California

Alcatraz Visit: Feel Like a Prisoner

The atmosphere is dank, dreary and depressing. Nor are the stories told by those who spent time there accounts of happy times. Nonetheless, Alcatraz, the infamous prison on an island near San Francisco, is one of the biggest tourist draws in the country. Now newly renovated, the Rock–which last housed…

Jul 23, 2007 5:18 PM CDT

LA Theft Plot: $7 M Burglary Ring

It sounds like it should be the plot of the latest Hollywood movie. But in fact it’s a real-life story in some of Los Angeles’ most elite neighborhoods: skilled burglars in ski masks are stealing from the homes of the rich and famous, evading security systems and sometimes taking entire…

Jul 20, 2007 1:25 AM CDT

Ex-Madam Can’t Testify in Spector Trial

A number of potential witnesses are eager to testify for the defense in the televised murder trial of music producer Phil Spector. But they may never get their time in the spotlight because of rulings by Los Angeles Judge Larry Paul Fidler. The witnesses want to talk about actress Lana…

Jul 19, 2007 8:09 PM CDT

Property Sales to Fund Clergy Deal

The Los Angeles archdiocese will sell stock, borrow money and sell property to help pay a record $660 million settlement with victims of priest sexual abuse. Cardinal Roger Mahony has said there are no plans to sell parish or school properties, the Los Angeles Times reports. Instead the church will…

Jul 19, 2007 5:28 PM CDT

Cooley Continues East Coast Invasion

Continuing its aggressive expansion into the East Coast legal market, Cooley Godward Kronish, a major San Francisco-based law firm known for its technology expertise, opened a 10-partner office in Boston this week. The firm has also recently marched into New York City and Washington, D.C., establishing sizable offices in both…

Jul 18, 2007 6:59 PM CDT

Priest Abuse Awards Vary

Victims of priest sexual abuse who recently settled with the Los Angeles archdiocese will receive amounts that range from $100,000 to more than $3 million. The awards vary, based on the harm to the victim, church culpability and the evidence available, the Los Angeles Times reports. The payout will be…

Jul 18, 2007 4:34 PM CDT

Feds to 150 LA Landlords: Evict or Else

A number of government officials in California, including at least one federal judge, have been openly unenthusiastic about helping the feds’ wage an all-out war on drugs as far as medicinal marijuana—which is legal under state law—is concerned. So the feds are trying another tactic. In a recent letter-writing blitz,…

Jul 18, 2007 1:15 AM CDT

Pop Star Owes Legal Fees

Lawyers for pop star Michael Jackson have told him to “Beat It” on more than one occasion. The latest dispute ended last week when a Los Angeles judge ordered Jackson to pay nearly $217,000 in legal fees to a law firm that handled side issues during his child molestation trial.…

Jul 17, 2007 8:42 PM CDT

Makeover Show Claims Dismissed

ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” was able to change a three-bedroom house into a nine-bedroom mansion, but it didn’t have to provide a happy ending for five orphans who lived there, a judge has ruled. Judge Paul Gutman said the children had failed to prove claims that the show promised…

Jul 17, 2007 7:32 PM CDT

DA Awaits Priest Files

The Los Angeles district attorney is waiting to learn what documents he will receive under a record $660 million settlement reached with the local archdiocese in priest abuse cases. District Attorney Steve Cooley told the Los Angeles Times that he needs relevant files to complete his five-year investigation into the…

Jul 17, 2007 5:57 PM CDT

Child Support Appeal Backfires

A millionaire father who tried to get his child support payments reduced will end up paying more due to a ruling yesterday by the California Court of Appeals. Adam Venit had challenged his monthly support payments of nearly $27,000, but a trial judge instead increased the amount to about $31,600…

Jul 17, 2007 4:40 PM CDT

Waiver Doesn’t Protect Pool

The California Supreme Court ruled yesterday that liability waivers don’t protect recreation programs if they commit gross negligence. The ruling was the first by the court to address whether recreation providers may protect themselves from suit, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The court ruled in the case of a 14-year-old…

Jul 17, 2007 4:00 PM CDT

Emotional Close to Priest Suit

A judge has approved a record $660 million settlement in a suit against the Los Angeles archdiocese for sexual abuse by priests. Victims cried as Judge Haley Fromholz of Los Angeles County Superior Court said settlement “was the right thing to do,” the New York Times reports. The plaintiffs’ lead…

Jul 17, 2007 2:28 PM CDT

Ex-Software CEO Can Sue Lawyers

The California Supreme Court has cleared the way for malicious prosecution suit by the founder of a software company. The decision allows Siebel Systems founder Thomas Siebel to sue two lawyers who represented a woman in a suit against Siebel and the company, the Recorder reports. Siebel Systems was later…

Jul 17, 2007 12:37 PM CDT

New Leader for Bingham’s SF Office

Bingham McCutchen is putting a new partner at the helm of its San Francisco office, following the departure of seven partners and several associates since the beginning of the year. The new office leader is Geoffrey Howard, 40, who has been jointly heading the firm’s complex litigation practice group, reports…

Jul 16, 2007 11:41 PM CDT