Jonathan Bilyk News
Appeals panel: California prison officials can be sued for Covid outbreak at San Quentin
A federal appeals panel says California correctional officials can't use immunity doctrines to escape a lawsuit from the widow of an inmate who died at San Quentin Prison after a group of inmates were transferred there from another prison with an active Covid outbreak in May 2020
California quietly repeals Covid 'misinfo' law that targeted doctors' speech rights
The state of California has repealed AB2098, which would have forced doctors to provide patients only with state-approved information about Covid-19, or risk losing their medical license. The law had already lost in court, and the state faced "humiliation" before a federal appeals panel
Appeals court: More work to do before In-N-Out can top off settlement of mass actions over worker pants
A state appeals panel says a Sonoma County judge wrongly blocked lawyers for other plaintiffs from getting a seat at the table in court proceedings over a possible settlement to end PAGA actions over claims the fast food chain broke California labor law by not repaying workers for their required white work uniform pants.
Judge: 'Baffling' comparisons, lack of evidence doom suit vs Google over alleged YouTube discrimination
Black and Latino YouTubers claimed YouTube had discriminated vs non-white content creators by more harshly moderating their videos
Appeals court ends lawsuit over workplace Covid infections which threatened dangerous 'deluge' of future lawsuits
A federal appeals panel followed guidance provided by the California Supreme Court, which had ruled they couldn't allow a couple to sue a man's employer over his wife's Covid infection because the lawsuits that would follow would swamp the courts and endanger society
IBM, other employers must reimburse employees' Covid-related work-from-home expenses
A state appeals court has ruled a California state law requiring employers to pay their employees' work-related expenses wasn't negated by Gov. Newsom's 2020 Covid lockdown orders
'In a straitjacket:' Ninth Circuit ruling will leave cities powerless to confront homelessness, judges warn
The Ninth Circuit Appeals Court refused to reconsider its decision allowing a class action to continue vs Oregon city, seeking to bar enforcement of 'anti-camping' ordinances. Dissenters said the decision amounts to new constitutional right to camp anywhere
Employers can't be sued if their workers' spouses catch Covid: California Supreme Court
The state high court said allowing such lawsuits to move forward would open floodgates to potentially millions of lawsuits against every employer in the state, swamping courts and potentially crippling society in the process
Judge says California law requiring racial minority, LGBT representation on corporate boards is unconstitutional
The ruling could have implications for similar legislation or laws in other Democrat-dominated states, like Illinois, where lawmakers have considered following California's lead on increasing corporate board diversity by force of law
'California Knows Best:' SCOTUS says California can use Prop 12 to regulate pork producers across the country
Dissenting justices warned California should now expect other states to respond in kind, following California's "blueprint" to use state laws and market power to bypass Congress and bend the rest of the country to the will of voters in just one or a handful of states
Lawsuit: California 10-day gun purchase waiting period law violates Second Amendment
A lawsuit was filed May 1 against the state, asserting the state has no right under the Constitution to force Californians who pass background checks to wait 10 days to obtain firearms they need for "immediate self-defense"
Environmental activists sue, demand PG&E close Diablo Canyon nuke plant, despite state power supply problems
Nuclear reactors generate no "greenhouse gas emissions," yet Friends of the Earth says PG&E must shutter the plant under the terms of a deal reached in 2016, allegedly to promote public safety and combat climate change
Appeals court: Bird Rides must immediately retrieve e-scooters from sidewalks, or face ruinous 'public nuisance' lawsuits
A divided California state appeals panel says it doesn't matter if scooter rental company Bird Rides has abided by its city permits. If the scooter is left by anyone on a sidewalk, they could face a torrent of personal injury suits for allegedly causing a public nuisance
Appeals panel: Jehovah's Witness should get chance to argue California Loyalty Oath violates her religious rights
A woman, who is an adherent of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith, says the state Controller's Office discriminated against her on the basis of religion, when it refused to hire her when she declined to sign a Loyalty Oath to the state she said would force her to violate her religious beliefs
Judge OKs $725M Facebook data privacy settlement; Attorneys could ask for $181M
The settlement documents don't yet indicate how much money individual U.S. Facebook users may expect from the deal, but it could be less than $10 each
Appeals panel revives Prop 22, says California constitution doesn't block voter initiatives regarding gig workers
The First District Court of Appeals ruled the California constitution invests voters with the same powers to govern workers' comp as the state legislature, meaning voters can overrule lawmakers and classify app-based drivers for Uber, Doordash and similar companies as independent contractors
Appeals panel blocks AB51, says anti-arbitration law represents try by state to skirt federal law, prior court rulings
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said the threat of criminal and civil penalties against employers served to deter employers from forming arbitration agreements with workers, violating federal law
Appeals panel: Irvine didn't prove new development project won't emit too much 'greenhouse gases'
The Fourth District Appellate Court Division 3 said an Orange County Superior Court judge was correct in tossing out city of Irvine's approval of big office redevelopment because the city didn't properly analyze how much carbon would be emitted from cars associated with the project
Ninth Circuit asks Cal Supreme Court to decide if French Laundry can win Covid insurance coverage
Exclusive Napa restaurant - cite of infamous Covid-era dinner party that helped spark recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom - is asking courts to order Hartford Insurance to reimburse it for losses suffered under Newsom's Covid shutdown orders
Cal Supreme Court: Defendants sued under state political transparency law must show suit was 'frivolous' to net atty fees
The state high court said Redondo Beach's mayor and others who beat a lawsuit over claims they didn't properly disclose their identities when pushing a referendum over a waterfront development must do more to get $897K attorney fees from the people who sued them