California Courts of Appeal Decisions

Justia Opinion Summary: This case revolves around the filed rate doctrine and its applicability in instances where rates approved by a municipal board are questioned. The plaintiffs, a group of customers, sued Recology, a waste management…

Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the petitioner, Cedrick Conway, is awaiting trial on a petition to commit him as a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) under the Sexually Violent Predator Act (SVPA). In preparation for the trial, he requested…

Justia Opinion Summary: Buckner was convicted of arson of an inhabited structure and sentenced to three years in prison. He argued that: there is no substantial evidence to support the jury’s finding that the house was inhabited because the…

Justia Opinion Summary: Doe alleged that his ex-girlfriend and her friends, including Ledor, embarked upon a “vengeful smear campaign” to harass and defame him after his senior year of high school. In 2020, Ledor sent emails to Dartmouth…

Justia Opinion Summary: Phillips. arrested for DUI, was taken to a lab facility. Ramos, a phlebotomist, took a needle from a sealed package supplied by the County Forensic Lab, cleaned Phillips’ arm, and drew two vials of blood. The county lab…

Justia Opinion Summary: Mother gave birth to K.B. in August 2022. Both she and K.B. tested positive for amphetamines, methamphetamines, and marijuana at the hospital, triggering a referral to the Department, which placed K.B. in temporary…

Justia Opinion Summary: Firefighters sued Favro, who crashed his car into a firetruck before receiving aid from the firefighters, alleging that Favro was negligent in failing to comply with their directions and thereby caused them to be harmed…

Justia Opinion Summary: Thomas was recruited to play on the women’s soccer team at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), played on the team during her freshman year and, in the spring of that year, was released from the team. She sued…

Justia Opinion Summary: Wiley was charged with kidnapping and making a criminal threat. Wiley pled guilty to the criminal threat charge. The court imposed the upper term (three years) but suspended the execution of the sentence and placed Wiley…

Justia Opinion Summary: The trial court appointed the same attorney (counsel) to represent defendant Mark Foley and Raymond Gladden, who had been a codefendant in the underlying criminal trial, at a consolidated evidentiary hearing after both…

Justia Opinion Summary: Appellant Robert Velasco, who was serving a sentence for attempted home invasion robbery, assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a felon, was identified as eligible for resentencing pursuant to California…

Justia Opinion Summary: After being released from prison, Evers lived in the forest in Mendocino County and obtained food, alcohol, firearms, and other items from occupied and unoccupied residences. Officers, responding to a report that Evers…

Justia Opinion Summary: At a coffee shop in Calabasas, David Delrahim made Edwart Der Rostamian a business proposal. Rostamian got his notebook, asked a server for a pen, and worked with Delrahim to compose two pages of text. When they were…