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Trial court’s denial of defendants’ requests for attorney’s fees, brought after they successfully defended against a claim of civil rights violations involving a ballot measure relating to certain political activities of labor organizations, is affirmed where: 1) defendants were not entitled to attorney’s fees pursuant to Code of Civil Proc. section 1038 because this action did not qualify as a “civil proceeding under the California Tort Claims Act” for purposes of the statute; and 2) the trial court did not err in denying defendants’ second motion for fees under the federal Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Awards Act of 1976....

Wait Until You See the Prize at the Bottom of the Box We’ve all been there, sitting at the kitchen table in the morning, so moved by our cereal experience that we need to call the phone number on the box and just talk it out with someone. But last week, for a few callers looking to connect with the people at Oregon-based Golden Temple’s Peace Cereal, a typo in the 1-800 number sent them to a phone sex line, according to the AP....

Churrascos are delicious grilled meats found throughout Latin America, as skirt steaks in Puerto Rico, barbecue in Brazil, or slathered in chimichurri in Nicaragua. Churrascos is also a small chain of restaurants which sell, of course, South American grilled meats, along with other dishes. Cordua Restaurants Inc., the owner of the Churrascos chain, sought to register a stylized trademark of that name – and was denied. The Federal Circuit upheld that denial recently, finding that the term was too generic to be entitled to trademark protection....

Have you ever stepped in a canine mudslide and had wild flights of fancy en-tail-ing dog poop DNA testing to figure out who the lazy good-for-nothing owner is? Well, a New Jersey condo complex is actually hatching your stinky “C.S.I.” plot. The Grande at Riverdale, a complex of eight four-story buildings, informed residents their dogs’ mouths will be swabbed for DNA. Any dog poop found “loitering” on the property will be tested in order to fine the owners....

The Federal Circuit gave a nod to the famous personal jurisdiction case International Shoe by making the determination that the West Virginia pharma company Mylan purposefully availed itself of Delaware law through its actions in seeking FDA approval to market generics. The circuit’s decision comes on the heels of two major plaintiffs’ suits against Mylan: Acorda and AstroZeneca. Acorda, the plaintiff in one of the federal cases, owns several patents and licenses related to its Ampyra drug, which is used to help multiple sclerosis sufferers walk....

Immigrants who suffered mental disabilities and were forced to leave the United States will finally have their day in court – with competent representation. A Federal judge sitting in Los Angeles, Hon. Dolly Gee, approved a settlement that would allow hundreds of deported immigrants suffering from severe mental disabilities to return to the United States to contest their deportation with the aid of the ACLU. The nearly 900 plaintiffs brought a class action suit against against Eric Holder in 2011; and the ruling comes to them as a victory....

Ryan Leaf is being transferred back to prison after reportedly making threats at a drug treatment center. Considered one of the greatest busts in NFL history, Ryan Leaf has also been a pretty big bust off the field as well. Last summer, Leaf was sentenced to five years in the Montana Department of Corrections for drug and burglary charges, reports Great Falls, Montana’s KRTV. But shortly after he was sentenced to prison, the former quarterback was transferred to the drug treatment center....

This gives new meaning to the term fire crotch. And for once, thankfully Lindsay Lohan is not involved. A Florida woman allegedly assaulted her boyfriend by setting his pants on fire. You can guess the area she lit up first. Berlinda Dixon-Newbold, 38, was arrested by Broward County Sheriff’s Deputies and charged with aggravated assault, reports The Miami Herald. The story goes like this: The boyfriend, Sheldon Gonzales, unwisely fell asleep on the couch and was awoken by a “burning sensation in the crotch of his pants....

Football is a violent sport. No one disputes that. However, a conversation is taking place around the NFL and other football organizations as to “big hits,” and whether players are intentionally injuring opponents. The NFL recently announced that it is going to take a closer look at concussions and that players will be suspended for “devastating hits and head shots.” The league has been under fire as medical evidence continues to demonstrate the seriousness of head injuries caused by violent football hits....

If you take a job that doesn’t pay, are you actually being hired? Just saying because the Department of Justice is apparently “hiring” Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys. What they mean is you can work, but you won’t get paid. So yeah, not sure if that’s good news or bad news. Here’s the job: ‘Job Description’ “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California is currently interviewing for a limited number of one-year term Uncompensated Special Assistant U....

What do pregnant women and cigars have in common? Hopefully, very little. But in legal arguments, almost anything is possible. In Cigar Association of America v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a federal judge in Washington, DC stopped government-ordered health warnings on cigar and pipe products. Judge Amit Mehta said it’s like a California case that says pregnancy counseling centers don’t have to tell patients about abortion services. Free Speech The California Supreme Court recently made a far-reaching decision in National Institute of Family Life Advocates v....

People never seem to look twice at a person in a uniform. A thief, dressed as an armored truck driver, got away with a bagful of Walmart’s money, without raising any alarms. Police are now on the lookout for the costumed bandit. Last week in Ristow, Oklahoma a man disguised as an armored truck driver walked into a Walmart store. The man claimed to be an employee for Loomis, an armored truck service....

It’s a New Deal for the Great Recession. Law schools all around the country have been faced with high unemployment numbers for recent grads, but the University of Miami School of Law has decided to do something about it. The U of Miami has announced the creation of the Law Corps whose purpose will be to place graduates in public agencies, public interest organizations, and judicial chambers in Florida and throughout the country....

The California Supreme Court has just settled one hotly disputed overtime issue by deciding that a flat sum bonus is calculated as part of the regular rate of pay for overtime purposes. If you’re not a labor and employment attorney (or even if you are), this is probably pretty confusing. But it actually seems to make quite a bit of sense once it is unpacked, and particularly after the facts of the underlying case, Alvarado v....

In an action against the Islamic Republic of Iran for causing Hezbollah’s assassination of plaintiff’s grandfather (chief of the Iranian armed forces), dismissal of plaintiff’s emotional distress claim is reversed where the district court erred by failing to apply French law because, in addition to having the most significant relationship to the assassination, France had a strong governmental interest in both deterring attacks within its sovereign borders and ensuring compensation for injuries to its domiciliaries....

It’s a sad day in Savannah, Georgia. Law students and faculty at Savannah Law School were recently informed that their school will be shutting down. Although this sad news blindsided the students and faculty, clearly the school’s closing has been under consideration for some time as the news also came alongside notice that the school’s building had been sold. Fortunately for the current graduating the class, the closure won’t occur until the end of the semester....

San Francisco’s liberal reputation may take a hit if a proposed public-nudity ban becomes law. In a dramatic meeting Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors took the first step toward making that happen. Currently the city allows nudity in public, but the new law would ban genital exposure in public places. Like any local government meeting, supporters and detractors showed up to speak their mind. But because the issue was nudity, the meeting was quite a sight to behold....

Your mental health could be a problem if you want to take the bar exam in many states. According to reports, about four in five states screen bar applicants for mental health issues. The Virginia Board Examiners decided that’s not a good idea. It was causing potential examinees to shy away from getting treatment. That, critics said, was crazy. Mental Health Treatment Beginning this year, Virginia examiners will no longer ask applicants to disclose mental health treatment on bar applications....

Trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of State Farm General Insurance Company (State Farm), in an interpleader action initiated by Washington Mutual Bank arising from a purchase of a property at a sheriff’s sale, where defendants both claimed an entitlement to excess funds Washington Mutual received in satisfaction of a promissory note secured by a deed of trust it held, is affirmed as defendant has no entitlement to the excess funds, he has no privity with State Farm he was not insured on the homeowner’s insurance policy, and he did not become a successor to the insurance policy by virtue of his purchase of the property at an execution sale....

Even before Judge Aaron Persky’s notoriously light sentencing of the Stanford University athlete, the Brock Turner sexual assault case made national headlines due to the nearly unfathomable facts of the case. Turner was found on top of his unconscious victim, behind a dumpster, by two other students, who held him until police could arrive. He claimed the sex was consensual, while his victim didn’t remember it happening. Despite the fact that prosecutors were seeking six years, Turner was only sentenced to six months....