West News

Christmas Eve Shooting at Colorado Mall Leaves 1 Dead and 3 Injured

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A man was fatally shot and three people were hurt as gunfire rang out at a shopping center in Colorado on Christmas Eve, police said Sunday. A fight broke out between two groups of people …

Pacific Storm Dumps Heavy Rains, Unleashes Flooding in 2 California Coastal Cities

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (AP) — A Pacific storm pounded parts of Southern California on Thursday with heavy rain and street flooding, adding to hassles as holiday travel got underway. The early morning downpours targeted coastal Ventura County, just to the …

Nevada Supreme Orders New Trial in Malpractice Case, Finds Assumption of Risk Was a Bogus Defense

A medical provider defending against a malpractice lawsuit cannot introduce evidence about assumption of risk if the patient acknowledges that she gave her informed consent, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled Thursday. “Informed consent evidence is inadmissible, and an assumption-of-the-risk defense …

Calif. Appellate Ct. Overturns WCAB Decision to Hear Petition After 60-Day Deadline Passed

A California appellate panel overturned a Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board ruling that “an administrative irregularity” allowed the board to waive the statutory 60-day deadline to act on an appeal from an administrative law judge’s order. The Second Appellate District issued …

Activision Blizzard to Pay $54 Million to Settle California State Workplace Claims

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay about $54 million to settle discrimination claims brought by California`s civil rights agency on behalf of women employed by the video game maker. The settlement, which is subject to court …

Tesla Driver to Pay $23,000 in Restitution for 2019 Los Angeles Crash

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Tesla driver will pay more than $23,000 in restitution for the deaths of two people during a 2019 car crash in a Los Angeles suburb, a decision announced the same day that the automaker recalled …

Large Fire Burns 2nd Residential Construction Site in 3 days in Denver Suburb

DENVER (AP) — Firefighters in the Denver metro area responded to the second large fire at an Aurora construction site in three days on Saturday. Officials have not yet determined the cause for either fire and have not suggested that …

Heart of Hawaii’s Historic Lahaina, Scene of Deadly Wildfire, Reopens to Residents After 4 Months

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — The heart of Lahaina, the historic town on the Hawaiian island of Maui that burned in a deadly wildfire that killed at least 100 people, is reopening to residents and business owners holding day passes. The …

Viewpoint: California COVID-19 Presumptions Set to Expire

California’s COVID-19 presumptions will expire on Jan. 1, 2024, which means employer-related outbreak reporting and shortened-decision timeframes are going the way of the dinosaur. The last sentence of Labor Code sections 3212.86, 3212.87, and 3212.88 says that they expire on …

Calif. Work Comp Doc, Arrested Before but Not Convicted, Charged with Insurance Fraud Again

A Northern California doctor is charged — once again — with insurance fraud for allegedly overcharging workers’ compensation insurers for services at his pain management practice. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office charged Dr. Gary Martinovsky and his office assistant …

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