Kabateck LLP is proud to partner with the Daily Journal Network on Kabateck & Karnikian Off the Record, a weekly podcast where founding partner Brian Kabateck and managing partner Shant Karnikian take on California law, the courts and the politics behind them. Three recent episodes cover some of the biggest legal stories in the state.
In episode 7, the hosts break down SB 623, the deal that ended what was shaping up to be the most expensive ballot fight in state history. Uber had backed a proposed constitutional amendment that would have capped attorney fees and medical costs at 25% of recovery in every vehicle accident case in California. Then Governor Newsom signed SB 623 and the initiative went away. Kabateck and Karnikian explain what the measure actually threatened, why they argue Uber’s real target was inflated medical bills rather than fees, how Howell v. Hamilton Meats and the rise of lien doctors set the stage, and what the new cap on medical liens means going forward. Kabateck, a past president of the Consumer Attorneys of California, is candid about the bad actors he says invited the fight and why the whole episode should be a wake-up call for the plaintiffs’ bar.
Episode 6 turns to the warehouse fire in Boyle Heights, where a cold storage facility burned for eight days, destroying 85 million pounds of frozen food and blanketing a working-class neighborhood in smoke. The hosts walk through the legal battle taking shape, from negligence claims against operator Lineage Logistics and a possible solar panel contractor to nuisance claims and medical monitoring for residents concerned about long-term exposure. They also cover whether a company that size carries enough liability coverage for a mass tort, why the McDonald’s across the freeway can’t sue but the shut-down neighborhood bodega can, zoning questions about industrial facilities in residential communities, and the lawyers already circling for clients, including one firm under state bar investigation.
In episode 5, Kabateck and Karnikian look at California’s litigation campaign against the Trump administration. They discuss the figures Attorney General Rob Bonta has cited: $25 million spent, 66 lawsuits filed since January 2025, an 80% success rate on preliminary relief, more than 35 injunctions and somewhere between $108 and $188 billion in federal funding preserved for the state. The conversation covers the wins that have stuck, from blocking the National Guard federalization to stepping into antitrust enforcement on the Ticketmaster case, the brewing fight over the FDA’s reversal on flavored vaping, and why California now leads every state in suits against the administration. Bonta wants more lawyers and a bigger budget, and the hosts make the case for why the math works.
New episodes of Kabateck & Karnikian Off the Record are released weekly. Watch on the Daily Journal Network YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@dailyjournalnews or find all episodes at www.dailyjournal.com/off_the_record.
For media inquiries, contact marketing@kbklawyers.com.