Larry Bellomo Law Offices

January 28, 2018According to an October 27, 2017, announcement, the Los Angeles jeans company, True Religion, exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy with about $357 million less debt, debt maturities extended, cash to implement a growth plan and a positive outlook for the future. The company emerges with a ...

January 16, 2018A Fresno State professor who intimidated a pro-life group was ordered to pay $17,000 and attend training on the First Amendment. He was recorded on video in an attempt to harass pro-life students who were drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. He also asked students from his public ...

January 5, 2018The complexities of any divorce include dividing money, property and assets between both parties. While this might not be as complex for a millennial as it is for a couple who has spent their lifetime acquiring possessions, both types of divorce require finding a qualified family ...

December 23, 2017The 32-year-old mother entered the high rise in downtown Memphis as a memory tugged at the far corners of her mind. Suddenly, it came to her. She had been in this very building with her own mother for the same purpose — to file bankruptcy.She anguished over the decision but a ...

December 19, 2017An Ohio rapist who was previously granted parental rights and custody of a child he fathered nearly a decade ago lost custody. The mother of the boy was 12 years old at the time.Judge Gregory Ross of Sanilac County originally gave parenting time and joint custody to the man and ...

December 15, 2017Overturning a federal policy put in place by the Obama administration, the U.S. Department of Justice ruled in early October 2017 that federal civil rights protections do not apply to transgendered individuals under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.Attorney General Jeff Sessions ...

December 4, 2017Another retailer, Toys “R” Us, sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 18, 2017. The store joins a growing list of brick-and-mortar retailers that has succumbed to the pressures of long-term debt, which they listed at more than $5 billion.The parent company owns ...

November 13, 2017On September 28, 2017, a Louisiana judge tossed out a lawsuit against Black Lives Matter, stating that the group is a ‘social movement’ that can’t be sued. An anonymous officer who works for the Baton Rouge Police Department claimed that he suffered from serious injuries ...

November 6, 2017Payless ShoeSource has eliminated half of its $847 million in debt and is moving forward with plans to open new stores in Latin America, including 22 in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Peru, as well as venturing into new markets in Asia. As one of the largest stores to ever ...

October 29, 2017To avoid an extended dispute, the Detroit-based Ford Motor Company has voluntarily agreed to pay up to $10.125 million in a sexual and racial harassment settlement, albeit without any admission of liability. Charges were filed on behalf of a group of workers at its Assembly Plant ...

Adoptees over the age of 18 that were born in Missouri can request their birth certificate with their biological parents’ names starting in January 2018. The parents will have to fill out a form to remain anonymous. If they fail to fill out the form, they provide permission by default for the ...

September 5, 2017 In July 2017, the California Supreme Court made a controversial ruling that the state has the right to take custody if a child faces extreme danger even if the parent makes an effort to protect them. This ruling was based on a case when the state of California removed a 17-year-...

August 31, 2017 Alfred Angelo Bridal Chain closed more than 60 wedding dress stores before filing bankruptcy in July 2017. They claimed only $50,000 in assets contrasted with more than $50 million in liabilities in their filing, showing them completely upside down in debt. The bridal chain sold ...

August 20, 2017 After a Missouri church was denied funds to resurface its playground, the Supreme Court ruled in June 2017 that separation of church and state goes too far when they withhold government grants from religious institutions. Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, MO, was denied access to ...

July 31, 2017 In 1999, Richard Jones was sentenced to a 19-year prison term, convicted of aggravated robbery for purse snatching at a Walmart parking lot. Numerous appeals failed to secure his release though he maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration. However, a new discovery cut two ...

July 20, 2017 In 1996, Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau relationship made headlines for weeks as the public followed the highly publicized sexual relationship between the teacher and her student. The couple has now announced their separation. At the time, Vili was a 12-year-old student while ...

July 10, 2017 Following in the steps of other troubled retailers, Gymboree filed for bankruptcy protection in an effort to slash $1 billion of its $1.4 billion in debt. They will stay in business due to an agreement with their lenders as they restructure the organization even borrowing $35 million ...

June 30, 2017 In late 2015, Miller was charged with hiding hundreds of thousands of dollars after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy three years prior. She was also charged with smuggling in over $100,000 in foreign currency into the country without legally declaring it to customs. Miller pled guilty ...

June 20, 2017 The family of the late Robert Huskey is pursuing legal civil action against a Picayune, Louisiana funeral home that reportedly told the family members that they did not “deal with his kind,” referencing his gay marriage. The family had seemingly finalized arrangements to cremate the ...

June 10, 2017 Kara McCullough, crowned as the 2017 Miss USA in May, ignited controversy with comments on some hot button social issues. During a Q&A session in pageant, McCullough was asked her opinion on whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. McCullough argued that it was a privilege. In ...

May 31, 2017 Almost anything is possible in today’s age as far as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization is concerned. Unfortunately, very few laws exist to protect children born from these methods, and even fewer rights are afforded them, according to the author of a new book, “Babies ...

May 20, 2017 As of April, nine major retailers have already filed for bankruptcy in 2017, which will result in hundreds of stores closing. Retailers are running out of cash and are quickly approaching recessionary levels. Those that are staying in business are shutting down a record number of ...

May 10, 2017 Bloomfield Township, NJ agreed to pay a settlement of $243,250 to a man who says he nearly lost his ear during an arrest in April 2017. His complaint, available for public review at the NJ Civil Settlements blog, alleges that Rodolfo Crespo was arrested on drug-related charges on March ...

April 30, 2017 An Oregon judge is under investigation for helping an illegal immigrant charged with a DUI leave the Multnomah County Court to avoid arrest by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents. Monica Herranz allegedly helped Diddier Pacheco, a 22 year-old undocumented Mexican-born ...

April 20, 2017 The Supreme Court decided not to rule on a high-profile transgender rights case on whether public schools should allow students to use bathrooms matching their gender identities. A hearing for the case originally scheduled for March 28 looked like it would be the biggest case of the ...

April 10, 2017 Bryce Hemstad, an ex-inmate of St. Tammany Parish, settled out of court with the Sheriff’s Office reference an assault case involving a deputy accused of brutality in March 2017. Hemsted’s attorney, Stephen Haedicke, would not release the details of the settlement but divulged that ...

March 31, 2017 The rapper 50 Cent paid off more than $22 million, and a federal court discharged the bankruptcy in Hartford, Connecticut, in early February 2017. He originally filed bankruptcy in 2015, reporting assets of less than $20 with $36 million in debt. The court set a repayment plan in ...

March 20, 2017 Lisa Marie Presley claims that upsetting photographs of young children have been found on a computer that belonged to her husband, Michael Lockwood, resulting in the placement of her 8-year-old twin daughters into protective custody. Presley and Lockwood are separated. Presley ...

March 10, 2017 A 19-year-old freshman at Orange Coast College in California was suspended after he recorded his professor criticizing President Trump in December 2016. The student plans to appeal his case; if the school refuses his appeal, he has indicated he will file a lawsuit. The process ...

February 28, 2017 Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. separated from his wife, Sara Kapfer, on March 13, 2014 due to irreconcilable differences. On January 19, 2017, he finally responded, filing for divorce. The couple has been married for 22 years. Gooding, 49, is seeking physical and legal custody of the pair’...

February 20, 2017 The star of “Dance Moms,” Abby Lee Miller, has much more trouble on her hands than dealing with the ultra-competitive moms and talented dance students on her hit reality television show. In June of 2016 in federal court, Miller pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud. Her sentencing ...

February 10, 2017 On the heels of escalating tension with prominent civil rights leaders and just before his inauguration as President, Donald J. Trump met with the oldest son of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The meeting accented the public feud President-elect Trump is having with ...

January 31, 2017 “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star, Teresa Giudice, has — for the moment — some breathing room. In December 2016, she reached a settlement with her creditors that has been approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy court in Newark, NJ. This settlement allows her to keep 55 percent of any ...

January 20, 2017 Nick Loeb, Sofia Vergara’s ex, is pursuing custody of two frozen embryos, Emma and Isabella. The couple split up in 2014; Loeb previously sought custody of the embryos. The lawsuit claims that the embryos are due an inheritance via a trust in Louisiana, but they cannot claim it as ...

Orange County District Attorney Under Investigation for Serious Accusations January 11, 2016 In 2011, Scott Dekraai murdered eight people in a Seal Beach salon in Orange County, California. Three years later, after confessing to the crimes, he was sent to prison pending his court case. In 2015, a ...

December 31, 2016 Although the drug is still illegal under federal guidelines, an Oregon representative believes that the feds will need to reconsider removing federal penalties for the drug so that each state can independently decide what restrictions to pass. He further called the war on drugs “...

December 20, 2016 In the buyout of Golfsmith from Dick’s Sporting Goods, 59 stores across the nation, including nine in California, are slated to close during the next few months, according to information obtained from a bankruptcy auction. As of November 2016, the chain had 109 stores in the ...

December 13, 2016 An appeals court in Illinois determined in October 2016 that a woman who married an inmate is now entitled to the $20 million settlement he received in a wrongful conviction case as part of marital property. The defendant, Juan Rivera, was sentenced to life in prison without the ...

December 1, 2016 In September 2016, as part one of the highest divorce settlements in the nation, the controlling stakeholder of Grindr, a gay-dating app, Zhou Yahui will transfer 278 million shares equaling an estimated $1.1 billion to his soon-to-be ex. The agreement stands as one of the most ...

November 9, 2016 On September 30, 2016, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new bill into law in response to the 60-day jail sentence imposed in a sexual assault by a former university swimmer. The bill has broadened the definition of rape and includes mandatory prison sentences if the victim is unconscious ...

November 23, 2016 The defendant in a record-setting civil lawsuit has argued that the verdict was a miscarriage of justice, which could mean that the ruling is overturned, resulting in the possible loss of a $20.2 million award for a New Jersey couple. The accident is not under dispute, but the ...

October 6, 2016 Amber Heard and Johnny Depp agreed to a $7 million settlement in their divorce case in Los Angeles in August 2016, dropping further litigation after the end of their 15-month marriage. Heard, 30, originally claimed that Depp, 53, committed domestic violence against her and allegedly ...

September 28, 2016 In the continued battle between the federal and state governments regarding the legalization of marijuana, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined in August 2016 that the U.S. Department of Justice cannot prosecute marijuana cases when the defendant has followed medical ...

August 25, 2016 Many victims of domestic violence stay silent and choose not to seek help from the police or domestic violence shelters for a surprising reason. Ashlee Rousey’s story exemplifies what she and others face when they contact authorities. In 2008, Ms. Rousey called the police when her ...

August 10, 2016 The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Utah Supreme Court decision in which evidence used to convict Edward Joseph Strieff Jr. was not admissible because the stop was unlawful. Strieff had been stopped by police officers as he left a home that was under surveillance for drug activity. ...

July 25, 2016 Despite being divorced for over a year, rumors still run rampant for country music stars Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton. The power couple called it quits in July 2015 after four years of marriage. Although neither of them has publicly commented on the reason for their split, ...

July 5, 2016 In a divided decision, the Supreme Court rendered a ruling that judges must recuse themselves from cases in which they have previously played a substantial role in prosecuting the individual appearing before them. The decision came after retired Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, ...

June 29, 2016 Domestic violence victim Jennifer Kershaw received an award of more than $21 million in damages from a jury in Franklin County, Ohio. According to Michael King, attorney for the plaintiff, the case sends abusers a strong message that they will be held accountable for their actions and ...

June 19, 2016 Drew Barrymore, 41, and Will Kopelman, 38, have called it quits after nearly four years of marriage. In June 2012, the couple wed at Barrymore’s Montecito mansion and soon after, became the proud parents to beautiful daughters, Olive and Frankie. The pair seemed determined to make ...

June 5, 2016 A Southern California jury found a now-divorced couple both guilty of planting drugs in the car of another woman, a former PTA school president. What started as a minor conflict in the parking lot of an Irvine, CA, grade school ended in the courtroom with a guilty verdict for Kent and ...

May 16, 2016 The U.S. Supreme Court reviewed two cases in March 2016 — one involving Colorado’s legalized marijuana industry and the other a Massachusetts attempt to limit a person’s right to possess stun guns for self-defense — but refused to hear both. Neither the marijuana case nor the stun gun ...

April 2, 2016 A lawsuit submitted against Fitbit, the designer of fitness tracking devices, has challenged the accuracy of their readings, claiming that they are misleading consumers. The class-action lawsuit, filed in February 2016, alleges that the devices do not live up to their advertisements ...

March 18, 2016 After the rapper, “50 Cent” posted pictures of himself with piles of cash on social media, the bankruptcy judge called him back to court to elaborate on why he has filed bankruptcy. The rapper, whose given name is Curtis J. Jackson, has previously stated that he makes millions of ...

March 10, 2016 As the nation focuses on presidential primary season, where conservative aspirants to the White House try to woo voters and caucus goers, a subtler political trend is taking place in California. And it could spell doom for the California GOP. Conservative candidates across this ...

February 29, 2016 When the term “doctor shopping” was first coined, it referred to physicians much like Dr. Lisa Tseng—medical professionals who would overprescribe painkillers in dangerous quantities. The number of accidental overdoses of prescription pills accounts for nearly 30,000 deaths in the ...

February 20, 2016 In 2015 California Governor Jerry Brown took the lead on climate change. Not only did he attend the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Europe, but back home he outlined steps to combat the problem, such as the goal of reducing emissions of methane and other short-term ...

February 2, 2016 Well, it’s finally happened. After 20 some-odd years of local sports fans subsisting solely on baseball, basketball and hockey, a pro football team is coming to Los Angeles. Two, to be precise. Because not only have NFL team owners approved the St. Louis Rams move from Minnesota to ...

December 30, 2015 Warren Buffet made a splash in 2006 when he announced plans to start giving away the bulk of his fortune. An impressive philanthropic move, to be sure, but when he made the decision he was already 76 years old. And that’s the way it’s almost always been: the WWII generation and ...

December 21, 2015 A Pennsylvania appeals court agreed with a lower court ruling and determined that actress Sherri Shepherd is financially liable for a child that a surrogate birthed prior to Shepherd’s divorce from her ex. The court upheld the surrogacy contract despite Shepherd’s efforts to void ...

December 7, 2015 On Nov. 10, 2015, a Florida man filed his 15th bankruptcy petition since 2002, just weeks after his ban on filing ended. He might well own the notorious title of Tampa Bay’s most frequent bankruptcy filer. His previous filings effectively avoided foreclosure on his residence for ...

November 30, 2015 By now most U.S. citizens (and indeed foreigners with even a passing interest in American news), are aware that the country has experienced its fair share of violence on school campuses. And it’s true that most of this mayhem is of the mass shooting variety. However, on November ...

November 19, 2015 San Francisco residents recently took to the polls to address the defining issue of this iconic city: housing. As we’ve been told many times before, Americans are now in a “sharing economy,” as evidenced by the rise in popularity of companies like Uber and Airbnb. The problem is ...

An analysis of the high-profile divorce of Ken Griffin, the CEO of Citadel, and his wife, Anna Dias Griffin shows no clear winner after the finalization of their dissolution on Oct. 6, 2015. She will continue to live in Chicago, but he will pay more than agreed upon for child support in the pre-...

November 2, 2015 Hard to believe it was only back in early April when California Governor Jerry Brown made an emergency declaration mandating a 25% statewide reduction in water use. After all, California had been in a drought for four years up to that point. But the water restrictions quickly went ...

October 27, 2015 Not all states are created equal—economically speaking, that is. With a Gross State Product of around $2.3 trillion, California is not only the largest economy in the U.S., it is one of the 10 largest economies in the world. That’s a sizeable beast that requires taming, and the man ...

October 19, 2015 After an investigation by the Justice Department into vehicle defects resulting in more than 120 fatalities, one giant auto manufacturer will pay $900 million to the affected parties. However, General Motors is officially pleading ‘not guilty’ in the case of ignition-switch ...

October 14, 2015 It almost seems like something out of a bad action movie, one of those “Fast and Furious” franchises where it’s all about high-octane street racing in exotic locales. Except this incident didn’t come out of a film, and the locale in question was the most famous neighborhood in the ...

October 7, 2015 A Valley fire in Lake County, California, has destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses and seems to just be getting started. This comes on the heels of dozens of wildfires in the Northern California area, the largest of which has burned some 135,000 acres and threatened entire ...

Far too often, Americans simply vote for their favorite party’s presidential candidate or the person who appears to have won all of the final televised debates. While this may seem like a reliable way to vote, it can still fail us since no one candidate ever has all of the best answers. Furthermore,...

Environmental concerns are making their way more and more into U.S. public consciousness. And few states are feeling the need for major environmental change more than California. After all, this is a state that is in the middle of a historic and debilitating drought. On the automotive front, the ...

August 24, 2015 Nearly every month, another private sector business or government department discovers that its most critical computer networks and databases have been “hacked” by someone. While many of these attacks appear sponsored by foreign countries – others are the work of rogue criminals ...

As a top Republican candidate in the polls for president, Donald Trump is back in the news on a daily basis. To be sure, Mr. Trump has seen his fair share of success, or he wouldn’t be where he is today. The now-famous Trump Tower has been a landmark in New York City since 1980 with much-sought-...

August 6, 2015 Now that it’s become so much harder for civil law attorneys to find and keep new clients, a large percentage of them no longer believe they can afford to help many pro bono clients. While their financial concerns may be legitimate, the fact remains that far too many poor Americans ...

July 30, 2015 2015 has seen some landmark legal judgments. Not only did SCOTUS uphold the Affordable Care Act, but it also legalized same-sex marriage across all 50 states. But as touchy as issues of healthcare and homosexuality are in America, there’s one right that won’t be getting its day in ...

The war between the medical community and the anti-vaxxers probably won’t abate anytime soon. Leading up to the 4th of July weekend, when most Americans are traditionally preparing BBQs and fireworks, many Californians protested in cities across the state. That’s because on June 30th, 2015, Gov. ...

Travel along California’s lengthy Highway 1, and you’ll be treated to some of the most stunning coastline in the country. Indeed, there are innumerable state beaches, from San Diego to Crescent City, where weary road trippers can abscond when the miles begin to take their toll. But try strolling ...

July 8, 2015 After a decade of what appeared to be wedded bliss, movie stars Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner revealed plans to end their marriage. On June 30, 2015, the couple gave a joint statement regarding their hard decision, and emphasized that they plan to continue to co-parent their children,...

Although this case may appear to be a straightforward defamation lawsuit, it’s based upon a very unique background. The surface facts of Dickinson v. Cosby involve celebrity model Janice Dickinson accusing actor/comedian Bill Cosby of defaming her after she claimed he raped her back in 1982. In her ...

California’s record drought is so severe that Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in January, and now halfway through the year the problem won’t abate. The situation is dire. And while such activities as drought shaming make for enjoyable spectator sports, they do little to solve the ...

June 9, 2015 With the national conversation focusing on such prickly topics as wealth inequality, it wasn’t long before legislators started seriously considered upping the minimum wage. Since 2009, the federal minimum has been set at $7.25, and no one who lives in any major U.S. metropolis regards ...

May 25, 2015 While most adults only attended school between September and May while growing up, many kids today take summer school classes to get ahead — or attend districts providing year-round programs. This means that school buses are transporting students year round in many parts of the country....

May 20, 2015 With charges of police brutality and racial profiling against minorities by law enforcement officers at the forefront of the news, the Boston Police Department has forked over more than $36 million in the past 10 years in court awards and out-of-court agreements in personal injury ...

May 15, 2015 The death of Freddie Gray, 25, while in police custody touched off the Baltimore riots that held the nation’s attention for over a week. In the wake of rioting and mass protests, the city imposed a six-day curfew, during which time 486 people were arrested. Now that the fires are out ...

May 13, 2015 While professional athletes such as NFL players might demonstrate their talents on the field, many struggle with even basic money-management skills. They have focused on improving prowess in their sport of choice and as a result, have little understanding of basic finances. Often times ...

According to the Los Angeles Times, L.A. attorneys have filed suit against California’s largest bank, Wells Fargo, alleging unlawful and fraudulent conduct regarding bank fees. To any person with a checking account that’s living paycheck to paycheck, the reality of dubious fees and hidden charges ...

April 28, 2015 Two states neighboring Colorado have filed a joint lawsuit against the state in an effort to invalidate the laws governing the legalization of marijuana. The two states, Oklahoma and Nebraska, hope to defeat the licensing of recreational marijuana retailers in the state of Colorado ...

April 22, 2015 Although April is the month when America urges everyone to help prevent all forms of child abuse, we should run this campaign on a daily basis throughout each year. Even the National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence has said, “Child abuse and neglect is a national problem ...

April 17, 2015 While the stock market crash and tumbling housing market has resulted in a slew of personal and corporate bankruptcies, the economy seems to be heading towards recovery. Housing prices are steadily rising as low mortgage rates are attracting home buyers. Even so, the dust still has ...

April 2, 2015 The average divorce across the nation costs between $15,000 and $20,000. However, a few couples with high-profile marriages, significant assets and subsequent break-ups have record astonishingly expensive divorces. Golfer Tiger Woods and Model Elin Nordegren The marriage of Tiger ...

March 19, 2015 Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California has been stripped of its tax exempt status in California. The surprising move came following a backroom investigation by the California Franchise Tax Board. Apparently the company was notified in August but the news was kept secret ...

March 15, 2015 Administrators of the California state bar are considering a requirement that all students must volunteer 50 hours to free or “substantially reduced rate” legal work. They would need to meet the requirement within one year of receiving their license to practice law. Those in support ...

February 19, 2015 A dispute involving between 14-20,000 port workers in California, Oregon and Washington (accounting for approximately 68-percent of container ship clearing) is causing significant enough bottlenecks to drop the GDP of the entire country, forecasters say. It’s said that outbound ...

February 9, 2015 Radio Shack is the electronics equivalent to your local hardware store. DIY’ers can find otherwise difficult to come by products like specialty fuses, capacitors, resistors, solder, LED diodes…all sorts of items that, ten years ago, were hard to get your hands on quickly. Internet ...

January 17, 2015 Foothill Ranch, Ca – The economy hasn’t quite turned around for everyone yet. Wet Seal, a company based out of Foothill Ranch and self-described as offering “the most current fashions for teens”, is the latest mall retailer to decide bankruptcy was their best chance at staying ...

December 20, 2014 Back in 2013, Detroit set a new and unwanted record, becoming the largest city in US history to declare bankruptcy. All said and done, the city ended up with $18.5 billion in bankruptcy debt. In just a year, Detroit has already begun showing signs of significant improvement and ...

November 21, 2014 And you thought your divorce was messy. An oil tycoon will pay his wife of 26 years $995.5 million, a third of which is required by the end of the year. Following, he’ll be required to pay $7 million per month until the balance is paid. Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Hamm just couldn’t ...

November 5, 2014 And you thought your finances were complicated… A California judge has approved the city of Stockton to exit bankruptcy despite arguments by some, mostly creditors, that it is unfair. Judge Klein said “I’ve looked long and hard at this case and the responses that have been made, ...