The address is 3278 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 106
Los Angeles CA
What is Civil Rights litigation? Only the most fundamental bulwark protecting Americans from the increasing divide between those who can afford freedom and the rest of us. An epidemic we face is the dramatic rise in police shooting incidents involving the innocent, the uncharged, and, most tragically, those whose biggest crime is merely suffering from mental illness. These battles on behalf of victims of excessive force and for violations of free speech are far more than cases — they’re causes.
Even before I went to law school, as an intern with the Mental Health Law Project in Washington, D.C., I saw how poorly the criminal justice system dealt with the mentally ill. Later, as a young attorney, I watched the LA County Children’s Court hand over custody of Lance Helms, a two-year-old, to his drug-addicted father. In a short time, Lance was found beaten to death. These experiences have never left me.
My first free speech retaliation case was on behalf of a peace officer against his superiors and the department. Other cases on behalf of rank-and-file police followed. As a result, I have assembled a highly experienced team of former officers with real-life experience who serve as consultants/experts.
I serve on the Board of Directors for The Bullpen Way Station & Sanctuary. The Bullpen helps dogs from shelters, abusive, endangering, or neglectful environments and/or owner surrenders. Located in Norwood, Georgia. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BullpenRescue/
Recent Case
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana
- California
- U.S. District Court: Central, Southern, Northern, and Eastern Districts of California
- U.S. District Court: Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Louisiana
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Education
- Tulane Law School, J.D.
- Oxford University, Brasenose College, Graduate
- Washington & Lee University, B.A., (Phi Beta Kappa)
- The Hotchkiss School (Lakeville, CT)
Matters
- Notable Civil Rights Cases: Excessive Force & Free Speech
- Trial counsel in U.S. Federal Court shooting/wrongful death case against the
Los Angeles Police Department. Settlement — $995,000 - Excessive force suit against the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. Plaintiff
sustained substantial third-degree burns. Settlement — $2.5 million - Trial counsel on behalf of a San Francisco Police officer working the gang
detail. Officer was removed from street duty after criticizing the
Department (Lozada v. City and County of San Francisco) - Trial counsel in Federal Court case against the Los Angeles Police
Department. Gang cops alleged free speech retaliation after their arrest of
suspected gang shot-caller. At trial, the jury found that the LAPD had taken
adverse employment action against the officers - Trial in U.S. Federal Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, on behalf of a
resident of the Town of Madisonville who alleged that the Town retaliated
against him as a result of his exercise of political speech - Argued and won appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
(New Orleans) on behalf of a plaintiff who asserted that he was unlawfully
imprisoned and retaliated against because of his speech [Magee v. Reed,
912 F.3d 820 (5 th Cir. 2019)] - Pending case in Louisiana on behalf of an Iraqi War Vet who was tased and
beaten by sheriff’s deputies
Entertainment - Trial counsel in multiple music copyright infringement suits filed in the
Central District of California - Represented Erik Braunn, lead guitarist of the rock band “The Iron
Butterfly” (“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”) in a dispute involving the bandmembers
and the band’s lawyer - Suit by composer involving the Three Tenors Concert in Los Angeles
- Negotiated composer deal for the feature film “Rush Hour”
- Represented feature film producer in dispute with production company
- Repped music artist Kinky Friedman on his tribute album, “Pearls In The Snow” (Artists included Tom Waits and Willy Nelson). Also given a cameo in Kinky’s detective book series.
- Antitrust suit on behalf of a small talent agency against the large agencies for allegedly forming a “cartel” in scripted television (Lenhoff v. UTA/ICM etc., D.C. No. 2:15-cv-01086-BRO-FFM)
