California

Solo lawyer says someone hijacked her bar number for rogue legal filing in high-profile federal case

California solo practitioner Cathy Jones says she isn’t affiliated with a firm called Briggs Jones Law, and she didn’t file a motion that urged U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to recuse herself in a high-profile case. But someone using that law firm name along with Jones’ name, bar number and…

Jul 10, 2014 11:14 AM CDT

Justin Bieber charged with vandalism, takes plea, will pay $80K to fix to egg damage to nearby home

After months of investigation, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office criminally charged teen pop singer Justin Bieber with vandalism Wednesday over a January incident in which up to $20,000 worth of damage was reportedly caused by eggs thrown at a neighboring mansion. At that point, the case started moving…

Jul 9, 2014 9:01 PM CDT

Donald Sterling is combative on stand, calls lawyer a ‘smartass’

A combative Donald Sterling testified on Tuesday that he can get more than $2 billion for the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers, and his own doctors have determined he is “razor sharp.” Sterling frequently sparred with opposing lawyer Bert Fields in the probate hearing on Tuesday to determine whether…

Jul 9, 2014 12:51 PM CDT

Make 200-mile trek to courthouse or plead guilty? Some defendants choose the latter

Criminal defendants in the nation’s geographically largest county are increasingly pleading guilty because they don’t want to make trips to a courthouse that is located up 200-plus miles away, according to local lawyers. The lengthy trips in San Bernardino County, California, are a fact of life because of court closures…

Jul 9, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Contractor faces unusual manslaughter case concerning carbon monoxide deaths

A California contractor is facing an unusual manslaughter prosecution over work performed on a heating system. Authorities in Nevada County say two men died of carbon monoxide poisoning because contractor Kurt Schoemig didn’t pull a permit and his employees never completed their work after cutting heating system pipes at a…

Jul 7, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

Former top attorney says city demoted and fired her for probing $10M sewer scheme

A former top attorney with the city of San Francisco has filed a wrongful termination claim over her demotion and firing. Joanne Hoeper says she first lost her position as chief trial deputy and then her job because she investigated a sewer scheme that cost the city some $10 million…

Jul 3, 2014 3:10 PM CDT

Walgreens employee fired for eating $1.39 bag of chips accepts $180K settlement

A diabetic woman fired after nearly 18 years on the job for eating a $1.39 bag of chips before she paid for it has accepted a $180,000 settlement of her disability discrimination claim. The settlement by Walgreens with Josefina Hernandez, 57, was announced Wednesday by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,…

Jul 2, 2014 9:30 PM CDT

Man whose mugshot went viral now has Hollywood modeling agent, but remains in jail on $1.1M bail

With less than $5,000 raised on a crowdfunding site toward his $1.1 million bail, it doesn’t appear that Jeremy Meeks will be getting out of jail anytime soon. But when he does, the photogenic convicted felon may have a lucrative future of legal employment awaiting him. After he was arrested…

Jul 2, 2014 3:00 PM CDT

Samsung and Quinn Emanuel must pay $2M for revealing ‘attorneys’ eyes only’ info, judge rules

A major law firm and its client must pay a patent litigation opponent more than $2 million in legal fees and costs, a federal judge in California has ruled. The award covers the expense of litigating a sanctions motion and discovery dispute over the revelation of “attorneys’ eyes only” information…

Jun 24, 2014 6:10 PM CDT

Illegal app helps drivers get highest bid to vacate public parking spots, city attorney says

Desperate for scarce public parking spaces, some city drivers may be ready to pay strangers who are about to pull their vehicles away from the curb to reserve the spots. And those who have managed to snag a space could earn up to $150 a month by selling the spot…

Jun 23, 2014 5:54 PM CDT

Photogenic arrestee’s mug shot goes viral

The mug shot of a convicted felon facing new felony weapons and gang-related charges has gone viral. Jeremy Meeks’ arrest photo, posted Wednesday on the Stockton, Calif., police department’s Facebook page, had garnered more than 60,000 “likes” and more than 17,000 comments by midday Friday. The photo, which has been…

Jun 20, 2014 4:22 PM CDT

‘Most conservative member’ of California Supreme Court to retire, sparking speculation on successor

Associate Justice Marvin Baxter of the California Supreme Court announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the year, the Los Angeles Times reports. Baxter is considered the “most conservative member” of the court, though not an activist, according to the Times. A 74-year-old native of Fresno County,…

Jun 20, 2014 10:59 AM CDT

Attorney and client fined $15K for frivolous appeal after lawyer didn’t recall arguments

A California lawyer says a former client either forged his signature or altered the content of some 25 filed documents in trial and appellate court and the Sacramento district attorney’s office has been investigating. But meanwhile a state appeals court on Wednesday imposed a total of $15,000 in sanctions on…

Jun 19, 2014 4:50 PM CDT

Former BigLaw tax attorney gets 12 months for failing to file his own return

A California tax attorney has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for not filing his own taxes, and must also pay over $650,000 in restitution, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. James Kleier, 58, was accused of failing to report any income for more than a decade while earning…

Jun 19, 2014 3:29 PM CDT

City faces suit over police stop based on license-plate reader error

As law enforcement agencies throughout the country move toward a world in which, it appears, government cameras, license-plate readers, public records and facial recognition technology will be combined with cellphone records to identify criminals before officers even see them, a California woman’s case serves as a reminder that old-fashioned police…

Jun 18, 2014 9:50 PM CDT