http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-21T15:45:20-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/kasowitz_opens_new_calif._office_with_two_jenner_insurance_recovery_partner/ Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman has opened a new office in Century City, Calif., with two partners from Jenner & Block. They are Jerold Oshinsky and Linda Kornfeld. Both represent businesses and university policyholders in insurance coverage disputes with their carriers, and Oshinsky had co-chaired the practice group at Jenner.… Business of Law, Insurance Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, States, California Tue, 21 May 2013 05:30:36 -0500 44282.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/leading_ip_partner_leaps_from_steptoe_to_sheppard_mullin/ An intellectual property litigator who was one of the founders of Steptoe Johnson's office in Century City, Calif., has leapt to the local office of Los Angeles-based Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton. Partner Michael R. "Mike" Heimbold began work there on Friday, Reuters reports. He said he made… Business of Law, Intellectual Property Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, States, California Mon, 20 May 2013 09:50:54 -0500 44266.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/as_sanction_for_destroying_evidence_federal_judge_finds_us_negligent_in_wro/ As a sanction for destruction of evidence by the National Park Service in a wrongful death case, a federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., ruled Tuesday that the United States was negligent. The case concerns the July 2009 death of Tommy Botell, 9, after a retaining wall that he and his… Tort Law, Injury & Accident Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, 9th Circuit Court, States, California Wed, 15 May 2013 15:08:28 -0500 44200.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/cops_seize_two_videos_said_to_document_deputies_fatal_beating_did_one_get_e/ A witness who had been visiting a Bakersfield, Calif., hospital with family members called 911 last week and reported that deputies across the street had just beaten a man to death. The witness, Sulina Quair, also said she had evidence to back up her claim. The Bakersfield… Constitutional Law, Criminal Justice, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, California Wed, 15 May 2013 09:03:35 -0500 44189.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/was_well-known_lawyers_demand_letter_extortion_appeals_court_to_hear_argume/ A well-known Southern California lawyer is famous for his menacing legal threats sent on behalf of celebrity clients. But attorney Martin D. "Marty" Singer crossed the line into making an "extortion" attempt in 2011 when he sent a demand letter to a client's business partner, a state-court… ABA Journal Production, Weekly Newsletter Stories, Appellate Practice, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, States, California Tue, 14 May 2013 11:55:58 -0500 44170.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/kobe_bryant_battles_mom_for_ownership_of_sports_memorabilia_from_his_youth_/ Not one but two federal courts have been asked to weigh in on the issue of whether Kobe Bryant's mom had a right to clear out his boyhood bedroom and sell at auction the sports memorabilia she found there. Initially, the Philadelphia-area auction house to which Pamela Bryant consigned the… Celebrities, Entertainment & Sports Law, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, 3rd Circuit Court, 9th Circuit Court, States, California, New Jersey Fri, 10 May 2013 12:50:18 -0500 44128.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/calif._ag_sues_jp_morgan_chase_alleges_robo-signing_of_docs_in_credit-card_/ California's attorney general sued one of the nation's biggest banks on Thursday, alleging that JPMorgan Chase & Co.had engaged in widespread "robo-signing" of documents in credit card collection lawsuits. "To maintain this breakneck pace" while dealing with a glut of litigation against delinquent cardholders, the lending institution created a “debt… Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Consumer Law, Contracts, Corporate Law, Government Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, States, California Thu, 09 May 2013 17:52:20 -0500 44118.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/911_call_will_earn_800k_for_couple_bound_and_gagged_by_rogue_ex-cop/ A married couple bound and gagged in February by rogue ex-cop Christopher Dorner stands to earn $800,000 for calling 911 and describing the former Los Angeles police department employee to authorities. "Had Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds failed promptly to escape their restraints and contact law enforcement, it is likely Dorner… Administrative Law, Contracts, Criminal Justice, Government Law, States, California Wed, 08 May 2013 11:10:03 -0500 44086.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/suggestive_twerking_video_gets_33_high_school_students_banned_from_prom_gra/ A suggestive "twerking" video shot on on the grounds of a California high school, using its equipment, has gotten 33 students involved in the video banned from participating in prom, graduation and end-of-year sports events. The Scripps Ranch High School students affected by the ban included three star members of… Education Law, Trials & Litigation, States, California, Georgia Fri, 03 May 2013 10:30:03 -0500 44020.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/soda-order_spat_claim_of_unflushed_toilet_leads_to_police_involvement/ An airline passenger who says his refusal to order a soda on a computer touch screen led to his being detained and questioned by authorities after the plane landed has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit over the April 2012 incident. Salvatore Bevivino says he was falsely accused of swearing… Aviation & Space Law, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Consumer Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, 9th Circuit Court, States, California Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:29:39 -0500 43974.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/big-bucks_jury_question_did_concert_promoter_select_or_supervise_michael_ja/ Opening arguments began Monday in a small Los Angeles courtroom in a wrongful death case that could involve millions, or perhaps even billions, of dollars in damages. At issue is whether concert promoter AEG Live had a role in hiring or supervising Dr. Conrad Murray, who served as Michael Jackson's… Celebrities, Corporate Law, Health Law, Insurance Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, California Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:05:11 -0500 43962.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/appeals_court_oks_lawyers_fine_for_asserting_slapp_shield_against_tort_case/ A California law that offers lawyers a shield against tort claims concerning their litigation activities has been limited by a California appeals court and might even be eliminated entirely by a federal appeals court. The state's so-called anti-SLAPP statute is intended to offer an early exit for small parties targeted… Appellate Practice, Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Consumer Law, Law Firms, Solos/Small Firms, Legal Ethics, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 9th Circuit Court, States, California Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:23:56 -0500 43904.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/indicted_journalist_is_let_go_by_reuters_he_says_tweets_about_boston_marath/ A deputy social media editor at Reuters says he has lost his job after being federally indicted on charges he helped the hacking group Anonymous deface a former employer's news website. Matthew Keys said in a tweet and a Tumblr post that he plans to fight what he described as… Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity, Internet Law, Labor & Employment, Media & Communications Law, 9th Circuit Court, States, California, New York Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:09:38 -0500 43872.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/billionaire_plans_to_drink_to_380k_federal_jury_verdict_over_counterfeit_wi/ William Koch presumably didn't need the money. But, after years of litigation and what may have been a total of $10 million spent in legal fees, the Palm Beach, Fla., billionaire won a federal jury award of $380,000 on Thursday, in compensation for the 24 bottles of fake wine he… Consumer Law, Contracts, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, 2nd Circuit Court, States, California, Florida, New York Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:55:45 -0500 43703.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/fake_rockefeller_found_guilty_of_first-degree_murder_in_real_trial/ A German native who made headlines by posing among the well-to-do in New England as a member of the Rockefeller family and kidnapping his own daughter several years ago has been found guilty of first-degree murder in a California man's death, decades earlier. Despite missing evidence and the difficulty, for… Criminal Justice, Trials & Litigation, Evidence, Verdicts & Settlements, States, California Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:45:20 -0500 43674.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/district_attorney_should_be_disbarred_for_prosecutorial_misconduct/ The State Bar Court of California has recommended that Del Norte County District Attorney Jon Michael Alexander, who already had been disciplined three times in the past, be disbarred, the Los Angeles Times reports. In its opinion (PDF), the bar court found that Alexander,… Criminal Justice, Prosecutors, Legal Ethics, States, California Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:05:42 -0500 43642.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judges_can_ask_lawyers_to_lobby_legislature_for_more_court_funding/ California’s new Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions has issued its first formal opinion, the Los Angeles Times reports, and it gives the OK for judges to ask lawyers to lobby for sufficient court funding. The committee, created in 2007, took longer than originally expected to begin… Legal Ethics, States, California Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:13:46 -0500 43638.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/architect/ Gerhard Albert Becker understands that a firefighter died while trying to save his multi-milliondollar Los Angeles home, which he designed and built. But the 49-year-old German architect, who is facing an unusual manslaughter prosecution due to alleged design defects, says it is "disgusting" that prosecutors are blaming him for, as… Criminal Justice, Real Estate & Property Law, Trials & Litigation, States, California Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:30:12 -0500 43593.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_wins_court_order_to_remove_explicit_photo_from_court_file/ A California lawyer fighting a lawsuit claiming he made unwanted sexual advances has obtained a court order to remove a photo of his penis from the court file. Riverside lawyer Dwayne Beck and his law firm “strenuously deny the merits” of the plaintiff’s case, but did admit the photo was… Trials & Litigation, States, California Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:20:13 -0500 43543.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/west_coast_litigation_boutique_markun_zusman_opens_office_in_boston/ An 18-attorney West Coast litigation boutique has opened an office in a Boston suburb. New name partner David Freniere, who focuses his practice on securities matters, will head the new Wellesley office of Markun Zusman Freniere & Compton, the Boston… Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, States, California, Massachusetts Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:20:04 -0500 43526.abajournal.com