Michael Gennaro

Pasadena

Legal News Journalist at Courthouse News Service

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Articles

Judge likely to block Trump plan to fire thousands, citing constitutional overreach

6 days ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A federal judge said Friday that she is likely going to grant a temporary restraining order sought by San Francisco and more than two dozen other local governments, nonprofits and labor organizations that sued the Trump administration two weeks ago over its plans to fire thousands of federal workers.
Silicon Valley investor with ties to Elon Musk accuses Brookfield of fraud, retaliation

1 week ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

SAN MATEO, Calif. (CN) — A Silicon Valley investor with ties to Elon Musk is suing Brookfield Asset Management, accusing the $1 trillion firm of fraud, mismanagement and attempted bribery. In a 100-page lawsuit filed Thursday in San Mateo County Superior Court, Josh Raffaelli — a former managing partner at Brookfield until his firing in December — claims the firm misled investors and retaliated against him after he blew the whistle to regulators.
Sanctuary cities accuse Trump of defying court order with new crackdown

1 week ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A coalition of communities said at a motion hearing Thursday afternoon that President Donald Trump violated the Constitution and a federal judge's directive with another executive order in late April promising to defund sanctuary cities.
Ninth Circuit nixes FTC antitrust appeal of $75 billion Microsoft-Activision deal

1 week ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Microsoft’s merger with gaming giant Activision Blizzard took a leap forward Wednesday after a Ninth Circuit panel ruled that a federal judge was correct in rejecting the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to block the deal after a trial in 2023. A three-judge panel unanimously rejected the FTC’s appeal and ruled the federal judge had applied the correct legal standards.
Tow truck driver’s civil rights suit against Mountain View mayor tossed

1 week ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

SAN JOSE, Calif. (CN) — A federal magistrate judge dismissed a civil rights lawsuit filed by a Northern California tow truck driver against Mountain View Mayor Ellen Kamei, finding the driver had failed to state a viable claim. Felix Salcido said that in 2023 he towed three cars that were illegally parked at a business in Mountain View, a small city in Silicon Valley. One of the cars belonged to Kamei, who was a Mountain View City Council member at the time.
Critics call Trump plan to reopen Alcatraz ‘absurd’ & unrealistic

1 week ago | tucsonsentinel.com | Michael Gennaro

Courthouse News Service President Donald Trump’s proposal to reopen Alcatraz, the infamous prison that closed more than 60 years ago, was met with derision by critics and politicians alike.
Critics call Trump plan to reopen Alcatraz ‘absurd’ and unrealistic

1 week ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

The prison has been closed for over 60 years and is now a popular tourist attraction. SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — President Donald Trump’s proposal to reopen Alcatraz, the infamous prison that closed more than 60 years ago, was met with derision by critics and politicians alike.
Judge tosses most of Elon Musk’s OpenAI suit, but fraud claims remain

2 weeks ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

Musk, an early investor of OpenAI, sued to stop it from restructuring to a for-profit company. OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — A federal judge dismissed numerous claims but allowed fraud claims to survive Thursday afternoon in a fight between Elon Musk and OpenAI, the developers of ChatGPT. Musk, an early investor and cofounder of OpenAI, is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his company, seeking a court order to prevent it from going through with for-profit restructuring.
Judge sympathetic to famous authors fighting Meta over AI

2 weeks ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

Comedian Sarah Silverman and award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates are among 13 authors who accuse Meta of violating copyright law by training its AI model on their books. SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — Meta said at a summary judgment hearing Thursday morning that it did not violate copyright law when it used books from 13 acclaimed authors, including comedian Sarah Silverman and award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates to train its flagship AI model, Llama. But a federal judge didn't seem convinced.
Judge slams Apple for violating App Store antitrust injunction

2 weeks ago | courthousenews.com | Michael Gennaro

Apple could face criminal contempt charges if the Justice Department decides to act. SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Apple willfully violated the terms of a 2021 injunction meant to curb anticompetitive conduct with respect to in-app and out-of-app purchases on its app store. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Rogers Gonzalez said she will refer the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for possible criminal contempt charges.