BUSINESS
February 2, 2012 | By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times
The owner of a Honda Civic hybrid won an unusual Small Claims Court lawsuit Wednesday against the auto giant that some legal experts believe could change strategies for both Small Claims Court and class-action litigation. A Los Angeles County court commissioner ruled that American Honda Motor Co. negligently misled Civic owner Heather Peters when it claimed the hybrid could achieve as much as 50 miles per gallon. Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan, who mailed his 26-page decision to Peters and Honda, awarded her $9,867.19 in damages.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
July 13, 2000 | SUE FOX, TIMES STAFF WRITER
The law was supposed to send gusts of fresh air billowing through the smoke-filled haze of California's bars and restaurants, consigning smokers to outdoor patios and parking lots. But 2 1/2 years after the statewide ban on workplace smoking took effect, the city of Los Angeles has not fined a single bar for violating the rule.
ENTERTAINMENT
March 9, 1987 | Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press
Small-claims lawsuits have soared since "People's Court" went on the air in 1981. The Wall St. Journal reports that small- claims suits filed in the nation's courts have increased as much as 50%, with litigants becoming more vocal about their judgments--just like their TV courtroom counterparts. Says Judge Joseph Wapner, the feisty TV judge: "We're trying to teach people that the courts are there to serve them."
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
September 27, 1989 | AMY LOUISE KAZMIN, Times Staff Writer
A San Fernando small claims court judge Tuesday ordered the city of Los Angeles to pay a Kagel Canyon resident $501 in damages for noxious gases blown into his home from the nearby Lopez Canyon Landfill, a decision the disgruntled neighbor said will encourage dozens more such lawsuits.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
March 20, 1996 | SCOTT HADLY
Lawyers from eastern Ventura County have taken it upon themselves to encourage greater use of the East County Courthouse in Simi Valley by donating equipment for the facility. A formal ceremony has been scheduled for this evening3 when members of the East County Bar Assn. plan to turn over such things as a television, microwave oven and videocassette player that could be used by jurors while they wait for trial, said Keith Jajko, a spokesman for Supervisor Judy Mikels.
NEWS
July 10, 1986
An 18-year-old South Gate man has been ordered to pay restitution to the Downey Unified School District for vandalizing two high schools on three separate occasions. Michael S. Campbell, who began a six-month sentence in County Jail July 1, was ordered to pay $5,879 for damage caused when he and a 17-year-old vandalized lockers at Warren and Downey high schools. The pair were caught at Warren High on Dec. 15, 1985.