Defendants

Deepa Bharath The three teenagers accused of gang-raping a 16-year-old girl have been treated equally in a case that has created a media frenzy because of the high-power position held by one defendant's father, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney said. Orange County Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl and his son's defense team, however, have said they believe that the Orange County district attorney overcharged this case because of Don Haidl's position of power and his role in county politics.

A Newport Beach businessman named as a defendant in a lawsuit against two local rehabilitation homes said Thursday the city gave him no warning before filing the suit. “I was shocked to find out I’m being sued by Newport Beach without any notice or warning letter,” Saywitz said. Saywitz, president of the Newport Beach-based real estate company The Saywitz Co., said he was out of the office traveling and found out about the legal action only when he returned to work this week.

A former Newport Beach resident charged for running a fraudulent Internet company returned to the U.S. on Thursday after fleeing the country in 1999. James S. Eberhart, 71, was deported from Malaysia and expected in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, according to an FBI release. Eberhart, along with co-defendants Eugene M. Carriere, Richard Hines and Kenneth Gottlieb, were indicted for allegedly operating YES Entertainment Network Inc., a fraudulent Newport Beach company that solicited investments over the phone for an 18-channel, multimedia, family-oriented website, according to court documents.

Marisa O'Neil The fate of three men, accused of gang-raping a 16-year-old girl when they were teenagers, lies in the hands of a jury for the second time in a year. A jury of eight men and four women must now decide if Greg Haidl, Kyle Nachreiner and Keith Spann, all 17 at the time, took advantage of the girl after she passed out from drinking or, as the defense claims, if she willingly participated. A jury last year could not reach a verdict in the case, and Judge Francisco Briseno declared a mistrial.

Deirdre Newman With an air of deja vu, Mayor Gary Monahan emerged from behind closed doors late Monday night and announced that another settlement agreement had been reached with former City Atty. Jerry Scheer. This time, though, the statement was followed by a caveat: "contingent on all people signing it." The lack of one signee -- Senior Deputy City Atty. Marianne Milligan -- derailed the first settlement agreement reached by Scheer and the defendants in October.

SANTA ANA — An Orange County judge issued a gag order Friday in the misdemeanor criminal trial of 11 college students accused of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador to the United States. Superior Court Judge Peter J. Wilson said that he did not want potential jurors to have preconceived ideas about the case involving the so-called "Irvine 11. " His gag order applies to both the prosecution and to the defense. On May 3, defense attorneys representing the defendants filed a motion that aimed to silence prosecutors, claiming that Orange County Deputy Dist.

Have you ever had to go to court to watch a friend or family member appear before a judge? Have you ever had to wait for your own appearance? Either way, typically defendants are ordered to appear at 9 a.m. but rarely actually deal with a judge at that time. Now, Orange County Superior Court officials, with assistance from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, are working to make that wait shorter, or even disappear. Court and sheriff’s officials unveiled their newest courtroom Wednesday morning, and it’s housed right inside the Central Jail Complex in Santa Ana. Instead of driving to the courthouses in Santa Ana or Newport Beach, among others, some defendants can now make an appearance there, saving time and money for everyone.

-- Greg Risling A former Orange County deputy district attorney indicted in a federal drug smuggling case is no longer a defendant in the case. Federal authorities declined to specify the circumstances surrounding the case against 35-year-old Bryan Kazarian for the past several days. Kazarian was one of seven defendants who did not appear at a court hearing Monday. "His case has been disposed of," said Assistant U.S. Attorney James Spertus. "It means he isn't in the case anymore."

Deirdre Newman Deputy City Atty. Marianne Milligan is the only defendant who has not signed off on a settlement agreement the city reached with former City Atty. Jerry Scheer in October. Attorneys representing Scheer and the city have conflicting opinions on whether this has delayed the agreement from being finalized. In mid-December, Scheer refiled his complaint against the city, which essentially negates the settlement and restarts the process of suing the city.

SANTA ANA — Orange County prosecutors next week are scheduled to argue against a defense motion to keep them from speaking in public about their criminal case against 11 student activists accused of disrupting an Israeli ambassador's speech at UC Irvine last year. The motion, filed in Orange County Superior Court's Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on Tuesday, accuses Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan Wagner, police, and representatives from the district attorney's office of tainting the jury pool with public statements against the 11 defendants.

IRVINE - The Corona del Mar High boys' swim team won seven of 11 events at Friday's Pacific Coast League finals. The CdM girls won six of 11 events, also setting three school records. But the reason why it was University hopping into the water at the end of the meet could be summed up pretty easily. "It just comes down to Uni's depth," CdM girls' coach Doug Volding said. The Trojans defended their girls' and boys' league titles at Woollett Aquatics Center. CdM finished in second place in both genders.

With the possible exception of the Olympic Games, it can be argued that there is no bigger stage for a men's volleyball player than the NCAA Championship. UC Irvine (24-7), which battles BYU (26-4) in the NCAA title match on Saturday at 6 p.m. at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion, is making its fourth appearance in seven seasons under what first-year Anteaters Coach David Kniffin calls "the big lights. " Remarkably, UCI has won each of its three previous trips to the championship match (2012, 2009 and 2007)

The chief executive of a Newport Beach rehabilitation facility that actress  Lindsay Lohan  entered Thursday for court-ordered treatment defended the recovery center against charges that it's not licensed to provide residential drug or alcohol treatment. The actress entered Morningside Recovery LLC in Newport Beach on Thursday, her attorney Mark Heller told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge James Dabney. Heller assured the judge that the facility fully complied with the court's requirement that it provide Lohan with 90 days of therapy in a setting in which she could not leave.

The Corona del Mar High boys' lacrosse team earned the top seed in the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division playoffs and Newport Harbor a No. 13 seed. The Sea Kings (15-2), the defending U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section South Division champions, open at home against No. 16 Dana Hills on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. CdM is ranked No. 4 in the state by LaxPower.com. The Sailors (6-11) play at No. 4 JSerra on Tuesday at 6 p.m. - From staff reports * BASEBALL Corona del Mar 6, Ocean View 5 CORONA DEL MAR - Tyler Duncan, the winning pitcher, delivered a walk-off single that scored Brett Olson in a make-up game of the Newport Elks Tournament Saturday.

It was the type of a tournament that could change a career, define a player. The 2008 U.S. Open stabilized Tiger Woods as an icon. The Open made Rocco Mediate everyone's favorite underdog. Mediate is well aware the tournament was a unique experience. He went on to write a book about the epic event with John Feinstein, entitled, "Are You Kidding Me?" The appropriate title described the wild tournament and amazing playoff between Tiger and Rocco. Mediate has had plenty of time to think about, "What if," yet instead he just plays on for the next tournament, the next hole.

IRVINE - Moments after storming the court following UC Irvine's 72-69 Big West Conference men's basketball over first-place Long Beach State on Saturday, numerous Anteater students aimed their cellphones skyward to capture an image of the scoreboard. But years from now, when they gather to retell the story of the ninth home conference victory in nine tries this season, it's the goose bumps, not a photo, that will jump to mind. For 'Eaters Coach Russell Turner, the lump materialized in his throat, as he began to try to relate what the four seniors honored before their final home game have given to his young program.

NEWPORT BEACH - Sage Hill School tennis coach A.G. Longoria joked with Newport Harbor Coach Kristen Case when it was time to hand out the awards Saturday evening. Longoria said that Case's Sailors won the Lightning Invitational, hosted by Sage boys' tennis, "for the umpteenth time. " It's understandable why Longoria is starting to feel that way. Newport Harbor is two-time defending champion of the girls' Lightning Invitational. Now the Sailors can say the same thing on the boys' side.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Sharon Day, a former Costa Mesa High standout, successfully defended her indoor title in the women's pentathlon with 4,478 points at the 2013 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships Friday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. Day, a two-time Olympian, won with a margin of 145 points to earn her second consecutive USA Combined Event Championship title. Day recorded a personal best in the shot put (49 feet, 5 1/2 inches) and the best mark of the day in the high jump (5-11 1/2)

Charges against a Costa Mesa man accused in a double murder can stand, a judge ruled Friday. Orange County Superior Court Judge James Stotler denied a request to dismiss charges against Daniel Patrick Wozniak, 28, who is accused of killing his neighbor and his neighbor's tutor in 2010. Wozniak's attorney argued that police did not properly inform the defendant of his 5th Amendment — or Miranda — rights against self-incrimination before interviewing him. Prosecutors said that Wozniak eagerly asked to talk with police shortly after the crimes.

SHERMAN OAKS - Junior Chaz Beek made his first goal of the season count, as his strike in the 75th minute proved to be the Newport Harbor High boys' soccer team's game-winner Wednesday. Beek's goal, which came off an assist from junior Henry Ramirez, lifted the Sailors to a 1-0 victory over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in a wild-card match of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Newport Harbor (13-8-4), which finished tied for third in the Sunset League, will play at El Toro (24-1-1)