Supreme Court of California Decisions 2016
Date: December 29, 2016
Docket Number: S226645
Justia Opinion Summary: The ACLU submitted a request under the California Public Records Act (PRA) to the Los Angeles County Counsel seeking invoices specifying the amounts that the County and been billed by any law firm in connection with…
Date: December 29, 2016
Docket Number: S228258
Justia Opinion Summary: After a trial, Defendant was convicted of carjacking and robbery. Both convictions were based on the same forceful taking of a vehicle. Defendant appealed, arguing that his forceful taking of the vehicle constituted a…
Date: December 22, 2016
Docket Number: S216878
Justia Opinion Summary: This case involved the practice of short-term deferred deposit lending, often referred to as “payday” or “cash advance” lending. After the Legislature enacted the California Deferred Deposit Transaction Law (the Law),…
Date: December 22, 2016
Docket Number: S224853
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs worked as security guards for Defendant. Defendant required that guards keep their pagers and radio phones on even during off-duty rest periods required under Cal. Labor Code 226.7 and Industrial Welfare…
Date: December 19, 2016
Docket Number: S133510
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of the first degree murder of a peace officer. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment in its entirety, holding (1) the trial…
Date: December 15, 2016
Docket Number: S212800
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, Milan REI IV LLC (Milan) purchased more than fifty acres of land in the Orange Park Acres area in the City of Orange with plans to develop a residential development on the property. The City approved Milan’s…
Date: December 15, 2016
Docket Number: S222211
Justia Opinion Summary: The Automobile Sales Finance Act (ASFA) is a consumer protection law that governs the sale of vehicles in which the buyer finances all or part of the car’s purchase. Plaintiffs were consumers who purchased vehicles from…
Date: December 12, 2016
Docket Number: S100735
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder, two counts of assault by a life prisoner with malice aforethought, and one count of custodial possession of a weapon. The jury returned a verdict of…
Date: December 12, 2016
Docket Number: S218400
Justia Opinion Summary: The City of San Diego adopted an ordinance imposing a tax on visitors for occupancy in hotels located within the City. The tax, known as the transient occupancy tax, is calculated as a percentage of the “rent charged by…
Date: December 8, 2016
Docket Number: S118384
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder under the special circumstance of murder in the commission of robbery, attempted premeditated murder, and first degree residential robbery. The jury…
Date: December 8, 2016
Docket Number: S229446
Justia Opinion Summary: Financial Casualty & Surety, Inc. posted a bail bond on behalf of Oscar Grijalva. The bail was subsequently forfeited. Under Cal. Penal Code 1305, the bond would be exonerated if Grijalva appeared in court by the 185th…
Date: December 5, 2016
Docket Number: S131819
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder. The jury returned a verdict of death, and the trial court entered the death judgment. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment in its entirety, holding…
Date: December 5, 2016
Docket Number: S221852
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant filed a motion to suppress the evidence found on his phone, arguing that the search of his phone resulted from an unduly prolonged and unjustified detention. The trial court denied the motion, concluding that…
Date: December 1, 2016
Docket Number: S033901
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of both conspiracy to murder and the first-degree murder of her husband. The jury set the penalty at death after weighing aggravating and mitigating evidence presented by the…
Date: December 1, 2016
Docket Number: S219534
Justia Opinion Summary: Domestic or take-home exposure to asbestos occurs when a worker who is directly exposed to a toxin carries it home on his person or clothing and a member of his household is exposed through physical proximity with that…
Date: November 21, 2016
Docket Number: S218734
Justia Opinion Summary: Seller retained Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Company to list a luxury residence for sale. Buyer, also represented by Coldwell Banker, made an offer to purchase the property, and both parties agreed that Coldwell…
Date: November 14, 2016
Docket Number: S218497
Justia Opinion Summary: If a patient who receives emergency medical services is an enrollee in a health care service plan, the plan is required to reimburse the emergency service provider for essential emergency medical services and care. Plans…
Date: November 10, 2016
Docket Number: S231489
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was charged with robbery. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Petitioner pleaded guilty to grand theft from the person, a felony, and admitted a prior robbery conviction on condition that he receive a six-year…
Date: November 7, 2016
Docket Number: S225109
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner, an inmate, filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus, alleging that he received ineffective assistance of counsel in his criminal proceedings. One week later, Petitioner asked the court clerk for the name of…
Date: September 19, 2016
Docket Number: S214061
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, the San Mateo Community College District and its Board of Trustees (collectively, District) proposed a district-wide facilities improvement plan that called for demolishing certain buildings and renovating…
Date: September 8, 2016
Docket Number: S075136
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of three counts of first degree murder and related crimes. After the penalty phase of the trial, the jury returned a verdict of death. The Supreme Court reversed the judgment…
Date: August 29, 2016
Docket Number: S214855
Justia Opinion Summary: The Regional Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region, a state agency, issued a permit authorizing local agencies (collectively, Operators) to operate storm drain systems. Permit conditions required that the…
Date: August 29, 2016
Docket Number: S221038
Justia Opinion Summary: Eight separate complaints were filed in San Francisco Superior Court by or on behalf of 678 individuals. Eighty-six of those individuals were California residents and the remainder were nonresidents. All of the…
Date: August 22, 2016
Docket Number: S076339A
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of one count each of murder, robbery, burglary, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit burglary, and the unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle. The trial court…
Date: August 22, 2016
Docket Number: S222620
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged by criminal complaint with unpermitted use of a suction dredge. Suction dredging is a technique used by miners to remove matter from the bottom of waterways, extract minerals, and return the residue…
Date: August 22, 2016
Docket Number: S223129
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with criminal offenses. Defendant filed a renewed motion to suppress pursuant to Cal. Penal Code 1538.5(i). Judge Vincent Chiarello granted the renewed motion, and the case was dismissed at the…
Date: August 18, 2016
Docket Number: S221554
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, a retired employee of the State Department of Justice, filed suit against the State and State Controller’s Office on behalf of herself and a class of resigned and retired state employees who did not receive…
Date: August 18, 2016
Docket Number: S224546
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of both larceny and embezzlement based on the same course of conduct. The Court of Appeal struck Defendant’s larceny conviction, holding that a defendant cannot be convicted of…
Date: August 15, 2016
Docket Number: S048763
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. The jury also found true the special circumstance allegations that Defendant committed multiple murders and that the murders were…
Date: August 15, 2016
Docket Number: S213468
Justia Opinion Summary: This dispute concerned a 1.66-acre strip of Defendants’ land that the City of Perris condemned in order to build a road. The City offered to pay Defendants the agricultural value of the strip, relying on City of…
Date: August 11, 2016
Docket Number: S130659
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of three counts of first degree murder, two counts of premeditated attempted murder, and other crimes. The jury returned death verdicts as to all three murders, and the trial…
Date: August 11, 2016
Docket Number: S179181
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1981, Appellant was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court reversed the penalty verdict. At the penalty retrial, the jury again sentenced Appellant to death, but the trial court modified the…
Date: August 11, 2016
Docket Number: S222996
Justia Opinion Summary: A class action employment lawsuit filed against a staffing firm and related companies settled for $19 million. Under the settlement agreement it was agreed that class counsel would request attorney fees of not more than…
Date: August 8, 2016
Docket Number: S219052
Justia Opinion Summary: The City of Montebello filed a complaint against three of its former council members and a former city administrator for conflict of interest, seeking a declaration that Defendants violated Cal. Gov't Code 1090 by voting…
Date: August 4, 2016
Docket Number: S215914
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pleaded no contest to second degree burglary and having served a prior prison term for vehicle theft. Defendant was sentenced to probation on conditions including a year in jail and a condition that he not…
Date: August 1, 2016
Docket Number: S139103
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder, first degree burglary, and first degree robbery. The jury was unable to reach a penalty verdict, and after the penalty phase was retried with a new…
Date: August 1, 2016
Docket Number: S225090
Justia Opinion Summary: California’s anti-SLAPP statute provides that a cause of action against a person arising from allegations of certain activity shall be subject to a special motion to strike unless the court determines there is a…
Date: July 28, 2016
Docket Number: S220812
Justia Opinion Summary: When Plaintiff was hired by Defendants, he signed multiple arbitration agreements as a condition of employment. Plaintiff later sued Defendant, alleging racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The complaint…
Date: July 21, 2016
Docket Number: S217738
Justia Opinion Summary: The California Department of Water Resources (Department) sought to conduct environmental and geological studies and testing on over 150 privately-owned parcels of property that the state, in the future, might seek to…
Date: July 21, 2016
Docket Number: S219109
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with the unlawful taking of a vehicle and receiving stolen property. The complaint also contained a gang enhancement allegation under Cal. Penal Code 186.22(b) that exposed Defendant to up to an…
Date: July 18, 2016
Docket Number: S102166
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of two counts of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder with the personal use of a firearm, among other crimes. A mistrial was declared after the first…
Date: July 14, 2016
Docket Number: S220187
Justia Opinion Summary: This was an appeal from a child dependency proceeding involving two minors. The children were eligible for tribal membership but were not Indian children as defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Rule 5.482(c)…
Date: July 11, 2016
Docket Number: S097886
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder and robbery. The jury returned a verdict of death following the penalty phase trial. The Supreme Court reversed the death judgment but otherwise…
Date: July 11, 2016
Docket Number: S224929
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with a number of criminal violations. Defendant was represented by seven different appointed counsel over the course of approximately two years and made repeated requests for continuances. When his…
Date: July 7, 2016
Docket Number: S221263
Justia Opinion Summary: The juvenile court removed Isaiah W., a newborn, from the care of his parents and placed him in foster care. The court found the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) inapplicable and did not order the Los Angeles…
Date: June 30, 2016
Docket Number: S211275
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol and related offenses. The trial court sentenced Defendant under the Three Strikes law to an indeterminate term of twenty-five years to life. While…
Date: June 30, 2016
Docket Number: S216681
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of several firearm-related and gang-related offenses. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial court erred by admitting case-specific statements related by the prosecution…
Date: June 27, 2016
Docket Number: S065573
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first degree murder, first degree burglary with use of a knife, and assault causing great bodily injury. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial court…
Date: June 27, 2016
Docket Number: S066940
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of two counts of first degree murder. The jury found true five special-circumstance allegations, including that Defendant committed murder while engaged in the commission of…
Date: June 23, 2016
Docket Number: S045423
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first degree murder, attempted murder, twenty-six counts of robbery, two counts of attempted robbery, five counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and two…
Date: June 23, 2016
Docket Number: S218176
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, a metal foundry worker, alleged that he developed interstitial pulmonary fibrosis as the result of his exposure to fumes from molten metal and dust from plaster, sand, limestone, and marble. Plaintiff sought…
Date: June 16, 2016
Docket Number: S216444
Justia Opinion Summary: Penal Code section 424 applies to "[e]ach officer of this state, or of any county, city, town, or district of this state, and every other person charged with the receipt, safekeeping, transfer, or disbursement of public…
Date: June 16, 2016
Docket Number: S228030
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pleaded guilty to felony possession of heroin and was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Defendant was given credit for time served, including conduct credits, of 220 days. Penal Code section 1170.18,…
Date: June 9, 2016
Docket Number: S213873
Justia Opinion Summary: After Plaintiff was injured, he sought benefits from Defendant-insurer under an indemnity benefit policy. Plaintiff subsequently filed suit alleging that Defendant breached the insurance contract and the implied covenant…
Date: June 6, 2016
Docket Number: S232642
Justia Opinion Summary: The Legislature specified that any amendments to a measure submitted for comment must be “reasonably germane to the theme, purpose, or subject of the initiative measure as originally proposed.” At issue is the scope of…
Date: June 2, 2016
Docket Number: S218861
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, in violation of Penal Code section 21310, after a police officer found a Swiss Army knife in defendant's jacket pocket. The Court of Appeal reversed. The…
Date: May 26, 2016
Docket Number: S077524
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of first degree murder with personal use of a firearm and sentenced to death. Defendant admitted the truth of a special circumstance allegation that he had a prior murder conviction. Defendant was…
Date: May 26, 2016
Docket Number: S217699
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant, sixteen-years-old at the time of the offense, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in state prison with the possibility of parole after 50 years. After plaintiff was sentenced, the United…
Date: May 26, 2016
Docket Number: S223651
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner, convicted of murdering his wife, petitioned for habeas relief contending that he is entitled to relief under the 2014 legislative revision of Penal Code section 1473. The Legislature amended section 1473 to…
Date: May 23, 2016
Docket Number: S209927
Justia Opinion Summary: After plaintiff was injured by exposure to asbestos products, he filed suit against a raw asbestos supplier (Special Electric) for failure to warn him about the danger. At issue is the extent of the supplier's duty to…
Date: May 23, 2016
Docket Number: S220247
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of multiple counts of sexual battery by misrepresentation of professional purpose. At issue is whether misdemeanor sexual battery is a lesser include offense of sexual battery by misrepresentation…
Date: May 19, 2016
Docket Number: S211793
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs filed suit against defendants alleging claims of medical malpractice and then later filed a claim for elder abuse. At issue is whether the definition of neglect under the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil…
Date: May 9, 2016
Docket Number: S211915
Justia Opinion Summary: In a joint trial with her codefendant, Defendant was convicted of premeditated murder and attempted premeditated murder. The court of appeal reversed Defendant’s convictions, concluding (1) the trial court erred in…
Date: May 9, 2016
Docket Number: S224599
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with carrying a loaded firearm on his person. The charge stemmed from an incident in which Defendant was wearing a backpack containing a loaded revolver while being pursued by a police officer. The…
Date: May 5, 2016
Docket Number: S209836
Justia Opinion Summary: Unlike most other personal injury actions, which generally must be filed within two years of the date on which the challenged act or omission occurred, professional negligence actions against health care providers must…
Date: May 5, 2016
Docket Number: S222726
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff initiated an unlawful detainer action against Defendant. The jury returned a verdict in Plaintiff’s favor. Defendant’s attorney then substituted out of the case, and Defendant proceeded with…
Date: April 21, 2016
Docket Number: S022998
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and of attempting to dissuade a witness from testifying. At issue during trial was Defendant’s intellectual ability. Following a penalty…
Date: April 4, 2016
Docket Number: S215614
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case was California wage order requirements that an employer provide suitable seating for employees under certain circumstances. In two related federal appeals, the Ninth Circuit certified three…
Date: March 28, 2016
Docket Number: S076785
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment on appeal, holding (1) no prejudicial error occurred…
Date: March 28, 2016
Docket Number: S208345
Justia Opinion Summary: As a condition of her employment with Defendants, Plaintiff signed an agreement to resolve any employment-related disputes through arbitration. After Plaintiff resigned, she filed a complaint against Defendants, alleging…
Date: March 17, 2016
Docket Number: S219889
Justia Opinion Summary: Charges that Defendants committed attempted murder were twice dismissed. Thereafter, the People charged Defendants with conspiracy to commit murder based on the same underlying facts as the dismissed charges. At issue in…
Date: March 17, 2016
Docket Number: S223876
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff filed a class action lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles challenging the validity of a certain tax and seeking a refund of taxes. In 2007, during discovery proceedings in the underlying litigation, the…
Date: March 10, 2016
Docket Number: S219236
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case was whether a plaintiff who voluntarily dismisses an action after entering into a monetary settlement is a “prevailing party” for purposes of Cal. Civ. Proc. Code 1032(a)(4) and thus entitled to…
Date: February 25, 2016
Docket Number: S215990
Justia Opinion Summary: This case arose from Plaintiff’s sale of property to Defendants. In November 2006, Plaintiff filed a complaint against Defendants alleging negligence, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and failure to…
Date: February 25, 2016
Docket Number: S218233
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant entered a commercial store with the intent to commit a robbery inside. After accomplishing the robbery, Defendant took a store employee to a bathroom in the back of the business, bound her hands, and raped her.…
Date: February 22, 2016
Docket Number: S016883
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of the first degree murder of a correctional officer and conspiracy to commit murder and to commit assault on correctional staff. The jury found true the special circumstance…
Date: February 18, 2016
Docket Number: S024046
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of three counts of first degree murder, one count of conspiracy to commit murder, and one count of robbery. After a penalty trial, the jury returned a verdict of death. The…
Date: February 18, 2016
Docket Number: S217763M
Date: February 18, 2016
Docket Number: S218973
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff was a borrower on a home loan secured by a deed of trust. The deed of trust was assigned multiple times. After Plaintiff’s home was sold at public auction, Plaintiff filed this wrongful foreclosure action…
Date: February 11, 2016
Docket Number: S143743
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of three counts of first degree premeditated murder. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death for the multiple murders. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the…
Date: February 4, 2016
Docket Number: S025748
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of murder and attempted premeditated murder, among other crimes. After a penalty phase, the jury returned a death verdict. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death. The…
Date: February 4, 2016
Docket Number: S090602
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of four counts of first degree murder and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) there was no prejudicial error committed during the guilt phase or the penalty phase of…
Date: February 1, 2016
Docket Number: S218712
Justia Opinion Summary: Elshaddai Bent was charged with felony drunk driving. His bail was set at $25,000, and the bail bond was executed by Safety National Casualty Company. When Bent failed to appear at a pretrial hearing the trial court…
Date: January 25, 2016
Docket Number: S208838
Justia Opinion Summary: Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, a public agency, undertook work to mitigate environmental damage caused by California-American Water Co. (Cal-Am), a public utility, and then assessed a fee on the utility’s…
Date: January 21, 2016
Docket Number: S178272
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and as an accessory after the fact. After a penalty phase trial, the jury returned a verdict of death. The Supreme Court…
Date: January 21, 2016
Docket Number: S213137
Justia Opinion Summary: Under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 580b, when an individual borrows money from a bank to buy a home and the bank forecloses on the home, the bank can collect proceeds from the foreclosure sale but may not obtain a deficiency…
Date: January 14, 2016
Docket Number: S219178
Justia Opinion Summary: A grand jury returned an indictment against Defendant on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and active participation in a criminal street gang. The grand jury found reasonable cause to believe that Defendant came…
Date: January 4, 2016
Docket Numbers: S220289A, S220289
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2014, the California Legislature sought to place on the general election ballot Proposition 49, a nonbinding advisory question that would have asked the electorate whether Congress should propose, and the Legislature…
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