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Ethics/Professional Responsibility

Sep. 8, 2026

Sealed DTLA dismissal raises questions about bar's next move

The sealed dismissal of a sprawling disciplinary case against DTLA attorneys leaves unanswered why prosecutors abandoned the charges, while an ethics professor predicts the State Bar will refile.

Sealed DTLA dismissal raises questions about bar's next move
Judge Alison Worthington

The State Bar Court's dismissal of charges against Downtown LA Law without prejudice leaves prosecutors free to refile and potentially add charges arising from a separate investigation into allegations involving the firm. One known investigation involves claims that DTLA improperly recruited and paid plaintiffs to file false claims in Los Angeles County childhood sexual abuse cases.

The bar's Office of Chief Trial Counsel (OCTC) had alleged the attorneys engaged in a years...

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