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This is almost a case of paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. Almost — because you may not know what you’ve lost until it’s gone, but you can’t recover what you never lost. In a matter of first impression, a California appellate court ruled this week that a business cannot recover for loss of goodwill in an eminent domain action unless the business had goodwill to lose. In 2009, the State Department of Transportation initiated eminent domain proceedings against a strip of Dry Canyon’s Paso Robles property abutting Highway 46....

Black Friday? More like Blood Red Friday. Late last week, California’s bar results were released. By the time the scores hit the Internet, we were already a few drinks deep at the local watering hole (have to beat the nearly-half of bar takers that failed, after all), so we’re just now catching up to the massacre. And while the numbers aren’t pretty, it’s important to remember two facts: a lot of people failed, and even with failure, a great career is still possible....

A doctor, an accountant, and a writer walked in to a law school but couldn’t get out. Why? Because the admissions office wanted them to stay for three more years. True story, and you thought it was a joke. More than ever, law schools want a diverse student population. It’s not just about minorities, it’s about different walks of life. Humanities, Plus Increasingly, law schools are hurting for students from fields outside traditional pre-law studies....

A New York hotel is being sued in federal court for allegedly losing one couple’s beloved 2-year-old cat. Jeffrey and Shoshanah Johnson stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Central Islip with their cat Cotton back in July. According to their suit, Cotton went missing from their room and was later recovered by another guest. What followed is a dizzying chain of allegations concerning Cotton’s custody, with Cotton’s present location still a mystery....

From the list of things not to do in court, don’t ask a criminal defendant for money – especially if you work for the court. Wanda Chavarria, a Pennsylvania court clerk, apparently didn’t get that memo. But she did give a note to Meek Mill at a probation hearing, asking the rapper for money to help pay for her son’s tuition. Chavarria has been fired over the incident, but the case gets weirder....

Sprinkles v. Associated Indem. Corp., B218417, concerned a challenge to the trial court’s judgment sustaining an insurer’s demurrer, in plaintiffs’ bad faith action against Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, arising from an underlying suit against defendant and his employer for causing the death of plaintiffs’ father in an automobile accident. In affirming, the court held that, under the complaint and matters judicially noticed, the defendant-employee was an insured, rendering the automobile exclusion in the GCL policy applicable, and Fireman’s Fund had no duty to defend the employer....

You know you’re arrived in litigation when your ongoing dispute has its own hashtag. If Morrison Foerster’s Michael Jacobs and Quinn Emanuel’s Kathleen Sullivan didn’t already know that they were big time, the fact that #AppSung keeps popping up on Twitter is confirmation of their legal rockstar status. Apple won the preliminary injunction against Samsung in June after claiming that it would suffer “irreparable harm” if Samsung were allowed to sell the Galaxy Tab....

We promised that we’d follow up on decision time, when the time came. You’ve completed our step-by-step process for applying to law school and now, the offers are rolling in – a scholarship here, good employment outcomes there, and family somewhere in between. How do you choose? Here are some considerations, from most important, to least important. Some schools have it, others don’t. You’re headed to law school for one reason: to get a job when you graduate....

A 9-year-old girl was shot on Saturday night when her costume was mistaken for a skunk by relatives. To deal with the ‘skunk’ problem her relative took out a shotgun and fired at what he thought was a smelly invader. The girl was wearing a black costume and a black hat with a white tassel. She was on the far side of a hill at the time. The man was sober when it happened, according to police, and he hasn’t been arrested....

It’s already August. For law students, that means on campus interviews, more commonly known as “OCI.” OCI is where fledgling, soon-to-be-lawyers take some of the very first steps down their career path. You’ve sent out your resume and been matched for interviews. You have your suit pressed and a haircut scheduled for the day before. Now what? Here are five tips for preparing for OCI, whether you’ve got two days until your first interview or two weeks....

A three judge panel may have put a dagger through the heart of a West Virginia public school district’s eighty year old Bible study program. In reversing the lower court’s ruling, the Fourth Circuit panel ruled that a public school district’s Bible In The School (BITS) program violated separation of Church and State laws, and issued an injunction, effective immediately. The suit was filed by an agnostic parent and her daughter, and joined by public interest group, Freedom From Religion Foundation....

With the launch of its new NFL Fantasy Ultimate Experience Leagues, the NFL is the first U.S. professional sports league to have its own pay-to-enter fantasy sports contests. However, these new fantasy leagues aren’t necessarily open to all U.S. football fans, according to Forbes. In fact, the NFL Fantasy Ultimate Experience Leagues’ official rules prohibit fans in seven states from taking part because of possible conflicts with state law. Which states are missing out, and why?...

If you had to play for the Denver Broncos, you’d probably get high and carry a weapon too. Jokes aside, an alleged drug possession and weapons possession charge has left Denver Broncos Laurence Maroney arrested in St. Louis. The 25-year-old running back was allegedly in possession of marijuana as well as the weapon, TMZ reports. Maroney did have a valid “Conceal and Carry” permit, but even with the permit you cannot carry a weapon while under the influence of drugs or alcohol....

The California attorney who was arrested after it was determined his KKK comment card could be a hate crime has filed two claims against the city of Los Angeles. He’s demanding a little over $750,000 in damages owing to damage to his practice and to emotional distress after the arrest. The claim of emotional distress is a rather fantastic one coming from a man who has repeatedly appeared in hearings held by the Los Angeles City Council wearing a white hood with a red swastika, all the while accosting black council members with invectives probably too indecent to reprint here....

If the bar exam weren’t tough enough, now you can add a shot of stress from the ethics committee. According to a new study, lawyers who perform poorly on the bar exam are more likely to have disciplinary problems. Unlike fine wine, it gets worse with age as attorneys have more bar complaints as they get older. In other words, by the time you figure out how to practice law you will be in jeopardy of losing your license....

Three Florida men who made a manatee “cannonballing” YouTube video more than a year ago may soon face federal charges. The three unnamed suspects produced a video that shows one of them jumping into a canal in Cocoa Beach, Florida, “cannonballing” over a manatee and her calf, possibly hitting them upon contact with the water. What charges could they potentially face? You can see the video here: Because manatees are protected by both state and federal laws, the three men could potentially face state and federal charges....

Swimmer Michael Phelps, who holds the all-time record for winning Olympic gold medals, apparently likes to go fast out of the water as well. Phelps was pulled over in Baltimore early this morning after being clocked going 84 mph in a 45-mph zone inside the Fort McHenry Tunnel. But the speeding violation may end up being the least of Phelps’ problems. After failing a field sobriety test, officers tested Phelps’ blood alcohol concentration and found it twice the legal limit of 0....

As an associate, you might find that you have more time than money. The money’s great, but if you’re stressed out and working yourself to death, it’s not worth it. Luckily, there are many companies and individuals standing by, ready to happily take some of your money and give you back some time. Do you, for some reason, not find grocery shopping a rewarding and engrossing activity? Do you blow off exercising because you’re too tired – even though you know it will give you more energy?...

In another story that will doubtless convince the rest of the nation that California is truly the depository for nuts, flakes and out and out weirdos, a Thousand Oaks man was charged last week with paying teens for a spit in the face. This, along with several other activities that will not be delved into, caused So Cal resident Charles Hersel to be picked up by police for his unusual and upsetting hobbies....

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is allowing a defamation lawsuit to proceed against late conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart filed by former U.S. Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod. A three-judge panel affirmed a court order denying Breitbart’s motion to dismiss the case under the District of Columbia’s law barring SLAPPs. If you’re hoping for a substantive answer on whether the anti-SLAPP law applies in federal court, don’t hold your breath....