Every divorce is different, but many divorce cases are essentially bookend cases. There is a flurry of activity shortly after the petition is filed, a relatively long period of little activity, and another flurry of activity near the end. About two weeks into the case, most judges hold temporary hearings to make interim decisions about custody, visitation, and support. Since stability is one of the factors in California’s best interests test, the party that wins custody at this stage is likely to keep it when the case is over, absent compelling evidence to the contrary. As the old saying goes, possession is nine-tenths of the law, and this saying usually applies in these cases.
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In California, a wrongful death occurs when a person dies as the result of another person’s actions or failure to act. Given the complexity of these actions, accident victims often require a wrongful death attorney to recover financially. A wrongful death can result from a number of accidents including, but not limited to: Car accidents, Motorcycle accidents, Truck accidents, Pedestrian accidents, Bicycle accidents, and Slip and fall accidents. Families can file a lawsuit against the at-fault party(ies) to recover monetary compensation for the loss of their loved one. If you have a lost a loved one due to someone else's negligence, find out your options in our latest post.
As the number of motorcycle riders goes up in Los Angeles, so do the accidents. The great weather combined with high gas prices and traffic jams makes motorcycles an appealing option for zipping through the 405 and 101 freeways. Despite the appeal, motorcycles remain a dangerous option. Motorcycle Accidents in Los Angeles By The Numbers The number of fatal accidents in Los Angeles County is sobering. There were 59% more motorycyclists killed in 2012 than in 2010. According to the California Highway Patrol, there were 3,509 motorcycle involved injuries and 105 fatalities in 2013, and yet the first quarter of 2015 Continue Reading
A high-speed intersection collision in Los Angeles left one person dead and several others seriously injured. The Simi Valley Police Department stated that “somebody may have violated the right-of-way” just prior to the crash at Sycamore Drive and Cochran Street. 30-year-old Officer Heather Monroe was southbound on Sycamore and an Uber driver, whose name was not released, was eastbound on Cochran. Officer Monroe, who was a properly-restrained passenger, was declared dead at the scene; three other people, including the Uber driver and a passenger, were rushed to local hospitals with serious injuries. Investigators had canvassed nearby businesses to look at Continue Reading
Republican lawmakers effectively blocked a fatigued truck driver rule from going into effect, and this move may be only the first shot in a very long battle. With the GOP now in control of both houses of Congress as well as the White House, former National Transportation Safety Board chairman Jim Hall, who served during the Clinton administration, predicted that the next four years could be “an open season on safety,” as traditionally pro-industry Republicans seek to roll back a number of Obama-era safety rules. Earlier in December 2016, Republicans added a rider to a spending bill nullifying a requirement Continue Reading
Prosecutors allege that a La Canada woman stole nearly $88,000 from her elderly mother who resisded in an out-of-state nursing home. According to Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino, 68-year-old Pamela Land received power of attorney over her elderly mother’s assets, basically so she could pay the nursing home bill and take care of other pressing financial matters. Instead, prosecutors say that Ms. Land spent over $87,000 of her mother’s money on shopping sprees and her own living expenses. The theft occurred over a three-year period, from May 2013 to January 2016. Deputy Attorney General Melissa M. Simsen, who obtained indictments before Continue Reading
In 1969, California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the country’s first no-fault divorce law. Before that time, judges could only grant divorces based on marital fault, such as adultery, abandonment, or cruelty. The new law legalized divorce based on “irreconcilable differences,” which basically means that the marriage has broken down but neither spouse was to blame. Over the next ten or fifteen years, most all other states passed their own no-fault laws, and the divorce rate rose exponentially during the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1990s, the divorce rate began leveling off. Although it has actually declined recently, the divorce rate Continue Reading
At $3.24 per $100 of payroll, workers’ compensation rates in the California are roughly twice the national average and the highest ones in the country. Overall, rates are essentially unchanged from a year ago; the national average dropped from $1.85 in 2015 to $1.84 in 2016. In California, rates have actually declined rather sharply from a high of almost $3.50 per $100, largely because lawmakers adopted anti-fraud measures in 2012. California’s Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker said the $3.24 figure is inflated because of the metrics used in the study, since the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau recently set 2017 rates at $2.22. Furthermore, “California Continue Reading
If the death of a loved one was the result of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim against the negligent party. Sherwin Arzani, a personal injury attorney at Citywide Law Group, discusses your options and how you can seek compensation. California’s Wrongful Death Statute CCP 337 controls these actions, and the damages available are a little different than the ones in injury-based negligence claims. Since the decedents were the victims, wrongful death plaintiffs can typically only recover economic losses. However, this phrase is very broadly defined to include: Decedent’s Final Expenses: These costs usually Continue Reading