Courts, Rulings & Lawsuits | |
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Judge finds no conflict with Rebecca Grossman's lawyer also defending senior prosecutor who supervised her murder case
A judge in Van Nuys ruled Friday that Rebecca Grossman, who was convicted of murdering two boys while speeding through a crosswalk in Westlake Village, may keep her new defense lawyer, who is also defending a senior prosecutor who previously supervised Grossman's murder trial.
NBC4
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Federal judge in Texas blocks Biden rule expanding gun background checks
A federal judge in Texas on Sunday blocked a Biden administration rule that expanded the requirements for background checks when selling a firearm. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk granted an injunction against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to prevent the federal government from fully implementing the rule in Texas, though he also found that the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Utah do not have standing in the case.
The Hill
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Black Lives Matter activist loses lawsuit against Los Angeles police over ‘swatting’ hoax response
A leading Black Lives Matter activist in Los Angeles on Thursday lost her lawsuit against the city’s police department over its handling of hoax phone calls that brought a large law enforcement response to her home. Police have said three teens driven by racial hatred were behind so-called swatting calls across the country, including two in 2020 and 2021 to the Los Angeles home of Melina Abdullah, co-founder of BLM-LA and a Cal State LA professor.
AP
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Federal judge upholds California law that lets males in female prisons
A U.S. judge has thrown out a legal challenge to a California law that enables males, even if they haven’t undergone gender reassignment surgery, to be housed with females in prisons. Senate Bill 132, which took effect in 2021, lets males who self-identify as women, non-binary, or gender fluid serve their sentences in women’s correctional facilities.
The Signal
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C.A. rejects contention that judge erred in choosing upper term in resentencing
The Court of Appeal for this district, in a brief opinion, yesterday rebuffed the contention of a convict whose prison term was reduced at a resentencing hearing from 10 to eight years that the judge erred in failing to follow the mandate of a new statute that generally requires that a new sentence be based on the middle term.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Many pushed to free ‘kind’ LAPD cop who murdered ex-boyfriend’s wife. Victim’s family fought back
Despite a campaign by justice reform advocates, the California Board of Parole Hearings has revoked plans to release former LAPD Det. Stephanie Lazarus from prison after hearing emotional testimony from family and friends who said she “lied for decades” and used her police training to cover up the 1986 murder of her ex-boyfriend’s wife.
Los Angeles Times
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California Supreme Court ponders gig driver exemption from labor law
The California Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments from a group of Uber and Lyft drivers backed by the Service Employees International Union who are challenging Proposition 22, the voter-approved law that exempts gig drivers from being classified as employees.
Courthouse News Service
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Judge approves $90,000 gross settlement in girl's suit vs. LAUSD
A judge has approved a $90,000 settlement on behalf of a 17-year-old Tarzana girl who alleged she was not protected at a Los Angeles Unified School District middle school from bullying by classmates, including an attack that left her with a concussion in 2020. The plaintiff is identified only as Z.S. in her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against the district and Jennifer Yoo, then the principal of Gaspar de Portola Middle School.
City News Service
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US Supreme Court spurns former Guantanamo Bay detainee's appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court turned away on Monday a Canadian former Guantanamo Bay detainee's bid to vacate his convictions for the 2002 murder of an American soldier in Afghanistan and other crimes he committed at age 15 to which he later pleaded guilty. The justices declined to hear an appeal by Omar Khadr, now age 37, of a lower court's refusal to hear his case on the grounds that he had waived his right to appellate review as part of a 2010 plea agreement before a U.S. military commission.
Reuters
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Ninth Circuit affirms dismissal of lawsuit brought by figure in DWP scandal
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed the dismissal with prejudice of a complaint filed by Tarzana attorney Michael J. Libman, on behalf of himself and his wife and children, against former Los Angeles County Bar Association President Brian Kabateck and his law firm, former City Attorney Michael Feuer, and other attorneys and related parties.
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Murder charge filed in slaying on bus in Commerce
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed a murder charge against the man who allegedly shot and killed a fellow passenger on an L.A. Metro bus in Commerce on Thursday. In a news release, District Attorney George Gascón announced Winston Apolinario Rivera, 30, faces a charge of murder and a special allegation he used a firearm while committing a crime in the fatal shooting of Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez.
KTLA
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Cassie slams Diddy’s ‘disingenuous’ apology for 2016 assault video that is ‘more about himself’ than victim
An attorney for Casandra “Cassie” Ventura has slammed Sean “Diddy” Combs’ apology as “disingenuous” after he broke his silence over the release of shocking footage showing him attacking her in a hotel hallway in 2016. Diddy posted an Instagram video on Sunday apologizing for beating his then-girlfriend Cassie, calling his behaviour “inexcusable” and saying he “takes full responsibility for his actions in the video”.
The Independent
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Aliso Viejo man was childhood friend of UPS driver he’s accused of shooting to death
New details released Tuesday on the deadly ambush attack of a UPS driver in Orange County revealed he was allegedly stalked and killed by a childhood friend. The shooting happened on May 16 as the victim, Expedito Cuesta De Leon, 50, from Aliso Viejo, was sitting in his delivery van after dropping off a package at around 3 p.m.
KTLA
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Live Nation sued by Justice Department in antitrust lawsuit seeking break up
The Justice Department has sued Live Nation for antitrust violations tied to its dominance over the live events industry. The department joined 29 states and the District of Columbia to file in New York district court on Thursday a lawsuit accusing the Ticketmaster parent of leveraging its unrivaled position as the nation’s largest concert promoter, ticket seller and venue owner to undermine competition.
Hollywood Reporter
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California Democrats urge AG to drop felony charges against ethics investigator
California's top Democratic lawyers urged Attorney General Rob Bonta to drop 11 felony charges filed against Los Angeles Ethics and Integrity Assistant District Attorney Diana Teran, a top lieutenant of embattled Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. The 11 charges are for illegally accessing confidential, "statutorily-protected" law enforcement files in her current role and prior role as Constitutional Policing Advisor at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department while investigating officers for potential misconduct.
The Center Square
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Nathan Hochman receives coveted endorsement of The Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association
The Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association has endorsed Nathan Hochman for District Attorney, adding to the widespread and bipartisan support of his campaign. The chiefs’ association, which represents the public safety interests of 45 independent cities* in L.A. County, said new leadership of the D.A.’s Office is needed to improve public safety in the County.
Nathan Hochman News Release
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They film you rolling through stop signs and fine you $100. One SoCal agency’s $1 million idea
The citation that Andrew Rice received in the mail looked like a traffic ticket, including a photo of his license plate. But the mail didn’t come from any police or city agency he recognized. Back in July, one of his adult kids visited Temescal Canyon park near Pacific Palisades. A camera recorded Rice’s Prius rolling through a stop sign at the park’s parking lot, resulting in a $100 fine for Rice, the registered owner of the car.
Los Angeles Times
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Published reports link BHHS student to UCLA attacks
A published media report has linked a Beverly Hills High School student to the April 30 attacks on the UCLA Palestine Solidarity Encampment. The CNN Investigation names an 18-year-old student (whose name the Courier is withholding) as one of the assailants and contains video footage of him wearing a white mask and hoodie and striking a pro-Palestinian protestor with a pole.
Beverly Hills Courier
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Why a drug treatment unit for juveniles in LA County custody closed just months after opening
Los Angeles County has shut down a much-needed drug addiction treatment unit at a juvenile detention facility in Sylmar over attorneys’ concerns about the involuntary placement of juveniles into the program. The Substance Use Disorder Unit, championed last year in the wake of a fatal overdose and multiple hospitalizations within the juvenile facilities, was meant to provide “close supervision and intensive programming from counselors” to addicted youth confined specifically within the Barry J. Nidorf Secure Youth Treatment Facility.
Pasadena Star News
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LAPD seeks to fire a senior captain over relationship with 911 dispatcher
Los Angeles police officials are seeking to fire a senior captain after an internal investigation determined he failed to disclose a romantic relationship with a civilian employee and then lied about it to internal affairs detectives, according to three department sources. The captain, Alejandro “Alex” Vargas, was summoned earlier this week to the office of Assistant Chief Daniel Randolph and told that he would be assigned home, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss a confidential department personnel matter.
Los Angeles Times
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Reward of up to $50k offered for information on robberies against USPS mail carriers
An FBI raid at a home in Baldwin Park left neighbors shaken after agents attempted to locate a man believed to be targeting USPS mail carriers in robberies. “I was woken up around 6 a.m. with sirens blaring and police on megaphones,” Fernando Valentin told NBC4. A boarded-up home on Big Dalton Avenue was the subject of a federal raid on Tuesday.
NBC4
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Left in the dark: 25,000 streetlights are out in LA, putting safety at risk in some neighborhoods
A record number of streetlights are out across Los Angeles, the NBC4 I-Team has found, and some blocks in commercial and residential areas are now completely dark. “This is a public safety issue,” said Estela Lopez, who runs the Downtown LA Industrial District, where she says 40 percent of the streetlights are out.
NBC4
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Homeless encampment near Encino Little League raises concern among parents, coaches
Concerns are rising among parents and coaches of the Encino Little League as a homeless encampment has grown near their fields on Caltrans property. Over the past few weeks, several tents have been set up behind the fields, leading to safety and security worries. Recently, some baseball equipment went missing, prompting a parent to investigate.
Fox11
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California Lutheran University president resigns
The controversial president of California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks has resigned. Then-president Lori Varlotta was on the wrong side of a faculty “no confidence” vote only a few months ago - prior to that she had been seen as the cause of the intense disagreement between the school and former local Congressman Elton Gallegly.
California Globe
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UCLA police chief reassigned after security failures over pro-Palestinian protests
UCLA Police Chief John Thomas has been removed from his post and reassigned, officials said, weeks after he faced sharp criticism for security failures that led to violence at a pro-Palestinian encampment. Rick Braziel, associate vice chancellor who heads the newly created Office of Campus Safety, informed Thomas this week that he would be reassigned while internal and external investigations examine campus security shortfalls that left UCLA students and others involved in the protest encampment to fend for themselves against attackers for three hours before law enforcement moved in to quell the melee.
Los Angeles Times
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New Palestine protest at UCLA as chancellor testifies to Congress
While UCLA's chancellor testified before Congress about efforts to combat antisemitism on campus, pro-Palestinian activists again set up barricades and established another encampment on the Westwood campus, and protest organizers promised Friday to continue their efforts. The encampment at UCLA was quickly dismantled Thursday and later moved into a classroom building.
City News Service
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Matthew Perry’s death under investigation in connection with ketamine level found in actor’s blood
Authorities have opened an investigation into how Matthew Perry received the supply of ketamine that killed him, police said Tuesday. Los Angeles police are working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with a probe into why the 54-year-old “Friends” star had so much of the drug in his system, LAPD Capt. Scot Williams said in an email.
AP
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Female driver arrested for 405 Freeway rampage identified
A 41-year-old woman who rammed a police cruiser and led authorities on a high-speed chase earlier this month that ended with a head-on collision on the 405 Freeway could face more than 20 years in state prison, officials announced Wednesday. The May 17 incident began at around 4:30 a.m. after officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to a disturbance call and were intentionally rammed by a woman driving a van.
KTLA
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Thieves as young as 12 among those driving spike in stolen cars in San Fernando Valley
The LAPD reported Tuesday that the number of stolen cars increased nearly 30% in the San Fernando Valley in 2024, driven by unusually large spikes in auto thefts in the North Hollywood and Foothill areas. "North Hollywood Division has an increase of 39%, or 134 more, motor vehicle thefts," Chief Dominic Choi told the Board of Police Commissioners Tuesday of the comparison with this time last year.
NBC4
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LAPD officer injured when she was ejected from patrol car after it was stolen
A Los Angeles police officer was injured early Sunday morning after a man stole her patrol vehicle while she was inside it and then was later ejected from the cruiser. The unnamed officer had been working a security detail at 12th and Figueroa streets around 3:30 a.m. when a man approached her vehicle and managed to get inside, according to the department.
Los Angeles Times
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Authorities say 17-year-old trafficking victim rescued in Casitas Springs by 911 text
Authorities said they rescued a 17-year-old victim of human trafficking in Casitas Springs after she texted 911 with “pleas for help” around 3 a.m. May 9. The technology to communicate with an emergency call center via text messages has been used by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office for about five years, according to Detective Chris Dyer with the sheriff's major crimes unit.
Ventura County Star
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Suspects arrested in possible link to string of OC, LA convenience-store robberies
Police on Monday arrested three suspects believed to be tied to a recent string of convenience-store robberies across Southern California. The arrests came after a short pursuit that ended in Long Beach. Five people bolted from the vehicle and three were arrested. The two others remain on the loose. Authorities say surveillance video shows the group inside a 7-Eleven store in Bellflower.
ABC7
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4 from Burbank, Las Vegas arrested in darknet drug smuggling ring
The United States Department of Justice announced four men have been arrested for allegedly selling fentanyl pills and cocaine on the dark web. Authorities say Southern California natives, 21-year-old Alejandro Soto, and 21-year-old Austin Blanco, both from Burbank, and Las Vegas residents, 23-year-old Craig Rushton, and 20-year-old Christian McKibben have all been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, two counts of distribution of fentanyl, and one count of distribution of cocaine.
KTLA
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Suspected L.A. gang members arrested by U.S. Postal Inspectors
At least one suspected member of a Los Angeles gang and multiple co-conspirators were arrested by United States Postal Inspectors and are facing several charges. Antonio Hernandez, an alleged member of an infamous L.A. gang, was arrested alongside Ivan Murillo-Hernandez and Alexis Garcia Martinez, according to the United States Postal Inspection Service.
KTLA
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Convictions/Pleas/Sentences | |
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Judge reopens Paul Pelosi attacker sentencing after making ‘clear error’
A federal judge reopened the sentencing of a man who assaulted the husband of former U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying the attacker was not given the opportunity to speak before he was sentenced last week. The decision came Saturday - a day after Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley sentenced David DePape to 30 years in prison for his violent 2022 attempted kidnapping of Nancy Pelosi, during which he used a hammer to bludgeon her husband, Paul.
Los Angeles Times
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Angelina Jolie could be forced to reveal past NDAs in winery fight with Brad Pitt
Lawyers for movie star Brad Pitt asked a Superior Court judge on Thursday to compel his ex-wife and fellow star Angelina Jolie to produce a trove of nondisclosure agreements she has signed in the past. Superior Court Judge Lia Martin said she would likely agree to the order - with some limitations. For example, Martin may only force Jolie to reveal NDAs dating back to 2014, the year Jolie and Pitt were wed.
Courthouse News Service
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F.B.I. shed informants linked to Russian influence operations
The F.B.I. cut ties to at least a handful of informants and issued warnings about dozens of others after an internal review prompted by concerns that they were linked to Russian disinformation, current and former U.S. officials said. The review was carried out in 2020 and 2021 by a small group within the bureau’s counterintelligence division, with the findings then passed along to field offices, which handle informants.
New York Times
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Trump's attorneys found classified docs in his bedroom months after raid
Former President Trump's attorneys found classified documents in his bedroom four months after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, per court documents unsealed Tuesday. The big picture: The revelation comes as part of a newly unsealed opinion that U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell cited last year when she found that prosecutors brought forward sufficient evidence to show Trump mishandled classified documents.
Axios
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US lawsuit challenges Southwest Air's free ticket program for Hispanic students
A group founded by a prominent anti-affirmative action activist on Monday sued Southwest Airlines, alleging that a two-decade-old program that awards free round-trip flights to Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students is racially discriminatory. Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Dallas alleged that the airline's program violated federal civil rights laws by excluding non-Hispanic students from eligibility for free tickets.
Reuters
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