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Podcast

PMQ Declarations, Extortion & AI Judges

Last updated on February 7, 2023 by Tim Kowal
On this cases-and-tidbits episode, Jeff Lewis and I discuss: Ramirez v. Avon Products: There is no “corporate representative” or PMQ exception to hearsay and foundation objections. So summary judgment had to be reversed. Flickinger v. Finwall: Do you ever worry your prelitigation demand letters may be construed as extortion? I mean, Flatley v. Mauro shows...Read More >>

Latest Trends in Defending Unfair Competition Claims, with Greg Nylen

Last updated on January 31, 2023 by Tim Kowal
With his background as a brewery owner, business litigator Greg Nylen defends attorneys from “the triumvirate” of unfair-competition claims: the Unfair Competition Law, the False Advertising Law, and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act. Greg shares some trends, tips, and traps emerging in this space, including: Courts are getting a bit more stringent on the “reasonable...Read More >>

Special Education Law with Tim Adams

Last updated on January 24, 2023 by Tim Kowal
The autism pandemic now affects between 1-in-44 and 1-in-35 children by the age of 8, according to a December 2021 Rutgers report—a rate that has climbed some 241% since 2000. And one of the big ways this affects the millions of families raising children with autism is obtaining and fulfilling IEPs—Individualized Education Programs. Special-education law...Read More >>

Recent Case Tips on Expert Objections, and Strategy on MSJ & SLAPP Hearings

Last updated on January 17, 2023 by Tim Kowal
Gearing up for trial with experts? You’re ready with your Sargon and Sanchez objections. But don’t forget Kelly: if the expert’s opinion is outside the consensus, that’s not a Sargon objection—you have to be ready with a People v. Kelly objection. Filing an MSJ? If the court sets your hearing after your trial date, you’re entitled to get it advanced—or to have your trial...Read More >>

The Best Advocacy Tips of 2022

Last updated on January 10, 2023 by Tim Kowal
In this roundup episode, we summarize the best tips for briefing, argument, and overall advocacy from the judges, attorneys, and specialists Jeff Lewis and I interviewed on the California Appellate Law Podcast in 2022. Some of the tips and trends we cover: There is a trend toward informality in legal writing—but do pop-culture references go...Read More >>

The Coming Changes to Med-Mal Caps, with Ben Ikuta

Last updated on January 3, 2023 by Tim Kowal
The reason there are so few medical-malpractice attorneys is that, on top of having to overcome juries’ strong pro-doctor bias, damages caps turn even the most hard-fought wins into mere break-even propositions. So how did Ben Ikuta, a new guard med-mal attorney, amassed over $17 million in client victories in 2022 alone? Ben shares some...Read More >>

2,000 Appeals and Beyond, with John Dodd

Last updated on December 27, 2022 by Tim Kowal
What does an appeal look like after having done 2,000 of them? John Dodd is one of the few people with that vantage. A former staff attorney at the Court of Appeal who has volunteered on the juvenile-dependency panel along with his civil appeals practice, John explains how “an appeal is an appeal.” Once you...Read More >>

Top Cases of 2022

Last updated on December 20, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Need to catch up on important cases you missed in 2022? This end-of-year episode has you covered. Here’s the list: Most Important Case for Money Litigators: Siry Investment, L.P. v. Farkhondehpour (Cal. Jul. 21, 2022 No. S262081), holding treble damages and attorney fees under section 496 may be supported in your next fraud, conversion, breach...Read More >>

New Cases on MSJ Evidence Rulings and Elder Abuse Attachment Orders

Last updated on December 13, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Evidentiary rulings on MSJ are reviewed under the same deferential standard as given evidentiary rulings at trial—i.e., for abuse of discretion—but the Supreme Court cracked the door open on the possibility of de novo review in its 2010 Reid v. Google decision. Those hopeful for more the rigorous standard will be disappointed by a new...Read More >>

New Case Tips for Judgment Creditors & Litigation Privilege

Last updated on December 6, 2022 by Tim Kowal
If you have a judgment against a debtor and you want to do some judgment collection in another state, is personal jurisdiction an obstacle? Do you have to show the debtor has minimum contacts with the other state? No, says a new published case. We’ll consider the possible effects of this — they are surprising....Read More >>

“Being Inauthentic Is a Betrayal of People’s Expectations”: Kyle Schneberg on Nursing Home Injury Law

Last updated on November 29, 2022 by Tim Kowal
After amassing $100 million for his personal-injury clients, Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer’s College alumnus Kyle Schneberg started Bedsore Law, a national law firm protecting the rights of elders in nursing homes. Kyle sits down with California Appellate Law Podcast co-hosts Jeff Lewis and Tim Kowal to discuss: The different approaches taken by personal injury attorneys,...Read More >>

M.C. Sungaila Reports Back After Over 100 Interviews of Women Judges & Attorneys at the Portia Project

Last updated on November 22, 2022 by Tim Kowal
M.C. Sungaila has advocated at some of the highest levels of appellate law, and last year took her experience and her heart for mentoring and public interest work to the Portia Project podcast, where she distills the wisdom and experience of women judges, justices, and top attorneys in the nation. M.C. sits down with Tim...Read More >>

“You Can’t Lose a Case by Making It Too Clear”: An Interview with Justice John Zebrowski

Last updated on November 15, 2022 by Tim Kowal
When the Supreme Court applied lis pendens law inconsistent with the lis pendens statute, Justice Zebrowski wrote a letter that got the attention of the State Bar. That got him on a lis pendens “task force,” which in turn was responsible for convincing the Legislature to amend the lis pendens statutes. This is but one...Read More >>

Where’s the Harm?! & Other October 2022 Cases

Last updated on November 8, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Every attorney knows that to reverse an order, it’s not enough to prove error. You also have to prove the error harmed your client. But when the Court of Appeal in Transcon Financial, Inc. v. Reid & Hellyer reversed a sanctions order for the reason that the offending party was not given the full 21-day...Read More >>

The Lawyer Who Reversed the “Victory Bell” Case, with Brooke Bove

Last updated on November 1, 2022 by Tim Kowal
If you were a lawyer drawing breath in summer 2022, you heard about the “victory bell” case. A prominent defense attorney, returning to base camp with a stunning victory after defensing a medical malpractice case, rang his firm’s victory bell and announced, the victim “was probably negligently killed, but we kind of made it look...Read More >>

“Gateway Drugs” to Legal Tech, with Ernie Svenson

Last updated on October 25, 2022 by Tim Kowal
We attorneys are trained to spot patterns, but many of us are poor at spotting patterns of inefficiency in the way we practice. Ernie “The Attorney” Svenson joins this episode of the California Appellate Law Podcast to explain how lawyers can adopt “systems thinking” to make their practice more effective, efficient, and even more fun....Read More >>

“You Know It When You See It”: Justice Thompson (Ret.) on Writ Relief and Judicial Philosophy

Last updated on October 11, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Before Justice David Thompson left the bench in 2021 to become a private neutral, his colleague Justice Bedsworth called him “hard-headed.” And compassionate. But hard-headed? Justice Thompsons explains what Justice Bedsworth probably meant by that: “I say what I mean,” and tends to be direct—particularly at oral argument. Justice Thompson discusses his more stringent judicial...Read More >>

The Cal. Supreme Court’s Outgoing and Incoming Chief Justices, with David Ettinger

Last updated on October 4, 2022 by Tim Kowal
The California Supreme Court is getting a new chief justice. What does it mean? The author of prominent legal blog At the Lectern, David Ettinger, joins co-hosts Tim Kowal and Jeff Lewis to look back on Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye’s 11-year tenure, her legacy, her replacement, Justice Patricia Guerrero—and why is the governor “appointing” a...Read More >>

New Lawyer’s Toolkit Cases on Missing Findings & E-Filing Mishaps

Last updated on September 27, 2022 by Tim Kowal
What happens when the court fails to make required findings? Probably not, because the California Supreme Court says you still have to demonstrate prejudice. But in this episode of the California Appellate Law Podcast, Jeff Lewis and Tim Kowal talk about how, in certain kinds of cases, the prejudice analysis may give a very light...Read More >>

“They Don’t Laugh at My Jokes Anymore.” Justice Lambden’s Lessons from the Trenches to the Benches and Back

Last updated on September 20, 2022 by Tim Kowal
As a consensus-maker, Justice James Lambden never published a dissent in his 17 years on the Court of Appeal for the First District, despite sitting between two indomitable personalities in Justice J. Anthony Kline (Gov. Jerry Brown’s legal affairs secretary) and Justice Paul Hearle (Gov. Ronald Reagan’s appointments secretary). Justice Lambden explains why attorneys should...Read More >>

Why Are Courts Sour on CEQA? Peter Prows Explains

Last updated on September 13, 2022 by Tim Kowal
“Something is very wrong with this picture.” This is how the Court of Appeal recently concluded a CEQA case—with finger pointed in CEQA’s direction. Peter Prows, an environmental attorney who handles a lot of CEQA cases, runs down the good, the bad, and the ugly of CEQA. Peter talks with co-hosts Tim Kowal and Jeff...Read More >>

PAGA Claims After Viking River Cruises, with Eric Kingsley

Last updated on September 6, 2022 by Tim Kowal
What does the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding in Viking River Cruises, Inc. v. Moriana mean for PAGA claims against employers in California? Employment attorney Eric Kingsley explains how, under Viking River, employees now may be forced to waive their PAGA claims on a representative basis and arbitrate them individually instead. The holding disapproves the California...Read More >>

“Justice Belongs to the Community”: A Discussion with Justice Laurie Zelon

Last updated on August 30, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Justice Laurie Zelon spent 19 years on the Court of Appeal for the Second District before retiring in 2020 to work on cases as a mediator, arbitrator, and private judge. Justice Zelon talks with Tim Kowal and Jeff Lewis about: her commitment to serving the community, and why we can’t throw up our hands because...Read More >>

Striking Back Against Anti-SLAPPs: Three Tips for Opposing Anti-SLAPPs

Last updated on August 23, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Three recent cases remind litigants of some important tips when opposing anti-SLAPP motions: Spending money on litigation is not protected activity if the case is really about the misappropriation of the money. That’s Manlin v. Milner (D2d1 Aug. 10, 2022 Nos. B313253, B315077) 2022 WL 3223817 (nonpub. opn.) (Tim’s writeup is here). Appealing an anti-SLAPP...Read More >>

Time to Collect: Joseph Chora on Collecting Judgments

Last updated on August 16, 2022 by Tim Kowal
So you won a huge court case? Big deal — can you collect? Judgment enforcement, and defense against judgment enforcement, are critically important to litigants. But enforcement sits in that twilight region in between the trial and the appeal, so most trial and appellate attorneys do not know a lot about it. But Joseph Chora...Read More >>

Carrot & Stick: Treble Damages in Business Tort Cases, and Appellate Sanctions

Last updated on August 9, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Business litigators need to know about the civil-theft remedies under Penal Code section 496. After some appellate courts expressed distaste for awarding treble damages and attorney fees to garden-variety business torts, Tim Kowal and Jeff Lewis discuss the California Supreme Court’s opinion deciding the question: Yes, it seems a little surprising—but yes, that is what...Read More >>

The Eviction Problem, with Tenant’s Rights Attorney Eric Post

Last updated on August 2, 2022 by Tim Kowal
“The incentives are out of whack,” says Eric Post, a tenant’s rights attorney with BASTA, Inc. The past two years have seen a dramatic increase in evictions, he says. Why? Because that is the simplest way to raise the rent. Eric talks with Jeff Lewis and Tim Kowal about the flaws in California’s landlord-tenant legal...Read More >>

Lessons on Persuasion, From Science & Beyond, with Stefan Love

Last updated on July 26, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Reviewing a recent book on persuasion trial trips based in science, Stefan Love’s conclusion is that the tips are in greater abundance than the science. True, there is much interesting science on the limits of human attention: for example, you can get a jury to remember a few things, but one too many and they...Read More >>

Can I Appeal This? Three Cases with Surprising Answers

Last updated on July 19, 2022 by Tim Kowal
When you look up an answer whether an order is appealable, the cases are supposed to give you straight answers. But here are three cases that give surprising answers. (Ok, really just two — if you are surprised by the second one, you were mistaken.) Summary judgment orders are not appealable. It says so right...Read More >>

Litigating the “Fun Cases”: Civil Rights Appeals with Matthew Strugar

Last updated on July 12, 2022 by Tim Kowal
Matthew Strugar knows something about defending protesters threatened with legal action, even jail — because he used to be one of them. Drawing from his activist background, including defending animal rights, Matt talks about how civil-harassment restraining orders are abused to squash speech rights, though the anti-SLAPP law can still come to the rescue. Matt...Read More >>
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