Rebuilding LA:
The Daily Journal's fire coverage portal

Judicial Profile
Judge Jon Takasugi juggles court tensions, softball games, and a family legacy
MCLE
Uninsured drivers beware, the law isn't on your side
California raised its minimum auto insurance limits in J...
By Reza Torkzadeh, Allen P. WilkinsonWhat you do after hours can cost you your license
Attorneys' ethical obligations extend beyond the courtroo...
By Alanna G. Clair, Shari L. KlevensAI wins in court as book training deemed fair use
In a matter of days, two federal courts allowed the use o...
By Edward D. Lanquist, Dominic RotaThe Evening Docket
Five stories you should read before signing off.
US judge blocks Washington law making priests report abuse confessions
Activision seeks dismissal of suit linking it to Uvalde shooting
Green cards and red flags: Why the public charge rule demands closer attention
How a TV show helps resolve disputes
Judge halts project over threat to rare flower, shrimp, snakes
Today's News
Education Law
LA district can't block charter schools from sharing campuses
By Skyler Romero
A Los Angeles judge ruled that LAUSD's policy blocking charter schools from sharing campuses violates Proposition 39, ensuring equitable access to facilities...
Civil Litigation
FDA accused of bypassing safety review for spinal device
By Devon Belcher
A man who became paraplegic after spinal device complications sued Boston Scientific and the FDA, claiming unsafe design changes were approved without proper...
Civil Litigation
Activision seeks dismissal of suit linking it to Uvalde shooting
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
Activision urged a judge to dismiss claims linking it to the Uvalde mass school shooter, while plaintiffs argued the video game publisher collaborated with g...
Torts/Personal Injury
Families seek faster depositions in Santa Clara VTA shooting lawsuit
By James Twomey
Families of Santa Clara VTA shooting victims push to expedite depositions and begin mediation, saying they have strong evidence against security firms in a s...
Real Estate/Development, Environmental & Energy
Judge halts project over threat to rare flower, shrimp, snakes
By Laurinda Keys
A federal judge paused a development project near Chico after ruling that U.S. officials failed to assess climate change risks to endangered vernal pool spec...
Constitutional Law
US judge blocks Washington law making priests report abuse confessions
By Craig Anderson
Catholic bishops challenged Washington's new clergy reporting law that requires them to disclose what they hear about in confession, and a federal judge agre...
Columns
State Bar & Bar Associations
Why attorneys must speak up about the proposed rules for implementing CTAPP
By Erin M. Joyce, Natalie Manoukian
Beginning in August, the State Bar of California will implement rigorous Client Trust Account Protection Program (CTAPP) compl...
By borrowing George Costanza's Festivus tradition of the "airing of grievances," a mediator has found that letting litigants v...
This Supreme Court term wasn't marked by one explosive ruling but by a deeper, unsettling theme: a conflicted and inconsistent...
Verdicts & Settlements
Retaliation | Angela Carmell v. Janet's E... | $41,098,250 |
Product Liability | Heather Poole, et al. v. Tw... | $18,600,000 |
Auto v. Pedestrian | Raul Velazquez Guzman v. Na... | $18,512,253 |
Wage and Hour | Lisa Lefanty, individually,... | $11,000,000 |
Consumers Legal Remedies Act | David Wallenstein, individu... | $10,000,000 |
Wage and Hour | Alexander Wilson, individua... | $5,000,000 |
Clean Air Act | Bay Area Air Quality Manage... | $5,000,000 |
Wage and Hour | Louis Ames and James Guiffr... | $5,000,000 |
Fraud | Levi Sap Nei Thang Victims ... | $3,197,816 |
Consumers Legal Remedies Act | Mandy and Matthew Cliburn, ... | $2,500,000 |
On the Move
Foley & Lardner

Matt Caplan joined Foley & Lardner as a partner in San Francisco. The move was Jul. 14, 2025.
Details
Foley & Lardner has 1073 attorneys in 27 offices including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Silicon Valley,. Among the law firm’s key practice areas are Corporate, Intellectual Property, Litigation. The firm’s website is https://www.foley.com/
Featured Content
There is a time and place for everything--including a time to mediate an insurance coverage or bad faith claim.
Eight key factors that make early mediation a valuable tool in civil cases
JAMS neutral reflects on her career, what inspires her and what brought her back to JAMS after 20 years on the bench
Community News
Slideshow, Community News
Brian Panish honored at Consumer Watchdog's $2M Rage for Justice gala
By Ricardo Pineda
Daily Appellate Report
Bankruptcy
In re Uriostegui
Bankruptcy Code's state-homestead-exemption limit for debts arising from fiduciary's fraud did not apply to fraudulent conduct to become a trustee that occurred prior to any fiduciary rel...
Civil Procedure
Egelston v. State Personnel Board
Res judicata and collateral estoppel were inapplicable when restraining order judgment had no preclusive effect on government employee's dismissal which was based on his abusive and disho...
Criminal Law and Procedure
U.S. v. Ghanem
Refusing offense-level reduction for accepting responsibility was not clear error where the defendant's conduct, including attempting to minimize his involvement in the offense, was incon...
Criminal Law and Procedure
People v. Reyes
Trial court did not err by admitting significant evidence about defendant's gang affiliation during the guilt phase of bifurcated murder trial where the affiliation was relevant to motive...
Criminal Law and Procedure
People v. Lara
Regional center expert should have been appointed by trial court to evaluate defendant's competency to stand trial when record showed that a sufficient basis regarding defendant's develop...