California

IMDb seeks halt to law allowing actors to shield disclosure of their ages

The film and TV website IMDb is seeking to halt enforcement of a new California law that gives actors the power to remove information about their ages from their online profiles. IMDb filed a First Amendment challenge to the law in November, and followed up on Thursday with a motion…

Jan 6, 2017 4:28 PM CST

Lawyer will have to ID dead Twitter user sued by James Woods, judge rules

Actor James Woods will learn the name of the person who called him a “cocaine addict” in a tweet, even though the Twitter user is no longer alive. In a decision on Tuesday, a Los Angeles judge ruled that the lawyer for the deceased Twitter user will have to reveal…

Jan 4, 2017 4:28 PM CST

California legislative leaders hire former AG Holder for legal advice in Trump legal battles

Leaders in California’s legislature have hired former Attorney General Eric Holder to represent them as outside counsel in any future legal disputes with the Trump administration. The Democratic legislative leaders of California said they hired Holder and his law firm to advise them “in our efforts to resist any attempts…

Jan 4, 2017 3:46 PM CST

California legislature may split state bar into two separate entities

The California Assembly voted to tie 2017’s dues to major governance changes at the bar, including a study into de-unifying its trade association and regulatory functions.

Jan 1, 2017 1:20 AM CST

California measure to limit time for capital appeals is blocked by state supreme court

The California Supreme Court Tuesday granted a motion to block a recently approved measure that limits capital appeals to five years. Currently, it takes more than 20 years for a California death row inmate to exhaust his or her appeals, the Associated Press reports. Opposition to the measure includes fears…

Dec 21, 2016 11:50 AM CST

Judge criticized for six-month sexual assault sentence won’t face discipline

A California judge won’t face discipline for his controversial six-month sentence in a sexual assault case against a Stanford University champion swimmer, a state judicial commission announced on Monday. The Commission on Judicial Performance found there was not clear and convincing evidence of bias, abuse of authority or other misconduct…

Dec 20, 2016 9:24 AM CST

Courthouse software issues have led to wrongful arrests, public defender says

A public defender in Alameda County, California, alleges that a new, unwieldy courthouse computer system has led to the wrongful arrests of dozens of people. Public Defender Brendon Woods filed a motion in November asking Alameda County to abandon the Odyssey Case Manager software until the problems can be fixed,…

Dec 19, 2016 7:00 AM CST

SiriusXM agrees to pay up to $99M in copyright class action brought by Turtles members

SiriusXM has agreed to pay up to $99 million to settle three class action suits claiming the satellite radio service infringed musicians’ copyrights for music recorded before 1972, when federal copyright law began to offer protection. The suits claimed the artists were entitled to payments for older music because of…

Dec 2, 2016 7:45 AM CST

KC law firm Spencer Fane grows to 190 lawyers with acquisition of 70-year-old Denver firm

Kansas City-based Spencer Fane will have more than 190 full-time lawyers as a result of its acquisition of a 70-year-old Denver law firm, Berenbaum Weinshienk. The addition of 30 lawyers from Berenbaum Weinshienk will give Spencer Fane 55 lawyers in Colorado, the Am Law Daily reports. A press release is…

Dec 2, 2016 7:00 AM CST

A former lawyer for Casey Anthony is held without bail in alleged drug smuggling scheme

A California lawyer who at one point represented Casey Anthony before his disbarment is being held in an alleged scheme to fly 3,300 pounds of cocaine from Ecuador for eventual distribution in the United States. The former lawyer, Todd Macaluso, was arrested on Nov. 14 in Haiti, report the Orlando…

Nov 30, 2016 3:36 PM CST

Disbarred lawyer threatens suit; he was accused of bringing pepper spray, stun gun to deposition

A San Diego lawyer disbarred in a default judgment after walking out of his disciplinary trial says he plans to sue state officials involved in the proceedings. The former lawyer, Douglas James Crawford, was accused of bringing pepper spray and a stun gun to a deposition, threatening to use them…

Nov 30, 2016 9:48 AM CST

California considers general ethical ban on lawyer sex with clients

The State Bar of California is proposing a general ban on lawyers having sex with clients as part of an overhaul of the state’s disciplinary rules. The proposal would change the current rule, which bars lawyers from coercing sex with a client or demanding sex in exchange for legal representation,…

Nov 29, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Suspension recommended for lawyer who sought up to $24M in fees, didn’t produce computer

A 30-day suspension is being recommended for a lawyer who said she couldn’t produce computer metadata of time records supporting a multimillion-dollar fee request because she used a “wipe and delete” program each day. The State Bar of California’s Review Department recommended the suspension for lawyer Lori Jo Sklar in…

Nov 28, 2016 8:30 AM CST

In ‘blistering’ ruling, court upholds recusal of entire Orange County DA’s office from murder case

A California appeals court issued a sharply worded rebuke to the state Attorney General’s office yesterday in a high-profile case, the Orange County Register reported. The ruling came in the high-profile murder trial of Scott Dekraai, who in 2011 shot up the hair salon where his former wife was working,…

Nov 23, 2016 2:40 PM CST

California Supreme Court orders interim dues for State Bar of California

The Supreme Court of California has authorized its State Bar to collect interim dues, putting to rest concerns about funding of the state’s attorney discipline system in 2017. The bar is not able to collect dues as usual in 2017 because the California Legislature did not pass a bar dues…

Nov 18, 2016 5:35 PM CST