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 Sargenti v. City of Long Beach,https://www4.courts.ca.gov/opinions/documents/B340275.PDF ,published May 15, 2026, the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 7 affirmed summary judgment in favor of the defendant city. The plaintiff was riding a dockless scooter on city sidewalks. While attempting to move from the sidewalk to a bicycle lane in the street, the plaintiff hit…
In Pagan v. City of San Rafael, ordered published April 1, 2026, the First District Court of Appeal, Division 2 affirmed summary judgment in favor of the defendant city. The teenaged plaintiff was riding in a car driven by her teenaged friend on a rainy day when the car hydroplaned and on a curve.The driver…
In Bean v. City of Thousand Oaks, published September 29, 2025, the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 6, affirmed summary judgment for the city’s co-defendant. The plaintiff tripped and fell on a raised portion of city sidewalk in front of a private property owner’s residence. The plaintiff sued the city and the property owners…
In Williams v. City of Sparks, published August 9, 2024, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court's denial of summary judgment in a 42 U.S.C. section 1983 case. When officers responded to a report of larceny at a gas station, the plaintiff got into his truck and led officers on a high-speed chase. …
In Dupree v. Younger, published May 25, 2023, the United States Supreme Court reversed a circuit court decision dismissing an appeal. The plaintiff alleged that while he was being held as a pretrial detainee, three corrections officers assaulted him. He sued them in federal court under 42 U.S.C. section 1983 for allegedly using excessive force in…
In Smith v. Agdeppa, published December 30, 2022, a divided panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed denial of a summary judgment motion based on qualified immunity. Two police officers responded to a gym’s report of trespassing and disruptive conduct. When they arrived, staff reported that a man in the locker room…
In Vatalaro v. County of Sacramento, ordered published June 1, 2022, the Third District Court of Appeal affirmed summary judgment for the defendant county in a whistleblower retaliation suit under Labor Code section 1102.5. The plaintiff, an administrative analyst, was promoted to an administrative services officer position. The position was probationary for six months. The plaintiff…
In Hughes v. Rodriguez, published April 21, 2022, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part a district court order granting summary judgment to the defendant police officers. The plaintiff inmate escaped from a work crew. He was on the lam for three weeks. The defendant officers and a police…
In Martinez v. City of Beverly Hills, published November 10, 2021, the Second District Court of Appeal, Division 2 affirmed summary judgment in favor of the defendant city. The plaintiff tripped and fell when her rubber flipflop edge hit the edge of a drainage swale in the alley through which she walked. The asphalt that was…