Recent Significant Victories
2024
- French v. City of Los Angeles – successfully upheld $17 million jury verdict on behalf of parents who were shot and severely wounded, and whose son was killed, by an off-duty officer at a Costco in Corona.
2023
- Valenzuela v. City of Anaheim – successfully upheld $13.2 million jury verdict, including precedent-setting recovery of “loss of life” damages, arising from police use of fatal chokehold in post-trial motions, on appeal, and in opposition to certiorari before the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Ibarra v. Lee – Obtained complete, unanimous reversal of summary judgment that had dismissed all claims arising from the use of deadly force, reviving § 1983 and state law claims in the district court.
2020
- Frias v. City of Los Angeles – successfully upheld $4.5 million judgment arising from police use of “less-lethal” force that led to fatal shooting in post-trial motions.
2018
- Archibald (Pickett) v. County of San Bernardino – successfully upheld $15.5 million judgment arising from fatal police shooting of unarmed man in post-trial motions.
- Borges v. County of Humboldt – obtained two settlements totaling $3.7 million plus substantial policy and training reforms, after jury verdict, arising from jail officials’ indifference to mentally ill arrestee’s medical needs. Read more.
2017
- J.M. (Arellano) v. City of Santa Ana – obtained $1.67 million settlement arising from fatal police shooting of unarmed man.
2016
- Woods v. Fagan – obtained $1.05 million jury verdict plus punitive damages arising from fatal police shooting of unarmed man. Read more.
- N.W. (Woods) v. City of Long Beach – obtained $1.9 million settlement arising from fatal police shooting of unarmed man.
- R.S. (Hallstrom) v. City of Santa Ana – obtained $3.7 million settlement arising from fatal police shooting of unarmed man.
- Zerby v. City of Long Beach – successfully upheld $7.9 million judgment in fatal police shooting case on appeal. Read more.
2015
- P.C. (Cornejo) v. City of Los Angeles – successfully upheld $3.7 million judgment in fatal police beating case on appeal.
- Contreras v. City of Los Angeles – successfully upheld $6.6 million judgment in quadriplegic police shooting case in post-trial motions, on appeal, and before the United States Supreme Court. Read more.
2014
- Fryer v. County of Riverside – obtained $750,000 settlement arising from fatal police shooting.
2013
- Harrison v. Tilton – obtained favorable jury verdict while acting as lead trial counsel for prisoner civil rights plaintiff in federal court, successfully upheld on post-trial motions.
2012
- Young v. County of Los Angeles – briefed, argued, and won appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversing the trial court’s dismissal of case arising from use of excessive force against an off-duty probation officer. Read the published opinion.
- Nash (Jackson) v. City of San Bernardino – with Dale Galipo, obtained $2 million jury verdict arising from police excessive force which caused the death of a mentally ill man. Read more.
2011
- Atkinson v. County of Tulare – with Dale Galipo, obtained $1.5 million settlement arising from fatal police shooting.
- A.K.C. (Kim) v. City of Santa Ana – with Dale Galipo, obtained confidential settlement arising from fatal police shooting of Korean-American woman during a vehicle pursuit. Read more.