California

David Boies Calls on Lawyers to Speak Out Against Personal Attacks on Judges in Controversial Cases

Only days after ruling that California’s Proposition 8 ban against same-sex marriages violates the U.S. Constitution, a U.S. district court judge in San Francisco already has been subjected to personal threats against him, said David Boies in his keynote speech to the Opening Assembly of the 2010 ABA Annual Meeting.…

Aug 8, 2010 3:00 AM CDT

Fed’l Judge in Calif. Strikes Prop 8 Same-Sex Marriage Ban; Appeal Expected

In a much-awaited ruling today, a federal judge in San Francisco held that the state’s same-sex marriage ban violates the United States Constitution. A copy of the opinion (PDF), in which Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker rules that the voter-enacted ban violates both the due process and equal protection…

Aug 4, 2010 9:03 PM CDT

Video Game CEO Balks at $1M Legal Bill, But Appeals Court Says He Has to Pay

When dealing with a sexual harassment suit, an executive of a video game giant allegedly said he wanted to spend to defend rather than settle with the plaintiff for $200,000 to $400,000. But when it came time to pay his attorney’s nearly seven-figure legal bill, Bobby Kotick of Activision Blizzard…

Aug 4, 2010 4:22 PM CDT

Lawyer Sued for Sexual Harassment Wins $1.55M for Defamation Counterclaim

A jury is weighing punitive damages after awarding a California lawyer $1.55 million in a defamation counterclaim against the paralegal who sued him for sexual harassment. Jurors rejected the sexual harassment claim by paralegal Allison Moreno, who had alleged she had sex with Oakland lawyer Thomas Ostly to protect her…

Aug 4, 2010 2:59 PM CDT

Lindsay Lohan Leaves Jail, Bypasses Reporters

Actress Lindsay Lohan was released from jail at 1:35 this morning after serving a fraction of her 90-day sentence for violating her probation in two drunken driving cases. The Associated Press says Lohan served just 14 days in jail, while Reuters puts the count at 13 days. Next, she will…

Aug 2, 2010 11:29 AM CDT

Boutin Gibson to Nearly Double By Adding 17-Lawyer McDonough Holland Group

The 11th-largest law firm in Sacramento will catapult to the No. 4 spot on the list as of Sept. 1, when it plans to add 17 lawyers from McDonough Holland & Allen, which has been the second-largest law firm in the California city but is rapidly losing lawyers and plans…

Jul 30, 2010 5:17 PM CDT

Hobson’s Choice for Ansel Adams Heirs: $200M Might Be Theirs If They Say Newfound Pix are Legit

Faced with a claim that a construction worker paid $45 at a garage sale for lost Ansel Adams negatives that could bring in some $200 million, outraged heirs and administrators of the famed black-and-white nature photographer’s legacy are faced with a Hobson’s choice. They might be able to claim much…

Jul 30, 2010 1:27 AM CDT

Admitted Dates, IMs & Defendant Lawyer’s Depo of Plaintiff Paralegal Now Issues in Trial

Years ago, when attorney Thomas Ostly was still on good terms with his paralegal, he joked with her in an instant message that he was going to be careful not to give her “any evidence for the inevitable lawsuit.” But there appears to no dearth of material for the now…

Jul 29, 2010 7:43 PM CDT

Another Toyota Headache: Allegations of Prius Headlight Failures

A federal judge in Los Angeles has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that claims headlights on late-model Priuses sporadically turn off and on. U.S. District Judge Manuel Real found the plaintiffs had sufficiently alleged an unreasonable safety risk, the National Law Journal reports. The suit was brought on behalf of…

Jul 28, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Lawyer Says He Helped Client Show That $45 Garage-Sale Buy Is Worth Some $200M

Updated: After paying $45 for a box of old negatives at a garage sale a decade ago, a Fresno, Calif., painter noticed that some looked like the published work of famed black-and-white nature photographer Ansel Adams. Although the family of Adams pooh-poohed the possibility, Rick Norsigian finally hired a lawyer…

Jul 28, 2010 12:31 AM CDT

Mel Gibson: I’m the Victim of an Extortion Plot re Ex’s Abuse Allegations

Accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, both physically and verbally, actor Mel Gibson is hitting back hard. Although he has refused to discuss Oksana Grigorieva’s abuse allegations—some of which are backed by audio recordings—with Los Angeles Sheriff’s investigators, citing his Fifth Amendment rights, he has talked with the department about another…

Jul 27, 2010 9:29 PM CDT

Sheppard Mullin Raids Seyfarth for Trio of Wage-and-Hour Partners

Apparently anticipating an uptick of wage-and-hour cases against employers, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton has brought in three partners from Seyfarth Shaw whose practices focus on defending such class actions. Headed by the former co-chair of Seyfarth’s wage-and-hour class action practice group, Thomas Kaufman, the trio are leaving Seyfarth’s Los…

Jul 27, 2010 7:53 PM CDT

Stanford Law Dean Is on a Mission to Make His School No. 1

Stanford Law School dean Larry Kramer is on a mission to make his school the best in the nation, and he hopes to get there partly by raiding faculty from the two schools that outrank him. Kramer has been at Stanford since 2004, and since then he’s set out on…

Jul 27, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

Head of Dewey & LeBoeuf Palo Alto Office Leads 3-Partner Team to Kaye Scholer

Barely two years after joining Dewey & LeBoeuf, the managing partner of the firm’s East Palo Alto office is leaping to the nearby Menlo Park, Calif., office of Kaye Scholer. Barbara Caulfield is leading a three-partner team to her new firm, all of whom have an intellectual property focus, reports…

Jul 27, 2010 12:10 AM CDT

Lawyer’s Multiple Disability Claims Irk Targeted Businesses in Calif. City

A San Diego lawyer has irritated business owners in the town of Redlands, Calif., by sending out letters on behalf of clients demanding $6,500 settlements for claimed violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and related state law. Attorney James Mason says he represents two disabled veterans who don’t live…

Jul 23, 2010 5:31 PM CDT