Courts and Lawsuits
Litigation and court decisions.
2 upcoming events · 64 stories · 1 meeting summary · Aug 25, 2026 – Nov 2, 2026
Upcoming events
Stories
Monday, November 2, 20262 stories →
To fight the Marina Safeway project, NIMBYs reach for a law written to stop the Klan
Neighbors suing to stop a housing project at the Marina Safeway have built part of their case on a civil rights law written to target the Ku Klux Klan, and the developer wants that claim dismissed, the Standard reports. The neighbors lost an effort to steer the case to a judge who had handled PG&E pollution suits.
Three Vallejo men convicted in Chinatown street thefts
Three men from Vallejo were convicted of felony and misdemeanor theft counts after San Francisco prosecutors accused them of working together to rob pedestrians in Chinatown, the World Journal reports.
Saturday, October 31, 20261 story →
Chiu and FTC sue Toast over alleged hidden fees and unwanted paid services
City Attorney David Chiu, the Federal Trade Commission, Los Angeles County and seven states sued the restaurant software company Toast, alleging it hides fees, adds paid services without consent and makes subscriptions hard to cancel. Toast denies the claims and says it will defend itself.
Thursday, October 29, 20261 story →
29-Year-Old With Multiple DUIs Charged With Murder After Excelsior Pedestrian Death
David Maldonado Sanabria, 29, has been charged with second-degree murder in an Oct. 1 crash that killed a 43-year-old pedestrian in the crosswalk at Moscow Street and France Avenue, SFist reports. The victim died Oct. 19; police used a witness photo of the license plate and automated plate readers to find the car about three miles away, and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced the charge.
Sunday, October 25, 20261 story →
Gift Card ‘Draining’: How to Apply for Compensation After San Francisco’s Lawsuit
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced Friday that more than $1.5 million will be available to Californians affected by a gift card scam. The money comes from a settlement of the city's 2023 lawsuit, which alleged that the packaging of Vanilla gift cards made them easy to tamper with.
Saturday, October 24, 20261 story →
SF supervisorial candidate's son arrested, charged in shooting attempt
A San Francisco supervisorial candidate's son was arrested and charged this month with trying to shoot a man accused of assaulting his mother, the Chronicle reports. The candidate has campaigned on her own experience as a survivor of gun violence.
Thursday, October 22, 20262 stories →
Husband of slain UCSF social worker sues city over ‘woefully inadequate security’
The husband of a UCSF social worker killed at San Francisco General Hospital is suing the city over security. The lawsuit alleges that security staff knew when the alleged attacker, Alberto Rangel, planned to arrive and failed to stop him, Mission Local reports. It describes the hospital's security as "woefully inadequate."
S.F. staff say gunman held them ‘hostage.’ DA says they hid him.
Two workers at the Bayshore Navigation Center are accused of helping the gunman who shot an SFPD officer on May 31. The workers say the man held them hostage; the district attorney says they hid him, Mission Local reports. A judge was set to weigh the evidence this week.
Wednesday, October 21, 20264 stories →
Supervisors clear way to auction Sea Cliff house at center of alleged deed-fraud scheme
The Board of Supervisors cleared the way for San Francisco to auction a Sea Cliff house at the center of an alleged deed-fraud scheme. The treasurer's office says a sale could come before the end of the year, and the city attorney's injunction hearing is set for Friday.
San Francisco Judge Denies Bail to Engineer Accused of Bugging OpenAI HQ
Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse ordered Abdulrahman Alfozan detained without bail, finding a flight risk, according to CNBC. Tse questioned an offer by the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles to back the full bond. Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernik, said he would keep fighting for release.
Gig firm WorkWhile to pay $2.3 million to settle San Francisco lawsuit
The San Francisco city attorney's office reached a $2.3 million settlement with WorkWhile, a gig-work company it accused of wrongly classifying workers as contractors instead of employees.
Instacart to Pay $5 Million Over Alleged Hiring Discrimination Against US-Born Employees
San Francisco-based Instacart agreed to pay $5 million to settle a Justice Department investigation into allegations it discriminated against US-born workers. The department said Instacart required US applicants to mail in applications during a process for sponsoring foreign workers.
Tuesday, October 20, 20263 stories →
S.F. civil rights group sues for records on ‘mega’ immigration hearings
A San Francisco civil rights group has sued for records explaining why dozens of immigrants are being grouped into "mega master" immigration hearings, according to Mission Local. The lawsuit says the immigration courts have released no records on the practice.
San Francisco Prosecutors Charge Construction Employees Over Deadly 2023 Trench Collapse
San Francisco prosecutors announced Monday that they charged D'Arcy & Harty Construction and three employees with involuntary manslaughter over a 2023 trench collapse that killed 24-year-old Javier Romero. Romero was working on a sewer project for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission near Oak and Divisadero streets when a passing heavy vehicle caused the unsupported trench to give way, the district attorney's office said. John Finbarr Darcy, John William Tobin and Filiberto Poblano Perez also face charges of violating a safety standard resulting in death.
Accused OpenAI spy had ties to Saudi royal, prosecutors say
Federal prosecutors say the OpenAI engineer accused of hiding a recorder in an executive conference room has ties to a Saudi royal and that his family has left the country, the Standard reports. His defense says he has a pending citizenship interview and every reason to stay.
Saturday, October 17, 20262 stories →
170 rape kits, 1 rape prosecution: New SFPD data shows sexual assault cases stalling
New Police Department data shows sexual assault victims in San Francisco get exams within days, while it can take investigators months to even open a case, according to the Standard. The figures show 170 rape kits and one rape prosecution.
S.F. court interpreters walk out today over ‘unfair labor practices’
Court interpreters walked off the job Friday in San Francisco, saying their wages are far below those of federal interpreters and that courts rely too much on remote interpretation. Their union represents state court interpreters in 12 California counties.
Friday, October 16, 20261 story →
S.F. court rejects DA Jenkins’ blanket boycott of allegedly biased judge
A San Francisco court reversed course two days after ruling for District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and will let Judge Michelle Tong hear prosecutors' cases again, according to Mission Local. The ruling ends the district attorney's blanket challenges to the judge.
Sunday, October 11, 20261 story →
SFPD Officers Accused of Beating Man Into Near-Coma After Ignoring Racial Threats
San Francisco public defenders released body camera video showing three officers punching Kevon Gibson, pulling his hair and kneeling on his neck as they handcuffed him at a Sixth Street residential hotel on Aug. 17, 2025, as KQED reports. Gibson, 33, was intubated in an intensive care unit and then spent a year in jail awaiting trial on felony charges of resisting arrest, according to Mission Local. His attorneys say he was temporarily blind in one eye, and they accuse the district attorney's office of withholding evidence, including footage of the white resident who called police, threatened to stab him and used racial slurs in front of officers.
Saturday, October 10, 20261 story →
Bay Area Man Found Not Guilty in ICE Assault Case
A jury on Friday found Caleb Alexander Ranney not guilty of assaulting an ICE officer and destroying federal property during a protest at the agency's San Francisco field office in August 2025. The trial centered on video of the confrontation outside 630 Sansome St. Ranney, a Pittsburg resident, had faced up to two years in prison.
Friday, October 9, 20263 stories →
SFPD beat city resident into near-coma in 2025 and DA ‘tried to cover it up,’ public defenders allege
San Francisco public defenders say police officers beat Kevon Gibson during an Aug. 17, 2025 arrest, leaving him in a medically induced coma, and that body camera footage complicates the department's account of the case. The Public Defender's Office alleges the district attorney tried to cover up the conduct.
Woman accused in fatal Warfield Theatre shooting is linked to retail theft ring, police say
San Francisco police say Shakia Vanderbilt, 32, has been charged with murder in the shooting death of Ulysses Davis, 47, a security guard at the Warfield Theatre on Market Street. Investigators say Vanderbilt is linked to a retail theft ring accused of taking more than $1 million in merchandise across California in the 2010s, and that she was arrested Tuesday.
Former SF DA Employee Testifies to Being Called Racial Slur, Harassed by HR Director
Twanda Bailey, who worked 14 years in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, testified Wednesday that a co-worker called her a racial slur in 2015 and that the office's human resources director harassed her afterward. Bailey said the HR director told her no complaint existed and warned that discussing the slur could create a hostile work environment for her. Her lawsuit is being tried in a San Francisco courtroom by an Alameda County judge after all San Francisco judges recused themselves.
Thursday, October 8, 20262 stories →
Former SF DA Employee Testifies to Being Called Racial Slur, Harassed by HR Director
A former San Francisco District Attorney's Office employee testified that a co-worker called her a racial slur and that the department's human resources manager harassed her instead of documenting the incident. Twanda Bailey, who worked at the DA's office for 14 years before quitting in late 2015, was the first witness in her lawsuit against the office. The trial is being heard by an Alameda County Superior Court judge after all San Francisco judges recused themselves.
Woman charged with murder in Warfield guard’s killing. Family calls loss ‘surreal.’
Prosecutors say Shakia Vanderbilt was involved in a dispute after she was removed from the Warfield theater before Ulysses “Bear” Davis was shot. The guard's family called his death surreal.
Wednesday, October 7, 20261 story →
Landlord moves to evict this AI unicorn to clear space for Anthropic
A landlord has moved to evict the AI startup Physical Intelligence from its Mission District office to make room for Anthropic, according to a lawsuit. The suit alleges the company overstayed its lease and expanded into unleased areas, which it improved without consent.
Monday, October 5, 20261 story →
The Yekutiel scandal fits the SF establishment’s pattern of failing survivors
The Standard, reviewing a year of its own reporting, says San Francisco rarely solves rape cases and never funded the lawyers voters promised survivors. The piece places the Yekutiel scandal in that pattern.
Tuesday, September 29, 20262 stories →
Muni stabbing victim was good Samaritan who stepped in to help two women, DA says
The victim of last week's stabbing on a 14-Mission bus in SoMa was a good Samaritan who stepped in to help two women, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office says. The DA says the suspect pulled a box cutter and slashed the man after he intervened. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries but was conscious and speaking to EMTs.
Muni stabbing suspect pleads not guilty, ordered held without bail
The man accused of slashing a fellow passenger on a Muni bus pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail. The suspect was on parole and facing other alleged violations of court orders, Mission Local reports. The stabbing happened last week on a 14-Mission bus.
Monday, September 28, 20261 story →
San Francisco school district labor relations administrator charged with child sex abuse
Apolinar 'Paul' Quesada, 50, a senior administrator who handles labor relations for the San Francisco Unified School District, was charged in New Mexico with first-degree criminal sexual penetration of a child under 13, according to the Chronicle, which cited Mission Local. The charge, filed July 20, concerns conduct alleged to have occurred in Grant County in early 1995, when Quesada was 18. District chief of staff Hong Mei Pang told Mission Local the district learned of the charge this month, placed Quesada on leave and opened an investigation, and said the alleged conduct did not happen in San Francisco and did not involve district students.
Saturday, September 26, 20261 story →
SFUSD exec indicted in New Mexico for alleged criminal sexual activity with child
A San Francisco Unified School District official who leads labor negotiations has been indicted in New Mexico on a charge of criminal sexual activity with a child, Mission Local reports. The official is on leave and previously worked as a principal and assistant principal at two San Francisco middle schools.
Friday, September 25, 20261 story →
SFUSD exec indicted in New Mexico for alleged criminal sexual activity with child
A San Francisco school district labor official is on leave after being indicted in New Mexico on a charge of criminal sexual activity with a child. The employee worked previously as a principal and assistant principal at city middle schools.
Thursday, September 24, 20263 stories →
San Francisco Sues Trump to Stop Early Access to Market-Moving Truth Social Posts
City Attorney David Chiu sued Trump Media and Technology Group in San Francisco Superior Court on Monday over Truth API, a service that charges up to $100,000 a month for early access to President Donald Trump's posts on Truth Social. The city asks the court to block the service and seeks damages under California's unfair competition law; Chiu says the service enables insider trading.
Sexual assault scandal could cost organizer control of Chinese New Year Parade
The San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce has run the Chinese New Year Parade for 73 years and receives a city parade grant of nearly $500,000 a year. Mayor Daniel Lurie told The Standard that the city is reviewing whether the chamber should keep that money after a lawsuit alleged board members sexually harassed and assaulted a woman staffer. Lurie said the parade will happen, whether through the chamber or another group.
S.F.’s trailblazing pretrial program is closing. Its replacement isn’t ready.
The SF Pretrial Diversion Project is no longer taking new clients and a replacement is not yet in place, according to Mission Local. The article describes what the closure means for defendants in the city's courts.
Wednesday, September 23, 20263 stories →
San Francisco Sues Trump to Stop Early Access to Market-Moving Truth Social Posts
San Francisco sued Trump Media and Technology Group over Truth API, a service that charges $100,000 a month for early access to President Donald Trump's Truth Social posts. City Attorney David Chiu filed the suit in Superior Court on Monday and said the service enables insider trading; he is seeking to block it and to collect damages under California's unfair competition law.
Javier Campos sentenced to 25 years for 2023 Mission District mass shooting
Javier Campos was sentenced to 25 years for a 2023 shooting from a vehicle near 24th Street and Treat Avenue. Nine people were injured in the Mission District attack.
S.F.’s trailblazing pretrial program is closing. Its replacement isn’t ready.
The SF Pretrial Diversion Project is no longer taking new clients and is closing. The city's replacement program is not ready, Mission Local reports.
Tuesday, September 22, 20262 stories →
Sheriff’s secret sex sting: Signal chats and a dodgy contract with Chris Hansen
The San Francisco Sheriff's Office ran a sex-sting operation with television host Chris Hansen, and the Standard reports that the police report omitted the film crew's presence, the city never approved the agreement, and the office later tried to get the contract sealed in court. The account draws on Signal messages and on the contract between the office and Hansen's production company.
SF Gang Member Pleads Guilty In 2023 Mass Shooting That Injured Nine People In the Mission
Javier Campos, 26, pleaded guilty Monday to assault with a semiautomatic firearm and to committing violence for the benefit of the Sureños gang in a June 2023 drive-by shooting outside the Dying Breed shop at 24th and Treat streets that injured nine people. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that Campos was sentenced to 25 years in state prison.
Friday, September 18, 20263 stories →
San Francisco Standard and its CEO sued for gender discrimination, harassment
A former employee is suing the San Francisco Standard and its CEO for gender discrimination and harassment. The outlet denies that gender played a role in its decision to fire her.
Lawsuit Accuses SFPD of Storming Apartments Co-Owned by Black Panther Leader
A civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court alleges that San Francisco police raided a West Oakland apartment building without producing a required warrant, shattering the glass entrance door and handcuffing a security guard who tried to intervene. Attorney Adante Pointer, who represents the building's owners and two staffers, says the search tied to a San Francisco robbery investigation recovered only a pair of tennis shoes and a jacket.
Accused Sea Cliff squatters skip court as judge issues restraining order
A judge issued a restraining order after two defendants accused of filing eight forged deeds to seize a Sea Cliff property failed to appear in court. The city attorney says the two filed the deeds to claim ownership of the property.
Thursday, September 17, 20262 stories →
San Francisco Housing Group Files Lawsuit Opposing Marina Safeway Project
The YesAND Foundation and four Marina District residents sued San Francisco in federal court last week over an 848-unit apartment and commercial project proposed for the Safeway site at 15 Marina Blvd. The suit alleges the city is wrongly using a streamlined approval process under a state housing law, Assembly Bill 2011, that the project does not qualify for, and that developer Align Real Estate was exempted from hazardous-waste assessments. YesAND member Lori Brooke said neighborhood groups followed the established process first and spent months asking for an environmental review.
SFPD sued over raid at Oakland apartment building
Former Black Panther Elaine Brown sued San Francisco in federal court Tuesday over a May raid at the Black Panther Apartments in West Oakland, alleging officers used excessive force when they broke through the building's glass doors with a battering ram. The lawsuit says officers surveilled the 79-unit building for a month to recover a pair of shoes and a jacket tied to an earlier San Francisco robbery.
Wednesday, September 16, 20262 stories →
SF landlords beat the vacancy tax in court. Next up? The so-called rental emergency
San Francisco landlords challenging the city's vacancy tax won in court and are now contesting Mayor Daniel Lurie's declaration of a rental emergency. Landlords call the rent emergency 'a bit cringey' and say the city is to blame for rising rents.
Judge in San Francisco Dismisses Charges Against 18 Pride Block Party Protesters
A San Francisco judge dismissed charges Monday against 18 people arrested after they refused to disperse at a Pride weekend dance party in June. Defendant Renee Coe, who filmed police in riot gear breaking up the party, said the city's handling of Pride events has been shocking for queer people who see San Francisco as a safe haven. The district attorney's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Tuesday, September 15, 20261 story →
Judge tosses all charges against Stud Alley partygoers ‘in the interest of justice’
A San Francisco judge dismissed charges against 18 people accused of failing to leave an unpermitted party at Stud Alley during Pride weekend. The judge threw the cases out in the interest of justice.
Monday, September 14, 20261 story →
Judge Tosses Suit, Allowing Great Hwy Ballot Measure
A judge dismissed a lawsuit that would have kept a proposition about the former Upper Great Highway off the November ballot. Advocates of restoring the road's earlier arrangement are hailing the ruling, which lets voters decide the question.
Sunday, September 13, 20261 story →
City sues two people over forged deeds to a $4.4 million Sea Cliff house
The city attorney sued two people over a house at 250 32nd Ave. in Sea Cliff, saying they used forged deeds to take the roughly $4.4 million property and tried to sell it. The suit by City Attorney David Chiu asks a court to cancel eight deeds recorded on the house, which has been vacant since its registered owner last paid property tax in December 2019. No one has been arrested, and Sing Tao credits the San Francisco Standard with details of the 2013 sale.