Category: California Supreme Court Opinions

Filed 4/2/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,?Plaintiff and Respondent, v. MARK BUZA,?Defendant and Appellant. S223698 Ct.App. 1/2 A125542; San Francisco County?Super. Ct. No. SCN 207818 Counsel: Jan Scully, District Attorney (Sacramento), Anne Marie Schubert, Deputy District Attorney; W. Scott Thorpe, Mark Zahner and Albert C. Locher for California District Attorneys Association as […]

Filed 3/29/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,?Plaintiff and Respondent, v. MARIO MARTINEZ,?Defendant and Appellant. S231826 Ct.App. 4/2 E063107;?Riverside County?Super. Ct. No. RIF136990 Counsel Counsel: Cindi Beth Mishkin, under appointment by the Supreme Court, and Sylvia W. Beckham, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris and […]

Filed 3/12/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,?Plaintiff and Respondent, v. VERONICA LORRAINE DeHOYOS et al.,?Defendants and Appellants. S228230 Ct.App. 4/1 D065961;?San Diego County?Super. Ct. No. SCD252670 Counsel: Leslie Ann Rose, under appointment by the Supreme Court, Valerie G. Wass, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, and Howard C. Cohen for Defendant […]

Filed 3/12/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA IN RE VICENTE BENAVIDES FIGUEROA, on Habeas Corpus S111336 Kern County?Super. Ct. No. 48266 Counsel: Michael Laurence, Cristina Bord?, Melissa R. Hooper, Michael J. Hersek, Miro F. Cizin, Monica Oth?n Espinosa and Paula Fog for Petitioner Vincente Benavides Figueroa. Bill Lockyer, Edmund G. Brown, Jr., Kamala D. […]

Filed 3/5/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA HECTOR ALVARADO, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. DART CONTAINER CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA, Defendant and Respondent. S232607 Ct.App. 4/2 E061645; Riverside County Superior Court No. RIC1211707   In this case, we decide how an employee?s overtime pay rate should be calculated when the employee has earned a flat sum […]

Filed 3/5/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. TODD JESSE GARTON, Defendant and Appellant. S097558   A jury in Shasta County convicted defendant Todd Jesse Garton of first degree murder and conspiracy to murder his wife, Carole Garton, and her fetus, and conspiracy to murder his codefendant?s husband, Dean […]

Filed 3/5/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA HELLER EHRMAN LLP, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. DAVIS WRIGHT TREMAINE LLP, Defendant and Respondent. AND RELATED CASES. S236208 9th Cir. Nos. 14-16314,?14-16315, 14-16317, 14-16318 Counsel: Diamond McCarthy, Christopher D. Sullivan, Matthew S. Sepuya, Christopher R. Murray, Andrew B. Ryan, James Sheppard, Karen K. Diep; Valle Makoff, Jeffrey […]

Filed 2/26/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. LEONEL CONTRERAS and WILLIAM STEVEN RODRIGUEZ, Defendants and Appellants. S224564 Ct.App. 4/1 D063428 San Diego County Super. Ct. No. SCD236438   Defendants Leonel Contreras and William Rodriguez were convicted in a joint trial of kidnapping and sexual offenses they committed as […]

Filed 2/21/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA City of San Buenaventura,?Plaintiff, Cross-defendant and Appellant, ) v. United Water Conservation District et al.,?Defendants, Cross-complainants and Appellants. S226036 Ct.App. 2/6 B251810 ORDER MODIFYING OPINION, DENYING PETITION FOR REHEARING, AND GRANTING MOTION FOR JUDICIAL NOTICE THE COURT: The opinion herein, appearing at 3 Cal.5th 1191, is modified […]

Filed 2/8/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA SOLUS INDUSTRIAL?INNOVATIONS, LLC, et al., Petitioners, v. THE SUPERIOR COURT OF ORANGE?COUNTY, Respondent; THE PEOPLE, Real Party in Interest. S222314 Ct.App. 4/3 G047661; Orange County Super. Ct. No. 30-2012-00581868   Counsel: Fox Rothschild, David F. Faustman; Jones Day, Brian A. Sun and Frederick D. Friedman for Petitioners. […]

Filed 1/31/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA BADRUDIN KURWA,?Plaintiff and Appellant, v. MARK B. KISLINGER et al.,?Defendants and Respondents. S234617 Ct.App. 2/5 B264641;?Los Angeles County?Super. Ct. No. KC045216   ORDER MODIFYING OPINION ON THE COURT?S OWN MOTION THE COURT: The opinion in this matter, which was filed December 18, 2017, and appears at 4 […]

Filed 2/1/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,?Petitioner, v. THE SUPERIOR COURT OF RIVERSIDE,?Respondent; PABLO ULLISSES LARA, JR.,?Real Party in Interest. S241231 Ct.App. 4/2 E067296;?Riverside County?Super. Ct. No. RIF1601012 Counsel: Michael A. Hestrin, District Attorney, Elaina Gambera Bentley, Assistant District Attorney, Kelli M. Catlett, Ivy B. Fitzpatrick and Donald W. Ostertag, Deputy District […]

Filed 2/1/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. JODY CHATMAN, Defendant and Appellant. No. S237374 Ct.App. 1/1 A144196;?Alameda County?Super. Ct. No. 140542 Counsel: David Reagan for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris and Xavier Becerra, Attorneys General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Jeffrey M. Laurence, Assistant Attorney […]

Filed 1/29/18 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA MIKE HERNANDEZ et al., Plaintiffs and Respondents; FRANCESCA MULLER, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. RESTORATION HARDWARE, INC., Defendant and Respondent. S233983 Ct.App. 4/1 D067091;?San Diego County?Super. Ct. No.?37-2008-00094395-CU-BT-CTL In-A-Nutshell (By LexRoll.com): Unnamed class members to a class action may not appeal a class judgment, settlement, or attorney fees […]

Filed 12/28/17 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ) ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ) Plaintiff and Respondent,????????? ) )???????????????????????????????? S236728 ) )????????????????????? Ct.App. 2/4 B260774 JAMES BELTON FRIERSON,??????????????????????? ) )?????????????????????? Los Angeles County Defendant and Appellant.???????? )????????????????? Super. Ct. No. GA043389 __________________________________ )   The Three Strikes Reform Act of 2012 (the ?Reform Act? or the […]

Filed 12/28/17 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ) ) Plaintiff and Respondent,????????? ) )???????????????????????????????? S232218 ) )????????????????????? Ct.App. 2/5 B259665 MARVIN TRAVON HICKS,?????????????????????????? ) )?????????????????????? Los Angeles County Defendant and Appellant.???????? )?????????????? Super. Ct. No. MA058121-01 __________________________________ )   In this case, we decide whether during a retrial of a second degree […]

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA T.H., a Minor, etc., et al.,??Plaintiffs and Appellants, v. NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS?CORPORATION,?Defendant and Respondent. S233898 Ct.App. 4/1 D067839;?San Diego County?Super. Ct. No. 37-2013-00070440-CU-MM-CTL   Counsel: Public Justice, Leslie A. Brueckner; Thorsnes Bartolotta McGuire, Benjamin I. Siminou, Kevin F. Quinn and Charlynne I. Rejaian for Plaintiffs and Appellants. Alan Charles Dell?Ario […]

Filed 12/21/17 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. SULMA MARILYN GALLARDO, Defendant and Appellant. S231260 Ct.App. 2/6 B257357;?Los Angeles County?Super. Ct. No. VA126705-01 Counsel Christian C. Buckley, under appointment by the Supreme Court, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris and Xavier Becerra, Attorneys General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief […]

Filed 12/18/17 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA BADRUDIN KURWA, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. ?MARK B. KISLINGER et al.,?Defendants and Respondents. S234617 Ct.App. 2/5 B264641;?Los Angeles County?Super. Ct. No. KC045216   Counsel Law Offices of Robert S. Gerstein, Robert S. Gerstein; Law Offices of Steven H. Gardner and Steven H. Gardner for Plaintiff and Appellant […]

Filed 12/11/17 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ) ) Plaintiff and Respondent,????????? ) )???????????????????????????????? S175851 v.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?) ) JEAN PIERRE RICES,????????????????????????????????????? ) )???????????????????????? San Diego County Defendant […]

Filed 12/11/17 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA PATRICK LOWELL JACKSON, Petitioner v. THE SUPERIOR COURT OF RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Respondent THE PEOPLE, Real Party in Interest S235549 Ct.App. 4/2 E064010;?Super. Ct. No. INF1500950   ? Counsel: Steven L. Harmon, Public Defender, and Laura Arnold, Deputy Public Defender, for Petitioner. No appearance for Respondent Michael A. […]

Filed 12/7/17 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA THE PEOPLE,???????????????????????????????????????????????????? ) ) Plaintiff and Respondent,????????? ) )???????????????????????????????? S089311 v.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ) ) CHRISTOPHER HENRIQUEZ,?????????????????????? ) )????????????????????? Contra Costa County Defendant and Appellant.???????? )?????????????????? Super. […]