Supreme Court of California Decisions 2015
Date: December 31, 2015
Docket Number: S206587
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1974, the state of California joined the Multistate Tax Compact, which contained an apportionment formula and permitted a taxpayer election between the Compact’s formula and any other formula provided by state law. In…
Date: December 24, 2015
Docket Number: S115872
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of premeditated murder and attempted murder. The jury found that the murder was committed with the special circumstance that the victim was a peace officer engaged in the…
Date: December 17, 2015
Docket Number: S213478
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, the Bar Area Air Quality Management District passed a resolution adopting new thresholds of significance for air pollutants and published new California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) air quality guidelines.…
Date: December 10, 2015
Docket Number: S209643
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of petty theft with a prior-theft related conviction. Before Defendant was released from prison, the Board of Parole Hearings found that Defendant met the criteria for commitment as a Mentally…
Date: December 10, 2015
Docket Number: S213132
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff was seriously injured in a collision between his vehicle and another that occurred at an intersection in San Diego County. Plaintiff and his wife sued the County for maintaining an allegedly dangerous condition…
Date: December 3, 2015
Docket Number: S120583
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death for the two murders. The Supreme Court…
Date: December 3, 2015
Docket Number: S216305
Justia Opinion Summary: This case was a putative class action challenging an herb grower’s (Defendant) marketing of its herbs as organic. Defendant sought judgment on the pleadings on federal preemption and primary jurisdiction grounds, arguing…
Date: November 30, 2015
Docket Number: S213066
Justia Opinion Summary: A private citizen called a 911 operator to report an incident of suspected child abuse during the child’s visit with his father. A deputy sheriff, who was dispatched to investigate the report, determined that the child…
Date: November 30, 2015
Docket Number: S217763
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case was the adequacy of an environment impact report certified by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) for a land development in northwest Los Angeles County. Plaintiffs challenged DFW’s…
Date: October 26, 2015
Docket Number: S152737
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the delay in bringing charges against Defendant did not violate his due process rights;…
Date: October 26, 2015
Docket Number: S216986
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case was whether Cal. Labor Code 4458.2, which provides workers’ compensation benefits to certain peace officers injured in the line of duty, applies to both volunteer peace officers and to regularly…
Date: October 15, 2015
Docket Number: S216648
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of violating Cal. Penal Code 451(b), which forbids arson of “an inhabited structure or inhabited property.” Specifically, the jury found Defendant guilty of “arson of an…
Date: August 27, 2015
Docket Number: S055856
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendants Orlando Gene Romero and Christopher Self were convicted of three counts of first-degree murder, four counts of premeditated attempted murder, and numerous other crimes. The trial court entered judgments of…
Date: August 27, 2015
Docket Number: S210234
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with attempted murder and assault with a firearm. The prosecution alleged that these offenses were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang and were thus subject to a sentence enhancement…
Date: August 24, 2015
Docket Number: S073205
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of attempted robbery and first degree murder, among other charges. The jury returned a verdict of death for the murder, and the trial court sentenced Defendant to death. The…
Date: August 24, 2015
Docket Number: S093803
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder. Defendant was sentenced to death for the murder. While this appeal was pending, the United States District Court for the Central District of California…
Date: August 24, 2015
Docket Number: S215300
Justia Opinion Summary: The supervisor of Plaintiff, a firefighter, maintained a “daily log” regarding the employees he supervised. The daily log consisted of notes that memorialized the supervisor’s thoughts and observations of employees,…
Date: August 20, 2015
Docket Number: S205889
Justia Opinion Summary: This case concerned an insured’s assignment of the right to invoke defense and indemnification coverage under a liability policy issued by Hartford Accident & Indemnity Company. The Supreme Court held in Henkel Corp. v.…
Date: August 20, 2015
Docket Number: S220775
Justia Opinion Summary: Client advanced Attorney funds to cover attorney’s fees in litigation. After Client terminated the representation, Attorney refused to return the unearned attorney’s fees. Attorney demurred on the ground that the lawsuit…
Date: August 17, 2015
Docket Number: S211078
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2006, Defendant was declared a mentally disordered offender and committed to Atascadero State Hospital as a condition of parole. In 2011, the Santa Clara County District Attorney filed a third petition to extend…
Date: August 17, 2015
Docket Number: S211329
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1998, Defendant pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI) to one count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and was committed to Napa State Hospital. In 2011, the Santa Clara County District Attorney…
Date: August 13, 2015
Docket Number: S076340
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of murder and related charges. Defendant was sentenced to death for the murders. The Supreme Court struck the sentence enhancements under Cal. Penal Code…
Date: August 13, 2015
Docket Number: S208130
Justia Opinion Summary: The negligent driving of a third party driver caused another car to strike a magnolia tree planted on a center median owned and maintained by the City of Los Angeles. The collision with the tree resulted in the deaths or…
Date: August 10, 2015
Docket Number: S211645
Justia Opinion Summary: A commercial general liability insurer initially refused to defend its insured against a third-party lawsuit but subsequently provided independent counsel under a reservation of rights (so-called Cumis counsel) to defend…
Date: August 6, 2015
Docket Number: S218993
Justia Opinion Summary: A police officer investigating an emergency call regarding a fight pulled behind Defendant’s parked vehicle and activated the emergency lights on his patrol car. The officer approached and spoke with Defendant, who was…
Date: August 3, 2015
Docket Number: S199119
Justia Opinion Summary: In this dispute over the sale of a car, Plaintiff filed a class action lawsuit against Defendant, alleging, inter alia, that Defendant violated the Consumer Legal Remedies Act by making false representations about the…
Date: August 3, 2015
Docket Number: S199557
Justia Opinion Summary: At dispute in this case was an environmental impact report (EIR) certified by the Board of Trustees (Board) of the California State University (CSU) that concerned the Board’s project to expand the campus of San Diego…
Date: July 27, 2015
Docket Number: S199435
Justia Opinion Summary: The testator in this case prepared a holographic will providing that, if he and his wife died at the same time, specific charities would inherit his estate and providing that his wife would inherit his estate if he…
Date: July 20, 2015
Docket Number: S210804
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff sued Defendants for breach of contract and related claims. Defendants failed to file a responsive pleading, and the clerk entered Defendants’ default. The court then entered a default judgment. Defendants filed…
Date: July 20, 2015
Docket Number: S215050
Justia Opinion Summary: Cal. Fam. Code 771(a) provides that the “earnings and accumulations of a spouse…,while living separate and apart from the other spouse, are the separate property of the spouse.” On December 30, 2008, Wife filed for…
Date: July 13, 2015
Docket Number: S218597
Justia Opinion Summary: Roy Caputo, Wade Faerber, and Matthew Neel leased commercial space from DKN Holdings LLC and were each jointly and severally liable on this contract. Caputo later sued DKN for, inter alia, breach of contract. DKN…
Date: July 9, 2015
Docket Number: S105857
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of first degree murder by personal use of a firearm and second degree murder by personal use of a firearm. The jury further found true that Defendant committed the first…
Date: July 9, 2015
Docket Number: S213819
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case was under what circumstances an accomplice who lacks the intent to kill may qualify as a “major participant” in a felony murder so as to be statutorily eligible for the death penalty. Defendant…
Date: July 6, 2015
Docket Number: S221296
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this criminal case was whether the prosecution’s obligation under Brady v. Maryland and its progeny would be satisfied if it simply informs the defense that the confidential personnel records of police…
Date: July 2, 2015
Docket Number: S051342
Justia Opinion Summary: After a bench trial, Defendant was convicted of the first degree murders of three victims. A jury was sworn for the penalty phase and returned a verdict of death. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death for the…
Date: July 2, 2015
Docket Numbers: S219454, S219819
Justia Opinion Summary: In two separate cases in 1998, Defendants were convicted of criminal offenses. The jury sentenced them under the Three Strikes Law. In 2012, the electorate passed Proposition 36, which authorizes prisoners serving…
Date: June 29, 2015
Docket Number: S056766
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of two counts of murder, sixteen counts of robbery, and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and related charges. The jury sentenced Defendant to death. Defendant…
Date: June 25, 2015
Docket Number: S215260
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of three first degree murders and of conspiracy to participate in a criminal street gang and to commit murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The jury found true several enhancements. Defendant…
Date: June 25, 2015
Docket Number: S217896
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case were devices that resemble traditional casino-style slot machines in certain respects and offer users the chance to win sweepstakes prizes. The five Defendants in this ran businesses using devices…
Date: June 22, 2015
Docket Number: S107782
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial in 1989, David Welch was found guilty of six counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The trial court sentenced Welch to death. The Supreme Court affirmed on appeal. Welch…
Date: June 15, 2015
Docket Number: S202921
Justia Opinion Summary: At issue in this case was whether Cal. Penal Code 1170.1(f) precludes a trial court from imposing both a firearm enhancement under Cal. Penal Code 12022.5, former subdivision (a)(1), and a gang enhancement under Cal.…
Date: June 15, 2015
Docket Number: S212072
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2010, the City of San Jose enacted an inclusionary housing ordinance that requires all new residential development projects of twenty or more units to sell at least fifteen percent of the for-sale units at a price…
Date: June 8, 2015
Docket Number: S064858
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder, rape, and sodomy. Defendant also pleaded guilty to charges arising from separate burglaries committed after the charged murder. The trial court…
Date: June 1, 2015
Docket Number: S076337
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of one count of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder. There were four penalty trials in this case, and the fourth penalty trial jury returned a verdict of…
Date: June 1, 2015
Docket Number: S215132
Justia Opinion Summary: Before Gilton Pitre was paroled from state prison the State Department of Mental Health (DMH) assessed whether he should be civilly committed under the Sexually Violent Predators Act (SVPA). The DMH ultimately did not…
Date: May 28, 2015
Docket Number: S083594
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial in 1999, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder, second degree murder, and second degree robbery. Defendant stipulated to a 1971 prior second degree murder conviction alleged as a special…
Date: May 28, 2015
Docket Number: S212940
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pleaded no contested in a negotiated disposition to felony hit and run. The plea agreement provided that Defendant would pay restitution directly to any victim. Defendant was later placed on probation and…
Date: May 28, 2015
Docket Number: S215637
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2008, Brandon Clark fell ten feet while working as a carpenter for Employer. Clark’s workers’ compensation doctor prescribed various drugs to treat Clark’s injuries, and Clark’s personal doctor prescribed additional…
Date: May 18, 2015
Docket Number: S212157
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was charged with felony infliction of corporal injury in violation of Cal. Penal Code 273.5(a). The information further alleged that Defendant had suffered a prior conviction under section 273.5. At trial,…
Date: May 18, 2015
Docket Number: S212346
Justia Opinion Summary: The District Attorney filed a petition to declare sixteen-year-old R.V. (“Minor”) a ward of the juvenile court. When the juvenile court determined there was substantial evidence raising a doubt regrading Minor’s…
Date: May 7, 2015
Docket Number: S198616
Justia Opinion Summary: Bayer AG and Bayer Corporation (collectively, Bayer) marketed Cipro, an antibiotic. In 1987, Bayer was issued a United States patent on the active ingredient in Cipro. Twelve years before the expiration of the patent,…
Date: May 4, 2015
Docket Number: S213100
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff, a firefighter, sued Defendant, his employer, alleging disability discrimination in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The trial court granted summary judgment in favor of…
Date: April 30, 2015
Docket Number: S097414
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of the first degree murders of Mary Kopatz and Carley Kopatz. The jury returned a verdict of death, and the trial court imposed that sentence. The Supreme Court affirmed,…
Date: April 27, 2015
Docket Number: S112442A
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder, with the special circumstance of torture, false imprisonment by violence, and conspiracy to commit murder. The jury recommended a sentence of death, and…
Date: April 23, 2015
Docket Number: S217128
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant, a second-strike offender, was convicted of eleven offenses arising from sexual assaults on two separate victims. At issue in this appeal was the trial court’s imposition of an alternative sentence under the…
Date: April 9, 2015
Docket Number: S208611
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2000, California voters enacted Proposition 39, which provides that school districts must share their facilities with charter schools so that charter school students have access to facilities “reasonably equivalent”…
Date: April 6, 2015
Docket Number: S205145
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of one count of willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder and three counts of threatening to commit a crime resulting in death or great bodily injury. During…
Date: April 6, 2015
Docket Number: S213545
Justia Opinion Summary: After four chemical tests were administered to Plaintiff revealing her blood-alcohol concentration to be between 0.08 to 0.096 percent, Plaintiff’s license was suspended, and she was charged with drunk driving. Plaintiff…
Date: March 5, 2015
Docket Number: S211596
Justia Opinion Summary: A homeowners association and some of its individual members (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) filed this suit against a homeowner alleging (1) their housing development tract, which included the homeowner’s property, was a…
Date: March 5, 2015
Docket Number: S211840
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant pleaded guilty to violating Cal. Ins. Code 11880(a) and admitted various enhancements. Defendant was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Approximately one and a half years into the sentence, the Secretary of…
Date: March 2, 2015
Docket Number: S187965
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant engaged in conduct that led to a charge of committing a lewd act on a child. The jury convicted Defendant of the lesser misdemeanor offense of simple assault. The sentencing court exercised its discretion to…
Date: March 2, 2015
Docket Number: S201116
Justia Opinion Summary: The City of Berkeley approved a permit application to build a 6,478-square-foot house with an attached 3,394-square-foot garage. In approving the permit, the City relied on two class exemptions making the project exempt…
Date: March 2, 2015
Docket Number: S206143
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioners in this consolidated habeas corpus proceeding were registered sex offenders on active parole in San Diego County against whom Cal. Pen. Code 3003.5(b) was applied. Section 3003.5(b) imposed mandatory…
Date: February 26, 2015
Docket Number: S093235
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder, first degree burglary, first degree robbery, and carjacking. The jury returned a verdict of death, and the trial court imposed that sentence. The…
Date: February 26, 2015
Docket Number: S214221
Justia Opinion Summary: Under the Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) Act, motorists receive emergency roadside assistance on California’s highways. The FSP program is administered by, among other agencies, the Department of the California Highway…
Date: February 19, 2015
Docket Number: S214679
Justia Opinion Summary: The Center for Investigative Reporting filed a Public Records Act request for copies of all citations issued by the Department of Public Health (DPH) to the long-term health care facilities the Center was investigating.…
Date: February 5, 2015
Docket Number: S215927
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant was convicted of three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, one count each for the three persons who died in the incident. The trial court enhanced Defendant’s sentence for “personally inflicting great…
Date: January 29, 2015
Docket Number: S207536
Justia Opinion Summary: An Employee was terminated for engaging in outside employment in violation of company policy during his absence on approved medical leave. The Employee sued, arguing that the Employer violated his right to reinstatement…
Date: January 29, 2015
Docket Number: S209167
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiff was convicted of nonforcible oral copulation by an adult over twenty-one years with a person under sixteen years of age in violation of Cal. Penal Code 288a(b)(2). Plaintiff’s conviction resulted in mandatory…
Date: January 12, 2015
Docket Number: S213571
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of one count of corporal injury on a spouse. The trial court placed Defendant on probation and, without objection, imposed various fees, including probation-related costs and…
Date: January 12, 2015
Docket Number: S213687
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of buying, receiving, concealing, or withholding stolen property. The trial court placed Defendant on probation and imposed probation supervision and presentence…
Date: January 8, 2015
Docket Number: S212704
Justia Opinion Summary: Security guards employed by CPS Security Solutions, Inc. filed two class action lawsuits - which were later consolidated - alleging that CPS’s on-call compensation policy violated minimum wage and overtime obligations…
Date: January 5, 2015
Docket Number: S076339
Justia Opinion Summary: After a jury trial, Appellant was convicted of one count of murder with burglary and robbery special circumstances and other offenses. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death for the murder. The Supreme Court…
Date: January 5, 2015
Docket Number: S213003
Justia Opinion Summary: Petitioner was found not guilty by reason of insanity of killing his father in 1981. Petitioner was committed to state hospital for a period reflecting the maximum term for voluntary manslaughter. In 2012, the district…
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