California

New Counselor at DA’s Office is Friendly, Furry, Wags Tail a Lot

When children who have been sex crime victims come to the Yolo County, Calif., district attorney’s office, they are often frightened and hesitant to trust adults. So the office chose someone they thought would especially appeal to children when selecting the newest addition to its staff of child abuse counselors—a…

Jan 12, 2008 12:15 AM CST

Calif. Court Strikes Down San Francisco Handgun Ban

A California appeals court has ruled that local governments have no authority to ban handguns. Yesterday the court struck down a handgun ban adopted in San Francisco in a 2005 ballot measure, holding that state laws regulating gun sales pre-empt local attempts to ban the possession and sale of handguns.…

Jan 10, 2008 4:20 PM CST

Folsom Prison Cancels Johnny Cash Tribute Concert

A 40-year anniversary tribute to the Jan. 13, 1968 concert that made both Johnny Cash and Folsom State Prison in California famous has been canceled. The event was to have taken place Sunday in the same prison cafeteria as his 2 million-selling Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison live album, and…

Jan 9, 2008 8:00 PM CST

DA Probes ‘Sadly Predictable’ Murder; Victim Never Warned of Spouse’s Release

New details have emerged in the case of a California woman murdered last week by her increasingly abusive husband, and the district attorney’s office in Los Angeles County reportedly is investigating why the prosecution not only didn’t oppose but actually recommended his release on his own recognizance as part of…

Jan 9, 2008 6:26 PM CST

Will Qualcomm Sue Its Lawyers?

When a federal magistrate sanctioned six lawyers Monday for discovery violations in their representation of Qualcomm Inc., she wrote a footnote that suggested their law firms could face a malpractice suit. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Major referred the lawyers to the State Bar of California for possible discipline and even…

Jan 9, 2008 11:38 AM CST

3 More Partners Exit Heller Ehrman

After a disappointing financial year in 2007 and the departure of several well-known colleagues, three more partners of Heller Ehrman are exiting the firm to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Margaret Mann has left her position as head of the San Francisco-based firm’s bankruptcy practice to join Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton…

Jan 8, 2008 6:53 PM CST

‘Sadly Predictable’ Murder By Released Prisoner in Calif. Domestic Case

It’s a sad story that’s been told before, but California prosecutors are trying to figure out how to keep it from happening again: Accused of twice taking his estranged wife to isolated locations and restraining her during November 2007—once by handcuffing her to furniture in a hotel room and another…

Jan 8, 2008 5:54 PM CST

One-Minute Delay Costs MoFo $1M in Attorney Fees

Missing a deadline for an attorney fee request by one minute has apparently cost a Morrison & Foerster client $1 million, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports. MoFo contended it was late because a hired courier got stuck in traffic on his motorcycle. The courier arrived at the courthouse…

Jan 8, 2008 3:50 PM CST

Six Lawyers Referred to Calif. Bar for Qualcomm Discovery Abuse

A federal magistrate has referred six lawyers to the State Bar of California for possible discipline because of discovery violations in their representation of Qualcomm Inc. in a patent infringement dispute. Five of the lawyers are from Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder, and one is from Heller Ehrman, the Recorder…

Jan 8, 2008 12:38 PM CST

Fired US Atty Ryan Takes Pay Cut to Work For San Fran’s Mayor

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has hired former U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan to lead the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. Ryan was among at least eight U.S. attorneys fired last year by the Bush Administration. This is his second post, after taking a job in April with the 200-lawyer Allen…

Jan 4, 2008 11:10 PM CST

Apple Accused of Muscling Microsoft Out of Digital Music Market

In a case one blogger at Fortune notes is “rich in irony,” a San Diego lawyer has filed an antitrust suit against Apple, claiming it is illegally maintaining a monopoly because it doesn’t support Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format. Stacie Somers, who has retained class action counsel, claims in a…

Jan 4, 2008 10:35 PM CST

Court Order Resolves Britney Spears Family Dispute

A three-hour argument last night over custody of Britney Spears’ two children was resolved ”peacefully by court order,” a Los Angeles police spokesman said. The lawyer for Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline, Mark Vincent Kaplan, arrived at Spears’ home around 8 p.m. yesterday evening, and the children were later turned over…

Jan 4, 2008 12:23 PM CST

Judge Raps Plaintiffs Lawyer for Bid to Boot Special Master

A federal judge has told plaintiffs lawyer Waukeen McCoy in no uncertain terms what she thinks of his attempt to boot a special master overseeing a fight over legal fees. San Francisco federal Judge Susan Illston rejected McCoy’s claims that special master Edward Swanson had a conflict of interest and…

Jan 4, 2008 12:01 PM CST

Calif. Sues EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Emissions

California sued the EPA today after the federal agency rejected the country’s first law imposing greenhouse gas limits on automobiles. The suit in the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit was expected after the EPA on Dec. 19 denied California’s bid for a Clean Air Act waiver. The Associated Press reports that…

Jan 2, 2008 10:39 PM CST

Flanked By Marshals, Federal Judge Visits Troubled Trailer Park

In an unusual firsthand look at the conditions of a trailer park, U.S. District Judge Stephen Larson trekked through muddy roads, accompanying inspectors at Duroville on the Torres Martinez Indian Reservation. At issue are purported dangerous conditions at the mobile home park. Larson, flanked by marshals carrying assault rifles and…

Dec 21, 2007 7:11 PM CST