Injury and wrongful death suits against law enforcement are extremely complex. From the outset, police departments and agencies are typically well-funded entities that can drag litigation out beyond what most plaintiffs can afford. But law enforcement can be held liable for injuries and death when certain protocols are not followed.

I experienced this situation first-hand in Herring v. City of Upland. In 2020 my law practice secured a favorable settlement for the family of a man who stepped in front of a tractor-trailer rig near the West Valley Detention Center jail. This tragedy occurred after an arresting officer released the deceased client, Jeriel Herring—who was exhibiting signs of mental illness and suicidal tendencies—into the predawn dark instead of taking him to get medically evaluated as instructed by a jail nurse.