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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD

Friday, March 29, 2024

Jonathan Bilyk News


'De facto invisible': High costs, state rules, lack of online access can block public from monitoring 'public' court proceedings

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A settlement has resolved a class action vs federal courts over fees charged to access online court documents. But high costs for certain records and varying court rules about public access to court records in Illinois and elsewhere create a legal patchwork that mostly limits public view into the courts

Meta can't escape class action claiming Facebook 'Potential Reach' for ads misled advertisers

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A majority on a split panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said it should only matter that Facebook allegedly inflated the "Potential Reach" of "boosted" ads, not by how much individual advertisers may have been misled, if at all

Tenderloin residents, biz sue SF city hall, say city abandoned their streets to crime, homeless, drugs

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The plaintiffs have asked a federal court to order the city and county of San Francisco to end an unwritten policy to "contain" criminal activity in the Tenderloin, which they say has created a drug-filled, unsanitary, violent and unlivable neighborhood, violating their constitutional rights

Realtors to pay $418M to end home seller commission class action; Big changes coming to home sale process

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Lawyers who brought the lawsuits could be in for a big payday, as well, potentially claiming $140 million from the deal, plus $69 million from earlier settlements with large real estate brokerages facing similar claims of alleged collusion to boost real estate agent commissions

Disability rights advocates say California must allow voters with 'print disabilities' to vote electronically from home

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A group of California voters who are blind or otherwise have "print disabilities" have joined with disability rights advocate organizations to sue the state of California, claiming California's vote-by-mail program discriminates against them because they must print and mail their completed ballots

Class action: OpenAI should pay for 'scraping' data to train GPT AI, come under outside control

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A lawsuit filed in San Francisco federal court asserts OpenAI has violated privacy laws in developing its GPT group of AIs, while allegedly disregarding safeguards that take into consideration the risk of its AIs to humanity

Prop E appears poised to pass, giving police more ability to fight crime in SF

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The ballot measure would loosen restrictions on officers' ability to pursue criminal suspects; allow for police leadership to have a greater say in future policy changes; and enable police to use tech, including drones and surveillance cameras, to patrol in high-crime areas.

Objectors to Sacramento marijuana shop owner residency rule win chance to press constitutional claims

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A federal appeals panel ruled that a federal district judge had wrongly attempted to duck the thorny constitutional questions by citing the deep conflict between federal and California state marijuana laws

CA Supreme Court says car buyers can demand to keep trade-in credits under 'lemon law' verdicts

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Automaker Stellantis/FCA had argued such a ruling would essentially allow car buyers to profit when they buy defective cars, trade them in toward the purchase of other vehicles, and then sue under the lemon law for a full refund.

San Diego judge slashes 90% off $332M verdict awarded to man in Roundup trial

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The judge said $325 million in punitive damages was excessive, compared to the $7 million in compensatory damages the jury awarded plaintiff Mike Dennis. The judge cut punitive damages to $21 million. Monsanto still plans to appeal

California remains one of top spots for ADA disability access lawsuits in America

By Jonathan Bilyk |
An analysis by the Seyfarth firm placed California No. 2, behind New York, as the top state for new lawsuits filed in federal court under ADA Title III in 2023. Many such lawsuits have been likened by prosecutors to "shakedowns" of small businesses

Biden administration, left-wing allies 'colluding' to shove court fight over immigration past November, judge says

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A federal appeals court judge in San Francisco blasted the Biden administration and his fellow judges for allowing left-wing activists to help the president quietly tuck from public view a court fight over the politically fraught crisis at the southern border

California cities can't bring class action to force Netflix, Hulu, other streamers to pay cable TV franchise fees

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A state appeals court has pulled the plug, for now, on efforts by trial lawyers and California cities to force streaming entertainment services, like Netflix, to pay the fees normally levied by state law on cable TV companies

California can't enforce minor gun ad ban law while court case plays out over speech restrictions

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The full U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said it won't grant the Attorney General's request for a review of a three-judge panel's decision to slap an injunction on AB2571, which they said amounted to an unconstitutional 'muzzling of speech'

Appeals court: Lowe's can't escape PAGA class action by enforcing arbitration clause vs lead plaintiff

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the California Supreme Court's interpretation of the state's controversial PAGA law holds sway over that of the U.S. Supreme Court

Carano sues Disney over firing from 'Mandalorian,' says retaliated against her over politics

By Jonathan Bilyk |
TV and film star Gina Carano says Disney illegally attempted to blast her career from orbit over conservative online speech, costing her untold millions of dollars in future career opportunities built on her popular recurring character on Star Wars series, 'The Mandalorian'

Class action lodged vs LDS for allegedly misleading about use of $1.4B of tithes for Salt Lake mall

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The class action builds on appellate decision in favor of wealthy ex-Mormon James Huntsman, now seeks payouts on behalf of all LDS tithes-paying members

SF sued for discrimination in transgender guaranteed income program

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Lawsuit says the city illegally prioritizes biological male Black or Latino transgender people to receive up $21,600 each from city treasury every 18 months

CA emissions reporting rules illegal try to let CA regulate emissions worldwide, lawsuit says

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A new lawsuit from the U.S. and California chambers of commerce and other business advocates says new California laws forcing businesses to report "climate" emissions violates both the First Amendment and Clean Air Act.

Placer County can't use political speech law to ditch retaliation lawsuit from demoted ex-interim D.A.

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Ex-Placer County Interim D.A. Jennifer Miszkewycz claimed was demoted in retaliation for cooperating with an Attorney General's investigation of a county board member