Injunctions

Dissident seat owners of the New York Stock Exchange said in court Monday that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. cheated them out of a better deal by advising both sides of the NYSE's planned $6-billion acquisition of Archipelago Holdings Inc. In the first day of what could be a weeklong hearing, plaintiffs led by seat owner William Higgins alleged in New York state Supreme Court that Goldman Sachs pulled the two sides together for its own interest.

The Supreme Court said Monday that it would consider an appeal by online auctioneer EBay Inc. in a case that could determine when it is appropriate to grant an injunction against a patent infringer. EBay, found to have infringed an e-commerce patent held by MercExchange for fixed-price sales, is asking whether an appeals court erred in deciding a permanent injunction must generally be issued once infringement of a valid patent has been determined.

In the five weeks since a Superior Court judge granted an injunction that essentially banned the gang known as "Culver City" from gathering on their home turf between Culver City and Marina del Rey, police have been on guard for retaliation from gang members. And it has come in the crude language of graffiti and gunfire. At about 1:30 a.m. on July 5, a Los Angeles police cruiser was fired upon in the 4900 block of Slauson Avenue.

Amid widening fallout from the Los Angeles Police Department's corruption scandal, a Superior Court judge Friday postponed enforcement of an injunction against 18th Street gang members in the Pico-Union District. Judge Rodney E. Nelson put the injunction on hold for an additional 60 days at the request of city and county prosecutors, who are assessing the damage to the court order caused by LAPD officers being investigated for a wide range of misconduct.

Cadence Design Systems Inc. said a federal judge ordered Avant Corp. to stop selling and using its ArcCell software, an expected move in Cadence's copyright infringement suit against Avant. The order from U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte in San Jose clarifies and reinforces his preliminary injunction of Dec. 19.

Redondo Beach on Friday got a preliminary injunction against 20 of the 28 members in the Northside Redondo 13 Gang. The order prohibits gang members from hanging out in Perry Park, consuming alcohol in public places and possessing dangerous weapons in a north Redondo Beach area bounded by Artesia Boulevard, Grant Avenue, Rindge Lane and Inglewood Avenue.

A preliminary injunction barring BMW North America from making certain advertising claims about its Z3 sports cars has been stayed until Oct. 31. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Edward A. Ferns issued a preliminary injunction Oct. 7 preventing BMW from claiming that its "all-season" traction control is standard in 1997 vehicles. The order, which was stayed on Tuesday, came in response to a false-advertising complaint lodged by BMW owner Teresa Zintgraff.

America Online Inc. subsidiary Digital City Inc. has been dealt a major setback in a lawsuit brought by a former partner, HotJobs.com Ltd., over an advertising contract. A state appeals court in Virginia issued a preliminary injunction Thursday reinstating the deal between the companies pending trial, finding that job search site HotJobs is "very likely to prove that [Digital City] breached the contract."

The City Council has unanimously agreed to consider seeking a civil injunction that would prevent gang members from meeting in some neighborhoods. The move is part of a package designed to curtail gang activity. Such cities as Compton and Pasadena have successfully obtained injunctions against gang members in specific neighborhoods despite legal objections from civil rights groups. Such injunctions can cost a city about $100,000 in legal fees.