Quantcast

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RECORD

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Latest News


California driver: Car insurance cost 'increased by 300%' after statewide rate adjustment

By A. D. Bamburg |
Tonia Roberts, a resident of California and the founder of Legacy Innovative Builders, has noticed a significant increase in her car insurance costs. This rise has occurred despite her having no driving violations on record. While there are multiple factors influencing car insurance pricing, recent reports have underscored the role that an escalating number of lawsuits is playing in the rising insurance costs for Californians.

California utility agrees to pay federal government $80 million to resolve wildfire litigation

By Michael Carroll |
Southern California Edison will pay $80 million to the federal government to compensate for firefighting costs and property damage resulting from a 2017 fire that charred more than 100,000 acres of National Forest lands in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

Excessive lawsuits, backed by third-party funding, raise insurance costs, hurting low-income Californians

By A. A. Sanchez |
Third-party entities, such as hedge funds, are increasingly providing financing for lawsuits in exchange for a share of the settlement. This practice is driving up insurance costs, disproportionately affecting low-income policyholders.

Federal judge compares litigation about social-media addiction to landmark tobacco lawsuits

By Michael Carroll |
A California federal judge who is overseeing multidistrict litigation alleging that social media companies’ platforms lead to addictive behavior among youths has likened these cases to the multibillion-dollar tobacco settlement of 1998.

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

Excessive litigation contributes to California’s high cost of living

By A. I. Benavidez |
California, known for its high cost of living, also has the highest poverty rate in the nation. A significant factor contributing to these high costs is a large volume of litigation, which escalates insurance costs for policyholders.

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.

Insurance, inflation impose regressive tax increase on Californians

By D. L. Deener |
A recent report from Insurify reveals that car insurance costs, after surging by 24% last year, are projected to increase by another 7% in 2024. This escalating cost of car insurance is outstripping inflation and is particularly burdensome for low-income drivers.

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

Low-income Californians hurt by rising car insurance costs

By J. D. Suayan |
A recent report by the Insurance Information Institute (III) suggests that excessive litigation is driving up car insurance costs for consumers. Low-income and minority Californians are particularly affected by these rising prices.

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.

Class action targets Rodan+Fields for allegedly misclassifying online sales consultants as independent contractors

By Northern California Record |
The lawsuit claims the MLM skincare seller should be paying and treating its salesforce as employees, not MLM contractors.

Musk sues Altman, OpenAI, in legal fight over future of AI now allegedly under Microsoft's control

By Northern California Record |
The lawsuit asserts Altman and Microsoft teamed up to seize control of OpenAI, which Musk asserts is contractually bound to only develop AI tech that is open to the public and is "for the good of humanity."

No-injury lawsuits raise costs for struggling low-income Californians

By A. D. Bamburg |
The cost of living in Sunnyvale significantly surpasses both the statewide and nationwide averages. Low-income families are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet, with a surge in "frivolous" lawsuits in the state contributing to soaring prices.

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

Judge in class action: Not reasonable to expect whole fruit in cereal

By John O'Brien |
SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - A class action lawyer is giving up his lawsuit that alleged keto-friendly Catalina Crunch cereals misled consumers.

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

Where did the water go? 'Environmental lawsuits have had a very chilling effect' on CA water resiliency efforts

By Donna Rolando |
Wettest January on record ended California's megadrought. But environmentalist lawsuits, together with inertia from bureaucrats and elected officials who tout their commitments to conservation above all else, have played a leading role in preventing the state from building infrastructure needed to bring about water resiliency

Public Interest Legal Foundation sues Alameda County for withholding foreign national voter records

By Northern California Record |
The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) is suing the Alameda County Registrar of Voters in federal court over allegations that it did not disclose the voting records of foreign nationals, which is in violation of Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).

With California drafting cyberrisk rules, companies prepare for potential regulatory actions, lawsuits

By Sarah Downey |
As California regulators set new parameters on cybersecurity rules, it’s raising questions about how business should adapt for implementation.