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Stories by Jonathan Bilyk on Northern California Record

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD

Monday, April 21, 2025

Jonathan Bilyk News


CA 'Clean Fleet' rules challenged; Truckers say rules flout federal law, will 'wreak havoc' on economy

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The California Truckers Association filed suit, seeking to block enforcement of the Advanced Clean Fleets rules they say conflict with federal law, violate the Constitution, and will hurt the economy

Appeals court says California 'large magazine' firearms ban OK to remain in effect

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Dissenting judges said the decision defies last year's landmark Second Amendment decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as tramples court rules

Appeals panel: California prison officials can be sued for Covid outbreak at San Quentin

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A federal appeals panel says California correctional officials can't use immunity doctrines to escape a lawsuit from the widow of an inmate who died at San Quentin Prison after a group of inmates were transferred there from another prison with an active Covid outbreak in May 2020

California quietly repeals Covid 'misinfo' law that targeted doctors' speech rights

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The state of California has repealed AB2098, which would have forced doctors to provide patients only with state-approved information about Covid-19, or risk losing their medical license. The law had already lost in court, and the state faced "humiliation" before a federal appeals panel

Ninth Circuit: California minor gun ad ban unconstitutional 'muzzling of speech' rights

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A federal appeals panel said AB2571, which outlaws ads designed to make guns 'attractive to minors,' is a 'straitjacket' of the First Amendment, and an unlawful attack by California Democrats on a group they wish to silence

Appeals court: More work to do before In-N-Out can top off settlement of mass actions over worker pants

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A state appeals panel says a Sonoma County judge wrongly blocked lawyers for other plaintiffs from getting a seat at the table in court proceedings over a possible settlement to end PAGA actions over claims the fast food chain broke California labor law by not repaying workers for their required white work uniform pants.

Judge: 'Baffling' comparisons, lack of evidence doom suit vs Google over alleged YouTube discrimination

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Black and Latino YouTubers claimed YouTube had discriminated vs non-white content creators by more harshly moderating their videos

Appeals court ends lawsuit over workplace Covid infections which threatened dangerous 'deluge' of future lawsuits

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A federal appeals panel followed guidance provided by the California Supreme Court, which had ruled they couldn't allow a couple to sue a man's employer over his wife's Covid infection because the lawsuits that would follow would swamp the courts and endanger society

IBM, other employers must reimburse employees' Covid-related work-from-home expenses

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A state appeals court has ruled a California state law requiring employers to pay their employees' work-related expenses wasn't negated by Gov. Newsom's 2020 Covid lockdown orders

'In a straitjacket:' Ninth Circuit ruling will leave cities powerless to confront homelessness, judges warn

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The Ninth Circuit Appeals Court refused to reconsider its decision allowing a class action to continue vs Oregon city, seeking to bar enforcement of 'anti-camping' ordinances. Dissenters said the decision amounts to new constitutional right to camp anywhere

Employers can't be sued if their workers' spouses catch Covid: California Supreme Court

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The state high court said allowing such lawsuits to move forward would open floodgates to potentially millions of lawsuits against every employer in the state, swamping courts and potentially crippling society in the process

Judge says California law requiring racial minority, LGBT representation on corporate boards is unconstitutional

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The ruling could have implications for similar legislation or laws in other Democrat-dominated states, like Illinois, where lawmakers have considered following California's lead on increasing corporate board diversity by force of law

Adomni: Uber owes $50M + for allegedly breaking contract for cartop digital ad displays, then allegedly smearing Adomni

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Las Vegas-based OOH marketing firm Adomni said Uber trespassed their deal for cartop OOH digital marketing displays, and allegedly disparaged Adomni with alleged false statements about their performance when Adomni pushed back

'California Knows Best:' SCOTUS says California can use Prop 12 to regulate pork producers across the country

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Dissenting justices warned California should now expect other states to respond in kind, following California's "blueprint" to use state laws and market power to bypass Congress and bend the rest of the country to the will of voters in just one or a handful of states

Lawsuit: California 10-day gun purchase waiting period law violates Second Amendment

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A lawsuit was filed May 1 against the state, asserting the state has no right under the Constitution to force Californians who pass background checks to wait 10 days to obtain firearms they need for "immediate self-defense"

Berkeley, other state, local govts can't use building codes to ban natgas, sidestep federal law

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A federal appeals court says the same law that bars cities and states from banning the use of natural gas appliances also extends to blocking building codes that would ban new gas lines

Environmental activists sue, demand PG&E close Diablo Canyon nuke plant, despite state power supply problems

By Jonathan Bilyk |
Nuclear reactors generate no "greenhouse gas emissions," yet Friends of the Earth says PG&E must shutter the plant under the terms of a deal reached in 2016, allegedly to promote public safety and combat climate change

Appeals court: Bird Rides must immediately retrieve e-scooters from sidewalks, or face ruinous 'public nuisance' lawsuits

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A divided California state appeals panel says it doesn't matter if scooter rental company Bird Rides has abided by its city permits. If the scooter is left by anyone on a sidewalk, they could face a torrent of personal injury suits for allegedly causing a public nuisance

Appeals panel: Jehovah's Witness should get chance to argue California Loyalty Oath violates her religious rights

By Jonathan Bilyk |
A woman, who is an adherent of the Jehovah's Witnesses faith, says the state Controller's Office discriminated against her on the basis of religion, when it refused to hire her when she declined to sign a Loyalty Oath to the state she said would force her to violate her religious beliefs

Judge OKs $725M Facebook data privacy settlement; Attorneys could ask for $181M

By Jonathan Bilyk |
The settlement documents don't yet indicate how much money individual U.S. Facebook users may expect from the deal, but it could be less than $10 each