Primary practice area
First District holds that placement in a family member’s home with community-based programming and supervision can qualify as a “less restrictive program” under Welfare and Institutions Code section 875(f), even though the appeal was dismissed as moot after the youth was placed with his mother.
Fourth District reverses summary judgment for community college district on nursing student’s sexual harassment claims, holding that the student has standing under FEHA, that her detailed pre-litigation letter substantially complied with the Government Claims Act, and that triable issues exist on her Education Code section 66270 deliberate indifference claim.
Fourth District holds that the COVID-19 pandemic and related government restrictions did not cause “damage” to the Brea Mall within the meaning of Revenue and Taxation Code section 170(a)(1), and that calamity reassessment requires actual physical damage to property.
First District affirms a $41,580 attorney’s fee award and imposes sanctions for a frivolous appeal where a self-represented litigant attempted to use a second appeal to attack the underlying anti-SLAPP ruling already affirmed in a prior appeal.
Fourth District reverses convictions in sexual assault case where the trial court failed to recognize that a peremptory challenge based on a juror’s nursing occupation was presumptively invalid under Code of Civil Procedure section 231.7, holding that defense counsel’s failure to specifically invoke the presumption did not forfeit the issue.
First District holds that a Wells Fargo employee’s assurance that a fraudulent check had cleared states a cause of action for negligent misrepresentation, while affirming dismissal of breach of contract and other claims based on the deposit account agreement’s express disclaimers.
Fourth District holds that a court correcting a clerical error in an abstract of judgment is not required to conduct full resentencing or hear Romero motions, but exceeded its authority by modifying the underlying misdemeanor sentences during the correction process.
Fifth District holds that CC&Rs adopted by a public hospital district cannot be enforced to prohibit a clinic from providing abortion services because such enforcement would violate the California Constitution’s reproductive freedom guarantee and Civil Code section 531.
Second District reverses first and second degree murder convictions where the trial court excluded a handwritten note showing the defendant’s belief that he had discovered his girlfriend in an intimate act with her brother, forcing him to testify to introduce evidence of provocation.
Fourth District affirms forcible rape and related convictions but holds that stayed sentences based on unused One Strike circumstances and the Habitual Sexual Offender law are unauthorized when the defendant is already sentenced under the One Strike law and Three Strikes law for the same offense.