Court of Appeal Says California Must Replace Electronically Stolen Food Benefits
Decision reverses lower court ruling; says Department of Social Services is responsible for replacing food benefits stolen from Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card holders Los Angeles, CA — The California Court of Appeal has ruled that the Department of Social Services must replace CalFresh benefits (formerly “food stamps”) when they are electronically stolen from recipients. […]
Judge Finds City of LA in Contempt of Court Order
A federal judge has found the City of Los Angeles in contempt of a Court order that forbids the City from seizing and destroying bulky items based solely on their size — because the City posted notices that bulky items are prohibited in several neighborhoods. In August, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and co-counsel Kirkland […]
LAFLA Files Motion Holding City of LA in Contempt of Court Order
Today, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles filed a motion in Garcia v. City of Los Angeles, arguing the City should be found in contempt of the Court for posting notices that bulky items are prohibited and will be seized. Our motion alleges the City is violating the Court’s order earlier this year that forbade […]
Judge Orders City of Los Angeles to Stop Seizing and Destroying Unhoused Residents’ Large Personal Items
LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2020 — In a victory for people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, today, a judge ordered the City of Los Angeles to stop enforcing a provision of a city ordinance that allowed the City to seize and immediately destroy homeless people’s belongings, based solely on the size of the item. The Court found that the […]
L.A. Man Sues City After Car Towed and Sold Over Two Parking Tickets
Car Auctioned Despite Man’s Participation in Community Assistance Parking Program LOS ANGELES, October 17, 2019 — A person experiencing homelessness, Joseph Safuto, has sued the City of Los Angeles, challenging the city’s practice of towing vehicles as a mechanism for collecting debt – in this case two unpaid parking tickets that resulted in a lapsed […]
Immigration Advocates Sue U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for Systematic Delay in Processing U Visa Applications
LOS ANGELES, October 4, 2019 — A group of survivors of violent crimes including rape, sexual assault, and domestic abuse sued the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today, for failing to process their U visa and employment authorization applications in a timely manner—violating the bureau’s obligation under federal law. The Legal Aid Foundation of […]
Homeless Individuals and Advocates File Lawsuit Challenging Unconstitutional Treatment of People’s Belongings and the Ordinance Used to Justify It
LOS ANGELES, July 18, 2019 — Seven unhoused residents, living in Los Angeles neighborhoods from Van Nuys to Harbor City, along with two community organizations, filed a lawsuit today against the City of Los Angeles to challenge the constitutionality of Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 56.11, which the City has used to justify the ongoing […]
Reflections on Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Resilience, Activism, & Justice
By Joann Lee, LAFLA Special Counsel on Language Justice With Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month upon us this May, we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, largely built by Chinese workers. These workers, who faced extreme racism and exploitative conditions, were excluded from receiving any acknowledgement and very little was […]
Lawsuit Challenges U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Over Illegal Denials of Federal Loan Consolidations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jan. 30, 2019: Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) filed a lawsuit in federal district court this week against the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), on behalf of a former student of a now-defunct for-profit college. The lawsuit challenges a longstanding policy that prevents borrowers […]
Legal Aid Wins Case Against 30-Year-Old Beach Curfew
In a victory for preserving access to California’s coastline for all people in Los Angeles, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) and co-counsel from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, recently settled their case against the city of Los Angeles, marking the end of their court challenge questioning the legality of a 30-year-old […]