In Handy v. Jones, published September 15, 2026, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court order denying a motion to dismiss. Late at night, the plaintiffs’ decedent’s neighbor called 911 multiple times to report a disturbance between the decedent and his girlfriend. The neighbor reported hearing screaming, a loud thud against the…
In Rios v. City of Azusa, published August 20, 2026, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal for lack of jurisdiction. A man acting erratically was subjected to a use of force by police that left him in a vegitative state. He and his children sued individual police officers and their agencies asserting…
In Victor Valley Union High School Dist. v. Superior Court (Magistrale), published July 13, 2026, the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division 2 declined to issue a writ reversing denial of summary judgment. The plaintiff, then a 15-year-old student, participated in ROTC at her high school. A teacher, the ROTC assistant commandant, offered to drive…
In Sgaraglino v. County of Ventura, published June 8, 2026, the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 6 affirmed summary judgment for the defendant county. The plaintiffs’ decedent was involuntarily detained under Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150 at the inpatient psychiatrict unit of a county hospital. He was discharged three days later, when a…
In Fuhr v. City of Seattle, published May 7, 2026, a divided panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed summary judgment for a police officer based on qualified immunity. The mother of the decedent’s daughter made a 911 call from a public playfield, reporting that the father of her child (against whom she…
In Zorn v. Linton, published March 23, 2026, the Supreme Court, in a per curiam opinion, reversed a circuit court decision that itself reversed a district court’s grant of summary judgment. Officers informed protesters engaged in a sit-in at a state capitol that they would be arrested for trespassing. The protesters linked arms and refused…
In Cardenas-Ornelas v. Johnson, published January 29, 2026, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed in part and reversed in part the district court’s denial of summary judgment based on qualified immunity. The plaintiff claimed that during the COVID-19 Pandemic, prison staff denied him and his unit yard exercise, arguing inability to carry out social…
In Vallejo City Unified School District v. Superior Court (Caguin), ordered published January 27, 2026, the First District Court of Appeal, Division 4 issued a writ directing a trial court to grant a motion for summary judgment/summary adjudication in part. A sixth-grade student had conflicts with other students. The student reached out to her teacher…
In Gonzalez v. City of Phoenix, published January 8, 2026, a divided panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court decision denying summary judgment to the defendant officers on the grounds of qualified immunity. The plaintiffs’ decedent was acting erratically. When two officers chased him on foot, the decedent ran into…
In Thompson v. CVSD No 365, published December 29, 2025, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment for the defendant school district and administrators. The plaintiff was a middle school assistant principal. He posted a comment on Facebook, shared with his Facebook “friends” only, about the Democratic National Convention that used epithets, slurs,…