Sued by dad over his 13-year-old daughter’s suicide after bullying, school denies responsibility

Already distraught after his 13-year-old daughter committed suicide last December, Jason Lamberth says subsequent conduct of Nevada school officials is what drove him to file suit. Hailee Lamberth’s suicide note blamed bullying by a specific student, but the Clark County School District denied any report of bullying until the family…

Dec 17, 2014 4:00 PM CST

All is not as it seems for 9th Circuit clerk in ATL founder’s new novel (podcast)

Dec 17, 2014 8:30 AM CST

After last-minute lead plaintiff substitution, iPod users seek $350M at trial and get zilch

Corrected: A $350 million federal class action noteworthy for its last-minute appointment of a new lead plaintiff made it the jury this week—only to have the jury rule for the defendant company after about three hours of deliberation. The jury on Tuesday found Apple Inc. not liable for allegedly suppressing…

Dec 16, 2014 3:55 PM CST

9th Circuit refuses to block condom mandate for adult film actors

A federal appeals court has refused to enjoin a voter-approved law requiring adult film actors in Los Angeles County, California, to wear condoms during sexual intercourse. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a federal trial court did not abuse its discretion by declining to block the…

Dec 16, 2014 12:07 PM CST

Kozinski dissent: ‘Tribunal run by marsupials’ would have been fairer to tribal defendant

Federal appeals judge Alex Kozinski has come out swinging in a dissent siding with a domestic-violence defendant convicted in a tribal court that did not inform him about the need to affirmatively request a jury trial. Kozinski wrote that the defendant, who did not have a lawyer at trial, would…

Dec 15, 2014 5:45 AM CST

Three cities sue Uber, citing noncompliance with state laws and municipal regulations

At least three cities filed suit this week against the operators of the Uber ride-sharing smartphone application. Although Uber’s leaders say they are merely providing information to drivers and passengers who wish to connect with each other, officials in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, see the situation differently.…

Dec 11, 2014 5:05 PM CST

Judge boots lead plaintiff in $350M case at trial against Apple, orders counsel to find a substitute

Agreeing with Apple Inc. that the only remaining lead plaintiff in a $350 million class action over iPods didn’t actually purchase one of the devices at issue, a federal judge has booted her from the case. However, rather than dismiss the antitrust case, which is at trial in Oakland, California,…

Dec 9, 2014 2:00 PM CST

Does $350M case at trial against Apple have a lead plaintiff? Judge hasn’t yet ruled

One of two lead plaintiffs dropped out of a $350 million antitrust class action against Apple Inc. last week, after lawyers for the computer goliath questioned whether she had purchased one of the iPods at issue in the California case. However, the federal judge overseeing the trial that is now…

Dec 8, 2014 5:40 PM CST

Uh-oh. Did lead plaintiffs seeking $350M in Apple trial purchase iPods as required?

Several days into the trial of a federal antitrust class action in which some 8 million iPod purchasers seek $350 million in damages from Apple Inc., a problem has arisen. It isn’t clear that the two lead plaintiffs did, in fact, purchase devices at issue in the nearly 10-year-old case,…

Dec 5, 2014 10:15 AM CST

9th Circuit reinstates stash-house-sting indictment

A federal appeals court has reversed a federal judge who tossed an indictment because of what he deemed to be an “outrageous” sting involving an invitation to rob a drug stash house that didn’t exist. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it shared concerns voiced by…

Dec 5, 2014 9:32 AM CST

Plaintiffs are seeking $1B in Apple trial over software that required iTunes to be played on iPods

Technology has moved on in the nearly 10 years since a class action was filed against Apple Inc. over the company’s handling of songs downloaded onto iPods from its iTunes Music Store. However, that won’t prevent the computer goliath from being hit with a costly damages award, if a federal…

Dec 4, 2014 10:25 AM CST

Court worker files HIPAA suit, says she was searched daily after misconstrued remark

It all began with what a worker at a Nevada courthouse describes as a misconstrued remark. Irritated at being pushed to work harder on a Monday, due to an early exit the previous Friday by another worker who was upset at being criticized by a judge, Jacquelynn Nickler said something…

Nov 25, 2014 10:10 AM CST

9th Circuit OKs suit claiming police made man pretend to be taller, then arrested him

Size does matter when it comes to executing arrest warrants. However, a federal judge gave short shrift to a civil rights suit claiming that law enforcement officers falsely arrested a California man after coercing him into claiming that he was five inches taller than he actually was. Now a federal…

Nov 24, 2014 3:20 PM CST

Law firm chief convicted in $13M loan-modification scheme, faces up to 70 years

A California attorney at the helm of a law firm accused of defrauding 3,261 homeowners of $13 million through a mortgage modification scheme has been criminally convicted by a federal jury in San Diego. Dean Chandler, who served as president and CEO of 1st American Law Center, was convicted Thursday…

Nov 21, 2014 3:35 PM CST

9th Circuit says paroled sex offenders don’t have to provide their Web names and addresses to police

Agreeing with a trial judge, a federal appeals court has refused to enforce provisions of a California ballot measure that require registered sex offenders to provide law enforcement with all Internet names and addresses they use in social media, instant messaging and Web posts. The overbroad Californians Against Sexual Exploitation…

Nov 19, 2014 12:30 PM CST