Judges and Judiciary
San Diego County judge retires after 24 years on the bench
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
In her most recent bench assignment, Judge Patricia Garcia presided over complex family law trials and settlement conferences.
Environmental & Energy
Steel plant accused of violating storm water rules
By Devon Belcher
The complaint seeks an order for Dywidag Systems in Long Beach to pay up to $64,618 per day, per violation.
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Circuit revives class action against Google for cellular data misuse
By Craig Anderson
The nationwide damages could be as much as $2.7 billion.
Civil Rights
Hindu group pauses religious bias claim against state
By Malcolm Maclachlan
The decision came after the judge hearing a caste discrimination case against Cisco Systems agreed to remove mentions of Hindu...
Constitutional Law
Elon Musk trying to silence critics, watchdog group says
By Sunidhi Sridhar
Musk claims Center for Countering Digital Hate is scouring X (Twitter) for offensive posts to drive away advertisers.
Native Americans
Judge rules against state in tribe casino negotiations
By Malcolm Maclachlan
The judge found that state negotiators repeatedly reinserted environmental and tort law provisions into a gaming agreement, wh...
“The dramatic rise in antisemitism has hit California’s classrooms and playgrounds,” Dan Shallman, managing partner of Covingt...
Banks are more focused on using generative AI to combat security threats rather than integrating it into lending decision-maki...
Class Action
Class action alleges microplastics in Evian’s ‘natural’ water
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
A 2022 report by the Australian non-profit Minderoo Foundation estimated corporate liabilities from plastics litigation to hit...
Insurance
Car rental app settles $15M lawsuit against insurance claims administrator
By Skyler Romero
The settlement was reached after attorneys with Covington & Burling LLP rested their case on behalf of Getaround following...
International Law
Chinese chipmaker acquitted of economic espionage
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
The indictment was part of the U.S. Justice Department’s “China Initiative” to combat corporate espionage that has since been ...
COVID-era case backlogs gave Christopher White a new appreciation for ADR work.
Contracts
San Diego lawyer drops suit against consumer attorneys, plans to refile
By Malcolm Maclachlan
John H. Gomez, a prominent personal injury attorney in San Diego, accused the group of sullying his reputation and said he wil...
Environmental & Energy
CEQA decision could have ‘cold water effect’ for delay tactics
By Jack Needham
The case concerned an application by Hilltop Group Inc. to develop a recycling facility on a parcel of land in San Diego Count...
Contracts
Breach of contract claim against state in PPE case dismissed
By Malcolm Maclachlan
The company said state officials gave preferential treatment to other businesses that missed deliveries of medical supplies fr...
Alternative Dispute Resolution, U.S. Supreme Court
Justices question lengthy Coinbase arbitration dispute
By Craig Anderson
The justices were curious about why the parties are fighting so hard – for three years now – about whether an arbitrator or co...
Civil Litigation
Erika Girardi’s anti-SLAPP defense denied in $18.2 claim
By Devon Belcher
The plaintiff, a fashion designer, claims that Girardi and her assistants, as well as U.S. Secret Service agents and American ...
Litigation & Arbitration
Judge reduces Monsanto damages verdict by $300M
By Malcolm Maclachlan
The judge found Monsanto engaged in “highly reprehensible conduct” by intentionally marketing a defective product, but reduced...
Civil Rights
Berkeley schools accused of allowing antisemitic bullying
By Sunidhi Sridhar
The complaint also alleges that teachers used class time to propagandize against Israel and that parents have reported antisem...
Health Care & Hospital Law
Suit challenges delay in COVID-19 testing reimbursement
By Skyler Romero
The lawsuit argues that the state’s plan delays reimbursement of COVID testing claims, violating deadlines set by Senate Bill ...
Labor/Employment
Fox, Tubi say counsel wrongly used privileged documents
By Wisdom Howell
“This is a textbook example of attorney-client privilege. It is individual at the company, emailing a lawyer providing informa...
Civil Litigation, Contracts
Father-son team compare billion-dollar win to David and Goliath battle
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
“Other firms think more is better and think bigger is better. But they have too many cooks in the kitchen,” Michael Friedman s...
Government
Mitchell Silberberg attorney named to trade policy advisory group
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
Nimish Patel of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP will serve a four-year term.
Litigation & Arbitration
Panel: Arbitrator didn’t need to disclose work as ‘lawyer’s lawyer’
By Jack Needham
An appellant’s argument that the arbitrator who oversaw his dispute with his former attorney failed to disclose his own regula...
Civil Litigation
Cochran Firm claims deception in assault case attorney fees
By Skyler Romero
The case concerns the compensation structure used by The Cochran Firm for cases that come through its advertised telephone num...
Judges and Judiciary
Judges and lawyers call for new ways to serve notice
By Skyler Romero
Some legal professionals wonder if changes to the Code of Civil Procedure to allow for more alternative methods of service are...
Government, Judges and Judiciary
Judge accuses prosecutors of misleading court in re-arrest
By Devon Belcher
A district court judge accused federal prosecutors of misleading the 9th Circuit and a magistrate judge to effect the rearrest...
Health Care & Hospital Law
Keenan & Associates sued over breach of 1.5M health records
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
The insurance company faces nearly a dozen similar lawsuits in federal court in California. Keenan began notifying clients of ...
Labor/Employment
Employers fight state, federal rulings on PAGA claims
By Craig Anderson
The filings are the latest efforts by employers in their battle against plaintiffs’ attorneys who file complaints under PAGA, ...
Criminal, Government
US judge considers special master for women’s prison
By Sunidhi Sridhar
The plaintiffs have not sufficiently proven that there was a widespread practice of sexual assault and exploitation at the pri...