Superior Court of California

Scott Evans Dekraai's Shit-Throwing Tantrum in Jail Could Help Fry Him, DA Essentially Says

The conduct behind bars of the suspected worst mass killer in Orange County history may play a role in his death penalty trial, according to a prosecutor.Assistant District Attorney Dan Wagner will file paperwork in court detailing a January incident where Scott Evans Dekraai became so disruptive in ... More >>

Lawsuit Settled in Case of TapouT Founder Charles "Mask" Lewis' Desecrated Ashes

After two years of winding its way through San Bernardino Superior Court, a settlement has been reached between the sister of TapouT co-founder Charles "Mask" Lewis and MMA Holdings, LLC, the corporate name for TapouT, involving the desecration of Mask's ashes. As Coker wrote back in 2011, Carla "K ... More >>

[UPDATED with Intent Proven:] Catherine Kieu Guilty of Torturing Husband by Slicing Off Penis

See Update Nos. 1 and 2 at the end of this post on the jury finding the wife guilty.A verdict has been reached in the trial of Catherine Kieu Becker, the Garden Grove wife accused of dosing her husband's tofu dinner, tying his arms and legs to bed posts, slicing off his penis, throwing the member in ... More >>

Target Describes Hell He Went Through From FTC-Shuttered Firm's "Smokescreen" Lawsuit

A Newport Beach-based company that provided legal advice to consumers and small businesses facing crushing debt filed a civil suit against four former "employees" accused of stealing client data, but the case was dismissed a year after it was filed--in November 2011.We'd Naval Gazed the complaint b ... More >>

Baylor Eldric Maggenti, Facing Illegal Firearms, Bomb-Material Counts, Has Child Porn Added

The Costa Mesa man who was arrested on suspicion of possessing bomb-making materials and illegal firearms days after the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook massacre is now also accused of having had 33 photos of girls who appear scantily clad or in sexually suggestive poses and all younger than 10. Baylor Eldric Ma ... More >>

4 Get Prison Time (with More Likely to Come) in Massive Unity Medical Billing Fraud Scheme

An attorney, an accountant, and two medical center administrators walk into a bar . . . oops, that should be behind bars--for their roles in the nation's largest medical fraud prosecution. Four people who should have known better Thursday became the latest Unity Surgical Outpatient Center muckity-mu ... More >>

Argus Realty and Associated Firms Allegedly Ripped Off Investors with High Fees, False Data

A Laguna Niguel realty company and an affiliated investment company in San Clemente are being sued for selling commercial real estate securities that were allegedly "rigged" so the firms would make millions in fees while draining investors of their lifetime savings. The investors seek compensatory ... More >>

Orly Taitz Loses in Court Again, This Time to Trump Barack Obama Via College Records

Rack up another loss in court for Aliso Viejo lawyer/dentist/real estate saleslady/wingnut Orly Taitz, unsuccessful this time not in getting her press-on nails on Barack Obama's long-form birth certificate but his college records. Yep, no doubt inspired by Donald Trump (or vice versa), Taitz marched ... More >>

Mom and Son Sue Kaiser and CHOC for "Botched" Delivery Where His Twin Died

An infant who survived his delivery with brain damage but whose twin died is suing Kaiser Permanente and Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) for negligence and medical malpractice from "botched" prenatal, labor, delivery and post-natal care.A dollar amount is not specified in the complaint ... More >>

Rapist Edward Phillip Mckenna Represented Himself; Now Demands New Trial Because, Drum Roll, He Sucked As A Lawyer

In April 1999, a knife-brandishing Edward Phillip Mckenna entered a La Habra dress shop, tied up the 73-year-old clerk, raped her, robbed the store and stole the woman's vehicle.Mckenna, already a convicted felon for a prior attempted murder and robbery he committed for a criminal street gang, deman ... More >>

Dan Schaeffer, Leisure World Chief, Sues Old Coots on Board for Trashing Gays and Mexicans

To paraphrase the late, great Kent Brockman, ladies and gentlemen, I've been to Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and I can say without hyperbole that the Seal Beach Seizure World battle is a million times worse than all of them put together. Dan Schaeffer is suing the Golden Rain Foundation because ... More >>

Mistrial Declared in Sexual Battery Case Against David Hung Do, Alleged Predator Physician

Looking at a deadlocked jury, an Orange County Superior Court judge in Santa Ana declared a mistrial in the sexual battery case against Dr. David Hung Do on Thursday. Judge James Stotler set a Nov. 9 status hearing and tentative February trial date in the case that accuses the 42-year-old physician ... More >>

Costa Mesa Convention & Visitor Bureau: Marketing Business Stole $100,000 From Us!

The folks at the Costa Mesa Convention & Visitor Bureau feel duped by a sneaky Irvine marketing business and want, if a court documents filed this week are any indication, painful financial revenge.According to a July 30 lawsuit, bureau officials claims they paid more than $100,000 in fraudulent ... More >>

Zombie Blood Taste and Odor Spur Suit

The third season of AMC's splatterific The Walking Dead, which is based on the comic-book series of the same name, premiered Sunday night.Hours later came word of a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana that involves the sale of "Zombie Blood" in transfusion bags.Coinky-drink, e ... More >>

Carlos Bustamante: The Official List of the Santa Ana Councilman's Sex Crimes Accusations

Orange County Superior Court officials updated their public records today to reflect the government's pending sex crimes accusations against Santa Ana Councilman Carlos Bustamante.District Attorney Tony Rackauckas believes Bustamante, the onetime up and coming Republican politician, is guilty of a s ... More >>

Proof Anaheim Is Not The Happiest Place on Earth

The fireworks blast every night in Anaheim as a thunderous reminder that escapism for locals is just around the corner at Disneyland.Of course, leaving reality isn't free.You'll have to pay $87 for a ticket and another $15 for parking.Perhaps that is why some people turn to other, more illicit ways ... More >>

5 Plead Not Guilty to Child Endangerment via Exposure to Piss, Shit, Scratches from 110 Cats

Five adults pleaded not guilty to felony child endangerment for allegedly exposing two children to "severely unsanitary conditions" in a Santa Ana home filled with feces and urine from 110 cats.John Ed Howe, 68, his wife Sharon Lynn Howe, 65, their daughter Kerri Lynn Howe Moreno, 44, Moreno's ... More >>

Disneyland Sued For Negligence in Jungle Cruise Crash

​Disneyland sells its popular Jungle Cruise boat ride this way:"Board a trusty tramp steamer for a 7-minute guided tour of jungles from around the world, brimming with exotic animals and lush tropical foliage. Keep an eye out for potential perils -- and stunning beauty -- as your daring skipper na ... More >>

You be the Judge: Case of the Sodomizing Grandpa

​A young mother of five children had four of her offspring placed in government control and didn't believe it was fair that an Orange County Superior Court judge decided to also end her custody of her youngest child, an eight-month-old daughter.But that judge, Dennis J. Keough, had these facts pre ... More >>

What We Learned in OC, January 1-6

​For our recent look back at 2011 via Navel Gazing posts, we added what it was we learned from the news items. Shall we see how long we can keep the string going in 2012?Glad you agree. Feel free to add your own items and what you think we learned from them in the comments. Until then . . . 

Regulate Marijuana Like Wine Initiative Gathers 20,000 Signatures

​The last few months of 2011 weren't exactly fun for advocates of medical marijuana in California. The federal government threatened to seize properties being used for illegally cultivating or dispensing marijuana, media organizations including this one were put on alert that they could be prosecu ... More >>

Fullerton Gym Sued For Erect Dick & Anal Snake Incident

​A female custodian has sued a Fullerton gym for wrongful termination after protesting against a supervisor who allegedly begged for sex, plopped his erect penis on a table and told her a graphic story about a snake invading a woman's anus and exiting through her mouth.According to the lawsuit fil ... More >>

Jury Trial Set for Civil Suit Against TBN and Ex-Pastor Stephen Galiher, Who DWI'd a Man to His Death

Galiher's prissy mug shot the day of the crime​You'll remember last year the disturbing story of Stephen Eugene Galiher, once a rising star in the Trinity Broadcasting Network universe, in charge of the televangelist powerhouse's Nashville-area theme park--that is, until crashing into a car on the ... More >>

[CLARIFICATION on Plea Deal:] Devon Lynn Kile, Real Housewives Wannabe, Won't Be Trading Pradas for Prison Garb

​CLARIFICATION, DEC. 2, 12:30 P.M.: An Orange County Superior Court judge ordered last month's plea-and-sentencing deal that had Devon Lynn Kile, the 46-year-old Real Housewives of Orange County wannabe out of Laguna Hills, pleading guilty in April to dozens of felony counts related to ripping off ... More >>

James P. Marion, OC Superior Court Judge, Dies

​Orange County Superior Court Judge James P. Marion, who was assigned to the Central Felony Panel, died Sunday morning at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in San Clemente. He was 58.Marion, who was educated in New England and served in the U.S Marine Corps, was an Orange County deputy district a ... More >>

Costa Mesa Layoffs May Not Happen As Soon As Anticipated, Judge Tells City To Wait For Civil Trial

​Finally, the Costa Mesa employees who got layoff notices earlier this year have caught a break--or at least a reprieve. Joseph Serna of The Daily Pilot reports that an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled today that the city cannot lay off employees and outsource their jobs to private co ... More >>

Garden Grove Police Sued in Little Saigon Gaming Raid Case

​The Los Angeles based owners of 57 gaming machines seized in March by Garden Grove police and California Department of Justice is suing authorities in Orange County Superior Court for the return of the equipment.Attorneys for Intelligame, LLC. claim in an April 28 complaint that the cops had no r ... More >>

Serial Killer Sues Two OC Deputies for Spitting Incident

Alcala wants $250 from deputies​Though he's sitting on death row in California's notorious San Quentin State Prison, serial killer and rapist Rodney James Alcala isn't done complaining about his treatment in Orange County. This month, Alcala filed his 17th lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court.H ... More >>

Soka University of America Is a School On a Hill

The Aliso Viejo college was founded by a Buddhist sect that preaches peace—so why are so many former professors alleging the opposite?

Did Newport Beach Sperm Attack Inspire New Mexico Case?

Unacceptable sperm usage​You may recall Michael Kevin Lallana, the 31-year-old Newport Beach financial-services employee who was arrested last year for secretly spiking a female co-worker's water bottle with his sperm.Orange County prosecutors charged Lallana with six misdemeanor counts including ... More >>

¡Ask a Comida Critic! Where to Eat Near the Courthouse in Downtown Santa Ana?

​From Niyaz Pirani of Fat Dude on a Diet:If you were me, working across from the courthouse in Downtown Santa Ana and needed to eat, but had no cash, just a card, where would you go for lunch? One of the problems is there's so many Mexi joints and only one me. So I don't know how to figure out the ... More >>

Malinda Traudt, Blind, Wheelchair-Bound Woman's Medical Marijuana Appeal Proceeds

​Now that an Orange County Superior Court judgment has been formally entered tossing out the lawsuit that claims the city of Dana Point's medical marijuana dispensary ban unconstitutionally interferes with Malinda Traudt's fundamental rights to life and safety under the California Constitution, th ... More >>

Surfrider Foundation Strikes Back for Access to Beach Below Dana Point Headlands

​Dana Point sued the state last month to keep locks and posted hours on gates leading to the Headlands' access paths to the public coastline. Now, the Surfrider Foundation--the San Clemente-based nonprofit that promotes the right to low-impact, free and open access to the world's waves and beach ... More >>

Earth Cann, a Casualty in OC's Medical Pot War

Illustration by Simon Davidson​While new fronts have opened in the legal war to keep the doors open at local medical marijuana dispensaries (more on that after the jump), there is one casualty to report.Yet to be determined is whether it is a fatal blow or merely a flesh wound. Earth Cann Wellness ... More >>

How Did the OC Judge Get Potential Jurors To Laugh?

​"There are three shows that prepare you for jury duty: Columbo, The Verdict with Paul Newman and My Cousin Vinny (jury laughter). I'm serious! There are a lot of good things that happen in that movie! If you've seen those three, then you've seen everything you need to be a good juror . . . Keep a ... More >>

OC Court Orders Dennis Rodman to Pay $50,000 a Month in Child Support: Wife's Attorney

AccessHollywood.comDennis Rodman and his estranged wife Michelle Moyer Rodman.​A Los Angeles celebrity lawyer announced today that he obtained a court order in Orange County Superior Court requiring Dennis Rodman to pay his estranged wife Michelle Moyer Rodman $50,000 per month in support for thei ... More >>

Settlement Would Have Toll Roads Forgiving $40 Million in Fines, Doling Out $1.4 Million to Drivers

Facebook.com/TheTollRoads"Thank you, please come again."​Were it not for being stuck in traffic, this Time Winder would have had this yesterday like the Los Angeles Times did, but Orange County's toll road agencies would forgive $40 million in fines and pay $1.4 million to drivers who claim they w ... More >>

Bummer Summer for San Onofre's Nude Sunbathers

Photo by Tim MelidoNaturist attorney Allen Baylis loses latest round in court but vows to press on. As last summer was winding down, the Naturist Action Committee scored a legal victory in their fight to retain the right for nude sunbathers to go au natural on San Onofre State Beach's traditionally ... More >>

Lesson of the Day!

Don't go to a sushi bar, drink wildly, get a promise written in Korean and in blood that your drinking partner will repay a loan of $170,000 and expect a judge to enforce the agreement.Poor Jinsoo Kim learned this lesson on Monday after using the blood oath as the key prop in a lawsuit to recover lo ... More >>

Newish Lawsuit Filed Against Mater Dei Statutory Rapist Jeff Andrade

The pedophilic piñata that is Mater Dei High School just keeps on producing lawsuits alleging sex abuse. Recently revealed is yet another one filed May 31 (but recently unsealed) in Orange County Superior Court by a former Mater Dei student against former assistant boys' basketball coach Jeff Andra ... More >>

Idiotic "Will of the People" Arguments, Past and Present

It's been quite the guilty pleasure the last week seeing the local Right foaming about the California Superior Court's decision to allow homosexual marriage (hey, State Assemblywoman Mimi Walters: are you sure you want to be immortalized in the pantheon of OC GOP wackjobs like James "Barefoot Africa ... More >>

Quien es Más Minuteman?

You'll be hard-pressed to ever find two sides in a lawsuit less sympathetic than the parties who are scheduled to show up in Orange County Superior Court on May 27. On one side will stand Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist, who was fired last year from the organization he founded for accusation ... More >>

Thursday's Headlines

iPhone or iFlop? Apple slashes $200 off the $599 8-Gig iPhone price tag. Christmas in September for some, and bah humbug for those who waited in line overnight...either way, investors are worried. Still...more...Martin: School trustee Harald Martin has resigned, but the anti-Martin camp still wants ... More >>

Thursday's Headlines & Surprises: OC Judge Slaps Guv

Will a murder inmate defeat the Guv? Orange County Superior Court Judge Kazuharo Makino — a quiet, often-expressionless fellow who is married to a court reporter — ruled yesterday that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was wrong to deny parole to Delbert “Dale” Chrittenden. The inmate was foun ... More >>

Overruled

Orange County Superior Court Judge James M. Brooks' unusual courtroom tactics have gotten him into trouble again. A state appeals court panel overturned his ruling on an employment-discrimination case today because of his unconventional courtroom manner. This isn't the first time that Brooks, who ... More >>

Justice in OC and You

Whether you're eager to bring justice to OC, or you've just always wanted to indict a ham sandwich, there's good news: Orange County Superior Court is accepting applications for the 2007-08 grand jury. If you are 18 or older, have been a resident of the county for at least one year, posses "ordina ... More >>

Hot for Teacher

The conviction of Sarah Bench-Salorio raises questions wed rather not think about. And so we havent. Not much, anyhow. Maybe just a little

Warped Blue Line

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Diary of a mad county

Orange County, California: 2001

Tourists Trapped