Litigation

2nd District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Glick v. City of Los Angeles — Court reinstates jury’s $13 million emotional-distress awards

automatic / July 30, 2026

A trial court could not impose an arbitrary ceiling on emotional-distress damages or disregard admissible employee testimony about future losses.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Litigation

AquAlliance v. Vina Groundwater Sustainability Agency — Agency review may precede a court’s sustainability analysis

automatic / July 30, 2026

A trial court properly deferred to the Department of Water Resources and dismissed a duplicative challenge to a groundwater plan’s sustainability evaluation.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Banking & Finance, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Pover v. Capital Group — ERISA plan-wide claims cannot be stripped by arbitration waiver

automatic / July 30, 2026

The Ninth Circuit refused to enforce an arbitration provision that prevented a retirement-plan participant from seeking plan-wide ERISA relief.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Business Transactions, Intellectual Property, Litigation

Multiple Energy Technologies v. Casden — Corporate officer keeps interference immunity despite self-interest

automatic / July 30, 2026

A corporate officer does not lose California agent immunity merely because actions benefiting the company also advance the officer’s own financial interests.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Constitutional Law, Immigration, Litigation

Rodriguez Vazquez v. Bostock — Interior Immigration Arrests Do Not Trigger Mandatory Detention

automatic / July 30, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that noncitizens arrested in the interior after entering without inspection are not automatically subject to mandatory detention and may seek bond consideration.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Business Transactions, Constitutional Law, Litigation

Arterberry v. Peet’s Coffee — Yelp Law Penalties Require Enforcement or Retaliation

automatic / July 29, 2026

California consumers cannot recover Yelp-law penalties merely because unlawful non-disparagement language appears in website terms; they must allege enforcement, a threat, or retaliation.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Business Transactions, Litigation, Personal Injury & Tort

Serenity Investments v. Sun Hung Kai — Conversion Defendants May Seek Equitable Indemnity

automatic / July 29, 2026

The Ninth Circuit predicts that California treats conversion as strict liability, allowing a conversion defendant to seek equitable indemnity from negligent joint tortfeasors.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Criminal Law, Litigation

United States v. Yates — Prosecutors Retain Broad Control Over Third Acceptance Point

automatic / July 29, 2026

Prosecutors may withhold the third acceptance-of-responsibility point after a stipulated trial, and federal judges must exercise discretion when classifying uncharged California wobbler conduct.

4th District Court of Appeal, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Litigation

People v. Carrillo — gang expert’s race-related testimony did not violate the Racial Justice Act

automatic / July 28, 2026

Race-related gang testimony tied to the evidence did not itself violate the Racial Justice Act, though counsel must timely preserve an RJA claim.

California Supreme Court, Insurance Law, Litigation

Fox Paine & Company, LLC v. Twin City Fire Insurance Company — Excess Insureds May Sue Before Underlying Coverage Is Exhausted

automatic / July 27, 2026

California's high court held that insureds may pursue declaratory relief, and in limited circumstances bad-faith claims, against excess insurers before underlying coverage is fully exhausted.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Litigation

Toy v. City and County of San Francisco — Water-Rate Challenges Must Follow California’s Validation Procedure

automatic / July 24, 2026

A challenge to San Francisco water rates failed because California's mandatory reverse-validation procedure could not be waived by the city or replaced with refund and declaratory-relief claims.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Business Transactions, Litigation

Law Firm of Fox & Fox v. Arteaga — A Retainer Cannot Override the Bar on Fees for Self-Represented Lawyers

automatic / July 23, 2026

A law firm that represented itself in a fee dispute could not recover contractual attorney fees by inserting a purported waiver of California's Trope rule into its retainer agreement.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Collections & Creditor Rights, Litigation, Real Estate Law

8451 Melrose Property, LLC v. Akhtarzad — Undisclosed Partners Added to an Eight-Figure Lease Judgment

automatic / July 23, 2026

A Court of Appeal upheld adding members of an undisclosed family partnership and its leasing corporation to a commercial landlord's eight-figure judgment under Code of Civil Procedure section 187.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Healthcare Law, Litigation, Personal Injury & Tort

Aud v. RRT Enterprises, LP — MICRA Cap Does Not Cover Nursing-Home Custodial Neglect

automatic / July 23, 2026

A nursing-home resident's neglect claims arose from custodial care rather than professional medical services, so MICRA's noneconomic-damages cap did not reduce the jury's award.

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Insurance Law, Litigation

Kumar v. Mid-Century Insurance Co. — Closed insurance claim started the one-year suit deadline

automatic / July 22, 2026

Closed insurance claim started the one-year suit deadline.

4th District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law, Litigation

In re McCowen — False-evidence murder claim requires an evidentiary hearing

automatic / July 22, 2026

False-evidence murder claim requires an evidentiary hearing.

4th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Litigation, Real Estate Law

Eagle Colton 55 v. City of Colton — Anti-SLAPP motion defeats claims barred by Government Claims Act

automatic / July 21, 2026

Anti-SLAPP motion defeats claims barred by Government Claims Act.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Litigation

United States v. Colar — Failure to Investigate an Alternate Juror’s Express Bias Requires a New Trial

automatic / July 21, 2026

The Ninth Circuit ordered a new trial because the district court delayed and inadequately investigated an alternate juror who had expressly prejudged the defense.

4th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Litigation

Mata v. Digital Recognition Network — License-plate privacy suits require actual harm

automatic / July 20, 2026

California's ALPR statute requires a plaintiff to show actual harm caused by a violation; a technical violation and subjective privacy concern are not enough.

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Litigation, Real Estate Law

Quinn v. Coulton — Lateral-support strict liability requires excavation, and joint settlement offers need unified interests

automatic / July 20, 2026

Strict liability for loss of lateral support requires excavation, and a joint section 998 offer cannot shift expert fees without a proven unity of interest.

California Supreme Court, Administrative Law, Litigation

In re Spielbauer — California Supreme Court Orders Attorney Restitution to Non-Client Fraud Victim

automatic / July 16, 2026

The California Supreme Court held that a restitution order is appropriate in attorney discipline cases where an attorney's intentional, fraudulent misconduct caused direct financial harm to a non-client, correcting a State Bar Court misreading of prior precedent that had treated tort-based damages to non-clients as categorically excluded from restitution.

California Supreme Court, Civil Procedure, Litigation

Maniago v. Desert Cardiology Consultants — Voluntary Dismissal Forfeits Right to Appeal Adverse Pretrial Rulings

automatic / July 16, 2026

The California Supreme Court held that when plaintiffs voluntarily dismiss their action before any of their claims have been finally resolved by the trial court, the dismissal terminates the action and forfeits the right to appeal — it does not create an appealable judgment even if the stated purpose was to expedite review of adverse pretrial rulings.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Banking & Finance, Civil Procedure, Litigation

Relator LLC v. Erskine — Ninth Circuit Revives PPP Fraud Whistleblower Suit, Holds Mortgage Company’s Own Website Is Not “News Media” Under False Claims Act

automatic / July 15, 2026

The Ninth Circuit reversed dismissal of a False Claims Act qui tam suit alleging PPP fraud by a California mortgage company, holding that a NAICS industry code alone does not publicly disclose fraud and that a company's own website does not qualify as 'news media' for purposes of the Act's public disclosure bar.

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Litigation, Personal Injury & Tort

Wilkins v. Cruise, LLC — Autonomous Vehicle Company’s Sign-In Wrap Agreement Enforces Arbitration Clause Against Injured Rider

automatic / July 14, 2026

California's First District Court of Appeal reversed a trial court that had refused to compel arbitration, holding that Cruise's mobile app sign-in screen gave an injured employee-rider sufficiently conspicuous notice of the arbitration clause in its Terms of Service, and that GM's related corporate entities were not "third parties" under the CCP §1281.2(c) exception.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Business Transactions, Intellectual Property, Litigation

Comet Technologies USA v. XP Power — Ninth Circuit Vacates $40 Million Trade Secret Verdict Over Burden-of-Proof Error

automatic / July 14, 2026

The Ninth Circuit vacated a $40 million jury verdict for semiconductor component maker Comet Technologies and ordered a new trial after finding that the district court erroneously placed the burden of proving "ready ascertainability" of alleged trade secrets on XP Power rather than on Comet, in violation of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act.