Orange County Judge Gassia Apkarian spends time reflecting on her cases and the future of Armenia.
Tax
Stacked deck: Oft-critiqued State Board of Equalization leaves those in tax disputes with risky, expensive options
By Phil Johnson
When it comes to the process of challenging taxes, California stands alone. Tax experts across the state point to a combinatio...
California Courts of Appeal
The 2nd District Court of Appeal rejects bid by co-defendant Dole Food Company Inc. to derail the settlement over allegations ...
Law Practice
Public Counsel selects former judge as new president and chief executive
By Steven Crighton
Judge Margaret M. Morrow has been selected as the new president and chief executive of the Public Counsel, the organization an...
Litigation
SF lawyer files antitrust suit seeking to block merger of beer companies
By Saul Sugarman
San Francisco plaintiffs' lawyer Joseph M. Alioto is seeking to block the merger of a pair of juggernaut beer companies. ...
Litigation
Judge orders Safeway to pay $42 million for overcharging online customers
By Saul Sugarman
Safeway Inc. must pay roughly $42 million for overcharging customers who use its online grocery ordering service, a San Franci...
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
Class action against Ford revived by federal appeals court
By Kevin Lee
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revived a consumer breach of warranty lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. Wednesday and order...
Fenwick & West introduced Carole Coplan as general manager of its FLEX program for streamlined, more cost-efficient legal ...
Administrative/Regulatory
Chad Finke named new CEO at Alameda County Superior Court
By Phil Johnson
Previously serving as the court's first general counsel, Finke replaces Leah T. Wilson, who joined the State Bar as chief oper...
General Counsel CyberSponse Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz. ...
The state's high court focused on the practical implications of allowing borrowers standing in court to challenge foreclosure,...
A roundup of recent transactions across the state and the lawyers involved
Immigration
Family counts as 'social group' in immigration case, 9th Circuit rules
By Saul Sugarman
A Guatemalan man has been given another shot at asylum by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled Tuesday that a ga...
State Bar & Bar Associations
Bar President pushes for legal services funding increase
By Lyle Moran
Bar President David Pasternak wants the state to drastically increase its legal services funding. ...
NuVasive Inc., the litigious San Diego-based medical device company, announced Tuesday Jason D. Hanson will take the helm of l...
In a breach of contract suit filed by mineral rights holders against oil company Warren E&P, a Los Angeles judge found tha...
SynerMed Inc., a Monterey Park-based health care communications platform for patients and providers, announced Tuesday that Re...
AB 1343 underscores the importance for both defense and prosecution to weigh the consequences of a guilty plea on deportation ...
Government
Judicial Council considered but rejected Sacramento consolidation
By Kevin Lee
The Judicial Council of California, the state court's administrative and policymaking arm, has revealed that it considered — b...
Alameda County Judge Thomas Stevens works hard to calm agitated parents in family court.
Judges and Judiciary
Commission on Judicial Performance ousts Tulare County judge
By Phil Johnson
Valeriano Saucedo must leave the bench after CJP finds multiple ethics violations. ...
Partly citing discovery logistics, Judge Robert L. Hess wants individual arbitration claims first in Iskanian. ...
Nicole Heeseman draws on her research attorney background as a Los Angeles County commissioner
Record number of attorneys could face State Bar discipline for not meeting continuing legal education requirements. ...
Litigation
Riverside County could exclude city from debt relief deal, judge rules
By Amanda Schallert
A Riverside County Superior Court judge Monday said the county has discretionary authority to exclude the city of Eastvale fro...
Transactions
Delaware high court upholds influential Rural/Metro decision
By Banks Albachn
State's supreme court agreed with the lower court's decision that RBC was liable for "aiding and abetting" the board of Rural...
Environmental
California Supreme Court deals setback to planned new city in Los Angeles
By Fiona Smith
The justices ruled that state wildlife officials did an inadequate analysis of the climate change impacts of plans to develop ...
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
9th Circuit overturns Central District judge, rules against LA housing authority
By Saul Sugarman
Los Angeles residents who receive federal housing assistance should have been given more notice that their benefits were decre...
A state Supreme Court ruling handed down Monday will force law enforcement to work more closely with child welfare agencies an...
Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy takes an active role in mentoring new judges.