesus Mendoza, both in their twenties, had only been dating for one month before they embarked on a string of heists at unlicensed weed shops around the city that came to an abrupt on June 11, 2023, when Mendoza crashed his BMW after a high-speed chase with cops, Los Angeles Police Department officers said during a four-day preliminary court hearing in late August.
The Independent
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Suspects wanted for massive street takeover, store looting in South Los Angeles
Police are searching for a large group of suspects involved in a massive street takeover and destructive looting of a store in South Los Angeles. On June 10 at around 3:50 a.m., hundreds of people gathered for a street takeover at Century Boulevard and Hoover Street in the Vermont Vista neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The large crowds illegally blocked the streets while drivers performed dangerous stunts such as donuts and burnouts, police said.
KTLA
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Squatters take over abandoned California mansion neighbors say is owned by son of Phillies owner
What was once a posh mansion in California's Hollywood Hills section has turned into an eyesore after it was taken over by squatters and taggers. Neighbors describe the abandoned mansion as a headache and safety hazard. The home is now covered in graffiti from taggers, and squatters have been coming and going for more than two years. One neighbor said 911 has been called several times just in the past week.
WPVI Philadelphia
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Are California prisons stiffing inmates on $200 release payments? Lawsuit says they are
John Vaesau was counting on the $200 he was entitled to by law upon leaving Folsom State Prison in June 2023, after 33 years. He was surprised when he received none of it. “They just threw me out like a piece of garbage,” Vaesau said. “Like after all that time, it was nothing to them.” Now, Vaesau and another formerly incarcerated person are suing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, alleging the state agency has illegally docked fees from the so-called “gate money” that former prisoners receive to help them cover basic necessities in their initial days of freedom.
CalMatters
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Harris released illegal immigrant charged with unlicensed driving as San Francisco DA. He killed someone shortly after
An illegal immigrant that then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris released from custody after police caught him driving without a license went on to kill a young law student months later with his car, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Tuesday. Harris’ office dropped charges against Roberto Galo in June 2010 after he was stopped by police for driving the wrong way down a one-way road and arrested for operating a vehicle without a license, according to the Free Beacon.
Daily Caller News Foundation
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California Proposition 36 on November ballot would increase penalties on drug, theft crimes
Proposition 36 on the November ballot has divided California lawmakers, including many Democrats. It would essentially unwind Prop. 47, which passed 10 years ago and made some theft and drug crimes misdemeanors instead of felonies. According to the governor's office, Prop. 47 has saved taxpayers over $816 million through reduced incarceration costs. Gov. Gavin Newsom says the Prop. 36 campaign is misleading.
ABC7
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Will the same protest policies yield a different response from campus leaders at the University of California?
Michael Drake, the president of the University of California, wrote a letter last month telling the system’s 10 campuses to ban encampments and regulate other protest-related conduct. But, as the letter references, most of those regulations were already on the books for the schools. The schools simply haven’t enforced them with regularity.
CalMatters
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California governor signs law to help Holocaust survivors recover art stolen by the Nazis
California Governor Gavin Newsom appeared at the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles Monday to sign a new law aimed at helping residents in the state recover art and other personal property stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust, or as a result of political persecution.“For survivors of the Holocaust and their families, the fight to take back ownership of art and other personal items stolen by the Nazis continues to traumatize those who have already gone through the unimaginable," said Newsom in a press release.
Courthouse News Service
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Fewer ‘ghost guns’ linked to crime in California, but problem persists
Southern California law enforcement officials are concerned about the proliferation of illegally assembled “ghost guns,” but they also say aggressive enforcement seems to be putting a dent in the number of the untraceable firearms on the streets. The total linked to crimes statewide has decreased in the past two years, after soaring for the previous dozen years, according to a state Department of Justice report.
Riverside Press-Enterprise
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Convictions/Pleas/Sentences | |
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Purported founder of OC supremacist group pleads guilty to riot-related charge
The purported founder of a Southern California-based militant supremacist group that was at the center of outbreaks of violence at local political rallies pleaded guilty on Friday, Sept. 13, to conspiracy to riot. Robert Rundo, a former Huntington Beach resident and accused founder and leader of the Rise Above Movement, now faces up to five years in federal prison.
Orange County Register
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Man charged with rapes and murder at the Venice Canals gets life without parole
The man charged with raping two women and murdering one of them in brutal attacks along the Venice Canals on the same day in April pleaded no contest to the charges Friday and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Anthony Francisco Jones pleaded no contest to murder with special circumstances, two counts of rape, one count of sexual penetration by use of force, one count of mayhem, one count of torture and one count of sodomy by use of force in connection with the April 6 attacks.
Los Angeles Times
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eBay wants newsletter publishers to disclose identity of news sources
eBay has asked a judge to force the publishers of an e-commerce newsletter to disclose the identity of their news sources so it can defend itself against a lawsuit they filed after several of the company’s employees admitted to carrying out a bizarre campaign to harass and terrorize them. The e-commerce company in a motion filed on Wednesday in Boston federal court said it sought the information after David and Ina Steiner argued they were entitled to more that $12 million in economic damages because the harassment stifled their ability to report and made would-be news sources fearful of providing them information.
Reuters
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Imagine if Los Angeles fully activated the voting power of its Latino majority
How liberal is Los Angeles? Even at first glance, the answer is: very. No Republicans hold city offices, and the Republican Party has ceased to play any meaningful role in Los Angeles governance or politics. The last Republican to be elected mayor was Richard Riordan, and he was reelected in 1997, nearly 30 years ago. In fact, the city is even more liberal than its recent history suggests.
CalMatters
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In ‘liberal’ San Francisco, the sole progressive vying for mayor is an underdog
After 17 years wielding power and influence on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Aaron Peskin is facing a rather existential moment: Has this famously liberal city moved too far right to embrace an old-school progressive like him for mayor? Peskin, a slight man of 60 with a full beard and glasses, has spent his political career fighting for liberal causes. He’s taken on large corporations, wringing substantial money from them to bolster community services.
Los Angeles Times
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Tasers are failing when police need them most. So why do they still carry them?
Four people were shot and injured by police after Tasers used against a suspected fare evader in Brooklyn were “ineffective” in subduing the man. The incident has raised questions about the use of deadly force by police for a petty crime, but also of the usefulness of the Taser as a tool for police to control suspects following years of similar incidents. Jennvine Wong, a supervising attorney with the Legal Aid Society’s Cop Accountability Project, described the Taser as “an escalation of the use of force.”
The Independent
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