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  • Court Rules that Walnut Creek Parents Can Sue County Health Worker Over Son's Suicide
    By Malaika Fraley, Contra Costa Times, Thursday, January 14, 2010
    Parents of a mentally ill Walnut Creek man who hanged himself in County Jail in 2005 won a partial victory Thursday in their wrongful-death lawsuit against jail workers. (full story online at Contra Costa Times)

  • Cop Sues Concord, Claiming Sexual Harassment
    Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer, Tuesday, August 11, 2009
    A Concord police officer has filed a sexual-harassment lawsuit against the city, saying she was retaliated against for complaining about comments made by a supervisor, including "I love you" messages on her police-cruiser computer. (full story online at SFGATE)

  • Female officer sues Concord Police Department for sexual harassment
    By Paul Thissen, Contra Costa Times, Posted: 08/10/2009
    A female officer has sued the Concord Police Department for sexual harassment, according to court documents, only months after the city settled a sexual harassment suit by two other female officers. (full story online at Contra Costa Times)

  • Hayward Cops' 'Sexual Conquests' Prove Costly
    Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer, Thursday, June 11, 2009
    The city of Hayward will pay nearly $5 million to 14 female Police Department employees who accused male supervisors of regarding them as "fair game for potential sexual conquests" and said male officers talked of "converting" their lesbian colleagues, attorneys in the case said Wednesday. (link to full story online at SFGATE)

  • Women Police Officers Settle Hayward Harassment Suit
    Eric Kurhi The Daily Review, Wednesday, June 10, 2009
    Female cops to split nearly $5 million after complaining of discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. (full story online at The Daily Review)

  • County Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
    Jess Sullivan, Daily Republic, Wednesday, March 18, 2009
    Solano County taxpayers will spend $610,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming sexual harassment in the workplace and retaliation by top local official.

  • Deal reached in sexual-harassment case
    By Brian Hamlin, TheReporter.com, Wednesday, March 18, 2009
    Solano County has reached a settlement with a trio of current and former employees who filed suit charging sexual harassment and fair employment violations in the Public Defender's Office.

  • Sonoma County to pay $1.75 million for shooting of mentally ill teen
    Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer, Wednesday, January 14, 2009
    The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors agreed today to pay $1.75 million to settle a lawsuit over the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy in his Sebastopol home by sheriff's deputies.

  • Contra Costa firefighter's widow sues
    Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer, Thursday, August 21, 2008
    The widow of one of two Contra Costa County firefighters who died in a 2007 house fire that also killed two residents has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against two security companies, saying improper reporting of the blaze led to his death.

  • Firefighter's family sues alarm company
    Contra Costa Times, Matthias Gafni, August 19, 2008
    Lawsuit filed by firefighter Scott Desmond's familyThe widow of a Contra Costa firefighter sued two security companies Tuesday she says are responsible for Engineer Scott Desmond's death last year in the county's worst firefighting tragedy.

  • Stabbed girl's family sues over parole gaffe Clerical errors led to attacker's release, says suit against state
    Anastasia Ustinova, Chronicle Staff Writer, March 28, 2008
    The family of a teenage girl who was stabbed and nearly killed last year by a high-security inmate wrongly
    paroled from San Quentin State Prison has sued the state.

  • Family of Santa Cruz man who died in jail settles with county for $3 million
    Jennifer Squires - Santa Cruz Sentinel staff writer, March 1, 2008
    The family of a man who died in County Jail in September 2005 could receive $3 million in compensation
    from the county, according to a tentative settlement reached in federal court.

  • Family of Sebastopol 16-year-old killed by deputies files suit

    Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer, January 9, 2008
    The family of a 16-year-old boy shot and killed in his Sebastopol home by Sonoma County sheriff's
    deputies has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the county.

  • Trio Says They were Harassed
    Robin Miller, Reporter, The (Vacaville, CA), October 19, 2007
    Two attorneys and a legal secretary filed a lawsuit Thursday saying Solano County and Public Defender Jeffrey Thoma had failed to stop another employee's constant sexual harassment of them and instead retaliated when they filed formal complaints.
  • Workers File Suit Against Attorney
    Sara Stroud, Times-Herald (Vallejo, CA), October 19, 2007
    Three current and former Solano County employees filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing Public Defender Jeffrey Thoma of retaliating against them after they complained of sexual harassment by a female co-worker.
  • Suit Raises Concerns about Public Defender's Office
    Jess Sullivan, The Daily Republic, October 19, 2007
    FAIRFIELD - Festering concerns about leadership in the Solano County Public Defender's office, many revolving around sexual harassment and retaliation, led to a lawsuit filed Thursday against Public Defender Jeffrey Thoma and the county.

  • Family files claim in slaying of boy, 16, by lawmen
    Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer, August 25, 2007
    The family of a 16-year-old boy shot and killed in his Sebastopol home by Sonoma County sheriff's deputies has filed a wrongful-death claim against the county.

  • Parents Sue after Son Dies in Fall from Roof
    Henry K. Lee, SF Chronicle, July 14, 2007
    The parents of a Seattle man who plunged to his death from a Nob Hill rooftop last fall during a rescue attempt by a San Francisco fire lieutenant filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city Friday.
  • Richmond settles dog-shooting suit
    Karl Fischer, Contra Costa Times, May 31, 2007
    Cynthia Peters now owns two pit bulls in place of the one Richmond police shot in summer 2005, but they will never replace Blu in her heart.
  • Family of Benicia Man Killed in Apparent Jet-Ski Accident Files Lawsuit
    Henry K. Lee, SF Chronicle, March 8, 2007
    The family of a Benicia man whose body was recovered from the Martinez shoreline after he apparently was fatally struck by a jet ski filed a wrongful-death lawsuit today against the promoters of a popular powerboat event.
  • Marin to Pay $1 Million to Family of Man Who Died after Being Arrested
    Nancy Isles Nation, Marin Independent Journal, September 14, 2006
    The family of a man who died in the custody of the Marin County Sheriff's Office has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the county for nearly $1 million.
  • Marin County to Pay Nearly $1 Million to End Suit
    Peter Fimrite, SF Chronicle, September 14, 2006
    The family of an amateur rock musician who died in a struggle with Marin County sheriff's deputies has been awarded nearly $1 million in the settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
  • Parents of Man Who Killed Himself While in County Jail File Lawsuit
    Bruce Gerstman, Contra Costa Times, June 23, 2006
    The parents of a man who took his own life in 2005 while in County Jail filed suit Thursday, saying jail staff failed to follow a consistent suicide watch policy.
  • Hospital Settles Malpractice Suit
    Sandy Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, June 16, 2006
    Contra Costa Regional Medical Center has agreed to pay $2.4 million to settle a medical malpractice lawsuit over a baby born with serious brain damage and cerebral palsy.
  • Family Settles for $1.8 Million in Peeler Shooting
    Ulysses Torassa, SF Chronicle, November 30, 2005
    The family of a San Jose mother shot and killed by police as she stood in her kitchen holding a 10-inch vegetable peeler has agreed to settle their lawsuit against the city for $1.825 million.
  • San Mateo County Strip-Search Case a Class-Action
    Bob Egelko, SF Chronicle, November 2, 2005
    A federal judge has approved class-action status for a suit by as many as 2,000 women who claim they were illegally strip-searched after being arrested in San Mateo County in 2002 and 2003.
  • 6 Ex-Lesher Center Workers Settle Suit
    Henry K. Lee, SF Chronicle, October 25, 2005
    Six former employees of the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts have agreed to a $1.1 million settlement of their federal lawsuit against the center's manager and the city of Walnut Creek, their attorney said Monday.
  • Settlement Ends Lesher Center Suit
    Theresa Harrington, Contra Costa Times, October 25, 2005
    The city of Walnut Creek agreed Monday to pay $1.1 million in a settlement with six former employees at the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts who alleged harassment and retaliation by center manager Scott Denison.
  • Girl Alleges Juvenile Hall Staff Performed Illegal Strip-Searches
    Bruce Gerstman, Contra Costa Times, August 2, 2005
    A 17-year-old girl has filed a claim against Contra Costa County alleging that probation officers at Juvenile Hall violated state and federal law by strip-searching her repeatedly.
  • Plaintiffs' Lawyers Plan To Stun TASER With Their Failure-To-Warn Suits
    National Litigation Bureau's, Products Liability Law & Litigation Report, June 2, 2005
    "Two plaintiffs' lawyers with cases pending against TASER reveal their case theories."
  • Taser Sued Over 'Non-Lethal' Claim
    Alan Gathright, SF Chronicle, March 1, 2005
    "A lawsuit filed Monday in the September death of a 21-year-old man whom Vallejo police repeatedly shocked with a stun gun accuses manufacturer Taser International of knowingly marketing a dangerously defective weapon as safe and "non-lethal"."
  • Settlement Ends Suits Against Concord Firm
    Matt Krupnick, Contra Costa Times, April 24, 2004
    "The married co-owners of a Concord clothing-design firm will pay $640,000 to four women who say they were sexually harassed by the husband while his wife ignored their complaints."
  • Strip-Search Claims Spur Immediate Outcry - Women's Lawsuits Inspire Calls for Reform
    Elizabeth Fernadez, SF Chronicle, September 6, 2003
    "Lawsuits by two women who say they were stripped and held naked in San Francisco County Jail isolation cells prompted calls from city leaders and civil rights attorneys this week for immediate investigation and corrective action."
  • $500,000 Settlement in Killing by Cops/Mentally Ill Man had Waved Knife at Police in Theater
    Jaxon Van Derbeken, SF Chronicle, June 5, 2003
    "The San Francisco Police Commission on Wednesday approved a $500,000 legal settlement with the family of a mentally disturbed man who was shot and killed in 2001 by police as he waved a knife at them in a Metreon theater."
  • Lawyers Beware: Enter at Your Own (VERY HIGH) Risk
    Stan Casper, The Recorder, May 1, 2003
    "Thanks to outdated MICRA, plaintiffs counsel can't afford to bring legitimate medical negligence cases."
  • Get Ready, Get Set, Litigate
    Michael Meadows, The Recorder, March 1, 2003
    "Establishing liability in a toxics case is relatively easy. But that's only the beginning."