John Sammon News
Hutchinson teacher says Acellus is 'very student-teacher-parent friendly'
Tracy File, a Kansas teacher, said during an interview an online teaching software touted for its innovative approach called Acellus has been working well for her students.
Law professor says legal challenges to Newsom’s face mask requirement not likely to succeed in court
SACRAMENTO - Leslie Gielow Jacobs, inaugural Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Professor of Law at University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, told the Northern California Record that legal challenges to an order by Gov. Gavin Newsom requiring residents to wear face masks to prevent COVID-19 are not likely to succeed.
Amid budget cuts California Supreme Court hopes for $50 million court bailout
SACRAMENTO – A spokesman for the California Supreme Court said big budget hits for the state’s court system from the COVID-19 pandemic could be eased if the federal government comes forward with a one-time $50 million bailout.
Supreme Court postpones bar exam because of virus as deans and students argue substitutes
BERKELEY – The California Supreme Court on April 27 delayed the annual bar exam that allows a law student to graduate to a practicing attorney, from July to September, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Attorney for ADA plaintiff to receive five times as much in fees and costs than settlement
SAN FRANCISCO – A man who sued a Redwood City market over its alleged lack of Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act access was granted partial recovery of attorney fees by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
California court dismisses a portion of lemon law claims against GM accused of defects
SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Court for the Southern District of California on April 13 dismissed claims by non-California residents and invited plaintiffs in a class action suit to amend their complaint in an action against GM accusing the car maker of defective auto components.
Zoom spokesman says lawsuit over alleged privacy sharing of data is glitch being corrected
SAN FRANCISCO – A spokesman for Zoom Communications, the popular on-line video conference platform, said alleged improper sharing of private information with Facebook that got Zoom sued is being corrected.
California court compels arbitration in tristate venture capital company dispute
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S District Court for the Northern District of California on March 13 decided it lacks jurisdiction and is compelling arbitration in a case where a woman is suing a venture capital company over a contractual dispute.
California court calls for jurisdiction discovery in age discrimination lawsuit against T-Mobile and Amazon
SAN JOSE – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on March 13 turned back a complaint but left it open to the plaintiff to establish jurisdiction in a lawsuit against T-Mobile and Amazon, alleging age discrimination in employment.
California court dismisses suit against YouTube over copyright infringement
SAN JOSE – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Mar. 13 tossed out a lawsuit filed by a man against the video provider YouTube who accused the company of wrongfully prohibiting his videos because of alleged copyright infringement.
State documents disappear from Web as agencies struggle with ADA reading requirements
SACRAMENTO – Documents are being taken down from public view as California state agencies struggle to comply with a 2017 law intended to ensure Web readability in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Southern Cal legislator says Crown Act designed to prevent hair discrimination against women
LOS ANGELES – The Crown Act, made famous in the movie “Hair Love,” a California State Senator said is designed to prevent discrimination against women in the work place because of their hair styles, particularly African American women.
Lawsuit reformer says SB783 anti-gender bias bill in product pricing is a job killer
SACRAMENTO – An activist with the nonprofit Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse said a new bill in the California Senate designed to end gender discrimination in product pricing would instead kill jobs and result in frivolous lawsuits.
Attorney says changing bill language to protect the rights of journalists is step in right direction
SACRAMENTO – Statements by lawmakers saying they will alter language in a new law so that freelance journalists don’t lose their jobs an attorney representing journalists and photographers in a lawsuit called a good move.
Ninth Circuit hears jurisdiction arguments in landmark global warming lawsuits against Big Oil
PASADENA, Calif. – A potentially precedent-setting hearing on Wednesday saw Northern California communities seeking relief against oil companies whose fossil fuel emissions plaintiff attorneys contend are damaging residents with rising sea levels and environmental degradation.
Having lost climate change lawsuits, Oakland and San Francisco will plead cases to Ninth Circuit this week
PASADENA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – Two potentially precedent-setting hearings Wednesday, Feb. 5 involving Bay Area communities will seek to decide who has jurisdiction, federal or state courts, in appealed lawsuits over allegations that oil companies Chevron and Exxon Mobil Corp. injured plaintiffs by promoting fossil fuel emissions.
Big Oil to urge Ninth Circuit this week to let federal courts hear cities' climate change lawsuits
PASADENA, Calif. (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is set on Feb. 5 to hear an appeal by oil companies asking it to overturn a ruling in favor of San Mateo and other California cities and counties that let them pursue their climate change lawsuits in state court.
Ninth Circuit says 'Kids Climate Case' has to seek redress through government or voters, not court
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Jan. 17 turned back a lawsuit filed by a group of youth climate activists suing the federal government over alleged inaction on climate change, saying the court lacks jurisdiction in the matter.
Jurors in month-long talc trial find Johnson & Johnson not to blame for woman’s mesothelioma
TORRANCE – A jury ruled in favor of baby powder giant Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday in a lawsuit launched by a woman who claimed asbestos in cosmetic talc powder caused her to develop mesothelioma, a deadly cancer of the lungs.
Closing arguments made in woman’s lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson over mesothelioma diagnosis
TORRANCE – A year after a jury deadlocked to no decision, closing arguments were made Monday in a new trial to decide if alleged asbestos in Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder caused Carolyn Weirick to develop mesothelioma.