Newsom Overstepped Authority on Covid Lockdowns Says 3rd CA Court'; Jury Rules in Favor of Kobe Bryant's Widow over Photos; Shortage of Prison Transport Buses Due to Lack of Funding; Store Bans Face Masks After Thefts and Other Stories: Monday Morning Memo

Los Angeles District Attorney

Inside LA County Justice: Can DA Gascón bar longer sentences for repeat offenders?

The California Supreme Court is being asked to determine if Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has the power to bar prosecutors from seeking longer sentences for repeat offenders. CBSLA's Suzie Suh talks about how the three strikes law has been the focus of an ongoing legal battle in Gascón's office.

CBS News LA

Progressive L.A. DA Gascon claims fellow prosecutors 'badgered' into backing his recall

After his recall attempt, the second since last year, failed to qualify for a ballot initiative on Monday, progressive Los Angeles district attorney George Gascón claimed that his fellow prosecutors were pressured into backing the referendum. In February, 97.9 percent of the front-line prosecutors in the Association of Deputy District Attorneys charged with carrying out DA Gascón's policies voted for his recall.

National Review

Courts & Rulings

Ninth Circuit revives fired police officers' lawsuit against Oakland

Five Oakland police officers who were fired after fatally shooting an unarmed homeless man in an alleyway will be able to challenge their termination in state court after an appellate panel threw out a federal judge's 2020 ruling upholding the city of Oakland's decision to fire them. The panel's Friday ruling marks the latest turn in a tortuous case that largely hinges on who has the authority to fire police officers in Oakland.

Courthouse News Service

Santa Ana police chief is sprung from lawsuit, but warfare in PD continues

Make no mistake, the roiling snake pit at the Santa Ana Police Department continues to slither and squirm - the police union is still suing the city and top officials, officials are still fighting back, CrookedChief.com still pillories the powerful - but the top cop now has a win in his corner. Police Chief David Valentin was named alongside City Manager Kristine Ridge and City Attorney Sonia Carvalho in those suits - one brought by the Santa Ana Police Officers Association and its embattled president, Gerry Serrano and the other brought by the union alone, alleging that the city improperly released confidential information about officers on paid leave.

Orange County Register

Judge orders Dave Chappelle's alleged attacker to jail-based mental health treatment

The man charged with storming onstage and tackling comedian Dave Chappelle during his Netflix Is a Joke show at the Hollywood Bowl last May will be moved to a new jail dorm to receive mental health services as he awaits trial in his misdemeanor battery case, a judge ruled Tuesday. A public defender requested the move for Isaiah Lee at a hearing in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom that Lee, 23, did not attend.

Rollingstone

Three courts rule against Gov. Newsom, State Govt. in Covid business lockdown orders

The third California court in a week has ruled in favor of the people of California and the United States Constitution, against the government over state ordered Covid lockdowns. California courts are ruling that the government may have overstepped its authority when they followed Gavin Newsom's shut down orders, according to Constitutional Attorney and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Meuser.

California Globe

Unreasonable mistake of fact negates criminality

A man who went into the backyard of a home, tried unsuccessfully to break in, and was sitting on a bench when police encountered him, might actually have thought, as he claimed, that the house belonged to his cousin, the California Supreme Court held yesterday in a unanimous decision, criticizing the Court of Appeal's majority for usurping the function of a jury by factually finding that the account lacked credibility. Justice Leondra Kruger authored the high court opinion.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise

Three NYPD cops must pay $191,000 in wrongful arrest verdict

Three NYPD officers - including a former detective who once claimed she was framed and poisoned by a fellow cop who cast Santeria spells on her - must shell out $191,000 in damages to a man they wrongfully arrested on drug charges. Former Detective Ylka Morales, Detective Hugo Ortega and an unnamed undercover officer were hit with the tab as part of a Tuesday verdict in favor of William Kleinfeldt, who sued the trio in Brooklyn Federal Court for excessive force and malicious prosecution.

New York Daily News

New ruling issued in Michael Jackson 'fake songs' lawsuit following settlement agreement

One week back, reports revealed that Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and the Michael Jackson estate had quietly settled a lawsuit concerning three posthumously released songs that were allegedly recorded by a vocalist besides the King of Pop. Now, it appears that the court may have modified the settlement. This latest development in the long-running complaint arrives some eight years after one Vera Serova submitted the action.

Digital Music News

Ninth Circuit sends the Hawaii concealed carry challenge back down to District Court

The en banc panel majority (seven judges) ordered today, in Young v. Hawaii: The Supreme Court vacated the judgment of this Court, 992 F.3d 765, and has remanded this case to us "for further consideration in light of New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen, 597 U.S. ___ (2022)," Young v. Hawaii, 2022 WL 2347578, at *1 (U.S. 2022). We vacate the judgment of the district court and remand this case to the district court for further proceedings pursuant to the Supreme Court order.

The Volokh Conspiracy Daily

Judge issues order that keeps Herb Wesson off the L.A. City Council

A judge barred former Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson on Monday from returning to City Hall as a temporary fill-in for Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas for at least two months, leaving his South Los Angeles district without a voting representative. Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff granted a request from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California for a preliminary injunction prohibiting Wesson from serving as an interim councilman until a trial is held on his appointment.

Los Angeles Times

Prosecutors

Suspect charged in brazen Beverly Grove home robbery

A man accused of breaking into a Beverly Grove home, pistol-whipping a 71-year-old woman and stealing high-end jewelry was charged Friday with felony counts of residential robbery and residential burglary with a person present. Dillon Klincke, 31, was charged with inflicting great bodily injury, personal use of a firearm and committing a crime against someone aged 65 or older, according to the District Attorney's Office.

CBS News LA

LA City Attorney not a target of DWP corruption investigation, feds say

Federal prosecutors have notified Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer's lawyer that Feuer is not a target of the ongoing criminal investigation that stemmed from the City's mishandling of lawsuits tied to the Department of Water and Power's faulty billing system.

NBC4

Charges filed in attempted child abduction in Long Beach

Multiple charges have been filed against the two suspects who allegedly tried to kidnap a 1-year-old girl in Long Beach in broad daylight. "Having your child abducted is every parent's nightmare," Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a press release. According to police, 55-year-old Stacie Wilson approached two women who were walking down the street with a baby girl in a stroller near Pine Avenue and 10th Street on Saturday afternoon.

ABC7

Mistrial declared in Aliso Viejo spa bombing

A U.S. District Court judge has declared a mistrial in the trial of Stephen Beal, who stands accused of using a home-made bomb to murder his ex-girlfriend inside a day spa in Aliso Viejo. Jurors told the court today they were hopelessly deadlocked and could not reach a verdict after more than seven days of deliberation. Prosecutors told NBCLA they will re-try Beal on the same charges on Oct. 18.

NBC4

We're not going to be safe if we start listening to the criminals over the voices of victims

Response to Cristine Soto DeBerry's column on "What crime victims actually need." No one gets to tell the parents of a murder victim how to feel when detectives spent what should have been their son Sam's 27th birthday looking for Sam's decapitated head in a park. His killer also murdered a 23-year-old woman in an effort to conceal his crime. No one gets to tell her parents how to feel about the loss of their beautiful daughter Julie.

Todd Spitzer/Orange County District Attorney

Policy/Legal/Political

Los Angeles County courts stymied by shortage of prisoner transport buses: officials

A busing crisis is hampering Los Angeles courts after a powerful local agency slashed funding to the sheriff's department in a long-simmering feud - an operational breakdown that is jeopardizing cases, officials told Fox News Digital. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which allocates money to maintain the department's fleet of prison transport buses, have been publicly clashing since Villanueva took office.

Fox News

Newsom vetoes bill to pilot supervised drug consumption sites in SF, Oakland and LA

Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have sanctioned pilot sites where people could snort or inject illegal drugs under the watchful gaze of health care workers. The measure was designed to save lives as fentanyl-related deaths surge across the state, but Newsom said it could have brought a "world of unintended consequences." Senate Bill 57 would have paved the way for a five-year trial of so-called "safe consumption" or "supervised injection" facilities in Oakland, San Francisco and the city and county of Los Angeles.

KQED

Paper gun sale records pile up with ATF prevented from upgrading tracing (Video)

The ATF traces guns used in crimes, however federal law is getting in the way. Gun sales have to be recorded but there's no law requiring dealers to digitize them, causing stacks of documents to pile up. There's currently no way to enter a serial number and search for the gun owner. Many say the decades old tracing system needs to be updated.

NBC News

Clothing store Kitson bans face masks after spike in theft

Los Angeles clothing store chain Kitson said it is banning customers from wearing face masks after a series of shoplifting incidents by thieves in disguise. Shoppers at the brand's Beverly Hills location are prohibited from wearing face coverings under the new mandate so employees can "see the faces of the criminals," according to a post on Kitson's Instagram account. A sign in the store's window announces that "Due to the safety of our staff & assets of the store, we do not allow the wearing of face masks."

CBS News

California advances broadest US law sealing criminal records; bill headed to Newsom

California would have what proponents call the nation's most sweeping law to seal criminal records if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs legislation sent to him Thursday by state legislators. Senate Bill 731 would automatically seal conviction and arrest records for most ex-offenders who are not convicted of another felony for four years after completing their sentences and any parole or probation. Records of arrests that don't bring convictions also would be sealed.

AP

California's conservatorship program proposes changes after Spears saga and new investigation

The California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) announced new actions this week to improve the system for individuals who are intellectually disabled and conserved by the state, though disability rights advocates say these reforms don't go far enough. The department currently serves as the court-appointed conservator for 413 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the state.

The Center Square

Trump's legal team asks for 'special master' to go through Mar-a-Lago evidence and determine if some should be returned

Former President Donald Trump's legal team has asked a federal judge to appoint a "special master" to ensure the Justice Department returns any of his private documents seized during the search of Mar-a-Lago two weeks ago. Trump is asking for a special master - a third-party attorney - to oversee the review of evidence gathered from the beach club in the criminal probe, and for the judge to pause federal investigators' work related to the evidence until the review is done, according to a new court filing.

CNN

Los Angeles County/City

Billionaire's daughter hurt the L.A. Times and WeHo

At the urging of the West Hollywood Public Safety Commissioner Nika Soon-Shiong, daughter of Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the West Hollywood City Council voted to defund the police, which in their case meant reducing the size of the locally assigned L.A. County Sheriff's Department from approximately 60 deputies to 56. In such a short period of time, Soon-Shiong has put some pretty serious numbers on the board as a - you should pardon the expression - "public safety commissioner."

Los Angeles Daily News

Recall Gascón campaign denies negligence allegations after recall failure

The team behind the effort to recall Left-wing Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón tells The Daily Wire that any allegations of negligence and illegal activity in the campaign were false. Last week, a report emerged that willful negligence and illegal activity were key reasons why the rejection of the petition to recall Gascón failed. The measure will not be on the November ballot after not enough signatures were validated by the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk to qualify.

The Daily Wire

L.A. County played numbers game to disqualify Gascón recall signatures

The second attempt to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón came up short after the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office determined that only 520,050 of the 715,833 submitted signatures on the recall petitions were valid, with 566,857 required. Now the proponents have the opportunity to review all the disqualified signatures, along with the county's notations on why the signatures were invalid.

Los Angeles Daily News

Marvel star Frank Grillo slams Los Angeles crime after boxing trainer shot dead (Video)

Marvel star Frank Grillo slammed Los Angeles crime after his boxing trainer was shot dead.

New York Post

Testimony details cover up of 'Banditos' deputy beating investigation

Lawyers uncovered more evidence of a cover-up inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Friday, as Sgt. Jeffery Chow swore to tell the truth about alleged deputy gangs in the fifth hearing held at Loyola Law School by the Civilian Oversight Commission. Chow lead the internal investigation into a 2018 party at Kennedy Hall in East Los Angeles, where deputies claimed they were choked and beaten by the Banditos - alleged deputy gang members with matching tattoos.

Spectrum News1

Jury sides with Vanessa Bryant in lawsuit over helicopter crash photos

Jurors sided with Vanessa Bryant Wednesday afternoon in the trial over photos taken at the hillside site northwest of Los Angeles where nine people, including Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, died in a January 2020 helicopter crash. The jury decided that Los Angeles County should have to pay $16 million to Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's widow, and $15 million to Irvine financial adviser and co-plaintiff Chris Chester.

NBC4/City News Service

LAPD Chief has concerns over staffing levels, not meeting recruitment goals

The Los Angeles Police Department is not meeting its staffing goals, Chief Michel Moore Tuesday told the Board of Police Commissioners. The department is currently underemployed by 176 officers, Moore said - citing 9,284 sworn officers on staff as of Aug. 13, while the department is authorized to have 9,460. Moore said the LAPD is also authorized by the City Council to hire as many as 780 new sworn personnel, factoring in expected attrition from officers retiring.

MyNewsLA

Car break-ins on the rise in Griffith Park

There's been a rash of car break-ins at Griffith Park, and police want visitors to be vigilant. The LAPD says they have seen an increase of vehicles being broken into and ransacked around the park - especially rental cars that are likely being driven by tourists visiting from out of the area. So far this year, the LAPD has seen 121 break-ins at Griffith Park, with thieves getting away with valuables like purses, luggage, cameras, passports, and plane tickets.

CBS News LA

New racist texts reveal Torrance cops talked about hurting and killing Black suspects

The day after Torrance police shot Christopher DeAndre Mitchell in 2018, his mother and a dozen of his loved ones staged a protest outside the department's headquarters. At the same time, a group of officers - including the two who had killed Mitchell - were discussing the situation via text message. "Was going to tell you all those [N-word] family members are all pissed off in front of the station," one wrote, according to court documents recently reviewed by The Times.

Los Angeles Times

Crime/Public Safety

LAPD announces enhanced enforcement to crack down on illegal street takeovers

The Los Angeles Police Department is cracking down on illegal street takeovers, saying they have a zero-tolerance policy as the dangerous crime is happening more often. "We really want to stop this from becoming a new trend where they think they can show up and take over a street, freeway or any part of the city," said LAPD Detective Ryan Moreno during a press conference Thursday.

Fox11

Half-naked man arrested again for trying to break into another home

Josh, who only wished to use his first name, is still rattled after watching a security video of a half-dressed man entering his Mid-Wilshire apartment. "He hopped the gate to our backyard and walked through the courtyard," he said. "Kind of removed most of his clothing except for his underwear." Josh regrets leaving his door unlocked that fateful Wednesday night in January, which gave the intruder easy access into his home.

CBS News LA

Video shows 100 looters attacking a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles

The recent crimewave in Los Angeles appears to be continuing unabated, with a "flash mob" of approximately 100 looters caught on camera attacking a 7-Eleven near Figueroa Street and El Segundo Boulevard. The suspects reportedly threw items at employees and left with whatever they could carry, including cigarettes, lottery tickets, and snacks, and are still at large, according to police.

BestLife

LAPD releases body-cam video from shootings of two armed men

Following two fatal police shootings of armed men last month, the Los Angeles Police Department has released video footage of the incidents. A compilation of videos from several officers' body-worn cameras shows the violent culmination of a surreal, slow-motion pursuit of 30-year-old Rudolfo Torres on July 2 through the streets of Historic South-Central. After following Torres on foot for several blocks, officers tried to apprehend him and opened fire when he brandished a handgun, the videos show.

Los Angeles Times

Crime experts respond to Soros defending support for progressive DAs amid crime wave: 'Disastrous'

Liberal megadonor George Soros defended his support of progressive district attorneys across the country in a Wall Street Journal entry that placed blame on Republicans for rising crime - an excuse that several experts told Fox News Digital doesn't jibe with reality. "Some politicians and pundits have tried to blame recent spikes in crime on the policies of reform-minded prosecutors," the Hungarian-born billionaire wrote in The Wall Street Journal earlier this month, defending the massive amount of cash he has poured into district attorney races across the country.

Fox News

Inside the world of violent street racing mobs taking over Los Angeles

Violent street racing mobs are increasingly taking over streets across Los Angeles with deadly consequences, and some are blaming the city's widespread adoption of "woke" policies. Roving groups of young people in the hundreds block intersections and take over entire streets to watch the 2022 version of drag racing that often leaves innocent people injured and property destroyed. So far this year, 705 takeovers have occurred that left six people dead, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Washington Examiner

Brink's driver was asleep during massive SoCal jewelry heist: Lawsuit

Last month, thieves stole millions of dollars' worth of jewelry from a Brink's tractor-trailer in a late-night heist, and according to a new lawsuit filed by the security company, one of the drivers was asleep inside the vehicle during the robbery. The Brink's cargo trailer was headed for a jewelry show in Pasadena early on the morning of July 11 when it was robbed after the driver pulled over at a rest stop in Lebec.

ABC7

The battle against ghost guns: how LA County has tried to stop the sale of untraceable firearms (Video)

Despite the bans from the state and city officials, ghost guns have only exploded in popularity with police saying they've seen a 400% increase of these untraceable weapons on the streets. However, a new federal regulation has given officials a glimmer of hope in the fight against ghost guns. Ross Palombo sits down with L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón and LAPD Deputy Chief Kris Pitcher.

CBS News LA

Father arrested for attempted murder of 14-month-old son in North Hollywood

Detectives have arrested a father from North Hollywood on suspicion of causing catastrophic and permanent brain injuries to his 14-month-old son. Cesar Cabrera has been charged by prosecutors with one count each of child abuse causing great bodily injury and assault on a child resulting in paralysis of a permanent nature, authorities said late Wednesday. Cabrera was arrested Tuesday and has been released on bond. He is due in court next month.

NBC4

California/National

California Legislature approves sealing some criminal records

State lawmakers on Thursday, Aug. 18, approved legislation that would allow some Californians with criminal convictions to have those records sealed if they maintain a clean record, a move cheered by criminal justice reform advocates and harshly criticized by law enforcement. Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, a Los Angeles Democrat who wrote Senate Bill 731, said sealing the records would remove burdens on previously incarcerated individuals who face discrimination once they reenter society, including when applying for jobs and places to live.

Los Angeles Times

California Senate passes bill limiting use of rap lyrics in court

California's Senate passed a new bill Thursday that will firmly limit the ability of prosecutors to use rap lyrics as evidence and require judges to weigh whether they'll "inject racial bias" into a case, according to Billboard. California's new legislation. AB 2799, would ban rap lyrics from the courtroom unless prosecutors can directly link such lyrics to relevant facts in the case and won't "inject racial bias into the proceedings." Passed by the state's Senate by a unanimous vote on Thursday, A.B. 2799 will return to the state assembly for final tweaks by the Senate.

The National Desk

Thanks to Rick Caruso, attacks against California Democrats are coming from inside the house

The Los Angeles mayor's race is one of the hottest battles in California largely because one of the candidates, billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso, has spent more than $40 million, mostly out of his own pocket. Context: That's only $6 million shy of what Gavin Newsom spent in 2018 campaigning across the entire state. But some top party officials are ticked that Caruso is using his bottomless well of cash to implicate fellow Democrats in a series of campaign ads that have been carpet-bombing Southern California for months.

San Francisco Chronicle

CDCR announces potential data breach impacting incarcerated population, external stakeholders

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) today announced a potential data breach that included medical information on people who were tested for COVID-19 in the department from June 2020 through January 2022, including staff, visitors, and others. It did not include COVID testing information for the incarcerated population. The potential breach was discovered in early 2022, following routine maintenance on one of our information systems.

CDCR News Release

Convictions/Pleas/Sentences

Man who killed five in San Fernando Valley shooting spree sentenced to life in prison

A man convicted of killing five people in a random shooting spree in the San Fernando Valley in 2014 was sentenced this week to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said. Alexander Hernandez, 42, was found guilty in May of five counts of murder with special circumstances, 11 counts of attempted murder and several other charges including shooting at an occupied vehicle, animal cruelty and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Los Angeles Times

Son gets life in prison for killing dad, girlfriend in Aliso Viejo

A 31-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to life without the possibility of parole, plus 84 years and four months to life, for fatally shooting his father and his father's girlfriend and wounding two other roommates in the family's Aliso Viejo home after his father told him to stop drinking beer and get a job. Luke William Ferguson was convicted July 27 of two counts each of murder and attempted murder, along with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders.

City News Service

Militia member gets 10 1/2 years for role in murder of federal officer

A federal judge sentenced extremist militia member Robert Jesus Blancas to 10 1/2 years in prison Monday for destroying evidence related to two fatal shootings of law enforcement officers in 2020. Blancas, 35, was the first of a group of four men tied to the antigovernment "Boogaloo" movement to plead guilty to obstruction in connection with the killing of federal protective officer David Patrick Underwood on May 29 and Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller.

Courthouse News Service

South L.A. gang member who sold methamphetamine and crack cocaine at his storefront pleads guilty to conspiracy charge

A member of the Hoover Criminals Gang pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for conspiring to distribute narcotics, including crack cocaine and methamphetamine, which were sold at his storefront in South Los Angeles. Andrew Tate, 54, a.k.a. "Batman," of South Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He is the lead defendant in an indictment targeting the gang's members and associates as part of an investigation dubbed "Operation Hoover Dam."

Department of Justice Press Release

Corrections

Parole granted for three-strike felon

A Turlock man previously imprisoned for rape and racking up three strikes, has been found suitable for parole by the State Board of Parole, the Stanislaus County District Attorney's Office reported. Michael Edwin Mayfield, 58, of Turlock had accumulated three strikes under California law. His first strike goes back to May 1987 and was for a robbery that he was convicted of and sentenced to three years in prison. His second strike occurred just eight days after being paroled on November 26, 1988.

Turlock Journal

Articles of Interest

Who cares? Another dead cop': Florida firefighter terminated after text messages surface about deceased police officer

A Miami firefighter has been fired after text messages surfaced of him harshly criticizing law enforcement following the death of a Miami-Dade police officer. Kevin Newcomb of the City of Miami Fire Rescue was removed from duty and then fired on Friday following "antagonistic" messages he sent in a group chat about fallen Miami-Dade Police Officer Cesar Echaverry, a spokesperson told WSVN 7News. Echaverry, 29, was critically injured in a shooting on Monday, and he died in the hospital two days later, 7News reported.

Insider

USC, in statement, says it has complied with all requests from Tennessee tied to ex-Trojan Bru McCoy

USC says it is not standing in the way of former wide receiver Bru McCoy's quest to become eligible for the 2022 college football season at Tennessee. In a statement released Sunday, USC said it has promptly responded to every request from Tennessee related to McCoy's eligibility. McCoy, an ESPN top-30 recruit in 2019, entered the transfer portal in January, committed to Tennessee in May and has been practicing with the team as he awaits an eligibility decision from the NCAA.

ESPN

Arizona slammed over 8-foot rule for recording police actions

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming a new Arizona law, which makes it a crime to record police officers without permission, will stifle First Amendment rights. The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) joined the Arizona Broadcasters Association and eight other journalism organizations, represented by the ACLU and Ballard Spahr LLP, in the complaint, filed in the District of Arizona.

Courthouse News Service

Newman's Own Foundation sued by late actor's daughters: It has 'lost its way'

Saying their father had long attempted to instill his "benevolent charitable sensibilities" in his children, two daughters of Paul Newman said the Newman's Own Foundation has disregarded the late actor's wishes regarding his children. The foundation uses the name and images of the blue-eyed actor known for The Color of Money and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to sell salad dressing, salsa, lemonade and tomato sauce, donating the profits to charity.

Courthouse News Service

Harvey Weinstein's bid to appeal his New York conviction accepted by state high court

Fallen movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's latest bid to appeal his 2020 Manhattan conviction on sex crimes has been granted by New York's highest-level court on Wednesday, just months before his Los Angeles trial on similar charges is set to begin. "The Court of Appeals will hear Weinstein's case," Gary Spencer, information officer for the court in Albany, confirmed to USA TODAY. (In New York, the court known as the "Supreme" court in other states is instead called the Court of Appeals.)

USA Today

Ex-Mexico attorney general indicted in mass kidnapping case

A federal judge Wednesday indicted former Mexico Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam on charges of torture, forced disappearance and crimes against the administration of justice related to the Ayotzinapa mass kidnapping case. Murillo, attorney general when 43 Ayotzinapa teachers training college students were kidnapped and murdered in Iguala, Guerrero, in September 2014, was arrested this past Friday.

Courthouse News Service

Pensions

US pension funds up real estate exposure to offset risking risks

U.S. public pension funds are increasing their allocations to real estate in an effort to hedge against volatile market conditions, according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence. An examination of the latest meeting minutes and investment reports of the 40 largest U.S. public pension schemes in June found increased real estate investment to be the most commonly cited change to investment strategy. The change is in part triggered by market volatility.

S&P Global

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