$25M for innocent man who spent 38 years in prison
Frank Stoltze
is a veteran reporter who covers local politics and examines how democracy is and, at times, is not working.
Published September 23, 2025 6:23 PM
Maurice Hastings was wrongfully convicted of a 1983 murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
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Courtesy of L.A. District Attorney's Office
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Topline:
The city of Inglewood has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit brought by a man who spent 38 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
Maurice Hastings, 72, was convicted of sexual assault and murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in connection with the 1983 death of Roberta Wydermyer. Decades later, DNA testing led to his exoneration.
Response from Hastings: “No amount of money could ever restore the 38 years of my life that were stolen from me,” Maurice Hastings said in a statement. “But this settlement is a welcome end to a very long road, and I look forward to moving on with my life.”
His lawyers have said they believe the settlement is the largest for a wrongful conviction in California history.
Background on the case: After two trials, a jury found Hastings guilty in 1988 of murdering Roberta Wydermyer, 36, and attempting to murder her husband and his friend. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty. For more than two decades, Hastings had asked for DNA collected from semen found in the victim's mouth to be tested. Two L.A. County district attorneys fought against it.
Finally, former District Attorney George Gascón agreed, and testing matched DNA from the crime to a man serving time in prison for kidnapping and sexual assault.
Hastings' verdict was vacated in 2022 when he was 69. In 2023, a Superior Court declared him factually innocent.
Go deeper ... for details on the wrongful conviction and Hastings' lawsuit.
The city of Inglewood has agreed to pay $25 million to settle a wrongful conviction lawsuit brought by a man who spent 38 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
Maurice Hastings, 72, was convicted of sexual assault and murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole in connection with the 1983 killing of Roberta Wydermyer. Decades later, DNA testing led to his exoneration.
“No amount of money could ever restore the 38 years of my life that were stolen from me,” Hastings said in a statement. “But this settlement is a welcome end to a very long road, and I look forward to moving on with my life.”
His lawyers have said they believe the settlement is the largest for a wrongful conviction in California history.
“This historic settlement is a powerful vindication for Mr. Hastings, who has shown remarkable fortitude first in fighting to prove his innocence, and then in showing that he was framed,” attorney Nick Brustin said. "Police departments throughout California and across the country should take notice that there is a steep price to pay for allowing such egregious misconduct on their watch.”
LAist reached out to the city of Inglewood by telephone but has not heard back.
Background on the case
After two trials, a jury found Hastings guilty in 1988 of murdering 36-year-old Wydermyer and attempting to murder her husband and his friend. Prosecutors had sought the death penalty.
For more than two decades, Hastings had asked for DNA collected from semen found in the victim's mouth to be tested. Two L.A. County district attorneys fought against it. Finally, former District Attorney George Gascón agreed, and testing matched DNA from the crime to a man serving time in prison for kidnapping and sexual assault.
Hastings' verdict was vacated in 2022 when he was 69. In 2023, a Superior Court declared him factually innocent.
In his lawsuit against the city of Inglewood, which was headed to trial this month, Hasting’s lawyers pointed to how a police detective “fixated” on Hastings despite evidence that pointed to innocence. According to the lawsuit, the detective coerced eyewitnesses to identify Hastings, suppressed alibi evidence and falsified witness statements.
The detective admitted he buried critical evidence that would have supported Hastings’ innocence, according to Hastings’ lawyers.
“What happened in this case represents policing at its absolute worst,” attorney Katie McCarthy said.
Hastings’ attorneys said the Inglewood Police Department ignored overwhelming evidence that another man, Kenneth Packnett, was the true perpetrator of the crimes.
Less than three weeks after the murder, police had Packnett in custody on suspicion of an unrelated car theft.
When he was arrested, Packnett had jewelry and a coin purse with him that matched the items Wydermyer had been wearing when she was killed. He also had the same type of gun that was used to shoot the victims.
Police never investigated Packnett for the crimes, according to Hastings’ attorneys.
Exonerations linked to misconduct by officials
Hastings has been out of prison since 2022. Today, he lives a quiet life in Southern California, where he is active in his church and volunteers distributing meals to people experiencing homelessness, according to a statement from his lawyers.
“I thank God that I’ve made it to the other side of this decades-long ordeal, and I thank my family and legal team for their steadfast support over the years,” he said.
According to the National Registry of Exonerations, there have been 3,733 people exonerated of their crimes since 1989. Collectively, they spent 34,667 years behind bars.
The registry’s annual 2024 report — issued in April — said official misconduct continues to be a major factor in exonerations.
Official misconduct occurred in 104 or 71% of exonerations that occurred last year, according to the registry. Most of those cases involved more than one kind of misconduct, such as the failure to disclose exculpatory evidence to the defense (95 cases), witness tampering (43 cases) and perjury by an official actor (39 cases).
Race remains an important factor too — 78% of exonerations last year (115 out of 147) were people of color. Nearly 60% of the exonerees were Black.
Yusra Farzan
has been covering the Rancho Palos Verdes landslide since 2023.
Published February 4, 2026 3:33 PM
Land movement made a section of Narcissa Drive impassable in September 2024.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Topline:
Rancho Palos Verdes city officials announced Tuesday that five more homes ravaged by land movement could be eligible for a buyout. That’s because the city is set to receive around $10 million from a FEMA grant.
How we got here: Land movement in the Portuguese Bend area has increased in Rancho Palos Verdes in recent years, triggered by above-average rainfall since 2022. Those landslides have left around 20 homes uninhabitable and forced dozens of people off the grid after being stripped of power, gas and internet services.
About the grant: Any time a state of emergency is declared in a state, that state, in this case California, can apply for the Hazard Mitigation Grant from FEMA. Those funds are then allocated to cities, tribal agencies and other communities for projects that will help reduce the impact of disasters. The city has a buyout program underway for around 22 homes, also funded through a FEMA grant.
What’s next: Rancho Palos Verdes has applied for additional federal funds to buy out homes in the area, with the goal of demolishing the structures and turning the lots into open space.
The University of Southern California board of trustees has appointed interim president Beong-Soo Kim to be its 13th president.
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Courtesy USC Photo/Gus Ruelas
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Topline:
The University of Southern California board of trustees has appointed interim president Beong-Soo Kim to be its 13th full president. Kim was named as the interim leader in February 2025 and began the role this summer.
Who is he? Kim most recently served as USC’s senior vice president and general counsel and as a lecturer at the law school. Prior to joining USC, he worked at Kaiser Permanente and was a federal prosecutor for the Central District of California.
What’s happened under Kim’s interim presidency: USC faced a $200 million dollar deficit last fiscal year; Kim oversaw the layoffs of hundreds of employees since July.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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Jill Replogle
covers public corruption, debates over our voting system, culture war battles — and more.
Published February 4, 2026 2:43 PM
Voters wait to cast their ballots inside the Huntington Beach Central Library on Nov. 4, 2025.
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Allen J. Schaben
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Getty Images
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Topline:
Huntington Beach will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision striking down the city’s controversial voter ID law.
What’s the backstory? Huntington Beach voters approved a measure in 2024 allowing the city to require people to show ID when casting a ballot. The state and a Huntington Beach resident promptly sued to block it. But the fight isn't over. The City Council voted unanimously this week to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.
Does the city have a shot? The Supreme Court gets 7,000 to 8,000 requests to review cases each year. The Court grants about 80 of these requests, so the city’s chances of getting the court’s attention are statistically slim.
Read on ... for more about the legal battle.
Huntington Beach will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision striking down the city’s controversial voter ID law.
What’s the backstory?
Huntington Beach voters approved a measure in 2024 allowing the city to require people to show ID when casting a ballot. That contradicts state law — voters in California are asked to provide ID when they register to vote but generally not at polling places.
The ensuing court battle
The state and a Huntington Beach resident promptly sued the city over the voter ID law and won an appeals court ruling striking down the law. The California Supreme Court declined to review the decision earlier this month. The state also passed a law prohibiting cities from implementing their own voter ID laws.
Then, the City Council voted unanimously this week to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in.
Does the city have a shot?
The Supreme Court gets 7,000 to 8,000 requests to review cases each year. The Court grants about 80 of these requests, so the city’s chances of getting the court’s attention are statistically slim.
There’s also a question of whether or not the city’s voter ID case meets the Court’s criteria for review — SCOTUS addresses questions of federal law. Mayor Casey McKeon said it does, in a news release, noting a 2008 Supreme Court decision that upheld a state’s voter ID law — in Indiana. But Huntington Beach is a city, and the question in its voter ID case is whether or not a city can implement its own requirements for voting, even if it clashes with state law.
The Trump Administration wants your confidential voter data. What’s behind their battle with CA and other states?
How to keep tabs on Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach holds City Council meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 2000 Main St.
You can also watch City Council meetings remotely on HBTV via Channel 3 or online, or via the city’s website. (You can also find videos of previous council meetings there.)
The public comment period happens toward the beginning of meetings.
The city generally posts agendas for City Council meetings on the previous Friday. You can find the agenda on the city’s calendar or sign up there to have agendas sent to your inbox.
Post-fire donations include items made 'with love'
Makenna Sievertson
covers the daily drumbeat of Southern California — events, processes and nuances making it a unique place to call home.
Published February 4, 2026 2:17 PM
Cantor Ruth Berman Harris said she's planning on keeping the challah cover for communal celebrations and holidays.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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Topline:
The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center burned down in last year's Eaton Fire, taking with it nearly all of the special and ceremonial items housed inside. Since then, many supporters have donated items large and small, including prayer books, clothes and candlesticks.
Among the donations is a hand-woven challah cover that serves not only as a symbol of faith, but — in this case — evidence of recovery.
Why it matters: Cantor Ruth Berman Harris told LAist the challah cover, made and donated by Karen Fink of Van Nuys, will be used for communal celebrations and holidays to give it an extra layer of “kavod” — of holiness. Challah covers are a traditional sight on a table prepared for a Shabbat meal, where both the bread and a cup of wine are blessed before eating.
The gift: Fink said her weaving guild was already making items for survivors of the L.A.-area fires. When someone suggested she make a challah cover, she got to work.
“I just always like to think about who it's going towards, what it's going to be used for, that it should be used well and loved,” she said.
Despite best efforts, the campus and nearly everything in it was destroyed.
“I had a colleague calling me and asking me what I needed, and I wasn't able to say,” Berman Harris, one of the spiritual leaders of the synagogue, told LAist. “I don't think I was able to say what I needed for about a year.”
In the months that followed the fire, people from around the world stepped up to replace what was lost, including prayer books, clothes and candlesticks. Several donated challah covers, a decorative cloth that’s placed over the braided bread before being blessed and eaten on Shabbat.
A parking sign at the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center after the Eaton Fire.
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Josh Edelson
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And while much of the community’s focus is directed toward larger items that need to be replaced — the buildings included — smaller, ceremonial items can make a big difference, too.
Karen Fink, a Van Nuys resident, donated a hand-woven challah cover that she made for the temple. Her weaving guild was already making dish towels for L.A. fire survivors.
“You've got so many things that need to be done and replaced,” Fink said.
“I just always like to think about who it's going towards, what it's going to be used for, that it should be used well and loved,” she continued.
‘Love through the threads’
On Jan. 7, 2025, as the flames closed in on the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, Berman Harris rushed through smoke and falling embers to rescue all 13 sacred Torah scrolls, pieces of parchment with Hebrew text used at services, including weekly on Shabbat.
Berman Harris now works out of an office building in Pasadena, a few miles away from where the center stood.
More than 400 families gathered to worship at the temple before the fire. About 30 families lost their homes, and 40 others were displaced, she said. The congregation has been gathering at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena.
The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which burned during the Eaton Fire, in January 2025 (top) and in January 2026 (bottom).
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Josh Edelson
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“The silver lining of when you go through a traumatic loss is that you don't realize A, how strong you are and B, how not alone you are,” said Berman Harris, who has been a part of the congregation for 14 years.
She said the temple has received many gifts to help them rebuild, but Fink’s challah cover will be used for communal celebrations and holidays to give it an extra layer of “kavod” — of holiness.
Challah covers, usually embroidered with Hebrew words and symbols, are a traditional sight on a table prepared for a Shabbat meal, where both the bread and a cup of wine are blessed before eating. The decorative cover is a symbolic way of honoring the bread, while the wine is being blessed first.
“Because you say the blessing over the bread last,” Fink told LAist. “It gets to have this lovely cover so it doesn't get embarrassed.”
Fink said she used one of her more intricate patterns, featuring white and blue threads in a repeating pattern of the Star of David.
The challah cover woven by Karen Fink when it was fresh off the loom.
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Courtesy Karen Fink
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She said it took a couple of hours to wind the thread, about a day to get the project set up on her small loom and another three days to get through the top six rows of stars.
Once the challah cover was complete, it took a few months to get it to Berman Harris, but Fink said she wanted to help in a way that felt more personal than mailing a check.
“They were able to get their Torah scrolls out,” Fink said. “But all the other things that maybe aren't required, but are helpful in enhancing the spirit of Shabbat, the spirit of a synagogue, you know, that was all lost.”
Starting to settle
Berman Harris said the donations have not only helped rebuild their ritual spaces, they were gifted “with love.”
“They're not things you buy on Amazon,” she said. “These are things that you cherish because you can feel the love through the threads.”
Cantor Ruth Berman Harris showing off the handmade challah cover Karen Fink weaved for the congregation.
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Makenna Sievertson
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LAist
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The synagogue has received other challah covers that they’ve distributed to families in the congregation.
On the anniversary of the fire, Josh Ratner, senior rabbi at the temple, told LAist’s AirTalk program that Jewish people have overcome “so much” throughout history.
People embrace inside a tent on the grounds of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center during a commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire on Jan. 6.
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Mario Tama
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“I think that that gives us some firm foundation to know that we can recover from this as well,” he said. “And not just recover, but really our [history] … is one of rebuilding even stronger than before.
“Each time there's been a crisis, we've been able to reinvent different aspects of Judaism and to evolve."
Students carry lanterns they created as symbols of hope as they enter the grounds of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center during a commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the Eaton Fire.
