CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
Balboa Island Village Inn, Inc. v. Lemen (2007) 40 Cal.4th 1141
Los Angeles Times - January 29, 2007
Bush, her primary lawyer, said the 1st Amendment should protect "vulnerable" people like Lemen, who "is just not an effective advocate for herself and could be crushed."
"A kernel of truth can come from the most unlikely sources, which is why I think it is important to have the most free and robust debate," Bush said. "Who knows? Even Anne Lemen might have something to say."
Orange County Register Staff Editorial January 31, 2007
But it is entirely inappropriate to penalize Ms. Lemen by muzzling her future speech. A court will have to weigh the truth of Ms. Lemen's complaints. But even speaking untruths that damage others, which does have consequences, does not mean the speaker forfeits the freedom of speech. As Lemen's attorneys rightly point out, that would put "courts in the role of being perpetual censors determining whether speech can occur."
Los Angeles Times Staff Editorial February 3, 2007
Two years ago, the nation's highest court scrutinized a gag order imposed on a man who had lost a libel case to defense attorney Johnnie Cochran (who died before the court could rule). During oral arguments, several justices seemed troubled by the breadth of that order. The California Supreme Court should be equally vigilant about protecting free expression.
FAMILY LAW
Los Angeles Times- April 19, 2009
Couples often think that they can assign repayment of debts in the process of a divorce -- e.g., you repay the Visa; I'll take the AmEx -- said D. Michael Bush, a Newport Beach-based lawyer. But unless they got the creditor's approval -- in addition to the court's -- the assignment is not legally enforceable, he said.
"There has to be an upfront agreement that includes the lender, or the lender can go where the money is -- it doesn't matter what you did in court," he said.
CIVIL
Mar. 31, 2009 This Time, It's Personal