California

Federal Judge Hit for ‘Unseemly Haste’ in Dismissing Case

A federal appeals court said Tuesday that U.S. District Judge Manuel Real acted with “unseemly haste” when he dismissed a case brought by a no-show lawyer with a good excuse. The lawyer, Stanley Raskin, received e-mail notice of a hearing even though there was no evidence he had agreed to…

Nov 15, 2007 11:28 AM CST

O.J. Will Go to Trial in Armed Robbery Case

Unlike O.J. Simpson’s murder trial in the mid-1990s, it presumably won’t be billed as the trial of the century or become famous for related sideshow features such as a troupe of televised look-alike black-robed dancing trial “judges.” But the armed robbery case against the former football hero for an alleged…

Nov 15, 2007 1:15 AM CST

Boy Who Started Calif. Fire Won’t Be Charged

A 10-year-old boy who admitted starting one of California’s devastating fires last month will not be charged. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement there was no evidence the boy intended to start the fire, the Associated Press reports. The blaze was sparked by the boy…

Nov 14, 2007 3:59 PM CST

Judge to Decide Whether Pillsbury Should Give Up $4M-Plus Fee

A bankruptcy case involving alleged conflicts of interest by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has reinforced the need for disclosure. A San Jose, Calif., bankruptcy judge will consider whether the law firm should give up its $4 million-plus fees in the bankruptcy case of client SonicBlue following an investigation by the…

Nov 14, 2007 11:38 AM CST

Pedophile Blogger Banned from Oregon Bus

A self-proclaimed pedophile who has sparked innovative legal efforts to restrict his activities in Southern California has now reportedly had the same effect in the neighboring state of Oregon. Jack McClellan, who says he only looks at girls and doesn’t act on his admittedly illicit interest in them, was recently…

Nov 13, 2007 11:03 PM CST

Federal Oil Spill Charges Possible

Federal prosecutors are investigating an oil spill last week in the San Francisco Bay, a move that could signal charges against crew members of the damaged ship that spilled 58,000 gallons of fuel. The owner of the ship, which hit the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, is Regal Stone of Hong…

Nov 13, 2007 2:42 PM CST

SEC Won’t Act in Several High-Tech Backdating Probes

Several high-tech companies are reporting that the Securities and Exchange Commission won’t be taking any action against them for backdating stock options. The SEC has closed its investigations of Electronic Arts, Linear Technology Corp., Nvidia Corp., PMC-Sierra Inc. and Zoran Corp., the Recorder reports. Marc Fagel, the enforcement chief of…

Nov 13, 2007 12:01 PM CST

Billionaire UC Irvine Donor Had Dean Consulting Rights

Billionaire Donald Bren was promised the right to consult on the selection of a dean for UC Irvine’s new law school in exchange for his $20 million donation. Bren also specified how big the “Donald Bren School of Law” signs should be displayed (they must be at least twice the…

Nov 12, 2007 1:26 PM CST

‘Unprecedented Peek’ at Health Insurer Claims-Handling

Due to the important public policy issues implicated, a former California judge overseeing an arbitration over a health insurer’s cancellation of a policyholder’s coverage has opened up the hearing to reporters and made public documents produced for the case. By doing so, former Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Sam…

Nov 9, 2007 7:04 PM CST

Lawyer Who Harassed Another Not a ‘Vexatious Litigant’

A California appeals court has ruled that a lawyer who harassed another for 32 years is not a vexatious litigant. An injunction against Walter Wagner is sufficient to address the problem of his behavior, California’s 6th District Court of Appeal ruled yesterday. But the facts don’t support a finding that…

Nov 9, 2007 2:57 PM CST

CA Firm Offers Lawyers Cushy Perks

A California law firm is offering its 80 lawyers free breakfasts, on-site massages and manicures, health club memberships and errand runs. Lawyer Stuart Liner came up with the idea after a conversation about work-life balance with a fellow partner last summer, the Recorder reports. Liner is founder of the Westwood…

Nov 9, 2007 1:57 PM CST

Consumer Group Plans iPhone Lawsuit

A Greenpeace report that contends Apple’s iPhone contains toxic chemicals has spurred a consumer group to initiate legal proceedings. The Center for Environmental Health has filed a notice of an intent to file a lawsuit that contends the chemicals violate California laws, Associated Content reports. The group says in a…

Nov 9, 2007 1:36 PM CST

California Sues EPA Over Global Warming

California has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its effort to require automakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The state applied two years ago for a waiver that would allow it to force a 30 percent cut in emissions by 2016, the Recorder reports. The suit (PDF posted by…

Nov 9, 2007 12:51 PM CST

Apple Gives New GC $25M in Stock

Apple has granted its new general counsel Daniel Cooperman 133,000 shares of restricted stock valued at about $25 million. Cooperman was general counsel of Oracle before moving to Apple on Sept. 28. To lure Cooperman to Apple, the company not only offered him the sweet stock deal, it also recruited…

Nov 6, 2007 3:16 PM CST

CA Jury Gives 6 Banana Workers $3.3M

A California jury has awarded $3.3 million to six Central American laborers who say they suffered health problems as a result of a pesticide used by the American company in the 1970s on the banana plantation on which they worked. However, another six laborers among the plaintiffs in the groundbreaking…

Nov 6, 2007 12:30 AM CST