Legal Update: Appeals Court Rules, Whistleblower Settlements, and New Misconduct Rules

Here’s a round-up of recent legal stories affecting Riversiders from our friends at Follow Our Courts, who cover legal news in the Inland Empire:

• The Court of Appeal has ruled that the dismissal of 1,782 criminal cases in Riverside Superior Court was not improper. The decision strikes a loss to Riverside District Attorney Michael Hestrin, who had argued the dismissals were a miscarriage of justice.
• CA Supreme Court rules Riverside not immune after leaving a dead body exposed. Police officers can be held liable for injuries inflicted during investigations, the California Supreme Court ruled on June 22. The decision overrules appellate precedent that had granted qualified immunity to police officers.
• Riverside nursing facility settles whistleblower’s kickback claims: Alta Vista Healthcare & Wellness Centre will pay $3.8 million to settle government allegations that they illegally paid kickbacks to doctors who referred patients to their health care network instead of Medicare or Medicaid.
• Riverside tax prepper gets six years for fake returns: Andrew Zepeda Hansack was sentenced to six years and $3.37 million in restitution after pleading guilty to two counts of falsifying a tax return.
• County settles juvenile detention fee suit: Riverside County will pay back $540,000 in juvenile fees to 1,200 class members to settle a lawsuit that alleged illegal collection of juvenile detention fees.
• Starting August 1, California lawyers must report other attorneys’ misconduct.

Follow Our Courts reports on cases, legislation, and courthouse happenings in the Inland Empire. Learn more at followourcourts.com.