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Following on the heels of a 2015 conviction for sexual child abuse, the survivor and her family are now suing the owners and staff of Pak’s Karate school where the sexual abuse took place. Thomas Ary, the Pak’s instructor found guilty of sexually assaulting a female student while at a Pak’s summer camp, is serving 19 years [...]

As the year comes to a close, it’s time to assess what was significant in California’s workers’ compensation system in 2018. With hindsight, what were the big developments and the big themes? Each year I assess system developments at mid year and at year’s end. Here, in no particular order, are my picks for 2018 [...]

The mental health of migrant children trumps the federal government shutdown, hands-down, according to a Los Angeles federal court judge. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee certified the class of detained asylum-seeking migrant children requesting mental health aid, and firmly dismissed the government’s request to delay the suit until after the federal shutdown has ended. Noting that the [...]

It can happen to anyone, but in this case, it happened to Trevor Walker. Somehow, synthetic heroin was slipped into his Diet Coke at a McDonald’s drive-thru. No one knows exactly how the drug got into the drink, but tests taken at the hospital prove that Suboxone, a heroin-substitute, was found in Walker’s urine as well [...]

The parents and estate of Otto Warmbier won a $501 million judgment against the North Korea government for wrongful death. Though questions remain about the legitimacy and collectability of this judgment, one thing is certain: no amount of money can undo Otto’s fate and ultimate death. American Arrested for Taking Political Propaganda Poster Otto Warmbier [...]

The City and County of San Francisco has joined the host of other cities around the country suing big pharma for the opioid epidemic in federal court. Years ago, opioids would only be prescribed for severe post-surgery or end-of-life pain relief. But a major change in medical education by opioid manufacturers lowered that bar considerably a [...]

Travelers in recent years have learned, perhaps the hard way, that Customers and Border Patrol (CBP) agents can detain you at the airport for refusing to allow them to search your cell phone. Under the Border Doctrine, a search warrant generally required under the Fourth Amendment is not necessary to conduct a reasonable search at the [...]

Accidents happen. But some accidents can be avoided, and if someone doesn’t take the right steps to avoid an accident, they can be liable for the injuries that occur. Those injuries can be serious or widespread, and if it’s a large company or corporation that failed to protect customers or the general public, the lawsuits [...]

A federal judge decided that the school district and sheriff’s office had no legal duty to protect the students as they were fired upon by Nikolas Cruz in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. Fifteen students filed two suits, one in federal court and in one state, [...]

What is the likely 2019 agenda at the California Division of Workers’ Compensation? We now have some clues, courtesy of a recent presentation by current DWC Administrative Director George Parisotto, who spoke at the December 2018 CHSWC meeting  in Oakland. Following the meeting I asked Parisotto if he would be willing to share the list [...]