No. 39
It's Sunday, March 1, and today's edition deals with Coyote Aviation, child sex abuse lawsuits against a San Bernardino diocese, a former Chief Justice of California, the judicial reason for our country's independence and more.
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Coyote Aviation to pay Redlands $63k in legal fees
On Feb. 27, San Bernardino Judge Joseph Widman ordered Redlands business Coyote Aviation to pay the city of Redlands $62,651 in legal fees. The ruling finalizes the case Coyote brought four years ago against Redlands. The company argued the city's eviction of the company from the Redlands Municipal Airport violated the lease agreement.
"I think, really, this might be the end of the road for this case, which has been pending for some time," Widman said from the bench.
The terms of the lease explicitly said that, in the case of a lawsuit, the winner of the suit would have their legal fees paid by the other litigant.
The case was the first of four involving Coyote Aviation's lease at the Redlands Municipal Airport. On Feb. 27, Coyote Aviation owner Gil Brown, his supporters, and his attorney, Ricky Shah of Pacheco and Neach, were at the courthouse. But they were one floor down, in San Bernardino Superior Judge Nicole Quintana Winter's courtroom, to resolve the latest of the cases. In that case, the business argued it should be able to demolish the $3 million hangar complex it built at the airport, which Redlands currently rents out. The terms of the lease said that Coyote Aviation would remove all improvements it built upon vacating the property. The company tried to do so, but Redlands denied its demolition permit. Winters was going to decide whether the case needed to go trial, or if she could declare the company the victor immediately. She had to postpone her ruling until Tuesday, to give her research team additional time to research the law.
The business had entered into a 20-year lease at the Redlands Municipal Airport in 2000. Brown built a $3-million hangar complex at the airport, with the expectation he could extend the lease for an additional 15 years. When he attempted to renew the lease in 2000, the city argued the time to renew had passed, and told the company to leave the property.
The lease, which went into effect Sept. 8, 2000, had an ambiguous end date. An original lease said it would last for twenty years, with a start date of April 4, 2000, and an end date of April 4, 2020. That lease was scrapped after the city did not prepare the land for Coyote Aviation's tenancy in time for the move-in date. A second lease was signed with a Sept. 5, 2000 start date, and still said it would last for 20 years—but the same end date of April 4, 2020. When asked in 2000, the then-city attorney told Coyote Aviation owner Gil Brown that the city would consider the lease to end in September 2020, not April 2020.
Twenty years later, a new city attorney told Brown that he had expired the terms of his lease. Brown lost the subsequent eviction case, and his case alleging that Redlands broke the lease agreement. San Bernardino Superior Judge Winston Keh ruled in 2023 that the city attorney's communication could not override the obvious end date spelled out in the lease. Coyote Aviation appealed, and the city said it spent $66,621 fighting the appeal.
Coyote Aviations' attorneys contested the amount, and Widman agreed to knock off $4,000.
With Coyote Aviation's motion to resolve the case in their favor without going to trial moved to March 3, Winter's courtroom will see a double header. Redlands' motion to resolve the case in their own favor was scheduled for that day already. If Winter rules against both motions, a mandatory settlement conference is scheduled for March 30.
150 child sex abuse lawsuits filed against San Bernardino diocese
A single San Bernardino Catholic diocese is facing 150 child sex abuse lawsuits, an attorney told a judge Feb. 27.
Attorney Devin Storey told San Bernardino Superior Judge Joseph Widman the number while providing a status report on one of the cases. The case, filed Dec. 30, 2022, has been held up for years because one of the defendants, a San Diego diocese, is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings. The bankruptcy is partly from the number of child sex abuse cases filed against it.
Storey, of San Diego's Zalkin Law, represents an client who alleged sexual abuse when he was a child in the 1990's. The plaintiff's and defendants' names are anonymous due to the nature of the suit, with the exceptions of the late Seminarian Dennis Jost and the late Father Bernard Waltos, who at one point worked at Queen of Angels Parish in Riverside. The suit says the abuse occurred at Queen of Angels Church, and at unidentified locations in San Bernardino, Tucson, AZ, Albuquerque, NM and Tropicana, CA.
"Defendants, and each of them, knew or reasonably should have known that the director of their altar servers was a pedophile who had previously plead guilty to the oral copulation of a 12 year old male altar server," the complaint says.
The suit claims assault and battery, false imprisonment. intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent supervision. The suit claims the plaintiff was sexually molested between 1984 and 1990.
California mostly removed the statute of limitations for child sex abuse lawsuits in 2022, resulting in a flood of lawsuits against schools and youth organizations. A bill to reform child sex abuse cases was introduced last legislative year and passed the state Senate, but did not pass the state Assembly. It might be brought back for discussion this year.
Child sexual assault suit reform bill passes Assembly Judiciary CommitteeChildhood sexual assault litigation may be reformed again. In 2019, the legislature extended the statute of limitations around child sex assault cases, giving plaintiffs until their 40th birthday to file. In 2022, the legislature almost entirely removed the statute of limitations. With public agencies facing a tidal wave of lawsuits,Inland Empire Law WeeklyAidan McGloin
Inland Empire Law Weekly joins Redlands Chamber of Commerce
This publication has had an editorial lapse this week: the editor neglected to hire a freelancer on Feb. 27 to report on Inland Empire Law Weekly's ribbon cutting ceremony at the Redlands Chamber of Commerce.
Although the editor attended the event, he was too preoccupied to take notes of what the speakers said. He apologizes for the error and the resulting lack of quotes.
Thank you to the Chamber members and representatives who welcomed this publication. The editor has joined many organizations over the years, but has never received a warmer welcome. Thank you also to my family and audio man, Robert Sides of Broadcast Media Services, for showing up.
This publication's strategic plan has been, from the start, to connect with community institutions.
We started by joining the Riverside County Bar Association, Hispanic Bar Association of the Inland Empire and the Pride Bar Association of the Inland Empire. Although the editor is not eligible for the San Bernardino County Bar Association, the elite lawyer group the American Board of Trial Advocates or Inland Empire Latino Lawyers' Association, this publication has attended and reported on those groups' events.
Now, this publication is expanding to the chambers of commerce. The Redlands Chamber of Commerce is the first, but this publication intends to also join the San Bernardino Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce.
Membership in these chambers enables this publication to help small businesses thrive through advertising opportunities, guest commentaries and improved reporting on the intersection of law and business. Put simply, membership helps this publication give back to its community.
Joining these institutions is the easy part. Being an active and involved member is difficult.
If you want to make it easier, please support local independent news reporting.
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Mock trial team start-up information to be shared at SB County session
Attorneys and teachers who are interested in starting a high school mock trial team in San Bernardino County can attend a 30-minute informational session that starts at 4 p.m., April 23.
Mock trial students are trained by judges and attorneys on the nuances of trials and law. Participating students can prepare for the mock trial as attorneys, witnesses, defendants, bailiffs or clerks. Excelling students often receive internships at the San Bernardino District Attorney's office.
The event is hosted by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, which runs the county's mock trial program under the guidelines of Teach Democracy.
Attorneys and teachers interested can sign up for the session informational session through the following Google form:
Edit March 2: This site incorrectly reported that the session is for students. It is for coaches and teachers.
Sign up here
Local news from local sources
Riverside County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Alleged Election IrregularitiesThe Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation into “alleged irregularities in our elections,” the department confirmed in a Wednesday statement to The Riverside Record.The Riverside RecordAlicia RamirezRedlands police arrest suspect in bar crash caseA 20-year-old Los Angeles woman was arrested in Compton after police say she drove her car into a crowd, seriously injuring four people outside the Underground bar in Redlands.Community Forward Redlands NewsStephanie Hastings MirandaTwo Years In, Riverside’s CARE Court Reaches 260 ResidentsA state roundtable highlights the program’s local impact and the personal approach driving its success.The Raincross GazetteCommunity ContributorNotre Dame High School Wins Riverside County Mock Trial for Second TimeThe Titans defeated crosstown rival Martin Luther King High School to earn a trip to the state competition in March.The Raincross GazetteGazette StaffAt least 11 wild burros killed in mysterious Reche Canyon attacksA $10,000 reward is offered to help figure out what is targeting the donkeys that roam the hills between Moreno Valley and Colton.Press EnterpriseAllyson EscobarJury finds Riverside County Sheriff’s Department not liable in death of mentally ill inmateAn attorney representing the family of Mario Solis said she will appeal the verdict.Press EnterprisegqlshareArrest made in downtown Redlands burglary casesPolice say a Redlands man is linked to multiple downtown commercial burglaries dating back to December.Community Forward Redlands NewsStephanie Hastings Miranda‘It will drive you crazy’: Letters reveal what life is like inside Adelanto ICE detention centerAn intimate look at life inside one of California’s largest ICE detention centers – told by the people who lived it.Orange County RegistergqlshareWomen from Riverside and Colorado convicted of pursuing an ICE agent in LAProsecutors said the women followed the agent’s vehicle from a federal building in downtown Los Angeles to the ICE employee’s Baldwin Park home in August.Press Enterprisegqlshare
California news
Resistance state: Tracking California’s lawsuits against the new Trump administrationThis story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Round 2 of California vs. Trump is well underway. President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders moments after being inaugurated president, and many of them could directly affect California. These orders include revoking licenses for offshoreInland Empire Law WeeklyCalMatters Staff
Why these California counties are directly funding immigrant legal defense amid Trump’s crackdown
With the Trump administration escalating immigration enforcement, a number of California municipal and county governments are setting aside public money to help immigrants and rapid response networks build legal defenses.
San Francisco and Alameda County are among the latest to designate additional money for immigrants to defend themselves against deportation. In October, when President Donald Trump threatened to increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors beefed up its defense fund by a unanimous vote with $3.5 million. In March, Alameda County doubled the fund it had started with $3.5 million.
Richmond, Los Angeles and Santa Clara County also have established immigration defense funds. And Bay Area cities have joined forces to create Stand Together Bay Area Fund, a legal resource completely funded by philanthropy.
Read it here
Newsom changed California prisons. What will the justice system look like after he leaves?
CalMatters reporter Joe Garcia, far left, moderates a discussion for "The Evolution of Crime and Punishment in California: What's Next?" panel at the Los Angeles Central Library in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 25, 2026. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters
CalMatters last week hosted a panel discussion on what’s next for criminal justice in California that included Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, Heidi Rummel of the Post-Conviction Justice Project and Dave Lewis, a longtime corrections department leader who oversaw facilities planning and construction for state prisons.
In different ways, each panelist has a hand in providing justice to crime victims and shaping opportunities for people in prison who want to grow.
Read it here
Uber ballot initiative sparks showdown with lawyers, doctors
In November, California voters may have to referee a multimillion-dollar battle among Uber, attorneys and doctors. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for anybody who uses the state’s roads and highways.
Uber last fall filed a proposed ballot measure that would cap personal injury lawyers’ contingency fees and limit medical damages for all vehicle crashes in California, even those not involving an Uber. The company paints its effort as a way to rein in attorneys who take advantage of those who get hurt in a crash. Crash survivors often hire attorneys on a contingency basis, meaning the lawyers only get paid if they win the case.
That got attorney groups fired up: They responded by proposing three ballot initiatives that would expand the ride-hailing giant’s liability for passenger injuries; increase its liability for sexual misconduct against riders or drivers; and ban new state laws that interfere with people’s ability to retain lawyers.
Doctors and other medical providers also got organized and formed a political action committee, Providers for Patient Care, last October to oppose Uber’s initiative.
Despite the substantial opposition, legal experts acknowledge Uber’s proposed ballot initiative could appeal to Californians.
Read it here
National news
US, Israel strike Iran; Democrats call for immediate vote on Trump war powers
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers called Saturday for Congress to weigh in on President Donald Trump’s order launching “major combat operations” in Iran, while Republicans largely provided cautious support of the attacks.
Trump said in a video posted to social media at 2:30 a.m. Eastern that U.S. forces struck targets in the Islamic republic. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacks were conducted in conjunction with Israel.
On Saturday morning, as word of the attack spread, numerous Democratic members of Congress were urging a vote on Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine’s War Powers Resolution.
Read it here
Kilmar Abrego Garcia prosecutor testifies criminal charges were not ‘vindictive’
Kilmar Abrego Garcia arriving at a downtown Nashville courthouse with his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, for a Feb. 26. 2026 hearing to decide whether the federal government is vindictively prosecuting him on human smuggling charges (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)
NASHVILLE — The lead federal prosecutor in the criminal case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia took on an unusual role Thursday: seated on the witness stand, Rob McGuire defended the federal government against allegations it was vindictively prosecuting a man whose high-profile fight against wrongful deportation had embarrassed the Trump administration.
For more than two hours, McGuire was questioned about the substance of emails, phone calls and meetings with a senior Justice Department official, who told McGuire that Abrego’s prosecution on human smuggling charges was a “top priority for us.” The official asked to review a draft of the indictment, and at one point told McGuire to temporarily hold off on bringing an indictment until they received “clearance” to do so.
McGuire testified repeatedly that it was he, alone, who made the decision to prosecute the case, based on the evidence before him.
Read it here
In perspective
The Declaration of Independence:
John Adams
Inland Empire Law Weekly is analyzing each of the 27 reasons for independence as laid out in the Declaration of Independence. Today's reason has to do with the colony's lack of judicial independence:
He (the king) has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries
John Adams wrote about this controversy in his autobiography. The Massachusetts Bay Colony had historically provided for the salary of judges. In 1773, the crown took over, and began paying justices directly. Royal power over both judicial appointment and judicial salary made the judicial branch entirely dependent on the crown. Adams was going to be silent on the issue until he was publicly called out by attorney Major General William Brattle in a town hall meeting, and again in print. Both times, Brattle argued that judges should be appointed for life, and that he would debate Adams on the subject easily. Adams wrote in his diary that Brattle was being absurd.
"I have written a tedious Examination of Brattle’s absurdities. The Governor and General Court, has been engaged for two Months upon the greatest Question ever yet agitated. I stand amazed at the Governor, for forcing on this Controversy. He will not be thanked for this. His Ruin and Destruction must spring out of it, either from the Ministry and Parliament on one Hand, or from his Countrymen, on the other. He has reduced himself to a most ridiculous State of Distress."
Adams wrote a response, Brattle went silent, but Adams' friends began asking him what the people's response should be to a judge who was dependent on salaries from the crown. Adams' answer was impeachment. He invited those friends over, and they read his books on English law. Eventually, they drew up articles of impeachment against Chief Justice Peter Oliver. Oliver had accepted a royal pay raise and had presided over the trial of the soldiers accused of murder in the Boston Massacre. Although the impeachment went nowhere, jury members refused to sit for trials. They each said that they would not review a trial for as long as the chief justice was avoiding his own accusation. The court did not hold trials again, until the revolutionary government appointed one following the Battle of Lexington.
Read from John Adams's autobiography here
Reading
Every week, Inland Empire Law Weekly recommends a book. This week's selection is Chief: The Quest for Justice in California, an oral history with California Chief Justice Ronald George.
Former Chief Justice Ronald George
George led an interesting life. He was the son of Hungarian and French immigrants, attended school in Geneva, Switzerland, and served as Deputy Attorney General for California for seven years. He represented the state in its prosecution of Sirhan Sirhan, for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and represented California in a landmark case involving the death penalty. Gov. Jerry Brown appointed George to Los Angeles Superior Court, where he presided over the trial of Hillside Strangler Angelo Buono. Gov. Pete Wilson appointed George to the California Supreme Court in 1991, and then as Chief Justice of California in 1996. He authored the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in 2008. The ruling was overturned by voter's decision through Proposition 8 six months later.
This 758-page book was a product of University of California's California Supreme Court Oral History Project, and as such is a first-hand account of George's life, as told by the justice himself.
Page 30, chosen randomly, is an account of the year 1960, in which George pretended to be a member of the press and joined then-presidential candidate Richard Nixon's press junket.
"I got up to the counter (at Nixon's campaign's headquarters), they asked me for my name, and it wasn't on the list of course. I said, 'My editor is going to be furious at me and at your campaign too. I've got to cover this story.' They said, 'There must have been a mistake.' and asked what paper I was with, so I said I was from the (nonexistent) Yale Daily News instead of the (real) Daily Princetonian. I didn't want to leave too many tracks. I got the credential and went back to the ABC studios," George said.
He ditched college classes, hopped on the press plane to St. Louis, and was sat next to President Harry Truman at one of the rallies. He only left the campaign trail to take his midterms.
On the last page, George said he reviewed the clippings of newspapers articles on him that were published throughout his 14-year service as chief justice, to ensure he didn't miss anything.
"Going through these clippings has reminded me of an observation that's been made: journalism is the first rough draft of history—which, by the way, is one of several reasons I always made it a practice to attempt to accommodate the needs of the press in the course of my professional career," George said.
The book is $38 from Amazon
This day in history
On March 1, 1692, the Salem witch trials began with the indictments of Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba. Two hundred people were accused of witchcraft, which was illegal under colonial Massachusetts law. Thirty people were found guilty, and 20 were executed. Judge Samuel Sewall would apologize for the miscarriage of justice.
Discussion in the ATmosphere