MICHAEL P. STONE Partner ROBERT RABE Attorney Stone Busailah, LLP The United States Supreme Court has unanimously held that a public employee’s sworn testimony is entitled to First Amendment protection, when it is given outside the scope of ordinary job duties. While this is an important decision for public employees […]
KYLE A. WENDE, ESQ. Labor Associate Mastagni, Holstedt, Amick, Miller & Johnsen January 2, 2014, marked the first good news in several months for Seaside Police Officer Devin Church. Chief Vicki Myers backed off of her proposed termination, thanks to the representation of the Mastagni law firm. The Chief’s New […]
STEVEN BETZ, ESQ. Associate Rains Lucia Stern, PC An issue that continues to cause concern, confusion and anxiety for law enforcement officers, the general public, attorneys and jurists is to what extent the government can intrude into the data that we all store on our cellular telephones. Since smartphones began […]
MICHAEL L. RAINS, Principal JONATHAN MURPHY, Associate RAINS LUCIA STERN, PC A recent decision entitled Quezada v. City of Los Angeles by the Court of Appeal for the Second District reminds us about the collision course created between off-duty cops and Internal Affairs investigators when shots are fired, the “suspects” […]
ZACHERY LOPES Associate RAINS LUCIA STERN, PC In a ruling that strongly affirms Graham v. Connor’s guidance on analyzing use of force under the Fourth Amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously found that Arkansas police officers did not use excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment when they […]