Michael Carroll News
California oil industry pulls fall initiative to counter well restrictions, plans court challenge
California’s oil industry has shifted its game plan to overturn a new state law banning new oil and gas wells near homes and schools, opting not to put an initiative on the fall ballot but instead pursuing a path to challenge the law in court.
USC accused of using 'junk science' in determining kidney transplant wait times
The University of Southern California and a nonprofit overseeing organ procurement in the U.S. endangered the lives of Black Americans with kidney disease by using race-based junk science to calculate organ-transplant wait times, a lawsuit alleges.
Business groups express relief as Newsom signs PAGA reforms into law
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed newly passed legislation that aims to reform the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which business groups have long criticized as a vehicle for rampant lawsuit abuse that offers little in the way of worker protections.
L.A. trial attorney faces charges of attempting to hack into judge's email account
The California State Bar has accused a Los Angeles-area attorney of attempting to recruit Israeli hackers to steal personal emails and text messages belonging to a local judge and a California consumer lawyer. A lawyer for the accused attorney calls the accusations "absurd" and baseless.
State's high court to decide if Coastal Commission can unilaterally overrule local agencies' land-use permits
The California Supreme Court earlier this month agreed to hear a case that will determine the scope of the state Coastal Commission’s authority to unilaterally overturn local agencies’ housing development approvals.
City of L.A. to pay $300,000 to cover journalist's attorney fees to resolve public records litigation
Los Angeles has tentatively agreed to pay a local journalist $300,000 to cover his legal costs and settle a lawsuit brought by the city attorney that sought to retrieve police officer photos and data released as a result of a public records request.
CA lawmakers rushing to pass legislation to codify PAGA reform deal, forestall risk of full PAGA repeal at ballot box
State lawmakers are now on a tight timeline to pass legislation to codify a new agreement worked out by Gov. Gavin Newsom, business groups and labor leaders that reforms the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) in a way that reduces one of the biggest tools for lawsuit abuse in the state
Courts taking a more critical look at local traffic impact studies viewed as flawed science
Traffic impact studies that underpin land-use policies in California are akin to junk science, overstate resulting vehicle traffic patterns and consistently drive up the price of housing in a state where homelessness is a potent political issue.
New California law heightens scrutiny of junk science, flawed testimony in criminal convictions
A California law that took effect last year is encouraging prosecutors, attorneys and judges to better scrutinize potentially flawed or outdated science and disputed expert testimony to avoid wrongful incarcerations, according to the law’s supporters.
Bonta files lawsuit seeking big payout from oil companies over 'climate change;' Lawsuit driven by left-wing politics, oil companies say
California has filed an amended lawsuit against major oil companies, calling on a state court to strip the companies of profits gleaned through decades of supposedly “false and misleading” marketing claims that have allegedly misled the public about climate-change risks from the common fuels that drive the U.S. economy
Malibu petitions FAA to reconsider noise impacts of new LAX flight paths
The city of Malibu has petitioned a federal appeals court to rethink a Federal Aviation Administration decision adding new flight paths in and out of Los Angeles International Airport that the city says has increased noise pollution for local residents.
California taking a lead role in movement to reject 'excited delirium' from testimony, legal proceedings in police force cases
Civil rights attorneys applauded California’s decision to ban the diagnosis of “excited delirium” – often defined as a drug-induced behavioral state characterized by agitation, aggression and elevated strength – from official proceedings in lawsuits accusing police of excessive force. Police say the change makes officers less safe.
Appeals court says lawsuit over LAUSD's former COVID-19 vaccine mandate can go forward
Former employees of the Los Angeles Unified School District can pursue their legal objections to the district’s now-defunct COVID-19 vaccination policy as a result of a federal appeals court ruling handed down last week.
L.A. judge publicly censured over texts about potential witness sent to D.A.'s office
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has received a “severe” reprimand for sending text messages that the state Commission on Judicial Performance found were antithetical to her role as an impartial arbiter during the course of a murder trial.
State agency's actions on employee wage theft claims labeled 'grim,' 'inefficient'
The state agency that processes California employees’ wage theft claims against employers has 47,000 backlogged cases, an insufficient number of employers to do its job and only a 12% collection rate against companies, according to a new state audit.
Malibu couple wins legal fight to put up 'private property' sign behind beachfront home
After almost four years of litigation, California’s coastal land-use regulators have allowed a Malibu couple to put up a sign delineating their private beachfront property from the public beach near the waterline.
L.A. judge calls on Beverly Hills to turn over records in abortion clinic lease case
The city of Beverly Hills will have to turn over a trove of communications from City Council members and other officials as a result of a Los Angeles Superior Court decision involving an abortion clinic lease dispute.
Agricultural company sues labor board, challenges California law protecting farmworkers' union rights
The Wonderful Company has filed a lawsuit against California’s Agricultural Labor Relations Board challenging a law passed two years ago that gives farmworkers additional options to gain union representation and exercise collective bargaining rights.
Consumer Watchdog sees insurer-backed reforms as gateway to price gouging in California
California’s insurance commissioner is spearheading a plan this year billed as the “largest insurance reform since Proposition 103,” but consumer advocates dismiss the reform as a fast track to price gouging.
L.A. Superior Court limits enforcement of California zoning law designed to create more affordable housing
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has invalidated the state’s marquee law to increase the supply of affordable housing in California, finding that the 2021 measure violates the home-rule rights of charter cities.