Irvine Partner, Zachary Schwartz and Associate, Amanda Peterson Obtain a Unanimous
Defense Verdict for Orange County Sheriff’s Department Deputy
Zachary Schwartz, a Partner in the Irvine Office, and Amanda Peterson, an Associate in the Irvine Office, completed a 3-day civil rights jury trial in the Central District of California and obtained a 8-0 unanimous defense verdict. Mr. Schwartz and Ms. Peterson represented the County of Orange and a deputy from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The County of Orange was dismissed from the case after a successful Motion for Summary Judgment, and the civil rights claims against the Deputy went to trial. Plaintiff was a pretrial detainee in the Orange County Jail and the Defendant was a deputy working in the jail. During a search of Plaintiff’s housing unit, the Deputy pulled Plaintiff out of the line of inmates and conducted a hand search of the Plaintiff. Plaintiff contended that the deputy sexually assaulted him and touched him in a sexual manner during the hand search, which violated his Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The deputy denied the allegations and contended that he performed a standard hand search consistent with his training and policy.