4th District Court of Appeal, Family Law

Steven N. v. Priscilla C. — Voluntary declaration of parentage is void where birth mother had attempted marriage to another man at the time of the child’s birth

automatic / March 26, 2026

Fourth District holds that a voluntary declaration of parentage is void where the birth mother had attempted to marry another man in apparent compliance with the law, making him a presumed parent under Family Code section 7611(b).

4th District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law, Immigration

People v. Avena — Section 1473.7 motion granted because counsel did not negotiate immigration-safe plea after intervening change in law

automatic / March 26, 2026

Fourth District grants Penal Code section 1473.7 relief where defense counsel failed to recognize and pursue an immigration-safe plea after Sessions v. Dimaya and United States v. Lynch opened the door to one.

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

Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review v. Sonoma County Sheriff — County sheriff oversight entities have subpoena power for whistleblower investigations under Government Code section 25303.7

automatic / March 26, 2026

First District holds that Sonoma County's IOLERO has subpoena authority under Government Code section 25303.7 to investigate whistleblower complaints against the Sheriff and orders enforcement of subpoenas issued to deputies.

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

In re E.J. — Penal Code section 29820 firearm prohibition for juvenile offenders is facially constitutional under Bruen framework

automatic / March 26, 2026

Fourth District holds that Penal Code section 29820's firearm prohibition for certain juvenile wards until age 30 is facially constitutional under both the Second Amendment Bruen framework and the Due Process Clause.

1st District Court of Appeal, Environmental Law, Litigation

Bair v. California Department of Transportation — Discharge of CEQA writ ends Richardson Grove highway dispute under res judicata

automatic / March 26, 2026

First District holds that the discharge of an earlier CEQA writ necessarily decided the adequacy of Caltrans's revised analysis of impacts on Richardson Grove redwoods, barring petitioners from relitigating those impacts in a third writ proceeding.

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

Guinnane Construction v. Chess — Tort of another doctrine does not allow recovery of attorney fees incurred in the tort action itself

automatic / March 26, 2026

First District holds that a plaintiff who recovers attorney fees from a tortfeasor under the tort of another doctrine cannot also recover the fees incurred in prosecuting the tort of another action itself.

5th District Court of Appeal, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law

In re Bergstrom — Penal Code section 292 validly defines ‘acts of violence’ and ‘great bodily harm’ under California Constitution’s no-bail provision

automatic / March 26, 2026

Fifth District holds that Penal Code section 292's definitions of 'acts of violence' and 'great bodily harm' are constitutional under California Constitution article I, section 12, and that a no-bail order in a serious child sexual abuse case was supported by clear and convincing evidence.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Environmental Law, Real Estate Law

Department of Water Resources Cases — DWR may use precondemnation entry statutes to investigate properties without first authorizing or funding the underlying water project

automatic / March 26, 2026

Third District holds that the California Department of Water Resources may use the precondemnation entry statutes to investigate properties for a potential water conveyance project without first satisfying Water Code requirements for project authorization and funding.

5th District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

People v. Chang — Mere presence of peace officer is not the ‘objective correlate’ required for imperfect self-defense instruction in delusion case

automatic / March 25, 2026

Fifth District holds that the mere presence of peace officers attempting a routine traffic stop is not the 'objective correlate' required to support an imperfect self-defense instruction for a defendant whose only basis for self-defense was a delusion.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Litigation

Cleare v. Superior Court (West Contra Costa Unified School District) — School district must exhaust statutory teacher hiring procedures before invoking impossibility defense

automatic / March 25, 2026

First District grants writ requiring West Contra Costa Unified School District to comply with statutory teacher hiring procedures before invoking impossibility to defend its use of rolling and unauthorized substitutes.

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

Aerni v. RR San Dimas — Civil Code section 1940.1 ‘residential hotel’ showing does not require individualized proof that each plaintiff used the hotel as primary residence

automatic / March 25, 2026

Second District reverses denial of class certification in a Red Roof Inn 28-day shuffle case, holding that Civil Code section 1940.1 does not require each class member to prove individualized use of the hotel as their primary residence.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Pechkis v. Trustees of California State University — Anti-SLAPP fails where retaliation claims do not arise exclusively from protected investigatory activity

automatic / March 24, 2026

Third District affirms denial of an anti-SLAPP motion in a CSU professor retaliation case, holding that claims based 'in part' on communications with another university do not arise from protected activity when other unprotected employment decisions also support the claim.

4th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Litigation

O’Leary v. Jones — Dismissal of arbitration confirmation petition for lack of personal jurisdiction did not make defendant the prevailing party on the contract for fees

automatic / March 24, 2026

Fourth District holds that a guarantor's procedural dismissal of an arbitration confirmation petition for lack of personal jurisdiction did not make him the prevailing party on the contract for attorney fees but did entitle him to costs.

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

Guardian Storage Centers v. Simpson — State Fund rule applies when attorney receives privileged emails that ex-employee improperly took from former employer

automatic / March 24, 2026

Fourth District holds that the State Fund rule applies when a law firm receives privileged emails that a former executive improperly took from the company, and reverses the trial court's denial of disqualification motions.

1st District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Criminal Law

Chi v. Department of Motor Vehicles — Post-California DUI Lawyers DMV hearing structure satisfies due process; ordinary judicial questioning is not advocacy

automatic / March 24, 2026

First District holds that the DMV's revised hearing structure satisfies due process and rejects the broader 'appearance of bias' approach used in Romane v. DMV (now before the California Supreme Court).

2nd District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

People v. Tzul — Murder convictions reversed because trial court erroneously excluded handwritten ‘rage note’ relevant to provocation defense

automatic / March 23, 2026

Second District reverses first and second degree murder convictions because the trial court abused its discretion in excluding under Evidence Code section 352 a contemporaneous handwritten note relevant to the defendant's provocation defense.

5th District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Constitutional Law

City of Fresno v. Superior Court — ‘Great bodily injury’ in Penal Code section 832.7 means significant or substantial physical injury, not the narrower ‘serious bodily injury’ standard

automatic / March 23, 2026

Fifth District holds that 'great bodily injury' in Penal Code section 832.7 carries the long-established Penal Code section 12022.7 definition of significant or substantial physical injury, requiring broader disclosure of police K-9 use-of-force records under the CPRA.

4th District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

People v. Perez — Police cannot order a person out of a home without a warrant or probable cause; in-home detention rule extends to officers standing outside

automatic / March 20, 2026

Fourth District holds that police violated the Fourth Amendment by ordering a man out of a residence at gunpoint without a warrant or probable cause and rejects the contrary 1985 Trudell decision.

Appellate Division (Superior Court), Civil Procedure, Real Estate Law

360 So Reeves v. Dutton — Tenant bears the burden of proving landlord’s noncompliance with Civil Code section 1962 disclosures

automatic / March 20, 2026

Los Angeles Appellate Division holds that noncompliance with Civil Code section 1962 is an affirmative defense for which the tenant bears the burden of proof in a residential unlawful detainer action.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

People v. Taft — Trial court retains jurisdiction under Penal Code section 1237.1 to correct presentence custody credit errors during pending appeal

automatic / March 20, 2026

Second District holds that under Penal Code section 1237.1 a trial court retains jurisdiction during a pending appeal to correct presentence custody credit errors, and modifies the judgment to award two additional days of credit.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Real Estate Law

County of Sacramento v. NKS Real Estate Holdings — Building accessory dwelling unit without a permit is a per se public nuisance enforceable by the county

automatic / March 20, 2026

Third District affirms that building and occupying an accessory dwelling unit in Sacramento County without a building permit is a public nuisance per se enforceable through injunctive relief, regardless of whether construction is complete.

4th District Court of Appeal, Insurance Law, Litigation

City of Riverside v. RLI Insurance Co. — Royal Globe joinder rule does not bar additional insured from suing both insurer and the named insured contractor in same action

automatic / March 20, 2026

Fourth District holds that the Royal Globe joinder rule does not bar an additional insured city from suing both its contractor's insurer and the contractor in the same action arising from a fatal pedestrian accident.

1st District Court of Appeal, Family Law, Litigation

Sheerer v. Panas — Self-represented litigants face the same duty to verify AI-generated citations as attorneys; child support order reversed for failing to include bonus and RSU income

automatic / March 19, 2026

First District extends its warning about AI-generated fake citations to self-represented litigants and reverses a child support order for failing to include the obligor's bonus and restricted stock unit income.

6th District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

People v. Perez — Vehicle impoundment to prevent unlicensed driving alone does not satisfy Fourth Amendment community caretaking requirement

automatic / March 19, 2026

Sixth District holds that impounding a suspended-license driver's minivan solely to prevent further illegal driving violates the Fourth Amendment community caretaking doctrine and orders suppression of evidence from the resulting inventory search.

1st District Court of Appeal, Family Law

Marriage of Jenkins — Default judgment vacated where dissolution petition listed assets only as ‘to be determined’; Code of Civil Procedure section 580 limits relief in default to what was actually pleaded

automatic / March 18, 2026

First District holds that a default dissolution judgment must be vacated under Code of Civil Procedure section 580 when the petition listed assets only as 'to be determined' and the responding spouse lacked notice of the actual property division being sought.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Healthcare Law, Litigation

Wright v. WellQuest Elk Grove — California arbitration procedural rules apply by default; trial court properly refused to compel arbitration over wrongful death and elder neglect claims

automatic / March 18, 2026

Third District holds that a memory care facility's selection of the FAA does not displace California's section 1281.2(c) procedural provisions, allowing the trial court to deny arbitration of survivor and wrongful death claims based on the risk of conflicting rulings.

4th District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Litigation

Dion v. Weber — Secretary of State cannot relitigate fraud claim’s merits in payment proceeding from Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund; $50,000 per claimant cap enforced

automatic / March 18, 2026

Fourth District holds that the Secretary of State cannot relitigate the merits of an underlying fraud claim in a Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund proceeding but enforces the $50,000 per claimant statutory cap on awards.

4th District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

Meiner v. Superior Court — Apple Pay account is a ‘financial account’ excluded from warrantless probation searches

automatic / March 18, 2026

Fourth District holds that an Apple Pay account is a 'financial account' excluded from warrantless probation searches and orders suppression of bank evidence obtained through a warrant relying on the unlawful search.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law

People v. Jones — Defendant in custody in another county did not willfully fail to appear; uncertified court records were inadmissible to prove Cruz waiver violation

automatic / March 17, 2026

Second District holds that a defendant in custody in another county did not willfully fail to appear for sentencing and that uncertified records from a Fresno court were inadmissible to prove a Cruz waiver violation.

5th District Court of Appeal, Labor & Employment Law, Litigation

Ayala-Ventura v. Superior Court — Janitorial worker’s arbitration agreement enforced; trial courts may distinguish, but should explain departures from binding precedent

automatic / March 17, 2026

Fifth District enforces a janitorial worker's mutual arbitration agreement and explains how trial courts should distinguish, but document their departures from, binding California Court of Appeal precedent like Cook v. USC.