Articles and news pertaining to complex business litigation law.

SBRPA Files Legal Challenge To Halt Enforcement of Santa Barbara Rent Freeze and Eviction Restriction Ordinances

A lawsuit was filed by four separate apartment property owners as well as the Santa Barbara Rental Property Association (SBRPA) on April 3 in federal district court in Los Angeles seeking an injunction to stop the enforcement of the rent freeze and eviction restriction ordinances imposed by the City of Santa Barbara. (SBRPA v. City of Santa Barbara, City Council [ More... ]

By |2026-04-17T15:20:53-07:00April 7th, 2026|Complex Business Litigation, News, Real Estate & Land Use Law|
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Appeals Court Affirms Lower Court’s Decision In Favor Of Montecito Country Club Requiring Adjacent Neighbor To Remove Hardscaping and Landscaping Improperly Placed in Easement And To Restore Property To Previous Condition

The Second Appellate District Court of Appeal affirmed a lower court’s decision that property owners adjacent to Montecito Country Club must remove hardscaping and landscaping they installed without permission on an easement owned by the Country Club and restore the property to its previous condition. (Montecito Country Club, LLC vs. Kevin C. Root, et. al., 2nd Civ. No B341762, March [ More... ]

By |2026-03-13T08:42:19-07:00March 13th, 2026|Complex Business Litigation, News, Real Estate & Land Use Law|
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Court Denies Santa Barbara County’s Motion To Dismiss Over Recycling Facility Dispute

After a nine-month review, a United States District Judge has denied Santa Barbara County's motion to dismiss a breach of contract lawsuit over a $140 million waste conversion and management facility, allowing the case against the County to proceed. U.S. District Judge Monica Almadani ruled on June 13 that MSB Investors LLC (MSB) can pursue all claims against the County, [ More... ]

By |2026-04-17T15:23:11-07:00June 19th, 2025|Complex Business Litigation, Environmental Law, News, Uncategorized|
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Judge Clears One-Story Deed Restriction From Property

In December 2024, a judge agreed that a one-story restriction contained in an 85-year-old deed on a single-family home in Hope Ranch was not enforceable. (Max Liskin, et. al. vs. Hope Ranch Park Homes Association, Marc A. Lowe, Pauline Lowe, et. al., December 15, 2024, Case No.: 22CV02239). The restriction was clearly unfair to the firm’s clients (the Lowe family) [ More... ]

By |2026-04-17T15:23:58-07:00January 10th, 2025|Complex Business Litigation, News, Real Estate & Land Use Law|
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$19 Million Jury Award for Passport 420 in Insurance Bad Faith Case Against Starr Insurance related to Jet Seizure and Michael Avenatti Misconduct

A Santa Barbara County jury found that Starr Indemnity & Liability Company acted in bad faith and with malice and oppression when it refused to pay an insurance claim submitted by Passport 420, LLC, its policyholder.  (Passport 420 LLC et al vs Starr Indemnity & Liability Co. et al, Santa Barbara Superior Court, 19CV03596). Passport’s jet was seized in April [ More... ]

By |2025-11-21T14:20:21-08:00October 10th, 2024|Complex Business Litigation, Firm News|
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Judge Approves $230 Million Settlement for Fishing Industry Members And Shoreline Residents Damaged By Plains All American Pipeline’s 2015 Santa Barbara Oil Spill

On September 20, Federal District Court Judge Philip S. Gutierrez granted final approval of a combined $230 million class action settlement arising out of Plains All American Pipeline’s 2015 Refugio Oil Spill on the Santa Barbara coast. The court’s approval clears the way for the settlement administrator to begin processing and paying claims submitted by affected fishers and property owners. [ More... ]

By |2025-01-07T13:42:41-08:00September 22nd, 2022|Class Actions, Complex Business Litigation, Firm News, News, Toxic Tort|
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Jury Finds Michael Avenatti To Blame In His Decade-Old Fight Over Unpaid Attorney Fees; Exonerates Former Clients

On June 22, 2022, an Orange County civil jury found in favor of William Parrish and E. Timothy Fitzgibbons, and against Stoll, Nussbaum & Polakov, their former lawyers who had sued them for claimed attorney fees in a prior case. The jury returned a verdict in two hours, ruling against the Stoll law firm 12-0 on every claim.  The jury [ More... ]

By |2024-09-27T05:01:45-07:00June 24th, 2022|Complex Business Litigation, Firm News, News|
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Law.com: CA State Judge Orders Michael Avenatti to Appear for Trial

An Orange County Superior Court judge has issued a writ commanding a federal prison warden to produce inmate Michael Avenatti for in-person testimony this week at the West Justice Center in Westminster, California, recently renamed the Stephen K. Tamura Justice Center. Avenatti has said he'll only appear via video and will invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, but the [ More... ]

By |2025-06-17T13:53:10-07:00April 4th, 2022|Complex Business Litigation, Firm News, News|
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Claim For Damages Filed Against City of Santa Barbara

Owners of High Sierra Grill, a restaurant and bar at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport from 2015 until 2019, filed a claim for damages against the City of Santa Barbara alleging the City constituted numerous contractual breaches resulting in substantial financial losses. High Sierra Grill had a 10-year lease with the City, with options to renew for three additional five-year [ More... ]

By |2020-09-02T13:41:07-07:00December 6th, 2019|Complex Business Litigation, Firm News, News|
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Santa Barbara Jury Rejects $27 Million Lawsuit by Johnson & Johnson Against Competitor Sientra

Santa Barbara, Calif.--After an eight-week trial and less than four hours of deliberation, a Santa Barbara Superior Court jury on August 30 rejected a $27 million lawsuit filed by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) against Santa Barbara-based Sientra, Inc.

By |2020-08-28T09:46:04-07:00September 5th, 2013|Complex Business Litigation, News, Personal Injury|
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