Michael Carroll News
GSK, plaintiffs in 2 Zantac cases in California reach confidential settlements
The pharmaceutical company that manufactured the popular heartburn medication Zantac has settled with two California plaintiffs who brought lawsuits alleging the active ingredient in Zantac, ranitidine, caused their cancers.
California lawmakers OK attorney licensing fee hike to better police attorneys in the state
Funding and program reforms coupled with an $88 hike in the annual dues for California attorneys will allow the State Bar of California to better protect clients’ trust funds and mete out appropriate discipline to lawyers who defy ethics rules.
Video creator sues state of California over new laws on political 'deepfakes'
A YouTuber who created political satire videos of Vice President Kamala Harris using artificial intelligence is suing California officials to stop the enforcement of new state laws designed to remove “deepfake” images and videos from social media platforms.
New study points to danger of fabricated, AI-generated scientific papers on legislation, politics
Academic studies about health issues, the environment and computing are increasingly susceptible to artificial intelligence-driven fabrications, putting the quality of scientific research, such as that which underlies legal arguments, at risk, new research suggests.
3-judge panel backs reservoir that will provide new water supplies for Southern California
A three-judge appeals court panel has ruled in support of state officials’ plans to build a new water reservoir in Northern California, rejecting plaintiffs’ arguments that the environmental review process was flawed and alternatives were not considered.
Families of 4 college students killed while walking along PCH sue state, local agencies
The families of four Pepperdine University seniors who were killed last year by a speeding BMW while walking along a shoulder of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu are suing state and local agencies for wrongful death.
Disputed science drives lawsuits over Abbott's specialized formula for preterm infants
Researchers and health care companies say plaintiffs’ attorneys are engaged in a feeding frenzy of litigation and scientific questioning about the safety of certain types of formula for infants and toddlers.
State Bar chief trial counsel: Former L.A. deputy city attorney 'authorized scheme of collusion'
A former Los Angeles chief deputy city attorney has been charged with dishonesty and collusion in the State Bar of California’s investigation of legal skullduggery related to a failed Department of Water and Power billing system upgrade in 2013.
San Bernardino court upholds injunction against school district's former parental-notification policy
A San Bernardino Superior Court judge has upheld a temporary injunction barring a school district from requiring parents be notified when a student seeks name or pronoun changes that differ from the student’s biological sex.
Chief trial counsel: L.A. attorney offered 'false hope' to inmates seeking sentencing relief
A Los Angeles attorney specializing in criminal appeals faces 18 disciplinary charges after the California State Bar accused him of misleading inmates and their families about their chances of resentencing relief under a state law.
California State Bar accuses immigrant-services business owner of offering legal services without license
For the second time, an immigration-services firm in El Monte has been seized by the State Bar of California for allegedly offering legal services without proper authorization.
U.S. Justice Department probes sex abuse allegations at California prisons in wake of lawsuits
The U.S. Justice Department has launched a probe into sexual abuse by prison guards at two California facilities, including the California Institution for Women in Chino, in the wake of hundreds of lawsuits by inmates being filed over the past decade.
Mass-tort critics: Legal ads can mislead consumers about scientific claims
Mass-tort litigation in the U.S. fuels advertising spending of $7 billion or more every five years, promoting a host of often tenuous scientific causations between diseases and medical devices or products, critics say.
U.S. attorney: Guilty verdict means L.A. personal-injury lawyer’s ‘game is up’
A former Los Angeles plaintiff attorney whose involvement in a groundwater-contamination lawsuit in the 1990s inspired the movie “Erin Brockovich” has been found guilty of embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients.
California attorney general joins federal lawsuit accusing software firm of fixing rental-housing prices
California has joined seven other states and the U.S. Department of Justice in a lawsuit that accuses a Texas-based revenue-management software company of keeping rental prices in Orange County, San Diego and other regions artificially high.
Plaintiffs' petition: Santa Ana school district covered up 'antisemitic' ethnic studies program
Plaintiffs who have accused Santa Ana Unified School District officials of approving ethnic studies courses tainted by antisemitism have filed a petition in Orange County Superior Court that argues the district also violated state open-meeting laws.
Legal scholar: Cherry-picking evidence can lead to downfall of Zantac cases
The Wisner Baum law firm in Los Angeles is scheduled next month to bring the first state court lawsuit alleging that the heartburn drug Zantac can cause cancer – a contention that is at the heart of tens of thousands of similar lawsuits filed nationwide.
DOJ official: Southern California law firm misused coronavirus relief funds
A Southern California law firm founded by the daughter of women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred has agreed to pay a settlement of more than $200,000 after providing false information to obtain coronavirus hardship funds from the federal government.
Los Angeles D.A. ethics official still being paid despite multiple felony changes
An assistant district attorney and top ethics official for Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has continued to draw her $320,000 annual salary after being ordered to stand trial on multiple felony counts for accessing confidential data without permission.
'Lemon law' lawsuits soar in California amid proposals for reform
California tort reform supporters have been raising the alarm about a recent 52% spike in lawsuits involving the state’s “lemon law” – the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act – leading to the filing of 22,655 such auto-defect lawsuits in 2023.