Chinese New Year may have just passed, but San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón is warning residents in Chinatown about a scam that has popped up every year. The “blessing scam,” which is a scam committed by fortune tellers of all cultures, involves a “psychic” who claims s/he will un-curse…
The Centers for Disease Control recently released a report about an adult film actor in California who infected two sexual partners with HIV in the weeks after he contracted the virus, but before it was detected by lab tests. The unnamed actor was apparently infected by a partner outside of…
As the drama unfolded in our neighboring state of Oregon in the course of two months, one cannot help but wonder what laws were and were not violated by the leaders of armed militia occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Oregon. In case you missed it, a man…
Back in July of 2015, a man named Mike Gurrieri filed a lawsuit against the San Diego Unified School District’s superintendent for allegedly ordering edits to his criminal investigation to cover up for the accused principal. Mr. Gurrieri was assigned by the San Diego Unified School District as an internal…
More than 90% of all criminal cases do not make it to jury trial. Instead, they end in plea bargains – sometimes to the benefit, and sometimes to the detriment of criminal defense clients. What is a Plea Bargain? A plea bargain is an agreement between a defendant and a…
In response to the passing and enactment of SB 178 (the Electronic Communications Privacy Act) for the new year, San Diego Superior Court judges have started using waiver days after the new state law took effect. SB 178 would require police and probation officers to get a warrant signed by…
This past year, California has been no stranger to criminal justice reforms as a means to lower the state’s prison population. In addition to the 807 bills signed into law set to take place in 2016, Governor Jerry Brown (D- CA) has introduced another state ballot initiative which aims to…
A former Taco Bell executive by the name of Benjamin Golden who was fired after a video of him went viral assaulting an Uber driver, has now filed a lawsuit for $5 million against the transportation company. This bizarre case was a response to the $25,000 lawsuit filed by the…
A new state law taking effect this new year will require any California city or county that uses the Stingray technology or any other cell-site simulator technology to approve and publish a usage and privacy policy. The policies would be required amongst other things, to say who is using the…
A Chipotle restaurant chain in California has been served with a grand jury subpoena as part of a criminal investigation of a norovirus outbreak. The subpoena was granted by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California in an inquiry the office is conducting with the Food and…