There is no question that COVID-19 has posed countless problems for the legal system. But one defendant, convicted of multiple murders in California, tried to blame COVID for his convictions. He argued that forcing his jury to deliberate during the pandemic deprived him of due process. The appellate court was... Read More »
The mother of a five-day-old baby was charged with first-degree murder after her new baby daughter died from ingesting the heroin-derived morphine and methamphetamine that were in her breast milk. She was convicted and sentenced to a prison term of 25 years to life. The California Supreme Court ruled that... Read More »
As the race for this year’s Academy Awards heats up in anticipation of the Oscars this weekend, one might wonder how much the little gold statue is actually worth. A recent case provides the answer. If a creditor wants to take it after getting a judgment against the winner, the... Read More »
When Rudyard Kipling wrote “Never the twain shall meet,” he probably did not realize how apt his poetry would be to describe political conflicts of interest. Questions about how and whether to prevent elected officials from personally benefiting from the votes they cast are all over the news. This questionable... Read More »
Remember the iconic film shot of Marilyn Monroe standing over a street vent in a white halter dress that blew up to her panties whenever a subway went by? A tourist organization in Palm Springs, California, called PS Resorts thought the Seven Year Itch photo of Marilyn was such a... Read More »
In recent years, grocery shoppers have been given about 15 product choices that all contain the word “milk.” There’s almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, quinoa milk, and even hemp seed milk. For five years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been reviewing the over 13,000 comments it received... Read More »
A 66-year-old Cleveland neurologist wrote more than 10,000 prescriptions for a drug that his patients did not need. In exchange, he and his co-defendants received lucrative kickbacks from Avanir Pharmaceuticals, the company that manufactures Nuedexta, a drug used to treat a neurological disorder called Pseudobulbar. The FBI arrested the doctors,... Read More »
Consumer protection laws flourished in the 1960s as Americans grew increasingly concerned about their health, safety, and economic well-being. The consumer movement was first led by President Kennedy, who proposed a Consumer Bill of Rights to Congress in 1962, which included the right to safety, to be informed, to choose... Read More »
After Ticketmaster’s troubles and politicians’ growing concerns about the company’s market power in light of Taylor Swift’s recent “ticketing debacle,” the Ninth Circuit has handed the company some good news. A class action suit that alleged antitrust violations by Ticketmaster has been dismissed by the Ninth Circuit, which affirmed a... Read More »
The California legislature enacted an amendment to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in 2018 that requires agencies like the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to ask not only parents but extended family members about the possible Native American ancestry of children who are placed... Read More »
A caregiver to an elderly man was falsely accused of trying to kill him by smothering him with a pillow. She was arrested, charged with attempted murder, couldn’t afford bail, and spent 28 days in custody. But she didn’t do it. Evidence showed that the man’s other caregiver fabricated the... Read More »
Could an octogenarian who was five feet, two inches tall and weighed 117 pounds reasonably pose an immediate threat to the officers who stopped her car when they suspected it was stolen? The trial court said “yes” and granted the arresting officers summary judgment due to their qualified immunity. But... Read More »
California ranks first in the nation for gun safety. But the mass shootings of 19 Californians last month have prompted Governor Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and a state senator to propose new amendments that are designed to strengthen gun safety laws and make them even stronger. California’s rate of... Read More »
One out of five children in the United States is obese. The rates for Hispanic and Black children are even higher, putting them at greater risk for dangerous health conditions. Over 30 million American children now rely on free or reduced-priced school breakfasts and/or lunches. But history shows that attempts... Read More »
Regardless of whether the litigant is the plaintiff or the defendant, it is difficult to prove a 50-year-old case based on alleged exposure to a toxic substance. The link between asbestos and mesothelioma has been scientifically proven. But the lack of the specific evidence needed to link the death of... Read More »
