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

Liu v. Kaiser Permanente Pension Plan — Substantial compliance can preserve an ERISA benefit election

automatic / August 31, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that California substantial-compliance principles can preserve an ERISA pension election despite incomplete technical steps.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Family Law

Marriage of Traweek — Domestic-violence conviction did not automatically bar spousal support

automatic / August 28, 2026

A domestic-violence conviction creates a rebuttable presumption, not an absolute bar, when a California court decides spousal support.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Labor & Employment Law

City of Los Angeles v. AFSCME — Labor board could order make-whole relief for failure to bargain over pension changes

automatic / August 28, 2026

A Los Angeles labor board could compensate employees for losses caused by the City's failure to bargain over the effects of a pension change.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Collections & Creditor Rights

Velocity Investments v. Nguyen — Debt buyer could not cure missing complaint documents by amending later

automatic / August 28, 2026

A debt buyer's amended complaint cannot erase liability for failing to attach consumer-specific debt documents to the original complaint.

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

In re Pride — Specific racial-bias allegation entitled prisoner to counsel and discovery

automatic / August 28, 2026

A specific allegation that trial attorneys discussed conviction in racial terms cleared the low thresholds for appointed counsel and Racial Justice Act discovery.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Constitutional Law, Immigration

Jacques v. Blanche — Government’s misdirected immigration notices violated due process

automatic / August 28, 2026

The government violated due process by pursuing immigration appeals through notices mailed to an address it knew was not the detainee's location.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Immigration

Mbueno-Vita v. Blanche — Translation problems and trivial inconsistencies could not support adverse credibility finding

automatic / August 28, 2026

The Ninth Circuit rejected an adverse credibility finding built on trivial discrepancies and testimony distorted by evident interpretation problems.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Immigration

Parada Calderon v. Blanche — Torture claim cannot be rejected for lacking statistical proof

automatic / August 28, 2026

The Board of Immigration Appeals cannot demand statistical proof of torture when regulations require consideration of all relevant evidence.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

People v. Santistevan — Great-Bodily-Injury Enhancement Cannot Attach to Serious-Bodily-Injury Battery

automatic / August 27, 2026

A great-bodily-injury enhancement must be stricken when imposed on battery causing serious bodily injury based on the same injury.

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

Richards v. Newsom — Ninth Circuit Upholds Recording Rules for California Firearms Dealers

automatic / August 27, 2026

The Ninth Circuit upheld dismissal of First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment challenges to California’s audiovisual-recording mandate for firearms dealers.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Administrative Law, Business Transactions, Constitutional Law

Rocky Patel Premium Cigars v. Bonta — California Unflavored Tobacco List Survives Injunction Challenge

automatic / August 27, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held California’s tobacco-list requirement is saved from federal preemption and presently imposes only a minimal commercial-speech burden on premium cigar makers.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Civil Procedure, Collections & Creditor Rights, Labor & Employment Law

Cabardo v. Patacsil — Bankruptcy Appeal Must Await Final Dischargeability Decision

automatic / August 27, 2026

The Ninth Circuit dismissed a creditors’ bankruptcy appeal because a remand for trial left the overall dischargeability proceeding unfinished.

California Supreme Court, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

People v. Hazlett — California Supreme Court Affirms Death Judgment in 1978 Cold-Case Murder

automatic / August 27, 2026

The California Supreme Court affirmed a death judgment in a reopened 1978 murder, rejecting jury-selection and prior-sexual-offense evidence challenges.

6th District Court of Appeal, Business Transactions, Civil Procedure, Litigation

Srivastava v. BMW of North America — Named Manufacturer May Enforce Lease Arbitration Clause

automatic / August 27, 2026

A named vehicle manufacturer may enforce a lease arbitration clause, but the trial court must still decide whether its delegation clause is unconscionable.

1st District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Litigation

Ari Law v. Autonation.com — Rescheduled Hearing Did Not Defeat Sanctions Safe Harbor

automatic / August 26, 2026

A later court-assigned hearing date did not invalidate a sanctions motion that was substantively identical to the version served before the 21-day safe harbor.

1st District Court of Appeal, Construction Law, Personal Injury & Tort, Real Estate Law

Schurman Family Company TIC v. Superior Court — Landlord Was Protected by Privette Delegation

automatic / August 26, 2026

A warehouse owner was protected by the Privette doctrine because its lease placed it upstream in the chain delegating the work and workplace safety to contractors.

4th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Hickenbottom v. Medical Solutions — New Contract Theory Did Not Permit a Second Arbitration Motion

automatic / August 26, 2026

A second motion relying on a different arbitration agreement was still a renewed motion because it sought the same order and had to comply with Code of Civil Procedure section 1008.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Civil Procedure, Litigation

Patacsil v. Google — Ninth Circuit Upholds Cy Pres-Only Privacy Settlement

automatic / August 26, 2026

The Ninth Circuit upheld a $62 million cy pres-only settlement of Google location-tracking claims because direct payments to an estimated 247.7 million class members were infeasible.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Litigation, Real Estate Law

Buchheim v. Anaya — Unsupported Belief Cannot Defeat Objective Proof of Loan Repayment

automatic / August 25, 2026

The Court of Appeal held that unsupported assertions of nonpayment could not create a triable issue against admitted escrow records showing that a consolidated real-estate loan was repaid.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Healthcare Law, Litigation

Conservatorship of K.L. — Written Notice Alone Did Not Establish a Valid Jury Waiver

automatic / August 25, 2026

A written citation mentioning the jury right did not establish that an LPS conservatee knowingly waived a jury where neither counsel nor the court explained the right.

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

County of King v. Turner — Agencies Could Not Add Sweeping Conditions to Previously Awarded Grants

automatic / August 25, 2026

The Ninth Circuit largely blocked HUD and DOT from imposing sweeping new policy conditions on previously awarded grants because the agencies lacked congressional authorization.

5th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Litigation, Personal Injury & Tort

Gharraee v. Trader Joe’s — timely e-filing controls despite clerk rejection

automatic / August 24, 2026

A timely electronic submission preserved Trader Joe’s appeal despite a later clerk rejection under an invalid local rule.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Constitutional Law, Healthcare Law, Litigation

Doe v. Adventist Health — health-site tracking claims may proceed as classes

automatic / August 24, 2026

A California appellate court revived class-certification efforts over tracking technology on health-risk and patient-portal pages.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Business Transactions, Collections & Creditor Rights, Litigation

Lakeshore Investment v. Now Solutions — tripled settlement default is an unenforceable penalty

automatic / August 24, 2026

A $1.5 million stipulated judgment triggered by default on a $450,000 settlement was an unenforceable penalty without evidence supporting the estimate.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Criminal Law

People v. Lossing — injury DUI is not a lesser included offense of vehicular manslaughter

automatic / August 24, 2026

The court held that injury DUI is not necessarily included within gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.