GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, February 6, 2026
Since 2019, South American Theft Groups have driven millions in losses across Los Angeles County, exploiting loopholes in California's Values Act (SB 54) that critics say unintentionally enable repeat offenders to evade deportation and reoffend.
Plaintiffs are deploying established negligence and product liability doctrines against AI developers in cases alleging chatbot interactions exacerbated mental health crises and failed to escalate warning signs.
Thursday, February 5, 2026
SB 440 offers broader, more protective change order remedies for private works, providing a model to improve AB 626 before its sunset.
A court-appointed receiver was supposed to stabilize a troubled Tenderloin building--now, 24 tenants, many elderly or non-English speaking, face eviction in a move that deepens the housing crisis.
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Post-judgment interest on attorney fees is simple but sneaky: if the law makes fees automatic (like anti-SLAPP), the meter starts at judgment; if a judge must later decide entitlement, the clock doesn't start until the fee award.
In Vetter v. Resnik, the 5th Circuit held that copyright terminations under the U.S. Copyright Act allow authors to recapture worldwide rights--not just U.S. rights--creating potentially enormous implications for the music and broader copyright industries.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Patagonia's lawsuit against drag queen Pattie Gonia raises a familiar trademark question--but in a context where advocacy, performance and commerce collide, the stakes are anything but routine.
Private mediation in divorce cases allows parties to resolve disputes confidentially and efficiently, significantly reducing both the financial and emotional costs compared with traditional court proceedings while giving families control over outcomes.
Monday, February 2, 2026
The Pasadena City Council's acceptance of a donated police tracking dog without scrutiny reflects a dangerous, well-documented pattern in which unreliable canine scent evidence--often amounting to junk science--has led to wrongful arrests and convictions, as shown by cases like Josh Connole's and others where dog alerts supplanted rigorous proof and nearly destroyed innocent lives.
Video used to speak for itself in court. Now, thanks to AI and digital manipulation, officers and their attorneys must be ready to prove it's telling the truth.
Friday, January 30, 2026
Annual reporting isn't what it used to be--find out what's required and avoid an unpleasant surprise that could put your license at risk.
Desegregation is not discrimination: Why the lawsuit against LAUSD distorts history, law and justice
The lawsuit claiming LAUSD's desegregation policies "harm white students" isn't just a misreading of the law--it's a distortion of constitutional history and civil rights jurisprudence.
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Leaving California can eliminate its 13.3% state income tax, but expatriating from the U.S. entirely triggers a costly "exit tax" on all your assets that can be difficult to avoid.
Grok has become a hub for AI-generated sexual exploitation, prompting California officials to investigate its failure to prevent the creation of deepfakes and child pornography.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
As parents let teens ride solo in autonomous vehicles, the real legal question isn't rule-breaking--it's whether companies can avoid responsibility when they knowingly allow foreseeable risks.
Lululemon is now tackling dupe culture on two fronts--challenging lookalikes in court while using a new trademark strategy to curb how competitors talk about them online.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Canadian securities regulators have introduced sweeping reforms to strengthen capital markets amid U.S. trade tensions, expanding capital-raising limits, streamlining IPO requirements and broadening investor participation--creating conditions for continued growth in 2026.
As AI hype accelerates, a wave of "AI washing" securities lawsuits--alleging companies overstated or misrepresented their AI capabilities--highlights the need for careful, fact-based disclosures, forward-looking safe-harbor language and proactive risk management to mitigate litigation exposure.
Monday, January 26, 2026
Proposed federal evidence rule would require AI-Generated evidence to meet same standard as expert witnesses.
The California Supreme Court recognizes the public's right under the California Public Records Act to enforce proper public agency behavior.
Friday, January 23, 2026
In 2025, California courts and the Department of Insurance clarified that
"direct physical loss or damage" from fires and smoke--including invisible or
microscopic damage--can qualify for coverage under insurance policies, building
on the precedent set in Another Planet Entertainment v. Vigilant Insurance.
The fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis violated the
Fourth Amendment's ban on unreasonable seizures, yet federal doctrines like
qualified immunity and the fading Bivens remedy leave victims without
real redress.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
More than a year after the Eaton and Palisades fires, many families still cannot rebuild because insurers quietly shortchange total-loss claims by delaying, minimizing or withholding benefits they owe.
California has finally delivered broad tax relief for wildfire settlements--but new legal definitions and shifting requirements mean many victims must still tread carefully to secure their exclusions.
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
McConaughey is trademarking 'Alright, alright, alright'--and himself--to fight AI deepfakes before they fight him.
The Trump administration's most consequential norm-breaking act may be its sidelining of senior JAG officers and targeting of Senator Mark Kelly for restating the bedrock rule that service members must obey only lawful orders.
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Long before today's trade wars, tariff disputes helped shape the legal definition of art--forcing courts to draw lines between culture and commerce.
The start of a new year offers a timely reminder: maintaining perspective is essential for attorneys and firm leaders working to build meaningful, sustainable practices amid ongoing professional demands.
Friday, January 16, 2026
For Iranians, U.S. foreign policy isn't just unpredictable--it's dangerous, as shifting statements and unclear signals from Washington can raise hopes, trigger crackdowns and leave people vulnerable.
While FEHA already provides for fee recovery, an offer to compromise remains a powerful, underutilized tool that can bolster plaintiffs' leverage, efficiency and positioning throughout litigation.
Thursday, January 15, 2026
SB 37 redefines "truthful and not misleading" for an era when AI, vendors and influencers often blur the line between real legal advice and digital impersonation.
Five 2025 appellate rulings that trusts and estates practitioners need to know, from reformation petitions and elder abuse liability to demurrer deadlines and will revocation requirements.
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
A series of antitrust defeats has left the NCAA unable to enforce its own eligibility rules, fueling a bidding war for top athletes that threatens to destroy non-revenue sports programs. Federal legislation may be the only way to preserve college athletics.
As multimillion-dollar payouts for police violence, infrastructure failures and civil rights violations surge, California's public liability funds are straining under risks their original designs never envisioned.
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
California's highest court will decide in Bring Back the Kern v. City of Bakersfield whether a statutory duty to protect fish under Fish & Game Code ยงย 5937 must be tied to the Constitution's "reasonable use" requirement before a violation can be found.
In Paglia & Associates Construction
v. Hamilton, a homeowner's critical Yelp reviews and blog posts about her
contractor led to a libel lawsuit. The 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled the
litigation privilege doesn't extend to public social media complaints--only to
communications made within official proceedings.
Monday, January 12, 2026
Federal contractors are supposed to give hiring preferences to veterans, but the Department of Labor lets them off the hook.
After years of attempts, California has amended the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act to let judges lower the evidentiary bar in cases involving spoliation.
Friday, January 9, 2026
California's 2026 carryout bag law closes the thick plastic loophole but still relies on outdated material categories instead of lifecycle performance metrics to guide sustainable packaging policy.
The Trump administration is already deploying GenAI to second-guess physicians' determinations of medical necessity for seniors' treatments, shifting Medicare toward cost-driven care over clinician judgment.
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