City Council Voted 3-2 To Approve Settlement. In Orange County, the Kelly Thomas wrongful death lawsuit drew a lot of press, involving the police beating of a transient, mentally ill father failing to follow police commands. On November 23, 2015, Fullerton’s City Council voted 3-2 to settle the matter for $4.9 million even […]
He Cites Conflict With Federal Law As Basis For His Veto. As reported in our September 20, 2015 post, AB465—backed by labor unions–was a California bill designed to end mandatory workplace arbitration, applicable to agreements, modifications, renewals, or extensions on or after January 1, 2016. Among other things, it also had a proposed
Some Of The Public Opposed Based On City’s Mounting Fees And Slim Review Chances. On August 28, 2015, we posted on Walker v. City of San Clemente, where the Fourth District, Division 3 affirmed a $10.5 million refund for unwarranted beach parking fees and a $1.5 million common fund award to counsel for
At Stake Were Rights In Songs, Including “YMCA.” This one will stir up memories for a lot of you readers around the age of co-contributors Marc and Mike, probably like us watching “The Village People” perform on Saturday Night Live. Victor Willis, the original lead singer of “The Village People,” prevailed in
N.D. Cal. District Judge Orders Segan LLC To Pay $1.9 Million Under Octane Fitness/Highmark. Last week, N.D. Cal. District Judge Vince Chhabria ordered Segan LLC to pay $1.9 million in fees to Zynga, Inc. for Segan’s filing of a “totally unreasonable” patent infringement suit over character icons that can interact with websites. He
California Rates 47 Out of 50 At Bottom of List, With West Virginia Being No. 50. The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, through a Harris Poll, has come out with its “2015 Lawsuit Climate Survey: Ranking the States,” based on a national sampling of 1,203 in-house general counsel, senior litigators or attorneys,
Since 2000, About $150 Million—Two-Thirds Of Settlement Payments—Have Gone To Prosecuting Proposition 65 Attorneys. Dr. Joseph Perrone, Chief Science Officer at the Center for Accountability in Science, has authored an OpEd article in the September 10, 2015 edition of The Orange County Register. Among other things, he surveys the settlement payments made under
Award Was Less Than Half Of $81 Million Request, Using Lodestar Billings Augmented By Positive 2.2 Multiplier. On September 2, 2015, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California gave final approval to a class action settlement by high tech workers challenging on antitrust grounds a “no poaching” pact reached
Southwest Airlines Garners Fees, Including Fees Expended in USPTO Reexamination Proceedings. U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo (S.D Cal.), on August 19, 2015, awarded Southwest Airlines $387,182 in attorney’s fees and costs after USPTO deemed the patent invalid, finding the patent infringement case to be exceptional under 28 U.S.C. § 285 and Octane
$755,925.86 Is Total Fee/Costs Award Against Large Audience Display. As we have discussed in many posts, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Octane Fitness, LLC v. ICON Health & Fitness, Inc., 134 S.Ct. 1749 (2014) has been a real game changer as far as increasing the case-by-case discretion conferred on district judges to
