Afternoon Briefs: Retired lawyer liable for son's death; SCOTUS rejects homelessness case
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93-year-old retired lawyer is found liable for son’s shooting death
On Friday, jurors in San Diego found a 93-year-old retired lawyer liable for $9.5 million in damages for killing his son with a shotgun a year ago. The lawyer, Richard Peck, had claimed that he shot his son in self-defense. Peck’s lawyer said the son was “losing the battle” with alcoholism, and he had tormented and threatened Peck. Peck also faced criminal charges; he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter earlier this year. (The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Supreme Court declines to hear case on right to sleep on sidewalk
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a ruling that protected the right of homeless people to sleep on sidewalks and in public spaces. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco had ruled in a challenge to a Boise, Idaho, law that prosecuting homeless people with no other place to sleep violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. (SCOTUSblog, the Los Angeles Times)
Judge rejects Michael Flynn’s entrapment argument
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has rejected an entrapment argument by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty in 2017 to making false statements about his interactions with a Russian ambassador. Sullivan said there was no evidence that Flynn was entrapped into accepting the plea deal. He also said Flynn had failed to show that former special counsel Robert Mueller had suppressed evidence. (The Washington Post)
Governor rejects PG&E’s $13.5B wildfire settlement
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has rejected a $13.5 billion settlement reached by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. with victims of California wildfires. Newsom said the settlement didn’t address how the utility company will provide safe and reliable power to customers after emerging from a bankruptcy reorganization. (The Associated Press, Courthouse News Service)
