LOS ANGELES – A mistrial was declared in a lawsuit in which the mother of a man fatally shot by sheriff’s deputies sued Los Angeles County and two deputies for excessive force, but the case is likely to be heard again in state court, an attorney said Wednesday. The mistrial was declared Monday in Los Angeles federal court in the trial of litigation brought by Lisa Vargas, mother of Anthony Vargas. The suit alleging unreasonable or excessive force contends that 21- year-old Anthony Vargas was the victim of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department “policy of shooting unarmed victims.” U.S.…
Author: City News Service
LOS ANGELES – Jurors in Los Angeles will be offered a special pass providing free public transit to and from any of the 23 county courthouses where jury trials are held in lieu of the standard mileage reimbursement, officials announced Wednesday. Jurors and potential jurors may use the EPass to travel free within the LA Metro system and other local transit agencies. The program aims to provide timely and equal access by reducing the stress of travel, gas and parking costs for round-trip transportation to courthouses using the county’s public transit systems, Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner said. “This universal transit…
LOS ANGELES – Authorities sought the public’s help Wednesday to find the hit-and-run motorist responsible for fatally injuring a woman who was crossing a street in the Highland Park area. Muoi Ong, 65, of Los Angeles, was struck about 8:45 a.m. March 17 while crossing Aldama Street west of Irvington Place, and she died at the scene, according to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. “She was struck by a Chevrolet Tahoe, possibly blue in color,” police said in a statement. “The driver fled the scene without stopping, rendering aid or identifying themselves.” No…
By BILL HETHERMAN LOS ANGELES – LA Metro is asking a judge to issue a preliminary injunction directing train manufacturer Talgo Inc. to allow the return of 10 Metro subway cars the transportation agency alleges are being wrongfully held in Talgo’s Milwaukee repair yard after Metro canceled its contract with the business. “Talgo has been … holding Metro’s passenger trains and other property hostage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a year,” Metro’s attorneys state in court papers filed Tuesday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maurice A. Leiter. “Talgo’s conduct is causing Metro and the public it serves irreparable harm and…
MONTEBELLO – The owners of Beverly Hospital in Montebello Thursday filed for Chapter 11 protection prior to pursuing opportunities to sell the facility. The hospital has secured debtor-in-possession financing of up to $13 million from Hilco Real Estate, which will enable the hospital to continue operations during the process, said Alice Cheng, president and CEO of Beverly Hospital. The hospital serves primarily low- to no-income patients. Through the sale process, Beverly will focus on working with potential buyers who can ensure the longevity of the hospital so that it can continue to serve the communities that need it the most,…
Renters and other advocates rallied Wednesday outside Los Angeles City Hall, filling the south lawn, to demand the City Council create “social housing” as part of a slate of solutions to address the city’s affordability and homelessness crisis. The Alliance for Community Transit-LA, a coalition of 43 organizations calling for housing and transit justice in Los Angeles County, organized the morning event, which included remarks from council members Eunisses Hernandez, Hugo Soto-Martínez and Nithya Raman. ACT-LA called on the city to prioritize social housing, saying it can provide tenants with a pathway to homeownership by allowing them to make affordable payments over…
By: Paul Anderson SANTA ANA – A 25-year-old man borrowed his sister’s car to seek out a rival gang member and gunned down a 20-year-old man in a drive-by shooting in Santa Ana, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday as the defendant’s attorney said police failed to do a complete investigation and prosecutors lack enough evidence to prove his client guilty. Edgar Macias Martinez is charged with murder with special circumstance allegations of a drive-by shooting and murder for the benefit of a gang. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, along with sentencing enhancements…
LOS ANGELES – A Magic Mountain LLC employee is suing the Valencia theme park, alleging she was sometimes required to work up to 14 hours a day without a break and that she was temporarily removed from a tour guide job that paid her an average $250 in tips for complaining about a false rumor spread by her supervisors. Scarlette Barajas’ Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges retaliation, failure to prevent retaliation and various state Labor Code violations. Barajas seeks at least $500,000 in compensatory damages, plus punitive damages. A Magic Mountain representative did not immediately reply to a request…
LOS ANGELES – A 41-year-old woman is suing an information technology company, alleging she was wrongfully fired in 2021 and falsely accused of abandoning her job while she was on medical leave as she and her double-transplant husband dealt with the coronavirus. Jasleena Kaur’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against TPx Communications includes allegations of discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, harassment and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Kaur seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A TPx representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit filed April 12. Kaur was hired as a customer care…
LOS ANGELES – A former executive director of the Democratic Party of Orange County is expected to plead guilty Friday to a felony charge for attempting to defraud one of her political consultancy firm’s clients. Melahat Rafiei, 45, of Anaheim, further admitted in court documents that she agreed to bribe two members of the Irvine City Council — both on cannabis-related matters, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Rafiei, the principal and founder of Progressive Solutions Consulting, a Long Beach-based political consulting firm, is expected to enter her plea to attempted wire fraud in Los Angeles federal court. She was…