BUSINESS TRIAL LAWYERS

Recently, the Maloney Firm’s Greg Smith secured a significant victory for our client Andy Cruz, the Olympic gold medal-winning boxer and undefeated lightweight contender. Judge Orrick of the Northern District of California ruled a 2023 promotional agreement between Cruz and New Champion promotions was invalid and unenforceable. Cruz is now able to continue advancing his […]

Attorneys are submitting briefs to courts containing fabricated case citations, fabricated quotations, and entirely invented legal authorities. These are not just careless mistakes or isolated incidents. They are the predictable result of delegating critical legal work to artificial intelligence systems that their vendors claim are reliable but demonstrably are not. In Noland v. Land of […]

Attorneys looking to transition their career into private mediation or arbitration will still need to maintain their active State Bar licenses, according to a recent ruling by the California Court of Appeal. Getzels v. State Bar of California, 2025 No. B338089 (Cal. Ct. App., 2d Dist., Div. 4, June 26, 2025) reinforces California’s regulatory approach […]

Even experienced trial courts can err when calculating attorney’s fees. The Court of Appeal’s reversal in Tidrick v. FCA US LLC, 2025 WL 1234567 (Cal. Ct. App. [4th Dist., Div. 3]) underscores that proper attorney fee calculations protect the integrity of fee-shifting statutes and the rights of prevailing parties to recover reasonable compensation. Moreover, fee […]

A recent California Court of Appeal decision potentially undermines the motion reservation systems of local courts. In CFP BDA, LLC v. Superior Court (Cal. Ct. App. July 10, 2025) the Fourth Appellate District ruled that local court rules for timely filing after motion reservation cannot prevent a timely filed summary judgment motion from being heard, […]

A recent California Court of Appeal decision has deepened a split among state appellate courts regarding how trial courts must justify substantial percentage reductions to attorney fee awards. The May 2025 ruling in Michael Cash v. County of Los Angeles, _Cal. App. 5th ___ (2025) [WL 1540542; Case No. B336980], underscores issues that may impact […]