GUEST COLUMNS
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
In the unpublished decision, the California Court of Appeal ruled that a man living in a tent had no Fourth Amendment protection -- a sign of how courts are criminalizing poverty.
Part Two examines the proposed 2026 ballot initiatives targeting property and automobile insurance in California, including a Consumer Watchdog "Bill of Rights" and a modernized regulatory framework aimed at restoring competition. The coming election could once again place voters at the center of the state's insurance market policy.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
On Oct. 11, California enacted SB 37 to crack down on misleading attorney advertising -- giving consumers the right to sue over deceptive ads and strengthening penalties for illegal solicitation.
Ballots, burn zones and bottom lines: How California voters have shaped the state's insurance market
California voters have long wielded influence over insurance regulation through ballot initiatives, from Proposition 103's sweeping reforms in 1988 to Proposition 213's 1996 limits on uninsured drivers' claims. This article explores the history and impact of these measures, setting the stage for the critical 2026 election.
Monday, October 27, 2025
Cash for keys agreements can offer landlords with properties in rent-controlled jurisdictions flexibility, but failure to follow local rules could cost them dearly.
Once limited mostly to defamation and media cases, California's anti-SLAPP statute (Code Civ. Proc. § 425.16) has expanded into nearly every corner of civil litigation -- from employment, family, and probate disputes to contract, real estate, and arbitration matters -- catching unprepared lawyers off guard and packing a powerful punch with fee-shifting, discovery stays, and immediate appeal rights that can turn a routine case into a high-stakes fight.
Friday, October 24, 2025
As more plaintiffs look to sell their legal claims, the quirky tax rules around such transfers make early tax advice crucial.
Jurors may apply the law as instructed, but rising ticket prices and advancing surveillance are shaping a new expectation: that venues take real responsibility for keeping concertgoers safe.
Thursday, October 23, 2025
A billion-dollar Los Angeles verdict over baby powder and mesothelioma underscores how junk science, aggressive trial lawyer advertising, and weak judicial gatekeeping are fueling an endless cycle of litigation that drives up costs, distorts justice, and undermines public trust in California's courts.
The allegations of widespread fraud in Los Angeles County sexual abuse claims demand immediate, independent action from experienced, unbiased plaintiffs' firms to protect real victims and restore integrity to the settlement process.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Businesses across industries are facing a surge in "Shine the Light" law requests under California Civil Code §1798.83, exposing those unprepared to respond to significant litigation risks and penalties despite compliance with newer privacy laws like the CCPA.
Amid "No Kings" protests over his authoritarian tactics, Trump's March 22 directive to punish lawyers challenging his policies looks less like reform -- and more like an effort to intimidate dissent.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
The EPA's proposal to gut greenhouse gas reporting would sideline nearly all sectors, leaving a gaping hole in climate accountability until at least 2034.
The California Air Resources Board released a preliminary list of in-scope entities and draft guidance on the state's mandatory climate reporting requirements. Certain companies doing business in California will have to publicly post their first reports on or before Jan. 1, 2026, in accordance with the guidance.
Monday, October 20, 2025
Sen. Ted Cruz plans bipartisan legislation to curb government "jawboning" -- pressure on media or platforms to silence speech -- arguing that protecting free expression requires applying First Amendment principles evenly, no matter the politics.
Recent California legislation will enable municipalities -- and reviewing courts -- to conserve valuable resources and time during CEQA-related litigation.
Friday, October 17, 2025
Despite longstanding precedent affirming the public's right to access civil court proceedings, recent actions in Los Angeles courtrooms underscore the need to reaffirm a core principle: Public and press access to civil proceedings is a constitutional right -- one that has never been more vital.
Banksy's mural at London's Royal Courts of Justice highlights the complex legal landscape of the Visual Artists Rights Act, which grants authors of recognized visual art the 'right of integrity' to prevent destruction or alteration of their works, creating potential liability for building owners even when artworks are installed without permission.
Thursday, October 16, 2025
California personal representatives must
conduct diligent, country-specific searches to identify heirs abroad, since failure to do so can reopen estates, delay distributions, and expose fiduciaries to liability.
The 2025 California Legislative Session enacted major reforms to the state's cannabis and hemp laws -- including new hemp regulations, a temporary cannabis tax cut, tighter controls on online sales, and faster approval for substance research -- marking one of the most significant overhauls of the industry since legalization.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
In California trust litigation, determining whether a settlor's mental ability meets the lower testamentary standard or the higher contractual one often decides who controls an estate -- and the outcome of the entire case.
Class actions in California are high-stakes, complex and slow -- demanding strategy, persistence, and careful management to deliver real results.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
The pending 3rd Circuit appeal in Thomson
Reuters v. ROSS Intelligence could set a landmark precedent on whether
using proprietary legal research headnotes to train AI constitutes copyright
infringement or fair use, potentially reshaping how commercial AI platforms are
developed across legal, medical, financial and other research-intensive fields.
California's diverse, high-value specialty crops are poorly served by federal farm subsidy programs designed for bulk row crops, and modernizing aid to reflect real economic losses, export risks, and timely delivery is critical to sustaining the state's farms and the national food supply.
Monday, October 13, 2025
Trump's bid to use the National Guard as a political tool has sparked lawsuits claiming he overstepped his authority and threatened the balance between federal and state power.
Under the Government Claims Act, a claimant need not file a pre-suit claim with a public entity when seeking purely declaratory relief, though any subsequent monetary claims must be preceded by a government claim.
Friday, October 10, 2025
Opened in 1891, Los Angeles' Red Sandstone Courthouse symbolized the city's civic pride, growth and legal development, and though it was demolished after earthquake damage in the 1930s, its legacy endures through preserved architectural elements and its influence on subsequent courthouses.
Effective commercial mediation requires recognizing and managing the human elements -- emotions, histories, biases and interpersonal dynamics -- that can either facilitate or impede settlement, rather than focusing solely on financial and legal positions.
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Bronshteyn
serves as a reminder of the broad discretion trial courts hold in awarding
attorney's fees to prevailing plaintiffs in employment litigation -- and the
difficulty defendants may face when trying to overturn such awards on appeal.
School injury cases can be complex and fact specific -- Doe v. Mount Pleasant Elementary School District serves as a practical starting point for analyzing claims tied to school-sponsored overnight retreats.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Despite more than 20 years of mandatory harassment training in California, workplace sexual harassment complaints have risen sharply, highlighting that compliance-focused programs fail to change culture and that effective prevention requires ongoing, interactive, and inclusive approaches emphasizing bystander intervention, relevance and psychological safety.
If you want to be paid, refusing to hand over a Form W-9 may not make sense.
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Many workers believe they're in a hostile work environment, but unless mistreatment is tied to a legally protected trait, the law often doesn't consider it unlawful.
War teaches luck matters. So does the law. Survival in court often depends on which lawyer, judge, or county you get -- not just your merits. To make justice fair, we need funding parity, standardized protocols and consistent representation -- so outcomes aren't left to chance.
Monday, October 6, 2025
Ross Intelligence is appealing a Delaware court ruling that held its use of Thomson Reuters' copyrighted headnotes for AI training was not fair use, in a case that could have sweeping implications for how AI models legally access and learn from copyrighted material.
By grounding complex disputes in universal moral principles, trial lawyers can make any business case accessible and compelling.
Friday, October 3, 2025
The music industry's 1990s sampling battles mirror today's AI copyright disputes: both pit innovation against ownership, both sparked chaos and lawsuits, and in both cases, the path forward lies not in endless litigation but in creating predictable licensing systems that balance creativity with compensation.
California's new "No Secret Police" Act aims to restore public trust, but its real test is whether state power can withstand federal supremacy in enforcing accountability.
Thursday, October 2, 2025
California's Honest Pricing Law and the FTC's Junk Fees Rule are forcing businesses to show all-in prices, driving costly system changes and exposing them to lawsuits and consumer backlash.
Vietnamese American nail salon owners and manicurists are challenging California's AB 5 law, claiming it unfairly forces nail techs into employee status while sparing other beauty professionals.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
The 9th Circuit's unpublished Moreland decision
reinforces that private CERCLA cost recovery hinges on strict compliance with
the National Contingency Plan (NCP), not on state agency labels.
Despite decades of settled law, the federal government is still fighting airport noise claims -- this time over Navy jet flights.
Daniel A. Saunders
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NEWS
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General News
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 |
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| Twenty-nine immigration attorneys and professionals, including former Seyfarth co-chair Mahsa Aliaskari, have joined Vialto Law, expanding its global legal services under alternative business structure rules. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 |
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| Oil giant argues SB 253 and SB 261 compel speech and conflict with federal securities rules. A prior challenge by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce failed to win an injunction. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 |
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| Cal State, the largest U.S. university system with 460,000 students, recently embarked on a public-private campaign -- with corporate titans including Amazon, OpenAI and Nvidia -- to position the school as the nation's "first and largest AI-empowered" university. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 |
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| With more interest rate cuts a possibility, it may be a good time to lock in current rates in your savings, if you haven't already. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 |
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| A new consumer class action accuses JustAnswer of deceptive automatic renewal practices, hidden fees, and obstructive cancellation tactics, seeking punitive damages and broad relief under state and federal consumer protection laws. | |
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General News
Monday, October 27, 2025 |
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| Pharmaceuticals co-founder Dr. Mary Zi-Ping Luo ran a red light and struck the man on a sidewalk. The verdict was a record for a plaintiff over 75, according to attorney Brian Panish. | |
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General News
Monday, October 27, 2025 |
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| Many financial institutions are offering interest-free loans, fee waivers, deferred payments and other forms of temporary relief to help keep workers afloat while the political gridlock drags on. | |
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General News
Monday, October 27, 2025 |
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| Two national environmental organizations accuse federal agencies of ignoring a court order to assess how shipping routes off California kill endangered whales and sea turtles, violating the Endangered Species Act and other laws. | |
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General News
Friday, October 24, 2025 |
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| Live Nation and Ticketmaster urged a Los Angeles federal judge to deny class certification, arguing millions of concertgoers' antitrust claims involve individualized ticketing contracts and diverse overcharge allegations across venues. | |
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General News
Friday, October 24, 2025 |
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| Orange County Superior Court Judge Bradley Erdosi granted summary judgment to Volkswagen Group of America, finding that buyers of a pre-owned 2021 Audi Q7 failed to show the SUV qualified as a "new motor vehicle" under California's Song-Beverly Act. | |
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General News
Friday, October 24, 2025 |
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| Quantum computing is still an experimental technology. But Google's new algorithm, Quantum Echoes, shows that scientists are rapidly improving techniques that could allow quantum computers to crack scientific problems no traditional computing device ever could. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 23, 2025 |
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| MGA Entertainment seeks appellate review to avoid a fourth jury trial, arguing punitive damages tied to equitable relief like disgorgement should be decided by judges, not juries, in IP litigation. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 23, 2025 |
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| A judge ruled Los Angeles County improperly approved a battery storage project in Acton, siding with a local group that claimed the facility violated zoning laws and threatened public safety. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 23, 2025 |
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| Newsom's slow roll protects him from taking any meaningful actions, thus bequeathing reparations to his successor, like his many other unresolved California issues. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 |
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| As voters weigh in on Proposition 50, which will appear on the ballot next month, the debate over the measure is complicated by one common concern and one common misconception: The concern is that the proposed redistricting moves California away from hard-won fairness in drawing congressional boundaries. The misconception is that this is a simple gift to Democrats. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 |
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| Los Angeles jury ruled for Disney's 20th Century Television, rejecting actor Rockmond Dunbar's claim he was unlawfully fired from "9-1-1" over religious objections to the studio's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 |
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| Ford Motor Co. and California lemon law firms continue their racketeering dispute, with Knight Law and co-defendants urging dismissal of Ford's $100 million fraud suit ahead of a November hearing. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 |
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| High school seniors applying to college may cross some schools off their list when they see the nearly six-figure "sticker" prices, not realizing that the actual cost may be far lower. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge denied a bid to disqualify Playboy's experts and counsel in a trademark suit against Advanced Vita Supplements but also rejected Playboy's motion for sanctions. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 |
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| Authors sued Salesforce, alleging its AI model XGen was trained on pirated books. The putative class action, led by attorney Joseph Saveri, adds to mounting copyright battles against AI companies. | |
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General News
Monday, October 20, 2025 |
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| Eight years ago, as he began his campaign for governor, Gavin Newsom described fixing the state's chronic housing shortage as a moral imperative. | |
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General News
Monday, October 20, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge is weighing class certification for homeowners claiming property damage from smoke and ash caused by the 2017 Thomas Fire, as experts and attorneys spar over damages methodology. | |
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General News
Monday, October 20, 2025 |
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| Health insurance prices for next year under the Affordable Care Act are now available in about a dozen states, giving Americans their first look at the sharp increases many will pay for coverage if Congress does not extend subsidies that have made some plans more affordable. | |
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General News
Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| October in California is typically known as a dangerous moment in peak fire season, the month when the state has seen some of its most destructive wildfires, but an early-season storm that swept from the Bay Area to Los Angeles this week has lessened the risk that wildfires will spark, according to state fire meteorologists and other experts. | |
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General News
Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| The city of Palm Springs agreed to pay $5.91 million to the families--primarily Black, Latino, and Native American--who were forcibly removed from Section 14 during midcentury redevelopment. | |
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General News
Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| You're never too young to get your finances in order, and the decisions you make now can help you develop positive habits to build wealth down the road. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| The American garage's reincarnation looks different depending on the resident: It might be a hideaway man cave, a she shed, a home theater, a workshop, a crafting zone or a band practice room. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| An Orange County Superior Court judge severed and advanced CEQA claims in a lawsuit challenging Santa Ana's citywide short-term-rental ban, saying judicial economy favors addressing environmental issues before other claims. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| A federal judge is weighing whether Acting U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli is lawfully serving, amid claims his appointment violates the Federal Vacancies Reform Act's limits on temporary federal roles. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
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| Gov. Gavin Newsom of California vetoed a bill that would phase out harmful "forever chemicals" used in nonstick cookware, saying he was worried it would make pots and pans more expensive for Californians. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
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| Upstart financial technology firms are connecting outside financial advisers to employer-sponsored plans, allowing the advisers to take steps like rebalancing accounts on behalf of their clients. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
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| The Orange County Superior Court complaint claims the firm aided a minority owner's "illegal coup" against a majority partner in violation of conflict-of-interest rules. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| The Palisades Fire master complaint broadens litigation to 12 defendants, alleging shared responsibility among utilities and telecoms, potentially triggering crossclaims and complex liability battles over Los Angeles' worst wildfire. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| The estate of writer Travis Michael Flores claims prominent entertainment lawyer Bryan Freedman mishandled Flores's 2021 copyright suit against director Justin Baldoni, later breached confidentiality, and now represents Baldoni in high-profile litigation against actress Blake Lively. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| The arrival of Sora, along with similar AI-powered video generators released by Meta and Google this year, has major implications. The tech could represent the end of visual fact -- the idea that video could serve as an objective record of reality -- as we know it. | |
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General News
Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| Midjourney, defended by Cooley LLP, rebuts Warner Bros.' copyright claims, arguing its AI mimics human creativity, uses fair use principles, and shouldn't be forced to impose broader restrictions on innovation. | |
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General News
Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| Judge Peter A. Hernandez criticized an attorney for citing fake AI-generated cases but considered his argument to let a defamation suit by the former Dodger proceed despite serious concerns over legal ethics. | |
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General News
Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| Oakland, long regarded as a scrappy, more affordable city across the bay from San Francisco, has struggled since the pandemic with crime, an enormous deficit and a civic embarrassment when its mayor was recalled and federally indicted. But the city's residents are especially frustrated with illegal dumping these days. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 |
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| A federal magistrate in Los Angeles questioned Knight Law Group's standing to oppose Ford's subpoenas to third parties in the automaker's racketeering suit against California lemon law firms accused of inflated billing. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 |
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| Electric truck maker Rivian Automotive Inc. has agreed to a $250 million settlement resolving claims it misled investors about the cost of producing its R1T pickup and R1S SUV before going public in 2021. The deal, subject to court approval, will compensate shareholders who bought stock during the months after Rivian's IPO. | |
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General News
Monday, October 27, 2025 |
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| Attorneys for Los Angeles said U.S. District Judge David O. Carter, according to his own words from the bench, had no authority to appoint an unelected monitor over the city's homeless spending. | |
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General News
Friday, October 24, 2025 |
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| Michael Lancaster will oversee the company's global legal operations, including commercial contracts, compliance, and protection of its extensive intellectual property portfolio. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 23, 2025 |
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| Two judges on a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel signaled concern Tuesday with an Oakland judge's order barring Apple from collecting commissions on purchases made outside its apps, suggesting the sanction may have gone too far in Epic Games' long-running antitrust dispute with the company. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 |
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| The ranking Democratic members of two congressional oversight committees announced Monday that they had started an investigation into reports of misconduct by federal agents during immigration arrests across the country, focusing on the detainment of American citizens. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 |
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| Los Angeles County reached a tentative $828 million settlement in over 400 AB 218 childhood sexual abuse cases, adding to a prior $4 billion agreement over county facility abuse. | |
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General News
Monday, October 20, 2025 |
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| A state appellate panel ruled in an unpublished decision that a man selling drugs from a sidewalk tent in Hollywood had no reasonable expectation of privacy, upholding a trial court's decision that police didn't need a warrant to search the illegally placed structure. | |
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General News
Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| Immigrant advocates sued Homeland Security and ICE, alleging new enforcement guidance unlawfully strips humanitarian protections and detains or deports crime victims, violating due process and decades-old policies safeguarding survivors of trafficking and abuse. | |
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General News
Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| The California Faculty Association sued Cal State over disclosing employee data to federal investigators probing antisemitism, arguing it violated privacy rights and failed to notify staff before releasing sensitive information. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
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| Southern California Edison moved to strike class allegations in wildfire litigation, arguing individualized property damage defeats class treatment in lawsuits over the Eaton Fire that destroyed thousands of structures in January. | |
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General News
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge rejected Edison's demurrer and motion to strike in a back-billing class action, calling arguments "frivolous," allowing plaintiffs to pursue exemplary damages. | |
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General News
Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| The new laws expand oversight, add funding options, and extend coverage under the state's insurer of last resort, as officials race to steady California's volatile property insurance market. | |