GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, July 10, 2026
The U.S. Supreme Court's May decision in Montgomery
v. Caribe Transport II LLC has
renewed attention on a question long beneath
the surface of trucking litigation: What responsibility do freight brokers bear
when selecting the carriers that move freight across America's highways?
The Great Wealth Transfer is shifting estate planning from simply transferring assets to preparing future generations to govern, lead and preserve complex family enterprises through thoughtful succession planning.
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
A Los Angeles jury verdict
in K.G.M. v.
Meta Platforms, Inc. & YouTube LLC signals a potential breakthrough in
holding social media companies liable for alleged addictive design features and
harm to minors, testing the limits of Section 230 immunity.
California family courts are increasingly being asked to resolve custody disputes that span countries, languages and cultures-- resulting in custody arrangements fundamentally different from those of past decades.
Monday, July 6, 2026
A look at how judicial independence has
enabled courts to protect -- and, at times, fail to protect -- constitutional
equality, from Yick Wo and Brown to Korematsu and Dred
Scott.
The proposed California ethics rules would incorporate artificial intelligence into existing professional conduct rules, but questions remain whether those standards adequately address autonomous "agentic AI" systems that perform complex legal tasks with minimal human oversight.
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
As executive departures become more frequent, employers must be prepared to address the legal and business risks that can follow, from protecting trade secrets to managing key-person succession.
As employers rely on AI to make employment decisions, they may still be held liable when automated systems produce discriminatory results--even if the technology is supplied by a third-party vendor.
Monday, June 29, 2026
Lasting client relationships are built not on rainmaking alone, but on trust, proactive communication, business-minded advice, realistic expectations, mastery of the file, transparency when things go wrong, and a willingness to deliver difficult news personally.
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on artificial intelligence frames AI as a question of human dignity and may shape future religious accommodation claims, even as U.S. courts continue to apply existing legal standards rather than theological authority.
Friday, June 26, 2026
As Kirkland & Ellis reportedly invests roughly $500 million in its own AI platform, many lawyers are asking a pressing question: How can smaller firms keep up?
Smoke inhalation injuries are routinely underestimated, delayed in presentation and catastrophic when untreated. For elderly residents in nursing homes and care facilities, the window between exposure and irreversible harm is shorter than most people realize.
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
As federal antitrust enforcement falters and monopolies tighten their grip on the economy, California's COMPETE Act aims to close a century-old loophole and give the state stronger tools to rein in dominant corporations.
Insurance coverage disputes always start with questions about the interpretation of insurance policies. But despite decades of court decisions explaining the governing principles, differences persist over a key question: whether and when extrinsic evidence can be considered in interpreting policy language.
Monday, June 22, 2026
Restraints that won't hold: What Godoy v. Linzner means for California fiduciaries and beneficiaries
A new Court of Appeal decision, Godoy v.
Linzner, holds that trust provisions restricting beneficiaries' ability to
sell inherited property can be struck down as unreasonable restraints on
alienation under Civil Code section 711.
Simple professional courtesies, such as accepting reasonable procedural suggestions, meeting and conferring before raising discovery disputes, and reciprocating accommodations, make arbitration hearings more efficient, effective and professional for everyone involved.
Friday, June 19, 2026
Monsanto v. Durnell asks whether federal pesticide labeling law preempts state failure-to-warn claims, a question emerging from decades of Roundup litigation that could significantly reshape corporate liability and toxic-exposure lawsuits nationwide.
Post-primary analysis of Proposition 50's redistricting shows a near-elimination of competitive California congressional districts and a strong projected Democratic advantage in the state's House delegation.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
The United States spends more on healthcare than any other developed nation, yet Americans do not live longer or healthier lives in return. As California's economy overtakes Japan's to become the fourth largest in the world, the Golden State has both the scale and the responsibility to lead the nation toward universal healthcare.
Atrazine's growing legal and scientific scrutiny is forcing new questions about manufacturers' duty to warn, environmental exposure, and liability as evolving research challenges long-standing regulatory assumptions.
Monday, June 15, 2026
The Harry Raymond car bombing remains one of the darkest chapters in Los Angeles' legal history, offering a nearly century-old warning about the dangers of unchecked police power, retaliation and failed accountability.
Vox Populi: From California Environmental Quality Act comments to citywide bans: Why the data center backlash is becoming a legal risk developers cannot ignore.
Nathaniel E. Haas of Watstein Terepka LLP
|
|
|
NEWS
|
General News
Friday, July 10, 2026 |
|
| Advice from glassblowers, death valley park rangers and firefighters. | |
|
General News
Friday, July 10, 2026 |
|
| Robert A. Bothman Inc. alleges its former attorneys' deficient representation in a high-profile public corruption case left it no choice but to settle for $4.02 million. The law firm says the complaint reflects only one side's allegations. | |
|
General News
Friday, July 10, 2026 |
|
| A Northern District lawsuit alleges OpenAI misrepresented ChatGPT's ability to provide reliable business and legal advice, leading a California business owner to rely on defective confidentiality agreements and other inaccurate guidance. The suit adds to a growing wave of litigation testing AI companies' liability for chatbot-generated content. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 |
|
| The fees, which banks charge when you overspend your checking account but the bank covers the payment, remain stubbornly high at some banks after a rule limiting the charges was scrapped last year. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 |
|
| A federal magistrate judge denied a motion to sanction Rack Room Shoes and its attorneys in a privacy lawsuit, criticizing plaintiffs' counsel for filing the motion without first resolving a discovery dispute through discussions with opposing counsel. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 |
|
| A Los Angeles jury's verdict finding Honda liable for fraudulently concealing a vehicle safety defect could encourage more plaintiffs to pair fraud claims with Song-Beverly warranty actions and increase pressure on automakers to disclose known defects before vehicles are sold. | |
|
General News
Monday, July 6, 2026 |
|
| A federal magistrate judge ruled that Yelp may rely on findings from the Justice Department's successful antitrust case against Google, eliminating the need to relitigate whether the search giant holds a monopoly in the general search market. | |
|
General News
Monday, July 6, 2026 |
|
| The vacation rental platform Airbnb (which was founded in 2007 as Airbed & Breakfast) has co-opted traditional bed-and-breakfast lingo even though vacation rentals don't typically provide meals. | |
|
General News
Monday, July 6, 2026 |
|
| Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo rejected a petition filed by Consumer Watchdog last year, leaving intact two bulletins Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara issued before and after the January 2025 Los Angeles County wildfires. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
|
| Plaintiffs' lawyers say the U.S. Supreme Court's decision shielding Bayer and Monsanto from certain Roundup failure-to-warn claims could extend well beyond glyphosate, strengthening federal preemption defenses and threatening California's Proposition 65 warning regime. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
|
| Judge Carolyn B. Kuhl approved a broader framework for selecting the third wave of bellwether plaintiffs, rejecting defense efforts to narrow categories before the next social media addiction trial begins. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
|
| The artificial intelligence boom has a big problem. Technology companies say they need to quickly build lots of new power-hungry data centers to develop AI, but the energy industry typically needs years to construct power plants, solar farms and battery installations. | |
|
General News
Monday, June 29, 2026 |
|
| A Los Angeles judge refused to let District Attorney Nathan Hochman intervene in the county's $4 billion juvenile abuse settlement, ruling prosecutors failed to justify halting payments over alleged fraud. | |
|
General News
Monday, June 29, 2026 |
|
| Finding the statute unambiguous, a Northern District magistrate judge ruled that Section 632.7 does not require consent to record calls when one party uses a VoIP system instead of a landline, cordless phone or cellphone. | |
|
General News
Monday, June 29, 2026 |
|
| The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health -- ARPA-H, for short -- is spending $150 million to create what it calls "an immune system for every building." | |
|
General News
Friday, June 26, 2026 |
|
| A Los Angeles judge denied Prologis' effort to overturn an $8.8 million Carson odor verdict but continued hearing arguments on whether alleged jury instruction errors warrant a new trial | |
|
General News
Friday, June 26, 2026 |
|
| A lawsuit alleges San Jose State University and the California State University Board of Trustees violated the Public Records Act by delaying the release of documents and withholding records, including a nondisclosure agreement signed by SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson in connection with the Bay Area Host Committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. | |
|
General News
Friday, June 26, 2026 |
|
| Six months after Canada expanded its citizenship eligibility to people with ancestral ties to the country, genealogists, archivists and government vital records offices have mobilized to respond to the flood of new requests for historical information. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
|
| The cottage cheese squeeze, I have learned, comes from a confluence of trends in health and food production leaving grocery shelves empty and stretching cottage cheese makers to their limits. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
|
| The settlement was announced after a jury was seated in San Francisco Superior Court. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
|
| A federal judge is weighing whether a Munich forum-selection clause bars startup Zync Inc. from pursuing a trade secrets complaint against BMW before the U.S. International Trade Commission. Zync argues that the ITC's authority to enforce federal trade laws cannot be contracted away and that the parties' agreement expressly preserves claims arising under "mandatory laws." | |
|
General News
Friday, July 10, 2026 |
|
| Former Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson asks a Los Angeles judge to reduce a $198 million wrongful death judgment by $14 million, arguing plaintiffs already recovered those damages through settlements with Rebecca Grossman. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 |
|
| Several recent state and federal rulings have limited the application of portions of the California Invasion of Privacy Act to online data collection, but attorneys say courts remain divided and appellate guidance or legislative action will likely be needed before the wave of CIPA lawsuits subsides. | |
|
General News
Monday, July 6, 2026 |
|
| A Los Angeles judge ordered a new trial in the Carson warehouse fire litigation after ruling that the late admission of key environmental evidence unfairly prejudiced the defense, despite sufficient evidence supporting the verdict. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
|
| A Los Angeles judge postponed a Beverly Hills mansion nuisance trial until March, scheduling a special October hearing to resolve extensive motions in limine after nearly two years of contentious discovery disputes. | |
|
General News
Monday, June 29, 2026 |
|
| The U.S. Department of Justice warned it will sue California unless the state abandons its handgun roster and impending restrictions on Glock pistols. And in other firearm related news, the Supreme Court Thursday struck down Hawaii's ban on carrying firearms onto private property without permission. | |
|
General News
Friday, June 26, 2026 |
|
| A Riverside judge ordered the city to refund more than $40.8 million to water customers after finding officials improperly diverted utility revenue to general government operations in violation of Proposition 218. | |
|
General News
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
|
| In California, a sprawling 4,000-mile network of canals winds through citrus orchards and fields of tree nuts, delivering irrigation and drinking water to homes and farms across the state. | |