Bench & Bar: May 14

In This Episode"Courts Ordered to Police AI Without a Budget" William Slomanson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Thomas Jefferson School of LawIn re Domestic Partnership of Campos and Munoz put the problem in sharp relief: California's 4th District reversed a court order built on hallucinated AI citations. Standard 10.80b3 now requires judicial officers to verify AI-generated material — but no funding or staffing has followed. SB 574 extends parallel restrictions to arbitrators. For attorneys relying on AI-assisted research, the verification obligation now runs both ways."The Going and Coming Rule When an Employee Has a Hybrid Work Schedule" Michael E. Rubinstein, Law Office of Michael E. RubinsteinChang v. Southern California Permanente Medical Group confirms that a hybrid schedule doesn't suspend the going-and-coming rule. A standing calendar entry and pre-collision texts with coworkers weren't enough to bring a physician's personal errand within course and scope of employment. Chang is reliable precedent for employers' counsel — if the evidentiary record is locked down early."LA's Perfect Storm of Deferred Maintenance, Crumbling Infrastructure and Stolen Copper Wire" Jason Javaheri, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, J&Y Law; Parham Nikfarjam, Senior Trial Attorney, J&Y LawLos Angeles is simultaneously funding Willits settlement repairs and absorbing claims tied to conditions those repairs haven't reached. Copper theft now drives 40% of streetlight outages, some lasting more than a year. For attorneys litigating against the city, the structural conditions generating claims aren't resolving — they're accumulating.Read all three columns and browse the full Perspectives section at dailyjournal.com.