Jonathan Bilyk News
LDS Church defeats bid to force refunds of 'tithes' over mall development
A majority of an 11-member panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said there was no proof Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints leaders lied to members about how it was funding a mall development project. Other judges on the panel said the lawsuit had serious First Amendment problems
CA 'teen social media addiction' law remains on hold, for now, court says
A federal appeals panel has blocked California from enforcing its new law restricting teen social media use while it weighs an appeal from social media and tech companies arguing the law is unconstitutional. The state says the law is needed to tame teen social media addiction
California 'Clean Cars' waiver up in the air, as Trump asks SCOTUS to put challenge on hold
The Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause the challenge launched by oil companies to the EPA's grant of a waiver that would allow California to move ahead with its 'Clean Cars' zero emissions rules. Energy companies say the waiver would allow California to unilaterally put them out of business nationwide
CA Dems seek new law to let oil companies get sued for 'climate driven' fires, disasters
Oil and gas industry and other critics say the legislation represents an attempt to use the Palisades and Eaton fire disasters to fuel a money grab and bankrupting of oil and gas companies in California and to distract from state and local government policy failures that likely made the fires worse
Lawsuit continues accusing Newsom, top CA Guard general of 'railroading' Jewish general, wildfire specialist out of Guard
The lawsuit from retired Brigadier General Magram claims Gov. Newsom signed off on Magram's removal, even though Newsom had been notified repeatedly that the state's current top Guardsman was retaliating against Magram for reporting his commander's alleged antisemitism. Lawsuit gained notoriety as state struggles to fight historic wildfires
PAGA lawsuits vs employers keep rising in CA, helping to fuel big class action payouts nationwide
A new report from defense law firm Duane Morris said class action settlements again totaled more than $40B in 2024, with attorneys raking in many of those billions for themselves in fees. In California, much of the action was driven by thousands of "representative" lawsuits vs employers under the PAGA law
Palisades, Eaton wildfires spawning lawsuits vs LADWP, SoCal Edison; Many more expected
Investigations could take months or years, but trial lawyers have rushed into court on behalf of the Pacific Palisades and Eaton wildfire victims. The suits accused LA Dept of Water & Power of failing to provide enough water and accused Southern California Edison of causing the blazes. Many more lawsuits are expected to be filed
Federal appeals court won't revisit decision upholding CA 'sensitive place' gun carry ban
Dissenting judges warned the decision rested on strained legal reasoning, likely in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court's holdings on Second Amendment rights and could tee up review and the risk of a loss before the Supreme Court
Huntington Beach asks courts to end California 'Sanctuary State' law, let cops deal with criminal illegal immigrants
The lawsuit asserts California's so-called "Sanctuary State" law has not only harmed California residents and their communities, but has placed the city in the position of having to choose between obeying state or federal laws. The lawsuit asserts the state law violates the U.S. Constitution's federal supremacy clause
Exxon: CA A/G Bonta, enviro activists conspired with foreign 'green energy' interests in plastic recycling suits
ExxonMobil has sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta and environmental activist organizations, accusing them of working with an anti-oil Australian billionaire to launch a coordinated "lawfare" campaign against ExxonMobil, including recent lawsuits over Exxon's 'advanced recycling' programs
Judge blocks CA teen 'social media addiction' law for 30 days
A federal judge mostly declined to issue an injunction preventing California and Attorney General Rob Bonta from enforcing SB976, a law that the social media companies say is designed to establish a state-led censorship program to restrict online speech in the name of protecting children. But the judge followed that with a ruling blocking the state from enforcing the law until Feb. 1 to let an appeals court weigh in
Appeals court: 'Lemon law' doesn't block carmakers from making customers keep mum on warranty buyback money terms
A divided California appeals court said VW could require a customer who demanded the company buy back a defective car to also agree to keep the financial terms of the repurchase deal confidential. VW said the customer's refusal to sign the deal should block him from suing them under the California vehicle warranty law.
Appeals court: CA law may not allow seawalls to protect coastal homes built after 1977
A panel of the California First District Court of Appeal agreed with the California Coastal Commission that a Half Moon Bay condo complex can be denied a seawall, even though the Casa Mira Homeowners Association asserted their community will be washed away by the sea without one
SCOTUS to consider if other states, energy companies can sue to reverse California's special emissions regulating power
The U.S. Supreme Court won't consider - yet - if California gets to keep its outsized power to use a special provision in federal Clean Air law to essentially set vehicle emissions standards throughout the U.S. But the court will consider if other states and energy companies have the right to challenge that authority in court
Man may escape felony charge for fighting with cops because Ventura judge, D.A. mishandled case: CA Sup. Ct.
The California state Supreme Court agreed a Ventura County judge had exceeded authority in unilaterally reducing a man's felony charge for fighting with police officers. But they said the charges may yet be dismissed altogether, because of further missteps by the judge and Ventura County district attorneys in the case
'De-transitioned' woman accuses doctors of 'medical abuse,' pushing her as child to become 'trans'
A young woman has sued prominent transgender youth doctor Johana Olson-Kennedy and others, accusing them of inflicting traumatic "medical abuse" in allegedly pushing a "scared, confused, and traumatized" girl into trans "affirming care," causing psychiatric problems and irreversible physical damage
CA appeal court: Personal injury plaintiffs can't claim all hospital expenses, just because they visited ER once
The decision, which directed a Sacramento court to recalculate $3.3M in medical expenses and interest awarded to a car crash plaintiff, found the court had misapplied California's Hospital Lien Act. The court said the law allows plaintiffs to only seek expenses racked up from arrival at the ER to discharge, not into "perpetuity"
Judge grants final OK to $115M Oracle data privacy class action deal; Lawyers get $28.75M
About 3.2 million class members are set to receive $25 each from the deal. The judge overruled objectors who argued the plaintiffs settled too quickly for too little
Property tax raising Prop 5 appears headed to defeat, per preliminary election results
As of Nov. 7, 56% of California voters had voted "No" on Proposition 5, a measure promoted by California Democratic state lawmakers to make it significantly easier for local governments to amass new debt and raise property taxes in the name of infrastructure improvement and affordable housing
L.A. rebukes soft on crime policies; tosses Gascon, OKs Prop 36
Los Angeles County voters delivered a strong rebuke to progressive criminal justice reformers, who they blamed for spiking crime in L.A. and elsewhere on Election Day, voting out progressive prosecutor George Gascon and voting overwhelmingly to approve Prop 36