Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Department obtain voluntary dismissal of lawsuit alleging constitutional discovery violations
Client(s) Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Steve Cooley, Leroy Baca
On February 26, 2013, Jones Day obtained the voluntary dismissal of a highly publicized complaint filed by the American Civil Liberties Union against the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Leroy Baca, and former District Attorney Steve Cooley.
In July 2012, the ACLU filed a lawsuit alleging that the District Attorney's Office's internal policies and discovery practices violated state and federal constitutional law governing the production of exculpatory evidence. According to the suit, the Sheriff's Department exacerbated these violations by failing to properly categorize information relating to inmate complaints against deputies.
After Jones Day was brought in to advise and assist both the Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office in revising and re-writing their policies with respect to Brady information and the storing of information with respect to inmate complaints, the ACLU agreed to dismiss their lawsuit. The new policies and procedures that Jones Day assisted in creating received widespread support from the District Attorney's Office (and newly elected District Attorney Jackie Lacey), the ACLU, the criminal defense bar, and the media.
Jeffrey Douglas v. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, et al., B 138170 (Super. Ct. Los Angeles Cty., Cal.)
