Jonathan Bilyk News
Feds file suit vs TikTok over data collection from kid users
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice filed suit in Los Angeles federal court against the operators of TikTok, saying the massively popular video sharing platform has violated a federal law protecting children's online privacy, even after agreeing to stop in 2019
PAGA plaintiffs can't block other PAGA plaintiffs' settlement deals, CA Supreme Court says
A California Supreme Court majority says the state's controversial Private Attorney General Act, which empowers workers and their lawyers to sue employers for labor law violations in the name of the state, doesn't give them the right to stop other workers from settling similar claims, if they believe the deal is too small
Oregon Christian broadcaster says new FCC diversity reporting rules illegally designed to 'shame'
The Dove Media, which operates three dozen radio and TV stations, has asked the Ninth Circuit appeals court to toss out a resurrected Federal Communications Commission rule, saying the FCC overreached and merely seeks to shame broadcasters into complying with federal race- and sex-based hiring goals
One racial slur could be enough to let worker sue employer for 'hostile workplace,' CA Supreme Court says
The California Supreme Court says the city of San Francisco can't escape a hostile workplace lawsuit brought by a black female SFDA employee who claims a coworker called her the N-word once and then her supervisor friend allegedly retaliated against her for reporting it
Lawyers seek $495K for settlement of ChapStick labeling suit, but no money for alleged misled consumers
A federal judge in Oakland is being asked to sign off on a deal between GlaxoSmithKline and a group of California trial lawyers, who sued the company for allegedly wrongly labeling some ChapStick products as 100% Natural. The deal includes no money for consumers, but nearly $500K for the lawyers
Prop 22 wins again; CA Supreme Court says protections for Uber, other gig services not unconstitutional
The California Supreme Court turned back an effort by labor unions to strike down Prop 22, which voters had overwhelmingly approved to prevent unions from using a new state labor law to try to force Uber and other app-based services to unionize or potentially go out of business in California
Disney can't blast Carano lawsuit from orbit; Judge says Disney's First Amendment rights not harmed
A federal judge has cleared TV and film actor Gina Carano to continue her lawsuit accusing Disney and Lucasfilm of illegally retaliating against her for expressing politically conservative statements on social media when she was fired from "The Mandalorian" in 2021
CA Supreme Court: Mom can sue Riverside for emotional distress caused by hearing daughter in car crash on phone
The California Supreme Court has ruled California law doesn't require plaintiffs to be able to show they knew how a defendant's actions may have caused someone else's traumatic injuries to be able to press a claim for emotional distress from having seen or heard the injuries happen
Judge: Tenderloin residents can't sue City Hall for not enforcing laws, but can sue for not keeping sidewalks clear
A federal judge says Tenderloin residents with disabilities can continue suing the city for not clearing the sidewalks of homeless encampments and other nuisances. But the judge said there is no constitutional obligation for the city to fight crime and drug problems in the neighborhood
Mom seeks reversal of judge's ruling protecting school that punished first grader for 'innocent' racial drawing
An Orange County mother has asked a federal appeals court to revive her lawsuit vs an elementary school and its principal for allegedly trampling her daughter's constitutional rights by punishing her for drawing a picture of a black classmate that included the phrase "Any Life" with "Black Lives Matter"
'Keeping secrets': School district, parents challenge new CA law blocking parents from knowing about students' gender IDs
The lawsuit filed in Sacramento federal court accuses California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his Democratic allies of trampling parents' constitutional rights to direct the upbringing of their children by empowering school teachers to withhold crucial information about their children's gender identity
Workday can't turn off class action accusing its AI job applicant screening tools of discrimination
A San Francisco federal judge said the central role played by Workday's AI-powered job applicant screening tools in the earliest stages of the hiring process at many companies means Workday can be on the hook for a class action accusing the company of discriminating against black and older workers.
Appeals panel: Courts can't use judicial power to seize control of U.S. Gaza policy
The decision comes as the latest blow to a lawsuit brought by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to win a court order requiring the Biden administration to withhold U.S. military aid from Israel amid the fighting in Gaza. The activists said international law requires the courts to act to stop "genocide"
San Jose officers can't give slip to lawsuit accusing them of allowing K-9 to bite suspect too long
A federal appeals panel said officers can't use qualified immunity to end the lawsuit, which accused them of allowing a police dog to continue biting a suspect on a domestic violence call after judges said officers appeared to confirm the suspect had surrendered and was under control
SF orders Tenderloin stores to close early to fight crime; City seeking to toss residents' suit over lax law enforcement
As the city seeks to toss a lawsuit asserting San Francisco should be held liable for allegedly essentially abandoning the residents of the Tenderloin to crime and open drug use and all of the problems that go with it, the Board of Supervisors has ordered Tenderloin convenience stores to close by midnight
Spanish museum can keep painting stolen by Nazis, court rules; Case may land at SCOTUS
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reconsider an earlier decision that declared Spanish law should hold sway in a dispute over the ownership of a Pissarro painting, which was stolen from a German Jewish family by the Nazis amid the Holocaust and World War II
CA Utilities Commission wrongly flushed water companies' 'decoupling' programs, Supreme Court says
The state high court ruled the California Public Utilities Commission didn't provide proper notice before eliminating so-called rate decoupling programs. The programs allow utilities to assess surcharges to customers to cover shortfalls when customers use less water
Appeals court withdraws decision that would have barred SF from clearing homeless encampments
The decision lines up with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that declared homeless don't have constitutional right to camp on public property. SF city officials said the decision gives them "flexibility" to respond to problematic homeless encampments. The ACLU vowed to continue fighting clearing efforts
Judge tosses class action vs Google over Youtube's kids' data collection
Plaintiffs still have work to do to show the practice of using tracking cookies to collect data from kids under the age of 13 was actually harmful and why they should get paid, in part because the parents need to show how their kids' information had any economic value to them
Non-criminal DUI records aren't protected by California's right to privacy, appeals court says
A California state appeals panel has ruled that privacy rights established under the California state constitution and the state's labor laws don't stop the DMV from disclosing information about DUI-related license suspensions to employers, insurers and others