• Prevailing Elder Abuse Plaintiff May Recover Fees for Defense

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    February 19, 2026

    A financial elder abuse law that permits only prevailing plaintiffs to recover attorney fees does not bar the recovery of costs associated with defending against competing undue influence claims so long as the expenses are inextricably intertwined with those associated with the prosecution of his causes of action, Div. One of the Fourth District Court of Appeal held yesterday.

  • Judge Erred in Applying 2020 Deadly Force Law to 2019 Case

    Metropolitan News-Enterprise
    February 19, 2026

    Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has reversed a $3.5 million wrongful death judgment awarded to the mother of a 19-year-old teenager killed by police during a traffic stop in Orange County due to the trial judge’s error in instructing the jury on the use of deadly force by officers based on a legal standard not yet in effect at the time of the fatal incident.

  • Trump administration drops appeal of order blocking it from UC funding cutoffs

    San Francisco Chronicle
    February 18, 2026

    The Trump administration has agreed not to cut off federal funds to the University of California while it appeals a judge’s ruling that said it had improperly withdrawn $600 million from the schools based on claims that they unduly favored racial and gender minorities and allowed antisemitism on campus.

  • Judicial Profile: Los Angeles County Judge Nicole C. Bershon

    Daily Journal
    February 18, 2026

    (Subscription required) On a docket dominated by custody fights and domestic violence allegations, Judge Nicole C. Bershon blends appellate experience, collaborative court insight and firm courtroom control to keep children from becoming collateral damage.