In Perez v. City & Cnty. of S.F., 2022 Cal. App. LEXIS 171 (1st Dist. Mar. 1, 2022), the Court of Appeal concluded that a jury could reasonably find a nexus between a police department’s enterprise of policing and the risk that one of its officers would negligently fail to secure a Department-approved firearm upon…

In Joseph v. City of Atwater, 74 Cal. App. 5th 974 (5th Dist. 2022), the Court of Appeal held that an employment agreement created a hybrid employment relationship between a city and a plaintiff employed as a chief of police.  In reaching its conclusion, the Court found that under the terms of the agreement, plaintiff’s…

In Ochoa v. City of Mesa,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that because officers who shot and killed a decedent did not have time to deliberate before firing, the District Court correctly applied the purpose-to-harm test to determine if the officers’ conduct shocked the conscience under the Fourteenth Amendment.  The Court of Appeals…

In a 6-3 decision, the United States Supreme Court in Nat’l Fed’n of Indep. Bus. v. DOL[1] granted a stay of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing; Emergency Temporary Standard.[2]  The standard would have required employees of large employers to be fully vaccinated, or else obtain weekly medical tests and wear…

In Saved Magazine v. Spokane Police Department,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that an officer was entitled to qualified immunity because the Court was unaware of any precedent that would alert an officer that his enforcement of separate protest zones would violate clearly established First Amendment law.  In reaching its conclusion, the Court…

In Duncan v. Bonta,[1] the en banc Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that a California statute which banned possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition was a reasonable fit for the compelling goal of reducing gun violence.  The Court therefore reversed the District Court’s grant of summary judgment to Plaintiffs on…

In J. K. J. v. City of San Diego,[1] the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a dismissal of an action alleging constitutional violations by police officers in their treatment of a woman who was arrested at a traffic stop, fell ill while in police custody, and died nine days later. Background In November 2018,…

On September 30, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 481 (“AB 481”), which will become effective on January 1, 2022.[1]  AB 481 stated goals are to provide legally enforceable safeguards to protect the public’s welfare, safety, civil rights, and civil liberties before military equipment is funded, acquired, or used. Background Existing law designates the Department…