In July 2023, the California Supreme Court in Kuciemba v. Victory Woodworks, Inc.[1] answered two certified questions from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  The Supreme Court concluded: (1) if an employee contracts COVID-19 at the workplace and brings the virus home to a spouse, the derivative-injury rule of California’s workers’ compensation law does not…

Rosemary Koo joined the firm as a senior associate, bringing with her a wide range of legal experience. Ms. Koo received her JD from the University of La Verne College of Law on a full scholarship for three years. While in law school, Ms. Koo received the Student Bar Association’s Appellate Advocacy Award for best…

In July 2023, the California Court of Appeal held that warrantless tows of legally parked cars with unpaid parking tickets that present no threat to public safety and the efficient movement of vehicular traffic are not permissible.  Coalition on Homelessness v. City & Cnty. of S.F. (2023) 2023 Cal. App. LEXIS 557 (7-21-23).  However, this…

Jones Mayer is pleased to announce that Danielle Williams has joined the firm’s Citrus Heights office as an associate. Ms. Williams received her J.D. in 2017 from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California. She brings to the firm a wealth of experience as a deputy district attorney and litigator…

Jones Mayer is pleased to announce Bruce Gridley has joined the firm as a senior litigator. Gridley received his JD from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law where he learned what it was like to be a litigator, a profession he had been interested in since watching Perry Mason. Following law school,…

FULLERTON, CA—Municipal law firm Jones Mayer represented peace officers from the West Covina Police Department in a recent civil rights case before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorney Melissa Ballard made oral arguments before the Court in a special sitting held on February 15, 2023, at the University of San Diego.  The case, Briseno…

In United States v. Estrella,[1] the Ninth Circuit held that a law enforcement officer must have probable cause to believe that a person is on active parole before conducting a suspicionless search or seizure pursuant to a parole condition, but that officer need not have ongoing day-by-day awareness of person’s parole status. Background In 2015,…

In Hopson v. Alexander,[1] the Ninth Circuit held that police detectives were entitled to qualified immunity in an action alleging excessive force under 42 U.S.C. section 1983.  The detectives had approached a parked vehicle with guns pointed and forcibly removed the occupants without first identifying themselves as law enforcement officers because of their suspicion of…