GUEST COLUMNS
Monday, June 1, 2026
California is turning fashion compliance into full-spectrum accountability, binding brands to labor, climate and supply-chain impacts while sharply raising the bar for sustainability claims.
As the nation turns 250, access to justice remains one of the clearest measures of whether America is living up to its founding promise.
Friday, May 29, 2026
As YouTube takes a more active role in creator monetization and brand partnerships, new legal and business questions will emerge around ownership, leverage, transparency and how value is divided among platforms, creators and advertisers.
Trump's rollback of federal anti-corruption enforcement may ease pressure on multinational businesses, but states and foreign regulators are stepping in to police conduct the DOJ is now deprioritizing.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
California's workers' compensation system is built to resolve claims at defined statutory endpoints, even when recovery from traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain and psychological conditions remains incomplete or unstable.
Most people know that if you owe taxes, you'll also owe interest. But fewer consider what happens to that interest while they're fighting the bill.
Friday, May 22, 2026
As healthcare, crisis response and public systems increasingly rely on digital infrastructure, California's next civil rights challenge may center on whether meaningful communication and comprehension remain legal prerequisites before institutions can lawfully act on vulnerable individuals.
The California Supreme Court heard arguments
in the Gilead Tenofovir litigation as justices examined whether
drugmakers can be held liable for delaying safer alternatives under a broader
"duty to innovate."
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Tech companies and their allies continue to frame the First Amendment and Section 230 as shields against liability for online harms, even as recent jury verdicts over social media addiction underscore growing concerns about the impact of platforms and AI on children.
Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt's case shows how political targeting and hidden informants can destroy an innocent man--and why the justice system still hasn't fully learned the lesson.
Monday, May 18, 2026
While Doe v. Meta follows existing
Section 230 law, its concurrences signal rising judicial pressure to narrow
platform immunity for algorithm-driven recommendations--potentially reshaping
social media law and inviting Supreme Court review.
California's new CCPA regulations requiring annual cybersecurity audits and risk assessments are forcing companies to create detailed records of their cybersecurity practices and risk management decisions --documentation that should be managed with a deliberate, litigation-aware strategy.
Friday, May 15, 2026
The OpenAI litigation is becoming a public demonstration of how modern discovery works. Executives separate "official" communications from informal ones; courts increasingly do not.
In an era of overwhelming federal dockets and increasingly aggressive discovery practice, swift judicial intervention remains one of the few effective tools for preserving professionalism and the integrity of the process.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency has long understood a simple truth that a recent economic forecast confirms: Reliable water infrastructure is the foundation of regional prosperity.
Los Angeles is now paying for years of deferred maintenance on both sides of the ledger, as sidewalk hazards and streetlight outages drive repair costs and liability exposure.
Monday, May 11, 2026
In an era of remote practice, lawyers who view supervision as merely reactive risk serious professional consequences, as state bars and courts increasingly expect proactive oversight of lawyers and nonlawyers alike to prevent misconduct before clients are harmed.
For over a century, California trial courts have effectuated pretrial detention through sureties set at amounts a defendant could not pay. Kowalczyk answers two questions long reserved by the Court and holds the practice cannot continue.
Friday, May 8, 2026
The House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation that would amend the Internal Revenue Code so survivors of sexual abuse and unwanted, illegal sexual contact no longer pay taxes on their legal settlement income.
As EPA PFAS drinking water standards shift and evolve, lawsuits over contamination and responsibility are rapidly expanding across the country.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Louisiana
v. Callais fundamentally undermined the Voting Rights Act by requiring
proof of intentional discrimination under Section 2, making majority-communities
of color districts far harder to create and defend.
As California's employment enforcement landscape grows increasingly aggressive, employers must prioritize proactive audits, updated timekeeping policies, and continuous compliance monitoring to navigate the state's unforgiving wage and hour laws heading into 2026.
Monday, May 4, 2026
As AI increasingly provides actionable assistance in dangerous contexts, the law must confront whether existing concepts of criminal liability are adequate when technology functionally aids violent crime without possessing human intent.
On April 22, the attorney general amended the Code of Federal Regulations, placing state-licensed medicinal cannabis into Schedule III--but in states like California, where 95% of retailers hold both medical and adult-use licenses, significant questions remain.
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Jesse M. Creed of Panish Shea in Los Angeles
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NEWS
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General News
Monday, June 1, 2026 |
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| Colorado-based 1517 Fund sued California officials Thursday, alleging SB 54's venture capital diversity-reporting requirements violate constitutional protections for free speech, equal protection and interstate commerce by compelling demographic disclosures from startup founders. | |
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General News
Monday, June 1, 2026 |
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| A Los Angeles judge indicated she may dismiss Southern California Edison's cross-claims against Los Angeles County and a local water district, questioning whether broad governmental immunity bars liability tied to wildfire response decisions. | |
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General News
Monday, June 1, 2026 |
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| The races for governor and Los Angeles mayor offer candidates in contrast: some with years of experience running bureaucracies and others proud to have none. | |
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General News
Friday, May 29, 2026 |
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| California air regulators say the Trump administration sued too late and cannot show current harm from clean-car standards that have expired or reached full force. | |
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General News
Friday, May 29, 2026 |
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| SoFi Stadium was hailed as one of the world's premier sporting venues when it opened in Inglewood, California, in 2020. And to the city's delight, the owner of the Los Angeles Rams, E. Stanley Kroenke, and his development group paid for the $5 billion project without government funding. | |
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General News
Friday, May 29, 2026 |
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| To experience what patients have to do to opt-out of having their data shared, I went to doctor's appointments in seven states. One clinic showed me how easily dark patterns force patients to share their data with big healthcare networks, even when the privacy form they're signing explicitly says they can opt-out. | |
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General News
Friday, May 29, 2026 |
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| A federal judge ruled a fitness company plausibly alleged Meta's advertising terms are ambiguous, allowing claims over its ad-auction pricing practices to move forward. | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 |
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| A Riverside County jury handed Southland Equities a sweeping trial victory after rejecting nearly $200 million in claims brought by Portero Commercial and awarding the real estate investment firm $30 million on fraud- and contract-related counterclaims following an eight-week trial. | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 |
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| Carson residents who won an $8.8 million verdict over a 2021 odor crisis urged a judge to reject defense efforts to overturn the award, while defendants argued legal errors and excessive damages tainted the trial. | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 |
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| Communities are offering menus of preapproved, architect-designed housing plans, sometimes called pattern books, that builders and property owners can choose from, knowing in advance that they are acceptable to local governments. | |
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General News
Friday, May 22, 2026 |
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| Early reviews of the Tesla Semi, an electric heavy truck, suggest that it could be a much-needed hit for the company. | |
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General News
Friday, May 22, 2026 |
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| A Los Angeles judge postponed ruling on an emergency discovery dispute in coordinated Palisades Fire litigation while ordering plaintiffs to organize thousands of late government claims into a comprehensive master chart. | |
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General News
Friday, May 22, 2026 |
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| Experts say federal litigation can deliver a clearer return, while antitrust cases are costly, complex, and potentially lucrative for consumers. | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 |
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| Software company Adaptamed seeks to disqualify Kirkland & Ellis from representing Commure, alleging the firm obtained confidential information during a pre-suit consultation before later appearing for the defendant. | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 |
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| After a three-week trial featuring testimony about OpenAI's founding, Sam Altman's brief ouster and Elon Musk's falling out with the company, jurors sided with OpenAI on a threshold timing issue without reaching the underlying allegations.-VIDEO | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 |
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| In the past seven months, I've applied for 736 jobs. And I don't know how I'm making rent in June. | |
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General News
Monday, May 18, 2026 |
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| Attorneys for Elon Musk and OpenAI delivered sharply contrasting closing arguments Thursday in a high-stakes trial over whether the artificial intelligence company betrayed its nonprofit mission. | |
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General News
Monday, May 18, 2026 |
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| Productivity powered by artificial intelligence is all the rage. Skipping meetings and sending an AI notetaker instead has been called "the latest office power move." | |
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General News
Friday, May 15, 2026 |
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| Database breaches, phishing scams and emerging artificial intelligence tools have made simple passwords passé as a way of protecting online accounts -- but you still have ways to shore up your defenses. | |
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General News
Friday, May 15, 2026 |
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| Microsoft and OpenAI witnesses defended the companies' multibillion-dollar partnership and corporate structure as Elon Musk's charitable trust lawsuit neared closing arguments, with experts disputing claims that OpenAI's nonprofit mission was sacrificed for profit. | |
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General News
Friday, May 15, 2026 |
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| A Los Angeles judge ruled that an existing deposition protocol will govern questioning of a newly added therapist witness in the next social media addiction bellwether trial. | |
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General News
Monday, June 1, 2026 |
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| Residents, workers and businesses displaced by a Garden Grove chemical emergency sued GKN Aerospace, alleging poor maintenance triggered a dangerous reaction that forced evacuations and caused injuries, emotional distress and business losses. | |
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General News
Friday, May 29, 2026 |
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| A lawsuit accusing Erika Girardi of receiving millions in allegedly misappropriated Girardi Keese funds was dismissed after the parties reached a settlement days before trial was to start. | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 |
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| A Los Angeles County jury returned a verdict in favor of the former owners of a prominent Asian vegetable farming business, finding that Minghong Investment Inc. and related defendants committed fraud, financial elder abuse, conversion and multiple labor violations tied to the sale and operation of the farm. | |
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General News
Friday, May 22, 2026 |
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| Seven Jewish UCLA faculty members and administrators joined the Department of Justice's antisemitism lawsuit against the UC Regents, alleging the university's leadership tolerated and approved harassment, retaliation and professional boycotts after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. | |
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General News
Wednesday, May 20, 2026 |
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| Plaintiffs say newly produced State Parks text messages support claims that lingering embers from the Lachman Fire reignited into the Palisades Fire, and they accuse the state of violating discovery orders. | |
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General News
Friday, May 15, 2026 |
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| A Zimbabwean social enterprise sued the Toyota Mobility Foundation in Los Angeles, alleging it misappropriated proprietary rural electric vehicle technology and operational data to launch competing African mobility programs. | |