US – Attorney Legal Counsel

Barrington Plaza tenants seek nearly $1M in attorneys’ fees

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 08:41:07 +0000

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Barrington Plaza residents win fight against eviction

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Tenants of the Barrington Plaza apartments who have been fighting their evictions from the West Los Angeles complex won a major victory Thursday when a judge issued a tentative ruling finding the building’s owners improperly ordered tenants to vacate while never intending to “permanently” remove the units from the rental market.

LOS ANGELES – Tenants of the Barrington Plaza apartments in West Los Angeles, who won a major victory in July when a judge finalized a ruling finding the building’s owners improperly ordered tenants to vacate while never intending to “permanently” remove the units from the rental market, are now seeking nearly $1 million in attorneys’ fees.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: West LA Barrington Plaza residents win fight against eviction

The rent-controlled three-tower complex is owned by Douglas Emmett Inc. and Barrington Pacific LLC, which maintained the evictions were necessary to install fire sprinklers and other fire-safety infrastructure in a complex with a history of dangerous fires. But tenants facing eviction sued in 2023, saying the owners were unlawfully using the 1985 Ellis Act to evict all residents, and that the legislation actually was created to allow mom-and-pop landlords to leave the rental business and take the units off the rental market.

In court papers filed Thursday with Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Jay Ford III in advance of a Jan. 30 hearing, the tenants’ attorneys state that an award of $925,075 in attorneys’ fees is warranted for multiple reasons, including that the plaintiffs’ declaratory relief action “enforced important rights affecting the public resulting in the invalidation of hundreds of eviction notices seeking to oust tenants from one of Los Angeles’ largest rent stabilized apartment complexes, the largest mass eviction in Los Angeles history.”

Moreover, a significant benefit has been conferred on the general public because the lawsuit and the decision handed down was well-publicized and clarified that landlords may not seek to evict tenants under the Ellis Act when the owner only intends to displace tenants temporarily in order to make building repairs, according to the tenants’ attorneys’ court papers.

The tenants had to undertake private legal action because the city of Los Angeles would not file suit on their behalf, according to the tenants’ lawyers pleadings.

After a seven-day nonjury trial, Ford found that building owners Barrington Pacific and Douglas Emmett Inc. violated the requirements of the Ellis Act and the city’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance because they always envisioned returning the units to the rental market after the renovations were completed, even if those renovations took years to complete.

“Based on the preponderance of the evidence, the court finds on May 8, 2023, when Barrington Pacific filed its Notice of Intent to Withdraw Units from Rental Housing Use with the city and served its notice of termination on its tenants, Barrington Pacific did not intend to permanently remove those apartments from the rental market under the RSO or otherwise intend `to go out of business’ as contemplated under the Ellis Act,” Ford wrote. “But rather, Barrington Pacific had the intent to `temporarily’ withdraw the apartments in Barrington Plaza from rental use with the specific intent to relet those apartments as soon as it completed its planned renovations to all the apartments including installing fire and safety improvements, fire sprinklers, and other modernization upgrades, all which Barrington Pacific planned for and expected would take three to five years to complete.”

Tenants’ attorney Fran Campbell argued during the trial that a landlord “who is evicting its tenants under the Ellis Act to make repairs is not `going out of business.’ It is improving its property so it can increase its rents in the future, which is part of the business of landlording.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

The defense is appealing Ford’s rulings.

In October 2013, a fire erupted on the 11th floor of one of the complex’s towers, injuring two people, including a young girl, and displacing 100-150 residents. In January 2020, a fire began on the seventh floor, killing a 19-year-old exchange student from France and injuring about a dozen others, including three firefighters and a 3-month-old child.

Located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Barrington Avenue in West Los Angeles, eight floors in one of the complex’s three towers have been red-tagged and out of service since that 2020 fire. According to the building owners, renovation plans were submitted to the city later that year, but the city’s approval was conditioned on installation of sprinklers and other “life- safety equipment” throughout all three towers.

Building owners said last year the renovations were expected to cost more than $300 million. Attorneys for the owners argued during the trial that the renovations would likely mean extensive rebuilding of the buildings’ interiors and the apartments, meaning the existing units will essentially be demolished.

Barrington Plaza was built in 1961, prior to the 1974 ordinance requiring sprinklers in new high-rise buildings.

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Fort Worth police officer’s attorneys claim 2016 incident is to blame for recent arrest

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 18:09:01 +0000

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fort Worth Police Officer William Martin arrested

Fort Worth police say Martin did a “jail walkthrough” on Friday, meaning he walked in with his attorney to turn himself in, was fingerprinted, posted bond and walked out. He did not spend any time detained.

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Fort Worth police officer who was arrested after an off-duty shooting says he was doing his duty when he chased a driver who hit his car.

Fort Worth police arrested Officer William Martin on Friday and charged him with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Martin was leaving work in his Honda Accord on September 3, when he says he was hit by a Ford F-150.

He then chased the driver as he talked with 911.

In a sworn affidavit provided to FOX 4 by his legal team, Martin claims he eventually boxed the driver in and the truck rammed his car.

He says he got out of his vehicle, pointed his gun at the truck and demanded that the driver get out.

When he heard the truck’s engine rev and move forward, he opened fire.

“I believe then, as I believe now, that the driver would have run over me if I had not taken defensive action,” Martin wrote in his affidavit.

While Martin says he intended to identify himself as an officer, it’s not clear in the statement if he ever did.

The driver of the truck, later identified as Samuel Christopher, was struck multiple times but survived.

Christopher’s attorneys tell FOX 4 he was “unarmed” and that he’s cooperating with law enforcement related to the investigation.

Martin’s attorneys also say that their client is cooperating with the police investigation, but that his past is getting in the way of the investigation.

“Once it was leaked (by who?) to the media that the events of September 3, 2024 involved the same officer as was involved in the ‘Jackie Craig’ case, it is our belief that, no matter the objective facts of September 3, 2024, the arrest of Officer Martin was a foregone conclusion,” wrote P. Michael Schneider, Martin’s attorney.

Martin was released on bond after his arrest on Friday.

He is currently on “detached duty” from the Fort Worth Police Department pending an Internal Affairs investigation into the incident.

Jacqueline Craig Arrest

Martin, who has worked for the Fort Worth Police Department for 19 years, received a 10-day suspension for a high-profile arrest in 2016.

Jacqueline Craig and her daughter complained that Martin used excessive force on them after Craig called police to complain about her neighbor.

Video showed Martin wrestling Craig and one of her daughters to the ground. The incident was released online and caught attention nationwide.

The Craig family sued Martin saying the force used in the arrest was unconstitutionally excessive, but a panel of judges on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Martin, overruling a district court.

Craig’s family later settled a lawsuit with the city for $150,000.

Martin appealed his suspension in the case, but the appeal was denied.

The Source

Information in this article comes from a press release and sworn affidavit from William Martin and his attorneys, Fort Worth Police, court records and past FOX 4 media coverage.

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Houston attorneys file lawsuit against property management after fatal stabbing

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 16:38:02 +0000

A physician’s family has decided not to sue the apartment complex where she was fatally stabb Dr. Talat Jehan Khan’s, a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Pediatrics, lost her life in the complex, leaving behind her husband and two children. The stabbing occurred around 12:30 p.m. within a common area of the Alys Luxury Living Apartments on October 28, 2023.

ORIGINAL STORY: Texas Children’s pediatrician stabbed multiple times in Conroe, suspect arrested

During and after Dr. Khan’s death, the family attorneys assert that the property exhibited security lapses: an unmanned security checkpoint booth, a malfunctioning electronic entry keypad, and open gates. Records of crime incidents depict violent crimes reported nearby from late 2018 to the end of 2023, including burglaries, aggravated assaults, and homicides.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Family remembers Houston pediatrician stabbed to death in Conroe

Commenting on the lawsuit, attorney Mo Aziz said, “Apartment complexes and the management companies that own and operate them, have a duty to maintain the safety of the premises. The danger of ill-maintained and inoperable gates is foreseeable, yet management companies, and their employees, fail to repair or remedy the dangerous condition.”

FOX 26 Houston is now on the FOX LOCAL app available through Apple TV, Amazon FireTV, Roku and Google Android TV!

Houston attorneys Mo Aziz of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, and Bilaal Badat have initiated legal action against Knightvest Management, LLC, Knightvest, LLC, Massandra KV Regency, LLC, and Massandra KV Regency, LLC d/b/a Alys Luxury Living.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE

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Republican attorneys general threaten YouTube over ‘misleading’ label on pro-life videos

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 07:06:56 +0000

YouTube posts similar notices on videos about abortion posted by pro-abortion accounts.

“The last sentence of the notice is both false and misleading,” the attorneys general said in their letter. “It suggests that chemical abortions are performed by trained professionals. They are not. Although surgical abortions are still typically ‘done by a licensed health care professional,’ under current FDA protocols chemical abortions are ‘done by’ pregnant women themselves.”

Alabama attorney General Steve Marshall told CNA that YouTube’s abortion notice “is the latest troubling instance of Big Tech targeting of conservative viewpoints” and that “worse still,” YouTube is doing so “by spreading false and dangerous statements.”

The letter explains that chemical abortions are commonly carried out in a woman’s home without any supervision by a health care professional and that “roughly” 1 in 25 women who take abortion pills end up in the emergency room.

According to the letter, state attorneys general are authorized to take legal action against Google and YouTube because of their “need to exercise our consumer-protection authority to protect pregnant women and other consumers from your falsehoods.”

“By asserting that chemical abortions are performed by licensed health care professionals, YouTube lies to our constituents and the rest of the American public.”

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Gilgo Beach Murders: Attorney challenges prosecutor’s conclusions

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 19:44:59 +0000

The attorney for two Gilgo Beach victims’ families whose cases remain unresolved is casting doubt on prosecutors’ conclusions regarding the death of one of his clients and whether the suspected killer’s wife was out of town during the murders as investigators have maintained.

If the attorney for several Gilgo victims’ families is right that Rex Heuermann’s wife played a role assisting her suspected serial killer husband, the entire case against him would fall apart due to “reasonable doubt,” Asa Ellerup’s lawyer argues, while denying the allegations.

Although Suffolk County District attorney Ray Tierney has said repeatedly that Ellerup was out of town during each of the murders her husband is accused of committing, attorney John Ray questioned that conclusion Tuesday night at a symposium he hosted at St. John’s University in Queens.

SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER REX HEUERMANN’S WIFE WANTS TO SELL GUN COLLECTION SEIZED BY POLICE

Asa Ellerup and attorney Bob Macedonio arrive at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Riverhead, N.Y., Jan. 16, 2024. (Robert Miller for Fox News Digital)

If Tierney is wrong about Ellerup, the entire case could fall apart, her lawyer, Bob Macedonio, told Fox News Digital.

“When, in the course of any investigations on any criminal matters, do they do that up front in a bail application?” he said. “Very, very rarely. … If he’s wrong, it creates reasonable doubt in his whole case.”

But, according to Ray, he spoke to a hotel manager who told him Ellerup and her children arrived in Atlantic City later than when investigators believe they did, which would mean they would have been in town during at least one of the murders.

John Ray, an attorney who represents the families of Shannan Gilbert and Jessica Taylor, delivers remarks at a press conference after Rex Heuermann was arrested as a suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings in Massapequa Park, Long Island, New York

Macedonio has denied that claim outright and sent a letter to the hotel Ray identified demanding it either disclose the employee responsible for a “breach” of his client’s confidential information or comment on the record if the claim is untrue.

Ray also said he has a witness who met the suspected killer and his wife at a “swinger party” in 1996, another claim Macedonio has vehemently rejected.

“The DA’s statement would be a potential problem if it were wrong,” said Neama Rahmani, a Los Angeles-based former federal prosecutor with no ties to the case. “But why would the DA argue something they were unsure of?”

Ray represents the family of Shannan Gilbert, the 25-year-old woman who vanished May 1, 2010, after telling a 911 dispatcher, “There’s somebody after me.” Gilbert’s disappearance kicked off an investigation that ultimately uncovered 11 bodies along a stretch of Ocean Parkway, about 45 miles east of New York City.

The remains included the “Gilgo Four” — Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Costello, 27. Their families are being represented by another prominent attorney, Gloria Allred, who made a surprise appearance at Heuermann’s most recent court date in January, when Suffolk County prosecutors announced the charges in Brainard-Barnes’ death.

The “Gilgo Four” clockwise from top left: Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello. The background shows a wooden cross in the marsh next to Gilgo Beach, N.Y., where their remains were found in the brush just yar

Their bodies were disposed of near one another and under similar circumstances. Heuermann is facing murder charges in each of their deaths.

“The FBI, Suffolk detectives, deputy sheriffs, everybody across the law enforcement board has eliminated Asa and Victoria (Heuermann) as suspects and as even being in the jurisdiction during any of the four homicides,” Macedonio said.

Shannan Gilbert’s remains were found near Oak Beach, N.Y., Dec. 13, 2011. (The family of Shannan Gilbert)

Further along the highway, police found seven additional sets of remains, including Gilbert’s.

Police said in 2022 they believed Gilbert died accidentally while running in the marsh after placing an erratic 911 call in which she sounded heavily inebriated and disoriented while pleading for help.

A task force investigating the Gilgo Beach murders is still examining the remaining deaths, Tierney said.

GILGO BEACH SERIAL KILLER: WHY DNA FROM SUSPECT REX HEUERMANN’S DAUGHTER MATTERS

Rex Heuermann’s estranged wife Asa Ellerup, center, and daughter Victoria Heuermann, left, depart the Suffolk County Courthouse in Riverhead, N.Y., Jan. 16, 2024. (Robert Miller for Fox News Digital)

“Shannan came from a house party, which was no relation to any of Rex’s allegations of being at house parties up there,” Macedonio said. “And you look at serial killers, serial killers work alone. They don’t work in teams.”

Ray said he has witnesses who linked Heuermann to Gilbert’s death and to the disappearance of Karen Vergata, who was last seen alive on Valentine’s Day in 1996.

Vergata’s hands and feet were recovered in 1996 on Fire Island, which is to the east of Gilgo Beach.

However, she was not identified until earlier this year.

Crime scene investigators use metal detectors to search a marsh for the remains of Shannan Gilbert, Dec. 12, 2011, in Oak Beach, N.Y. (James Carbone/Newsday via AP, Pool, File)

There could be a financial payout for the victim’s families if Ellerup is somehow linked to the crimes. She is divorcing her architect husband and recently signed a deal for a streaming documentary with 50 Cent as the producer.

“A lot of people think Ellerup knew what Heuermann was up to, even if she didn’t actually participate in the murders as an accomplice or accessory,” Rahmani said. “At a minimum, there are allegations that Ellerup was present at the sex parties and lied about being out of town when the murders happened.”

SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER REX HEUERMANN’S LAWYER DEFENDS ‘SADISTIC’ INTERNET SEARCHES IN GILGO BEACH CASE

Rex Heuermann appears inside Judge Timothy P. Mazzei’s courtroom with his attorney Michael Brown at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead Jan. 16, 2024. (James Carbone/Newsday via Pool)

Those allegations were raised in an affidavit last year by an anonymous witness who appeared in person at Ray’s symposium Tuesday and elaborated on the claim.

“That’s why I’m surprised Ellerup is participating in the Peacock documentary,” Rahmani added. “She may need the money, but she also has potential criminal exposure.”

While former Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison once stood beside Ray during a press conference on the explosive allegations, Tierney’s office responded with a press release noting that private attorneys for families are not part of the law enforcement task force.

“Any citizen who believes that they have relevant evidence regarding the Gilgo Beach investigation should report it to the investigative agencies that comprise the Task Force,” he said at the time. “Those agencies are the Suffolk County District attorney’s Office, the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Bureau, Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

LINK: FOR UPDATES ON THIS STORY, VISIT FOXNEWS.COM

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Young Thug YSL trial livestream

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 15:57:20 +0000

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. – The trial of Young Thug and his YSL co-defendants is entering its 23rd day in Fulton County with more testimony from law enforcement officers.

Defense attorneys are expected to cross-examine Brookhaven Police Officer David Fikes, who testified on Tuesday about an incident in 2017 involving a gun found inside a vehicle.

According to reports from Brookhaven police at the time, officers pulled over the rapper, whose given name is Jeffrey Williams, for an alleged illegal tint violation. During a search of the car, officials say they found narcotics, two firearms, and a large amount of cash inside the vehicle.

Earlier in the day, Atlanta Police Officer Wesley Floyd testified about a 2016 carjacking. Brian Steel, who represents the Young Thug, attempted to poke holes in his testimony in an attempt to demonstrate Williams had no connection to the incident and that Christian Eppinger, the suspect accused in the crime, had his case severed from the rest of the defendants.

The trial is set to begin Wednesday morning. FOX 5 will stream the proceedings on this story and on its YouTube page.

When was Young Thug arrested?

Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, was arrested on May 9, 2022, after a sweeping 88-page indictment accused him of being the co-founder of Young Slime Life, or YSL, a subset of the Bloods street gang. Prosecutors allege those named in the indictment have engaged in violent criminal activity in the city since 2012.

Jeffery Lamar Williams, who goes by the stage name Young Thug, was arrested on May 9, 2022. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

Despite requests for bond and an elaborate house arrest plan proposed to the court, Williams remained behind bars after concerns were raised over witness intimidation.

What are the charges Young Thug faces?

A Fulton County grand jury indicted Young Thug in May 2022, and more charges were added in a subsequent indictment in August of that year. The second indictment accuses Young Thug and 27 other people of conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The rapper is also accused of participation in criminal street gang activity, as well as drug and gun charges.

Prosecutors say Young Thug and two other people co-founded a violent criminal street gang in 2012 called Young Slime Life, or YSL, which they say is associated with the national Bloods gang. The indictment says Young Thug “made YSL a well-known name by referring to it in his songs and on social media.”

In addition to specific charges, the August indictment includes a wide-ranging list of 191 acts that prosecutors say were committed between 2013 and 2022 as part of the alleged conspiracy to further the gang’s interests.

Included in that list is an allegation that Young Thug threatened in July 2015 to shoot a security guard who was trying to get him to leave an Atlanta-area mall. The indictment also says Young Thug rented a silver Infiniti sedan that was used in the killing of a rival gang member. And, on numerous occasions, he and others are alleged to have possessed various illegal drugs that they intended to distribute.

What do Young Thug’s defense lawyers say?

Young Thug’s lawyers have said in multiple court filings that he is innocent of all crimes charged in the indictment. They argue that YSL is simply a record label. The rapper has pleaded not guilty.

Multiple defense attorneys in the case have said prosecutors were overzealous in their use of the RICO statute and the anti-gang law, both of which carry heavy penalties.

Who else is charged in the Young Thug YSL RICO trial?

Rapper Gunna, whose given name is Sergio Kitchens, was charged with a single count of racketeering conspiracy. He entered an Alford plea in December, which means he maintains his innocence but recognizes that it’s in his best interest to plead guilty.

During Gunna’s plea hearing, the rapper responded, “Yes, ma’am” when a prosecutor said that “YSL is a music label and a gang” and that he had knowledge that its members or associates had committed crimes in furtherance of the gang.

The other two people accused of co-founding the YSL gang — Walter Murphy and Trontavious Stephens — were also charged. They each pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-racketeering law.

The remaining defendants are Marquavius Huey, Deamonte “Yak Gotti” Kendrick, Quamarvious Nichols, Rodalius Ryan and Shannon Stillwell.

What penalties does Young Thug face if he’s convicted?

Young Thug’s racketeering conspiracy charge and two gang charges each carry a penalty of five to 20 years in prison. The other five charges also carry potential prison time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Londregan’s attorney files motion to dismiss murder charge

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:54:10 +0000

Ryan Londregan’s attorney statement on charges

Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan’s attorney, Chris Madel, released a video statement after Londregan was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis. (This video is looped.)

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Hours after the Hennepin County attorney‘s Office filed a murder charge against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan in the fatal shooting of Ricky Cobb II, Londregan’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him.

In the court filing, Londregan’s attorney cited abuse of the grand jury process. It reads: “Londregan moves the court for an order dismissing the state’s complaint for abuse of the grand jury process, in that the state empaneled a grand jury and, when the grand jury did not return an indictment, proceeded to charge defendant via complaint, thus using the grand jury improperly as a substitute for discovery.”

A court date for the filing has not been set.

Londegren was charged Wednesday with second-degree unintentional murder, second-degree manslaughter and first-degree assault in connection to the July 31, 2023, traffic stop. These charges come nearly six months after the fatal shooting, and follow calls from Cobb’s family for the firing and charging of Londregan.

Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan. (Supplied)

Minnesota State Patrol troopers pulled over Cobb during a traffic stop on Interstate 94 near 42nd Avenue around 1:50 a.m. on July 31, 2023. Authorities previously said Cobb had a felony warrant out of Ramsey County and attempted to detain him when he fled. A trooper then shot Cobb, and he died from his injuries.

Dash camera and body camera videos that were released show the three troopers approaching Cobb’s vehicle and asking him to get out of the car, and then they attempt to physically remove him after he refused to exit. Londregan then fired his gun, killing Cobb.

Following the shooting, the BCA has said there was a gun in the back of Cobb’s vehicle — but never visibly in his possession — when he was fatally shot.

Londregan had about 1.5 years of law enforcement experience at the time of the shooting. All three troopers involved in the traffic stop were placed on administrative leave following the incident. They remain on paid leave as of Wednesday morning.

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OC DA Spitzer slams Gascón for ruling out death penalty against alleged cop killer

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 14:42:42 +0000

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: LASD deputy shot in patrol car

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy was shot while on duty in their patrol car outside the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station. The deputy was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – Orange County District attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement in response to Los Angeles District attorney George Gascón’s announcement of charges in the killing of LA County Sheriff’s Department deputy, who was slain in Palmdale on Saturday, Sept. 16.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Sept. 20, Gascón announced that he would seek the “maximum penalty allowable under the law” for Kevin Salazar, the man suspected of killing Clinkunbroomer. Gascón, who charged Salazar with one count of murder, vowed to seek “life without the possibility of parole” during Wednesday’s press conference.

Spitzer said that Gascón’s statement was a “lie,” in his response posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday, Sept. 21.

“The death penalty still exists in California – no matter how much George Gascón and Gov. Gavin Newsom want to pretend it doesn’t,” said Spitzer in his statement. “In fact, California law allows the death penalty to be sought if a police officer is murdered.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect arrested in LASD deputy’s killing

Kevin Salazar was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer in Palmdale. Officials said they want Salazar prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, while his family said he was mentally ill.

The OC district attorney went on to say that Gascón had already decided that “the deputy’s death wasn’t worth going through the special circumstances analysis,” a process by which officials decide whether a suspect should receive the death penalty or life without parole.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gascón: Ryan Clinkunbroomer was a superstar deputy

Los Angeles County District attorney George Gascón spoke on the death of deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was believed to be shot execution-style.

By doing so, Spitzer said that Gascón “cares about sparing the life of the executioner,” more than the “newly engaged lawman” who was left “bleeding to death behind the steering wheel.”

Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer was shot and killed Saturday, Sept. 16, after a vehicle approached his patrol car near the Palmdale Station, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Surveillance video from the scene appeared to show a black vehicle pull up alongside the patrol car. No shots are visible, but the car is seen speeding away while the deputy’s cruiser rolls slightly forward before coming to a stop.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ryan Clinkunbroomer’s fiance reacts to shooting

Brittany Lindsey, the grieving fiance of Ryan Clinkunbroomer, speaks on the shooting that killed her would-be husband.

After a good Samaritan found Clinkunbroomer unconscious in his patrol car, he was rushed to Antelope Valley Medical Center in Lancaster, where he later died.

The suspect, later identified as Salazar, was arrested Monday morning after a standoff with authorities at the home he shared with his family in Palmdale, according to authorities.

“While law enforcement officers across the nation grieve the loss of yet another officer murdered in the line of duty,” said Spitzer, “They too must cope with the knowledge that justice for the men and women behind the badge is nowhere to be found the Los Angeles County Hall of Justice – as long as George Gascón is the district attorney.”

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Arizona attorney breaks down questions about the legalities in the Preston Lord case

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 04:43:31 +0000

GILBERT, Ariz. – Police in Gilbert continue to investigate the so-called “Gilbert Goons” gang amid concerns about teen violence in the East Valley.

As they do so, questions remain and community members are demanding answers about the death of young teen Preston Lord.

Local family attorney, Billie Tarascio, has been turning to social media to help break down some questions looming in the community.

Her TikTok videos have raked in thousands of views, providing legal context in this case.

She said she weighed in as a lawyer, a Gilbert resident and a mother of Gilbert kids.

Reports of violence and vicious teen attacks have sent shock waves across the East Valley community.

“It feels like these attacks have gone on for such a long time. It feels like there’s all this evidence. Why hasn’t anybody stopped these kids? Where are the parents? There’s just a lot of anger and frustration,” she said.

Especially, Tarascio says, when videos and screenshots, seemingly capturing the crimes, are plastered across social media.

She explains investigators might need more.

“What you see in screenshots might not be admissible. They might be fake. They might be tampered. You have to get it from the source. The source is social media platforms or cell phone data, or cell phone tower data. None of that happens quickly,” Tarascio explained.

Preston Lord: Arizona attorney breaks down legal questions

Earlier this month, Queen Creek Police submitted a referral for charges against seven people in connection to 16-year-old Preston Lord’s death.

The teen was beaten at a Halloween party and died a few days later. His death led to outrage and marches for justice.

Tarascio says the submission of charges begins the process.

“That means that the district attorney, the county attorney, looks at the charges and says, ‘Do we have enough evidence to move forward and get a conviction?’ If they do, then that goes to the grand jury. The grand jury says, ‘Yes, we agree,’ then it goes to a judge who decides whether or not to issue warrants or summons, or how they want to handle that,” Tarascio said.

Police said the seven suspects include both adults and minors.

“For anyone who is over the age of 15, if we are talking about murder, rape, battery, significant crimes, you can be tried as an adult,” she explained.

What about parents?

“Parents are, in Arizona, civilly liable for their children’s willful, malicious torts, or crimes that cause damage. So I do anticipate we will see parents charged, and by charged, I mean sued civilly for damages connected with injuries,” Tarascio explained.

Officers are still investigating violence in the East Valley community.

“While charges have been submitted, the investigation continues and the public is encouraged to submit any new tips to https://p3tips.com/952. I want to reiterate that our focus continues to be getting justice for Preston Lord,” said QCPD’s Chief Randy Brice.

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Civil legal aid attorneys in short supply, ABA report finds

attorneylegalcounsel99 — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 11:14:10 +0000

Signage is seen outside of the American Bar Association (ABA) in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Acquire Licensing Rights

Nov 30 (Reuters) – For every 10,000 Americans living in poverty, fewer than three civil legal aid attorneys are available to provide free legal help, a new ABA report has found.

The latest iteration of the ABA’s annual Profile of the Legal Profession, released on Thursday, highlights civil legal aid and the dearth of attorneys providing free legal help in many parts of the country.

The ABA ranked states according to the number of paid civil legal aid attorneys for every 10,000 people living in poverty. New York had the most at 7.2, while Mississippi and South Carolina had the fewest at 1.1.

The national average of 2.8 paid civil legal aid attorneys for every 10,000 Americans is too low to address the myriad legal needs of low-income Americans, say legal aid advocates. A recent study found that low-income people in the U.S. can’t afford adequate legal help in 92% of matters.

“We’re talking about evictions. We’re talking about domestic violence and other family cases. We’re talking about access to veterans benefits,” said Ronald Flagg, president of the Legal Services Corporation, which allocates federal funds to legal aid organizations nationwide.

The ABA conducted a census of programs funded by the LSC as well as legal aid lawyers at non-LSC funded groups. The ABA count did not include volunteer or pro bono lawyers, attorneys at advocacy groups such as the ACLU, law school clinics or criminal defense groups.

The report attributes the national scarcity of legal aid attorneys to a combination of low pay, uneven funding to legal aid organizations, and the challenges of attracting attorneys to rural areas. Legal aid attorneys earn a median entry-level salary of $57,500, according to the National Association for Law Placement. The median salary is $78,500 for those with 11 to 15 years of experience.

Among states with the largest populations, California was near the national average at 2.9 legal aid lawyers per 10,000 impoverished people, while both Florida and Texas fell below at 1.7 and 1.6, respectively. Illinois had the seventh-highest rate at 4.4 civil legal aid attorneys for every 10,000 residents living in poverty.

The availability of legal aid attorneys varies widely across the country and between urban and rural areas, the ABA found. Metropolitan areas recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau had an average 3.5 paid civil legal aid attorneys for every 10,000 residents living in poverty. By contrast, that figure was 1.6 for non-metropolitan areas.

While this is the first time the ABA has sought to determine the number of paid civil legal aid attorneys nationwide, LSC data shows that their numbers actually increased in the last decade. Some 6,542 such attorneys work at LSC-funded organizations, up 52% from 4,306 in 2013.

Top company lawyers ask Congress to fix ‘stagnant’ federal legal aid budget

Biden’s judicial appointees by far the most diverse, ABA says

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Karen Sloan reports on law firms, law schools, and the business of law. Reach her at karen.sloan@thomsonreuters.com

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