GUEST COLUMNS
Monday, July 14, 2025
California employers are scrambling to balance
state requirements with new federal directives that impact everything from
immigration to gender issues. Here's what you need to know.
Court holds that Anthropic's training of AI using legally obtained books is fair use, but storage of pirated books is not.
Friday, July 11, 2025
With companies increasingly eyeing Nevada and Texas over Delaware, Texas's new Business Court offers a timely, if still untested, alternative to the Court of Chancery's seasoned dominance.
An unpublished appeals court ruling in a machete attack case clarifies the steep hurdles plaintiffs face when suing public entities over dangerous conditions involving third-party conduct.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
A controversial excise tax on litigation funding proceeds -- once feared by funders and lawyers alike -- has been left out of the Senate's final tax bill for now, but with strong industry backing and future legislative interest, it may yet return in another form.
The 9th Circuit Court upheld that J-M Manufacturing violated federal and state False Claims Acts by falsely claiming its pipes met industry standards despite evidence of non-compliance, but ruled that penalties apply per project--not per pipe--due to lack of proof on specific defective units or exact damages.
Monday, July 7, 2025
The Senate narrowly passed the sweeping "One Big Beautiful Tax Bill," which includes major changes to small business stock rules, SALT deductions, school choice tax credits, and bonus depreciation -- policies with significant implications for California taxpayers.
As California fights to protect its century-old water rights while the Colorado River shrinks to dangerous lows, the nation's most populous state finds itself navigating between legal tradition and climate reality, with 40 million people's water supply hanging in the balance.
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Business disputes are costly, complex, and often ruin relationships, but when approached with early communication, strategic mediation, and the right people at the table, resolution can be faster, cheaper and even lead to renewed collaboration.
While campaign ads must disclose who paid for them, lobbying ads -- especially digital ones -- often don't, and usually that's entirely legal.
Monday, June 30, 2025
Thousands of homeowners are being denied insurance coverage for toxic smoke damage, despite clear health risks and legal protection.
As California's 2025 legislative session nears its close, lawmakers are advancing three impactful employment bills--targeting fake job ads, AI-driven management, and employee rights education -- that, if enacted, will reshape workplace transparency and compliance obligations statewide.
Friday, June 27, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Zuch redefines the boundaries of Tax Court jurisdiction in CDP cases, with potential implications for how collection disputes unfold during litigation.
As Congress advances the "One Big Beautiful Tax Bill," proposed Senate reforms signal a long-term, pro-investment future for Opportunity Zones -- expanding eligibility, enhancing tax benefits (especially in rural areas), and tightening reporting requirements, all with the potential to reshape how investors engage in distressed community development.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025
A new Supreme Court ruling hints that medical
expenses from personal injuries might now open the door to RICO claims -- but
don't expect a flood of new lawsuits just yet.
In the face of escalating violence and political resistance, federal ICE and CBP agents, attacked by rioters and left without timely local support in Los Angeles, now confront a controversial California SB 627 that's seeking to unmask them.
Monday, June 23, 2025
California's Vehicle Code section 17004.7
provides public entities with immunity from liability in pursuit-related
crashes if they adopt and regularly train officers on pursuit policies, but
ongoing litigation, including the case Gilliland v. City of Pleasanton,
could significantly impact the scope of that immunity.
A Georgia court's dismissal of the first AI hallucination defamation suit underscores just how early -- and unsettled -- the legal questions remain around generative AI's liability.
Friday, June 20, 2025
Devastated parents and bipartisan leaders are calling for urgent reform of Section 230, as Big Tech continues to hide behind the outdated law while their platforms target, addict, and endanger kids -- with deadly consequences.
Generative AI platforms are turning to centuries-old public domain documents to train their systems and sidestep billion-dollar legal battles over the use of protected works.
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
The deployment of military forces to Los Angeles amid peaceful protests lacks constitutional or statutory justification and raises serious concerns about potential autocratic overreach.
In a powerful and meticulously reasoned opinion, Judge Charles Breyer correctly ruled that President Trump's unprecedented federalization of the California National Guard to suppress protests in Los Angeles violated federal law, underscoring the critical importance of judicial oversight in preventing unchecked presidential authority and the unlawful militarization of domestic affairs.
Monday, June 16, 2025
The Trump administration's sweeping "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" may be doomed to fail because it illegally stuffs non-budgetary provisions--from AI regulation bans to court enforcement restrictions--into a fast-track budget process that's supposed to handle only fiscal matters.
National Audubon reframed water rights as
conditional privileges, establishing that environmental values are core
criteria--not secondary considerations--in California's ongoing water governance.
Part of the Palisades Fire burns on a hillside overlooking the Fernwood neighborhood of Topanga, Jan. 9. Photo: New York Times News Service
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NEWS
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General News
Monday, July 14, 2025 |
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| The former officer and her stepfather, an attorney, are accused of illegally collecting more than $600,000 in disability benefits while attending Disneyland and the Stagecoach Music Festival. | |
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General News
Monday, July 14, 2025 |
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| NSO Group seeks sanctions against Meta, WhatsApp for undisclosed witnesses in Pegasus spyware case. Both sides accuse each other of gamesmanship after $168M verdict, as injunction hearing looms. | |
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General News
Monday, July 14, 2025 |
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| The number of arrests by the Department of Homeland Security in the Los Angeles region has spiked over the past month as the Trump administration has deployed hundreds of agents and military members to crack down on the area. | |
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General News
Monday, July 14, 2025 |
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| American babies born this year through 2028 are eligible to receive $1,000 from the government for a new type of account aimed at helping families get their children off to a strong economic start. | |
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General News
Friday, July 11, 2025 |
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| Not since the closing of Metro Pictures -- the champion of the Pictures Generation artists -- four years ago has such an important gallery decided to call it quits, and it came as a shock to many. | |
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General News
Friday, July 11, 2025 |
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| A grand jury report says Orange County's $1 billion homelessness strategy has failed, with the county's unhoused population soaring 32% since 2022 and housing costs far outpacing national averages. | |
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General News
Friday, July 11, 2025 |
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| Trial begins in a youth coach's case against attorney Mark Geragos, saying his involvement with Michael Avenatti, who tried to extort Nike, killed a sponsorship deal. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 |
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| The justices ruled elected officials cannot claim whistleblower protections under Labor Code Section 1102.5, rejecting an appeal by Inglewood Treasurer Wanda Brown in her lawsuit alleging retaliation by city leaders. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 |
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| A Pacific Palisades attorney sues Mercury Insurance, alleging improper deductions from fire-related claims and seeking court clarification on coverage of security deposits, personal property losses, and depreciation practices. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 |
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| I'm generally optimistic about all the ways artificial intelligence is going to make life better -- scientific research, medical diagnoses, tutoring and my favorite current use, vacation planning. But it also offers a malevolent seduction: excellence without effort. | |
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General News
Monday, July 7, 2025 |
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| A San Jose jury ordered Google to pay $314 million for covertly using Android users' cellular data, marking a major legal precedent in data privacy and user consent law. | |
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General News
Monday, July 7, 2025 |
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| A San Bernardino County jury largely cleared Northwest Pallet Services LLC of wage and break violations, marking a rare trial victory for a California employer under the strict "rebuttable presumption" standard established in Donohue v. AMN Services. | |
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General News
Monday, July 7, 2025 |
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| Numerous misconceptions persist regarding the relationship between workers' compensation and other workplace rights. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 |
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| The inaction left intact a 9th Circuit ruling that the Los Angeles policy did not constitute a taking under the Fifth Amendment. Two justices dissented and would have taken the case. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 |
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| Recent events have bolstered assumptions that Newsom is running for president. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 |
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| The move follows a May arbitration order, which found in favor of Mohammad Honarkar on key fraud and contract claims | |
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General News
Monday, June 30, 2025 |
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| San Francisco judge postpones ruling in whistleblower lawsuit accusing major banks of defrauding California taxpayers by inflating municipal bond rates, with billions in potential damages at stake. | |
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General News
Monday, June 30, 2025 |
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| Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer permits expedited discovery into possible Posse Comitatus Act violations, rejecting President Donald Trump's jurisdictional challenge, in a mixed ruling for California's fight against federalized National Guard deployment. | |
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General News
Monday, June 30, 2025 |
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| Over the last half century or so, millions more people have moved to greater Los Angeles. And during this same time, Angelenos have been consuming less water. | |
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General News
Friday, June 27, 2025 |
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| No matter your stage in life or the size of your refund, there are ways you can use your refund to help reach your current and future financial goals. | |
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General News
Friday, June 27, 2025 |
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| The DOJ's lawsuit pertains to a request for unredacted voter records after the U.S. Attorney General received a complaint over a mail-in ballot received by a non-citizen. | |
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General News
Friday, June 27, 2025 |
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| Dr. Michael Wasilisin sues Therabody, alleging the company used his Theragun tip designs, breached their agreement, and denied him inventor credit and compensation, despite documented promises from founder Jason Wersland. | |
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General News
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles County judge allows Calabasas to test wildfire debris dumped in its landfill for hazardous materials, despite opposition from the county sanitation district, to ensure community safety. | |
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General News
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 |
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| People who pay their rent on time can establish credit scores or significantly raise low scores if the payments are reported to credit bureaus, new research found. | |
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General News
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 |
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| The ruling breathes new life into the Los Angeles commercial real estate company's counterclaims under the Sherman and Cartwright Acts, even as a copyright infringement trial looms. | |
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General News
Friday, July 11, 2025 |
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| Fire victims sue California, alleging the state allowed the Lachman Fire to rekindle, sparking the Palisades Fire. The lawsuit claims negligence by state and city agencies. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 |
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| Los Angeles judge restricts GLAZA's fundraising, requiring city approval. The city claims GLAZA acts as its fiduciary, while GLAZA, an independent nonprofit, appeals, arguing donor intent protection. | |
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General News
Monday, July 7, 2025 |
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| AB 130 reshapes how California's environmental review law applies to housing projects--but attorneys say it's far from the end of CEQA challenges. | |
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General News
Wednesday, July 2, 2025 |
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| DOJ sues Los Angeles, alleging its sanctuary ordinance violates the Constitution by discriminating against federal immigration enforcement, fostering lawlessness and defying federal law. The lawsuit seeks to void the ordinance. | |
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General News
Monday, June 30, 2025 |
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| Central Valley Eden Environmental Defenders sue Capital Ready Mix, alleging toxic runoff into Sacramento River violates federal and state laws, seeking injunctive relief for ongoing environmental harm. | |
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General News
Friday, June 27, 2025 |
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| A lawsuit against Gehry Partners by a fired architect accuses the firm of discriminating against him because of his age, laying him off on the pretense of lack of work while others more than 20 years younger were retained for projects. | |
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General News
Wednesday, June 25, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge sanctioned Mayweather Boxing + Fitness defendants for discovery violations, citing inconsistent record explanations. Another case allows a fraud claim against Mayweather to proceed. | |