Latest news with #Utah-based
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
US lawyer sanctioned after court discovers false citations filed using ChatGPT
A lawyer from the US state of Utah has been sanctioned by the court of appeals after he was discovered to have used ChatGPT for a filing, which contained a nonexistent court case. The brief, which has landed the lawyer in a controversy, was written by a law clerk at the firm and it wasn't reviewed before filing in Utah's court of appeals. The Utah court of appeals, in its decision earlier this week, had decided to impose sanctions on Richard Bednar, the attorney who was accused of filing a brief in the court which contained false citations which were created using ChatGPT. The court documents reviewed by ABC4 showed Bednar and Douglas Durbano, another Utah-based attorney who was serving as the counsel for the petitioner, filed a 'timely petition for interlocutory appeal.' But upon going through the brief which was written by a clerk of the law firm, the respondents counsel found several incorrect references and false citations that did not even exist. According to court documents, the respondent's counsel wrote 'It appears that at least some portions of the Petition may be AI-generated, including citations and even quotations to at least one case that does not appear to exist in any legal database and could only be found in ChatGPT and references to cases that are wholly unrelated to the referenced subject matter,' The Guardian reported. The ABC4, citing Utah court of appeals, stated that Bednar acknowledged the errors which were present in the briefing filed by the law clerk on behalf of the law firm, and apologized. The court found Bednar guilty of 'submitting a petition that contained fake precedent generated by ChatGPT.' The court then ordered Bednar to pay the respondent's attorney and hearing fees, refund the legal fees to their client and donate $1,000 to 'And Justice For All', a Utah-based non-profit legal organization within 14 days.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
5 arrested after nearly 300 stolen bikes recovered
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has recovered the majority of the hundreds of bicycles stolen en route to Los Angeles County, and five people have been arrested for being the alleged masterminds behind the heist. Sheriff's officials on Thursday identified the following people as organizers of the theft: Samvel Karapetyan, 38 Vazgen Avagyan, 36 Narek Badalyan, 32 Vladimir Gyulankaryan, 32 Davit Grigoryan, 40 While investigators are still looking into whether any of these five were personally involved in the thefts, the department said they oversaw the plan to steal 337 bicycles from Utah-based ARI Bikes on April 21, a theft of merchandise valued at $1.7 million. 'These individuals are suspected of orchestrating theft operations by redirecting truck drivers and using box trucks and passenger vehicles to transport large quantities of stolen cargo,' the LASD said in a news release. Of those 337 bikes, 288 of them were recovered during the recent service of two search warrants at multiple locations connected to three separate investigations. Jail records indicate the five were all arrested on May 7 in the City of Industry, and each has since been freed on $100,000 bond. Capt. Calvin Mah of the Major Crimes Bureau said their Cargo Criminal Apprehension Team is 'dedicated to combatting retail and cargo theft.' 'We are specifically trained to investigate all major theft groups as their criminal activities adversely affect the community,' Mah said. 'When these theft incidents occur, our detectives will work with all community members who are willing to provide information which can lead to an arrest. I am proud of our detectives' efforts in bringing these suspects into custody. I am also encouraging all community members to notify us when they have information related to retail or cargo theft.' To anonymously report information on cargo thefts or other crimes, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Red Mesa Aims To Rethink Hemp-Derived Cannabinoid Refining Methods
While traditional methods for refining and isolating hemp-derived cannabinoids typically involve a chemical catalyst, a new method has emerged in recent months. Hemp laws are constantly in a state of flux as some state regulators seek to restrict the use of conversion reactions, but this system introduces a novel solution. Utah-based Red Mesa Science & Refining unveiled its botanical refinement system, allowing cannabinoids to retain their natural complexity and integrity. How's this possible? The company's novel method works by extracting and distilling cannabinoids from American-grown hemp and introducing the material to an industrial-scale liquid centrifugal partition chromatography system. This allows them to precisely isolate the target cannabinoid. Red Mesa is a large-scale producer of hemp-derived CBD, CBG, CBN, CBT, and other cannabinoid isolates and distillate. The team operates a 50,000-square-foot facility in St. George, Utah with various homogenization, distillation, crystallization, liquid chromatography, and conversion processes. Crude materials go from extractors to refiners, and finally to wholesale customers, typically connected via third parties. While the company employs traditional hemp refinement methods, Red Mesa's new proprietary manufacturing process isolates rare cannabinoids such as CBN, CBT, and CBL—without chemically catalyzed conversions. 'Unique to Red Mesa is the installation of the world's largest centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) equipment system,' Red Mesa President Jeff Applegate says in a video call, explaining the system they purchased from RotaChrom Technologies. 'It was a leap of faith in future technology to be applied to the refining of cannabinoids. It's a massive undertaking from a technology standpoint to get the system and the methods for processing underway, and to truly utilize all of the cannabinoids that come from the plant.' It's a liquid separation method that doesn't rely on chemical catalysts or solid medium— fundamentally different from flash chromatography or column chromatography methods. 'This technique uses two immiscible liquid phases and a centrifugal force to isolate cannabinoids based on their solubility difference," he says. "It's highly selective, gentle, undelicate compound, and avoids contamination risk associated with those traditional methods of separation. The CPC allows us to refine rare cannabinoids like botanical CBN, CBL, and CBT and get exactly what we want. The perfect fraction is today a reality." He explained that in the hemp business, you have two main cannabinoids: CBD and CBG. But there is additionally a host of minor cannabinoids. Red Mesa processes crude hemp oil, removing unwanted ingredients via the homogenization process before several more steps. Applegate formerly served as Chief Operating Officer of a medical rehabilitation product manufacturer, with extensive experience in sales management, manufacturing, and product development in an FDA-regulated industry. Under his leadership, Red Mesa has become a leader in the cannabinoid space, specializing in CBD, CBG, and CBN isolates, distillates, crystal-resistant distillates, and botanically-derived rare cannabinoids. The company sells raw cannabinoid material to product formulators, contract manufacturers, and white labelers. In regards to where the markets the company's ingredients end up, the hemp nutraceutical and wellness sector is number one. 'There's probably not another state with more nutraceutical and wellness horsepower than Utah," he says. "Hemp is a market that's increasingly looking for more credible producers at scale with the certifications and registrations that Red Mesa holds. And then there's also the vape industry. In the there's a growing appetite for non-psychoactive options outside of nicotine or THC." There's a increasing demand for cannabinoid isolates with greater purity levels. For instance, importing CBD to be sold in Japan is legal, but CBD products must contain less than 10 ppm THC—0.001%—which is the strictest zero tolerance CBD rule yet. In addition, certain athletes must comply with strict anti-doping rules when taking CBD, such as Olympians. The company's CBD isolates, for instance, contain ≥99% CBD purity or greater and THC-free. Every raw ingredient sold by Red Mesa is produced in-house and traceable, with third-party lab COAs verifying cannabinoid potency, under full compliance. State to state, hemp laws are constantly changing, often when it involves typical conversion methods. In Montana for instance, the state's regulatory agency now bans the use of a converted CBN as an input material to make finished CBN good products, and Applegate explained that solutions like theirs may become fundamental to the continuation of many businesses that sell those products, allowing them to circumvent those rules. Hemp in Utah is regulated under both federal and state agencies, primarily the The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF). All cannabinoid products marketed or sold in Utah are required to register with the UDAF. Hemp-derived cannabinoid product sales reached $28 billion in 2022 while legal cannabis products generated $26 billion in sales during that same period, according to Whitney Economics. Red Mesa brings in about 6,000 kilograms of crude feedstock inputs per month, and the company aims for about 12,000 kilograms of feedstock input by the middle of 2026. The company's large-scale B2B business model showcases the true power of the hemp industry, and where cannabinoid refinement methods are headed in the future.
Business Wire
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Align Capital Partners Plants Roots with Strata Landscape Services
CLEVELAND & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Align Capital Partners ('ACP') is pleased to announce that it completed a growth investment in Strata Landscape Services ('Strata' or the 'Company'), a leading provider of commercial landscape services in the Western United States. Strata's management team is led by industry veterans Jerry DeJournett (CEO), Ben Green (COO) and Justin Crandall (CFO) who founded the Company when they acquired Southern California-based Verdant Landscaping in 2024. Alongside the recapitalization with ACP, Strata also acquired Utah-based Boulder Landscaping. Collectively, Strata is now serving over 350 commercial clients with its full suite of maintenance, enhancement, irrigation and snow services. Strata founders Jerry DeJournett and Ben Green first met while working at ValleyCrest and were inspired by the culture and performance they experienced there. With Strata, they aim to be the trusted partner to landscaping business owners looking to join forces with a team that values their legacy, employees and customers. This shared vision of building the next great commercial landscaping maintenance company was the foundation for partnering with Boulder Landscaping, as owner Wray Dix shared their experience of working in the ValleyCrest culture. 'There has been a lot of consolidation in our industry in recent years, so it was imperative to the long-term success of Boulder that we found the right cultural fit for our team and customers,' said Boulder Owner and CEO Wray Dix. 'I know several owners that have been through frustrating sale processes, so it was refreshing to see the entire Strata and ACP team working so closely together and delivering on their word at each stage of negotiations. Together, Strata and Boulder offer an exciting new platform for growth in our region.' Strata looks to continue scaling its operations by acquiring businesses within its existing markets in California and Utah, while also expanding into neighboring states to build a comprehensive commercial landscaping services platform focused on the Western U.S. 'Having been on both sides of landscaping acquisitions in my career,' said Jerry DeJournett. 'The most important thing is to build trust through transparency, and to deliver on your word. At Strata, our culture is built around that idea of trust and we use it to take care of our people and our customers. In Wray and the individuals at Boulder, we found a like-minded team and we're excited to partner with them in building a great company.' 'We're thrilled to partner with the Strata team to build a standout landscaping organization,' said ACP Managing Partner Rob Langley. 'Jerry, Ben and Justin are seasoned industry veterans with deep expertise in acquiring, integrating and growing landscaping businesses—particularly in the Western U.S. Our partnership with Wray and the acquisition of Boulder Landscaping mark an early success that we are excited to build upon.' Ervin Cash, Dave Modi and Matt Sweet worked alongside Langley on the transaction. About Strata Strata Landscape Services, headquartered near Los Angeles, California, provides a comprehensive suite of landscaping services including maintenance, enhancements, irrigation, construction and snow removal in the Western U.S. The Company serves a diverse range of commercial clients, including class A & B commercial, retail centers, churches, resorts, hospitals, HOAs, assisted living, public works and multi-family properties. For more information, visit About ACP ACP is a growth-oriented private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to help create shared success. ACP manages $1.8 billion in committed capital with investment teams in Cleveland and Dallas. ACP brings experience and resources to help lower-middle market companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees and the firm's investors. ACP makes control investments in differentiated companies within the business services, technology, specialty manufacturing and distribution sectors. For more information, visit Disclosures: This press release is not an offer to sell securities or interests in any fund managed by ACP. The statements quoted above were made by persons who are not clients of ACP and they have not received compensation for the above statements. These statements are solely their opinion and representative of their experience with ACP.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The top 10 home builders of 2025
This story was originally published on Multifamily Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Multifamily Dive newsletter. Every May, Builder magazine releases its ranking of the top 200 single-family home builders in the U.S. based on closings of homes built for sale and for rent. This year, most of the top 10 home builders have retained their positions on the Builder 100 or remained close. However, Salt Lake City, Utah-based SH Residential Holdings — the U.S. subsidiary of Japanese home builder Sekisui House — moved from No. 20 on the 2024 Builder 100 to No. 6 in 2025 after completing its acquisition of M.D.C. Holdings in April 2024, pushing Clayton Properties Group out of the top 10. Here's how the list's top 10 builders performed in the past year. To compare against last year's numbers, see our 2024 coverage. 1. D. R. Horton 2024 revenue: $33.8 billion 2024 closings: 93,311 (including 3,902 build-to-rent homes) Regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, West Company fact: D.R. Horton remains on the top of the Builder 100 list for the 23rd year in a row, and has moved up to No. 5 on the National Multifamily Housing Council's Top 25 Developers list, with 4,590 units started in 2024. Its single-family build-to-rent completions are down by almost 2,000 from the previous year. 2. Lennar Corp. 2024 revenue: $33.8 billion 2024 closings: 80,210 (including 1,005 condos) Regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, West Company fact: Quarterra, formerly known as Lennar Multifamily, made the NMHC Top 25 Developers list at No. 22, with 1,628 units started in 2024. The brand sold off two of its property portfolios in 2024 — a $2.1 billion sale to KKR in June and a sale to QuadReal Property Group in September for an undisclosed price. 3. PulteGroup 2024 revenue: $17.3 billion 2024 closings: 31,219 Regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, West Company fact: Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is the grandson of William Pulte, founder of PulteGroup. He served on the company's board of directors between 2016 and 2020. 4. NVR 2024 revenue: $10.3 billion 2024 closings: 22,836 Regions: Northeast, Midwest, South Company fact: NVR operates both mortgage and settlement and title services for buyers through its NVR Mortgage and NVR Settlement divisions. 5. Meritage Homes 2024 revenue: $6.3 billion 2024 closings: 15,611 Regions: South, West Company fact: Meritage has partnered with Operation Homefront's Permanent Homes for Veterans program for 12 years, donating mortgage-free homes to military veteran families. 6. SH Residential Holdings 2024 revenue: $8.1 billion 2024 closings: 14,860 Regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, West Company fact: SH Residential Holdings' 2024 acquisition of M.D.C. Holdings was valued at $4.9 billion. The builder also operates Woodside Homes, Holt Homes, Chesmar Homes and Hubble Homes in the U.S. 7. KB Home 2024 revenue: $6.9 billion 2024 closings: 14,169 Regions: South, West Company fact: KB Home's Dixon Trail community in Escondido, California, is the first new home development in the country to be built to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety's home- and neighborhood-level wildfire resilience standards. 8. Taylor Morrison 2024 revenue: $7.8 billion 2024 closings: 12,896 Regions: Midwest, South, West Company fact: Three years after its launch, Taylor Morrison's Yardly build-to-rent brand has expanded to 35 communities — 15 leasing and 20 in progress — across nine markets in four states, according to the brand's website. 9. Century Communities 2024 revenue: $4.4 billion 2024 closings: 11,007 Regions: Midwest, South, West Company fact: Homes in Century Communities' Century Complete brand are available for purchase entirely online. 10. Toll Brothers 2024 revenue: $10.6 billion 2024 closings: 10,813 Regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, West Company fact: The builder's multifamily arm, Toll Brothers Apartment Living, recently sold The Kendrick in Newton, Massachusetts, to Norfolk, Virginia-based real estate investor and manager Harbor Group International for $182 million. Sign in to access your portfolio
