GUEST COLUMNS
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, September 26, 2025
With geopolitical threats mounting, venture capital is pouring into dual-use tech startups as the U.S. defense sector finds new allies in Silicon Valley.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Assembly Bill 288, recently passed by the California Legislature and awaiting Governor Newsom's signature, empowers the state labor board to enforce workers' and businesses' rights when the federal NLRB is defunct or inactive, ensuring fair resolution of labor disputes, protection of union rights, and stability for employers and employees alike.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
The landmark New York Times v. OpenAI case, arising from alleged copyright violations by ChatGPT and CoPilot, is shaping the emerging legal landscape for artificial intelligence by raising questions about IP rights, data privacy, evidentiary privileges, and corporate liability that could define AI regulation for years to come.
With packaging making up over half of California's landfill waste, CalRecycle has launched a second attempt at rulemaking to implement the state's packaging EPR law, SB 54.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
For a litigator, Yiddish brings not just color to the courtroom, but character--capturing the humor, heartache and humanity the law alone can't express.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk highlights the urgent need for comprehensive firearms licensing and regulation, alongside improved mental health care, as a practical path forward beyond partisan debates over assault weapons and mental illness.
Monday, September 22, 2025
Jimmy Kimmel's suspension from ABC over his controversial monologue about Charlie Kirk has sparked fierce debate, highlighting the tension between a private employer's contractual rights and the broader societal interest in protecting open political commentary and satire.
Homeowners who signed onto the Army Corps' "free" Los Angeles wildfire debris cleanup, whether unknowingly or with no alternative, assumed sweeping liability through a boilerplate indemnity clause making them financially responsible for any damages or lawsuits arising from the government's own cleanup work.
Angel Valentin/The New York Times
A kiosk for Sunshine Health and Life Advisors, in Miami, Nov. 16, 2016.
A kiosk for Sunshine Health and Life Advisors, in Miami, Nov. 16, 2016.
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NEWS
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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
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
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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| 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
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
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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| 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
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
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. | |
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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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| 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
Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| California regulators accuse Tesla Insurance of widespread claims mishandling, bolstering a pending class action. The Department of Insurance alleges systemic delays and violations that harmed policyholders, vendors and communities across the state. | |
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General News
Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| As companies increasingly turn to AI to sift through thousands of job applications, candidates are concealing instructions for chatbots within their resumes in hopes of moving to the top of the pile. | |
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General News
Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| Scott Paetty, who led high-profile fraud prosecutions including the case against Tom Girardi, has joined DTO Law as a partner in Los Angeles, where he will focus on white-collar defense and complex litigation. | |
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General News
Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| Federal prosecutors charged a man with arson in the Palisades Fire, but victims' attorneys say the criminal case confirms their causation theory and leaves civil claims against LADWP and the state unchanged. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| Pay-advance apps are marketed as a way to help workers living paycheck to paycheck pay for unexpected expenses, but workers are often using the apps to manage basic expenses like groceries, rent and other needs, a new report found. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed AB 1155, a McGeorge clinic-originated bill requiring California law schools to allow students to receive compensation for professional externships that also carry academic credit, effective Aug. 1, 2026. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| A coalition of solar energy companies, labor unions, nonprofit groups and homeowners sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday over its termination of $7 billion in grants intended to help low- and moderate-income families install solar panels on their homes. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| An attorney for LA Alliance warned receivership could return if Los Angeles continues delaying approval of independent homelessness monitors, while the city's counsel argued expanded oversight exceeds the terms of a prior settlement. | |
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General News
Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| Plaintiffs in the Eaton Fire case pushed to advance the trial date, accusing Edison of delaying tactics while quietly developing a compensation program. The judge denied the request, citing fairness concerns. | |
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General News
Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| Some of the events planned for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 are far from the heart of the city. | |
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General News
Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| A federal judge ruled that an advance conflict waiver signed by investors' counsel bars the disqualification of Quinn Emanuel in a shareholder lawsuit brought by Masimo Corp., despite claims that one of its attorneys improperly switched sides. | |
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General News
Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| A $135 million class settlement fund is now available to compensate residents, businesses, and others impacted by the 2023 Maui wildfires, following court approval of a $4.037 billion global settlement. Claims must be filed by Dec. 22. | |
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General News
Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| Tesla sales jumped from July to September, breaking a string of quarterly declines, as U.S. car buyers raced to collect federal tax credits of up to $7,500 before the incentives expired at the end of last month. | |
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General News
Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| As an investor, it can be difficult to navigate the ups and downs of the market and understand what the movements mean for your portfolio - particularly when you're seeing constant headlines on the topic. | |
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General News
Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| Key witness Eric George testified James Clark wasn't involved in a billing lawsuit scheme, instead blaming attorneys Paul Kiesel and Paul Paradis during State Bar proceedings over the 2013 water billing scandal. | |
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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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| 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
Wednesday, October 15, 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
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
Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| Federal defenders in California argue Bilal Essayli's acting U.S. attorney role violates the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, citing a Nevada ruling that disqualified a similar appointment under nearly identical circumstances. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| A new class action accuses Disney of illegally collecting children's data on YouTube by mislabeling videos, following a recent $10 million FTC settlement over similar privacy violations. | |
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General News
Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| Former LA city attorney James Clark denied knowledge of a reverse auction scheme in the 2013 water billing scandal, claiming shock upon discovering incriminating documents on a colleague's computer. | |
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General News
Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| A judge upheld Long Beach's interpretation of its airport noise ordinance, finding taxi-back maneuvers are not covered, but gave petitioners 30 days to amend their claims of enforcement failure. | |