Results tagged “court”

Last New Year's Eve, the San Francisco Area rung in the New Year with a bad start. A police officer working for the BART transit system shot and killed an unarmed man already restrained and facing down on the ground. Now that former cop, 27-year-old Johannes Mehserle stands trial for murder.

A claim that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and not in Hawaii was dismissed in a Santa Ana U.S. District Court today, reports the LA Times. California attorney Orly Taitz, who apparently is the leader of the "birther" movement, has tried several times to challenge Obama's natural born citizenship with no luck. She's lost in many lower courts and was fined by a federal judge in Georgia for using the legal system for “political rhetoric and insults."

Foes of gay marriage tried to get a U.S. District Judge to dismiss a case against Proposition 8, a voter-approved initiative that reinstated a ban on gay marriage last November. As expected, Judge Vaughn Walker denied the motion, which means a court case could begin as early as January, according to the LA Weekly.

The fourth hearing over a pending federal court case challenging the legality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, will take place in San Francisco today. Backers of the ban are asking U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker to dismiss the challenge because the law is clearly written and, get this, "there is no constitutional right for gays and lesbians to marry because marriage has long been defined as a union between a man and a woman," according to the LA Times.

The truck driver who killed two people and injured twelve when his vehicle careened into a La Canada Flintridge intersection was spared the possibility of murder charges today. A Pasadena Superior Court judge said there was insufficient evidence that Marcos Barbosa Costa, 44, had intent to kill people, according to the Daily News. However, he will still face vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving charges.

Director Roman Polanski remains confined in a Swiss prison following his arrest this weekend while traveling to Zurich to receive a prestigious award for his film career. The 76-year-old Polish-born French citizen has been in exile in Europe since fleeing Los Angeles following his conviction in the rape case that found him guilty of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.

The next big date in all things Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California, will be January 11th, 2010. In this morning's hearing about the case, backers of Prop 8 desired a 2010 summer date, but proponents of striking the ban down wanted it much earlier. U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker denied three gay rights group the ability to join the lawsuit, as well as a anti-gay marriage group's request, too. However, he did allow the City of San Francisco to join, but only to assess the impacts to local governments, explained the Associated Press. Expert witnesses will be designated by October 2nd with discovery concluding on November 30th. The pretrial conference will be on December 16th followed by the designation of rebuttal expert witnesses on December 31st, said the Mercury News.

It's just after 10 a.m. and case against the unconstitutionality of Prop 8, which banned gay marriage in California, is being heard for the second time in a federal district court in San Francisco. Before the first hearing in July, Judge Vaughn R. Walker said "given that serious questions are raised in these proceedings ... the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits of plaintiffs' claims. ... The just, speedy and inexpensive determination of these issues would appear to call for proceeding promptly to trial.”

Remember that video of the car chase where the driver fled from the car, prompting a short foot chase where it ended with him surrendering, laying on the ground face down and then being kicked in the head by an officer in El Monte (If you don't, the video is embedded below)? Now he's suing for $5 million and his lawyer, a former Los Angeles City Councilman is advising him to change his looks for court.

The Echo Park based artist who made President Obama's iconic poster image pleaded guilty today to three vandalism charges in a Boston Municipal Court. Shepard Fairey was accused of 28 counts of vandalism, but prosecutors dropped 14 charges last month and 11 of them today. "He pleaded guilty to one charge of defacing property and two charges of wanton destruction of property under $250," according to the Associated Press. As part of his two-year probation, he will have to pay $2,000 to a graffiti removal organization and is banned from carrying tagging materials unless he is working on a legal art installation.

As the case against Prop 8 goes to Federal Court, the presiding judge has warned that he will likely not approve an injunction against Prop 8 during trial. Even gay marriage supporters such as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown have warned of the confusion and uncertainty if that were to happen and Prop 8 was found to be law. However, the judge wants to get the trial going soon. "To avoid the procedural and practical problems surrounding a preliminary injunction," U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, "the court is inclined to proceed directly and expeditiously to the merits" of the case. Tomorrow will be the hearing for the preliminary injunction. Walker will also explore whether or not Prop 8 was "discriminatory intent" and whether the "sole motivation for Prop. 8 was moral disapproval of gays and lesbians," according to the LA Times.

Earlier this year, Tustin's Dan Choi, a lieutenant in the Army National Guard, shared during a television interview that he is homosexual, which put him in violation of the military's Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay servicemen and women's need to keep their sexuality a secret.

In a move that some feel is risky, Prop 8 will be tested in Federal Court Thursday when it will go before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker in the Northern District of California, according to Karen Ocamb at The Bilerico Project.

The County tried to regulate the time a taco trucks could operate in one place and lost. On Friday, a similar, but lesser known Los Angeles city ordinance from 2006 was struck down by a judge. Last December, a taco truck owner received a $150 parking ticket from the city's Department of Transportation for violating the law. He and a group of attorneys and students from UCLA Law School's clinical program challenged the ticket in an administrative hearing, but lost. They appealed to LA County Superior Court and won with no city attorneys present at the hearing.

Remember back in February when local artist Shepard Fairey was arrested in Boston for allegedly sticker slapping and postering in Boston? Well, this week, 13 charges were dropped, but he still faces more from a September 16th, 2000 incident in which he did not appear for his arraignment the next day. "We're happy that those cases have been dismissed and we're looking forward to others being dismissed as well that rely on the same set of facts that these did," Fairey's lawyer said, noting "that the evidence against Fairey included commercially available stickers featuring images of his work which could have been posted by anybody," explained the Boston Globe.

A jury today found music producer Phil Spector guilty of second-degree murder. He stood accused for the death of Lana Clarkson, 40, who was found shot to death in his home in Alhambra in 2003. His first trial in 2007 ended in jury deadlock. A sentencing hearing, which could lead to at least 18 years in jail, has been set for May 29th

19-year-old R&B singer Chris Brown will be appearing in court in Los Angeles this afternoon to enter his plea on felony assault charges, according to cbs2.com. The performer stands accused of "assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and making a criminal threat." The victim is his off-and-on girlfriend Rihanna, who has been keeping her distance from Brown in recent days, despite reports the couple were seen together vacationing and working on a duet a few weeks ago. The couple have been the subject of much scrutiny since the pre-Grammy night events whereupon Brown allegedly attacked Rihanna following a verbal dispute in a parked car. Because the crimes Brown stands accused of are felonies, he must appear in court in person today for arraignment. If convicted, he faces punishment ranging from probation to five years in prison.

At a hearing yesterday, U.S. District Judge Audrey B. Collins found the city in contempt for enforcing a supergraphic moratorium on World Wide Rush, the one company allowed to hang supergraphics in specific locations under an injunction. "Collins chastised the city for refusing to allow World Wide Rush to even apply for permits and then citing the company for not having them, specifically referring to two locations, one in Westwood and the other near the Miracle Mile," the LA Times reported.

Friday night, the Beverly Hills Police issued a warrant carrying a $50,000 bail for actress Lindsay Lohan in connection with her duo of DUI arrests from 2007. However, the 22-year-old party girl "won't be in court today to respond," but her attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley will appear on her behalf, reports the Daily News. "Holley said she believes the warrant was issued as the result of a misunderstanding and that it should be cleared up in court." The warrant is connected to Lohan's probation, which stipulates she must report to her probation officer, undergo drug testing, participate in alcohol abuse education classes, perform community service, and serve time in jail (she served a whopping 84 minutes). In 2007, the starlet "pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of being under the influence of cocaine, no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 percent and one count of reckless driving."

It's late, you're tipsy and you just pricked yourself with a safety pin to write a contract in blood on a napkin. "Sir, please forgive me. Because of my deeds you have suffered financially. I will repay you to the best of my ability." Then some language was added in pen. That's what Stephen Son did for his friend Jinsoo Kim in October 2004 because he was owed $170,000. Kim then used that to sue Son, but a lower court and the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Santa Ana yesterday said it was a "gratuitous unenforceable promise." Not only is the pen mightier than the sword, it's holier than your own blood.

The Smoking Gun has posted the full thirteen page search warrant and affidavit from the Chris Brown/Rihanna Case (beware, this is an intense document). Brown was arraigned today in court for two felony counts of assault and criminal threats. If convicted, he could spend up five years in prison or be put on probation. He arrived at the LA Superior Courthouse this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. finding that his case will be continued on April 6. TMZ is broadcasted a live stream of the events from outside the courthouse. UPDATE: "Chris Brown and his attorney Mark Geragos did not enter a plea to the two felony charges. In a proceeding that took roughly 4 minutes and 20 seconds, the judge granted Brown's request to move the arraignment to April 6th," reports TMZ.

Monday afternoon, R&B singer Chris Brown was in Glendale. He wasn't shopping at the Americana, mind you, but rather was showing up for his first anger management class. Brown, who turned himself in after allegedly making criminal threats against his girlfriend, Rihanna, is not required to take the class, but his team think it's a good idea, according to the New York Daily News. "Chris doesn't actually have to go by law but he believes it will make him look better to the public, and he wants to try to get in a few classes before [his] March 5[th court date]," a source told the paper. Just how much of the law will affect Brown is not known, but many believe he won't face jail time. He will, however, have to face Rihanna, who is expected to testify against the 19-year-old in court. 'Looking better' is a curious concern for Brown, who certainly didn't do much to improve Rihanna's appearance on the night in question.

Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson pleaded not guilty today to charges following a July 4th incident where he slammed on his breaks causing one cyclist's face to partially smash through the back window and sending another one rolling on the ground. Thompson told police, before he was arrested, he wanted to teach the cyclists a lesson. Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood is a popular but narrow hillside road for groups of cyclists.

After becoming "roadkill" to lawsuits over the past seven years, Los Angeles finally got the upper hand in battling billboard blight (we have thousands of illegal ones) when the 9th Circuit Court yesterday sided with Los Angeles against a billboard company.

In a ruling that surely is making neighborhood activists rejoice, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals "ruled that Los Angeles’ 2002 citywide outdoor advertising ban did not violate a sign company's 1st Amendment right to free speech." This means the city, which attempted to regulate the thousands of blightful billboards seven years ago before being hit with a barrage of lawsuits, can now go do that with more confidence.

Continuing the saga of fighting the thousands of illegal billboards in Los Angeles (to catch up on the controversy, watch this video), City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo today filed criminal charges against three property owners along the 110 Freeway near the LA Live/Staples Center area today for erecting illegal billboard support structures (see the map here). A construction company also was charged.

Respect, reward and recognition are the three "R's" of graffiti. Cyrus Yazdani, the graffiti tagger known as "Buket" who bragged about his exploits by uploading videos of himself to YouTube, was definitely recognized when he pleaded guilty yesterday to 32 counts of felony vandalism. The 25-year-old San Jose State graduate was rewarded with "to 10 months in county jail, 256 hours of graffiti removal and five years formal probation," found the LA Times. If you're curious, watch two of the videos here.

More than thirty police officers attempted to untangle the strange web of events that took place in the Fall of 1960 in Lynwood. It concerned a car lot owned by a Mr Claude Mock. He'd employed Anthony Angelo--not realizing just what amount of problems were around the corner.

"Everyone is a victim of discrimination and everyone gets paid," according to a report that says Los Angeles' civil court system is one of seven "judicial hellholes" nationwide and ranks it the sixth most unjust. Basically, if sue for discrimination, you win, finds the American Tort Reform Foundation.

Can you keep track of the years OJ is being sentenced to? Every outlet seemed to say something different: 15 years, 16 years, 18 years, 21 years.