Courts, Rulings & Lawsuits | |
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Federal judge orders UCLA stadium locked down under lawsuit over veterans housing
A federal judge late Wednesday ordered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to lock down UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium on the VA's West Los Angeles campus at noon Thursday until the university comes up with a proposal for the stadium grounds to be used for the benefit of the military veterans for whom the land was originally deeded.
City News Service
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Lawsuit filed by former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva over his placement on ‘do not rehire list’ is dismissed
A federal judge has tossed former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva’s lawsuit against the county over his placement on a “do not rehire” list, according to court papers obtained Saturday. Villanueva, who lost his bid for re-election in 2022, was investigated by an oversight panel looking into harassment and retaliation complaints stemming from comments the controversial former sheriff made about Inspector General Max Huntsman and for allegedly targeting and harassing women of color.
City News Service
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Overtime wages not due to firefighters for pandemic confinement while training
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held yesterday that summary judgment was properly granted in favor of the County of Los Angeles in a class action suit alleging wage violations for the failure to pay firefighters overtime for hours they spent confined to a hotel, with orders not to leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during academy training in 2020 as the restrictions did not turn the after-hours time into compensable work.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Professor’s free speech claims after being disciplined for using racial epithets in class can move forward
A California judge ruled Friday that a San Diego philosophy professor can continue to argue his constitutional violation claims that he was wrongfully disciplined by his university for using racial epithets during class in a pedagogically appropriate way, though he won't be able to pursue similar claims for his use of gendered slurs in class.
Courthouse News Service
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Palos Verdes Estates settles Bad Boys surf gang cases, vows access
A settlement was reached this week that appears to herald the end of the Bay Boys’ six-decade reign over the coveted waves at Lunada Bay, famed for unspooling in a dreamy, unbroken right hand line. The city of Palos Verdes Estates has agreed to a series of steps to improve public access to the bay and “vigorously enforce” coastal access laws to ensure that all surfers can shred in peace.
Los Angeles Times
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Gratuitous force is relevant to asportation for kidnapping
Div. Six of this district’s Court of Appeal has held that the fact that criminal defendants used more violence, threats, and victims than was necessary to complete a robbery rendered the movement of three employees less than 40 feet within a cellular phone store - and forcing them into a small, back room where the safe was located - into a substantial asportation independent of the theft, as required for kidnapping convictions.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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State Supreme Court won’t hear appeal from gunman who killed bystander with stray bullet
The California Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of a Sylmar man who was convicted of first-degree murder for opening fire after an argument and killing an innocent bystander in Long Beach. The state’s highest court on Wednesday denied the defense’s petition seeking its review of the case of Thomas Terrell McCreary.
Long Beach Post
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Man may sue over arrest despite conviction for resisting
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal held yesterday that a man’s conviction for obstructing police officers does not act as a bar against an excessive force lawsuit based on the same incident - despite U.S. Supreme Court precedent holding that a lawsuit suit may not proceed if a plaintiff victory would challenge the validity of the criminal case - where the event could be looked at as multiple, separate acts of resistance.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Shanice Dyer kills, Gascón frees, another person dead
In the fall of 2019, Shanice Dyer murdered two people in cold blood. There is no question about that - she pleaded guilty to it. A few months ago, Dyer allegedly helped murder another person. She was out and on the streets less than four years after she committed double murder specifically because of the policies of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón. Again - there is no question about that.
California Globe
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High school guidance counselor charged for alleged sexual relationship with 16-year-old student
A guidance counselor from a West Los Angeles high school faces sexual assault charges after she allegedly had a relationship with one of her students earlier this year. On Thursday, the LA County District Attorney charged Julie Elizabeth Tichon with three felony counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor more than three years younger and one felony count of oral copulation of a person under 18.
KCAL News
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OC plastic surgeon faces new accusation by medical board, felony battery charges by DA
“I feel mutilated and felt lied to,” said Toni Arken, a former patient of Dr. Arian Mowlavi. “I just don’t even understand how someone could work like this.” Arken had surgery with Mowlavi in 2018. Her experience is detailed in a recently amended medical board accusation against the plastic surgeon also known as Dr Laguna. His strong social media presence drew her to his practice.
NBC4
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Suspected serial rapist in Los Angeles indicted by grand jury in case involving 11 women
A suspected serial rapist in Los Angeles police have said targeted women he met through social media and filmed the assaults has been indicted by a grand jury, prosecutors said Wednesday. Terrance Hawkins, 42, could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of all 26 felony charges filed against him which allege he physically and sexually abused 11 women, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office.
KCAL News
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Los Angeles attorney faces up to 8 years for allegedly embezzling $4.8 million from client
A Los Angeles divorce attorney faces up to eight years in prison after being charged with allegedly embezzling about $4.8 million in client funds, prosecutors said Thursday. Evie Jeang is accused of embezzling the millions of dollars from a client trust account, funds that were to be distributed to her client and his then-wife, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
KCAL News
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UCI lecturer facing misdemeanor charge says he hasn't faced professional repercussions
A UC Irvine lecturer who faces a misdemeanor charge for allegedly failing to disperse when police attempted to clear a student encampment said he has not faced any repercussions professionally. The charges stem from last May when law enforcement officials arrested more than 40 students on the university's campus after weeks of protests calling for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza.
LAist
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Feds charge man for allegedly sending threats to kill, torture 6 SCOTUS justices
An Alaskan man has been arrested for allegedly sending violent and threatening messages to six Supreme Court justices. Panos Anastasiou, 76, from Anchorage, is accused of sending more than 465 threatening messages to U.S. Supreme Court justices through the court’s public website from March 2023 to July 2024.
Straight Arrow News
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Sean ‘Diddy' Combs didn't act alone, network of employees may also be prosecuted
Sean “Diddy” Combs didn't act alone on crimes that include bribery, making threats and sex trafficking, according to federal prosecutors. Authorities allege Combs had plenty of help, and what comes next is the possible prosecution of an entire network of the rap mogul's employees.
NBC4
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L.A. federal prosecutors lauded by ATF director for work in wild murder for hire, arson case
The wild prosecution of a La Cañada Flintridge man in connection with trying to rub out his former lawyer and for paying an arsonist to set his North Hollywood building ablaze to smoke out low income tenants has led to a prestigious commendation for the L.A. U.S. Attorney's Office.
Los Angeles Magazine
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Crypto mogul known as ‘The Godfather’ used L.A. deputies for extortion, feds allege
Federal prosecutors call him “The Godfather,” and like the fictional mafia boss, he allegedly had cops on the payroll to do his criminal bidding. Adam Iza, who ran a cryptocurrency trading platform known as Zort, allegedly paid several L.A. County sheriff’s deputies - sometimes tens of thousands of dollars - to perform unlawful searches and arrests as part of an extortion scheme, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed this week.
Los Angeles Times
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Nathan Hochman is the champion crime victims need for Los Angeles County District Attorney
Crime shatters lives. Its devastation ripples through families, schools, places of worship, and our entire community. Los Angeles County deserves a district attorney who will protect the innocent, hold offenders accountable, and restore justice to our streets. Nathan Hochman is the right choice for this job. The contrast with George Gascón couldn’t be starker.
Kathy Cady
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Gascón vs. Hochman for DA
Who is Nathan Hochman? Hochman is a former federal prosecutor who for the past 24 years has mostly worked as a white collar criminal defense attorney. Unlike Gascón, Hochman is not interested in trying to bring about systemic change when it comes to how prosecutors function. He has promised to reverse all of the DA’s policies in favor of an approach he calls “the hard middle.”
LAist
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LA DA George Gascón stands by his progressive prosecutor ideals
In six weeks, Los Angeles County voters will decide the fate of District Attorney George Gascón. In 2020, he unseated incumbent Jackie Lacey in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests and a resurgent Black Lives Matter movement. Voters wanted a departure from tough-on-crime policies from someone who billed himself as a “progressive prosecutor.” Gascón previously had served as the San Francisco DA and was a long-time LAPD officer.
KCRW
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L.A. School Police Officers, management associations endorse Nathan Hochman for District Attorney
Two associations representing Los Angeles School Police Officers and Management endorsed Nathan Hochman, the former federal prosecutor and independent candidate for Los Angeles County District Attorney, citing his commitment to protecting school children and staff.
Nathan Hochman News Release
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Gascón vs. Hochman: Very different takes on what LA's district attorney should do
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón faces a difficult reelection battle against challenger Nathan Hochman, who has a far more traditional view of the DA’s role. Many see the the outcome of this race as a bellwether for the national criminal justice reform movement, which sent numerous progressive district attorneys into office following the George Floyd murder and BLM protests in 2020.
LAist
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'Get out of jail fast' polices drive up crime
Dear Editor, Headline after headline and year after year of annual statistics tell us that crime is out-of-control in Santa Monica, with sexual assaults the latest painful trend. Following a second late-August sexual assault at the beach by a homeless attacker SMPD reported three additional sex-crime arrests here, including two incidents of indecent exposure and a sex offender who failed to register.
Peter DiChellis
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Soros-backed DA's own office union just sued him
Slapped with yet another lawsuit, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón is in hot water again. This time, the embattled Soros-backed prosecutor's own office is accusing him of withholding critical information - in violation of the state's open records law - about a senior Gascón aide facing felony charges. The union representing the largest local prosecutorial office in the country alleges that Gascón is protecting his ethics chief currently charged with a slew of felonies.
Townhall
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70% of LA County rooms for the homeless remain vacant: report (Video)
An investigation finds that after L.A. County spent more than half a $1 billion on apartments and hotels for the homeless, more than 70% of those rooms remain vacant. Westside Current report Jaime Page joined FOX 11 to talk about her exclusive reporting.
Fox11
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Park asks city attorney for answers after RV towing put on hold
Councilwoman Traci Park, joined by Councilmembers Kevin de León and Jonn Lee, presented a motion Friday, requesting clarification from the City Attorney regarding towing procedures for oversized vehicles and other parking violations. On August 16, 2024, the Los Angeles City Council issued instructions for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to commence immediate towing of vehicles parked in violation of several sections of the Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC).
Westside Current
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Former philosophy professor who sent threatening manifesto found not guilty by reason of insanity
In a brief bench trial Thursday, a federal judge found a former UCLA philosophy lecturer who circulated an 802-page manifesto threatening mass violence in 2022 not guilty by reason of insanity. “Based on these stipulated findings of fact I find by clear and convincing evidence that at the time of the event, Mr. Harris was unable to appreciate the nature and quality of the wrongfulness of his acts,” U.S. Judge Regina Rodriguez said.
Courthouse News Service
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Prop 36: California ballot measure aims to toughen retail crime penalties
This year, Californians will decide the fate of Proposition 36, a state ballot measure that seeks to increase punishments for some theft and drug possession offenses. What’s notable about Prop 36 is that it would undo some of the key provisions from Prop 47, which Californians voted to pass in 2014 to address prison overcrowding by reclassifying some theft and drug-related offenses as misdemeanors.
NBC4
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California sues ExxonMobil for alleged decades of deception around plastic recycling, in first-of-its-kind lawsuit
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil on Monday alleging the company carried out a “decades-long campaign of deception” in which the oil and gas giant misled the public on the merits of plastic recycling. The complaint accuses the company of using slick marketing and misleading public statements for half a century to claim recycling was an effective way to deal with plastic pollution, according to a press release from Bonta’s office published Monday.
CNN
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Gavin Newsom sides with cops, vetoes California bill banning police use of killer drones
California law enforcement won’t be prohibited from using killer drones anytime soon, after Gov. Gavin Newsom this weekend vetoed AB 2681. The bill, by Assemblywoman Akilah Weber, D-San Diego, would have made it an infraction offense to manufacture, modify, sell, transfer or operate a robotic device equipped with a weapon. It very specifically did not include an exception for law enforcement.
Sacramento Bee
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Video shows drug use, homeless issue plaguing MacArthur Park
Problems continue in MacArthur Park in Los Angeles as business leaders and community members complain about drug use, trash and homelessness - issues that are very visible in the area. In late August, Norm Langer threatened to close Langer’s Deli across the street from the park after nearly 80 years in business. NBC4 cameras Thursday captured several people doing illegal drugs in the middle of the afternoon as families and community members walked by.
NBC4
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Deputy gangs policy
The backstory: Independent research and department leader say the groups, whose members wear matching tattoos and have engaged in misconduct ranging from excessive use of force to intimidation of fellow deputies, have been around for decades. Inspector general's concern: “The real problem in the Sheriff’s Department is this 50-year code of silence,” Inspector General Max Huntsman told LAist. “These groups are secretive. It's not written down on paper anywhere. Nobody ever admits it under oath.”
LAist
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LAPD officer lost gun in MRI machine during mistargeted raid, report says
The Los Angeles Police Department damaged equipment at a medical center in the San Fernando Valley after an officer lost his gun to an MRI machine, according to a report. Citing a lawsuit filed by the NoHo Diagnostic Center against the city, SFGate reported that a raid intended to find illegal cannabis cultivation in October 2023 discovered nothing but medical imaging equipment and items normal for such a facility.
KTLA
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Former British police officer chosen to lead LAPD watchdog
As the Los Angeles Police Department holds its breath over the selection of its next chief, officials this week announced the selection of the agency's new top watchdog. Django Sibley, a former police officer in the United Kingdom, was named executive director of the Los Angeles Police Commission. Sibley held the job on an interim basis for nearly six months after the retirement of Richard Tefank, who served in the role for nearly two decades.
Los Angeles Times
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Millions were raised to help L.A. County firefighters. Where did the money go?
Every episode of “LA Fire & Rescue,” a short-lived 2023 NBC docuseries, ended the same way. After watching L.A. County firefighters pull off heroic rescues, viewers were asked to donate to a nonprofit that raised money for the county Fire Department. But some of the money earned by the Los Angeles County Fire Department Foundation through the show and other fundraising efforts never reached the department, attorneys representing the county government allege.
Los Angeles Times
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Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance - summary of new requirements
As of September 3, 2024, employers in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County must comply with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO), which places restrictions on criminal background screening beyond those required by California’s Fair Chance Act (Fair Chance Act). The Fair Chance Act (also known as “Ban the Box” law) bans employers with five or more employees from including any question on a job application that asks about the applicant’s criminal conviction history.
LaborSphere
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PPIC poll offers clues about how LA County voters will vote in DA race and on homeless tax
A poll released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) on state wide ballot measures has clues to where voters in Los Angeles County may swing on two big county decisions: the race for district attorney and the sales tax increase to combat homelessness. Of the ten statewide ballot propositions in November, the strongest support showed up for Proposition 36, the measure to amend Proposition 47 of ten years ago and toughen response to crime.
Joel Fox
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Accused LA bus hijacker previously spent time in prison
The man accused of commandeering an LA Metro bus at gunpoint in South LA, holding a driver and passenger hostage, and of murdering another passenger, previously served time in state prison for transporting or selling controlled substances, records and officials confirmed Thursday. Lamont A. Campbell was arrested Wednesday by LAPD SWAT officers after the overnight standoff and pursuit, in which the bus passenger died after being shot multiple times, allegedly by Campbell, police said.
NBC4
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Tired of retail theft, more Rite Aid stores in SoCal are locking up products
As the smash-and-grab trend plagued business across Los Angeles, more big retailers are stepping up security to keep their merchandise safe. The Rite Aid store on Long Beach Boulevard in Compton is one of the stores that began to lock up almost every single item under lock and key. From paper plates, to candy, Ziploc bags and soda, products that are under $10 were all locked in the store shelves.
NBC4
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Several L.A. County sheriff’s deputies relieved of duty in connection with federal investigation
Several deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have been relieved of duty in connection with a federal investigation, authorities said Tuesday night. The Sheriff’s Department confirmed the move was linked to a probe “involving the U.S. Attorney’s Office” but declined to provide information about the exact number of deputies or the nature of the investigation. Federal prosecutors declined to comment late Tuesday.
Los Angeles Times
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Firefighter accused of setting blazes in Northern California was a former inmate firefighter
A Cal Fire engineer accused of setting several fires in Northern California had previously been in a firefighting training program while serving a six-year state prison sentence for vehicular manslaughter, according to state corrections officials. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said 38-year-old Robert Matthew Hernandez, who was recently charged with multiple counts of arson, had participated in the state’s Conservation Camp Program from April through December 2018.
Los Angeles Times
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University of California board of regents approve new weapons request for campus police
The University of California board of regents approved Thursday additional non-lethal weapons requested by UCLA police, which handled some of the nation's largest student protests against the Israel-Hamas war. Clashes between protesters and counterprotesters earlier this year on the campus led to more than a dozen injuries, and more than 200 people were arrested at a demonstration the next day.
AP
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HUD gave $10-million tenant organizing grant to L.A. landlord who tenants say blocked their organizing
For nine months, Nash Stabolito has tried to organize a tenant union with fellow residents of his Skid Row single-room occupancy hotel and nearby properties owned by his landlord. In his building, the Baltimore Hotel, Stabolito has photos of cockroach droppings lining doors, mold-like spores dotting walls and a dead rat in a neighbor’s room. Tenants at the other SROs have had similar complaints. Working collectively, Stabolito believes, residents could better their conditions.
Los Angeles Times
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Mark Cuban wants to take out Chinese knockoffs, and he says Kamala Harris is on the same page
The billionaire investor Mark Cuban said he's working with Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign to find ways to protect US companies from Chinese knockoffs. Cuban said on Wednesday in an X post that he "had an interesting conversation with the @KamalaHarris team about protecting American companies from Chinese Knockoffs.”
Business Insider
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iPhone users can now add California driver's license to phone. Here's how
California driver’s license holders can now add their state ID to Apple Wallet on their IPhone and Apple Watch, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday. The digital IDs will be accepted at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) check points, including Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco Airport, as well as select businesses. “With this new integration, we’re working to better serve the people of California in the 21st Century,” Newsom said in a statement.
NBC4
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NYC Mayor Eric Adams indicted on 5 federal public corruption charges, including bribery and wire fraud
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals, according to a 57-page indictment unsealed Thursday morning. The indictment alleges illegal actions stretching back to 2014, from when he was Brooklyn Borough president.
CNN
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Secret Service report highlights failures before attempted Trump assassination
Poor communication and technological failures created an opening for a 20-year-old gunman to open fire on former President Donald Trump at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, an internal review by the Secret Service found. Agents failed to use a device that might have detected the attacker, Thomas Matthew Crooks, as he flew a drone over the rally venue before the shooting, according to a summary of the review released Friday.
Courthouse News Service
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Convicted Bay Area murderer killed in California prison
A Bay Area man was killed last week in a Central Valley prison where he’d been serving a life sentence for murdering a close friend, officials said. On Thursday, guards at Kern Valley State Prison found Jacob Kober unresponsive and suffering from “serious injuries” in the cell that he shared with Matthew Perez, authorities said in a statement. Kober, 35, was pronounced dead half an hour later after he failed to respond to medical treatment, authorities said.
Los Angeles Times
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California scores legal win on appeal over Sites Reservoir project
A three-judge appellate panel has sided with California Governor Gavin Newsom over the Sites Reservoir project, ruling that a key environmental report meets muster. Groups including Friends of the River had sued over the reservoir project, claiming it will threaten fish and contribute to greenhouse gases.
Courthouse News Service
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China, Russia targets of Biden’s proposed car surveillance rule
The US Commerce Department announced a rulemaking Monday to prohibit the sale or import of certain connected-vehicle components and software with close ties to Russia or China, citing national security concerns. Malicious access to increasingly connected motor vehicles on US roads could enable foreign adversaries to remotely manipulate cars, and, in “extreme” scenarios, even “shut down or take control,” said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo during a press call Sunday.
Bloomberg Law
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Convictions/Pleas/Sentences | |
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Leader of white supremacist group in SoCal pleads guilty
Robert Rundo, founder of the Rise Above Movement which the U.S. Dept. of Justice describes as a “Southern California-based militant supremacist group,” pleaded guilty in a criminal case last week to conspiracy to riot. According to court records, the plea deal with the prosecutors will involve a sentence no longer than two years of federal time.
Davis Vanguard
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Ex-deputy gets 6 years for South Gate crash that killed boy, 12
A now-former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Wednesday to six years in state prison for a high-speed, off-duty crash in South Gate that killed a 12-year-old boy. Ricardo Castro, 30, pleaded no contest earlier this month to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence for the Nov. 3, 2021, crash that left Isaiah Suarez Rodriguez dead and injured the boy’s older sister, along with Castro and his passenger.
City News Service
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The US is mailing Americans free COVID tests again. Here’s how to get them
Americans can once again order COVID-19 tests, without being charged, sent straight to their homes. The U.S. government reopened the program on Thursday, allowing any household to order up to four at-home COVID nasal swab kits through the website, covidtests.gov. The tests will begin shipping, via the United States Postal Service, as soon as next week.
AP
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Anguished homeowners struggle to keep their insurance
Kerry McCalmont’s insurance company told her to cut down the majestic oak tree towering over her Glendale house if she wants to renew her homeowner’s policy. But there’s a catch. A city ordinance declares that indigenous trees are “natural aesthetic resources” that add “distinction and character” to its neighborhoods. They cannot be damaged or destroyed.
Orange County Register
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No discretionary immunity owed to County for abusive foster care placement
A county is not entitled to discretionary immunity - usually applicable to social services agencies relating to child placement decisions - where the department failed to provide any facts showing that a caseworker made a considered decision in not acting after the minor reported that the foster father showered with him and made him feel “yucky,” Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held yesterday.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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In win for Tennessee free speech law, SmileDirectClub loses appeal against NBC News
Defunct Nashville-based teledental company SmileDirectClub lost its appeal against NBC News in a high-profile defamation lawsuit Thursday that tested the mettle of a recent Tennessee law strengthening First Amendment rights. SmileDirectClub accused NBC Universal Media of publishing over 40 “false and misleading” claims about the company in a scathing article published in February 2020, and sought $2.85 billion in damages.
Nashville Tennessean
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