The First District affirms that a CEQA challenge to the Bay Bridge’s Bay Lights 360 LED installation is time-barred, holding that a subsequent Caltrans encroachment permit does not create a new project or restart the limitations period, and issue preclusion bars relitigating questions resolved
The Ninth Circuit denies qualified immunity to two former SFPD inspectors accused of fabricating evidence that led to Joaquin Ciria’s 32-year wrongful imprisonment, holding that the right not to be charged based on deliberately fabricated evidence was clearly established by 1990.
The First Department addresses a commercial dispute between Anthony Partners LLC and Mici, ruling on the parties’ respective claims.
The First District Court of Appeal held that California plaintiffs may pursue statutory damages under the Fair Credit Reporting Act without proving concrete injury, departing from the Fifth District’s Limon decision and reversing a class decertification order.
The First District held that under the Song-Beverly Act, a component manufacturer that warranties only its component is obligated to replace or reimburse only that component — not the entire consumer product in which it is incorporated.
The Ninth Circuit reversed dismissal of a TCPA class action, holding that unsolicited calls asking homeowners if they want to sell their property qualify as telephone solicitations because the caller’s underlying purpose was to encourage the purchase of real estate brokerage services.
The Ninth Circuit reversed dismissal of a civil RICO action against tribal officials, holding that officials sued in their individual capacities for money damages are not protected by tribal sovereign immunity and the tribe was not a required party.
Ninth Circuit holds that a court must rule on the merits of a pending anti-SLAPP motion—and the defendant’s right to statutory fees—even after the plaintiff voluntarily dismisses the lawsuit.
Ninth Circuit revives a Section 1983 deliberate fabrication claim against a Garden Grove detective whose police report significantly mischaracterized recorded witness statements on a critical issue in the case.
Ninth Circuit suspends two Orange County attorneys for six months after they filed briefs with AI-generated fake case citations and repeatedly denied the use of generative AI to the court.
California’s Second District Court of Appeal holds that a plaintiff who sues a public entity before the 45-day claims-response period expires cannot cure the defect by voluntarily dismissing and refiling after the claim is denied.
The California Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the death sentence of a Los Angeles father convicted of the torture-murders of two young children, holding that months of deliberate beatings, starvation, and medical neglect provided sufficient evidence of premeditated torturous intent, and that con
The California Supreme Court reverses a death-row defendant’s convictions entirely because his attorney conceded guilt over the client’s explicit objection — a structural constitutional error requiring automatic reversal — while affirming the co-defendant’s death sentence and vacat
The California Supreme Court affirms a death sentence for the 1999 rape-murder of an Oakland 11-year-old, holding that a suspect who voluntarily accompanies police to the station and is briefly placed in a lockable interview room has not been seized under the Fourth Amendment — and clarifying when v
The First District holds that San Francisco has discretion to develop a fishing program and complete CEQA review before applying for a water supply permit to open the Calaveras Reservoir to public fishing.
The Fifth District reverses a 19-year wage-and-hour class action over improper judicial reference and flawed statistical sampling, reinforcing Duran’s rigorous requirements for misclassification class trials.
The California Supreme Court overrules Solberg and holds that courts may now scrutinize alleged blanket peremptory challenges to judges under CCP section 170.6, adopting a Batson-like three-step procedure to protect judicial independence.
The First District reverses the denial of compassionate release for a prisoner whose severe medical deterioration — complete loss of lower extremity function, fused spine, and incontinence — made any realistic possibility of future harm impossible.
The Second District Court of Appeal reversed denial of arbitration in a lemon law case, holding that the plaintiff failed to dispute the existence of arbitration agreements in both the lease and the manufacturer’s warranty booklet.
The Appellate Division holds that a three-day pay-or-quit eviction notice is void where the mail payment option lists only a “leasing office” without the name and telephone number of a specific person, as required by Code of Civil Procedure section 1161(2).
California appellate court holds that a nonsignatory defendant cannot compel arbitration by relying on generic boilerplate agency allegations in an unverified complaint as judicial admissions.
California appellate court reverses juvenile’s commitment to a Secure Youth Treatment Facility because the minor’s most recent offense by date was not a qualifying crime under section 707(b).
California appellate court rules that defendants must be allowed to argue aggravating sentencing factors to a jury, reversing an upper-term firearm enhancement where the trial court denied closing argument on those factors.
The Ninth Circuit held that federal agencies likely violated the First Amendment by terminating University of California research grants based on recipients’ perceived viewpoints on DEI and environmental justice, while ruling that a separate class of grant termination challenges falls outside