GUEST COLUMNS
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The 9th Circuit's unpublished Moreland decision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.
Friday, September 19, 2025
At the Peace Palace in The Hague, a towering black cat sculpture called The Witness watches over the courts and law library, blending legend and art: it recalls the heroic--but likely apocryphal--story of Ramskells, a cat said to have saved the justices from a 1924 fire, while also serving as a modern symbol of vigilance and observation over the world of international law.
Opportunity Zones are now permanent but with sharper rules and penalties. Joint ventures that don't rewrite their playbooks risk turning tax breaks into tax traps.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Early this summer, I ran an experiment in which I gave ChatGPT-4 and ChatGPT-5 only the oral argument transcripts from the court's last 25 cases and asked them to predict the outcome and the vote. Here were the results.
President Trump's latest travel ban halts visas from 19 countries and curtails them for 32 more, upending business operations and making it harder for U.S. employers to retain global talent.
Monday, September 15, 2025
If law firms can't serve clients in Spanish, they're not just losing business -- they're denying nearly half the city equitable access to justice.
Lists bring order to legal analysis, especially in trade dress law -- but too many can cause judges and lawyers to miss the forest for the trees.
Shutterstock
U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli
U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli
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NEWS
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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
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| A federal judge reviewed a proposed $62.1 million Hyundai-Kia settlement resolving claims over defective airbags, with objections over fees and injury rights addressed; final approval still pending. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| Expect to pay more for health coverage next year -- possibly a lot more -- whether you get your health insurance from an employer or on a health care exchange. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge tentatively approved Bank of America's $4.4 million settlement resolving wage-and-hour claims, representing 19.3% of the class's estimated $22 million in damages, with minimal objections. | |
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General News
Monday, September 29, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge allowed a class action against TikTok to proceed, ruling its terms of service may unlawfully restrict consumer speech, rejecting defenses under federal law and the Yelp Law. | |
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General News
Friday, September 26, 2025 |
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| Attorneys criticized Southern California Edison's draft compensation plan for Eaton Fire victims, calling it unfair, self-serving, and inadequate, particularly regarding emotional distress and property damage payouts. | |
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General News
Thursday, September 25, 2025 |
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| A dramatic change in how inter partes reviews are handled under interim U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart has drawn sharp criticism from law professors and technology companies, setting up a high stakes battle at the Federal Circuit. | |
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General News
Thursday, September 25, 2025 |
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| Triumph Foods sued to overturn California's Proposition 12, arguing the animal-confinement law violates federal meat regulations and the Constitution by burdening out-of-state pork producers and disrupting the national pork supply chain. | |
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General News
Thursday, September 25, 2025 |
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| Law firms are facing intense competition, prompting them to explore alternatives to traditional debt. | |
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General News
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 |
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| U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd denied Grimmway's bids to toss the case and to deny class certification, allowing the California Civil Rights Department's disability claims to move forward while narrowing some theories. | |
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General News
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 |
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| A former Orange County prosecutor alleges unwanted advances from a unit head; District Attorney Todd Spitzer's office says the manager was quickly placed on leave and later resigned. | |
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General News
Wednesday, September 24, 2025 |
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| Attorneys for authors and publishers filed new responses this week seeking to satisfy Senior U.S. District Judge William Alsup's concerns about their proposed $1.5 billion settlement with AI company Anthropic. | |
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General News
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 |
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| Housing nonprofits sued Los Angeles, alleging City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and Councilmember Traci Park unlawfully obstructed a Venice affordable housing project approved under the city's Comprehensive Homeless Strategy. | |
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General News
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 |
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| Scholars say the state can bind local police but likely can't enforce the new mask rule against federal agents; other student- and health-privacy bills seen on firmer ground. | |
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General News
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 |
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| A federal judge tentatively ruled a fourth jury trial is needed to decide punitive damages in the trade dress infringement battle between MGA Entertainment and the OMG Girlz, citing the Seventh Amendment. | |
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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. | |
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General News
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| Researchers have left their work at Meta, OpenAI, Google DeepMind and other big AI projects in recent weeks to join a new Silicon Valley startup, Periodic Labs. | |
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General News
Monday, September 29, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge denied Google's request to dismiss a class action alleging YouTube misled users by labeling digital rentals as "purchases," allowing consumer deception claims to proceed under California law. | |