Practice Areas

PUBLIC ENTITY LIABILITY

In recent years public agencies have faced a surge of litigation. These cases typically involve issues that are unique to the public domain and they call for lawyers with significant public entity expertise. Porter Scott attorneys provide clear, practical, and comprehensive legal counsel to various public agencies including cities, counties, school districts and county offices of education, special districts, and joint powers authorities. Our practice incorporates all aspects of public entity law. Porter Scott's civil rights and public entity attorneys are regularly retained to assist in pre-litigation investigation and preservation of evidence during the claim filing stage. Our attorneys also represent public entities in litigation in both State and Federal District Courts. Public entity issues are often appropriate for appellate review and our attorneys are particularly skilled in Constitutional matters. We have represented entities on appeal in the California Courts of Appeal, the California Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Our public entity practice has also taken us to the United States Supreme Court.

Porter Scott understands that the environment in which public entities function is constantly changing and that their involvement in litigation raises issues beyond the particular lawsuit. Because we have handled thousands of matters involving public entity liability, Porter Scott offers clients cost effective strategies and sound advice that minimizes risk.

Our experience includes handling claims involving:

  • ADA accessibility compliance
  • Anti-SLAPP
  • Civil rights claims (42 U.S.C. sections 1981, 1983, 1985)
  • Contract and commercial disputes
  • Dangerous Condition of Public Property and associated immunities
  • Defamation, false light, invasion of privacy
  • Fair Employment & Housing Act
  • Fair Labor Standards Act
  • First, Fourth, Eighth, and the Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution
  • Land Use Matters
  • Police Liability, including false arrest, excessive force, search and pursuit issues
  • Provisions of the Education Code
  • Title VII Matters
  • Title IX Claims
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