The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned the conviction of a man charged with distributing fentanyl-laced pills that killed a Palos Verdes-area teenager, finding the trial judge erred in excluding evidence that another purported dealer, who contacted the minor before his death, had previously sold counterfeit pills containing that same substance and had in his contacts the names of 50 people who allegedly died from overdoses.

The Supreme Court on Thursday handed down a unanimous ruling in a religious rights case, finding that a Catholic charity in Wisconsin can’t be required to pay unemployment taxes when other religious groups are exempt.

The Court of Appeal for this district yesterday rejected an appellant’s contention that her right to due process was abridged when a judge, hearing her motion for a civil harassment restraining order, in addition to granting the relief she sought imposed a like stay-away requirement on her although the defendant had not petitioned for such an action.

(Subscription required) Tom Girardi's seven-year sentence for defrauding clients of $15M brings closure but sparks debate over accountability, with attorneys questioning the State Bar's role in enabling his decades-long misconduct.