California

California’s new concussion law requires schools to limit tackle-practice time for youths

A new law signed by California’s governor on Monday limits tackle practice for young football players and requires a week on the bench after a concussion. The law, which takes effect on Jan. 1, applies to players in all middle schools and high schools in the state, the San Francisco…

Jul 23, 2014 4:36 PM CDT

Airbnb guest won’t leave, forcing condo owner to begin eviction proceedings

A San Francisco woman found out about the downside of a 44-day Airbnb rental after the renter refused to leave her Palm Springs vacation condo. The guest who overstayed his welcome has renters’ protections under California law because he was in the unit for more than 30 days, report the…

Jul 23, 2014 12:38 PM CDT

YouTube restores video of protest at eviction lawyer’s seminar

A California lawyer known for his work for landlords seeking to cash in on San Francisco’s hot real estate market was interrupted by protesters at a 2014 seminar on eviction law. After a two-minute video of the incident was posted on YouTube, Daniel Bornstein made a takedown demand under the…

Jul 22, 2014 9:50 PM CDT

Federal judge calls ‘dysfunctional’ California death penalty unconstitutional, gives murderer life

In a first step toward what could eventually become a statewide ban, a federal judge in Santa Ana called the California system of executing inmates “dysfunctional.” Hence, he ruled, the convicted murderer in the case at bar could constitutionally be sentenced only to life without parole. The Wednesday ruling by…

Jul 16, 2014 10:15 PM CDT

Imprisoned ex-dictator Manuel Noriega sues over use of his persona in ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’

Activision Blizzard Inc. may have thought imprisoned former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was libel-proof. But that doesn’t mean the California-based company gets to profit from using his persona as “a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state” in its popular “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” video game without his…

Jul 16, 2014 5:05 PM CDT

Actress Sandra Bullock encounters a stalker in her home; man also facing weapons charges

It sounds like a scene from a Sandra Bullock movie, but it wasn’t. In a real-life drama for Sandra Bullock, the actress awakened to banging sounds in her home early one morning last month, opened her bedroom door and saw a man she didn’t know in dark clothing headed to…

Jul 16, 2014 4:10 PM CDT

Contest for college students helps San Francisco find outdated laws

A San Francisco supervisor has identified some outdated laws with the help of a contest for college students. Spurred on by the offer of a $1,000 scholarship for the best efforts, they pored through the city code on an open data website and pointed out 30 provisions that are candidates…

Jul 16, 2014 2:55 PM CDT

Venture capitalist’s plan to carve California into 6 states is likely to go before voters

A Silicon Valley venture capitalist’s proposal to divide California into six states seems like satire to some. But Tim Draper says he and his team have gathered enough signatures to put the idea on the state ballot, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. If so, the measure probably would be…

Jul 15, 2014 4:10 PM CDT

Two lawyers charged in alleged plot to extort millions from wealthy sheik

Two California lawyers are charged in an alleged plot to extort up to $20 million from a wealthy Saudi sheik. Orange County lawyers Joseph Cavallo and Emanuel Karl Hudson are accused of telling the sheik that a woman who accused the sheik’s son of rape would refuse to testify in…

Jul 15, 2014 3:56 PM CDT

Man who fell off cliff while drunk can sue those who took him there to watch sunrise, court rules

A California man who fell off a cliff while drunk can sue two acquaintances who brought him there, a state appeals court has ruled. Reversing a pretrial dismissal of all claims against the two defendants by a Shasta County judge, a Third Appellate District panel ruled last week that Jason…

Jul 14, 2014 7:37 PM CDT

Real estate attorney’s handwritten will gives $800K to humane society for cat care

A California real estate lawyer who called himself “Cat Daddy” has left this world a far better place as far as local felines are concerned. Officials at the Marin Humane Society were overjoyed to learn that Brian Russell Kirchoff had given the group’s cat-care fund nearly $800,000 in a handwritten…

Jul 14, 2014 3:15 PM CDT

Defense lawyer claims incompetence, tries to resign murder case before sanity phase

A California defense lawyer faces possible sanctions after telling a judge he provided incompetent representation in a murder case and he can’t continue with the sanity phase of the trial. Lawyer Steven O’Connor told a Stanislaus County judge last Tuesday that he failed his client, Nicholas John Harris, who was…

Jul 14, 2014 12:37 PM CDT

Attorney fears claimed lawyer impersonation, using his name and bar number, isn’t the only one

For at least the second time this week, a lawyer is in the news because someone else assumed the attorney’s identity. Earlier this week, a California solo said someone else filed a motion, using her name and bar number, in a high-profile federal case. Now a woman tells KENS a…

Jul 11, 2014 1:45 PM CDT

Jury says Dodgers must pay $13.9M in Giants fan’s beating case

Although a jury found the Los Angeles Dodgers to be only partially responsible for a Giants fan’s 2011 beating in a stadium parking lot, that means the team must pay nearly $14 million. Team attorney Dana Fox said a Los Angeles jury’s determination Wednesday that the team was 25 percent…

Jul 10, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

Donald Sterling shouts at his wife in court, calls her a pig

Donald Sterling shouted at his estranged wife and called her a pig during a trial on Wednesday to determine whether he has the capacity to remain as co-trustee of the trust that owns the Los Angeles Clippers. The day before, Donald Sterling had kissed Shelly Sterling and said he trusted…

Jul 10, 2014 1:48 PM CDT