By Melinda Burns, Santa Barbara Independent The largest cannabis operation to come before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors — 50 acres of cultivation at the gateway to the fabled Sta. Rita Hills, a federally designated wine-grape-growing region — was approved for a zoning permit in a contentious 3-2 vote on Tuesday. Santa Barbara West Coast Farms LLC, located [ More... ]
In a March 17 ruling, U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of the Central District of California denied Plains All American Pipeline’s attempt to escape liability for the harm its 2015 Refugio State Beach oil spill in Santa Barbara caused to coastal property owners after the rupture of its Santa Barbara County pipeline. The spill occurred when a 10-mile-long, 24-inch-wide [ More... ]
Santa Barbara Independent - By Jean Yamamura, Feb 22, 2020. The trials continue of Plains All American Pipeline, the Texas-based company that was found guilty in 2018 of releasing 3,400 barrels of oil into the Pacific Ocean near Refugio Beach in May 2015. Most recently in Judge James Herman’s courtroom, Plains brought a motion to strike some victims’ ability to [ More... ]
Barry Cappello and Leila Noël, partners in the Santa Barbara law firm of Cappello & Noël LLP, have been selected to the 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers list. No more than 5 percent of lawyers receive this honor. Cappello has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2007. Cappello represents plaintiffs in lender liability matters, complex business litigation, class [ More... ]
On January 28, 2020, United States District Court Judge Philip Gutierrez certified a class action lawsuit filed against Plains All American Pipeline by Santa Barbara County property owners who have easement contracts with Plains and whose properties were impacted during the 2015 Refugio oil spill. (Grey Fox, LLC et. al v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., et. al, U.S. District [ More... ]
A recent ruling by a Santa Barbara Superior Court judge will mean less public access to Hollister Ranch beaches for at least three to five years as litigation in the land use dispute continues, says A. Barry Cappello, lead counsel representing the Hollister Ranch Owners Association. "Judge Colleen Sterne’s decision to invalidate a 2017 settlement, which was tentatively approved at [ More... ]
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... ]
Seventy UCLA Law alumni, including Barry Cappello, were featured in the school’s Fall 2019 magazine that celebrated UCLA Law’s 70th Anniversary. Cappello was singled out as one of the school’s five “Top Trial Lawyers” in its 70-year history.
Ed Behrens, former principal of San Marcos High School (SMHS) in Santa Barbara, filed an appeal today after a Santa Barbara County Superior Court dismissed his lawsuit that contended he should get his job back since the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board wrongfully removed him from his principal position. (Edward Behrens vs. Santa Barbara Unified School District, et. al, [ More... ]
One week after the Conception dive boat burst into flames at 3 a.m. Labor Day — killing 34 of the 39 people onboard — many questions go unanswered: One of the victims’ remains is still lost at sea, the reason for a search warrant issued Sunday morning is still unknown, and the owners of the boat recently filed a lawsuit protecting themselves from damage claims — a move that came as a surprise to many.
