California

Breast-Enlargement E-Mail Spurs Marketer Into Law School and Anti-Spam Practice

Daniel Balsam was working as a marketer when too many spam e-mails about breast enlargement drove him beyond the delete button and into what turned out to be a new career. In addition to venting his aggravation by creating an anti-spam website, he went to law school and now has…

Dec 28, 2010 11:40 AM CST

Lawsuits Say Unique Apple iPhone and iPad IDs Let Advertisers Profile & Track Users Via Apps

Updated: By giving each iPhone and iPad a so-called Unique Device Identifier or UDID, Apple Inc. has made it possible for advertisers secretly to track which applications individuals download and how frequently they use them, in violation of federal and state computer, consumer and privacy law, two federal lawsuits contend.…

Dec 28, 2010 11:16 AM CST

Judge Nixes Secrecy Pact in High-Profile Fatal Toyota Crash Settlement; Automaker Paid $10M

Although Toyota Motor Corp. and the plaintiffs agreed to keep secret the amount the automaker paid to settle a lawsuit over a fiery high-speed crash that killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members, a state-court judge held the settlement couldn’t be confidential. Ruling earlier this week on…

Dec 23, 2010 10:37 PM CST

Feds Must Pay Islamic Charity Lawyers and Their Counsel $2.5M in Warrantless Wiretap Case

The chief federal district court judge in San Francisco has ordered the federal government to pay more than $2.5 million, primarily in attorney’s fees, concerning its warrantless wiretap, under an executive surveillance program authorized by President George W. Bush, of two Washington, D.C., lawyers for a now-shuttered Islamic charity in…

Dec 22, 2010 8:11 PM CST

Man Allegedly Fired Gun at Home of Judge Who Made Ruling He Blames for Costing Him His Own Home

A general contractor who claims he lost his home due to an inappropriate case consolidation that ruined him financially has been charged with shooting at the home of the California judge who made the consolidation ruling, while both the judge and his wife were inside. No one was hit by…

Dec 22, 2010 7:30 PM CST

Suit Claims Bank Took Cremated Remains in Wrongful Foreclosure

A widow has sued Bank of America for throwing out the ashes of her late husband along with her other belongings when it cleaned out her California mountain chalet in what she says was a wrongful foreclosure. Mimi Ash says she was behind on her loan but the bank had…

Dec 22, 2010 2:07 PM CST

Quinn Emanuel to Pay Associate Bonuses of Up to $82K, As Boies Schiller Tops Out at Over $200K

Updated: Associates at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan may be tethered to their smart phones. But the firm is showing them the money, recognizing their work with year-end bonuses of as much as double what some top New York law firms are paying. They range from about $8,500 to $82,500,…

Dec 21, 2010 6:11 PM CST

NOW Sees Disconnect Between Hooters Legal Defenses and Sales to Minors

The National Organization for Women in California claims Hooters is an adult establishment that shouldn’t be allowed to admit minors. NOW wrote a letter to Orange County officials claiming two local Hooters restaurants are violating state and local laws that regulate sexual entertainment, the Orange County Register reports. The group…

Dec 17, 2010 6:06 PM CST

After 21 Years, Inmate’s Conviction Reversed; Prosecutor in ‘91 Trial Still Calls It ‘Bulletproof’

Maurice Caldwell knew his lawyer had a court hearing yesterday, so he gave her a call, collect. After 21 years in prison, the 47-year-old California inmate was stunned to hear that his conviction had been overturned, due to ineffective assistance of trial counsel, who failed to investigate the case properly,…

Dec 17, 2010 5:29 PM CST

‘Mr. Bobo’ Judge Is Admonished a Second Time for Crude Gestures

More than 10 years ago, Judge John Gibson of California’s San Bernardino County was publicly admonished (PDF) based on allegations of inappropriate conduct, including an incident in which he wiggled his fingers through his robe in the groin area and told a court employee, “Say hello to Mr. Bobo.” Now…

Dec 15, 2010 5:24 PM CST

Robert Shapiro Loses Initial Round in Suit by Jailed Phil Spector Seeking Refund of $1M Retainer

Celebrity attorney Robert Shapiro will have to defend a lawsuit by a jailed former client seeking a refund of a $1 million retainer fee. Rejecting a motion to dismiss by Shapiro and his law firm, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Malcolm Mackey ruled today that a jury must decide certain…

Dec 14, 2010 9:05 PM CST

California Solo Turns Embarrassing Truck into Mobile Ad

A California solo converted a “trashy” pickup inherited from his father-in-law into a mobile ad, after a few shopping trips at Pep Boys and OfficeMax. Brian Pedigo tells MyShingle.com that the truck broke down three times when he drove it from Texas to California, and he had to put $6,000…

Dec 14, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Calif. Judge OK’d Seinfeld’s ‘Festivus’ as Legitimate Religion, Ordered Special Meals for Inmate

Locked up in a California jail, Malcolm Alarmo King wanted healthier meals. In an argument apparently made to a friendly court, he won a ruling from Superior Court Judge Derek Johnson that he should be fed double-portion kosher meals. Battling to keep its food costs down, the sheriff’s department argued…

Dec 14, 2010 1:38 AM CST

‘Hyper-Realistic’ Mask Results in Arrest of Wrong Suspect; His Own Mom Was Fooled, Lawman Says

A small California company makes very realistic—and very expensive—masks. But they’re worth it, some criminals have apparently decided, according to the Los Angeles Times. By paying $600 to $1,200 for one of the “hyper-realistic” face coverings, they are able to masquerade persuasively as someone entirely different. In Ohio, a white…

Dec 9, 2010 6:49 PM CST

Jailhouse Sex Merits Disbarment, Top Calif. Court Says

A California lawyer’s claim that jailhouse sex was consensual and lasted no more than “an hour’s total duration” shows he still doesn’t get it and should be disbarred, a state bar court judge held and the state supreme court agreed. In an order last week it held that Patrick Earl…

Dec 7, 2010 9:30 PM CST