A judge erred in issuing a terminating sanction based solely on dereliction of the plaintiff’s attorney, Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has held, pointing out that such an action is statutorily barred, and finding, impliedly, that a local rule of the Orange Superior Court authorizing the killing off of the lawsuit, under the circumstances, is partially invalid.

Presiding Judge Michael Groch also takes the helm of California’s second-largest trial court system as it continues working through how best to implement Proposition 36, a year-old measure that toughened penalties for petty theft and drug possession for repeat offenders.

A federal appeals court says a judge who ordered schools in California to let teachers inform parents that their child has identified as transgender misunderstood both the facts and the law. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez has been put on hold, but a conservative group says it’s planning an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

A recent lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court alleges that Sharp HealthCare recorded conversations between doctors and their patients without written consent, using the information to document visits with an artificial intelligence program developed by a private company in Pittsburgh.