Superior Court Judge James Dunn issued a judgment against the California Law Clinic that had been operating and defrauding clients as if it were, or connected to, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. The California Law Clinic has never been part of LAFLA.

Toby Rothschild, LAFLA's General Counsel said, "The California Law Clinic, operated by Jerry Bloom, who is not an attorney, deceived many people that he was a licensed attorney or paralegal associated with us, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. Bloom and his staff, several of them disbarred or suspended lawyers, falsely associated themselves with LAFLA so as to defraud unsuspecting clients of substantial attorney fees for supposed legal work - legal work that was not fulfilled. Bloom inflicted considerable harm on his many poor and low-income clients which at times resulted in losses of homes, dwellings and valuable claims that can't be pursued because of the statue of limitations."

Bloom and the California Law Clinic were ordered by the court to cease using the name Legal Aid (Legal Aid Broadway, Legal Aid Crenshaw, et al.) and to stop providing legal or paralegal services. Additionally, Bloom was ordered to pay LAFLA $1 million in damages, another $500,000 to permit LAFLA to notify the public about this matter via ads, and Bloom has to turn over all the phone numbers he operated under.

LAFLA was represented in this case by the international law firm of Jones Day. The firm expended countless hours on a pro bono basis to protect LAFLA's name and reputation.

Rothschild added, "Maria Nelson, Chris Broderick, and John Kim of Jones Day provided outstanding representation to LAFLA and to the community by their creative legal work. This case will help put an end to the use of our name to rip off low-income clients in desperate need of legal help."